Alpha Rising: The Wolf Runs
Chapter 26

RUSE

The wagon bounces and from being tied up and drugged, getting into position where my head doesn’t hit the bottom is hard. We have been on the road for a long time. With the feeling of the wagon under my head, I would say she took the long way through the woods.

“Where the hell is she moving us to?” I ask out loud. Knowing Juniper and Alore are back here with me.

“I don’t know.” Alore says. I can hear the heavy breathing coming from him. His mother did something to him to where he is unable to use his magic. “We seem to have gone far from my home and from what I know, my mother has never left the Redland City.”

Alore is just as confused as we are. That doesn’t bode well for us. He would be the one person with the insight to his mother, but it seems not even he has some insight.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this. She was in a rush like what happened took her off plan and now something needed to happen fast.” Juniper whispers. I start feeling the wagon slowing and I roll over, trying to get a seated position.

Once we stop, I hear the moving and see the guards with the witch. “Bring them with us.” She orders one of the guards. They walk over and one by one we are lifted from the wagon and placed in a walking position.

Looking around, I start to look and dread fills my veins. This doesn’t feel right and my wolf is not settled which means there is an Alpha and an unknown one at that in the area.

I turn and whisper quietly, “Juniper, do you feel it?” I look at him and he nods his head.

“Whoever the Alpha is, he is more of a threat.” Juniper responds, confirming my suspicions.

“What are you two talking about?” Alore whispers.

Seeing his mother moving closer while looking around the area, I move closer. “There is a Alpha wolf in the area that is making our wolves skittish. They know the wolf is not good news and are warning us.”

“My mother hates shifters. She doesn’t know any.” Alore genuinely seems confused and doesn’t believe that his mother knows any, but our wolves would not be acting up like this if there wasn’t an Alpha.

The silence in the air is deafening. Astra stands tall and looks out into the woods, avoiding moving. The jittery feeling doesn’t go away until I see the wolf step from the woods. Juniper inhales deeply and starts struggling against the binds.

“What?” I hiss at him, not understanding what is happening. Alore is looking at him in confusion, and Juniper keeps trying to back away.

“That is Renwick’s father.” Stunned, I turn and look at the giant grey wolf walking towards us. Behind him come two more wolves and I can tell one is a Beta and one is a Delta who is carrying a backpack on his back.

The wolf stops when he gets closer to Astra and I see the wolf turn his nose and eyes to Juniper and I. I watch the wolf shift and move to the Delta with the pack pulling the pack off him and pulling clothing out. He doesn’t speak as the others shift and they all dress before turning to face the witch again.

When the Alpha speaks, I can hear the anger in his tone. “What is this Astra? You were supposed to bring the Alpha female. Not my son’s friend. He knows who I am and now will be a liability.”

Astra steps forward, never backing down. “Don’t worry yourself, Lucas. They will not make it after we have her.” She says this so casually that it is emotionless, like we are just a second thought.

“And your son?” Rens father says.

“Don’t you dare worry about my son Lucas.” Astra eyes flare with aggression.

With sarcasm in his voice “Calm yourself, witch.” He looks over at us and then dismisses us. Looking back at Astra he snarls. “Explain how the powerful witch of the Redlands lost the Alpha.”

I can almost hear Astra teeth grinding. “I don’t know how she escaped, I was planning on interrogating them once we make it to the spot.”

“Did they at least f**k?” He again throws his hand at Alore with a look of sarcasm. “Because she is mine when she pops out his spawn and you take off.”

The look of disgust crosses her face as she sneers at him. “We have to replace her first you a*s.” She looks at the other men behind the Alpha and the look of disgust says enough. “I don’t know where she is but we can’t risk going back to the Redlands, she will bring everyone. Once we are back at the spot I will put on a tracking spell.”

“Are any of them her mates yet?” Lucas asks.

“This one right here is her half mate, he marked her but not the other way around. We do need to talk.” They move away from us and I see Astra mumble some things and even my wolf hearing is unable to penetrate the spell.

“She put a listening spell on and I can’t break through it.” Alore whispers. “We should run.”

“Do you think we can?” Juniper whispers keeping his eyes on the little bubble.

I roll my eyes looking at the two of them. “No, she has us covered, and we can’t shift, and you’re forgetting Alore can’t shift even if he wanted to run.” I’m frustrated and I know my anger is starting to come out.

“I know I just had some hope. Krisna is not going to stop until we are found.” I know my love will go to the ends of the earth for me and that scares me not knowing the end game to this witch. I know she wants us dead but how she plans to keep Krisna and the baby alive without Krisna killing her.

What surprises me is that this goes deeper then even Juniper thought. Renwicks father wants her and I almost guarentee it is to try and produce children.

Alore grabs my attention again. “We need to keep an eye out and don’t try to shift, once I can do magic again, I will try to put a masking spell on your wolves so the next chance we get we can run.” With a plan starting to form I start thinking myself.

“When I shift you can get on my back.” I never thought that I would say that to another male, but here I am.

I watch the surprise cross his face before he laughs. “Really?”

“Yes.” We would need a quick escape and him not being able to shift would slow us down. Any chance we can get I will take to get back to her. I know she mated my brother. The feeling of the bond snapping into place. I wonder why Alore didn’t mention it, maybe because it is because he knows how badly I wanted to be mated to her.

Astra and the wolf walks back to us and motions to the guards and tells them to put us back in the wagon. Lucas moves closer to Astra and to my shock he leans in and grabs her roughly.

“Don’t forget what else you promised me.” He looks at her stomach and she sneers in his face yanking herself back from him.

