The Ruthless Alpha’s Bunny Mate

Chapter 2

Clover’s POV

The dark midnight wolf did not attack me.

He simply loomed over me, the golden eyes narrowing at the sight of my helpless balling form on the rocks.

I was curled in a tight ball, my bleeding shin pressed against the rock with my trembling knees against one another, the other leg dangling uselessly behind me.

Around the wolf who blocked my run, other massive wolves came out from the pines, surrounding me in a ring of deadly teeth.

With a sharp bark from the black wolf, the one to his left cracked his knuckles, and the other big beasts shifted in a matter of seconds, bones cracking, muscles bunching, until they stood before me as a trio of tall, broad shouldered men.

They did not look quite like the savage beasts they'd been a moment ago, but there was an air of authority about the tallest of the three, which made my heart pound in my ears.

His silver hair flowed over his shoulders in heavy waves, and his iron gray eyes regarded me like some predator sizing up a meal.

Stand down Kas," he drawled in a deep, rumbling voice, and the black wolf let out a grunt of discontent.

The thick steamy air of his breath rolled away into the frigid night as he gave a reluctant step back.

Look at her Beta Vance," One of the other warriors said, stepping forward as he shifted back into a man.

He was tall, and his skin was the color of burnt copper, his jaw marred with a jagged scar.

" Just some rabbit, single and stupid, nothing more,"

At the sound of his name, my heartbeat pounded in my ears.

Beta Vance. Second in command of the Ridge.

This was no ordinary wolf.

I could see it in the way the man held himself, the predator's grace in his broad, muscular frame.

Even now, as he ran a hand through his silver hair, pushing it back from his face, he reminded me of a feral creature that had learned to mask its nature with human skin.

"I'm sorry," I gasped, crawling backwards on my hands, pressing my spine flat against the cold rock behind me, "please, I didn't mean to trespass, the Blight poisoned our well, we were only trying to find another source,

"I heard the stampede coming up the pass, so why are you in the middle of the ridge alone?" The scarred warrior snapped, stepping closer, one hand brushing against the hilt of a knife at his hip.

"Eirik, be silent," Vance snapped, kneeling in front of me, taking a slow measured breath as he took in my wide, pale eyes staring back at him.

He was quiet as he assessed the torn leg, the mangled mess of the right knee and the jagged old scar running up my calf, taking in the bent, broken angle of my ankle.

"She was not following," Vance said at last, his voice even, his eyes not showing any emotion as he looked up at me.

"They.. they ran," I choked out, tears streaking down my cheeks, leaving hot, wet lines on the dirt of the rocky path.

"I fell when I was a calf, I can not move quickly," I sniffled, pressing my knees tightly against my chest, "they did not wait for me,"

Eirik let out a sharp, laughing noise.

" Their own flesh and blood turned their backs on weak prey? Cowardly little pups," he scoffed, "they should have fought for you."

"They do not fight," I murmured, pulling my knees tighter against my ribs, "and I have been dead weight to them for a decade."

Kas whined, nuzzling against Eirk's hip before circling around me, hissing low in his throat as he blocked my path.

Vance stood slowly, dusting off his trousers as he regarded me coolly, "An injured prey shifter trespassing on Bloodfang land during the red moon.

It does not matter if it was intentional or not, girl, you have broken the Alpha's law.

The Ridge is forbidden to all wandering packs."

"Please," I begged, reaching out with a shaking hand, my fingernails digging into the dirt where the colony had been trampled into the stones, "just let me go, I will not say anything about seeing you, I swear, I will crawl to the other side, I will not hurt your people or take your game, I will not even drink from your streams!"

"You would not last the two miles down the slope, little rabbit," Vance said quietly, watching me with those hard, gray eyes, "the cold would kill you, or the mountain cats.

And it is not my place to grant mercy to the outsiders, only Alpha Gideon's."

My heart twisted at the sound of his name.

All the children in the Warren told stories of the Bloodthirsty Alpha, a madman who wore the bones of those he killed as trophies.

