Chapter 19: News

"A-Allan, we need to uh stop," she said softly. Against her skin, he smirked.

"I'm not sure you want to."

"Allan, I'm serious. Not now," he groaned, pausing his kiss on her neck. He was frowning at her for causing them to come to a halt.

"Well, if you don't stop pouting your lip, I won't have a choice," Althea said, freezing and rising from his lap. He stood up and went to the front door.

The wind blew her hair in every direction as they walked outside. They took her clothes off behind a tree, deep enough in the woods that no one could see her. She closed her eyes and imagined herself with her wolf. She had fur and four legs in seconds. She ran out into the woods to see Allan with a massive midnight black wolf. She took the time to marvel at his size. She wasn't even half as tall as him, and she liked feeling small in comparison to him.

Althea shook her head, realizing what she had been thinking. "F*ck, Althea, focus, you need to find a way to get away from him," she tells herself.

He approached her and playfully bit her shoulder. She could tell he wanted her to flee so he could pursue her. She dashed off to the trees, sprinting as fast as she could. She cast a glance behind her and noticed him leaning casually against a tall oak. She realized he was giving her a head start because he could easily catch her. She quickened her pace and pushed herself more and more. His pounding footsteps were gaining on her by the second.

Someone quickly tackled her as she was about to turn left. She put her paws out to block her face, but they switched positions. He took the brunt of the crash's force, and I landed on top of him. She growled and jumped to her feet; playing with Allan was enjoyable for both her and her wolf. Allan and Althea shifted and changed back into our clothes after a few more hours. We both emerged smiling and in a good mood.

"Hey, do you want to go for a walk or stay inside?" he inquired.

"Let's go for a walk, it's nice out," they said as they set out on a dirt path through the woods. They didn't say anything, content with the sensation of being close.

"Where are you taking me?" she inquired after ten minutes on the road.

"We're almost there," she said, scowling at him for not telling her where. The sun was setting above them, and the stars were starting to appear. Allan pointed ahead, forcing her to squint to see what it was. There was a small clearing in the middle of the woods with tall, wispy grass and the biggest tree she had ever seen in the exact middle.

The branches and trunk were twisted and gnarled, displaying their age. Some of the branches were so large that they nearly touched the ground. A vine of beautiful white flowers was growing on the trunk. This place was so peaceful and serene that Althea was speechless.

"Allan, this place is so beautiful," she said as she approached the tree. He put his arm around her waist.

"Not as lovely as you," he admitted.

looking up at me

"Allan, this place is so beautiful," she said as she approached the tree. He encircled her waist with his arm.

"Not as lovely as you," he admitted, looking down at her.

"Of course, you'd think that," he said, not realizing how corny he sounded.

"I'm not the only one who thinks that," he muttered to himself. She turned to look at him, perplexed.

"What?" she exclaimed. He still didn't respond after a few seconds of silence. "What are you talking about?" she yelled, raising her voice slightly. He gave her a frown and looked her in the eyes.

"Do not talk to me that way."

"All right, I'm sorry," she said.

~

Althea's eyes blinked open as she awoke from her deep sleep. She then looks around, recalling what had happened recently. She groaned and tried to stand up, but she was restrained. When she looked down, she noticed a pair of arms wrapped around her. "Oh f*ck, he's here, but I still can't get over my wet dreams last night," she frowns, slowly unwrapping his arms from her, thankfully not a death grip. He rolls over to his side of the bed as a result of her push. She values personal space, especially when it comes to serial killers.

She wouldn't mind being a thousand miles away for each one, but that might still be insufficient space. He turns around and pulls the entire blanket over him.

She sighs and gets out of his bed to get something to eat. She opened the fridge and found nothing, just like yesterday. She bit her lower lip and decided not to eat because there was nothing edible to eat.

She then walks back over to the bed and sits down. She turns on the television and flips through the channels, eventually landing on a news channel. She wondered if anyone was still looking for her. She was, after all, Allan's mate. Even if she managed to flee, she would still be in danger. There's no getting around it.

"Althea, a Pack resident, is still missing.

