THE ALPHA'S REJECTED MATE

BOOK 5CHAPTER 16: RUN WITH ME

CHAPTER 16: RUN WITH ME

"Run," Damian said again.

20 guards. Blocking every exit.

My initials on a murder weapon.

And Serena’s laugh still echoing in my ears.

I couldn’t breathe.

Damian grabbed my hand. "Now, Ava."

He moved.

Fast.

Alpha speed.

He slammed into the captain, knocked him down, and dragged me through the side door before anyone could react.

"Stop them!" someone yelled.

Alarms blared.

We were running through the halls.

Barefoot. Me in his shirt. Him bleeding from where a guard’s claw caught his arm.

"Damian, we can’t outrun the whole pack!" I gasped.

"We’re not running from them," he said. "We’re running to the truth."

He shoved me into a hidden passage behind a bookshelf.

Dark. Dusty. Smelled like old magic.

He closed it behind us. Silence.

For a second, we just breathed.

Then he turned to me. Pinned me to the wall. Not rough. Desperate.

"Tell me," he said. Voice breaking. "Tell me you didn’t do it."

Tears fell. "I didn’t. I swear on my life. On the moon. On us."

His forehead dropped to mine. "I know."

"Then why—"

"Because if I don’t get you out of here, they’ll lock you up. And Serena wins."

He pulled back. Looked at me. Really looked.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"With my life."

"Good." He took my face in both hands. "Then run with me. Not away from the pack. To clear your name."

The wall behind us shook.

Bang. Bang.

They found the passage.

"Time’s up," he said.

Then he did something I didn’t expect.

He kissed me.

Hard. Fast. Like a goodbye and a promise.

And then he bit me.

Right on the gold mark on my neck.

Pain shot through me.

And then power.

The bond flared gold, blinding.

When it faded, I could feel him.

In my head. In my bones.

*Can you hear me?* his voice in my mind.

*Yes,* I thought back, shocked. *The bite—*

*It fully activated the Blood Bond,* he said. *Now we can talk. Now we can fight together. Now no one can lie to you and I won’t know.*

He grabbed my hand.

"We’re going to the one place she wouldn’t expect," he said. "The prison."

"The prison? But Serena’s—"

"Exactly." His eyes were cold. "She’s laughing. Which means she planned this. And the only way to beat her is to look her in the eye."

The wall exploded.

Guards poured in.

Damian didn’t hesitate.

He shifted halfway. Claws out.

Took down 3 in 2 seconds.

"GO!" he shouted.

I ran.

Not away.

With him.

Side by side.

We burst out into the courtyard.

Rain was falling. Thunder.

The pack was waiting. Circle of 100 wolves.

In the center, on a platform, was a screen.

And on the screen: Live feed.

Serena. In her cell. Smiling.

With Elder Rowan’s body on the floor next to her.

But Rowan wasn’t dead.

He blinked.

Serena looked at the camera. At us.

And mouthed:

"Catch me if you can."

The feed cut to black.

Damian stopped running.

Pulled me to him.

"Change of plans," he said. "We’re not running anymore."

He looked at the 100 wolves. At his mother. At the whole pack.

"My Luna is innocent," he roared. "And I will burn this pack down to prove it."

The gold marks on our necks exploded with light.

And every wolf dropped to their knees.

Including Luna Selene.

END OF CHAPTER 16

Word Count: ~1325

CLIFFHANGER: ROWAN IS ALIVE?? SERENA FAKED IT?? THE BOND FULLY ACTIVATED?? WHY DID THEY ALL BOW??? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT??? BUY CHAPTER 17 OR LOSE YOUR MIND.