08
C
The wind howled outside my window, rattling the glass like an omen. The entire estate was quiet, but I knew better than to believe in peace. I sat on the edge of my bed, my hands trembling as I folded the last of my clothes into the small duffel bag.
This was it.
I was leaving.
Nathan had made all the arrangements. A car, an escape route, a safe house beyond the territory’s borders. It was reckless, dangerous–but staying here was worse. Dean wouldn’t let this go. He wouldn’t accept my defiance, and I refused to let my unborn child be used as a pawn in bie twi
Kept the Alpha’s Secret Heir
A knock on my door made my heart lurch. I whirled around, my breath hitching, but it wasn’t Dean. It was Cecelia.
She stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest, her expression unreadable. But there was something in her eyes–something cold and victorious.
“You’re really doing it,” she said softly.
I straightened my spine, gripping the bag tighter. “Move.”
To my surprise, she did. She stepped aside, leaning against the doorframe, amusement flickering across her
face.
“You know,” she murmured, “I could go straight to Dean right now. Tell him you’re running. Watch him tear you
apart.”
My fingers clenched around the strap of my bag. “Then why haven’t you?”
Cecelia smirked. “Because, dear sister, I want you gone.” She tilted her head, feigning innocence. “Do you know how exhausting it is to share the spotlight with you? How annoying it is to see Dean’s eyes flicker to you, even when he doesn’t realize he’s doing it?”
I stared at her, my stomach twisting. She had won, hadn’t she? She had Dean, she had this house, and yet–it wasn’t enough. She wanted me gone.
And I was giving her exactly what she wanted.
“Run, Hannah,” Cecelia whispered, stepping close, her lips barely an inch from my ear. “Run far. But don’t think
for a second that you’ll ever be free. You’re nothing without him.”
I didn’t let her see how her words sank into my skin like poison. Instead, I pushed past her, my pulse hammering as I slipped down the darkened hallway.
Nathan was waiting at the back door, his car parked just beyond the treeline. He nodded when he saw me, jaw tight, his stance tense.
“Let’s go,” he whispered.
I exhaled sharply and stepped into the night.
his
The drive was silent, save for the distant howls of wolves in the forest. My stomach churned as I watched the trees blur past, each mile taking me further from the life I had known.
Nathan kept his eyes on the road, his grip on the wheel tight. “You sure about this?”
“What other choice do I have?” I muttered, staring at my reflection in the window. “Stay and be Dean’s prisoner? Let Cecelia dictate my life?”
Nathan didn’t respond, but the tension in the car thickened.
Then, suddenly, the headlights illuminated something in the distance.
A car.
Following us.
Nathan cursed under his breath, his fingers twitching against the wheel. “Hold on.”
The tires screeched as he took a sharp turn, pushing the car faster. My heart pounded as I glanced back. other vehicle kept pace, its lights glowing like twin eyes in the darkness.
“Someone’s following us,” I whispered.
Nathan didn’t answer. His face was set, his body coiled tight like a predator waiting to strike.
Then, without warning-
A blur of movement.
C
A massive wolf lunged from the trees, slamming against the side of the car. The impact sent us skidding, tires screeching as Nathan fought for control.
My breath caught in my throat. The wolf was enormous–bigger than any normal werewolf, its fur dark as night,
we do so a
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Kept the Alpha’s Secret Heir
its eyes gleaming with deadly intent.
Nathan growled. “Cecelia. She must have told them.”
I swallowed hard. “She–she set us up?”
“It’s a damn trap.”
Another wolf emerged from the shadows, snapping its jaws inches from my window. My pulse thundered as I fumbled for my seatbelt.
“We need to run,” I gasped.
Nathan didn’t hesitate. He slammed the brakes, sending the car into a sharp skid. The moment we stopped, he yanked the door open.
“Go, Hannah! Run!”
I barely had time to move before the wolves attacked. Nathan shifted instantly, his body contorting, bones snapping as his own wolf form tore free. He was fast–faster than I’d ever seen–but there were three of them.
And they were out for blood.
I stumbled backward, my breath coming in short gasps as I watched Nathan fight. His claws raked across one wolf’s throat, sending it howling in pain, but another sank its teeth into his shoulder.
“No!” I cried, instinctively stepping forward.
“Hannah, run!” Nathan’s voice was raw, desperate. Blood dripped from his fur, but he didn’t falter. He tore into the second wolf, throwing it off him with a savage growl.
I hesitated for only a second before forcing my legs to move. I sprinted into the forest, branches whipping against my skin as I ran. My lungs burned, my heart pounded, but I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t stop.
Behind me, the sounds of battle raged on. Snarls. Yelps. The sickening crunch of bone.
Then-
Silence.
I froze, my breath ragged.
And then I heard it.
Footsteps.
I turned, my pulse hammering as a figure emerged from the shadows.
I saw Alpha Dean.
His dark eyes locked onto mine, his expression unreadable.
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “Dean…”
He took another step, his presence commanding, overwhelming. “Did you really think you could leave me, Hannah?” His voice was low, smooth, but there was something dangerous beneath it.
I felt the weight of his words settle over me like chains..
I had run.
But I had never been free.
Not from him.
