Chapter 003

"Lola, are you lost?" The rich timbre of Alpha Adeoye's voice cut through the chilly night air and drew me out of my hazy reverie. My breath caught in my throat as I froze.

It surprised me to see him here, especially given the incident involving Declan. However, he was there, his silhouette contrasting sharply with the moonlight as he stood in the shadows of the thick woodland. He seemed to have been waiting for me the entire time because of his steady, unblinking look.

My heart was racing in my ears, so I didn't answer at first. As though the entire world was holding its breath, anticipating what would happen next, the night was eerily silent.

"Lola," he said, gentler this time but with unquestionable power. "Alone in the woods at night is not a good idea."

I took a deep breath to calm my pounding heart. I couldn't decide whether I was more terrified of him or the shadows that seemed to be closing in on me. Alpha Adeoye, the leader of the pack, was a mysterious individual. He was respected, yet I found something about him both fascinating and unsettling.

I forced myself to look him in the eye and finally mumbled, "I'm not lost." "I'm simply walking."

"Moving around?" He seemed to be holding back a smile as the corner of his mouth quirked. “This late, and with no specific destination in mind?”

His remarks were too personal. I was fleeing—from Declan, from the pack, from the life I believed I had. I wasn't going to tell him that, though.

I said in a strained voice, "I'm fine." "I don't require your assistance."

For a minute, there was a heavy, dense quiet between us. His black eyes were unfathomable as he scrutinized me. "I believe you do," he murmured softly. "But you're unwilling to acknowledge it."

His eyes were like a weight bearing down on my chest, and I could feel it. His intense, probing gaze, which seemed to be able to see right through me and past the barriers I had painstakingly built around my heart, had an unnerving quality.

I stepped back and yelled, "I don't need anyone." Even if my legs shook a little, I refused to show him. "Not someone like you, in particular."

Tension seemed to sizzle in the air between us. Alpha Adeoye stood there observing me with a nearly calculating seriousness without flinching or moving. He understood my emotions. Even worse, he appeared unconcerned.

"You're fleeing, Lola," he remarked in a low, nearly whispery voice. "From you, from Declan, and from the pack."

I wasn't prepared for the depth of his statements. He seemed to be able to see the broken fragments of my soul, the aspects of myself that I had made such a valiant effort to conceal. I turned aside because I didn't think I could talk.

"Running won't solve anything," he added, advancing with a menacing presence. "You are unable to change who you are or what you are obligated to." All you'll do is get lost.

I had a wave of powerlessness and frustration. I had already lost my way. Since Declan abandoned me and left me to pick up the pieces of a life I no longer knew, I had been.

I shot back, looking him in the eye, "Maybe that's exactly what I need." "Perhaps I should get lost. Perhaps being discovered isn't the solution.

Alpha Adeoye's lips formed a narrow line, and I briefly believed he may say something else. But then I was taken aback by him. He stepped back, making room for me.

With a calmer tone, he said, "Perhaps you're right." "However, escaping your fate or the pack will only postpone the inevitable."

He must have noticed that I winced at what he said. His voice became abruptly low, almost sympathetic, as he questioned, "You think I can't see it?" "You no longer have a relationship with Declan. However, that does not exclude you from finding an alternative route. An alternative route. One in which you are not required to be broken.

I wanted a bitter laugh. Something inside of me had been shattered by Declan's rejection. However, Alpha Adeoye? He was completely unaware of the suffering I was bearing. There was no way he could comprehend.

I turned aside and murmured, "I don't need your sympathy." "I'm not damaged."

"You're not," he quietly answered, maintaining the same unsettling assurance in his voice. But if you don't allow yourself to recover, you will be. Avoiding everything won't make the pain go away. It will just keep you hidden away from prying eyes.

When he implied that I was hiding in the shadows, I became enraged. But I knew in my heart that he was correct. Now that Declan had rejected me, I was only a shell of the person I had once been. I had no direction, no purpose. I was thrashing, clinging to everything to save myself from losing myself in my own sorrow.

"You believe you can assist me?" I turned back to him and inquired. I couldn't help but speak in a colder tone than I intended. "You're not even familiar with me."

Alpha Adeoye took a time to examine me, his eyes darting over my face as if gauging every word I spoke and every feeling that fleeted through me. Then he spoke once again, steadily.

"Enough," he declared. "You believe you can hide from the impending danger. from reality. But, Lola, I've glimpsed your future. Additionally, I believe I can teach you how to take charge of it. How to quit running

Fear wasn't the only thing that sent a chill down my spine. Something about his words, the assurance in them, drew me in and gave me the impression that I was perched on the precipice of something far greater than I could have ever dreamed. Something... hazardous.

I answered, hardly raising my voice above a whisper, "I'm not looking for a new future." "All I want is to forget."

Then he stepped forward, his presence overwhelming. Lola, you can't forget. Not really. However, you have a choice in how to proceed. You have the power to decide who you become.

I gasped at what he said. I couldn't help but notice the intensity of the energy in the air between us. I couldn't force myself to shove him away and tell him that I didn't need his assistance. Something I couldn't describe pushed at me, an unseen power that existed between us.

"Why are you stating this to me?" My voice trembled a little as I asked. "What are you looking for from me?"

Alpha Adeoye took a moment to respond. Rather, he observed me intently, as if considering what he would say next.

With a calm voice and a sinister flash in his eyes, he murmured, "I want you to understand, Lola." "I'm giving you an option. An opportunity. But there is a cost to it.

As I attempted to take in what he had said, my heart began to accelerate. What did he actually have to give me? And by a price, what did he mean?

A harsh, abrupt, and definite sound rang out through the darkness before I could react. A howl.

At first, it was far away, but as it got closer and louder, my heart began to race. Alpha Adeoye's visage hardened as his eyes darted toward the sound's origin.

"Remain here," he remarked sternly. "Remain motionless."

However, he left me standing there by himself before I could ask him what was going on. He vanished into the darkness.

There was more than one voice this time when the cry reverberated. A chorus was heard. A bundle. Furthermore, I was clueless about their identity and goals.

I just knew that something sinister was on the horizon. Something that would completely alter the situation.