Chapter 2 The alpha's love

Tears pricked at her eyes, and she did not stop running until she was outside on her knees in the snow. The rejection oozed into her heart like a chunk of ice-cold, unyielding.

Snow crunched underfoot as Amelia walked away from the pack that had been her prison. Early morning fog swirled in the air around her like a shroud, giving the surrounding forest an eerie, desolate quality. She hugged her thin coat tightly around her shoulders, trying to ward off the bitter cold. But no amount of warmth could thaw the hollow ache in her chest, the overwhelming feeling of betrayal that seemed to pulse with every heartbeat.

It had been her only option to leave. With Jackson's rejection and Caroline's triumphant, mocking smile, Amelia knew she had no place left in the pack. Her heart had broken into so many pieces it felt like she could barely hold herself together. Yet a flicker of something-maybe survival, maybe defiance-pushed her to keep going.

Unbeknownst to Amelia, Caroline had watched her departure with a sense of satisfaction. When Amelia crossed the border, Caroline's smile turned dark. "I want her dead," she hissed to the big, scar-faced rogue that stood by her side. "Make sure she doesn't return. Ever."

The rogue sneered and nodded as Caroline paid him an impressive pouch full of money. "As good as done, Luna," he said with a mock bow, his voice full of malice. With a hand signal, three more rogues emerged from the darkness, each as vicious as the last.

Amelia did not know of the danger that was sneaking behind her as she forged ahead, pulling her coat in closer, the weight of the packhouse slowly lifting off her shoulders at every step. She would somehow rebuild herself. She had to.

But as she cut through a narrow path lined either side with thick trees, a sense of disquiet settled over her. She froze, the thudding in her chest ceasing as silence smothered her from all sides. Her cautious step backward was accompanied by her eyes scanning her surroundings. The woods were quiet. Too quiet.

"Leaving without saying goodbye, Amelia?" a low, mocking voice called from behind her.

She whipped around, her eyes wide with all the rogues standing in her way. A wave of panic raked at her insides. Spinning the other way, she ran—right into more rogues coming out of the trees, encircling her. There was no escape.

"Please," she whispered, voice quivering. "I don't want any trouble."

One of the rogues, a towering brute with a jagged scar down his cheek, grinned menacingly. "Oh, but we do," he sneered. "You've got something our client wants-a ticket out of her way. And she's paying us quite nicely to make sure you don't reach the other side of these woods.".

Amelia felt it then-a betrayal from Caroline, a fresh wound hitting her. She had taken her mate, her status, and her dignity; now she would stop at nothing until she was erased totally. Anger sputtered inside her, mixed with the terror running in her veins. For once in her life, survival fired in her soul, tugging at her in defiant whispers not to give in.

The rogue lunged and Amelia tumbled backward, avoiding by inches his outstretched claws. Scrambling, her foot caught on a root, sending her tumbling to the ground. Pain shot up her arm, but she forced herself to her feet, breaths coming in ragged gasps as she faced the rogues with her back to a tree.

Behold, the little one is running scared, alone," one of them jeered, one stepping closer. His eyes shone with malice as his claws flexed, ready to lunge. Amelia steeled herself, the feeling of hopelessness clutching her heart.

Then, without warning, a strong gust of wind cut across the trees, the weight of its presence carrying with it a heft that stopped the rogues dead in their tracks. The air crackled with an energy Amelia couldn't describe, and a dark figure emerged from the shadows.

Touch her, and it'll be the last thing you do," spoken low, a growl of lethal intent, the man's voice. The rogues faltered, eyes exchanging uneasy glances as this newcomer stepped into the clearing.

Amelia's breath caught as her gaze met his. Tall and forbidding, his features were half-concealed under the hood of his cloak, but his eyes were like molten silver-hard, unrelenting. There was something about him that radiated waves of power into the air, an intensity pounding through her heart like a strong pulse.

The rogues stepped back, realizing the change in the dynamics of power. "This isn't any of your business, stranger," one snarled, trying to mask his fear. "Just walk away before you regret it.

He let out a low chuckle, his eyes never leaving hers. "I don't walk away from anything-or anyone-that I'm meant to protect." His gaze flickered to Amelia then, and in that moment, she felt an inexplicable pull toward him-a bond she couldn't yet comprehend.

The rogues moved forward, clearly intent on fighting, but the man merely smirked and cracked his knuckles. "You've made your choice."

With a sudden lunge-in the blink of an eye, his speed and precision made Amelia's breath catch in her throat-a flurry of movement, a well-placed punch sent the first rogue flying while the surge of the stranger's fist into the other's jaw dropped him on the ground. The third rogue now attempted to flee but met the man's intercepting form as he clutched him by the collar, launching him to the ground with a brutal ferocity that was almost inhuman.

The last rogue stumbled backward, eyes wide with terror. "Y-You're.," he stammered, the blood draining from his face. "You're the Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack!"

A deadly smile overspread the man's face. "You should have run when you had the chance.".

With that, he delivered the killing blow - sending the rogue into an unconscious heap in the snow. Amelia was frozen, unable to pull her gaze from the figure of power before her.

The man turned then to her, his gaze softening as he made his way towards her. "Are you injured?