The Rogue Alpha’s Claim

“Kane!”

The fucking bastard.

It had to be his doing, because there was no way she was getting all this because she was ‘pretty’-not like she wasn’t-but it was unusual.

But that should explain it.

The random favors that she encountered, like whoever she met, always seemed to meet one of her pressing needs.

The anger was rekindled, bubbling over with a ferocity that threatened to consume anything and everything, and right now she wishes it would be directed at the man involved.

Fuck!

She should have known she could never escape him; she had been doubting him, but this was Kane; the man would always have his way.

But not this time.

“Aargh!” Ariel growled, her hands clenching into fists as she fantasized about wrapping her fingers around his throat, squeezing tight to release the pent-up fury that bubbled within her.

You are being irrational; it may not be him. The only voice of reason filled her thoughts, and she inhaled a large gush of air, trying to calm down.

She couldn’t jump to a conclusion; it could be a coincidence. Ariel concluded, her foot tapping restlessly.

She marched down to her living room, her determination to confront her neighbor fueling her every step. But as she reached the door, she halted in her step, rethinking the whole idea.

There was no point in confronting him; if it were true, it would only alert Kane that she knew the truth.

Ariel turned back to the couch, the soft cushion underneath sinking from her weight as she sat down, but it was short lived as she was springing up almost immediately.

This time she reached the door and held the knob in her hands, just seconds from opening the door, when her feet grew cold.

Confronting him wouldn’t do anything.

You know what? Fuck it, she was going to ask him.

Ariel stormed out of the house, shutting the door behind her before she could rethink her decision. She walked across the hallway to his rooms, and without thinking, she knocked on the door.

Her arms were tucked into each other as she waited for his response, and when the door opened, she was met with a sweaty Alex.

His chest was heaving slightly as he struggled to catch his breath. Sweat had plastered his hair to his forehead, creating a damp, disheveled look that would have done something to her if she was interested. Instead, her eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

“I wasn’t expecting you here.”

“Hmm.” She nodded absentmindedly, still distracted by the toned abs in front of her.

She had to admit that he was a fine piece of specimen, and he knew it, but that didn’t explain his appearance.

He had to be working out or jerking off.

She wasn’t sure which one it was from the flustered look.

“Please come in.”

Ariel gave him a tight-lipped smile, shaking her head. “I am fine here.”

“Okay.” Alex stood at the door, waiting for her, and Ariel went along with it, throwing the bomb. “I know Kane sent you here to monitor me.”

“I am not sure I understand what you mean. Who is Kane?”

“Hmm.” Ariel nodded her head; that was all she needed to know. He thought he was so good at hiding it, but she caught it in a split second. His eyes had widened from the shock and the sudden reach for his pocket. “Make it clear to him when you see him again that he should fuck off.”

“I don’t know anyone called Kane.” Alex called after her, but that was the end of it, as Ariel had already stormed out of his presence, entering the safety of her home.

Mow that she thought of it; it wasn’t even her home.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

If her suspicions were right, which they were, Kane had been involved in every aspect of her life, and she wouldn’t be surprised to know that he had gotten her the house.

He had managed to destroy whatever little joy she had been finding here, and like everything he touched, he had ruined it.

Ariel’s eyes swept the room, burning with an untamed fury as she took in every detail, the familiar space now suffocating.

She couldn’t stay here anymore.

The wall had already begun to close in on her, Kane’s presence hanging around her like a halo, and she managed to stand up, dragging her feet towards the wardrobe.

She dragged the suitcase out, opening it and grabbing whatever item she could lay her hands on, throwing it in as the rage continued to bubble in her mind.

“Ahhhhh.” Ariel yelled aloud as she kicked the suitcase away, ignoring the sharp pain that developed in the area.

Instead, she threw a menacing glare at the poor wardrobe that had done nothing to be on the receiving side, and she exhaled the air into her lungs.

She would never be truly free from him if she kept on caring about all this-it wasn’t even hers.

It was time she moved on completely.

A few minutes later, Ariel stood in her living room, her eyes wandering about the space one final time. She had left everything behind, even the phone that Maddie had gotten her.

Who knows if she was in league with Kane? Although there was a high possibility that it would never happen, she wasn’t going to take any chances.

“Goodbye.” Ariel whispered under her breath, and she went out of the room, closing the door behind her and making sure not to look back, else she might be tempted to take something along.

She had only left with a knife, her silver jewelry, and whatever cash she would lay her hands on. And she made for the parking lot, her eyes almost immediately lighting up as she saw the car.

Ariel slipped behind the wheel, started the engine, and hit the open road. She had no particular destination in mind-not even a map with her-but she knew she had to get far away from Kane. And she decided to surrender to the unknown, letting it guide her path.

And so she continued, craning the volume of her radio up and singing with a rather horrible voice.

She was a free woman, and she was going to behave however she liked.

She made regular stops at the mall to get something to fuel the bottomless pit she knew as her stomach, but she continued her journey. She didn’t know how long she had been driving, but it was long enough that the sun had set, casting a warm orange glow across the sky.

Ariel stared at the horizon with a dreamy gaze as she continued to forge on in hopes she would encounter a werewolf pack.

She had made the decision in the early hours of her journey, and that seemed to be the best idea.

A pack was one place he would never look for her, and she was aware of the others hatred for the rogue pack. If she told her sob story, it was bound to be lethal, and they were going to welcome her.

It would also help her learn more about her family and who she is.

It was just the perfect plan, and she had her sight on the lookout for any hidden houses as she drove past the woods.

“No, no, no.” Ariel cried out in frustration, her clenched fist slamming against the steering wheel. She glanced at the fuel meter, and the indicator, however, was on the empty mark, just like how her life was.

It was the worst place it could have happened.

The sun had already gone down; in its place, the moon had provided its light, bright enough for her to see the environment, but she wasn’t having it.

She could better understand why it was not advisable to make decisions when angry.

Right now, she was in the middle of nowhere, with no phone and no sign of civilization.

Could her day get any worse?

However, Ariel wasn’t one to be deterred by such things; she had another means of transportation, and she ventured into the forest.

***

Ariel sprinted through the forest, running like her life depended on it-well, it actually did.

Who had told her it was a wise decision to venture into the woods? Because she was chased by a pack of actual wolves, or werewolves? She wasn’t going to wait to confirm it.

She urged her legs to go faster, but she was no match for them, and they were closing in on her faster than she would like.

In an instant, the pack closed in on her, their sharp canines snapping at her, and she could only watch as the saliva pooled on their paws.

Fear clawed at her insides as she heard their low grumbles, and she was falling on her knees.

“Please, I…”

Without hesitation, one of the members broke from the circle and pounced on her.

In that instant she was falling, her head was meeting the ground in a rather dull thud.

And everything went dark.