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Alaya’s sharp intake of breath, so loud and unexpected, felt like a bomb had exploded. Her eyes shot open and panic clawed at her chest as she struggled to piece together what was going on. Noah’s silver gaze held her instantly as she calmed a little, shuffling up the bed she was lying in.

He gripped tightly to the hand he was holding and she squeezed back, the feel of his skin on hers making it hum.

“You’re ok,” he soothed as she righted herself amongst the ruffled white hospital covers that felt like rough paper. Alaya looked down at them as they spilt over her lower half realising they must mean she was in the clinic, noticing also the blue checked hospital gown that also covered her body. Shards of memory pierced her mind, of Adolpha’s force, her need to find their mate.

“Adolpha she just wouldn’t rel-” Alaya started to explain but Noah’s lips crashed into hers before she could finish. It felt rushed, his lips hard and cold not the soft, caring first kiss she had imagined. She pulled her hands from his and pushed at his chest, softly but enough to signal this was not ok. He stopped instantly, his face a little sad as his eyes once again found hers.

“Sorry,” he whispered before his eyes flickered to their left. Alaya’s gaze followed his and found her father’s amber eyes burning into hers. She immediately realised why the sudden kiss. It had been to silence her.

“Father,” she breathed, reaching her hand gently out to his. He took it tightly, pulling it to his lips to place a kiss as he walked to her bedside. Noah went to stand and her father’s gaze shot to his and Alaya felt the tension as he did so.

“Don’t try to leave,” he stated, his voice low, almost a growl. Noah simply nodded as he stood and moved towards Neve who also looked extremely worried. That made Alaya feel like her heart just stopped in her chest. She wondered what on earth had happened whilst she had been knocked out? What had Adolpha done? Had she hurt someone?

“Father? What’s going on?” Alaya asked when really she didn’t know if she wanted to hear the answer. The whole room felt on edge like lava was bubbling below the surface about to melt everything in its path. Her father’s eyes fell upon her once more and softened, a smile pulling at his lips as his free hand came up to stroke her hair.

“I’m so happy you are back with us. You scared me for a moment there,” he soothed, his touch gentle and loving as he smoothed the hair from her face.

“Are you feeling ok?” he continued and Alaya nodded softly. She felt normal, well as normal as she ever had before. She could feel Adolpha curled up in the corner of her mind, half sheepish, half tired from her efforts earlier. She had a headache but other than that she felt ok.

“Good. Jeremiah can you fetch Sophia. She will be eager to see Alaya is awake. And Fen.”

The last instruction he said held a weight to it but Alaya didn’t exactly understand why. She looked over to Noah and Neve who were whispering to each other and their eyes looked full of worry, darting around the room as if looking for a way out.

“Alaya. We need to leave,” Neve almost shouted as Jeremiah left the room. Her father stilled by her bedside, his eyes glowing as he turned to face the pair. The panic that Alaya felt earlier as she awoke flooded her and she pulled tight to the hand she still held of her father’s. The one thing Alaya was 100% sure of was she couldn’t be away from Noah. Not mentally, not physically, she wouldn’t cope with it.

“Wait what is going on?” Alaya asked, Adolpha perking up a little as the tension in the room almost suffocated her. Her father pulled out of her hold and stalked towards Noah.

“You are going nowhere. Not until you answer my questions!” he roared and Noah took a step towards him, eyes glimmering like stars. He held his gaze with ease clearly not trying to hide his power anymore.

“I will do as I wish. You hold no power over me,” he growled in return and Alaya watched as Noah’s eyes started to shine as bright as a supernova, his hands morphing from human to beast, fingers twisting into claws whilst the rest of him stayed the same. His clawed hand shot out and gripped Clement’s neck, her father’s eyes widening in shock as he saw too what Alaya was seeing.

“How,” Clement coughed out as Noah’s grip tightened. A smile pulled at Noah’s lips as he replied.

“Because I am much stronger than a mere Alpha. I’m something else altogether.”

“Noah! Let him go,” Alaya begged, swinging her legs out of the bed and trying to reach him. The coarse clinic sheets tangled around her legs faulting her attempts. She started to collapse to the ground but arms broke her fall, pulling her into a soft embrace.

“Luna, what are you doing?” Noah asked as he cradled her, his hands instantly human once more. She looked to her father who was bent over by the far wall where Noah had just stood. Neve moved closer to him and laid a hand on his shoulder but Clement batted her away as he fully righted himself.

“What are you? What are you both?” Clement growled, a look of distrust in his eyes and disgust in his tone. He stumbled a little away from Neve as if she too was as dangerous as her brother was and she in return held both her hands up, trying to reassure him she was no threat.

