The Alpha and The Vigilante novel Chapter 27

I was able to shift quickly, likely due to the high concentration of adrenaline running through me, and climbed up a tree. No, I did not have clothes to put on and yes, it was uncomfortable. Luckily, the trees in the forest were excessively tall, so I was able to climb up about 15 feet and somewhat conceal myself in the leaves.

I worked on controlling my breathing and lowering my heart rate, so that by the time Alpha Cain ran by, he hopefully would not be able to tell I was lurking in the trees, and would just run right past me.

Unfortunately, it was bright outside since it was still morning, and I knew the leaves did not provide ample coverage, especially factoring in his keen Alpha senses.

His steps got closer and closer, and I peeked out at him in between the leaves. I was surprised to see that he was in human form, and not wolf form. I had assumed that he had shifted, since he was so close behind me. If he could almost outrun me in human form, I was terrified to see how fast he would be in wolf form.

At first, he ran by my tree. Then, he stopped a few feet in front of it, and I knew I was doing a bad job at slowing my heartbeat. He turned around slowly, and I was horrified when I saw that his eyes were still pitch black, and he grinned wickedly, his canines extended menacingly.

"I can hear your heartbeat, mate. I could smell you from a mile away. You really thought that you could trick me?" He shouted wildly, every bit the formidable Alpha I had grown up hearing about.

I didn't dare to even twitch a finger, lest he hear me. For the first time since I had met him, I was genuinely afraid of him. Not slightly scared or intimidated, but flat out horrified. One of the reasons why I am so against letting my wolf have control is because they are impossible to reign back in, and I don't like not being in control. However, my mate seemed to enjoy the wildness of his wolf, and welcomed it with open arms.

He sniffed for a couple seconds before walking directly underneath the tree I was using for cover. "I know you climbed this tree, mate." F*ck. I didn't speak, not because I wasn't trying to blow my cover (because he had already located me) but because I was genuinely scared of what he would do when I came down. Even though he said he wouldn't, I didn't want him to burn me with his fire again. My hands still hadn't recovered and it had been a week. Being scared of pain was a new low for me. I hated everything about my mate.

I laid limply in his arms, not bothering to struggle. He won. He would always win. He was an Alpha, and that's what they do.

"You're not even going to put up a little bit of a struggle, mate?" the Alpha taunted me, with a playfully wicked glint in his eyes. I ignored him, closing my eyes and attempting to cover up as much of my naked body as I could. "I can't believe all it took to take the fight out of you was letting you stab me once. Definitely was worth it."

I didn't react. His wolf was wanting me to challenge him for dominance, just so he could exert more force on me. I wouldn't submit, but I was not going to antagonize the beast. We walked back to the lake, and the Alpha didn't say anything the whole trek.

We got back to our original picnic site, and he laid me down gently on the pelt. I looked into his eyes, and was relieved to see that they were back to a dark brown, not completely black anymore. I looked at him hopefully. Perhaps he wouldn't mark me now that his wolf wasn't in control.