The Alpha's Daydream ✔️

Chapter 57

4966 words

"Where are we going?"

"Didn't you hear the Alpha?" Knight sneers, his grip tightening on my arm.

My hand has gone numb, but he doesn't seem to notice. He doesn't even care that I stumble and trip over the uneven snow-covered ground. He just keeps pulling me along with his wide strides, yanking me periodically as I lose traction and fall behind. Deeper into the forest. Deeper into the darkness as the sun sets and shadows fall swiftly over the territory. "On the other side of the border is where rats like you belong."

"How dare you!" I pull away from him and level my gaze on him. With a fiery intensity, I clench my free fist and pound it on his chest, but he doesn't budge. It doesn't affect him. "Would you really leave me out here in the forest? There are rogues everywhere!" I hate the desperate tremor in my voice, but with the cold pressing in and the heat inside wanting out, I am a chattering mess that can only think of one thing.

Survival.

"Oh darling, the rogues are the least of your worries," he replies casually.

I realise where we are heading, and understand with sinking clarity what he means. We aren't at the western border that is close to my parents' place. We are further north, in the mountainous foothills where the terrain alone is a formidable enemy. I won't last the night out here, with my delicate clothing and my fragile sanity. Malachi's rejection keeps pounding in my ears, reverberating through my body and rattling my core. My very soul is cracking, threatening to tear in two and I don't know how much longer I can last.

Not many wolves survive rejection. If they felt nothing for each other, a severation of their bond is minor, especially if they hadn't marked or mated. But though my bond with the young Alpha seems superficial, with not much in the way of physical claims tying us together, my heart has forged a connection that is stronger than I realised. This pain I now feel is terrifying, consuming, ravaging.

My body shakes like a fallen leaf, afloat on the currents of a blizzard, and I can't stop the shivers that the cold winds induce. Night hedges closer around us, and I feel the border approaching. Soon I will step off the territory, and the breaking bond with shatter even further. The link with Malachi will grow weaker, and I will feel even more adrift, detached, and helpless.

I hate this feeling. With everything within me, I wrench my arm free and shove against Knight. He counters my move, pushing me back until I flail, my arms waving in futility as my rear falls to the ground.

"Just give it up, Ariella. You're never going to win," he scolds, crossing his arms and staring down at me coldly.

My dignity stings, and I hastily push myself up and brush the leaves from my clothes and hair. "The Alphas of ForgedHearts know who you really are. They'll come after you. You won't get away with this, be sure of it, friend." I put as much fire behind my voice as I can in my weakened state, but I know it falls horribly short of what I intended when Knight just laughs. He takes a step closer and I take a step back.

"You won't tell your Alphas about this. You won't even tell your parents. You know how I know this? Because I know you know what's really going on. And if you care anything for your family, you won't want them anywhere near what is going to happen tonight," he leans close, smiling wickedly.

My stomach falls away, cold dread curling down my spine and settling like a snake in my gut. Demons. Surely that's what he means. He has a plan, and I don't know what it is. But by involving my parents in any of this, I might only be sentencing them to death.

"Then I'll have to fight you myself," I growl, leaping at him and baring my teeth.

He blocks me easily, his brute strength overpowering my feeble body. Shoving me back, I fall to the ground again. And as I look over my shoulder, I see a cliff drop away behind me. The sound of rushing water growls louder over the howl of the wind, and I smell the fresh sweetness of Falcon River.