The Alpha's Little Thief (hiatus)

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

As much as I tried to act confident, a cold sweat had broken out on my back. I was in a dangerous situation, and if they caught me trying to escape, they might kill me before I was even presented to Hawthorne.

I waited until the fivesome were deep in conversation, meanwhile using my head to awkwardly disable the door light before I risked pulling the handle and opening the door an inch. I wrinkled my nose as an unusual scent trickled into the confines of the car. It's smelled like summer days, salty ocean waves and sunscreen, heat and finger-licking-good popsicles. Shaking my head to clear it from unhelpful thoughts and trepidation, I pushed the door open another inch. Thankfully, unlike my used Honda, this door didn't squeak.

I knew I needed to hurry but I couldn't risk them realizing what I'm doing. I also wasn't exactly sure how I planned to escape. The handcuffs prevented me from shifting, and would also make running away more difficult. Even if I were able to shift to my wolf, there was a large chance they would catch me, and then, when forced to shift back, I'd be naked. No, I'd needed to get out on foot and figure out how to untie myself later.

Just then another voice joined the foray, a small Asian woman peeking her head through the double doors. The tall man pointed at the car and one of the guards obediently locked it. A resounding beep sounding through the courtyard. Then all but one headed inside. I'm sure they had some way of ensuring I wouldn't be able to unlock the car from the inside once they'd locked it, maybe an advanced child lock, but my door was already open. I couldn't help the small smile that played on my lips.

I pushed the door enough so I'd be able to slip out, thankful the guard stayed on the other side of the car. The distracting scent got stronger but I didn't allow myself to focus on it. Even as it tried to push against me, inside of me, igniting me. I squeezed through the crack and gently placed my feet on the asphalt. Stealth versus speed would be my next dilemma. I mentally flip a coin and decide to go with stealth until I could reach the edge of the open courtyard then run faster than I ever had.

I don't bother closing the door behind me. They need only look inside to realize I'm no longer there, and I wasn't sure I could close it quietly enough that the guard wouldn't hear it. I was grateful that the Alpha here was obviously rich. Usually, pack roads, on the acres of land they spread across, were mainly gravel and made sounds when you walked across them. I stepped slowly across the asphalt, keeping my breathing even. Everything had to appear completely normal.

I'd taken about ten steps backward when a commotion broke out from the other side of the house. I froze, momentarily terrified and tried my hardest to keep my heart rate steady. The remaining guard didn't spare the car a glance as he ran around the corner.

"Holy shit." I couldn't believe my luck. I didn't waste any time thanking my lucky stars, who had obviously forgiven me after tonight's earlier blunder and raced towards the dark tree line. I pulled unsuccessfully at my binds, nearly falling as I lost balance at the sharp resistance they provided. I pushed on regardless, my breath coming in heavy pants. I entered the forest, jumping over fallen trees and rocks that jutted out from the pine needle drenched earth.

The moon was already beginning to set, morning soon approaching, but I felt no tiredness, no hunger. The adrenaline pumping through my veins only had one purpose. Survival.

I'd been running for at least twenty minutes, but I could sense that I was still on the pack's immediate grounds. My scent would be easy enough to track, once they realized I'd escaped. I hoped whatever distracted them did so long enough that I could get in a vehicle or near some water. Some sort of way to dilute my scent and cut them off my trail. I wasn't even sure if my loft in the city was safe to return to.