Chapter 2

Aria's POV

“This is what a bastard looks like”

He stopped temporarily just out the gate, turning me upside down so that my eyes faced the engine while my legs flailed in the air.

He kicked the engine off instantly, riding crazily, swerving and avoiding bumps as we escaped, no he escaped. I could still hear the Hounds chasing after us. My father must have been really mad at the atrocity committed, he never released the hounds unless it was important.

And who knew the order he might have given.

The Hounds were after us, running at impossible speed in their wolf form but my captors were as good on their bikes as they were good in their full form.

He was weaving through the forest roads with coordination —like someone who knew these roads well enough. His crew, I suppose, no one was driving without a helmet on, followed after him with the same precision and control while fighting off wolves that came too close.

My brain worked at full speed, I didn't want to get married but I also didn't want to end up kidnapped and by rogues, only the goddess knows what they planned to do.

No, this won't do, I had to save myself.

Alpha Theron- My father was ruthless, but at least with him I knew what to expect, suddenly Elena’s voice flashed at the back of my mind.

“Aria, if you ever get the chance. Run, and never look back.” Her eyes had glowed softly under the moon as she cradled me in her arms. I nearly teared up at the thought of her— my older half sister.

A rough bump pushed me roughly out of my thoughts, I nearly retched, blood rushed to my brain, we maneuvered another rocky road and finally came to a flat sandy ground.

He took a sharp turn, the bike leaning dangerously to the side.

This was it. This was my chance.

Taking a deep breath, it was now or never, imitating my swimming lessons, I lunged my body forward, crashing straight into the road, dust flew up, I bit into the dust, the knees twisted from the pain, my eyes burned.

For the wolf this fall was nothing, but I was different, now wasn't the time for self pity, I pushed my body off from the ground.

A loud growl hit the air, followed by the sound of tires screeching from the distance I caught sight of the Hounds.

I'll be damned if I ran back to any one of them, without wasting time I took off in the opposite direction, bikes surrounded me in the blink of an eye, they all ran round me in circles.

A loud growl shook my very core, and that was when I noticed he had half shifted, silver chains were wrapped on my wrist before I could resist.

His claws dug into my arms as he dumped me on the bike once more, they drove off instantly, I could hear the howl of hounds, they were dangerously close now.

“Alpha, are you okay?” One of the bikers said as he drove next to him.

He nodded and the biker drove further away.

His eyes glowed red, “Try that again and I'd tie you to the bike”, he said.

“You wouldn't dare” I snapped back, ignoring my beating heart. My mouth tasted like ash, and my body ached from the force used in manhandling me.

He chuckled, “You've got way more fight than I expected princess,”.

A loud howl from besides us told me that the royal guards had caught up, even if I couldn't escape, at least my little stunt wasn't for nothing.

One of the royal guards bounded next to us and leaped up to attack him. It was as fast as lightning, he brought out a pistol, aimed at the heart and I heard a couple of shots ring out.

Sweet Mary.

The wolf yelped mid-air, crashing into the dirt behind us in a spray of blood and dust. Silver bullets, “Coward” I spat.

My eyes remained stuck on the fallen wolf who had now shifted back, my stomach twisted, my father's house may not have been exactly peaceful but something told me this was a different level of cruelty entirely.

Silver bullets against your own species, like they couldn't be bothered to turn.

"Eyes front, Princess," he chuckled, swerving around a massive tree root.

Another wolf came from my side, jaws snapping, eyes ferocious as it shot straight for me, a scream echoed from my lips before I could stop it.

He reacted instantly, sitting me up and tilting the bike as he fired past my shoulders. The shot was so close I felt the heat from the barrel. The wolf fell away, whimpering.

"Didn't think you'd warn me," he said, his voice laced with laughter and sarcasm undertones.

"Funny you think I'd warn you," I shot back, my voice shaking. That thing was coming for me, my body trembled.

His laugh was low and dangerous. “Keep telling yourself that."

We hit a river—I didn't even see it coming. The bike plunged into shallow water, engine roaring as sprays of water soaked us both. My ruined dress clung to my body, the silver fabric plastered to my skin

The wolves couldn't follow through water—the scent trail would be broken. Smart. Whoever this man was, he knew how to disappear.

We emerged on the opposite bank, and the other bikes regrouped around us like a pack closing ranks. One rider pulled up alongside—a woman with wild dark hair whipping from beneath her helmet.

"She giving you trouble, Prez?" the woman called over the engine noise as she removed her helmet.

Prez? Like the president of their little club?

"Nothing I can't handle, Mika," he replied.

I bit down the urge to retort, my eyes were already groggy from everything, I had to force myself to stay awake.

The woman, Mika—glanced at me, and I saw something flicker in her eyes, too fast before I could catch what it was.

Then she took off, taking point with two other riders.

We rode for what felt like hours but was probably only twenty minutes. My legs ached from gripping the bike, my arms burned from holding onto him, and the silver burns from my chains earlier on my wrists throbbed

Finally, the bikes slowed. We pulled up to what looked like an abandoned warehouse—it looked like the kind of place humans would never venture near and wolves would never claim as territory.

A perfect hiding spot in the middle of nowhere.

He killed the engine. The sudden silence was deafening, broken only by my ragged breathing.

The other bikes circled around us, engines cutting out one by one. I counted them. Fifteen riders. Fifteen rogues who'd just attacked the most powerful Alpha in the territory.

My captor dismounted smoothly, his movements controlled despite the insane chase we'd just survived. Then he reached for me.

I flinched back instinctively.

He paused, something crossing his face too quickly to read. Then his hands closed around my waist and he lifted me off the bike like I weighed nothing.

My legs nearly gave out when my feet hit the ground. The adrenaline was crashing hard, leaving me shaking and dizzy.

He still hadn't removed his helmet. None of them had.

I was surrounded by masked riders, their leather cuts adorned with patches I couldn't make out in the dim light. The wolf in me—buried so deep I'd almost forgotten she existed—stirred uneasily.

Danger, she whispered. He's powerful, she acknowledged weakly, like she always did.

I shoved her back down. My wolf had never been any help before. She wasn't going to start now.

"Who are you?" I demanded, hating how my voice cracked. "What do you want?"

The riders shifted, closing in slightly. Not threatening, exactly, but definitely not friendly.

My captor stood perfectly still for a moment. Then, slowly, deliberately, he reached up and unclipped his helmet.

He pulled it off.

His dark hair, slightly too long, fell across his forehead. His face had sharp angles yet still managed to look like it was what his beauty needed, a scar cutting through his left eyebrow, another along his jaw. His eyes were grey—not like the soft grey of clouds, but like steel

And I knew those eyes.

My breath caught in my throat. No. It wasn't possible. He was dead. They were all dead. The massacre ten years ago—

"No," I whispered. "You're dead. You're supposed to be—"

His smile was cruel and kinda mocking.

"Disappointed, Princess?"

I felt the world tilt sideways.