“I did not forget that. Don’t touch me until then.” Her voice is seething.

“Careful little witch, my bite is worse than my bark.”

“Don’t forget that I can kill you with a few words.” He gets closer to her again and lowers his voice. “I can track my son, I know she will be with him, or she should be.” He strips his clothing down and puts them in the sack and the others follow his lead.

We are dragged back to the wagon as Astra gets in her carriage. I am praying there is another chance that we get to escape now that there is more going on then we knew.

Alana

The horses need a break, we have been traveling for what feels like forever. The woods have become thicker and quieter the farther in we traveled. The fear though that follows me is not going away. I feel like my mother is going to replace me at any second.

“Let’s stop up ahead.” Orell points to an opening, and I can hear the rushing water. The area is open enough to where we can see anyone coming, but that means they could see us once they got to this point in the road.

“Do you think its safe?” I hesitantly stop the horse along the edge of the water and look around the fear still lingering.

“Yes love I do. We have traveled quite a bit and no one has come after us. I think your mother has more issues to worry about than you right now.” Orell smiles at me and my heart sputters. Orell and I have been in love since we were younger. He was the light in my darkest days.

My father would be there as often as he could which was frequent because my mother only used him when she needed him. Now he wouldn’t admit it but my mother used him.

I climb off the horse and lead mine to the water while Orell does the same. We stand in silence for a moment. I let the silence marinate while I try to think about our next move. I know something is coming but I don’t know what.

The witch hinted at things and I don’t know when they will happen or how. I just know that even if my mother is distracted now, she won’t be forever. She will want to know what I am doing and who I am with.

I need a safe place to hide, one that cannot be penetrated by her magic. I know its out there and I can feel it calling to me.

“What are you thinking about, my love?” I turn to look at Orell and see him smiling out at the water while he pats his horse.

“I’m thinking that there is something coming, something that will be worth it all.” I say looking at him. For once I feel like freedom is just out of reach. “Thank you for coming with me. I know how much you are giving up.”

Orell was the best in the guard and his family is still in the Redlands. He is walking away from everything and right now has an unsure future.

“Alana, you’re my person, you’re my everything. I wouldn’t have let you leave alone.” Orell moves to me and k****s me on the mouth, lingering enough to let me know what else is on his mind. “How about we camp here tonight, it is safe and it will be the perfect place for the horses.”

He’s right there is no better place to camp for the night and we have been traveling and need the break. “Sounds good.” I start pulling off the blankets and the fabric to make a tent for the night. We set it up in the clearing by the end of the day we have a fire going.

When the silence of the night finally settles and we make love, my body settles and with the warmth of the fire I am able to fall asleep.

As the sun starts to rise in the sky, I hear a noise which sounds like footprints trying to shuffle. I sit up looking around and notice someone weaving through the trees. He doesn’t see me since I am in the tent with Orell, so I nudge him awake.

“Orell, there is someone out there.”

“What?” His sleepy voice whispers to me. He starts to sit up and look around and the moment he sees the man creep to our horses, I watch how alert he becomes. “Stay here.” Orell doesn’t even bother putting on his pants.

I watch as he creeps out of the tent and tackles the man to the ground as he is pulling food from our sack. I move out of the tent making sure I am covered and I glare down at the man seeing if I know him.

I don’t recgonize me but the moment his eyes meet mine the witch voice plays in my head. He’s the one, take him with you.

“Let him up Orell.” The look of confusion crosses his face, but he stands up and lets him stand. The mans ocean blue eyes meet mine and he smiles.

“Thank you darling, I was just hungry and saw the horses here and figured I would get something to eat.”

“Please come have something to eat.” Orell had caught some fish last night and cooked them. I motion him over to them and watch as he happily goes to sit and eat.

Orell grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop. “What are you doing Alana?” His voice is a little harsh, but I know he is the one that needs to come with us.

“Orell he is the one that the witch said to take him with us.”

“You want to take this man with us?” Orell points to the man eating by the water looking out at it. He looks raggedy but not threatening. If he came from the castle for us he would look more put together.

“Yes.” I say looking him in the eye. I want him to know how serious I am about him coming and even with the hesitant look Orell gives in and nods.

“You have to see if he even wants to go with us.” He motions to the man and together we walk over. I sit down next to him and look at him. He is handsome even with the way his hair is all over the place. I see the reddish blond tint to his hair and the light dusting of his freckles on his cheeks. His beard is a little unruly doesn’t distract from his smile currently aimed at me.

“My name is Alana, what is yours.” To my surprise he reaches out his hand and I place my hand in his.

“Adam, and before you ask, I have been traveling looking for my next home which is where I get my gruffiness from.”

“We are traveling as well.” I gulp and plaster a smile on my face. I am nervous about asking him. “I know you literally just met us.” I motion between Orell and I. “But you can travel with us if you would like.”

“You would like a complete stranger to travel with you.” His eyebrows raise and I see the look of skepticism in them.

“Normally no, but I have a feeling that our paths were going to be connected.”

“How would you know that?”

“Its a feeling.”

Taking a moment to breathe he sighs. “Are you a witch of some sort?”

“Yes.” I smile as his eyes widen in surprise.

“Well then I would be honored.” He shakes my hand again and I smile at him.

“This is Orell.” Orell reaches out and shakes his hand.

“Nice to meet you.” They fall silent and then I try to start a conversation which leads into laughter. Eventually we pick up and since we only have the two horses Adam rides with me and we continue.

Almost by night we run into a spot that is so overwhelming that I stop the horse. “Here, this is where we need to be.” I feel the magic in the air. This is where I am meant to be.