Chapter 11


    Last night was awful. I wasn’t able to get much sleep. I got up early before sunrise and headed


    downstairs to the kitchen to make myself breakfast. Entering, I freeze for a moment as Alice is there,


    cutting up fruit. Alice pauses and looks up to see me. She bes angry, and the knife in her


    handshakes.


    ‘Good morning, Alice,’ I say politely. She growls in a warning.


    I’m just going to get myself something to eat, and then I’ll be gone,’ I say


    ‘Permanently, I hope, she mutters.


    ‘Alice, I get you’re upset, but I nned none of this. I didn’t even know werewolves existed until


    recently. Maybe if we get to know each other, we mighte to tolerate each other. Maybe even be


    friends,’ I say. I yelp when her knife flies past my face and into the wall.


    ‘I will never be your friend, and you will never be my Luna! Mark my word, Vanessa will be the


    Luna of Shadow Crest! I suggest you save yourself from the hurt and leave now. Because I can assure


    you, you won’t live to see your eighteenth birthday!’ Alice warns.


    ‘Did you just threaten to kill me?” I ask, in disbelief, looking at the knife in the wall. Alice closes in on


    me. I steel myself for whatever’s next.


    ‘If you’re not gone from here by your eighteenth birthday, Vanessa and I will shift and rip you apart! And


    if you speak of


    this conversation to Alpha Ryker or anyone, I’ll make sure it’s thest day of your life!’ She snaps. I’m


    trying to keep my emotions intact.


    ‘Why do you hate me so much? Don’t you want Vanessa to be happy? How could she be happy with a


    man who doesn’t love her? A man who doesn’t want to be with her?’


    Alice grabs my hair and pushes me against the wall.


    ‘Oh, Astrid, sometimes in life, it’s not about love, but about other things like power,’ she says, retrieving


    her knife.


    I’m scared and try to hide my fear.


    ‘If I were you, Astrid, I’d get going right now, before everyone wakes up,’ she says, tapping my nose


    with the knife. She stares at me and holds the de against my face. I nod.


    ‘Good! Well, it was nice meeting you, Astrid. I hope we don’t cross paths again, she smirks, and I leave


    the kitchen hysterical and affected.


    She is going to kill me! She is going to kill me if I stay! I don’t want to leave Ryker or the others. How


    can I tell them without her finding out?


    Bursting into tears, I dress quickly in jeans and a hoodie. I grab a small pack and ce another set of


    clothes in it. Do leave? Do I leave a note? Where will I go? I can’t go back to my stepfather’s house.


    Maybe I can camp in the woods for a few


    days. I can sneak food from the diner until I figure something out. The sun is rising, I have to leave now.


    I climb over the balcony and down thetticework beneath. I run opposite the shopping strip, hoping it


    leads me toward Jim’s diner. A couple of hours pass me by when I’m deep in the woods, and I freeze at


    the faint howl of a wolf in the distance. I know it’s Ryker, realising I’m gone. Falling to the ground, I cry.


    ‘Please forgive me, Ryker. I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to leave you.’


    Standing, I wipe my tears, they’re uncontroble. I suddenly remember when Ryker exined he could


    smell my scent. I look around and grab some eucalyptus leaves from a low hanging branch. Removing


    my hoodie and jeans, I rub the leaves down my legs all over myself. I put my clothes back on, sticking


    a handful of eucalyptus leaves into the pockets of my hoodie and jeans. I run further into the woods,


    after a while, I resort to walking because I’m exhausted. Ryker would have followed my scent until I


    used those leaves. I should probably change course, too, if he keeps going straight.


    Changing my direction, I stop at a riverbank to drink some water, hoping it’s clean enough. The sun is


    setting. I have to find shelter soon before it bes dark. I wander around until I find arge hollow


    log on its side.


    This will be perfect. I crawl into the hollow log and open my


    bag, covering myself with the other jumper to keep as warm as I can. I sleep curled up and use my bag


    as a pillow. The sun rises, and I’m surprised I slept all night.


    I’ve been walking for three hours. I’m happy when I see a familiar road. It leads into the city! I stay off


    the road to avoid Ryker finding me. The ck Mercedes is in the distance. I sense it’s a bad idea to run


    toward it, but I do.


    Out on the road, I watch the ck Mercedes slow down to a halt. The back window rolls down.


    ‘Hello, Zenith,’ I say.


    ‘I was worrying, Astrid. I haven’t seen you for a few days, he says.


    Td like to take you up on that job offer if you’ll still have me?’ || ask nervously. Zenith smirks.


    ‘When can you start?’ He asks.


    ‘I can start now if you like?’


    Zenith looks me up and down, studying me. He is curious.


    ‘Has something happened, Astrid?’ He asks.


    I’m no longer living with my father, and no one here is looking to employ new staff, I exin, leaving


    Ryker out of the story.


    ‘I see,’ he says, scratching his half-missing ear. He opens the


    car door and gets out.


    ‘You may as well hop in, you work for me now, he smiles. I


    nce around to make sure no one is watching and climb into the car.


    Zenith scans the area to see what I’m looking at and says nothing about it. A young guy in the car


    smiles at me and pats the seat next to him, motioning for me to sit. Sitting next to him, I click my belt.


    ‘Astrid, this is John, one of my twin sons, Zenith introduces


    him.


    ‘Nice to meet you,’ I say, politely holding my hand out to shake his. John ces a kiss on my hand as


    he takes it.


    “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Astrid,’ he replies with a cocky smile. He looks a lot like Zenith but less


    bulky and much thinner. He has the same dark eyes, dark hair, and nose. A few days of stubble has


    grown on his face.


    ‘So, your business, Zenith Creations: what is it you do exactly?’ | ask. Zenith chuckles.


    ‘I do many things. Mainly, I have meetings with high-profile clients. I go through their designs and make


    their products, he exins.


    ‘Oh, okay. What are you employing me to do?’ | ask.


    ‘I need a personal assistant to take some calls, book


    appointments, make me coffee, and run little errands, he says.


    ‘Okay, I smile. I look out the window, wishing things were different with Ryker. I want to be in his arms


    and wish Vanessa and Alice weren’t part of the pack.


    ‘Astrid, I need to talk to you about something before we arrive, Zenith says. ‘It’s brilliant of you hiding


    your scent with those leaves. I suggest you leave them in your pocket until we arrive at the workce.’


    “How do you know I’m a werewolf?’ | ask, surprised. Zenith’s eyes change into his wolf’s eyes.


    I’m also a werewolf and the Alpha of my pack.’ His eyes change back to his human irises. John is


    grinning. My chest suddenly feels tight, and I hyperventte.


    ‘Stop the car, please!’ I yell.


    ‘Ignore her, Ralph. She is just overreacting, Zenith says to the driver, cing his hand on my shoulder,


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    making me cringe.


    ‘Astrid, you are one of us. I will not hurt you. I’m hoping you’ll even consider joining my pack. You’ll


    have our full protection from whoever you’re running from, he smirks.


    I’m not running from anyone.’


    Zenith sighs and pinches his brow bone with his thumb and index finger.


    ‘Astrid, you don’t have to y dumb. I know you’re running from someone. Who are you running from?’


    He asks.


    ‘It doesn’t matter whom, I won’t see him again, I say, sadly, looking away.


    ‘Well, my offer always stands, be part of my pack, and you’ll always have full protection, he


    repeats.


    ‘We’ve arrived, he says as the car stops. He opens the car door and reaches his arm out for my hand


    to help me out of the vehicle.


    ‘Thank you,’ I say, stepping out of the car and feeling John brush up behind me as he gets out of the


    vehicle. I step forward to put space between us and ignore him.