If you have any information about her, please contact your higher-ups so that we can all work together to find her "an early-age, blonde news reporter says She sighs and tilts her head. "How I wish things could return to normal. I wish I could just sit at the lunch table with Anthony. I wonder how he's doing without me. I know he's extremely concerned about me, but one day that would stop and he'd pretty much forget about me," she thought to herself.

Being forgotten has always been a secret fear of hers. Her other one is aging and dying, and the things she can't control frighten her the most.

Althea feels the bed shift and notices Allan sitting up, staring at her, looking down, and avoiding making eye contact. "Stop being heartbreaking, I can feel your loneliness," he tells her flatly.

She frowns, unable to suppress her sadness. He'd be like that if he felt anything. "How did I end up with this son of a jerk?" she said to herself.

"Sorry, I just miss my mom," she said, faking her puppy eyes at him.

"All right, relax," he says as he approaches her. She backed up and fell off the bed onto the hard floor. She moans in agony as she lies on the floor. Allan gets out of bed and walks over to her, his arms crossed.

"Don't try me, sweetie. I know you are just trying to trick me last night. I will not fall to that innocent face. I know how evil works more than you," he said, smirking at her.

"Don't be an idiot," he added as he turns around without helping her up.

"What a bad-mannered jerk monster!" she mumbles as she stands up, rubbing her chin. He comes to a halt and turns around, and she freezes, realizing he heard what she said. "Oh my gosh, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, shi-"

"I can be a lot worse than it was sweetie, just wait," he said, his voice dark and evil. That was justified by his smirk. She shivered as she retreated onto the bed and curled up in a ball.

"Anyway, we're going food shopping, and I can't leave you here alone I don't trust you, so you're going with me," Allan says as he puts on a jacket.

Althea wonders how people fail to recognize him. He's a criminal, especially with those white eyes. What about her? What if people recognize her? Althea hopes no one notices, but if they do, they will inform their Alpha.

Allan approaches and grabs her arms, yanking her off the mattress and towards the door. They leave the apartment building and get into a Mustang, but not the new one. He shoved her in and the child locked the doors; he knows she'd gladly jump out.

"All right," he says as he climbs into the driver's seat. "No talking or wandering off, or you'll be punished. Nod," he orders. She quickly nods, her mouth shut like a zipper, hoping that this one doesn't break. "Perhaps I can get some stuff I like," she mumbled. That would be the highlight of her life for the rest of her life.

The drive was quiet and brief. They were at the store in under fifteen minutes. It was enormous and impressive.

Allan pushes open her door and drags her out. She trips and falls against him, only to pull away quickly. "Don't look suspicious," he growls, rolling his eyes. Althean then nods, remaining close by. She was not interested in learning about his punishments.

He's a sadist, and torture wouldn't be a good fit for him. They then enter and grab a cart. "What do you want?" he inquires. Althea then points to the fruit section, at which point he nods and grabs three boxes of each strawberry available. Her eyes widened; she had never seen so many strawberries before. She also didn't believe Allan could afford it. She is perplexed as to how he obtained so much money.

They took a walk around the store, and she kept at least three feet away from Allan at all times, but no more than four.

It wasn't overly crowded, but there were people around. Nobody gave her a second glance, as if she were never a missing child.

Althea looks down at the ground and feels her head hit a hard surface. She raises her head, unimpressed. A buff man at least a foot taller than her stood in front of her. She averts her gaze and takes a timid step toward Allan. She hates to admit it, but if something bad happens, he might be able to protect her. But she wanted to die, so what was the point of that stupid mate bond, she reasoned?

The man stares at her with his gloriously beautiful eyes, "It's impolite to walk onto people, apologize," he says as he stands still. Unsure what to do, she bites the inside of her cheek.

Allan smiles at her, silently encouraging her to continue speaking. Either you get punished or you get beaten up and then punished. She wonders if he paid this guy to run into her because she wouldn't put it above him.

"Ohh, I-I'm sorry," she says quietly, hoping he heard. He nods and walks away to continue his shopping.

She then crossed her arms and pouted, knowing Allan had gotten his way today.