Chapter 5

 CHAPTER 5

|| ASHVARA'S POV ||

I hit the ground hard enough to taste dirt and feel every bone ache.

My stomach twisted and my head spun as I barely rolled out of the path of the horses thundering behind me. Hooves pounded the earth and the ground vibrated under me.

Oh gods… oh gods… oh gods…

I scrambled to my feet, my hands clawing at the soil. The Alpha King’s escort came charging, a dozen horses and armored men, and I was in their way. One massive hoof slammed close enough to kick up a cloud of dirt on my face and I could feel the wind of it. Another step and I would have been gone!

I swallowed my fear and ran because I had to..

I didn’t look back. Voices shouted from the road, all shouting my name or the King’s name or something in between but I ignored them. I ignored the thundering steps, the shouts, and the clatter of hooves. My lungs burned and my legs ached but I didn’t stop.

The forest was just ahead.. my salvation. Or so I hoped.

I dove into the trees, the undergrowth tearing at my skin and clothes. Branches slapped my face and roots caught at my ankles. I barely cared.

I am not… I am not going to be a fuck toy for him… I won’t…

I gasped for air, my hands clawing at my throat as the panic and fear built inside me. He’s the Alpha King… he’s the most powerful…

Then an idea, a desperate insane idea, hit me.

I gritted my teeth and pressed my hands to my chest, calling on Seris.. my little spark inside me that had always been too weak to fight back.

Pain shot through my chest immediately as my bones stretched and my skin burned. I screamed with teeth clenched as my human body melted into my wolf form.

My claws dug into the earth as fur erupted across my arms and legs. The shift was agonizing and every fiber of my body screamed against it. I was an omega.. not strong and not fast but maybe… maybe in this form, I had a chance.

I barely managed to lift myself into the shadows of the trees when something grabbed my paw.

No… no… no!

I yelped, struggling against the grip, claws snapping, teeth bared. My heart thudded violently against my chest and then I froze.

It was him! The Alpha King! Mason!

How the hell did he catch up that fast?! Even faster than his own guards!

His hand was calmly unshakable. His eyes were cold but steady and my wolf snarled, growled, fought, but it wasn’t enough.

One sharp commanding word slipped from his lips and my limbs froze, my teeth snapped shut and I felt the heat of fear roll over me like fire. I cowered and I retreated into myself, back into human form, trembling uncontrollably.

I landed hard on the forest floor, panting with my chest heaving. My arms shook so badly I thought I’d fall again.

He knelt slightly, his hand brushing the blood from his cheek and I stared in horror.

His gash was already healing. Slowly, the wound pulled itself closed before my eyes.

“What do you think you’re doing?” His voice was surprisingly calm as he spoke.

I couldn’t speak.. I couldn’t breathe and my knees nearly gave out. Fear consumed me.. very muscle, every nerve screamed and then darkness.. I passed out.

---

When I woke, I wasn’t in the forest anymore. I wasn’t in the cold dirt-streaked clothes I had been wearing. I was in a room.

The room was neat, warm, and clean with a bed I had never used before with sheets so soft under my fingers. The sunlight spilled through the window in golden slants, lighting dust motes dancing lazily in the air.

I sat up slowly, staring at the room like it was a dream. Am I dead?

I touched my cheek but no pain. My body was whole.. I hadn’t been beaten, hadn’t been mangled, hadn’t been dragged back by soldiers. I blinked at the reality of it. Was this an afterlife? Had the Alpha King… killed me?

I swung my legs off the bed, careful not to make a sound, and crept toward the door. My fingers curled around the knob. Locked, of course, it would be locked. Except… it wasn’t.

The door opened silently and there he was. Mason.. the Alpha King.. the man whose name I still couldn’t speak without trembling. He stood in the hallway talking with Jax Ironfur. And I thought they didn’t even notice me at first but then suddenly, Mason turned and his gray eyes found mine.

Panic exploded in my chest and I pulled back, slammed the door, and fumbled with the lock, trying to secure it. My hands shook so badly I nearly gave up.

He pushed through the door easilyy like I was just an empty sack..;

“Ashvara,” he called calmly.

I spun, darting for the window. Top floor but I didn’t care.. Death would be better than… whatever this was.

I could hear my wolf growling, the faint stir of Seris inside me whispering caution.

He was faster.. always faster.

Before I could even touch the ledge, strong arms wrapped around me from behind.

“Enough games,” he said gently and that terrified me even more.

I kicked, struggled, and screamed but nothing worked. And then… his voice changed with that deep commanding tone that made my wolf shiver.

“Sit. Be still.”

Every muscle in my body froze and my wolf cowered inside me. I collapsed onto the bed, trembling.

He let me go… slightly. His hands dropped and his eyes softened slightly but the strength in his presence didn’t.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. “You have nothing to fear from me. Nothing.”

I stared at him, trying to force myself to believe it.

“You’re my mate,” he continued, calmly and slowly. “The only one. And unlike… him… I’m going to protect you and take care of you. I won’t make you feel… uncomfortable. Ever.”

I wanted to scream, to protest, to ask if that was even possible but I forced myself to nod. I forced myself to believe him.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I know you’ve been through hell,” he murmured, almost to himself. “No one deserves what you suffered.”

My heart clenched and my throat burned and then suddenly, the sound of shouting outside the room tore me from my thoughts.

Voices arguing so angry and so sharp and full of hate.

The door burst open and a woman stormed in with long flowing hair and her eyes hard and full of fire. She stopped cold when she saw me.

“Is this her?!” she snapped. “Is this the bitch?!”

I swallowed, trembling and shrinking against the wall.

Mason stepped in front of me as calm as ever.

“Vespera,” he said firmly. “Leave now.”

But she didn’t. She glared at me and then at him and then back at me with her bottom lip twitching with rage and then she suddenly launched forward with a long silver hairpin in her hand aimed straight for me…!