Alpha Alden ✔️

Chapter Twenty Three

Word Count: 1521

~Kezziah

The drive was long, but I was too anxious to sleep.

Alden seemed consumed in his own world the entire drive. Eyes trained ahead, foot never releasing from the pedal. I just stared out the window, enjoying the taste of freedom, trying to figure out where we are headed. Somewhere cold it seems. Alden's car has optimal heating, but I can see the way the lush grassy meadows turn to dry tundra.

The mountains dusted with snow that once lined the horizon came closer with every mile, until we were driving up the winding roads. Snow lining the road seemed to get thicker the more we climbed, until the roads were icy and mist crawled along the asphalt. Alden's car seemed to have no issues.

"Independance Pack mountains," Alden explains to me, answering the question I had been tossing around my head. "Not many inhabit. Faye's Pack is along the border."

"Are we heading there?" I ask.

The Independence Pack had been my home once before. In fact, I was there for the longest at one point. Over four months. It's easy to hide there, with not many people being too interested in other business. It was only when Alden's correspondence caught wind of me there after a visit to the Alpha and her mate that I was forced to leave.

"No. There's a place up here I like to visit at times," he tells me, glancing over at me. It's the first time he's acknowledged me in quite some time. He looks tired. "It's peaceful. I have no doubt you'll like it."

I settle back into my seat. If it's not in that institution, then I will surely love it. Already watching the snow glisten on mountain leaves me oddly peaceful.

Eventually, once I thought the mountain could continue up no more, Alden turns down a gravel driveway. It leads us to the last thing I thought I would see here near the top of a mountain. And it's not the surprisingly large two story cabin which lights are already turned on inside.

It's the lake.

It might not be massive, but as we pull up, I'm still mesmerized by the crater that supports this ominous dark blue body of water. I've never seen anything like it.

I don't wait for Alden before I hop out of the car, my sneakers hitting the crisp now beneath me. Instantly, I regret it. The tracksuit I've been given is made of thin, lightweight fabric. The slight wind whipping off the snow capped mountain top lashes right through the material.

"There are coats inside," Alden notes, grabbing the sleeve of my shirt to lead me to the door. The cabin does look awfully inviting, mellow light beckoning us in. With dusk falling, it's only getting colder out.

The inside of the cabin is so warm, I almost collapse in relief. The glowing fire at the end of the living area is blazing high, as if someone came in earlier to light it for us. Or maybe someone else is here. But when I look around, noting the furniture, nothing looks used or lived in.

"How is it so warm in here?" I question, rubbing my arms.

A slight smile appears on his face. "If I told you I would have to kill you. Now come upstairs. There is a closet full of coats for you."

The coats were big and fluffy, and after I questioned Alden on their origin, he assured me it was faux. After I shrugged on a coat with white fur tipped black, I followed Alden back down to the living area. Instead of joining him on the couch, I walk to the window, looking out at the view.

"It's so beautiful here," I whisper, my voice accompanied by the crackling of the fire. "Have you always known about this place."

Alden settles into his seat on the couch. "As long as I've been alive. It was my parents."