The Rogue Alpha’s Claim

“Aaaahhhhhh…” Ariel screamed for her life; so paralyzed was she in her fear that she had forgotten she had a weapon in her hands.

How could she be so foolish to venture so close to the enemy?

“Hey, easy chick, I was just trying to help.” The scratchy baritone voice of the man cut her off. He sounded like he didn’t get enough water to drink, and the thought frightened her.

Was he thinking of drinking her blood?

Ariel slowly peeled her eyes open, and she looked at the scene in front of her, not sure she could make sense of it.

The sun had long since gone to rest, and it was only the light from the moon and the security light nearby that lit their path.

Her vision blurred for a second as she adjusted to the darkness, and when she could see, there was nothing particularly odd about the men in front of her, but she could not take chances.

If there was anything she had learned from staying with werewolves, it was to always expect the unexpected.

Ariel braced herself as she observed them, her eyes horning in their weak spots. She had carefully slid the knife behind her so as not to attract attention. “Who are you? Have you come to kill me? Because I promise you it won’t be easy.” And she barred her teeth just for effect as she waited for the pain to come.

Instead, all she heard was booming laughter. The men held their stomachs as they laughed, and Ariel’s lips were turned in a frown.

Now that she was seeing them clearly, the ‘wolf’ outfits they had on lacked the lush and shiny thick fur she had noticed with Kane, and their ‘coats’ were some sizes too big.

It was obvious they weren’t werewolves; they lacked the charisma that came with it.

“I told you the outfit was killer.” A teenage girl chirped in happily as she hopped in front of them. She reminded Ariel of a Jaybird. The pin-straight black hair that moved in the wind was all of her striking features, and the pointy fangs that peeked out of her lips reminded Ariel of something she couldn’t place her mind to.

“We don’t mean to scare you; you know it is Halloween and all that, and we were trying to play the part; I guess it worked.” The young girl apologized on their behalf, and the other nodded in agreement.

“It is fine,” Ariel reassured them, giving them a tight-lipped smile. She was just glad she wasn’t going to be a rogue’s meal. “Where are we?”

“Uhmm,” The girl glanced at her friends, but they all shook their heads. “We are not so sure; we just came to party.”

With that, they disappeared back into the woods, leaving Ariel all alone, and she stood in the clearing for a second, just trying to take it all in.

She was truly alone, and her stomach was already beginning to protest its unfed state. The night was fast approaching, and she needed a place to rest.

She dragged her weary body back to her car and continued the drive, only this time she was venturing deeper into human lands. It was Halloween, therefore the streets were filled with partygoers in all sorts of dress and undress.

If she hadn’t been tangled with Kane, she would probably be with them and be partying the night away. Ariel mused sadly.

She was deep inside town now, and she hailed a lady walking by.

“Hello, sorry to bother you, but do you have an idea of a hotel nearby, somewhere I could just spend a night?”

The lady regarded her for a second, eyeing her with distaste, and she pointed straight ahead. “Just head forward and use your fucking gps.” And she was gone.

“Rude.” Ariel called out to her retreating figure, but she took her advice and picked up her phone. While on the run, she couldn’t get any signal, but it was stronger now.

Bless the heavens for Maddie; the phone had a som inside, and somehow her internet was going through.

She clicked on the nearest hotel in the search engine, and she began to follow the directions, which led her in front of a three-story building painted with cream and brick blocks decorating the lower half.

A red letter with the name was the only indication that she was in the right place, and she drove inside, following the directions of the valet.

Ariel came out of the car, her legs almost giving way from sitting too long. She took a look at herself, and she was almost recoiling. She was sure she looked tired and dirty from the trip, and honestly, she felt tired.

With the money Maddie had given her, she had gotten a room where she could stay for the night, and the first thing she had done was run to the shower.

She had requested food, but it was going to take a little time before they got here so she would be able to take her bath.

Ariel stood in the shower and turned the knob to the highest she could bear, and she stood there, just letting the water beat down on her.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

And the dam collapsed.

Her throat was choked as an agonizing sob escaped her lips. Her shoulders shook violently as she struggled to contain the emotions that had been building up inside her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her voice was barely audible as she whispered a heartbreaking cry.

She cried for the loss of her parents, for the fact that she could have gotten to know them if it weren’t for her mate, and the tears were coming again.

Kane’s betrayal had cut so deep into her, leaving deep laceration in its wake. She could hardly fathom how she would be able to move on from this fact.

Ariel’s knees buckled, and she slid down the tiled wall, not caring if her bare ass was on the floor. She bowed her head between her thighs and continued to sob.

She cried until there was no strength left in her, until the hot water had gone for a somewhat lukewarm one and the banging on the door interrupted her.

She wrapped the towel around her wrinkled frame, shivering from staying in the water for too long, but she took little steps until she was at the door, and she opened it gently, peeking her head inside.

“Room service.’ The kind voice of the delivery person said so, and she gave him a sad smile, but she opened the door a little wider and allowed him to wheel the buffet tray inside.

Ariel sat back on the bed and opened the tray in front of her. The aroma of the food hit her, and she salivated in eagerness. After everything she had been through, she deserved a nice, hot meal, and that was what she was going to get.

She devoured the meal in seconds, not taking time to savor the taste. She wheeled it outside as soon as she was through, and she went back to her bed, curling herself into a ball.

It was the first time in a while she would be sleeping by herself, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

Her mind drifted to Kane naturally, wondering how he was sleeping now that the cat was let out of the bag.

Knowing the monster, he would be sleeping peacefully.

The stress of the day was already getting to her, and she couldn’t hold it any longer. Her eyes fluttered closed as she succumbed to sleep, and seconds later she was snoring lightly from the exhaustion.

The sleep lasted for more than 10 hours, and it wasn’t until noon that Ariel was dragging herself out of bed and down the stairs.

She had a lot of things to do today.

First, she was going to need an apartment to stay in, wherever she was. It was time to dust out her certificate and get a job, but she had no certificate to dust, and if that didn’t work, she would have to sell the car.

There was a reason she had gone for the expensive one.

Her first stop was the restaurant for food to hold her stomach, keeping ears for any whispers that concerned what she needed, and after that, she was heading over to the reception.

If there was anyone who could help her, it had to be one of those busty ladies.