The Alpha's Shatter Zone ✔️

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"Not happening," she shoved Kaiden back firmly on the chest, and gritted her teeth with determination.

He watched her with a slight grin, then slowly stuffed his hands in his pockets, as if to show her he was a man of his word.

She didn't trust his word as far as she could throw a stick. And right now she just wanted to wipe that smug look from his face, but knew that from even a punch, the sparks might be too hot to handle. So she brushed past him instead, continuing down the path in silence. Perhaps he'd get lost in the woods out here and that'd teach him to try stalking her again.

His exact footsteps matched hers, their crunch and cracking keeping in a steady rhythm.
Only when she reached her destination did he speak.
"You come here to think a lot?" he eased himself down on the rock beside her, and she remained tense. Ready for anything, her father would always say.

"And when I'm trying to get away from certain annoying people," she said with a toss of her hair.

Kaiden chuckled at that, a deep warm rumbling from his chest that made her roll her eyes.

"Right, I get it. But honestly, I'm happy to just talk. Ok?"
He looked at her sideways, and Chesca tried to interpret his open expression. Could that really be all it meant? He was being open and honest for once?

"Ok. Shoot." she looked back at the view in front of them, the shadowed valley dropping away from Razorback Ridge and extending into a plain cut diagonally by the meandering river.

"That story back there, it was beautiful."

"Beautiful? Try again," she wouldn't get sucked in by his smooth words.

"It was...endearing, inspiring," he scratched his chin in thought, "...and heartwarming."

"You're turning into Poetic Asa."

He chuckled again and shook his head. "Nope, I'm now fresh out of pretty words. Although," he turned to her and studied her again, making her squirm in her seat and reminding her of another midnight discussion not too long ago. "Another subject might definitely inspire some more poetic lines."

She instantly looked away and huffed, shoving him over with her elbow. "Get over yourself."

"You get over yourself," he pushed her back, and she nearly toppled from the rock.

"So you're trying to push me off the edge now? I knew it!" and she gave him an extra hard shove.

He stumbled to his feet back from the cliff and his laughter rang out in the night air.
When they finally settled down and stopped acting like teenagers, and Chesca had successfully wiped the smile from her face, she said in a serious whisper, "Is your father really as bad as they say he is?"

He stiffened, and she nearly regretted the question. Nearly, because it was still one she knew she needed answers to. This was her father-in-law they were talking about, and she cringed at that thought that had suddenly materialised.

"You've heard the stories, I'm sure. Cruel, mean Alpha."

"That was you I thought they were talking about."

"Ha ha seriously?" he laughed but sobered when she threw him a serious look. "Oh. Well, ok, I guess they're kinda true too. But my dad...." Kaiden sighed. "He's always been controlling, telling me what to do and how to run my pack even though I gained the title a few years ago. He never really realised he had to step down and let me be my own alpha."

She nodded, encouraging him to go on.
"It all came to a head recently, and I realised he had been gathering his own band of followers, giving them orders behind my back. He eventually pushed me out entirely..." his words faded in a whisper.