The Exiled Luna: Hunted by the Alpha, Saved by a Rogue

WAY BACK

THALIA

“Aren’t you going to ask questions?” I asked, closely following Rael as we moved through the woods to follow the trail of his pack. I knew he was slowing down, so I could keep up, but I tried my best not to be a burden with his search.

I was grateful he wasn’t asking the questions I couldn’t answer, but I'm curious why he hadn't asked anything at all.

I had no choice but to tell him the truth when he asked me about Darius, and he had the right to ask more. I even expected him to interrogate me and pry without a care that it might dig up memories I wasn’t ready to relive. We’ve been walking for over an hour, but he still hasn’t asked a single question about it after learning my relationship to that alpha.

Rael glanced over his shoulder and threw the question back, “Do you want to talk about it? I doubt it. That man is a reckless i***t. I think that was enough explanation for why you weren’t together anymore.”

My steps faltered with his remark. After what happened that night, I grew accustomed to over-explaining myself even to strangers. It’s as if I had to prove that I wasn’t a liar or a monster who killed her own son every single time, and it never felt enough.

To hear someone from my kind understand and believe me almost immediately felt so comforting. But that small relief was quickly swallowed by unease thinking about Darius.

He had changed. The man I had married, the one I had once loved and trusted with my heart, was not the guy Rael talked about. Darius was awful for not believing me that I would never hurt Elias. He was blinded by rage, but at least I knew that it was because of our son.

But hunting rogues who had done nothing to him and his pack? That was simply reckless and outrageous. Darius had already crossed lines I hadn’t thought possible, and knowing I might be the cause only made it much worse.

If Rael’s boy truly is my son, then it’s possible that his own pack was running after him. Darius would recognize Elias for sure, but I wasn’t certain it would be the same for the rest of his pack. They could accidentally kill their own alpha’s son, and I couldn’t let that happen.

“Thalia,” Rael called, making my shoulders jolt in surprise.

I lifted my gaze, a little nervous that he would see right through me. “Yeah?”

“If you feel guilty for what your ex has been doing, don’t. What he was doing isn’t your fault.” He assured as he stopped on his tracks.

I also stopped, catching my breath a bit. I haven’t exactly done this in a while. “Have you tracked them yet?” I asked, changing the topic as I didn’t know how to respond to his kind words.

His expression dimmed as he slowly shook his head. “I have their trail, but it’s already faint. They have probably scattered, and it would take some time to locate them all. Maybe even days. This wasn’t the first time this happened, and I’ve always told them never to stop running, and I just caught up to them.”

“Did they go back to the werewolf lands?” I asked, still worried about Elias… Reagan.

He’s Reagan, and he’s Rael’s child. I can’t assume just yet. Not until I see the child myself.

Rael shook his head, “No, not exactly. It’s a tactic. They ran in this direction and started to scatter and ran back once they lost their pursuers. That way, it’ll be harder for the pack to hunt them. I’ll have to follow their tracks to find them, so I’ll be going further away from the human settlement till I circle back. You should go, Thalia. It’ll only be more dangerous from now.”

My brows drew together. “I can’t. I thought we already agreed that I would go with you?”

Rael inched closer to me, making me a little flustered.

“W-what? I’ll go with you…” I murmured, half-stepping away, and almost stumbled as I couldn’t meet his eyes.

Why is my heart racing in this kind of situation? Damn it, Thalia, you have to focus!

“You’ve done more than enough, Thalia. You have a life among humans, and you also told me that I was the first rogue you’ve talked to in years. You’ve already escaped this world and created a new, peaceful life for yourself—no need to go back and ruin that. We’ll be okay, and you should be, too. Please, be safe on your way back.”

I met his gaze, fighting the urge to tear up. “I can’t. I’m not leaving.”

My hands formed into fists. I already made up my mind when my wolf told me to see the boy. I’ll take anything, even just the possibility of Elias being alive. If I go back now, I know I’ll forever regret it.

“Your survival is much more important. Those people are onto me, Thalia. You’ll only be in danger if you stick with me. I owe you one, and I’ll pay you back someday, but you have to be alive so I can do that.” He said with a serious expression. It was no longer like how he looked at me earlier when he wasn’t taking me seriously.

“I know that I’m just a burden, and you wouldn’t be able to move faster if I’m tagging along, but I promise that I could be helpful with you someday. I might not be familiar with Darius that you know now, but I don’t believe a person could change entirely. I can figure out how to evade him.”

Rael looked confused, maybe even a little frustrated, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with my answer. I can’t blame him. He doesn’t truly understand why I was this determined to do this.

“I lived three years of my life feeling like I merely exist and that I don’t belong anywhere. I’m not human, but I wasn’t a werewolf without my wolf. I’m just… stuck in between. But that changed when I met you, when I saw that child in the picture. Your son, I owe that child everything, and I’ll make sure to see him safe no matter what.”

I held on to his sleeves, hands trembling and with desperation in my eyes. “Please… don’t leave me.”