“Noah,” Neve said as she backed closer to the door.

“I know, I know,” he snapped before turning his gaze back onto Alaya, “Do you think you can stand with my help?” he asked and Alaya shook her head, not in response to his question but at everything that was happening around her.

“What’s going on Noah? We agreed that we wouldn’t leave yet, that running wasn’t the best option,” she replied, panicking at how everything was suddenly spiralling out of her control.

“It’s our only option,” Noah explained bluntly as he helped her to stand. Alaya glanced over at her father who had a mix of anger and sadness in his eyes. She walked out of Noah’s hold and unsteadily went over towards him. He caught her with ease and she looked up at him wishing she could explain what was going to happen next.

“Father. I know you’re angry but you need to let them leave. Let us all leave. I’ll come back soon I promise but you have to let me leave now with them. It’s important,” she tried to explain but his eyes looked hard as he gazed down at her and his grip tightened on her arm.

“No-one is going anywhere Alaya. Not until my questions are answered,” he growled, his eyes glowing brightly a strong, almost neon orange. Alaya tried hard to pull away from his grip as he started to drag her back to her hospital bed.

“Father, please just stop and listen for a second,” she pleaded, Adolpha now fully awake and tingling through her senses, ready in case she was needed. Alaya worried for a moment that Adolpha would force for control but she felt her remorse and also her restraint as she pulsed through the body they shared together.

We needed our mate. I am so sorry for forcing you again but without him, I cannot control myself, all that matters is getting to him. I didn’t mean to hurt us both.

Alaya hoped Adolpha felt her forgiveness without actually having to say the words, time was clearly not on their side and Alaya’s father seemed intent on finding everything out. And that just couldn’t happen. She couldn’t risk an entire pack because of her. So she took a deep breath and tried to steel herself from what she knew would break her heart.

Alaya dug her feet firmly into the floor and yanked herself out of her father’s hold. She watched as he turned towards her, his hand outstretched trying to get a grip on her again and failing.

“We are leaving father. I want to be with my mate.” She tried to reason with him but she could see the glow in his eyes. No one had ever told him what was going to happen. Ever. No one ever had the balls nor the power. But he was about to see that his daughter had both.

“Alaya you are not-” he began but stopped as Alaya released Adolpha into the air around her. She didn’t really know how she did it but suddenly it was as if Adolpha was everywhere and nowhere all at once. Like when her father commanded a room, forcing those who defied him to kneel. An Alpha called to each and every wolf inside the men that stood before him and forced them to submit. Alaya would have to do the same. Even though it broke her.

“Alaya,” Neve started but Alaya put her hand up to silence her like her own father always did. She walked closer to him as she did so, seeing the shock and confusion in his eyes as he realised the power was flowing from her. Alaya felt the wolf inside her father push against her, trying to make her submit like the Omega he believed her to be. She didn’t even need to think, Adolpha coming to the forefront to show the power they wielded together.

The wolf before them was strong, they both felt his power as he tried his best to take command, fill the room and suffocate everyone that tried to take up space that he felt was his. Adolpha merely pushed harder and stole the air he had taken for himself. Her Alpha, the father who had raised her, buckled under the power she released. She felt the fear in his wolf, clearly confused and worried, feeling something he had never done in his life before.

She pushed Adolpha further to the forefront so she ebbed and flowed around the room until Noah’s arm grabbed at her shoulder, pulling them both from focusing on the Alpha that had now buckled to their feet.

“Luna, relent. You can’t push him too far,” he shouted and Adolpha snapped back as if on a bungee cord, their power dissipating from the room around them. Noah lifted his sister to her feet, clearly having been affected by her as well, before reaching out his hand and taking Alaya’s. She turned briefly back to her father, an Alpha that had always seemed so giant, now reduced to almost a broken wolf, half crouched on the floor by her feet.

All because of her.

She pulled her gaze away from him as tears stung her eyes, needing this to just be over now. Alaya still felt the call of the pack as she left the room but pushed it right to the back of her mind, the three of them tearing down the corridor trying to get away from this place as fast as they were able.

“We need to get Lenara. I bet she is still down at the cells,” Noah said as they made it out of the clinic doors. Alaya looked at him in confusion, freezing on the top steps.

“Why would she be in the cells?” she asked and Noah pulled at the hand he still held as he and Neve continued downwards.

“I’ll explain everything when we are out of this compound. But right now we need to move,” he instructed and Alaya allowed him to pull her along behind him. She had no reason to doubt he would and she needed to be with him regardless. Alaya feared what would happen if she stayed and he left her here. Adolpha would never rest until they were reunited, that much she felt in the very core of them both.