Chapter 14: Comeback

Allan went to the wealthy side, where there were old Victorian-style homes. People removed their boarded windows, which was a mistake. He was going to come after them all tonight.

He smirked and changed into jeans and a hoodie for the cold night. He had no problem showing his face because everyone knew who he was. It was a sexy one, as one girl admitted right before he killed her, but he knew that.

He walks up to a yellow house with only a few lights turned on, ready to spend the night.

He awoke groggily from his motel bed, running his hand through his hair. He forgot to take a shower, so his hair was sticky.

When he looked down at the bed, he noticed it was drenched in blood. Allan rolls his eyes and stands up to examine himself in the mirror. His eyes were puffy, and his hair was crusty. He muttered, "F*ck, so gross."

Allan spins around and jumps into the shower, thoroughly cleaning himself. He despised bad hygiene; the smelly people were always killed haphazardly, so he didn't have to come into contact with them. Some things are disgusting, such as what people think of him, but he doesn't care what people think of him. They're simply missing out on all the excitement.

After the shower, Allan and Xian go back into the forest and get some food.

They transformed into wolves and set out. Allan followed Xian, not knowing much about this part of the forest. He had no reason to explore the East because no one lived there.

Althea's scent hit him like a brick after a three-hour run. She smelled similar to Henry, but not the same. "No doubt it was that f*cking Anthony," he said to himself, his teeth clenched. He growled, leaping in front of his friends to find out where she was.

Xian growls at Allan and stares at him. "If we find her, watch her before you attack," he taps him on the shoulder. Allan frowned, not understanding what he was saying. He was going to jump the moment he saw her.

He receives a snarl from Xian, who then glares at him. He taps at him and says, "If we find her, watch her before you attack." Allan scowled, not understanding what he was attempting. When Allan first saw her, he was prepared to startle. Xian said, "Observe her behavior when she's not afraid; you might be able to exploit her later."

Then Allan nods, thinking that, if only he could control himself, it was sound advice.

They creep up on the scent and quickly arrive at a small cabin. He perked up his ears to hear something. Since Allan's wolf was too feeble, he marched closer. He first noticed his small companion, who had a smile on her face, from 25 feet away in the bushes.

She was cooking while wearing a large hoodie. Anthony approaches her from behind.

Before turning around and sitting down, Anthony kisses her cheek. Her face flushed, and he could feel her heartbeat.

Allan growled, wanting to move forward, but Xian stopped him. He'd be able to push through them if Xian wasn't in there marking them. He could die if they fully mated.

Allan continues to watch as Althea serves Anthony breakfast and he thanks her. They eat together and then talk. Althea was far more chatty than he had anticipated. Anthony just smiled and listened as her mouth never seemed to close. "How cliché," Allan grumbled, clenching his fist.

"Don't you see, if you want to be powerful, you have to play the game that way," Xian says.

~

"I can cook, I mean waffles are pretty simple," Althea tells Anthony.

He nods and takes another bite, saying, "It's really good." He appeared to be at ease, but there are several reasons why. He marked her without knowing she was his mate, and they are being pursued by a crazed killer.

She gets up and goes to the sink to wash her plate after she's finished eating. "I'm going to go outside for a minute," she says. He nods as he scrolls through his phone. He knew she wouldn't go far if she was only five feet away.

Althea opens the front door and takes a deep breath. The smell of fresh forest air was wonderful.

Living in town was always unpleasant because it smelled bad. But it smells like freedom here.

She steps out, only a few feet from the surrounding forest. Her wolf wanted to flee, but she wouldn't let her. She could either run back to Allan or go too far. She felt bad, but she was trying to protect herself in this situation.

As she looked around, she nervously bit her nail. Her heart was racing and she was frozen. "Hello there, my little mate."

When she turns around, she sees her worst nightmare, leaning against a tree. She took a slow step back, but he stopped her "Not

yet another f*cking step "He snarls.

Althea is stunned in fear as he begins walking towards her. As he now stands in front of her, she feels his finger run down her cheek. He knelt to look into her eyes, "Ohh my little mate, if only you knew," he says as she glared at him, unsure of what he meant.

"If only you knew that being marked by Anthony could destroy you; the Moon Goddess doesn't like it when you sabotage her plans," he smirks as he strokes her hair.

"W-what I didn't know about that—," she stutters, unable to complete her sentence. She was on the verge of having a panic attack.

Allan takes another step closer and wraps his arms tightly around her. "If that mark isn't removed in a week, you are going to be in a lot of pain, pain that Anthony won't be able to help you with," he says into her hair.

Althea's knees begin to buckle. She'd never heard of it before, but she didn't know much about mates either. They were supposed to learn it in school this week, but she's in a pickle.

She could feel Allan pull away, "See you in a week, sweetie," he said as he walked away, probably thinking he had won.

"I'd rather go kill myself than go back with you," she snarled, suddenly confident.

Her natural protective instinct was triggered.

working. He came to a halt and returned his gaze to her, a solemn expression on his face. "If you try to kill yourself again, I'll make you wish you died, but of course, I can let that happen," he concludes, leaving her frozen in fear.

Althea collapses to the ground, raising her legs to her chest. When she hears the front door open, her breathing quickens. She hears Anthony approaching her. "Thea!" he exclaims as he picks her up.

"I saw him," she says quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks. Anthony wipes her tears away and nods. They both knew he'd find them eventually, but not this soon.

She feels as if she is being lifted off the forest floor. Anthony brings her inside the cabin and places her on their bed. He lays lies to her and pulls the blanket over them, "I'm sorry Thea this is all my fault," he says into her shoulder, lightly kissing it as he hugged her tightly.