Alpha Kane's Obsession

Chapter 45

Carlisia sat outside on a weathered wooden bench, the soft breeze playing with her hair as she stared at her cell phone. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm, golden hue over the park where she had chosen to sit. It had been a month, a long and agonising month, since she last heard from Rose.

Carlisia's thoughts spiralled into a whirlwind of doubt and insecurity. Were all of Rose's promises false? She knew she was stupid to believe her sketchy offer but that was all Carlisia had.

Her wounds had healed, carefully covered by crew neck shirts or high neck tops yet her fear had only doubled ever since Gabriel kidnapped her. She felt like she was on borrowed time. At any moment Gabriels patience would run thin and she might find herself in a much worse situation.

"Carlisia?"

The voice pulled her from her spiralling thoughts, and she turned to find Rue beside her, her face etched with concern. Carlisia tried to summon a smile, one that would disguise the turmoil raging within her. Both Sidra and Rue accompanied her as they studied for the final exams just around the corner.

"Are you okay?" Rue's words were laced with genuine worry, her eyes searching for answers that Carlisia was reluctant to provide as she twirled the pen in her fingers.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," Carlisia replied, her smile carefully crafted to hide her inner turmoil.
Her mind drifted back to the events that had shattered her trust in the people around her. She couldn't forget how they had abandoned her in that desolate parking lot, leaving her vulnerable and alone with Gabriel. Authority or not, she had expected her friends to stand by her side. But in the harsh light of recent events, they had proven to be unreliable, their loyalty wavering yet they were imperative for her facade.

The shadows lurking in the background needed to see how happy she was, how she had moved on from that pain and was accepting her situation. That included socialising with her friends - or at least presenting the image of it. Carlisia had been more mindful of them.
Noticing how certain faces would appear frequently when she was out, lurking around while keeping an eye on her. While Gabriel hadn't pursued her any further, she was a fool to think he wouldn't keep tabs on her.

"We were wondering if you would like to go shopping later?" Sidra asked from across and Carlisia gave a sad smile.

"I really wish I could go, mom asked me to get a few things sorted at home but maybe next time."

"Okay, no problem," Rue replied, her voice tinged with disappointment. Carlisia offered another smile in return.

The only silver lining was that Reuben had been reinstated as beta, alleviating some of the guilt that had weighed heavily on Carlisia's conscience. She didn't want to put him in another difficult position, so she had resolved not to share her plan with anyone. She would silently slip away, leaving behind the tangled mess of her current life, and only then would she send a message to her mother, letting her know that she was safe and far away in Australia.

Only if Rose kept her offer.

Carlisia made a show of checking the time before gathering her books and getting up.

"I'll catch you guys later. Do you want to meet for breakfast tomorrow?" Carlisia asked, doing her best to sound hopeful and apparently she did a fine job as Sidra flashed her a relieved smile.

"Of course. See you there."

With that Carlisia bid them farewell and walked to her car. She scanned her eyes over her surroundings. Nothing seemed amiss yet Carlisia could feel eyes on her, her eyes trailed towards a tree and if she squinted her eyes, she would see the outline of a man.

Carlisia frowned and sat in her car.

The drive home was quiet, she felt the trauma Gabriel had given her took what little pieces of her that were left after her fathers death. She used to enjoy her company, music accompanying her yet, now she felt defenceless.

Any moment she could be attacked and perhaps she might not be lucky anymore. Perhaps, she just might die.

Her eyes trailed to the cell phone again.

Still nothing.

All too soon, she parked her car in the driveway and got out with what little belongings she had carried and entered the empty house.

Ever since Reuben became beta again, he hadn't been in the house as much. Elijah was also out on his duties often leaving her be. She was happy how this life was normal for both Reuben and Elijah. Her mother had gone back to work along with Ben and everything was back to normal for them.

She was happy that her ordeal had not affected them as much. She couldn't expect them to cradle her yet, every single night she would stay up in terror thinking Gabriel would barge in only partially human.

She would often have nightmares of that day and wake up in cold sweats, as if her body was paralysed. Other days she would dream she would be sleeping in her room and Gabriel would barge in, only partially human, attacking her once again with his teeth in her bed instead of his kitchen.

Carlisia made it to her room and closed her eyes as she sat on her bed and took a deep shaky breath.

She often felt the walls were caving on her, all purpose lost. She hadn't talked to Zane in fear he would come back here and might not make it out alive anymore.

Ping

Carlisia opened her eyes as a tear streaked her face, thinking it would be her mom telling her she was going to be late.

Carlisia sniffled as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and grabbed her cellphone.

Unknown

Carlisia's eyes widened as she went through the message once then twice and finally a third time. The instructions were clear:

Your house is currently being watched by 3 men, turn away from the window and keep your expression neutral. Follow these instructions very carefully:
Do not carry your suitcase.
Do not take your passport out of the drawer. Keep everything as you usually would.
In exactly two hours, there will be a shift change and we will have ten minutes, keep your pillows on the bed and make a form as if you are sleeping.
You will receive a message when the coast is clear. On cue, run to a black car that will be parked at the end of the street with the following licence plate.
Make sure your scent is masked, either spray a clone or wear one of year brothers clothes.
Follow these instructions carefully and delete this message once you have memorised the content.

Carlisia pressed delete and for a moment her heartbeat raced. She couldn't believe this was it. She looked around the room for a moment, feigning indifference as she began to unbutton her blouse while walking to the window and carefully closing the curtain before frantically running around the room.

Finally, she was leaving and she was never going to come back.