Page 47 of Ruled By The Alpha

But he had never been more certain, more filled with purpose, than he was now.

Protecting her was his new craving. His new reason for being.

And he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

*

Anara bounced up and down, her control splintering as panic set in. The gerlex were everywhere—swarming so fast andviciously that soon her beast, even in his taller form, would be buried beneath them.

She had never seen so many, but then again, she’d never been in an enclosed space with them before. Her kind preferred the open expanse of the jungle, not the caves, where escape routes were limited.

Whereas the gerlex seemed to be thriving in this contained space.

For every handful Cheim shook off or killed, twenty more took their place, hissing and spitting, scrambling up the wall toward her—and now swarming toward him and the decoy wrapped around his arm.

“Throw it aside!” Panic laced her voice. “Run! Otherwise you’ll be overwhelmed by them.”

“Never.” He ripped a handful of teeming gerlex from his torso. “Leaving.” He flung them aside. “You.”

“Then, you’ll die too.”

“No!” With a roar, he staggered under their weight, hurling a dozen more to the ground.

She couldn’t believe he was still standing.

He was strong. Fierce. A brutal fighter. But even he would not be able to withstand the gerlex’s sheer numbers forever. Already the tangy scent of his blood filled the air.

She couldn’t bear for him to be killed. Could not bear to think of this galaxy existing without him in it.

He had shown her so much more than she ever thought was possible—and altered her in ways she was still coming to understand.

Whatever unfinished issues remained between them, one truth was certain: he was everything too.

“Ah-narah, look out!” A rock slammed into the wall near her, splattering a gerlex she hadn’t even realized was creeping up behind her, preparing to pounce.

Cheim’s warning saved her—and left himself open to attack as another swarm surged, leaping onto him and sending him staggering back, his spine crashing into the wall.

“Cheim!”

“Go, Ah-nara.” His determined shout rose above the grating chittering and clacking. “There is a cave behind the waterfall. It leads to a second chamber. One with a slight opening in the ceiling, just wide enough for you to slip through.”

Shock thundered through her.

“Fly through the waterfall. It is not strong enough to drag you down.” He was still barking commands. “Do it now. The second cavern is small and the way out easy to find. Go now! Don’t look back and don’t stop until you are safe.”

He was letting her go.

Putting her safety above all else.

It was more than she ever expected and all she needed.

His offer changed everything, toppling aside her worst fears and doubts.

Hehadreally changed. Just like her.

But was it too late?

Seizing on his example, she darted toward a section of the ceiling free from gerlex and scraped a few small loose pebbles free from the rocks—and just missed being clawed.

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