Runaway Mate

Chapter 16

Fidelia

The night was cooler as winter began to show its first signs. The forest was calm and silent as the huge black wolf ran along, dodging between the trees playfully. She had already scared away all the squirrels, rabbits and birds and was now heading for home.

She came to a stop at the edge of the forest, the pack house within sight. She lowered herself to the ground and began to shift, hearing the cracking of her bones and feeling the retraction of her claws. The first time was always immensely painful for the wolf, as the bones cracked and reformed, but it became easier the more they shifted. Within minutes, the black wolf had shifted back to a naked young woman, with short dark hair and a thin, lean body.

She collected a bag hidden behind a tree and swiftly produced clothes from it and slipped them on, to hide her modesty. Then she made a bee line for the pack house. She quickly entered through the front doors and made her way up the stairs, ignoring those who greeted her from the first floor.

Once she got to the floor with her room, she turned to walk towards it when her eyes fell on the last person she wanted to interact with.

Hovering outside of the Alpha’s office was a tall, stick-thin blonde woman. She was barely wearing anything, as per usual, and her face was caked in thick make-up. She stopped before the woman and crossed her arms.

“What are you doing here, Jade?” She huffed.

The woman, Jade, squeaked and then whipped around to see who had caught her.

“Fidelia! I was….um…what are you doing here?” Jade stammered, looking a bit irritated at having been found.

“I live here!” Fidelia rolled her eyes at the pathetic woman before her. “You don’t! So why are you hovering outside the Alpha’s office?” Fidelia repeated herself, not even bothering to hide the acid in her tone.

She really could not stand Jade! She had appeared a couple of months after Nessa or, as she prefers to be called now, Raine, had escaped. Apparently, Axel had met her at university and they were ‘friends.’ He welcomed her into the pack and ever since she arrived she had been an absolute pain in the ass.

She paraded around wearing practically nothing, always trying to show off her breasts that were so small they were basically non-existent. She had a huge, creepy crush on Axel and was constantly following him around or trying to find out what he was up to. And she had the audacity to try and give other pack members orders, like she had any authority at all! It was doing Fidelia’s head in and she did her absolute best to be nowhere near Jade as the mere sight of her filled the pit of her stomach with disgust and it was all she could do not to punch the stupid wench!

“Humph! I don’t have to tell you anything!” She snorted, flipping her blonde hair. “And not that it’s any of your business, but Axel asked me to come and see him!” She smirked wickedly.

This just made Fidelia roll her eyes again. As much as she disliked speaking or even seeing her brother after the way he had treated Raine, even she knew that there was no way that he would have requested Jade’s presence. It was common knowledge to everyone in the pack, except apparently to Jade, that the Alpha honestly couldn’t stand her and the only reason he even let her into Orion Valley was because he felt bad for her. The rumour was that she had been kicked out of her previous pack and had begged Axel to let her in. He did and she showed no shame at having to beg for acceptance or the fact that even her previous pack didn’t want her.

“I’m sure he did.” Fidelia smirked back. “Then he had a meeting with the Vampire king and after that an important business dinner with the Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause.” She sniggered as she watched Jade’s face contort into pure rage and her cheeks flush red like a tomato.

“You better watch the way you speak to me!” She spat and pointed at Fidelia. “I could be your Luna very soon and then we’ll see who is laughing!” Again this only made Fidelia snigger even more.

The mere thought of Jade as a Luna was hilarious! No one liked her and when she paraded around trying to tell others what to do, no one took her seriously and just ignored her. The day Jade became Luna was the day Fidelia left Orion Valley and joined Raine at Runagate. She couldn’t sing or dance, but she could always work as a waitress or bartender or something. Anything would be better than having to live under a roof where someone like Jade was in charge. She would never be able to see her family again, but that was better than having Jade as a sister-in-law.

“Yeah I’m sure that’s why he ‘wanted to see you.’” She sniggered, using her hands as air quotes. “After that he’s making me chief wolf inspector!” She laughed in Jade’s face.

“Watch it!” Jade warned through gritted teeth.

“Or what? You’ll have me sent to the cells, Luna?” She laughed even louder.

Jade growled and was about to lunge for Fidelia, but was stopped when the office door opened and someone appeared through it. But it wasn’t who they had been expecting.

“Father?” Fidelia raised an eyebrow in surprise, while Jade took a few careful steps back.

“What on earth is all the commotion about girls?” He asked suspiciously.

Fidelia turned and grinned wickedly in Jade’s direction.

“It’s nothing, father. Jade was just looking for Axel! He called for her?” She sniggered as she watched Jade fume and send her an acidic look, knowing she couldn’t do anything while the previous Alpha was there.

