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Escape From The Cruel Alpha

Her breath was icy, her heart pounding relentlessly. Yet, she couldn't muster the resolve to enact the plan swirling in her mind - to plunge the dagger into Nathan's chest, escaping him and their accursed bond forever.

She had mulled over this thought for a long time, and now her decision was final. She would flee that night, liberating herself from his oppressive control forever. Despite her past affection for him, she now recognized that there was no hope for a brighter future with the alpha, for he harbored no concern for her.

But to break free from his captivity, she had to be prepared to shed blood. Her dagger, clutched against her bare chest, bit cold and sharp into her skin, keeping her alert and attuned to his movements behind her.

She sensed a cold touch on her legs, the powerful, large hands of Nathan. Long past were the days when she yearned for the feel of those hands; now, they only incited a dreadful chill down her spine.

"You may be weak and unworthy of my time," his hands ascended to her thighs, slowly unraveling the tight ball she had formed earlier. "But I must admit, your body never fails to excite me."

Was that meant to be a compliment? Alorea knew better than to harbor any hope with this man. He was solely obsessed with her body, and always had been. Come daylight, he would cast her back into his dungeons to languish for yet another day.

As he leaned into her, his hands encircling her waist and turning her over, Nathan murmured, "No other man shall taste you, you are mine alone. I will never let you out of my sight."

His fingers traced her slender waist, and his lips inched closer to her breasts. She could feel herself teetering on the edge of succumbing to the sensation.

All he was proficient at was pleasure. His intoxicating scent contained all the seductive elements needed to ensnare a woman in his charm. His touch was divine, his breath enticing. To her, he was a temptation, a curse. She couldn't allow herself to be ensnared by this curse; she had to break free...

A sudden surge of adrenaline coursed through her arms, and she raised them swiftly, the dagger rising with them. It plunged into Nathan's heart, eliciting a growl in response. A powerful one, that reverberated through the night like thunder.

Alorea saw her opportunity. With the dagger embedded in his chest, he wouldn't be able to prevent her escape. Although she knew he would recover from the wound, she hoped that by then, she would be long gone. And he would never find her again.

But before Alorea could spring from the bed to vanish into the night, Nathan had already risen from his wound, his eyes a fiery crimson. He seized her hand before she could make another move, his cold fingers pressing into her like ice.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Alorea was paralyzed with shock. She had always known that Nathan was a formidable werewolf, perhaps the strongest in all the lands. But she hadn't anticipated his swift recovery. She had underestimated his strength. Her heart pounded furiously.

But Nathan soon slumped back onto his knees, trembling with effort. His grip on her hand loosened, and her wrist slipped from his grasp. He appeared to be wrestling with some internal struggle.

"You dare poison me?" He glared at her, weakened but with a fierce determination in his gaze.

Alorea noticed how the dagger seared into his heart. She gasped, "Wolfsbane?!"

She had no idea the dagger was poisoned. How could this be? She had no intention of poisoning her mate, but this also meant she was given another opportunity to escape. She couldn't let this chance pass her by.

"I'm sorry..." She trembled. But she didn't wait to hear another word from him. Her slender legs propelled her out of the room, fleeing the scene with a heavy heart.

She hoped Nathan wouldn't die from the dagger's strike, and that it would only incapacitate him for a while. Part of her yearned to stay back to help him recover. It was a foolish notion, she knew. But a fragment of her heart still belonged to him.

But now, she had ample time to escape his imprisonment forever. That was far more crucial than the regrettable guilt she detested.

Bursting through the door, she sprinted out of the building. There were no guards outside; they had all vacated when Nathan wanted his private time with her.

As she stepped into the night, she heard another of his furious growls emanating from inside. It reverberated through the earth, and soon rain began to fall.

Her legs carried her as swiftly as they could, deep into the woods where she would finally summon her wolf form, and leap jubilantly into freedom.

As much as she experienced joy, she also felt pain. She had genuinely hoped to be his luna, to be cherished and respected by him. But that never transpired, and now she had to evade him for the rest of her life. Yet even amidst this torment, Alorea found some solace. At least, she now had the opportunity for a fresh start.

But it was too soon to rejoice.

Not long after, three large growls pursued her with increasing speed. They were sequential, each one louder than the last.

Instantly, she knew who they were. The three red ladies, with whom her alpha ruled instead of her. Eileen, Elea, and Esbeth. These three women were the stark nightmares in the three years that Alorea had spent as Nathan's mate.

Nathan had formed a harem with them, relegating Alorea to his gloomy dungeons. With them, he dined, drank, laughed, and fought. With them, he fostered a bond, and only with them did he share his power.

She should have known; those three vixens were never far from Nathan. They were always nearby. How could she have overlooked them in her plans?

She had no time to ponder and decided to increase her speed. But as she made several turns in her attempt to elude the three wolves tailing her, the paths disappeared, and the forest took on a new form. Alorea could no longer recognize these unfamiliar paths.

But having been held captive for most of her marital life, she reasoned it was natural not to recognize the pathways any longer. So she continued to run through them, hoping to reach a place she would eventually recognize.

Yet the paths continued to vanish. Finally, she stopped and took a long look around, but only darkness enveloped her. Resuming her human form, she tried to find a place to hide.

Now, the rain was pelting her directly. The sky's water trickled down her hair and obscured her vision. She squinted.

As her eyes opened again, a large dark net swept her up, hoisting her to the top of a tree.

She couldn't believe it.

"A trap! It's a trap!" she exclaimed.

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