Chapter 1
1132 Words
-Ava-
“Well?” Zachery pressed.
Rina glanced up from the computer in front of her, a look on her face that I knew hadn’t gone unnoticed by Zachery, but he didn’t seem to want to focus on it, or he would already have said something.
“Well, doc?” he asked again.
Rina leaned back, folding her hands, but when she replied, she looked at me. “You’re pregnant.”
I nodded, having already suspected as much. I placed a hand on my stomach as Zachery rose, an aura of satisfaction surrounding him.
“Finally! So you aren’t useless after all.”
His words made me hunch as if he were about to throw a punch, but his anger passed me by. Hearing him walk away, I looked over my shoulder and watched him leave the office. I was surprised he didn’t order me to follow, but it seemed that even I would be treated more kindly, at least for today.
I looked down, unsure of what to do now. Then I heard Rina move. I glanced up and met the sympathetic look she always gave me when I sat in front of her. I quickly looked away, not enjoying being seen like that.
“Ava?” she called.
I didn’t reply.
“I don’t like to say this,” she continued, “but I think I must.”
I slowly looked back at her.
“What do you think will happen when this pup is born?”
“He’ll probably want another if it isn’t a boy,” I replied quietly.
“And if it is… he’ll kill you,” she stated, her voice hard.
My eyes drifted around her small office, taking in the details. It is a nice office, I thought distantly.
“Maybe he’ll still want more,” I murmured.
Rina shook her head, drawing my attention back to her. “He wants one thing from you. That’s why he chose you to begin with.”
I stared at the floor, unable to believe this was my life, unable to understand how I’d ended up here… No, scratch that. I understood how I got here, and I hated myself for not running sooner.
“You need to go, Ava.”
I looked up at Rina, fear spreading through my body.
“Run as far away as you can,” she urged.
I glanced toward the door, but no one came in. Rina stood and dug into a drawer, pulling out a large envelope. Walking around the desk, she took my hand and pressed it into my palm. I shook my head violently.
“I-I-I can’t,” I stammered.
“Yes, you can.”
“N-No, h-he’ll kill me.”
“He’ll kill you regardless.”
I looked away, but Rina grabbed my face and turned me back toward her.
“There’s money in here.”
“M-Money won’t help me. My own family couldn’t.”
Rina’s eyes flared with anger at the mention of them, but she held me even tighter.
“They aren’t your family,” she said firmly. “I have someone who can help you get settled, contacts outside this pack. They’ll take care of you.”
“H-How do you know they will?”
She looked away for a moment, as if embarrassed. “I’ve already talked to them.”
“Why?”
“Because since your very first heat a few years ago, I’ve been planning an escape for you.”
Her words stunned me. She had been planning it for that long?
“I’m not blind to the kind of man our alpha is,” she said. “He was a bad kid, and I knew he’d grow up to be a bad leader.”
“Don’t say that here!” I hissed.
“No, I must. And even though I can admit it, I didn’t act when I should have. I should have gotten you away sooner, not waited until now.”
I shook my head, disagreeing.
“Yes, I should have. Standing by is just as bad as being complicit, but I won’t be complicit anymore.”
I stared into Rina’s eyes. Despite hearing her explanation, I found it hard to believe she truly wanted to help me.
“I contacted my sister. She lives in New York. She’ll get you settled,” Rina assured me.
I shook my head again. “It won’t work. He’ll find me.”
“No, he won’t.” She opened the envelope, showing me the cash inside before pulling out an ID card. The photo was of me, but the name wasn’t.
“Calliope Grey?” I asked.
Rina nodded. “It’s who you’ll be once you arrive in New York,” she explained.
Her plan for after I left made sense, but I knew there was something she hadn’t accounted for.
“I’d need to get out of here first, and he won’t allow that. I’m always being watched, and I will be even more now.”
“I already have a plan for that.”
I just stared at her, confused.
“You saw how happy our alpha was.”
“Yes?”
“You don’t think he’ll want to celebrate? We might have a brutal alpha, but he and the others like to party and get drunk.”
“Even so, Zachery never drinks. He throws those parties to keep his warriors happy.”
“I know.”
Rina suddenly stood, walked around her desk, and kept her eyes fixed on the door. I glanced at it too, confused by her behavior, until I heard her pull something from another drawer. Clutching it in her hand, she walked back over to me and placed a small plastic bag in my palm. Inside were two pills.
“Crush these and put them in his water. They’ll dissolve quickly, so he won’t notice. He’ll feel dizzy, and you’ll act like a good mate and help him. Get him to bed, then meet me outside the clinic. I’ll have everything prepared for you,” she instructed.
I considered her words, but fear tightened its grip on me. I started shaking my head.
“Ava—”
“He’ll kill you…” I whispered, tears filling my eyes.
But Rina smiled, and the sight shocked me. “Then I die for something worthy.”
“Don’t say that. I’m not—”
“But you are, Ava. And I know you’re brave.”
“I’m not…” I looked down, but Rina pressed my face up, forcing me to meet her eyes.
“You are!”
“No!” I sprang from the chair, letting the folder drop, and rushed to the door. “I’m sorry… I’m not…”
“Ava!”
- Writer