“Well, I’m afraid he forgot to mention any meeting before he left.” Fidelia’s father said, rubbing his chin.

“He’s not here?” Jade turned to look at him, with a sad expression.

“Afraid not, he left with the Beta and Delta on a business trip…” Her dad trailed off.

“Where did they go? Are they in one of the nearby packs?” Jade asked him, hopefully.

Fidelia rolled her eyes at the pathetic show Jade was putting on. She was shamelessly drilling her father about the Alpha’s whereabouts and Fidelia knew exactly why. If he was nearby, she’d probably pop up to ‘surprise’ him and then force herself on him. It was so pathetic and desperate!

“No he’s nowhere nearby, he had to go further north.” Her dad informed her, not picking up on Jade's ulterior motives.

“Oh!” Jade squeaked, disappointment written all over her face. “Which northern pack are they visiting?” She continued her questioning.

Fidelia groaned internally and began to walk away from the conversation, Jade’s mere presence was starting to irk her. But she found herself coming to a screeching halt before she got out of earshot and whipped back around to face them, after hearing her father’s next answer.

“They’re going to see the Alpha at Warrior Harpe.” Her father had answered.

“Warrior Harpe…” Fidelia gasped, taking a few steps back towards her father.

“Yeah, you know Warrior Harpe?” Her father asked her curiously.

“I’ve heard of it…” Fidelia breathed, feeling the panic slowly rising from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head. “How long will they be there for?” She asked, feeling her throat painfully dry as she tried to swallow nervously.

“At least two weeks…” Her father thought, rubbing his chin. “They have a bad rogue problem down there at the moment.”

“But…that’s the only reason they’re there, right? They aren’t gonna do anything else?” She nervously stammered, her palms becoming wet with sweat as she waited for her father to answer.

“They're only going down to help the Alpha of Warrior Harpe.” Fidelia was about to calmly exhale, but it got caught in her throat when her father added. “I think Oscar is aiming to explore the nearby city though.” He chuckled, completely missing how his daughter paled as he said this. “What was it called again…it had quite a long name…”

“Andromeda City…” Fidelia whispered, feeling her eyes widen as her worst fear was just revealed.

“Yes that’s the one! I think he wants to drag Axel for a night out in the city.” He laughed again. “Fidelia?” He called after her, as she had made a mad dash away from her father and Jade and ran to her room, locking the door behind her.

She dashed to her bed, carefully reaching behind the headboard and sliding a panel on the wall behind it. It revealed a hidden nook. Fidelia reached inside, with shaking hands, and pulled out her phone. The phone she kept secret from everyone. Her only way of communicating with her friend, Raine.

She quickly unlocked the phone and typed a panicked message to her:

Raine,

Whatever you do, stay inside the mansion! He’s there, he’s near Andromeda City! Tell Sigmund and have him on high alert!

Axel is at a nearby pack! You have to stay hidden! Whatever you do, stay hidden!

I can tell you when he’s back and it’s safe!

Don’t let him catch you!

Fi xoxo

She stared at her phone screen, silently praying and begging for Raine to see her message and heed her warning before it was too late. Axel couldn’t find her! Goddess only knew what he would do once he had…

Fidelia took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. Everything would be alright. Sigmund, the club owner, had protection everywhere for the guys at Runagate, so surely there was no way Axel would be able to find her or even catch a glimpse of her. He didn’t even know the club existed and if he did, there was no way he could get access to the VIP floors where Raine primarily performed.

As the thought occurred to her, Fidelia felt a sense of dread wash over her. She glanced around her room and spotted her purse. He ran to it and pryed it open, letting out a strangled gasp.

It was gone! She had left it in her purse, assuming no one would know what it was or even care, and it was gone! Someone had stolen it! Her VIP card for Runagate! The one that Raine had given her so she could visit anytime and always have access to her performances! But how?

She knew instantly who! It had to be Oscar! He had been kicking around her floor for the last couple of days before they had left and the last time Fidelia had seen him he seemed nervous and shifty! He had stolen the VIP card and was planning on using it!

She flew back over to her phone, the panic coursing faster through her veins. She had f****d up! She should have put the card in the hidden nook, instead of keeping it in her purse.

She frantically typed another message, her hands trembling even worse than before:

RED ALERT! GET OUT OF THERE! AXEL’S COMING!

She stared at the screen, her breathing rough and fast as she begged Raine to answer her. It was her fault, Raine was in danger and it was all Fidelia’s fault.

Raine had to get out of there before it was too late!