Rejecting the Alpha
Chapter 18

My countdown was at its end, the sharp glass digging into my flesh and freeing my blood from its constricting veins. "Zer—"

"Stop! You can leave."

I nodded. "I want Marie to gather me supplies, I want a better weapon, and I want a car."

"Do you even know how to drive?"

It only demonstrated again that he knew nothing about me. "Would I want one if I did not?"

He was quiet for a moment and was clearly linking members of his pack.

"You'll have what you requested."

"Thank you, Alpha," I said, my voice cold. I should have thought to do this before and maybe more than four of the last prisoners would have escaped with their lives. I kept the shard against my own throat.

There was a knock on the door and Marie came inside carrying an empty duffle bag in her hand, her eyes widening in shock as she took in the scene before her. He obviously had not explained the details of what was going on to her through the link.

His voice was gruff, his eyes still flickering between the human void and the panicked wolf. "My mate is leaving. Get her whatever other supplies she needs for her journey."

Marie looked between the two of us, obvious concern in her eyes.

"Really, please just get me anything that would be helpful. I haven't travelled on my own before." I had not really travelled at all before. She nodded her understanding and quickly gathered clothing for me, before hurrying out of the room carrying it.

The alpha and I stood looking at each other for long minutes. The silence stretched between us, but I refused to break the stalemate.

While we waited, one of the guards brought a wicked looking knife in a sheath. "Kick it across the floor," I said, not lowering the shard from my neck while I reached down to pick it up. I set my makeshift blade on the counter and replaced it with the silver blade. It was a dangerous weapon and it stung my neck. More than anything, it told me he was serious in his agreement to let me leave.

"A car's outside waiting for you," Alpha Gavriel said to me.

I nodded. "You go first." The silver burned against my own throat, but I didn't flinch.

He did as I said and I followed him. There was a crowd gathered around outside, watching the progression to the car. My instinct was to rush into it when a pack member kicked the keys to me. Instead, I popped the trunk and glanced at the items inside. I nodded, and then circled the car.

"If anyone follows me I will do it," I said, keeping my voice steady so there was no room to doubt.

I slipped inside and locked the doors. A tremor in my hand, I started the ignition and touched my foot to the gas pedal.

I was free. He had come into my life on a wave of blood, and the scent of blood hung in the air in the car from the still healing wound on my neck and the knife as I left him.

It was almost impossible to believe that my gambit had succeeded. I drove with one hand, keeping the blade in the other until I was well out of Stonemason territory.

As I passed the border and turned onto the main road, marked as private property to keep the humans at bay, my wolf protested slightly, but even that was half-hearted at best. Her mate had nearly broken her, but we had survived. Now, I just needed to figure out what to do.

Even though he had let me leave, I doubted any alpha would let his mate walk away from him so easily. I needed to get somewhere and hide away, but where? I wish I knew where the other survivors had ended up, but I had no way of replaceing them.

I cranked the radio and hit the gas.

I kept driving for hours, still without any real idea of where I wanted to go. All I knew was I wanted to put as much distance between me and the alpha as possible. I finally pulled off down a side road, to take stock of what I had on hand.

To my delight, I discovered that Marie had outdone herself. Not only had she packed me food and other necessities, there was also a wad of cash in the glove compartment. It would not last me forever, but at least I knew I could pay for gas as far as I wanted to go. I took a quick break to eat before I got on the road again and put more distance between the two of us.

When night finally fell, I slept in the car on a deserted back road. I curled up in the front seat in a sleeping bag that had been so thoughtfully provided. When I woke, I drove again. The next few days and nights fell into a pattern.

Once I felt safe enough, I stopped and let my wolf out to run. I kept my attention peeled for any sign of pursuit, but it seemed he had really let me go, at least for now.

I ran through the forest on my swift paws, and my wolf was overjoyed to be let out again. She had been locked away inside me in his bedroom for so long that the renewed freedom soothed her broken spirit.

While I ran, I scented a rabbit, and although I missed catching it, it did get me thinking about what I would do, and I decided to replace an uninhabited bit of forest and live there mostly as a wolf. If I interacted with human or werewolf society he might be able to replace me, but if I kept to myself, I might be able to wait him out.

I continued to run, and that was when the next pain hit, curling through my body. He was clearly screwing someone again, probably that bitch Levenia. I regretted not rejecting him before I left. If I had only said the words maybe I would not be here suffering with wracking pains.

Why hadn't I thought of it then? It was not worth going back there to do it. It was far and he would probably kill me afterwards.

Finally, I found a location that seemed secure enough. There was a pack a few miles away, Lightwood, but as long as I stayed well away from their border I would be fine, since they had the reputation of being reasonable and keeping to themselves. So as the days passed by, I ranged my small territory as a wolf when I was not sleeping in the car. I felt better when I shifted, because my wolf was so much closer to me, and together we began to heal from all the pain that Alpha Gavriel had inflicted. I still grieved everyone who was lost, but that pain numbed in the business of day to day survival.

I missed my pack, but I was still relieved to be away from the stress of my mate. I endured the occasional pain from his infidelity and counted myself lucky that I was finally free from him.

Everything was simple and peaceful, until it was not.