CHAPTER TEN

Ajax looks at me. It's clear that he doesn't want me to stay, but he understands.

"I can't just leave you here," he says.

"You have to," I say. "They won't come for you the way they'll come for me. The Alpha would never admit you escaped. It would make him look weak. You have a chance at a life."

"But what about you?" he asks.

"I'll be okay," I say, and I wonder if he knows just how much I don't believe that.

"Go," I say, firmly. "You don't have much time."

He stares at me. I can tell he's torn. But he also knows I'm right.

"Just go," I say. "Before they come looking for you-- before they come looking for me."

He hesitates, and then runs out into the forest, disappearing into the trees.

The second he is gone, I see the guard coming towards the mouth of the cave. He has an expression on his face that tells me he knows exactly what I've done. And he is furious.

"Where is he?" he asks, coming towards me.

He is about to hit me when I decide I'm going to have to fight back. The guard isn't expecting it; I've been so subdued this whole time. He doesn't see it coming when I smack him across the face, hard.

I punch him in the stomach, and he stumbles back.

The guard comes at me, swinging wildly, but I duck and weave out of the way.  I manage to get out of the way before he hits me.  He comes after me again, and this time, he punches me right in the face.

I feel the blood trickle down my face; the pain is instant and crippling.

But I'm not going to give up. I ball my hand up into a fist, and hit him square in the jaw.

I hear him grunt. He's stronger than me, and bigger than me, but I have the element of surprise on my side.  He doesn't expect me to fight back, and he certainly doesn't expect me to hit him as hard as I can.

The second hit makes him stumble back, and I surprise myself by delivering another blow to his jaw.

He's bleeding. I can see the blood dripping down his chin.

I decide this is my opportunity to reason with him.

"If you tell the Alpha what I've done, you'll have to explain that you were the one who gave me the opportunity. You let me get one over on you and steal your keys. That's not going to look good for you."

I see something in his eyes. He looks a little less sure of himself now.

I keep going.

"It's a good thing that I'm staying and marrying the Alpha. We both know how he would react if he found out that I had escaped."

The guard looks at me, and I can see the fight going out of him. I can see he knows I'm right.

"So, this'll just be our little secret, right? If anyone asks, I was in the bridal suite all night."

"Yes," he says, finally. "That is definitely my recollection of events."

"Good," I say. "I'm glad we understand each other."

He looks at me and nods.

"Here are your keys," I say. "You are going to use them to lock me back into the bridal suite, and then you're going to leave me alone. If you tell anyone what I've done, I'll tell the Alpha what you did. And I'll explain that you let me get out. He won't be happy to hear it."

I see something flash in his eyes.  He knows as well as I do that the Alpha does not react well to betrayal.

"I'm glad we've come to an understanding," I say. "Now, please go lock me back in my room."

I can see the guard wavering, but the moment passes quickly. He takes the keys from my hand, guides me back to the mansion, and up to the bridal suite. "Now," I say. "I'm going to have a nice, long rest."

I walk into the suite, and the guard locks the door behind me. I can hear him muttering to himself all the way down the stairs.

I lie down on the bed.  I don't know what's going to happen.

But I know I am going to have to marry the Alpha. It's the only chance I have at staying alive.

***

"It's time," the guard says, as he comes to get me for the wedding. "The Alpha is waiting for you."

I follow him, down the stairs.  Walking is difficult--the dress, while gorgeous, is not exactly made for movement.

The guard leads me out of the mansion and down to a grassy field on the edge of the property.  The ground is damp from the light rain that's been falling all day. The sky is grey and cloudy; it looks as though it's going to start raining again any second.

There is a large crowd gathered, all waiting for the wedding to start.

The Alpha stands in front of me, and all eyes turn to me as I make my way to him.

I reach the front of the crowd, and the Alpha just stares.  He's waiting for me to kneel.  I do what he wants.

I bow my head, and he moves to stand in front of me.

"You may rise," he says finally.

I do as he says. I don't look at him. I don't want to see any expression on his face. I don't want him to see any emotion in my eyes.

I want to be blank. Empty.

"Do you consent to this union?" he asks.

I know I'm supposed to answer, but I'm struggling to form words.

"Do you consent to show love and obedience to me, and me alone, for all of your days?" he continues, slight annoyance creeping into his voice.

I'm just about to answer when I hear a gasp sweep through the crowd.