The Alpha Is My Key

Chapter 15

Janie's POV

Thirty minutes prior to my first date, I was sweating bullets, and I was sure the pretty summer dress Brendan had bought me was sporting some serious pit stains. My nerves only intensified when I heard the knock on my door at exactly six.

It turns out, I had nothing to be worried about. The quaint restaurant called Ligaro's was amazing, and well decorated. The inside was simple, and as Brendan pulled out my chair, I noticed another beautiful rose at the center of the table. Being ravenous, I ordered pasta with a delicious red sauce. Every bite was magnificent, and by the time I looked up at Brendan, his mischievous smile lit something inside me as he reached towards my face and wiped off a red splotch I seemed to have on my cheek after digging in.

Face blazing, I watched as he ate the sauce on his finger, pronouncing it was delicious. Eating a few more bites, I sighed and leaned back as I stared at the empty plate in front of me. Wishing it was still there, I laughed as I saw a plate slide across the table from my sweet date. I was about to reach for a final tasting when I dropped my fork at the person walking past our table.

It couldn't be. There was no way that he could have found me, under the Alpha's protection. Taking a steady breath, I peeked up from the curtain of hair I put around myself, gasping as I saw the one person I never wanted to look at again.
My brother had just walked past my table.

All I could see was black dots entering my vision as I struggled to breathe. I had to let Brendan know that we had to get out of here, but no words came out of my mouth. All I could think of was his hands hitting my skin, and the feel of his breath hitting the back of my neck as he made me his next prey. Hastily standing up, I ignored Brendan's concerned look and muttered that I had to use the bathroom.

Locking the door, my eyes bore into the reflection in the mirror, and even I could see the panic in my features, and the red flush all over my face, previously from Brendan's jokes and smiles, but now from danger and fear. Clutching the sink, I couldn't force myself to go back out, not into the same room as my past. I wouldn't allow myself to do it.

My brain was a chaotic mess, and I didn't understand any of the thoughts flowing through my brain. I pulled my hands through my hair, thinking of an escape plan, something that would get me enough time to make it to the forest and-

I was cut off by a sharp rapping on the door, and I almost cried when I heard his voice on the other side.

"Sweetheart, is everything ok? Let me come in, and we can talk about what's making you so upset." My wolf pushed my incoherent brain to move towards the door and twist the handle and let him inside. As soon as the door creaked open a sliver, his arms were wrapped around me, bringing me a sense of comfort, and something I had never felt before, home. Looking up at him, I realized just how much I loved my knight in shining armor.

Shaking, I retell how I saw my brother walk by me in the restaurant, and all throughout, the grip on me was getting tighter. Brendan was fuming, I could tell. Just the thought of me put in danger, or me colliding again with my past put him on edge.

"Janie, all I could feel was your fear, and how much you wanted to get out of here and," he took a breath, "run away." Guilt wracked through my body, although everything he said was true. I would do anything to get away from Dylan and my father. I could still see that Brendan hadn't come to terms with my quick decisions to flee any hard decision I was faced with, and I could tell it bothered him.

But, I couldn't change that, no matter how hard I tried. I would always run, because there has to be a place I haven't ran to yet.