Hidden

“Took you long enough,” Neve growled before storming off in front. Alaya swept an arm around Lenara as they walked, worried that part of what she had explained to Fen could be true. If Lenara had indeed broken a rib she could be at risk of internal bleeding or a punctured lung. Lenara leaned into her a little as they tried to keep up with Neve.

“Can we slow it down a bit?” Alaya called out, earning herself a sharp glare from Neve.

“Depends if you want us all to die,” Neve shouted back, manoeuvring down random alleys, clearly not knowing where she was even going. Alaya stopped dead, pulling Lenara to a stop beside her and Noah in turn halted.

“Luna?” Noah asked as he turned back towards her then back towards his sister who was still quite a fair bit in front.

“Where are we even going? The edges are patrolled or at the very least have eyes on them. Our best bet is the front gate. The guards won’t have heard about you yet and I’m the Alpha’s daughter,” she replied, trying her best to sound confident about a plan she didn’t know would work.

“Have you ever been out of the compound before?” he asked and Alaya shook her head, wondering what that even had to do with anything.

“So it’s not normal for you to come and go then? Not something they are used to seeing, Alpha’s daughter or not,” Neve explained and Alaya realised why. The guards would wonder why she was randomly leaving with two strangers and Lenara.

“We can pretend we are escorting you off?” Lenara offered, her breathing a little laboured as she bent slightly to the side, clearly nursing more than just a bruise. Alaya nodded in agreement.

“Yeah that would work, I’ll just say that my father has asked us to escort you off, make sure you leave or something like that. It’s our best bet,” she reasoned, walking slowly forward in that direction before they wasted any more time trying to find alternatives. Her father could be anywhere and she didn’t know whether she had the strength in her to force him beneath her again. The clinic had almost broken her.

Alaya walked briskly forward hoping Lenara could keep up as panic spurred her movements, calling at her to get out of the compound as quickly as possible. The moment she saw the gates and smelt the forest that called from all around her, her pulse quickened even more, desperate for the last few metres to be behind her. She took note of the guard at the gate who looked just like a normal hunter, rifle over his shoulder and hi-vis vest on that appeared brighter against the greens of the forest behind him. Alaya knew him vaguely, Kit or Keith his name was and he was around the same age as Fen.

She took a deep breath before marching forward, hoping this went as smoothly as possible. Alaya tried to calm her breathing and tried to exude the power she wasn’t used to having without accidentally letting Adolpha flow freely. She watched as the guard’s eyes found hers as she approached, flicking behind her to the three that she knew followed.

“Alaya,” he nodded as she approached, his gaze still uneasy as he realised there were strangers among them, strangers he hadn’t welcomed in.

“Kit,” she replied, noticing his gaze shifting back to hers with a smile on his lips, clearly impressed she knew his name, thankful it had been the right one.

“My father discovered some uninvited guests on the compound and has asked me to ensure they leave,” she continued as Kit swung the rifle over his shoulder and took aim behind her. Alaya fought the urge to turn and see who exactly his aim was fixated on but didn’t.

“Where is Fen? Doesn’t he normally deal with this sort of thing? Not someone of your well, stature,” Kit replied and Alaya was unsure what stature exactly he was referring to. Her being the daughter of their Alpha or being an Omega? The latter not applying anymore unbeknownst to him. She tried to keep her gaze on him and not the rifle end, trying to act as though she didn’t care about the danger he posed to Noah and Neve. She had to seem as though they meant nothing to her, enemies to the pack that could fall to their deaths behind her and she wouldn’t bat an eye, let alone break her heart.

“I think you should be more concerned with your stature. Considering our Alpha wants to know how exactly this was allowed to happen. Big meeting happening right now so Fen is otherwise indisposed. I’m betting your name amongst others are being discussed right now,” Alaya replied darkly, anger clear on her face, arms crossed in front of her.

“If need be I’ll march our friends back to my father and explain that you wouldn’t let me release them, that apparently you wanted them to stay here for some reason. And then when their Alpha comes looking for them and into my father’s territory, I’ll again explain exactly why they were waylaid,” she pushed and watched as his fingers softened around the trigger of the gun and Alaya felt she could release the breath she had been holding.

“That won’t be necessary,” Kit answered, stepping out of the way and lowering the rifle. Alaya simply nodded, ignoring the fact her knees felt like they could no longer bare her weight. She allowed herself to turn behind towards Noah and the others, motioning them forwards, relishing in the hope that was blossoming in her chest at how easy this last step had been. Well apart from the rifle that had been aimed at them moments ago.

The four moved quickly through the gates and Alaya fought the urge to turn back when the bristles on the back of her neck stood on end.

“Alpha?” Kit’s voice carried over and reached her ears with ease, causing her stomach to bottom out. She knew her father was behind her without having to turn and her mind raced with what to do next. Should they run? The image of Kit and his rifle made her discard that option instantly.

