8-I Am The Military Alpha’s Prey

Fallon:

Flashback:

I sat on the floor beside the bed, curled into myself with my arms wrapped tightly around my body.

My stare remained locked on the ground, as if my dignity had been left there with the rest of me.

“Don’t make such a big deal out of it.”

Nathan stepped out of the bathroom with a towel hanging low around his waist, water droplets still clinging to his skin.

He picked up a brush and ran it through his damp hair while staring into the mirror like nothing had happened.

Like he hadn’t taken my first time from me by force.

“I said no,” I whispered.

The words barely left my mouth.

Tears blurred my vision, but I couldn’t even bring myself to cry properly.

Nathan let the brush fall slightly in his hand before his eyes lifted to the mirror.

They found my reflection behind him.

“We’re married. There’s no such thing as no,” he said, his voice rough with irritation.

Then he turned toward me and rubbed his face with both hands, glaring like I was exhausting him.

“Fallon, you’re making this worse. Nothing happened. We love each other. We’re mates.”

Every word sounded like another excuse.

Another attempt to force the blame onto me for not wanting him, even when he never gave me the chance to refuse.

“And for fuck’s sake, we’re married,” he spat. “You’re supposed to please your mate.”

End Of Flashback.

The brush hit the floor with a sharp noise.

My body trembled.

When did I become this weak?

When had I started craving acceptance so badly that I stayed quiet even when I should have protested till my last breath?

No.

Even knowing I should walk out that door, report him, and leave, I still stayed.

I had to make it to the shelter alive.

Because Nathan was there.

And I needed to make him pay for everything he had done.

For every time he manipulated me into believing I was the problem while he walked around pretending he had done nothing wrong.

Everything happened too quickly after that.

The bus had already crossed the gate and moved into the pack.

I turned quickly toward the woods and saw more zombies stumbling out from between the trees, heading straight toward me.

Rogues.

That meant the infection had probably already spread inside the pack too.

There was no way I could fight that many at once.

Maybe I had survived the first two encounters out of luck, but this time the numbers were different.

There were too many of them.

I broke into a run after the bus, though I barely knew what my plan was anymore.

Maybe grab onto it somehow.

Maybe climb onto the roof if I had to.

Then, suddenly, the bus slowed down.

I pushed myself harder and nearly caught up before I noticed the passenger-side door sliding open.

That was my chance.

I sprinted forward with the last bit of strength left in me, grabbed the door, and pulled myself inside while trying to keep my balance.

The door shut behind me just as the bus sped forward again, leaving the zombies behind.

A second later, it felt like shadows began forming behind me.

Being watched that closely was already enough to make my skin crawl.

I slowly turned around and found four hulking figures crowded behind the driver’s seat.

For a moment, I thought they were staring at me.

But they weren’t.

Their angry stares were fixed on the driver instead.

He wore the same uniform, but unlike them, he was clearly low-ranking.

Sweat gathered along his temples as he gripped the wheel tighter.

“Ali, Didn’t we tell you to keep driving?” Cage spoke first, his voice low and threatening.

The driver cleared his throat.

“She’s one of us,” he murmured carefully. “And she’s important.”

His quiet reminder was enough to bring up the Chief's orders about keeping me alive for the codes.

“And what makes you think we don’t have a backup plan if something happens to her?” Rome muttered, resting a heavy hand on the driver’s shoulder.

Ali immediately gulped loudly enough to be heard by everyone.

He looked younger than the rest of us.

Maybe it was his build, or maybe it was the soft chipmunk cheeks that made him seem less intimidating.

Strands of black hair kept falling across his forehead.

“Well, nobody told me,” the driver muttered.

The way his hands tightened around the steering wheel made it obvious he was nervous.

“Then next time, ask before you disobey us,” Cage growled.

Before I could even react, a hand suddenly caught my collar from behind and yanked me out of the seat, dragging me toward the back of the bus again.

Ace shoved me down hard against the seat before leaning over me.

The others remained standing behind him while he clenched his fist at his side.

His hatred for the female officer made sense.

Two incompetent people had ruined his sister’s life.

But I had nothing to do with them.

“Stay alert,” he hissed, rage blazing in his eyes. “Because while everyone else is busy trying to survive, I’m waiting for you to slip.”

Then he leaned down, planting both hands on the chair’s armrests and caging me in.

“They’re fighting zombies out there,” he whispered, lowering his mouth beside my ear.

“But I’m hunting you.”

A shiver ran through me as goosebumps rose across my skin.