All Chapters of Nowhere to Run from the Bully Alpha: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Cassia swiped her thumb across the cracked glass. The acceptance email was still open right where I had left it. She let out a sharp gasp that sounded entirely fake."Listen to this," Cassia announced to the room. She stood up, holding the device high so the candlelight caught the edges.She read the first lines aloud in a mock ceremony, dragging out the formal language and emphasizing my full name with theatrical disbelief."We are exceptionally pleased to offer you, Lyra Ashford, admission to our incoming class."The parlor erupted. All of Selene's guests began laughing at the idea of the packhouse servant being admitted to one of the city's top academies. The sound hit me like a physical weight, sharp and humiliating."An academy?" Rhea asked between fits of laughter. "She barely knows how to pour wine properly.""Maybe they need someone to scrub their floors," another girl suggested. "I hear city dust is very demanding."I tried to scramble up from the puddle of champagne and brok

I sat at the head of the long dining table and watched Selene speak with practiced poise to my mother about our future ceremonial obligations.“The elders sent over the finalized guest list for the banquet this afternoon,” Selene said, her voice pitched perfectly to project competence without sounding overly dominant. “I have already started adjusting the seating arrangements. We need to make sure the southern border families feel properly acknowledged, considering the recent trade disputes.”“That is exactly the right approach,” Luna Evelina replied, taking a delicate sip of her wine. “They are proud people. Placing them near the high table will save Kael hours of tedious negotiation next month.”“I thought the exact same thing,” Selene agreed, offering me a brilliant, flawless smile.I looked back at her and told myself, not for the first time, that she was exactly the kind of woman who made sense beside me. She was polished, beautiful, ambitious, and clearly eager for the crown I w

The mud-slicked route through the district mercantile square sucked at the soles of my boots. The pale afternoon sky offered no real warmth, and the three heavy, awkwardly shaped parcels in my arms were already making my shoulders ache. Maris always made sure I ran these errands during the busiest hours of the day. It was her way of reminding the entire pack that the Ashford family maintained perfect order, starting with their omega servant.The dread settled in my stomach long before I reached the central stalls. The market was loud, crowded, and completely unforgiving.I kept my head lowered, trying to weave through the throngs of people buying fresh meat and winter fabrics. I just needed to reach the apothecary and get back to the estate.Two younger, ranked fighters stepped out from a weapons stall right in front of me. They saw me coming. They had plenty of room to move aside, but they deliberately veered from their path.The larger one struck his shoulder hard against mine.The

I swung the wooden practice blade down hard. The wood cracked against my opponent's guard and he stumbled back. I followed his retreat, stepped inside his reach, and swept his legs out from under him. He hit the dirt with a heavy thud, the breath rushing out of his lungs."Get up," I told the boy in the dirt.He stayed down, clutching his side. "I yield.""I did not ask if you yield. I told you to get up."I stood over him and waited for him to catch his breath. The training grounds were hot today, the air thick with dust and the smell of sweat. I moved through the ritual combat drills with brutal, unyielding precision. My father, Alpha Dorian, stood near the edge of the ring watching my every move. He observed from the periphery, measuring my readiness for the upcoming ritual with a cold eye."Too much force on the finish," my father said. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You waste energy trying to break them when a simple disarm is enough.""A broken opponent does not try to sta

I woke at four in the morning to a packhouse that was already vibrating with nervous, pre-dawn energy. I moved straight to the industrial kitchen, welcoming the harsh fluorescent lights and the freezing bite of the stainless steel counters. I started the commercial coffee machines, the loud, grinding roar of the beans providing the perfect acoustic cover, and began prepping the massive catering trays before the main staff even arrived.While the ice makers rattled and the ovens hummed, I slipped back up the service stairs, grabbed my travel case from beneath my bed, and carried it down. I moved like a ghost through the corridors. I found the ground-floor supply closet located directly beside the rear loading dock, shifted a heavy wall of bulk cleaning supplies, and slid my bag into the dark cavity behind them.« The security rotation just shifted, » Nyra murmured in my mind. « The outer gates are already locked open. I can hear the tires of the media vans and district VIP SUVs rolling