The Alpha’s Fated Choice (Alpha's Fated Encounter Trilogy #1)

“Don’t worry about them. They know what to do,” Alex says furiously. “They’re creating distractions so we can get away.”

“How do you know I was set up?” I keep running along with him, but I need to understand.

“The documents I found in Mathew’s office. It didn’t register on me at the time,” Alex explains, his voice hard, “but the information was too explicit. Mathew had no business knowing all that. He knew the orphanage you went to, the brand of scent blockers you’re taking. It was all in there. And the man he was talking to on the phone, I recognized his voice when I was in the forest just now. It was your Alpha. I saw him talking to your neighbor.”

“W-Wait a minute!” My mind can’t make sense of this. “You recognized Alpha Black’s voice? You saw him with Drew?”

“Mathew was talking to someone on the phone when I took his phone from him. I heard the man’s voice, but I couldn’t place it. Nathan and I went into the forest to figure out an escape route, and I saw your neighbor, Drew, talking to someone. I don’t know what they were discussing, but I heard the other man’s voice and recognized it. My suspicion was confirmed when Drew called him ‘Alpha.’”

“Drew was talking to him?”

That can’t be possible. It doesn’t make sense. Alpha Black betrayed Drew. He destroyed Drew’s life.

I’m missing something here.

Alex comes to a halt and catches me by my upper arms, pulling me onto my toes. His face is in mine, his expression fierce. “Right now, Sophia, you cannot think about anyone or anything but this. All you need to be worried about is getting away from here. That’s it. We will discuss everything later. We need to run. Focus on that.”

I nod jerkily. He’s right; this is not the time to be distracted. We can dissect it all later. But I do ask, “Are you sure they won’t come after us?”

“They shouldn’t. Not yet,” Alex reassures me. “Nathan and Jared are arranging diversions. The pack security will be looking in those places. In the meantime, Saul is watching Eve. I couldn’t find my phone—”

“You left it at my place. I have it; it’s in my pocket.”

“Great.”

Alex takes it from me and places a call, turning on the speaker so I can hear, too. When Saul picks up, Alex demands, “Update?”

Saul sounds unsettled. “Something is definitely going down tonight. The shops are closing up because of the storm, but the pack security team is heading into the forest. Alpha Black is here; he’s making them go look for the black wolves. The Alpha Successor is going with them. I think the distractions have worked; they’re not moving in your direction.”

“What about the girl?” Alex asks.

“I don’t know where Eve is. She noticed me watching her. By the time I caught on, she’d disappeared.”

“And Julia?”

“Still at the motel. I’m heading toward you now. Something is off in this town. I don’t think it’s wise to stay here.”

“We’ll meet you at the lake. Just go straight there.”

Alex ends the call and looks at me. “Our first rendezvous spot is at Lake Mist. If my men don’t get there within ten minutes after we do, we’ll head to the next one. We cannot stop moving for more than ten minutes at a time. I don’t know if the Alpha is looking for us or for you, but getting you out of here is our priority.”

The wind is picking up, and Alex’s hand tightens around mine. We start off again. My legs are getting tired from running, but I don’t complain.

What is so special about me that has Alpha Black doing all this? Or is it just that he hates me so much that he wants to completely destroy me?

I don’t want to wait around to find out.

By the time we reach the lake, it has started raining. We brave the elements and take shelter under the trees surrounding the water. Alex checks his watch. “Okay. Ten minutes. Let’s wait here.”

“I don’t understand any of this,” I murmur. “Even Noah was desperate to get me away from Oakrest tonight. Almost as if he didn’t want me to run into his father. I wish I knew why.”

Alex’s voice is dark. “Let’s hope you never find out. As soon as we cross the border into the North Alliance, you will be safe.”

“What about the Queen?”

Alex gives me a grim smile. “Don’t worry about Karina. We’ll deal with her later.”

His phone buzzes, and he shows me the screen. It’s Jared. Alex presses the phone against his ear. “Jared, what is it?”