Escaping the Alpha, Claimed in the End novel Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Family

Amelia’s POV

I woke up gasping, my head spinning like I’d been tossed around in a storm. My whole body ached, and when I looked around, I was on my lumpy mattress in that filthy safehouse room, the peeling walls and flickering bulb making my

stomach churn.

My memory of last night was fuzzy–Jasper’s screams, Ryder’s arms catching me, blood everywhere. Did Ryder attack me? No, that didn’t feel right. He’d been protecting me, hadn’t he?

Voices echoed down the hallway, loud and angry, mixed with the clatter of footsteps and medical stuff. I blinked, trying to focus, and saw a tall guy in black standing at the door. Ryder. His broad shoulders filled the frame, his dark eyes blazing as he growled, “Why the hell is she in this dump? You call this a place to heal?”

A cautious voice answered–a doctor, I guessed. “Alpha Ryder, we thought it would be better for her to wake up somewhere familiar. We’ve only just learned the full extent of her abuse, and didn’t realize how serious it was until now.”

“Bullshit,” Lucas cut in, his voice sharp. “Don’t act like you didn’t know. You stood by and let Jasper and her father treat her like garbage.”

My heart pounded, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the voices. What if Jasper was coming? He’d said he’d make me pay, that I’d never escape. I could almost see his twisted grin, his hands ready to hurt me again. My chest tightened, fear choking me. Was he gonna drag me back to that dungeon and kill me?

The door creaked open, and I flinched. A nurse I didn’t recognize stepped inside, her face calm but unreadable. Without a word, she pulled the curtain around my bed.

“Gotta change your dressings,” she said in a steady voice.

I stayed still as she peeled back the bandages on my back, where Jasper’s pins had left raw, burning wounds. I bit my lip to keep from crying out, but each touch sent fire shooting through me. My body shook, tears stinging my eyes. It felt like Jasper was hurting me all over again.

When she finished, she handed me two pills. “Pain meds,” she said. “Your back’s in bad shape, but with rest, you might heal in a week.”

She paused, studying my face. “You look a little lost. I’m Kara,” she said gently. “I’m one of Pawmoon’s nurses. You’ve been through a lot, so let me fill you in–just so you’re not sitting here wondering what happened.”

I gave a small nod, my throat too tight to speak.

“Alpha Ryder was getting you out of Silverlight when Jasper’s pack ambushed him,” Kara said. “Jasper went for you again. Ryder lost it–shifted into his wolf and nearly tore Jasper’s throat out. Would’ve killed him if Lucas hadn’t pulled him back.” My jaw dropped. Ryder had shifted? For me?

Kara went on. “After that, Ryder turned on the rest of them. Any Silverlight wolf who joined the ambush–he stripped them of their titles on the spot. The elders from Pawmoon stepped in and took over Silverlight until they choose a new Alpha. Half the pack left. Your father and Jasper weren’t allowed to–they’re locked in the dungeon for three months.”

Kara leaned closer, lowering her voice. “There’s something else. You’ve got healing abilities, Amelia. Your wolf isn’t gone–it‘ s… hidden, waiting.”

I blinked at her. “Healing abilities? But I don’t have a wolf.”

She nodded. “Ryder says you healed him before–on the train, and again while you were unconscious. He says you’re his mate. That’s why he’s taking you to Pawmoon.”

My stomach flipped. His mate? Me–the wolfless servant? It didn’t make sense. But the thought of Ryder calling me his mate lit a small warmth in my chest, fragile and unfamiliar.

That warmth didn’t last long. The rumors I’d heard about him crept in–how Ryder was a fierce Alpha who punished failure without mercy. If I went with him, what if I couldn’t keep up? What if he turned on me? Doubt coiled around that tiny spark of hope, threatening to snuff it out.

The painkillers sank into my system, heavy and warm. My eyes fluttered shut, and I slipped into darkness.

