Chapter 03: Border Run

After a restless night, Mila woke up feeling like she hadn’t slept a wink. They hadn’t said exactly what time they would come, but she'd rather be ready than being wrong for making them wait. She also knew her dad would want to bootlick and have her ready for hours before they arrived.

She had packed everything she wanted to keep in the ridiculous new pink suitcase that her dad had sent her sister to buy at the mall yesterday. After a quick shower and making sure she had everything on her, she made her way to the foyer of the Pack House.

Sure enough, her father and his Beta appeared in the foyer as soon as she dragged the bright pink suitcase into the foyer. At first, both of them watched her like a hawk. When they saw she was not doing anything, they took turns watching her.

Then, just as she expected after seeing her patiently standing for over an hour, the Alpha-Beta pair got lax and left her in the foyer. Mila quickly took stock of who was where. No one important was close.

Knowing she couldn’t risk changing, she walked quickly towards the forest, the shortest route to the pack border. Once she reached the boundary, she could breathe easier. Taking a deep lungful of air, she speed-walked to the forest edge before sprinting towards freedom.

Trees flew past her as she sprinted in the direction of the border. The familiar landmarks flew past her. She had dressed in a tracksuit, so it looked natural to see her running.

Every few minutes, she would change direction to make it look like she was just out for a scenic run. Thanking the Goddess for her well-known habit of running, she could almost smell freedom. At one point, she heard the rustle of leaves.

Without thinking about it too much, she could tell that it was someone else also running in the woods. Just as the border was about a kilometer away, she decided to pick up her pace. There was something in the back of her mind telling her that she was being chased.

She knew that neither her father nor the Beta would even conceive of her running away. Briefly, she thought of her friends that might get interrogated once her absence was found out, but she also knew that because they knew nothing, they would not get hurt.

She saw the tree line beginning to break and knew the border was close. The pack territory conveniently had a road that signified the end of pack lands and the beginning of a human village. All she had to do was cross the road.

In a bizarre moment of humor, she thought, ‘Well, I now know why the chicken crossed the road.’ Smiling to herself, she increased her speed even more. She ran through the large clearing on the edge of the forest and grinned.

Just as her foot was three meters away from the road, a heavy, human weight collided with her back. Her body shuddered with pleasure, and she swore. Soon after the collision, she found herself in the air.

Just as she was trying to get her bearings, she landed on the hard chest and firm thighs of an Alpha male. Mila didn’t have to look to know who was underneath her. Her body was in ecstasy, and her mental tail was wagging happily.

Her jaw smacked onto the hard chest a second before her hands did. Her hands slid up the chiseled chest. She swore she could feel the ridges of what was probably an eight-pack.

A sense of pride in her mate welled up in her before she could control it. She scowled, ‘What a lousy mate.’ She heard a chuckle and looked up.

“Are you seriously trying to run away from me when you obviously want to take our position to the nude stage?” The arrogant Alpha scorned. “Let’s make things clear. I already have a mate, and so do you.”

He stood up with her still in his arms and put her over his shoulder. Alpha Rowan walked casually through the forest as if he had not been in pursuit of a runaway bride. His pace was calm.

“Wait, no!” She had been so close to freedom. She looked forlornly at the symbol of freedom as he strode in the opposite direction.

It was as if he were taking a leisurely stroll through the woods without a care in his heart. Mila glanced down and admired the firm male butt just below her head. He had really nice legs, too.

If they were real mates, she could indulge in touching those firm thighs and squeezing those tight glutes. She wondered what it would feel like and reached her hand up towards the two cheeks. Before she could think it through, both her hands squeezed Alpha Rowan’s back cheeks.

The Alpha stopped in his tracks. Seconds later, Mila was flipped right side up and placed on the ground in front of the Alpha. Alpha Rowan’s cheeks were tinged with a light pink color.

Mila peered at his face. “Are you blushing?”

Alpha Rowan frowned. “Don’t be ridiculous. All you did was squeeze my ass. I will warn you once: do not ever touch me.”

Mila rolled her eyes. “Fancy that coming from the Alpha who hauled me over his shoulder. The same goes for you too, buddy.”

Mila crossed her arms over her chest. She glared at the annoyingly attractive Alpha. There was no way she was going to let him be the absolute boss of her.

All the things she had learned in etiquette class flew out of the window. After all, he didn’t want her. Why should she bother being nice to someone who would gladly pick some imposter mate over her?

Alpha Rowan smirked at the little, defiant femme before him. She looked really cute when she was mad. He swallowed that thought quickly.

His Beta couldn't have gotten a better mate without the Goddess picking her out. His mind admired the brave femme for half a second longer before meeting her glare with one of his own. She had to understand who was the boss from day one.

He stalked towards her, and his smile grew as she stepped back with each of his own steps towards her. She yelped when her back hit a sturdy oak. The entire forest was quiet as if it was holding its breath.

Placing an arm above her head and leaning down to her level, he looked her straight in the eye. “Listen here, Beta Female. I run the pack with my Luna. YOU do as I say. That’s it.”

Seeing the fear and dislike in her eyes his head dropped to her ear. “If you ever run again, I will personally punish you. If you embarrass my Beta, I will make your punishment a public one. Do you understand?”

Mila nodded. On one hand, it was thrilling to be trapped between his hard body and the tree. On the other hand, it was such a solid reminder of what was rightfully hers that she would never be able to have.

“Words, Princess. I want to hear you say it.” He growled.

Mila swallowed audibly. “I understand.”

He backed away from her and smiled. “Good, now, we’re going to walk out of the woods together. You’re going to get into the back of the truck and you’re going to behave. If you try and bolt again,” he took a deep breath, “I will punish you in front of your pack.”

Alpha Rowan motioned for her to walk out of the woods and walked a respectful distance away from her. When they got to the Pack House, an almost brand new silver-grey 4x4 was parked right in front. The engine was running.

Alpha Rowan opened the door behind the driver’s seat, and Mila got into the car without a fuss. As she sat down, he reached over and pulled the seat belt across her chest, clicking it into place.

With a brief nod and her father and his second, he hopped into the truck and drove away.