Alpha's Blood

Chapter 1

Virago

(n.) a strong, brave, or warlike woman

Lilliarna's chest heaves as a flow of blood runs from her split eyebrow down into her eye. The red liquid fogs her vision as she slows her pace, trying to keep herself from becoming disoriented. She'd been running for hours without rest; every step now felt like broken glass grinding into the soles of her feet. Refusing to stop, she pushes forward, her slow pace stirring more panic within her. In the distance, a small stream comes into view, making Lilliarna's heart beat faster. The promise of a sip of water motivates her feet to move quicker.

Her world tilts and spins, small dots entering her vision forcing her to steady herself mere inches from the water. She groans as she leans against a large tree; the bark pressing hard into her battered body. Desperately, she tries to focus on something in front of her to get it to stop, but it's no use. Weakness consumes her body as her legs give out from under her, sending her crashing into the shallow water beneath her.

Eyes closed, she lays there, her tired and aching body relishing in the rest. Blood pours from open wounds, tainting the water red before being carried away by the light current. A chunk of hair lays haphazard over her forehead, matted by sweat and blood.

"Fuck." she whispers, tears brimming her eyes. She beats at her head, trying to desperately block out the memories of the night. "Fuck!" A few birds fly from the nearby trees, startled off from their sleep by her scream. Her fingers clench as she suppresses another scream and succumbs to sobs.

The pool of blood around her body shrinks as minutes continue to pass by. By now only small streaks of blood were seeping away from her shredded blood soaked clothing. Her smaller wounds had healed, leaving pink scars that would soon fade away to nothing, while her more serious injuries hid just beneath the surface.

You need to keep moving, lil; she begs herself. Her eyes stare blankly up into the heavens, brimming with tears. Please forgive me, moon goddess.

Her face twists and contorts as she sits up, pain still radiating throughout her body. Fingers lightly trace over the deep purple spanning her right ribs, sending a small hiss of pain from her lips. Even with her advanced healing, her broken bones would need more time.

Throbbing takes over Liliarna's head as she crawls over to a nearby small duffel bag, digs through it, and retrieves a small flip phone. Staring down at the device in her hands, she hesitates, the moment seeming more surreal with every passing moment. What happened was real, there's no turning back now Lil. She thinks to herself, it's over now; he promised. Her thumb flips open the phone before punching in a number. Ringing fills her ear as she waits, jumping as the low guttural voice of a man suddenly comes through.

"Well?"

Her lower lip draws in between her teeth as she gnaws on it, "It's done."

"Ah, perfect! You did better than I expected."

"Yes" she manages to choke out as bile rises in her throat. What was perfect about what she had done? Certainly nothing she could think of.

The man clears his throat, sensing the tenseness in her voice. "You're on the right side of history here, Lilliarna. Trust me."

A heavy blanket of silence covers them, causing a knot to lodge itself in Lilliana's throat. She clears it, breaking the silence to speak.

"About my payment-" Her voice trails off.