Page 73 of Cruel Alpha Bully

I shake my head. Excitement is sizzling in my bones, and my heart is pounding with anticipation. “I want to see him, right now! It won’t take long to walk up to the store, and he can bring me home.”

“Well, okay,” Mom says, looking over the food. “Guests won’t be coming in for a little bit. I guess I can hold the fort for a while.”

I blow her a kiss as I hurry out the door. It feels good to be out in the crisp, clear air, and I walk briskly along the sidewalk, enjoying the chance to stretch my legs.

I’m walking along, thinking so hard about Bae and my new job playing the piano, I don’t notice the noise right away. It’s a far-off drone, just slightly annoying at first. As it gets louder, it cuts into my daydreams until I’m forced to look around, wondering what it is.

Suddenly, my heart stops in my chest.

Motorbikes.

There is no way of knowing if this actually is the enemy pack or not, but the sound strikes fear into me. I can’t ignore this. The terror I felt fleeing through the forest with Bae, almost losing him, awakens afresh inside me, and I quickly hurry down a side street when I hear the motorbikes behind me.

I pause as the bikes fly past, staying hidden as I watch. The fear inside me doubles as I recognize some of the pack members.

It’s them!

The side street is narrower, with only a few houses. The vacant blocks between them are very overgrown, and I hurry into the thick bushes to hide myself as I pull out my phone.

Bae’s phone rings, but he doesn’t pick up. Cursing softly, I leave a voice message.

“Bae, listen. The enemy pack is here, in town. I saw them just off the main street heading into the village. Call me back.”

I end the call and flick through my numbers. I should call Mom, and Carson, and—

“Gotcha!” a voice yells right beside me.

I feel someone grab at my arms, and I shove them away, turning and running down the street. I trip over a tree root, and my phone goes flying out of my hands.

I don’t have time to stop and look for it, as heavy footsteps are charging up behind me. I pull myself up and run as hard as I can, deeper into the forest.

As I twist and turn through the trees, I figure I can cut through this section of the woods and make it back to the house without too much trouble. These guys might be determined, but I’m really not that far from home.

Then I hear howling from the thick scrub on either side of me.

They’ve shifted.

Now I don’t have a hope of losing them. They’ll track me no matter how fast I move. I slow down as the noise passes me by.

Then the track in front of me fills with wolves. They look like skinny, rabid creatures, as if they are starved and unwell.

I back up a bit, finally turning to run back towards the street. Someone must be around. If I can just get back near the houses, I’ll be able to find help.

I hear the motorcycles before I leave the tree line, and fear streaks through me. I try to turn off back into the forest, but the wolves appear on either side of me, snarling and snapping.

They’re driving me towards the road!

There is nothing I can do but run towards the sound of the bikes. The wolves dart in at me, barking and snarling, making me scream in fear as I run even faster.

When I make it back to the street, the bikes are lined up in front of me, and the enemy alpha is right in the middle.

One of the wolves dives at my leg and snaps, almost closing his jaws on my flesh. I leap away from him and stumble, falling down hard on the soft grass.

“Watch it!” the alpha roars, leaving his bike and striding across the clearing. “I want her unharmed!”

The wolf cowers as the alpha threatens it with his heavy boot. He leans down and grabs my arm, but when he lifts me to my feet, he is quite gentle.

“Are you alright, my dear?” he asks.

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