Beloved

Chapter Fifteen

Emanual's POV

As soon as we hit land, I grasped Kristen's small wrist and pulled her out of the boat. My heart was pounding louder and louder, as I anxiously thought about the possibility of the rogues getting to us before my warriors could stop them. It didn't help that I could feel Kristen's fear and anxiety rolling off of her in waves, probably because I let her see the worry in my eyes. I was usually the calm one, who could keep a cool head despite being in a stressful situation. As an Alpha, it was in my blood. Even humans felt comforted by being close to me in dangerous circumstances, because of my muscular body and calm, sane eyes. So, of course, the worry in my eyes added to Kristen's already high anxiety. I would get mad at myself for that later.

With my hand locked around her arm, I walked towards the tall trees. The last sunshine fought to be seen through the branches, and it coloured the sky in a sharp, rosy shade. Although it was beautiful, it did anything but ease my mind. We had to get closer to the houses before the merciless sun disappeared and left us in darkness.

The smell of rotten flesh hit my nostrils, and I halted. The rogues couldn't be close by if I had just caught their stench. They had to be at least a couple of miles away. We had to get further away before the rogues caught Kristen and I's scent.

"Can you run?" I looked down at Kristen, who had a worried frown on her face. She nodded slowly and gave me a questioning look, but didn't ask. I gently pushed her in front of me and quietly told her to run. If I stayed behind her, I could have her clear in my sight and also keep an eye out for any rogues. And this way, I wouldn't be pushing her to run faster than her human body could handle. As she began running, I started following her. I let my eyes glide around from tree to tree, while listening closely. I would be able to hear them a bit before they got here, which I could smell would happen soon.

Shit.

Only one minute later, I heard the sound of rustling leaves, and the smell of rogues rolled over us. It wouldn't be long till they reached us. I knew that there was only a very small chance of us getting away before they found us now.

'Warriors, why haven't you stopped the rogues?' I angrily questioned my warriors.

'We've only just started looking for the rogues, because the guards lost track of them as they were attacked. The guards are being sent to the infirmary, Alpha.' The head warriors informed me through mindlink. I didn't ask any further, and I knew I couldn't get mad at my guards or warriors for this. None of us expected this, therefore we didn't have extra protection or many prepared warriors.

I swore under my breath when I heard the sound of padding paws. Grabbing Kristen, who was still running in front of me, I pulled her with me as I made a turn off the path. The trees were closer packed here, but I knew it wouldn't matter if I hid Kristen away. They would still catch her scent no matter what.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Kristen whisper-shouted, as I dragged her with me deeper into the dense forest.

"You need to run, okay? I want you to go in that direction," I pointed the way to our house and continued, "and not stop till you've reached a house or you meet somebody you've met. Okay? I want you to promise me not to run any other way." I was gripping her shoulders, the sparks of the mate bond heated up our skin. If anything went wrong, I wanted to memorise the feeling of holding her. I didn't want it to be like this though. The fear was more than visible in her eyes and her small form was shaking under my hands.

My grip around her shoulders loosened, and she immediately ran off, disappearing from my sight within seconds. As if on cue, roars and growls sounded nearby. I exhaled a breath before walking back to the path. Lowering the guard in my mind, I let my wolf take over. The hunger for the blood of the rogues kicked in instantly. A growl rumpled through my throat and ripped through the chilly air. My breathing started getting heavy as I bent over, preparing myself to shift. Those rogues wouldn't stand a chance against me.

Kristen's POV

My thumping heart in my ears and my irregular breathing drowned every other sound around me. I had only been running for a little while, but the anxiety burned in my stomach and made it harder to concentrate. All I wanted to do was lie down with my knees against my chest and clear my head. Not that it was possible. I would surely not be able to relax at the moment. I didn't know why I was running or who I was running from. Even Emanual seemed slightly nervous or frightened, and that only heightened my level of fear. I had to admit, things had been kind of nice before we had to return to land. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was his charm or maybe I was just becoming crazy, I honestly had no idea which.

I stopped when I started feeling the small lunch I had eaten earlier that day pushing its way up. Leaning my back against a tree, I focused on inhaling the fresh air. The feeling of being on the edge of vomiting begged me to close my mouth, but I knew this was the only way to regain control of my body.

Emanual had told me not to stop till I reached a house or a familiar face, but I needed a break. Plus, I had run enough to have a head start. It would take around five minutes for someone to find me. I froze when I realised what this meant. It would take some time for anybody to catch up with me now. If I kept running, maybe they'd never catch up with me. Suddenly filled with adrenaline, I took a sharp turn to the right, hoping it was the right way to civilisation.

___________________________________________________

Hii, sorry for the slow update. exams and stuff prevented me from writing.

please vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter!!

goal for this chapter is: 50 reads and 6 votes

take care!! <3

-peaches