Alpha Loren novel Chapter 22

October 14th

We must of been about 10 minutes away from the house, I was going by my nose as Leo wasn't any help on navigating at all. After the 'death' conversation there hadn't been much talking. He kept lifting up his hand and smelling it and then he would do the same to my hand- weird I know but he had an amount of alcohol that would kill me and any normal person.

"Will you stop that?" I said as he prodded my stomach for the 16th time.

"I'm sorry it's just so fun," He said giggling like a little girl.

"Fun?" I said as a gentle rustle came from the bush. "What was that?" I said alarmed.

"Probably another sheep," Leo said completely unfazed. 

"Leo that's not a sheep, there are no sheep here," I said seriously trying to get him to stand up straight and off my aching shoulder.

"Don't be silly. There are sheep everywhere," He said as another rustle sounded. "There it is again."

"Leo, I don't even care what drugs you've taken. I just need you to pull your self together so that we can get back to the house," I said, "Can you stand?"

"Of course I can," He announced standing up and immediately tripping over. 

Oh fuck.

"Leo get up. Leo!" I said slapping his face- no reaction. 

I heard footsteps rustling in the leaves before I stood up, my fists at the ready.

I'd never been taught to fight but it was supposed to be in a wolf instinct.

What better time to find out if it is?

"Wait," I said as somebody finally emerged from the forest, "Connor?"

I lowered my fists, "Thank God you're here," I added.

He looked down at Leo and shrugged, "Is he...alive?"

I knelt down and felt his pulse.

"Yes," I said, "Will you help me get him home?"

"Or we could just...leave him there," Connor replied, "And get out of here preferably before he wakes up."

"What?" I asked.

"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, Ella," he said, "I'm here to rescue you. I've booked two plane tickets out of Seattle. We need to go now."

"What?" I asked again, "Where did you even get that kind of money?"

"It doesn't matter," he grumbled, "Let's just go. There's a bus in half an hour. We'll make it if we run."

"I can just...leave," I said looking down at Leonardo.

"Why not?" Connor asked, "I made sure he won't wake up for at least three hours."

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Connor, what the fuck did you do?" I asked deeply.

"Made sure something was slipped in his drinks," he replied, "Don't worry. He'll live."

His weird mood, the unconsciousness...it all added up.

"You drugged my mate?!" I hissed.

"Why do you care? He treats you like shit and this is your chance for freedom," Connor said taking my wrist, "But if we miss the bus we're fucked so let's go."

I looked down at Leo once more.

Freedom.

"But-" I began.

"Do you want to be his prisoner your whole life? Do you wanna be stuck at home raising his kids all day every day? Do you want to be ordered around like some kind of inferior species?" he questioned, "You know that's not what Dad would have wanted."

"No," I whispered.

"Then what is the problem?" Connor asked.

"The problem is he's still my mate, Connor," I said.

Connor rolled his eyes, "I knew this would have happened. No matter how terribly he treats you and how miserable he makes you, you can't stop yourself falling for him because of the fucking mate bond. Every time you touch him, kiss him and smell his scent it gets stronger. But it's not too late. Distance yourself from him now and you'll live happier without him."

Happiness.

Connor then tugged my wrist, urging me to follow him.

I was conflicted. Split. Confused.

I didn't know what I wanted but Connor was my brother. He cared for me and he wouldn't do anything if he didn't think it was the best for me. 

So I trusted him. 

I let him lead me away from the unconcious man on the floor I called mate and we ran through the forest.

Soon enough we made it out onto a road where a faded sign vaguely reading 'bus stop' stood. I stood quietly clutched my sweater around me as we waited for the bus.

"It must have been early and we just missed" I said breaking the silence fifteen minutes later as we still stood on the cold roadside. "There's no traffic. Why would it be this late?"

Connor let out a short sigh before getting out his phone. 

I stared down at the pavement, still thinking over this decision as the bright light lit up his face and he started texting someone.

I'd had a fun night with him at Luca's party. We got on well, we kissed, we laughed. It felt right. But then I knew we'd wake up in the morning and there'd be something more to argue about or something else for him to take from me and control.

I knew there were so many things I wanted to do in life that I couldn't do with him as my mate and how could I ever be happy with him? When he kills people without a second thought and ruins lives and other people's happiness? How could I even consider it?

"I got us a lift," Connor announced a few moments later. "The bus takes the long route around. We'll still make it in time in a car."

"Who's car?" I asked.

"A friend."

Another fifteen minutes later and a car slowed down next to us. It was dark and I couldn't see the driver but as Connor opened the back door and encouraged me in I caught his scent and froze. Connor got in behind me and shut the door and we were away at a high speed before I could even process what was going on. 

"I have to be dreaming," I said, "Connor, what the fuck is going on?"

"Tell her Connor," The driver said.

"I couldn't afford the plane tickets myself," Connor said after swallowing, "And we needed a place to go when we land in Paris-"

"Paris?!" I exclaimed.

"So Logan offered to help out," he replied, "And urgh...he's coming too."

I raised my eyebrows, "Are you joking?"

"No," Connor said.

I looked in the rearview mirror at Logan. He grinned widely and winked.

