Second Chance with the Dragon King

Chapter Three

Elizabeth's POV

Outside, behind a thin viel of clouds, the moon was nearing its apex. I stood, grabbed my bag and, without another look at the room Liam had betrayed me in, I left, not bothering to close the door in case he heard it. A glance down the hall told me he was still in his office, the light peaking through the bottom of the door. Resolutely, I headed the other direction, quiet as a mouse, toward the servants stairs. They led straight down to the kitchen and, my destination now, the kitchen door. Dinner had been over for hours- the kitchen was empty. I walked through, only stopping when I creaked the door to peer outside. The clouds were thicker now, covering any light that would help me see and I scowled into the darkness.

If I didn't leave tonight, I feared I wouldn't get another chance. Allie would show up tomorrow. From the time she'd arrived in my last life, I had been forced to care for her. At first, anyway. Her story of how she arrived in my pack never really made sense to me. A 'rogue vampire attack,' we'd been told. It wasn't completely unreasonable. . . except that rogue's, vampire or otherwise, travelled alone. They were rarely in the company of anyone else, let alone four, as Allie had claimed. And what would a group of rogue vampires be doing near a large pack to begin with?

When I'd brought my questions to Liam before, he'd shut them down instantly. "Allie was lucky to escape. You don't need to make this worse for her by questioning what happened. Let's just be glad she's okay."

That had only been a month after she got here. A few weeks, a few smiles and some crocodile tears, and she owned them all. I rolled my eyes as I stepped out the door. They could have her. Liam could have her. They deserved one another.

The air was cooling off, but it didn't bother me. The cold never bothered me in the same way it seemed to bother some others. Still, I cast a quick, worried look at the sky. Had there been a storm the night of my anniversary? I didn't think so but then again, last time, I'd been too invested in Liam in our bed to notice what was going on outside. . . the world around and above was shrouded in darkness. By the time I reached the forest behind the castle, I could barely see a thing. It didn't matter.

None of it mattered. Not anymore.

I knew exactly where I needed to go. The trek through the forest was something I'd done hundreds of times. Before I knew it, I was at the border. I looked back once, placing my fist over my heart.

"I, Elizabeth Ashwood, reject you Liam Cole as my mate and Alpha," I stated. "I hereby relinquish my title of Luna of the Black Forest Pack."

Maybe it was the determination I felt, or the desperation. Whatever the cause, I felt only a sharp sting in my chest as my bond broke this time. It did not pull me under, did not crush me. This time, I only felt a weak echo of the pain from Liam as he was made aware of my choice. That was all I needed— to know that the bond was broken on his end as well. I turned and walked the last steps out of my now former pack.

Being human had its disadvantages for sure. The biggest one right now was that I needed to get as far away from Black Forest as possible, and fast. Thankfully, the highway was close, about a ten minute run from where I was. I stepped out of the thick brush onto the gravel shoulder, immediately sticking my thumb out. Car after car drove past. Some sowed down but ultimately decided against picking up a stranger in the dead of night.

"Come on, come on," I muttered. Any second now Liam might show up.

That's when I heard it— the unmistakable drumming of paws on the ground. Lots of them and headed this way. They were close.

Too close.

I didn't think before I acted, I simply dove into the road with my hands above my head, waving frantically at the headlights barelling toward me. The breaks protested loudly as the car screeched to a halt a mere foot from me. At the same time, someone threw the door open.

"Are you insane?!"

Again, I simply acted. I ran to the passanger door, wrenched it open and hopped inside.

"Drive!" I shouted.

He didn't hesitate either. The door slammed behind him and his foot hit the gas a half second later. I twisted in the seat just in time to see three wolves run onto the road. They sniffed at the ground, the air, looking around wildly, but my scent was lost to them now. I faced forward, weak with relief. The giggle came a moment later, followed by full on laughter.

"Care to explain?"

Oh. Right. I'd nearly forgotten the man beside me. My gaze went to him now and I sobered. He was watching me with an expression that said he was questioning my sanity. Rightfully so. But there was something about him, something that could not be hidden even in the darkness; a power that exuded from him, one I'd learned to recognize long ago. If that wasn't a tell, his eyes definitely were. They glowed ever so slightly in the faint light of the dashboard.

"You're a wolf," I said.

He raised one brow. "And you're a human. Running around in the woods because. . .?"

I bit my lip. "I left. . . my pack. I rejected my mate."

"Which pack?"

"The Black Forest Pack. I'm the. . . I was Luna."

His fingers starrted drumming on the wheel. He seemed to be deep in thought. "You're Alpha Coles mate."

I sighed. "Not anymore."

"What happened?"

How could I tell him, even if he wasn't a stranger? How do you tell someone that your mates mistress murdered you in your past life and you decided to run to save yourself when you got a second chance? He would kick me out faster than I could blink. He'd think I was crazy. . . well, more crazy, anyway.

"Well?"

I cleared my throat. "Alpha Cole found a mistress."

There. It was a simple enough explanation. And not technically a lie. Allie will be arriving tomorrow night. After a moment, the man looked at me.

"I'm sorry. Where are you going?"

My mouth opened. Closed. Crap. Where am I going? I couldn't go back to my hometown. It was the first place Liam would look for me. And I could't go to my parents, either. They'd disowned me after accepting Liam. The only friends I'd ever really had were back in Black Forest. Something heavy settled into my chest as I realized I didn't have anywhere to go.

"I guess. . . a hotel?" I replied eventually. How long would it take Liam to canvass every hotel in the area? Enough time for me to make it out of town? I could only hope.

The man's fingers drummed on the wheel again. One, two three, four. One, two three, four. Over and over. Finally, his words cut through the rhythm.

"I'll take you back with me."