The Alphas' Daughter (Alpha Eyes: Book 2)

Chapter 9

The wind whipped through my fur, sending pleasurable ripples over my skin. Each step was a satisfactory pound into the dirt. The dry, warm scent of earth kicked up into my nose, mixing with the damp woody scent of the trees flying past me. Out here in the woods, I could forget about a lot of things. The pack, Maya, my freak-out... none of it mattered for the moment. I could just run.

Lucas bumped me gently from the side, signaling I should follow him. When he veered to the left, I shadowed him through a patch of underbrush and closely planted trees. He clearly had a destination in mind, so I just followed. An explanation could come later. He maintained a straight line for a quarter of a mile before cutting sharply to the left. I skidded a few feet and turned to follow. Trouble was that he had disappeared into the bushes.

Lucas? Where did you go?

The silence worried me, but maybe this was part of his game. I glanced around, looking for any tell-tale signs that he was hiding in the bushes. Nothing.

Lucas? You flake on me?

Something flashed in my peripheral vision. Before I could turn to look, a wolf slammed into my side at full speed. The force knocked me a few yards, and I tumbled into a bush. When I regained my footing, a blonde-colored wolf stood waiting for me. I took a second look before it clicked.

Maya?

Her lips curled up in a growl. I didn't need to hear what she was thinking. Her intentions were clear enough. Some part of me knew that there was more than one reason driving her right now, but I couldn't nail down anything besides jealousy.

Her eyes flashed a lavender color for a moment, just long enough for me to freak out.

Freaks like you shouldn't exist, she hissed into my mind. You're dangerous.

What? I blinked a couple times. What did she mean dangerous?

She lunged forward, teeth bared and claws extended. My paws seemed frozen to the ground, refusing to let me move or defend against the attack. I was prey to whatever she might do. I closed my eyes as she flew closer.

Time to die, freak!

Her claws slashed across my chest.

I jerked upright as my eyes flew open. The darkness of my room welcomed me like the best blanket in the world. My heart pounded against my uninjured chest. Beside me, Lucas also jerked awake. Seeing me sitting up, he followed suit.

"What's wrong?" He rubbed my back and waited for an answer.

I scrubbed my face and took a deep breath. "It... It was just a dream. Just a dream."

"Want to tell me about it?"

Did I? Should I? Would he see my vision of Maya's attack as doubting his authority and ability to protect me? That wouldn't go well.

"...not really," I finally answered. "It's probably nothing, carry-over stress from today's events."

I could tell he was disappointed, but I didn't want to delve into the details of my dream. The memory of it was stressing me out. To fully dive back into the implications of what I'd imagined would only exasperate my frustrations. If I wanted to get any more sleep tonight, it was best to leave for now.

"Try to fall asleep again," he murmured, tugging on my shoulder. "I'll stay awake until you do."

I nodded and lowered myself back to the pillow. When Lucas stretched out next to me, I snuggled into his chest and drew several deep breaths. With his arms wrapped around me like a shield, it was only a few minutes before I sank into dreamless sleep.