Chapter 2 FROM FRYING PAN TO FIRE.

STORM HAYES

It wasn’t long before the guards were hot on my tail. They chased me relentlessly, knocking down anyone who stood in their way.

Fear and determination pushed me forward, fueling me to jump over obstacles and run like my life depended on it…because it did.

I knew it was only a matter of time before I was caught, imprisoned, tortured, and killed. I ran into the closest building I could find, desperate for somewhere to hide.

Luckily, I managed to outsmart the guards, and they ran off, thinking I had gone ahead of them.

I crouched low, holding my breath, praying no one heard me. My body ached everywhere. My knee was scraped badly and bleeding. I knew I couldn’t stay hidden forever. It was only a matter of time before they found me here.

A sudden sound froze me. My breath caught in my throat as I slowly turned, dreading what I’d see.

And of course, my bad luck didn’t disappoint.

My gaze locked on Dylan, the Alpha’s son, the future Alpha of this wretched pack. His eyes were cold, dark, and intimidating. A smirk curled across his lips.

I thought it was over. Dylan had hated me for years, bullying me every chance he got.

But then something strange flickered in his eyes…pity.

The voices of guards echoed outside, coming closer. Dylan didn’t rat me out. Instead, he darted outside before they could check, pretending he’d already searched the place. He made sure they left.

When the coast was clear, he turned back to me. “Take off your clothes,” he ordered.

I froze, shocked. Was this the price of his help? If he wanted sex in exchange, I would’ve preferred being caught.

“No. I won’t sleep with you.”

He rolled his eyes, scoffing. “Don’t flatter yourself, Storm. I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last woman alive. You can’t cross the borders in those clothes. Take them off and put mine on so no one recognizes you.”

Without wasting time, I stripped off my torn dress and pulled on his clothes. They weren’t a bad fit since he wasn’t much bigger than me.

“Wait, that’s not enough.” He shoved a pair of scissors into my hand. “Cut your hair.”

I didn’t think twice. I hacked at my hair until I was left with a buzz cut.

“Good,” Dylan said, his voice firm. “Leave through the forest. It’s the only way you’ll make it out alive. Now punch me hard. They won’t believe you attacked me unless I’ve got wounds to show for it.”

I wanted to argue but he was right. So, I clenched my fist and swung with everything I had. My punch landed squarely on his face, knocking him out cold.

I was stunned. I didn’t know I was strong enough to knock someone out. I should have checked if he was breathing, but I couldn’t risk staying longer. Whispering a quick thank you, I bolted.

Dressed as the Alpha’s son, blending into the crowd was easier than I thought. No one suspected me as I slipped away.

At the edge of the forest, I hesitated. Once I crossed, I’d officially be a rogue. That didn’t scare me as much as what lay ahead. The Blood Forest. A place said to be plagued with cursed rogues, where no one who entered ever returned.

A guard’s shout behind me made the choice for me. I climbed the fence, narrowly dodging a bullet.

They didn’t dare follow me into the forest. That was the only reason I was safe.

I sighed in relief, scanning the shadows. But my relief was short-lived. A low growl rattled the air. A wolf charged straight at me.

I screamed and ran. Another wolf lunged from the side, sinking its fangs into my already bleeding leg.

Pain tore through me. I pulled the dagger I’d used on Darius and drove it into the wolf’s stomach. It howled, collapsing, but the second wolf was still on me.

I staggered forward, refusing to give up. My only thought was survival.

Through the trees, I spotted something I never expected. It was a bus. A group of men stood outside, waiting to board.

I didn’t care how strange it was to see a bus in the Blood Forest. I didn’t care that every man there looked dangerous. I just needed to get out.

The wolf stopped chasing when it saw the bus. It snarled once, then went back into the shadows.

I stumbled onto the bus. That’s when I realized every passenger wore a prison uniform.

Before I could react, pain exploded at the back of my head. I turned to see a guard, gripping a metal bat.

“We told everyone to wear their prison clothes,” he snarled. “You think you’re better than the rest, you animal?”

I staggered backward, colliding with the chest of a prisoner. I turned to apologize, then froze.

“Mate. Mine,” my wolf whispered, ecstatic.

The man shoved me off him like I was filth. I hit the floor hard, my head spinning until the world went black.

When I came back up, the bus had stopped. We were in front of a massive, looming castle.

A voice boomed from the intercom above. “Welcome to the Correctional Center for Alpha Delinquents. You will complete a four-month behavioral program. Pass, and you go home. Fail, and you die. You’ll be placed in your room according to the crimes you committed. Level one for petty offenders. Level two for bigger troublemakers. Level three… for the murderers. If you have questions, ask your coordinator.”

Chains clinked as they locked us up, treating us like slaves.

When they asked for my name, my throat tightened. For a second, I almost broke. I almost told them who I really was. But my instinct held me back, warning that the truth would kill me faster than any lie.

Then someone behind the desk looked up and said, “Andrew Walton?”

I grabbed onto that name like a lifeline and nodded.

That choice sealed my fate.

I was thrown into Level Three. Murderers. Monsters. People whose hands were already soaked in blood.

And my luck got worse the moment I pushed open the door to my assigned room.

He was there. The same man I had stumbled into earlier. The one my wolf wouldn’t stop screaming about. My fated mate.

This time, he didn’t just glare.

This time, he pressed a knife against my throat, his breath hot and dangerous.

“I’ll make sure you regret crossing me.”