“Alaya, stop!” Her father bellowed and for a split second, she did, as though the invisible chains he commanded had wrapped around her limbs. She turned slowly, her eyes colliding with her father’s amber moons within an instant. They looked like fireballs, the wolf inside of him clearly at the forefront. Adolpha paced inside the confines of their human skin begging to be fully released but Alaya held back, not wanting a scene, not wanting to weaken her father again with a wider audience this time.

“I can’t. I really wish you would just let me go,” she pleaded, wishing she could make him understand that this was the best thing for them all right now. She wished she could tell him everything and trust that it wouldn’t make him want to keep her even more.

“That’s not your choice to make Alaya. Now get back here right now!” Clement bellowed, command thick in his tone, clearly ignoring what he must feel inside himself. That Alaya was far too strong to be commanded ever again. With Adolpha filling her slowly, power tingling at her fingertips waiting to be released, the chains her father controlled, that whipped at her limbs, felt like whispers.

“We both know that’s not going to happen,” she shouted back, watching as Kit looked at Alaya in utter confusion. She knew what he was thinking, an Omega shouldn’t be able to refuse an Alpha. Shouldn’t be able to refuse a Beta and her father was the strongest Alpha in aeons. Until now.

Alaya backed away slowly as Adolpha retreated into her mind, reassured she wasn’t needed. She kept her father’s gaze hoping he saw the sadness in her eyes as she prepared herself to leave. In her head, she had hoped she could return at some point but that possibility felt burnt to mere embers already.

“Kit, stop them,” her father commanded and Kit’s limbs grabbed the rifle to the front of him once more, his movements clearly not solely his own. Alaya’s heart froze as the rifle aimed squarely at her chest, fear making her limbs feel heavy like lead. That was until Adolpha pushed forward of her own accord filling them both. Briefly, Alaya felt her hesitate as if asking permission without the need for words shared in their mind. Alaya simply let go of the wall that separated them, letting Adolpha ripple through and take control and hopefully save them both from the danger in front of them.

“Kit, put down the rifle,” Adolpha commanded, Alaya’s human form feeling odd to her again as she stood before them all, more wolf yet seeming entirely human. Adolpha felt the urge to pin this wolf beneath her body, force him to submit but realised quickly that wouldn’t work. She called to the wolf within the man, feeling as the Alpha’s power shielded him momentarily from her own attempts at control. So she turned her attention to him. She recognised his power, it was strong but nowhere as strong as he would need to be to maintain what was hers to take.

She pushed her influence over him and watched as the wolf’s power ebbed as she forced him to submit to her. He fought it, fought her control, her demand for obedience but it was of little consequence. She felt as he pushed back harder, not prepared to surrender. His wolf pushed, again and again, demanding she submit and for a moment, the pull of pack was strong and Adolpha withdrew a little. She had the urge to relent, like something stronger called to her to wait for a moment. But before she could focus on the feeling, the Alpha in front of her pushed further forward, making the air heavy, feeling her weakness. It angered Adolpha, that weakness didn’t earn mercy. The only thing this Alpha would listen to was strength.

Adolpha pushed back, twice as hard this time, determined to prove she was no longer under his control. She felt as the wolf in front of her, the wolf inside the man, pushed and squirmed under her power. But still, he would not yield to her. Why wouldn’t he yield?

Adolpha put all of her power into her last attempt to make the Alpha surrender. Not forever, just long enough for her to gain control of the wolf beside him. She must protect her pack. She felt as his squirm became less, finally buckling under her power. The second she forced him to yield she felt another wolf’s cries in the air and a pain in her chest like her heart had just exploded. As she took in the world around her, not just the Alpha at her feet, she realised those cries were also coming from herself.

Adolpha snapped back into Alaya’s mind like a catapult but it was the pain in her chest that took precedence when Alaya fully gained back control. It felt like a hole had been punched through the very core of her, her breath caught in her throat and she stumbled backwards. She saw Lenara crumble too in unison and wished she had the strength to reach out as they both collapsed to the hard forest floor.

“Noah? Has she?” Neve asked quietly but Alaya couldn’t begin to follow exactly what she was saying. It hurt too much, everything hurt yet felt numb, disconnected at the same time. The sense of loss almost killed her, she could feel it but struggled to understand exactly what she felt she was losing.

“I don’t know. Just help me lift them for Christ sake,” Noah sniped and Alaya felt arms upon her as they lifted her to her feet. She sensed as she was moved, tiredness clinging to every inch of her but she tried to fight it off. She looked briefly over to where Lenara had fallen, seeing Neve lifting her friend’s form and dragging her backwards.

“What do we do? Do we stay? Do we call Elias?” Noah asked as he swooped Alaya up into his arms. The moment Alaya felt her head nestle against his chest the sleep was too strong to fight. But right before she succumbed, she heard Neve reply.

“If she has severed the Alpha’s pack bonds there is nothing we nor Elias can do. He isn’t their Alpha anymore.”