The Alpha’s Mate Who Cried Wolf

Chapter 11

Last night was awful. I wasn’t able to get much sleep. I got up early before sunrise and headed

downstairs to the kitchen to make myself breakfast. Entering, I freeze for a moment as Alice is there,

cutting up fruit. Alice pauses and looks up to see me. She becomes angry, and the knife in her

handshakes.

‘Good morning, Alice,’ I say politely. She growls in a warning.

I’m just going to get myself something to eat, and then I’ll be gone,’ I say

‘Permanently, I hope, she mutters.

‘Alice, I get you’re upset, but I planned none of this. I didn’t even know werewolves existed until

recently. Maybe if we get to know each other, we might come to tolerate each other. Maybe even be

friends,’ I say. I yelp when her knife flies past my face and into the wall.

‘I will never be your friend, and you will never be my Luna! Mark my word, Vanessa will become the

Luna of Shadow Crest! I suggest you save yourself from the hurt and leave now. Because I can assure

you, you won’t live to see your eighteenth birthday!’ Alice warns.

‘Did you just threaten to kill me?” I ask, in disbelief, looking at the knife in the wall. Alice closes in on

me. I steel myself for whatever’s next.

‘If you’re not gone from here by your eighteenth birthday, Vanessa and I will shift and rip you apart! And

if you speak of

this conversation to Alpha Ryker or anyone, I’ll make sure it’s the last day of your life!’ She snaps. I’m

trying to keep my emotions intact.

‘Why do you hate me so much? Don’t you want Vanessa to be happy? How could she be happy with a

man who doesn’t love her? A man who doesn’t want to be with her?’

Alice grabs my hair and pushes me against the wall.

‘Oh, Astrid, sometimes in life, it’s not about love, but about other things like power,’ she says, retrieving

her knife.

I’m scared and try to hide my fear.

‘If I were you, Astrid, I’d get going right now, before everyone wakes up,’ she says, tapping my nose

with the knife. She stares at me and holds the blade against my face. I nod.

‘Good! Well, it was nice meeting you, Astrid. I hope we don’t cross paths again, she smirks, and I leave

the kitchen hysterical and affected.

She is going to kill me! She is going to kill me if I stay! I don’t want to leave Ryker or the others. How

can I tell them without her finding out?

Bursting into tears, I dress quickly in jeans and a hoodie. I grab a small pack and place another set of

clothes in it. Do leave? Do I leave a note? Where will I go? I can’t go back to my stepfather’s house.

Maybe I can camp in the woods for a few

days. I can sneak food from the diner until I figure something out. The sun is rising, I have to leave now.

I climb over the balcony and down the latticework beneath. I run opposite the shopping strip, hoping it

leads me toward Jim’s diner. A couple of hours pass me by when I’m deep in the woods, and I freeze at

the faint howl of a wolf in the distance. I know it’s Ryker, realising I’m gone. Falling to the ground, I cry.

‘Please forgive me, Ryker. I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to leave you.’

Standing, I wipe my tears, they’re uncontrollable. I suddenly remember when Ryker explained he could Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

smell my scent. I look around and grab some eucalyptus leaves from a low hanging branch. Removing

my hoodie and jeans, I rub the leaves down my legs all over myself. I put my clothes back on, sticking

a handful of eucalyptus leaves into the pockets of my hoodie and jeans. I run further into the woods,

after a while, I resort to walking because I’m exhausted. Ryker would have followed my scent until I

used those leaves. I should probably change course, too, if he keeps going straight.

Changing my direction, I stop at a riverbank to drink some water, hoping it’s clean enough. The sun is

setting. I have to find shelter soon before it becomes dark. I wander around until I find a large hollow

log on its side.

This will be perfect. I crawl into the hollow log and open my

bag, covering myself with the other jumper to keep as warm as I can. I sleep curled up and use my bag

as a pillow. The sun rises, and I’m surprised I slept all night.

I’ve been walking for three hours. I’m happy when I see a familiar road. It leads into the city! I stay off

the road to avoid Ryker finding me. The black Mercedes is in the distance. I sense it’s a bad idea to run

toward it, but I do.

Out on the road, I watch the black Mercedes slow down to a halt. The back window rolls down.

‘Hello, Zenith,’ I say.

‘I was worrying, Astrid. I haven’t seen you for a few days, he says.

Td like to take you up on that job offer if you’ll still have me?’ || ask nervously. Zenith smirks.

‘When can you start?’ He asks.

‘I can start now if you like?’

Zenith looks me up and down, studying me. He is curious.

‘Has something happened, Astrid?’ He asks.

I’m no longer living with my father, and no one here is looking to employ new staff, I explain, leaving

Ryker out of the story.

‘I see,’ he says, scratching his half-missing ear. He opens the

car door and gets out.

‘You may as well hop in, you work for me now, he smiles. I

glance around to make sure no one is watching and climb into the car.

Zenith scans the area to see what I’m looking at and says nothing about it. A young guy in the car

smiles at me and pats the seat next to him, motioning for me to sit. Sitting next to him, I click my belt.

‘Astrid, this is John, one of my twin sons, Zenith introduces

him.

‘Nice to meet you,’ I say, politely holding my hand out to shake his. John places a kiss on my hand as

he takes it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Astrid,’ he replies with a cocky smile. He looks a lot like Zenith but less

bulky and much thinner. He has the same dark eyes, dark hair, and nose. A few days of stubble has

grown on his face.

‘So, your business, Zenith Creations: what is it you do exactly?’ | ask. Zenith chuckles.

‘I do many things. Mainly, I have meetings with high-profile clients. I go through their designs and make

their products, he explains.

‘Oh, okay. What are you employing me to do?’ | ask.

‘I need a personal assistant to take some calls, book

appointments, make me coffee, and run little errands, he says.

‘Okay, I smile. I look out the window, wishing things were different with Ryker. I want to be in his arms

and wish Vanessa and Alice weren’t part of the pack.

‘Astrid, I need to talk to you about something before we arrive, Zenith says. ‘It’s brilliant of you hiding

your scent with those leaves. I suggest you leave them in your pocket until we arrive at the workplace.’

“How do you know I’m a werewolf?’ | ask, surprised. Zenith’s eyes change into his wolf’s eyes.

I’m also a werewolf and the Alpha of my pack.’ His eyes change back to his human irises. John is

grinning. My chest suddenly feels tight, and I hyperventilate.

‘Stop the car, please!’ I yell.

‘Ignore her, Ralph. She is just overreacting, Zenith says to the driver, placing his hand on my shoulder,

making me cringe.

‘Astrid, you are one of us. I will not hurt you. I’m hoping you’ll even consider joining my pack. You’ll

have our full protection from whoever you’re running from, he smirks.

I’m not running from anyone.’

Zenith sighs and pinches his brow bone with his thumb and index finger.

‘Astrid, you don’t have to play dumb. I know you’re running from someone. Who are you running from?’

He asks.

‘It doesn’t matter whom, I won’t see him again, I say, sadly, looking away.

‘Well, my offer always stands, become part of my pack, and you’ll always have full protection, he

repeats.

‘We’ve arrived, he says as the car stops. He opens the car door and reaches his arm out for my hand

to help me out of the vehicle.

‘Thank you,’ I say, stepping out of the car and feeling John brush up behind me as he gets out of the

vehicle. I step forward to put space between us and ignore him.