Chapter 002

"Where are you going, Lola?" Alpha Adeoye's piercing, authoritative voice reverberated behind me, but I continued. I was unable to.

I accelerated, my pulse pounding, my breath coming in short gasps as I pushed beyond the trees that bordered the clearing. I didn't care that his footsteps were just behind me. In this spot that used to seem like home, I was unable to breathe. I no longer felt like I knew the pack or the folks I had trusted. Declan, too? He could as well have been a ghost, a memory that I would never be able to get rid of.

"Stop!" Despite Adeoye's snarling voice, I ignored it. I didn't.

I needed to leave. I was unable to attend, deal with the inquiries, or see the sympathy in their eyes. My entire world had been shattered by Declan, and suddenly the pack—where I had always felt like I belonged—was oppressive.

"Don’t you dare run from me, Lola!" Adeoye's voice was low and menacing, and for a moment I feared he would seize me and make me stop, but I was quicker. I ignored the sting of branches scratching against my flesh as I forced my way through the thick undergrowth, my legs burning with desperation.

Behind me, there was a snarl and a curse. Adeoye was near. I had to keep going, though. I couldn't turn around and allow him to pull me back into this nightmare.

I had no idea where I was heading. I didn't give a damn. I simply had to go away—from Declan's deceit, from the falsehoods, and from the picture of his face when he declared it was done. I was still plagued by the specter of his comments and his lack of concern. All I could do was escape because I felt like my soul had been torn from my chest.

The familiar landscape of the pack's domain disappeared as my steps led me more into the forest. I no longer wanted to experience the pack's pull, hear their whispers about my strained relationship with Declan, or hear their murmurs of worry. I needed to be by myself. My pain, alone with my thoughts.

I heard a sound that didn't belong, and a sharp breath froze in my throat. A low growl, the shatter of twigs. Adeoye wasn't the one. That smell, the one that made my heart race and my stomach turn, I recognized.

My body tensed, every muscle yelling for me to run again, and I came to a halt. However, I was unable to.

"Well, well," a well-known voice, brimming with derision, cried out from the darkness. "Lola Rivers. Are you fleeing your issues?

Slowly, I turned and saw Varek, the last person I wanted to see, and my heart sank.

"What do you want, Varek?" My voice trembled with a mixture of fear and anger as I spat. His eyes gleamed in the moonlight as he stood at the edge of the open. Even though he was practically a predator, I no longer feared him.

His smile was dangerously thin as he stepped closer. "I ought to pose the same query to you. You're racing away from the pack out here by yourself. escaping him."

His comments made me wince, and my mind instantly went back to Declan. I said, "Stay out of this," in a tone that was colder than I meant. "This is none of your business."

Varek continued to smile. Yes, but it is. You see, Lola, it became everyone's concern the instant Declan chose to sever his relationship with you. Now you are the weak point. And the entire pack will be aware of it. They will see you as you truly are.

I was not interested in hearing it. I didn't want him to remind me of Declan's choice and how broken I felt. However, his remarks were profound.

Every part of me wanted to give out, but I forced myself to relax and straighten, lifting my chin. Varek, I don't need your sympathy. Furthermore, I don't require your opinion."

His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer. "Lola, it's not sympathy. It's true. Now you're weak. Declan abandoned you. You're left with nothing.

I balled my fists at my sides and gritted my teeth. "You're not correct. I will live. He is not necessary for me. None of you are necessary to me.

Clearly delighted by my attempt at defiance, Varek raised an eyebrow. "Is that correct? So why are you out here fleeing your own pack and your life that you have created? Why are you so desperate to get out if you're so strong?"

I had nothing to say to him. I had no idea. I was unable to articulate why I felt empty within and why leaving this world that had deceived me was all I desired.

Varek wasn't finished with me, so I turned to go.

He ripped into the silence with a strong voice, "You’re just like your mother, aren’t you?" "Always fleeing when things get difficult. leaving behind everyone who is important to you. The same as she did. similar to what you're doing right now."

I felt like I was slapped by his comments. Mom. The woman who left me with unanswered questions and a broken heart years ago after she vanished from my life.

My heart was pounding as I whirled around. "Don’t you dare talk about her," I growled, my voice shaking with anguish. "You have no knowledge about her. or myself."

Varek's eyes softened, but not much. You don't realize how much I know. And I am fully aware of how you will finish up. By themselves. similar to her.

I was having trouble breathing. The air was heavy with his suggestion, and I felt the oppressive weight of his words pressing down on me. But before I could continue, I heard the sound of branches shattering beneath my feet.

As the form appeared out of the darkness, I turned, my eyes widening in dread. My heart stopped beating.

Declan was the one.

His eyes met me as he entered the clearing, a mixture of rage and something else.

Declan said, "I told you to stop running, Lola," in a low voice that was almost audible but sounded like a curse. "I said I was finished. You simply can't seem to let go, though, can you?

I was at a loss for words. I was unsure of how to react. As cold and aloof as the night itself, the guy who had destroyed my heart was standing in front of me. My world broke again, and all I could do was stare at him.

Declan turned and vanished into the darkness as fast as he had appeared, leaving me standing there motionless.

A heartbeat went by.

Then an odd thing occurred. Varek's demeanor became inscrutable as his gaze changed. He responded, "You should go after him," in a remarkably composed tone. "But you won't. since you are aware that it is over.

I remained motionless. I was unable to. I felt like I was being choked by the weight of Declan's words and the finality of his rejection.

Varek reiterated, "Go after him, Lola," in a firm voice. But keep in mind that sometimes staying put is more difficult than fleeing. It's recognizing that you have no place anywhere.

As I remained there, unable to move forward or backward due to the darkness, the words replayed in my head.

I suddenly felt as though the love I believed I had, the pack, was evaporating.

I wasn't finished, though. Not quite yet.

By no means.