bound

Chapter 3

I ran and I ran.

I had never run so much in my life. I panted hard, and my breaths came out foggy as the air was a terrible type of cold. I had not dressed for the weather, and the frost was slowly easing into my bones. The forest was dark and I had never been in a forest before. I was nervous and didn't know what my next plan was. But, what I did know was that I needed to keep running. And I should run like hell.

I tripped over a misshapen tree log and landed on my hands and knees. I let out a grunt before trying to stand up on a now achy ankle. I brushed the dirt off of my tattered beige dress and looked down at my feet. They were in terrible shape. The harsh woods were not kind on my feet and they were bloody in spots where I had stepped on debris. My chest burned with exhilaration and my body was still aching from my earlier discipline.

When I looked up there was a man standing in front of me. I hadn't seen a man other than my father in over a decade. That terrified me. My father had warned me of the many harms that would come from men. Specifically alpha men but he never thoroughly elaborated what an Alpha was or meant. Just that they were an incredibly dangerous shape-shifting beast. I didn't know what the characteristics of an alpha were but looking at the man in front of me I could only assume he was one.

The man was the biggest man I've ever seen in my life. He was extremely tall and extremely broad and wore only a pair of shorts. His hair was dark and matched his eyes. Those dark eyes stared at me and I had no idea what to do next.

"Who are you?" His voice was deep and rumble through the quiet forest. It was as though his presence alone made all of the animals retreat back into their homes.

I chose not to answer not out of spite but out of terror. What would he do if I did answer? what if he did not like my answer? I didn't even know the proper way to interact with alphas. Did I do a crazy bow, did I sit at his feet, did I address him in a specific way? I had all of these unanswered questions because I was never given the answers to them. I did not know how to interact in this world so I chose not to. The silence of the forest was just as loud as it was in the cabin. Maybe I shouldn't have left.

"Who are you, I won't ask again?" he barked out, the bass in his voice was definitely prevalent now. His eyes became an old color of a soft red. This time I felt compelled to answer it. But what did I say? I'm Amaya a girl who has been isolated in a cabin for 10 years nice to meet you.

I squeaked out, "Maya." Trying to take a step back, the man's sheer present alone was overbearing. I was panting again, this time not from some physical exertion but a mental one. The man... the beast made my brain heart. I wondered if I should fall to my knees and pray to God. Maybe he would save me from this monster. Though God hadn't saved me from monsters before.

"Where do you come from Maya?" His teeth were now glittering, his canines were elongated from feeling threatened. She had only heard from her Dad about the power of Alpha's jaws. Their teeth would kill you without fail every time.

I took another attempt at stepping back, limping a bit, as my leg had begun to swell up from my fall.

"I don't know." My voice was barely over a whisper, my hands were shaking, and the darkened forest was now frigid.

The Alpha's growl rumbled throughout the several miles spanning the forests. The birds in the trees quickly scattered to find solace elsewhere deciding that their homes weren't enough to protect them from this beast. The man started to pace towards me.

"Do not play coy with me, little girl. I know your guys' game." He had me cornered now. Trapped between his big body and the log behind me. His hand was now pressed to my throat squeezed

"I'm not playing any games, sir, I promise. I escaped a cabin some distance away. I haven't seen a person in over a decade." My lip started to quiver and my throat felt as though a frog had permanently resided there. I had never had someone disclose to my personal space before. The frigid air also didn't help with my emotional state, my feet were numb and I felt as though I can no longer refill my fingers.

I thought about leaning into the beast so that I could get some form of warmth. He had to be warm he had no shirt on and extremely cold weather. She thought about leaning into the beast so that I could get some form of warmth. He had to be warm he had no shirt on and extremely cold weather. He stared for a long time I looked back at him and he hit me.

"If this is a trap and I find out about it I will find a way to make sure that you experienced the most painful death imaginable." He whispered cruelly in my ear. I considered peeing on myself as I had no other way to respond not only physically but mentally as well. I wondered if he killed me would I immediately get granted access to heaven.

The man then quickly turned and began to walk away. I assumed since he hadn't killed me after the threat that that meant to follow him. Either way, the beast was my only hope of survival because if I didn't get out of this cold I would surely die from it. I secretly hoped in my head that the beast didn't live in caves and underground like I'd assume.