The Alpha's Addiction [BXB]

Chapter 4: Escape

My breath is coming out in short puffs in the cold night air as the alpha escorts us to the lake. Im high on adrenaline, grasping Oliver's hand tightly. I need to find an opening.

When we get there, Oliver dutifully looks for fireflies as I stand next to the alpha. My eyes scan the area, looking for some type of weapon I could use against him.

That's when I spot it. A thick piece of firewood that's been abandoned in the grass. It's not the most elegant, but it will have to do. But first I need to find a way to distract him so he stops watching us like a hawk.

That's when Oliver cries out. I whip my head to where the sound came from, spotting him laying in the grass a few feet away. The alpha and I both rush over to see what's wrong.

"It hurts.!" He cries, curling into a ball.

"What's wrong, young sir?!" The alphas asks frantically, obviously regretting his decision to take us out. If Oliver's hurt, he'll be the one to take the blame when Zacan finds out.

But as I look over my son, I realize what he's doing. He's acting. He never cries like that when he gets injured. As the alpha frets over him, I sneak off to grab the piece of wood. It's heavy, but I manage to lug it up into both my hands.

While the alpha is still occupied with Oliver, I creep up behind him, preparing to hit. Then I swing as hard as I can at his head.

The roar he lets out is earth-shaking. It also means he's still conscious, despite being knocked to the ground, cradling his head in his hands. We don't have a lot of time before he gets back up.

I grab Oliver's hand, dashing towards the trees. I've never run so fast in my life. My feet hit the ground in hard slaps, my slippers barely holding on. Zacan never gave me outdoor shoes because he didn't want me leaving the house.

But I need to think realistically. The alpha will catch up to us. He's faster, probably even when he's injured. And I don't have any kind of weapon. Zacan wouldn't even allow me near kitchen knives. Shows just how much he trusts me.

I hear him behind us, the thundering of his heavy steps as he chases us. I would turn into my wolf, but then I'd lose my clothes and my bag and then we'd be fucked even if we got away from him with no food or water.

My adrenaline is running thin, and exhaustion is taking over. Oliver is running faster than I am, now. It's no wonder, anyway. Our pack is designed to keep omegas weak and malnourished so we don't rebel. So much so that I can barely sprint for more than a minute.

We run past a few more trees before one of my legs cramps and I fall to my knees, my ankle twisting under me. A burst of pain emanates from the action and I hiss, accidentally letting go of Oliver's hand.

"Get up, mama! Get up!" He urges, but I can't, feeling dizzy and weak.

"G-go! Just run!" I order him in a sharp voice, making him flinch because I've never spoken to him like that before. He disappears into the trees without me having to tell him twice.

A few moments later the alpha pounces on me, pinning me to the ground. He roughly flips me over, eyes glowing with his wolf's fury. Alphas hate being deceived.

"You little traitor," he growls, large hand closing around my jaw. "Where is the boy?!"

I spit in his face.

He roars, backhanding me so hard my vision goes dark for a few seconds.

"You're gonna pay, little bitch," he seethes, wrapping his hand around my neck and pulling me up to slam me against a tree. I choke out a scream, clawing at the hand that's blocking off my windpipe. I break his skin, drawing blood until it's running down his hands, but he doesn't let go. "I can kill you. I can do whatever I want with you and hide your body where no one will ever find it. I have nothing to lose, so tell me where the fuck the boy is or I'll—"

His eyes suddenly go wide, his face tensing as he stops speaking. I blink in confusion as he tries to sputter out words, but then his body jolts a seconds time and blood splatters all over me.

His body falls to the ground and I see Oliver standing there, blood-covered knife in hand. He lunges at the alpha, stabbing him again even though he's clearly dead. Over and over, and I watch in terror until I snap out of my shock, grabbing his arm to stop him.

"Stop! Stop! He's d-dead! It's done.!" My voice quivers as he looks up at me with murderous intent in his eyes.

"He was hurting you," he says, as if trying to justify what he did.

"I know, baby. Thank you. Y-you saved me. But we have to go now. He's bound to have communicated with the others through the alphas' mind link. They'll be after us soon enough,"

Oliver nods, expression blank as if he didn't just stab someone to death. "Okay, mama. Which way do we go?"

Shaking from what just happened but trying to get ahold of myself, I look up at the sky, locating the North Star. We'll head that way. It's always where Des and I had planned to go if we ever got the chance to escape.

I take his hand, disappearing into the night. I try not to think of what I've turned my son into. A killer.

*
I don't know how long we've been walking. My whole body hurts from when the alpha attacked me, and I'm bleeding in multiple places in addition to having a limp from when I injured my ankle. Oliver, thankfully, has no wounds.

He holds my hand so tight it hurts, looking up at me worriedly every few seconds. I know it's not good. I know I'm not well, and I don't know how much longer I can keep up this trek. It's early morning, the sun barely up, and still no one has come after us. I thank the moon goddess for that. But we must find shelter.

We're still deep in the woods, so I push on, hoping we can find a clearing to rest. But then something makes me freeze altogether.

Voices. Male, alpha voices. Zacan's men have found us.

"Oliver," I whisper, kneeling down to him, my tone gravely serious. "Climb up that tree. Climb up there, and don't make a sound,"

"But mama--"

"Give me the knife," I order, realizing I should've made him do so much earlier. Thinking about it, I wonder where he managed to swipe it from.

Oliver reluctantly obeys, handing me the blade then promptly scaling the tree. Once I can't see him anymore, I'm satisfied, finding my own coverage in the foliage. The voices are still far off, but they will be near soon. If I can surprise them, I'll have an advantage.

I slink through the trees, careful to stay in the shadows as a I grip my knife in my sweaty palm. The closer I get to them, the stranger I feel in my chest. It's like a burning sensation... but it's pleasant. Like long-buried heat has re-emerged to light my heart. It's the weirdest feeling, I can't quite put my finger on it.

But never mind that now. I hold my breath as I lie in wait, ears strained for the single pair of footsteps getting closer with each passing second. The alpha must have separated from his group. Perfect. It'll be far easier to attack when he's alone.

I can tell by the significant length between the footfalls that he's tall, if not giant, so I must be smart about this. I must stab quickly and directly, one and done. I can't afford a scuffle. Moon Goddess knows I'd never win.

My heart is beating so fast now, the funny feeling from earlier now roaring with intensity. It must be the nerves. I'm about to kill someone, after all.

He's here.

I take a deep breath before I jump from the bushes, levering my weight with one hand on his shoulder while the other shoves the blade towards his neck.

In seconds my wrist wielding the blade is apprehended, just shy of his neck. I scream as he grabs me, pushing me to the forest floor under his enormous, muscular body, pinning my hands above my head with ease.

I find myself staring into cold, ice blue eyes that leave me breathless, my heart feeling like it'll beat out of my chest. I'm breathing hard, staring up at the man, the alpha, who holds me captive in his gaze. This is not one of Zacan's men. No.

"You're going to have to try harder than that, little wolf," he says in a deep, teasing baritone.

I gape at him, eyes wide, finally understanding the wildfire blooming inside me.

Mate.