The Alpha Who Broke Me

Chapter 6

The night wraps around me like a predator's embrace, cold and suffocating. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, each breath a reminder of the safety I left behind. My heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing like a war drum, a wild rebellion against the oppressive silence. Shadows stretch out before me, lurking in the corners of my vision, promising danger with every crackle of twigs beneath my feet. I force myself to move faster, but with every step, my legs tremble, a testament to the freedom that scares me more than anything else.

There’s a curious tension in my chest—an uneasy mix of panic and relief swirling together like storm clouds. This is the first time I have stepped beyond Kael’s dominion, beyond the confines of his control, and the very thought sends a thrill racing down my spine. Yet freedom carries its own weight, heavier than the expectation of love that used to ground me. I glance back toward the pack’s territory, half-expecting to see him emerge from the shadows, to hear his low growl rolling through the night like thunder. But I refuse to wait.

Pine needles crunch beneath my feet, damp and uneven, and I struggle to find my footing on the unpredictable terrain. I shiver in the cold, my hands numbing against the night air as I press on. Each passing second feels weighted with uncertainty, and part of me screams to turn back—to run into the arms of the Alpha who had once made me feel cherished, but who now haunts my thoughts like a ghost. Instead, I force myself deeper into the forest, every brush of wind a warning against the vulnerability wrapped around me like a delicate veil.

As I venture further, the world closes in around me. The trees tower overhead like silent sentinels, their branches intertwining to block the meager light that the moon provides. The night grows darker, heavier, and I can feel something sinister lurking within the shadows—a creature, perhaps, that could easily snap me up like a whispered secret. My pulse races as I consider what awaits me, each sound amplifying the fear lodged deep in my throat. I catch the metallic scent of something more than damp earth and pine. It sends a chill racing through me.

And then it happens. One moment I’m solid, grounded, my feet desperately grasping the terrain, and the next—I fall. The ground disappears beneath me, my body plummeting into a pit, a jagged hunting trap laid by my own pack for enemies, and I scream as I tumble into darkness. The wind is knocked from my lungs with a brutal thud, my hands scratching against the damp earth as I fight to breathe. A sharp pain shoots through my side, and I lay there, gasping for air as the world spins around me.

Darkness envelopes me, every instinct screaming in protest. I cannot breathe, I cannot move, and for a moment, I feel utterly and completely lost, as if the ground has claimed me. My palms press against the cool, wet earth, desperation clawing at my heart, panic swelling like an iron chain around my chest. I’m nothing but an omega left to rot, lost and alone, with no one searching for me. Kael doesn’t even know where I am, and the thought sends the final shreds of my resolve crumbling to dust.

Tears blur my vision as they spill over, whispering their quiet admissions of fear. I’m too afraid to die here, to become nothing more than a forgotten memory. I shudder as my body shakes, my heartbeat wild and frenzied in the tight confines of the pit, echoing in my ears. I try to climb, grasping at the slippery walls, but my fingers can’t find purchase. I fall back once, twice, the sting of my knees against the ground biting sharply. I can feel the panic bubbling inside me, an internal tempest threatening to drown me. I squeeze my eyes shut, my breath hitching as the helplessness consumes me whole.

But then, a sound—a soft whisper of movement above. My heart stills, and I strain to hear through my tears. Footsteps, careful and measured, break through the canopy of my fears. A silhouette emerges against the narrow piece of sky above my head, and I blink away my despair, focusing on the figure that descends. It’s Ilyas.

The moment feels almost surreal as he crouches down, the strength of his form grounded yet gentle. His eyes scan the pit with the precision of a seasoned tracker, and I catch the familiar scent of the forest mingling with metal and wolf. I’m caught in the sudden clarity of his presence, and something within me unknots, a small relief bubbling up in the chaos. “Don’t move suddenly,” he instructs, his voice low and soothing, a balm against the tumult that churns in my chest. His calm demeanor ignites a flicker of hope in the darkness.

I nod, grateful for his voice—the first semblance of support I’ve felt all night. Despite my shame, my weakness, I cannot summon the strength to act strong. Instead, I feel small, just an omega caught in a deadly web of my own making.

“Hold on,” he says as he lowers himself further, reaching out a strong hand. His touch is sure, confident as it grips my wrists, careful not to exert too much force. The warmth of another body floods through me, distinct and soothing, and for the first time since I’d fled, I feel tethered to something outside my own fear. I let him pull me up, and in that moment, our breaths align, a delicate connection forged in the midst of chaos.

He pulls me from the darkness of the pit, my feet finally landing back on solid ground, but my legs buckle beneath me. Ilyas catches me, his arms wrapping around me as he holds me close, ensuring I don’t collapse back into the pit. I realize how long it’s been since I felt this safe—how frightening it is that this comfort has come not from Kael, but from him. The silence stretches between us, filled with unspoken acknowledgment as he gazes into my eyes longer than necessary.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice full of a quiet concern that offers a stark contrast to the rough tenderness I had grown accustomed to with the Alpha.

I hesitate, torn between sharing my truth and hiding in the familiar shadows of silence. “I was just—” I falter, the weight of my circumstances heavy in the air, “just… exploring.” It’s a flimsy excuse, a half-truth that clings to the edges of my lips, and I’m painfully aware of how little it conveys.

He tilts his head slightly, studying me, and in that moment, I see more than mere curiosity in his eyes. Understanding flickers there, an intuitive grasp of my situation that tells me he sees beyond my feeble lies.

“You’re lucky I found you,” he murmurs, his fingers grazing over my scratches, his touch careful yet purposeful. It’s an almost reverent action that ignites something inside me—a tenderness I didn’t know I craved. I wonder at this unexpected intimacy, how easily he seems to care for my wounds while Kael would have chalked them up as a display of weakness.

“I’m—I’m an accidental victim of our war with the other packs,” I admit, my voice a tremor against the weight of the truth, though I can’t bring myself to delve deeper into my heartache. Ilyas doesn’t press for more; he allows my silence, a gentle acknowledgment of the gravity of my pain.

But then his tone shifts, deepening into a quiet urgency. “You can’t survive out here on your own, not now. It’s dangerous in the woods.” His eyes widen slightly, instinct sharpened by the realization that our time is limited.

I glance around, suddenly aware of the chilling howls echoing through the trees, a reminder of the beasts that lurk just beyond our reach. My heart races anew, and in that instant, a resolve crystallizes within me. I realize that I need to accept this help—this opportunity for connection—not as Kael’s Luna, but as a person deserving of assistance, of safety.

With the sounds of approaching wolves lurking in the air, I look back at Ilyas, searching his face for reassurance. He nods subtly, his instincts sharp. “We have to go. Right now,” he urges, his grip on my arm tightening with an unspoken promise of protection.

And as I follow him, stepping back from the edge of what once held me captive, I recognize that my escape has only just begun—and this time, I am no longer alone. The forest may be treacherous, but with each step, I sense the flicker of something new igniting within me, a journey stretching out like the wild trails before us, and I’m ready to see where it will lead.