A nightmare hit me hard. I was back in the dungeon, Jasper’s twisted grin looming over me as he squeezed my throat, laughing like a maniac. Estrella was there too, her claws slashing my face screaming, “You’ll never be free!” I thrashed, trying to escape, but the ropes held me tight, t Successfully unlocked! heart raced, my body shaking even in sleep. I woke up screaming, tears streaming down my face. ivy a sus pad I could barely hold the thin blanket. The room was dim, the bulb flickering, but the fear was so real I could still feel Jasper’s hands around my throat, Estrella’s nails

Chapter 12 Family

cutting my skin, I curled into a ball, sobbing, unable to stop trembling. Every creak of the safehouse made me jump, like Jasper was coming to drag me back.

The door burst open, and I flinched, my breath hitching. Ryder rushed in, his dark eyes wild with worry. He dropped to his knees beside the bed, grabbing my shoulders gently. “Amelia, it’s okay!” he said, his voice urgent. “You’re safe!”

But all I could see was Jasper’s face, his creepy grin flashing in my mind. “No, don’t hurt me!” I begged, my voice raw, tears blurring everything. “Please, Jasper, stop!”

“It’s not Jasper!” the nurse shouted, rushing in behind him. She grabbed my hand, her voice firm. “Amelia, look at me. It’s Ryder. You’re safe. You’re just hallucinating!”

The doctor appeared too, his face pale. “She’s in shock,” he said quickly. “The trauma and blood loss–it’s messing with her head.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, but the images wouldn’t stop. Jasper’s laugh, Estrella’s claws, the dungeon’s cold walls–it al felt so real. My body shook harder, my breaths coming in short gasps like I was drowning. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think ” Make it stop,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

Ryder’s hands tightened on my shoulders, steady but gentle. “We’re getting you out of here,” he said, his voice low and fierce. He scooped me up, my body limp against his chest. The nurse and doctor stepped back as he carried me out of the room, my head spinning. The hallway blurred past, the air cold against my skin.

They moved me to a car outside, the engine already humming. Ryder slid into the backseat, still holding me close. My vision was fading, the world tilting again. “Amelia, listen to me,” he said, his voice cutting through the haze. “You’re my family now. No one’s gonna hurt you. I swear it.”

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I held Amelia tight in the backseat of the car, ner Doay

shallow.

“Hang on, Amelia,” I whispered, my voice rough with worry. She went limp, fainting again, and her sweet rain–and- wildflowers scent hit me hard. It calmed me in a way I hadn’t felt in years, like a piece of me I didn’t know was missing. My wolf, Kieran, stirred in my mind, growling softly.

She’s ours. Protect her.

The nurse, Kara, sat up front, glancing back. “She’s going to be okay, Alpha,” she said, her voice steady but edged with concern. “We’re almost at the Pawmoon packhouse.”

“She better be,” 1 growled. “She’s my family now. Anyone who touches her answers to me. I don’t care if she’s the Luna pictured or not–she’s mine, and no one’s hurting her again.”

Kara nodded, her eyes serious. “We’ll take care of her, Alpha. She’s safe with us.”

We pulled up to the packhouse, its tall stone walls rising against the night, windows glowing warm against the darkness carried Amelia inside, her body light and fragile in my arms. The hospital wing was ready. I laid her on a clean bed, the white sheets stark against her torn, bloody clothes.

Dr. Merrick, our pack’s physician, hurried in, his usual calm replaced by focus. “Let’s get her vitals,” he said, already setting up his equipment.

Amelia’s condition was bad. Even in unconsciousness, her face twitched with fear, her body reacting to every sound–the murmur of nurses, the steady beep of the machines. A faint whimper escaped her lips, her slight frame trembling as if she were still in that nightmare.

“Give her something to calm her down,” I ordered, my voice tight. “She’s terrified.”

Dr. Merrick nodded and injected a sedative into her IV. “This will help her relax so we can examine her.”

When he lifted her shirt to check her back, my gut twisted. Jagged red scars ran across her skin–marks from Jasper’s pins and years of abuse.

Kieran roared in my head. Kill him! Rip that bastard apart!

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