Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Alpha Maximus
Struggling to sleep after losing my best friend, my sweet little Hope screams, dreaming of the
explosion and Nathan dying. I wake her, and she bursts into tears.
‘Nathan didn't do anything wrong. He didn't deserve to die,’ she says.
I wish I could have prevented her from seeing it, from being there; Nathan's death, the explosion; Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
all of it.
My mind replays the moment the white car’s window wound down, revealing a gun, pointed at the
petrol tanker; knowing straight away, if a bullet hit the target, the whole place would explode. I prayed
to the Moon Goddess we would outrun the explosion in time.
Wanting to forget it, I nuzzle my face into Hope's neck, while my tears drip down her neck. I listen
to her heartbeat as she sleeps.
Waking up, Hope gently strokes my face on her lap, while we stare into each other's eyes; we
have to keep moving.
We crawl out of the makeshift shelter.
‘Where are we?’ She asks.
‘I have no idea, but we have to keep moving,’ I answer.
Shifting into Chaos, I help Hope onto my back, and I run for hours. There’s a city in the distance
with lots of tall buildings. When we get closer, I shift back into human form; shirtless. I might attract
unwanted attention.
I watch Hope climb over a little picket fence and fall down, letting out a squeak. She gets up, dusts
herself off and moves towards a clothesline.
She isn't very good at being quiet; she must trip on every stick and stone, and kick every item on
the ground, making such a ruckus. She runs back into my arms waving a grey shirt at me.
‘Here you are,’ she says, catching her breath, and I have to laugh at her efforts.
‘What?’ She asks, and I smirk, and shake my head.
‘Don't worry,’ I say, pulling the shirt over my head. It’s very tight and Hope stifles a laugh.
‘Well, it's better than nothing,’ I say, shrugging my shoulders.
We walk down the road and pass a sign that says Welcome to Blissville.
Hope and I look at each other, with our brows raised.
‘I've never heard of Blissville. Let’s go suss it out. I'll contact Beta Alex to organise transport for us.’
The traffic is built up, car horns beep and drivers yell. There are hundreds of tall buildings and
thousands of shops. This is one big city. We walk through the busy streets until we feel safe enough to
relax for a while. I take my phone out of my back pocket; the battery is low and I don't have my wallet. I
call Alex.
‘Alpha!’ He whispers. ‘Is that really you?’
‘Of course, it's me. Why are you whispering?’ I ask.
‘Alpha... our pack house... we’ve been overtaken by numerous packs who all attacked us at once.
They told us to join their packs or die. Half the pack didn't put up a fight; they joined them. The rest of
us; we’re all in hiding at the moment, until you return,’ he explains.
‘Fuck,’ I say. Hope looks at me; worried.
‘Alex, Hope and I are stranded in a town called Blissville. My phone will be flat by the end of the
day. I don't have my wallet to get a hotel or anything.’
‘Can't Nathan pay?’ He asks and I go silent. ‘Alpha? Are you still there?’ Alex asks.
‘Yes, I'm here. Alex... Nathan is dead. One of the other packs blew a petrol station up while we
were there. Hope and I only just got out in time.’ Alex starts crying.
‘He can't be dead! He can't be!’ Alex cries.
‘I'm sorry. I know we were all like brothers. They want to kill Hope. I can't let that happen.’
‘I have a friend in Blissville. Sally. She is human though so she doesn't know about us. I’ll text you
her address, call her and let her know to expect you. As soon as I have Bella safe, I’ll transfer money to
Sally's account for you.’
‘Can you and Bella get here to Blissville?’ I ask.
‘It would take us over a week to drive to Blissville. I don't want to risk the baby being born on the
way,’ he says.
‘The Moon Fall pack. Alpha Dan. I think we can trust him. Take Bella and anyone else with you to
his pack. You will be safe there. And Alex, don't tell anyone where we are, okay?’ I order.
‘I won't say anything, Alpha. I’ll do what I can to get the rest of the pack safely to Alpha Dan,’ he
replies, and the call ends.
‘What happened?’ Hope asks, worried, her hand on my arm. My phone beeps; Alex has texted the
address.
‘We can't go home. It has been overtaken. Pack members have either joined them or fled,’ I
explain.
Hope gasps and her hand flies to her mouth.
‘This is my fault! If we hadn't met, Nathan would still be alive and you would still have your pack!’
She cries.
‘Hope!’ I say, sternly. ‘Nathan's death is not your fault. This is Alpha Tate's doing! I would happily
give up my alphahood if it means being with you,’ I say.
She looks up at me, wiping tears from her eyes. I pull her close to my chest.
‘I'm sorry. You mean so much to me. I would die for you,’ I say.
‘I'm sorry,’ she whispers, and I gently kiss her lips. The sparks flying through my body drive me
crazy with lust and desire for her.
‘We need to find this address,’ I read her the text and she nods.
‘Excuse me sir,’ she says, sweetly, to a man walking past. ‘Can you please tell me where I can find
this address?’ She asks, and he smiles.
‘It's about ten blocks that way,’ he says, pointing to her right.
‘Thank you, sir,’ she replies.
‘You’re very welcome, beautiful,’ he says, winking.
I growl, take her hand, and steer her away from the man flirting with her.
‘You don't have to growl,’ she says.
‘I will growl at anyone who flirts with you,’ I say. Hope rolls her eyes, playfully. We are in a
residential area with lots of houses.
‘There!’ Hope says, pointing to a street sign. We enter the street and find a cream-coloured house
with a simple yard. We knock on the front door and a woman with short brown hair and pretty brown
eyes answers the door. She is a little taller than me.
‘You must be Hope and Max. Alex just told me your car was hijacked and they took your wallet,’
she says.
‘That's correct,’ I say, looking at Hope.
‘Please, come in,’ she says, and we follow her into the house.
‘We really appreciate you taking us in for the night,’ I say, smiling.
‘Anyone who is a friend of Alex, is a friend of mine,’ she says, smiling in return. ‘Are you hungry?’
‘Starving, actually,’ Hope says.
‘Please take a seat, I’ll make you something to eat,’ Sally says.
I sit down expecting Hope to sit next to me, but she sits on my lap, and I wrap my arms around her.
‘So, how do you know Alex?’ I ask. Sally immediately blushes.
‘We were dating, quite a few years ago, before I moved to Blissville,’ she says. ‘I hear he has
settled down, and has a baby on the way,’ she says, smiling.
‘Yes, Bella. She is due very soon,’ I answer.
‘I'm very happy to hear he is doing well,’ she says, putting two plates of spaghetti bolognaise in
front of us.
Hope sits next to me, and we scoff the spaghetti bolognaise down. Sally is little shocked by how
fast we eat.
‘You guys are hungry,’ she says, and Hope nods.
‘This is delicious!’ Hope says.
After dinner, Sally shows us to her spare room.
‘You can sleep in here. The bathroom is just there if you need it,’ she says.
‘Thank you so much,’ Hope says.
‘No worries,’ she replies, leaving us to relax.