Attempted Escape

I awoke in a strange bed, disoriented and alone. Panic surged as memories flooded in. Alpha Kennis had chosen me, and worse, he had marked me! I clutched my neck, the sensation still fresh, a cruel reminder of what he did. I quickly scanned the room, realizing I was wearing a shirt that was far too big, smelling faintly of pine and him.

A sudden jolt from my mind-link brought focus. It was Mark, 'Diara, you’ve regained consciousness!'

'Yes! He marked me! I need to get out!' My heart raced. 

'Escape tonight, and meet me on the back road,' he urged, and a wave of relief washed over me. I felt some hope.

As I slipped out of the room, I nearly collided with one of Kennis's men, the beta, Louis. “Hello, chosen Luna,” he teased, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Hi,” I managed, my voice a whisper. “I really need to—”

He stepped in my way, blocking my path. “Alpha doesn’t want you to leave. He doesn't want you to attempt escape again.”

The absurdity sparked a nervous laugh. “I’ve accepted my fate. I’m marked now,” I said, rolling my eyes, trying to feign compliance. But the tension was palpable.

“That was quick for someone who fought hard for her sister’s place,” he remarked, his eyes narrowing. Daphne took my place, not the other way round. I held his gaze, swallowing my retorts. No enemies, Diara. “I need to shower and wear my own clothes,” I insisted, trying to sound demanding. 

“I’ll escort you,” he dismissed my protest with a nonchalant shrug. Pack members bowed to him, but their pitying glances struck like daggers. My mother’s gaze met mine, empty, devoid of reassurance.

“Where’s Alpha Kennis?” I asked. 

“He’s busy with your Alphas. No, wait—your Alpha now is Kennis,” Louis stated, the finality of his words squeezing my heart.

Dinner was equally grim. A forced gathering where Kennis sat beside me, cold and imposing. My parents attempted small talk, but they were met with silence. Matt casts worried glances at me while Daphne clings to him for dear life. I was suffocating. 

After the excruciating dinner, Louis stationed himself at my door. With a deep breath, I climbed out the window, the chill air brushing against my skin like a warning. It was now or never. My freedom awaited just down the road, and I would run toward it, no matter the cost.

The forest enveloped me as I sprinted away from everything I had known. My heart pounded fiercely, but it wasn’t just the thrill of running; it was the terror of the consequences I would face if I got caught.

I was almost there, I could smell Mark, waiting, and I allowed myself a smile, but a sound shattered the eerie silence of the woods, a low, guttural growl that sent chills coursing through my veins. 

‘Foolish little wolf.’ The voice echoed within my mind, familiar yet unnerving. It was Alpha Kennis’s. A reminder that I couldn’t escape my fate so easily. I stumbled, breath hitching. I couldn’t let him catch me. I wouldn’t let him take me back.

I spotted the outline of his truck and Mark's silhouette. I pushed myself harder, desperation propelling me forward. When I finally reached the rendezvous, relief washed over me like a wave.

My friend noticed me, and his expression turned from worry to warmth. He opened his arms, and I prepared to launch myself into his embrace, but a shadow danced around me, and I gasped, skidding to a halt.

Louis stood there, looming like some predatory beast. His smirk was gone, replaced by a frown that darkened his handsome features. My breath caught in my throat, terror coiling around my chest. 

Suddenly, Mark screamed, a sound that pierced my heart like a knife. I turned, my heart plunging as I saw Alpha Kennis gripping Mark’s throat. The lycan Alpha’s face was a mask of fury, his brutal strength on full display, and my mind reeled at the sight. Mark’s eyes were wide, pleading. 

“Let him go!” I shouted, my voice raw and desperate, but the words fell flat. 

Mark was making horrible, guttural sounds as the ancient lycan tightened his grip, his hand stained with crimson. Panic surged through my veins. I wouldn’t lose Mark, I couldn’t.

“Please don’t kill him!” I dropped to my knees, tears spilling down my cheeks. Wrapping my arms around Alpha Kennis's leg, I could feel the power radiating from him, a force that made my very skin crawl. “I forced him to help me! It was my decision. Don’t punish him for my mistakes!”

Alpha Kennis’s gaze bore into me, cold and unyielding. “You are beginning to annoy me,” he rasped, and I shivered under the weight of his words. 

“Just tell me what you want!” I cried out, desperation clawing at the edges of my sanity. “I’ll do anything. Just let him go!”

For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, a crack in the icy veneer of his control. But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by an unsettling intensity.

Mark's struggle intensified, and I realized the weight of my situation. I had no power to challenge Kennis. He got what he wanted, no matter what, and there was nothing I could do about it. 

"Let him go. I’ll come back with you, I’ll be your Luna, but please, just spare him!” I begged, my voice trembling with fear and anger.

Alpha Kennis studied me for a long moment, his cold expression unreadable. He contemplated the significance of my words. He merely released his grip on Mark, who collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

“Consider yourself fortunate,” he said with an edge of menace. “But remember one thing: you attempt this again, and there will be consequences. Now that you’re marked, you belong to me.”

I felt the weight of his words settle over me. He crouched and gripped my cheeks. Before I could register anything, he licked my tears away. I was stunned. He glanced back at Louis, communicating something through their mind-link, and Louis walked toward Mark, who was still groaning in pain. I screamed as Louis began to stomp on him mercilessly.

“Follow me,” Alpha Kennis demanded. Without waiting for a response, he started walking away.

“No, please stop hitting him! Please!” I begged the Alpha's beta, but Louis didn't relent. 

‘Follow him!’ my wolf, Dove, ordered, but I refused. I couldn't leave Mark to suffer because of me. ‘He will stop when we’re out of sight. The more you beg, the harder he hits him.’

Calming my sobs, I stood and walked away, though I kept my eyes on them. Louis looked back at me, his eyes gleaming with delight, but he had finally stopped.

I walked behind Alpha Kennis, ignoring my own injuries. I glared at his back, vowing to kill him for what he had done to Mark and to me.