The Alphas prize novel Chapter 17

I woke up, still lying on the floor of Lazarus’s office. Yet, it was now empty, and I was alone. I felt so weak, and I tried to channel my wolf, but she wasn’t there; I couldn’t feel her or hear her. So, I guess I have to do this on my own; I have to get out of here.

I shakily got up off the floor, bracing myself against the wall for support. I reached for the door, and it was unlocked. My brows scrunched together in confusion, unsure of what to think about this. Could this be a trap? Or were they not expecting me to wake up so soon.

I slowly and as quietly as possible walked down the hallway. Unfortunately, my one eye was swollen, making it hard for me to see correctly, and it didn’t help that I had no idea where the fuck I was going.

I continued down the hall but stopped dead in my tracks; when I heard voices. They were getting louder and were closing in on me. There was a door just to my left, and I quickly bolted into the room. However, I would soon wish that I hadn’t.

I stood in the darkroom, listening to the voices pass by me. I inhaled deeply and felt around for a light; I flipped the switch on and gasped as I took in the room. The room was overloaded with photos of me, Cain, my family, Cain’s pack and his territory.

Holy shit! They have been watching and observing us for who knows how long. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a window hidden behind some boxes. I moved the boxes and tried to open the window, but it was firmly bolted in place, shit!

I looked around for something to break it with and found a heavy paperweight. I threw it through the window, shattering it into pieces. Not wasting another moment, I jumped up and crawled through the window, but my dress got caught on a glass shard. I tugged and pulled, but the glass began to dig into my side, cutting through my flesh like butter.

I sucked in a shuddering breath and yanked myself out of the window, causing me to scream as the pain tore through me. I collapsed to the ground holding my side before looking down and noticing that my dress was shredded. A large gash peeked through the torn material, and I was heavily bleeding, fuck! This isn’t what I needed; now, they will be able to track me easier.

I unsteadily got up from the ground and looked around me, seeing that the forest surrounded me. So, I headed straight into the dark woods, knowing I needed to get as far away from here as I could.

I limped my way through the Forrest, moving as fast as I could, but the pain was becoming too much. I had lost too much blood, and my strength was rapidly depleting. Finally, I stopped by a large tree and leaned against it after gaining some distance. Sliding down the rough bark, I plopped onto the ground.

I looked over my body, taking notice that I was covered in dirt, blood, bruises and cuts. My side was becoming infected, the cut was deep, and the bleeding hadn’t subsided yet; this wasn’t going to end well for me. As I sat there, I heard branches snapping behind me, that’s most likely them, coming for me. I am going to die today, was all I could think of now.

I slowly stood from the ground, my legs shaky and my body weak. I didn’t see anyone, but whatever was out there was getting closer. I started walking backwards, staring off into the trees, waiting for them to leap and attack me.

I stumbled and tripped over a log, falling on my ass. I looked down at my feet, and that’s when I noticed I hadn’t tripped on a log, but instead, someone's foot. I looked up, only to see Lazarus hovering over me.

“Thought you could run from me, huh?” Lazarus snarled at me.

I shrugged. “I figured I would give it a shot.” I weakly smiled.

He narrowed his eyes. “All you’ve done is piss me off.”

I chuckled. “What can I say? It’s a trait of mine.” I smirked.

Lazarus leaped on top of me, pinning my arms to the ground on either side of my head.

He sniffed my neck. “Maybe I’ll use you for more than a blood bag; I haven’t had a good fuck in decades.”

“I’d rather fuck a tree,” I said through gritted teeth as a low growl erupted from my chest.

He hissed, “I guess I’m just going to have to teach you a lesson about what happens to mouthy little bitches.”

Lazarus barred his teeth and came down on my shoulder, burying his fangs deep into my skin and drawing blood. I screamed from the pain as his bite caused my skin to burn like someone had poured acid on me.

I was already feeling weak, and now I was beginning to feel even more vulnerable. My vision was blurry, and just as I was about to pass out, Lazarus was ripped from me and thrown like a rag doll.

I could barely open my eyes as they felt heavy. However, what little I could see was of a large, black wolf. Was it Cain?

The wolf lunged for Lazarus, swiping him with his claws; the sounds coming from the wolf were guttural and inhuman. As I lay there, watching bits and pieces of the fight before me, I started to feel strange. I felt at peace and happy; that’s when a small, but bright blue light, surrounded me, encasing me in its beauty.

Cain’s POV:

Lazarus finally retreated, knowing he was no match for my beast on his own. I searched the ground and saw Freja lying there lifeless, fuck! Am I too late?

I shifted back and rushed to her side. I called her name and shook her, but she didn’t respond. Then, putting my ear to her chest, I could hear a very faint heartbeat; she was still alive, but barely. I scooped her into my arms and started to run as fast as I could, knowing death was on her door.

I held her close to me. “Don’t die on me, please.” I pleaded with her. I don’t think I could survive losing her.

I mind linked with Rose, that I was on my way and to be prepared. I then linked with the others, letting them know I had found her and we were headed to the infirmary.

Freja POV:

The smell of flowers, bark and grass, flooded my nose. The birds were singing beautifully, and the sun was shining brightly. I opened my eyes, and I was lying beneath an old willow tree. Its leaves swayed in the wind and brushed against my skin; I felt so at peace.

Wait! Am I dead? I quickly sat up and looked around, not recognizing any of my surroundings. I tried to remember how I got here, but the last thing I remembered was Lazarus fighting with a large black wolf. Shit, maybe I am dead? I stood to my feet and walked closer to the tree; it was so beautiful and magnificent that I couldn’t help but admire it.

Suddenly, a figure appeared from behind the tree, a familiar person, Mikael? But, wait, he’s dead, so that means……I am too.