Chapter 25

It felt like an eternity of racing before Alina had to stop to catch her breath, cheeks red and mouth partly falling open. She ran away. Again. Maybe it's something she did when faced with harsh reality. Resting her sweaty palms on her knees, the omega bent over, the air in her lungs burning as she inhaled the stinging cold.

She couldn't hear the Alpha anymore from beyond the trees, and there was no light as far as the eye could see behind all the obstacles of nature. It was dark and quiet, producing an eerie feeling to seep through the cracks in the tree bark or to rise from the mossy floor.

Alina heard stories.

Stories of omegas claimed by the Pure Alpha Hellhounds against their will. Alina had the misfortune of having heard stories of abuse and violence; omegas kept barefoot and pregnant and nothing more than pretty baby-makers and subserviently doting to their Alphas. Especially when they were Pure omega who are supposed to produce the superior breed when mated with the Pure Alphas.

When the omega first met Nate, Alina had not thought any of it, naturally those suppressants, along with the hatred towards Hellhounds, driving her away.

She had been preparing herself for this day for years, waiting for an Alpha who would be her mate. But not a Hellhound. That plan flew out of the window the minute she slept with Nate and got pregnant. Despite that, they worked an arrangement, but now that she knew he's a Pure Alpha, it complicated things—a lot.

Alina didn't want to spend the rest of her life cowering and submissive and never knowing if she'd be happy with him. They haven't told his parents about the baby and her identity yet, which made it more scary than usual. What if they want her to stay with them forever? Mate each other?

A twig snapped to her left, the sound of it almost echoing in the silence that surrounded the omega. Alina snapped her head in the direction of it; her body froze in time as she tried her best to zone into the area. She couldn't hear or see anything, but the omega could feel the presence of something nearby. Or, preferably, someone. As the college student lifted her chin to smell the air, and that's when she recognised the familiar, intoxicating scent.

Nate.

The omega stared at him, wanting to pull at her lower lip between her teeth but refraining. She didn't want to show her nerves, but the Alpha can no doubt sense them anyway. He's an Alpha, and his instincts will always be to protect the person bearing his child, and she knew that the longer they spend time together, the more Nate will be in tune with her feelings and able to sense what her needs are. He, no doubt, could sense the ongoing tension.

Nate still looked calm and collected, out of breath but showing no signs of nervousness. His long, brown curls were all spread out, tousled, and some of them matted to his forehead. No doubt, in a hurry to catch up with her. The clothes he had on were obviously slid on abruptly, the T-shirt sliding down his right shoulder. A slight shiver cascaded down her spine as she peeked at the exposed skin.

"Alina" The Alpha breathed, jaw clenched tight. "Why did you run away?"

She picked her head back up again, but this time, she caught his green gaze. Alina instantly felt hot under the stare, goosebumps prickling down her whole body. Licking her lips, she replied. "I...Why didn't you tell me you are a Pure Alpha?"

He twisted his lips. "I thought you knew."

"How would I know that?!"

"Because of this" The Alpha pulled the sleeve off from his shoulder, revealing an ancient letter carved on the side.

Alina gasped, eyes widening as she stared at those letters. Then it hit her that the night they slept, she did spot the mark glimmering against his skin but ignored it mostly because of those sinful lips. The omega was so distracted that she ignored one of the most obvious things staring right in her face. If only she had been more careful, they wouldn't have been in such a dire situation.

"I didn't know", She lamely finished.

"This changes nothing, Alina."

"You are naive if you think that", The omega gritted her teeth. "Once the council finds out about this...about our baby, then I don't know what's going to happen. We are having a pure breed pup, and that's not exactly an everyday instance."

They stared at each other, the crimson tint to her cheeks growing apparent as his eyes bored into hers. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes low.

"I know that alright. But that doesn't mean we cannot fight it—"

"Do you hear yourself? We are not talking about a pack Nate. Its a council. Highest authority above us. They may take away our baby."

His shoulders sagged. "I won't let them. Please let's not fight about this anymore. We need to first tell my parents about this, and then we will decide."

"Fine"

***

They decided that both of them should talk it out before heading to Nates parents. The whole idea seemed futile but no other way than to make themselves appear prepared.

On their way, Alina spotted a large painting of a Hellhound standing in the middle of a misty, darkened forest, its eyes glowing and taking the attention away from everything else that had been expertly drawn on the canvas. The omega tilted her head at the artwork, admiring it for a while.

They slid in the room and locked the door behind while Alina took in the surroundings. On the right side of the bed—where the omega stood—sat a lonely, blue velvet chair in the corner of the room, and it was angled directly towards the door. There was a large dresser against the wall, the only window in the room resting above it. There was no decor on the dresser besides for a long red runner across it, complimenting the cherry wood it was made of.

Across from the bed sat a gigantic fireplace made of white stone. There were random carvings made in some of the rocks, and when Alina moved around, small little glimmers of light twinkled in the dimly lit room, signifying that there were crystals of the sort embedded into the fireplace. There was a small mountain of wood inside with only a hint of a dying fire, and she pulled herself up to move closer to the heat.

"Is this your room?"

"Yeah. Used to be" The Alpha shrugged.

She stopped near the couch, her hand coming to grip the back of it. Alina huffed and decided to take her place on the couch, her actions slow and calculated. The omega sat down with a small bounce and rested back into the comfy cushions, her head falling back against the edge as she groaned. She sat like that for a few minutes, taking in the silence before lifting her head and looking around the room.

During that time, Nate went into the common kitchen and got her something to eat. He returned with a wooden bowl in his one hand and a wooden spoon in his other, the hot smell of chicken invading her nostrils. Nate and Alina locked their eyes as the Alpha neared her, his body now covered in black pants and a neatly buttoned tan shirt. When did he have the time to change?

"Thank you."

Before he could answer, a sharp knock echoed around the room. Nate took one last glance up and down her small frame that was sagging into the couch before he twisted in his spot. The Alpha trudged towards the door, cracking it open just inches, his body blocking whoever it was behind the door.

"What do you want, Sal?" Nate asked between the crack, making her straighten up in an attempt to see who this mysterious Sal was.

"Alpha, there are some people outside who want to meet you. I am afraid it cant wait." The voice said in a hushed whisper, but she could make the words out.

"Alright, alright. I'll be there in a minute. I gotta take care of something first," He pointed out before shooing the mystery man away.

"Who was that, Nate?" She asked, watched the man run his fingers through his hair. Something was wrong.

It took him a while to answer. Alina watched him shut the door before he walked towards her.

"Don't worry about who it is. Just finish your soup and go back to bed. Or maybe watching something on the television," He croaked, his hands trapped inside his pants pocket. "I'll be back soon. And don't leave this room, okay? If you need something, just call the number on the bedside. Someone will answer and get it for you. Other than that, I won't belong."

With that, the Alpha walked away and shut the door behind him.

***