4: Runaway Mate

Alexa

The stranger’s voice howled in pain. I stopped running and turned back. My heart sank as I saw him now covered in wounds, overwhelmed. A guard held him down while the Gamma pummeled the man’s stomach.

‘He’s losing numbers!’ Mythril leapt restlessly in my mind.

I bit my lower lip as I watched the pain on the man’s face with each punch from the Gamma. The emotion inside me grew. With raging breaths, I pondered the moral decision I should choose.

Could I help him? Was I strong enough to fight them? I groaned when finally I pushed my feet to run back toward them.

‘Yes, girl! Let’s kick those asses!’ Mythril cheered.

I ran until I was close, but still at a safe distance. Amid the chaos of the fight, I paused in front of a tree. I've never done it before, but the strength in me grew larger in each second. My confidence surged up. I hugged the large tree. My arms wrapped around its trunk.

‘For those who grow, there will be wilt.’ I focused all my thoughts on the tree I was holding. The tips of my fingers dug deep into the bark, pressing my hands hard.

My energy merged with every cell of the tree, reaching down to its roots. The roots moved through the soil and emerged from the ground near the Gamma’s feet, wrapping around him like a snake. With each extension of the tree’s roots, leaves fell one by one from its branches. A storm of leaves around me swirled and blocked my vision.

As the Gamma’s feet became entangled in the roots, he screamed in pain. One of his legs turned red as the roots blocked his blood flow.

“W—what’s happening?! Dark magic?!” The guard holding the man shrieked.

When his grip weakened, the dark-haired man jerked his head back, hitting the warrior behind him in the chin and face. The second guard groaned in pain, but the dark-haired man didn’t waste a moment. He knocked him out cold.

“Coward!” the Gamma growled, transforming into a wolf. His slender wolf legs, now free from the roots.

I pushed my energy again to lengthen and tighten the roots, but exhaustion soon stopped me from holding on any longer. The leaves had all fallen, the branches had dried up, and I trembled as I released my grip on the tree.

‘Goddess! That drained me!’ Mythril panted, and I, too, collapsed to the ground, so weak I couldn’t stay upright.

My breathing was heavy, sweat dripping from my temples as if I had been caught in the rain. Just when I thought I couldn’t go on, the dark-haired man transformed into a wolf as well. But he wasn’t an ordinary wolf like the Gamma, standing on four legs.

He remained upright on two legs. His body grew multiple times in size. His tan skin now covered in thick gray fur, and his back extended to a tail that grew from the base of his spine.

He was magnificent. He was huge.

His eyes gleamed like the winter night sky, staring down at the Gamma, who now appeared small in front of him. The Gamma hesitated, but his breath still burned with the desire for battle.

In an instant, the gamma lunged, aiming to bite the man’s hand. Of course, with the huge physical difference, the Gamma was overpowered by the muscular gray arm. The gamma howled as his body was thrown into one of the trees.

The Gamma tried to charge again, but a punch with sharp claws tore through the Gamma’s skin, leaving a deep wound in his stomach. He howled in pain and could only writhe on the ground.

“Monster!” One of the guards who had regained consciousness shouted, running away in fear.

The gray werewolf then walked toward me. His breath was heavy, and I could see wounds all over his body. We simply stared at each other, and somehow, I didn’t feel afraid of him.

‘My hero…’ Mythril cooed with a long sigh.

From a distance, I heard more footsteps. It seemed the guard had called for reinforcements. The gray werewolf, without a word, wrapped his arm around my waist. The next moment, he threw me over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

“Hey! Put me down!” I protested, but the werewolf with the mint and pine scent didn’t care.

My face facing the trail we left behind while he dashed out of the crime scene. My hands gripped the thick gray fur on his back, holding on so I wouldn’t fall.

From a distance, I saw some people chase us, but the gray werewolf ran faster, more agile, avoiding trees, and easily carried me along. It didn’t take long before I couldn’t see my pursuers anymore.

“Where are we going? Were you the one who saved me from the cell?” I asked the gray werewolf.

But he remained silent, not answering me. We ran through the forest, which gradually sloped down toward a long wooden dock. There, several yachts and small boats were moored. The gray lycan stopped in front of one of the boats. 

“Come on, get on this boat!” He put me down on the wooden dock.

A loud gunshot echoed in the distance, and I instinctively covered both my ears. My head ducked, my body trembling in fear. My feet froze in place, even though I was just one leap away from the boat. 

“It’s okay. Come on.” 

The gray lycan wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pushed my waist to stand up. I then jumped onto the boat and felt the waves sway beneath me. After that, he untied the mooring rope and jumped onto the boat, causing it to rock violently. 

I slumped in a corner while he started the engine. Once the engine roared, he shifted the lever, and the small boat I was on sped away from the dock. 

“Alexa!” Alpha Alastair howled from the deck. 

They fired their guns again. I flinched and ducked again. But it seemed all the silver bullets missed and sank into the water. 

His howl tore my heart apart. Somehow, I could feel the sorrow behind his howl. It mingled with my own chaotic sadness. The fact was, it hurt to be separated from your fated mates. Either he was kind or wicked.