"Take her to the stronghold," Vance ordered, turning away as he began walking back down the trail.

"Wait! No, please!" I squeaked, wriggling backwards as Eirik drew a thick length of rope from his belt.

"Get off me, pig!" I kicked hard at his shin with my good leg, but the big man simply grunted and grabbed my wrists, tying them front and center with the rough hemp.

"Save your energy, rabbit," Eirik grumbled, though he didn't seem to put much force into binding me.

"Fighting makes it feel worse,"

I cried, struggling as he hoisted me up onto my feet, but my right knee buckled and I fell sideways onto the rocks.

Even before I hit the shale, a thick arm came around my waist, hauling me up and over a broad shoulder.

It was the silent giant, the third wolf who'd found me on the ridge.

He didn't say a word as he dumped me unceremoniously over his shoulder, causing my bad leg to whip up and dig into his ribs with every step he took.

"Lay down Clover, rest while you can," the hulking warrior grunted quietly, pressing a hand against the back of my thigh to stop me from sliding further down his shoulder.

"The walk down to the underground cells is long enough as it is,"

The words slithered through my ears as I clenched my eyes tightly, my hands pressing into the front of his worn leather vest.

The last thing I heard before he took me deeper into the dark forest was the sound of rustling leaves, and the deep, steady thump of his heart.

The trees grew denser and thicker as we walked, the path winding downwards until we were far beneath the trees, and far below the light of the moon.

We walked for a long time, my head spinning, blood trickling sluggishly down my leg when the whisper of wind was replaced with a deep, resonating boom.

The man carrying me slowed his footsteps, and I opened my eyes just enough to see the stone floor beneath us.

Massive pillars with glowing torches in their tops stretched away in all directions, the underground stronghold being dug into the very mountain itself.

"Take her down to the lower ring," Vance's voice rumbled against the stone walls, "put her in the cell at the end of the corridor, and keep a guard on her at all times."

"Should we inform the Alpha this evening?" Eirik asked, his heavy boots clicking against the stone as he walked beside his brother.

"He will be patrolling the borders until dawn," Vance replied evenly, "he will deal with the rogue in the morning."

In the morning.

I had a few hours left before the monster who ruled these lands would decide how to end my life.

We walked down a winding staircase, the air growing colder and damper with every step.

It reeked of old iron and water, and when the silent giant finally set me down on the ground, my legs shook with nerves.

I was in a narrow corridor lit with torches, the heavy iron bars casting long shadows on the floor.

Eirik unlocked the massive, rusted door at the end of the corridor, opening it just enough for the other two to shove me inside.

"Get in," he grunted, nudging me with his shoulder until I stumbled forward, my bad leg dragging uselessly behind me.

The thick, iron door shut behind me with a deafening clang, the bolts sliding home with a loud SNAP that echoed in my skull.

"Eirik, fetch the healer's balm," Vance said from the other side of the bars, watching me from behind his deep set eyes.

"For the trespasser?" Eirik muttered, his brow furrowed as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

"For the prisoner, you fool," Vance snapped, "the girl must be coherent when questioned by the Alpha, and that leg is infected if you do not clean it,"

Eirik grumbled but walked up the stairs, disappearing into the dark.

After a long moment, Vance stepped back from the bars, looking over at me where I was curled in the farthest, darkest corner of the cell, my knees drawn tightly to my chest, my good leg bent beneath me, the bad one folded against my ribs.

No one is going to harm you tonight, Clover," he said quietly, using the name he'd obviously heard me whimper on the ridge.

"Rest as long as you can,

I'll come back before morning,"

He left me there in the dark, the only sound my shallow breathing as I pressed my face into my knees.

My colony was probably miles away by now, their laughter echoing through the trees as they danced around the fire, never realizing I'd been left behind.

And I would spend my final hours in this stinking cell, waiting for the monstrous Alpha to come and finish what the Bloodfangs had started