"Do you both have a death wish?" I hissed. "Stop the car. I'm going back but I suggest you two get on that fucking plane and as far away from Alpha Loren as you can."

No response.

"I said stop the fucking car?!" I shouted. "Connor tell him."

"I'm not letting you back to him," Connor said. "He'll only continue to treat you like shit."

"Okay, but going to live with Logan fucking Wilson is fine?!" I said.

Logan laughed.

"Do you even know what his intentions are!?" I questioned.

Connor paused for a second, already looking unsure.

"No worse than Alpha Loren's intentions," he said eventually.

"That's right. I just want to fuck you. You don't really think that your mate wants you for more than that, do you? You're just a pretty thing with a vagina to both me and him," Logan taunted. "He's Alpha Loren. He doesn't care or maybe he'd treat you right."

"Go to hell," I spat.

"It may hurt but it's the truth, babes," he replied.

"I tried to save you, Logan. You could be the other side of the world by now," I said, "But you seemed far too determined to get yourself killed which I actually don't have a problem with right now. However, I do have a problem with you dragging my brother into it. So stop the fucking car and let me out before he finds us all and you both end up dead."

"He's not going to find us," Logan said, "The plane will take off before he's even conscious let alone in Seattle."

"And then he'll just follow us to Paris and you'll die eating a croissant. Marginally better but still not ideal, is it?" I questioned. 

"Everything is planned, Ella," Connor said, "New identities, new jobs, a new home-"

"This is Alpha Loren we are talking about," I snapped, "He will find me. So, Connor, I suggest you let me go back before he wakes up and we can pretend this never happened. As for you Logan, I don't really give a shit, but I'm guessing you have some opinion about whether you head remains on your shoulders or not..."

"Does she ever shut up?" Logan asked Connor.

"No," Connor replied.

"I never should have agreed to this," I muttered.

"You were fine with it until you found Logan was involved," Connor replied.

"And why might that be?" I snapped, "Maybe because he is a dirty, creepy motherfucker already being hunted down by my mate thus making this now ten times more risky for you! Maybe he wouldn't have killed you for helping me get away from him but for siding with Logan? You're a dead man."

I then turned my head to the window, unable to believe the stupidity in the car. 

I watched as the tarmac of the road and the trees whizzed by and an idea came into my head. It was dumb and unlikely to be successful but right now it's all I could think of.

Logan was driving fast but maybe...just maybe...if I opened the door and lept out I'd be able to race into the forest and away before they could catch up.

On the Pro-jump side: getting away from Logan, Connor lives, probably won't die.

On the Pro-stay side: staying with Connor, freedom from Leo, no broken bones, croissants.

Working on the basis that the reasons were to a ratio of 3:4 I chose to go against all logic and try and escape.

I took a deep breath, opened the door and flung myself as far out as I could. I scraped my bare knees across the concreted road and landed with a painful thud but adrenaline allowed me to stand up and race into the trees just as I heard the screeching of the car brakes.

I sprinted. My body ached, my head pounded, my legs stung but I knew Logan and Connor were both faster runners than me. I had to lose them before they caught up.

I continued frantically for about fifteen minutes, running frantically in any direction, spreading my scent around, making it impossible to track.

When I was sure I'd done a full loop of an the area, leaving hundreds of false trails of scent, I scaled the tallest tree I could find as far as the nimble branches would let me go and waited.

"She's fucking insane," Logan's voice said twenty minutes later, "A total nutcase. I was driving 90mph. She's lucky to be alive!"

"That's Ella for you," Connor replied, "She hasn't thought a thing through in her life."

Rude.

"Dude, there's no sign of her and we're on Alpha Loren's territory," Logan said looking around. "We need to be smart about this or we're both gonna die tonight."

Connor nodded, "Agreed."

"And we've missed the flight now. We'll need a new plan," Logan added. "If you can bear to, leave her with that man for another couple of days before we figure something out."

Connor nodded again before they both glanced around once more before turning around and going back in the direction of the car. I waited twenty minutes until I heard the distant sound of the car engine fade away before climbing down.

I landed lightly on the floor but winced as I bent my injured knees. 

"Shit," I cursed as I looked down at the dirty, bloody wounds.

It took me an hour to trek back towards Leo's house with my injuries but when I got back to the spot I left him in, he was still there.

I let out a sigh of relief. Thank the Goddesses. At least now I only had a couple of scrapes on my knees and Connor's very faint, fast fading scent to explain.

I crouched beside him and shook him gently. He began to stir and a few moments later had opened his eyes.

"What the fuck?" he murmured as he began to sit up, picking leaves out of his hair.

"You passed out," I told him.

"I...passed out?" he questioned. "I never pass out."

"You must have had more to drink than you knew," I said, biting my cheek as I lied to him.

"How long have I been out?" he asked, his eyes moving to me.

"Not long," I lied again.

His memory was probably foggy from the majority of the night, his sense of time completely lost. 

This should be easy.

"Fuck," he said before he examined me more closely.

"Why do I smell blood?" he asked.

"Oh," I said, "I cut my knees."

He looked down at the grazes and frowned, "How the fuck did you do that? They're deep."

"I fell," I said.

"Have you been drinking too?" he asked smelling my breath.

I clenched my teeth, "A little."