Chapter 3 #2
A sharp jolt of electricity snaps between our skin. He jerks awake, and I recoil on instinct. His eyes widen, and he clicks his tongue, clearly irritated.
“Knock it off,” he snaps.
“That wasn’t me. I swear I don’t have any electrifying magic or anything like that,” I say quickly, shaking my head.
“Then quit yapping,” he mutters, cutting my words off.
Before he can shut his eyes again, I lean closer, twisting my body in the narrow space between the seats. I keep my distance this time, careful not to touch him, and lower my voice.
“Just answer me, alright? Or are you planning to kill me and dump me somewhere nobody’ll ever find?”
He glares at me, brows knitting hard. “If you don’t trust me, you’re free to walk.”
The bus slows just as the words leave his mouth. Before I can respond, Harlow stands, slings his backpack over his shoulder, and steps off. Confused, I scramble after him, weaving through the aisle and following him into the crowded terminal.
“Where are you going?” I call out over the noise.
He keeps moving, long strides cutting through the crowd. I’m left behind for a moment, swallowed by humans reeking of sweat and sharp floral chemicals that sting my nose.
“Wait. Harlow.”
I run, lungs burning, and grab the back of his flannel shirt. He stops short and turns, his face still sour, just like it was on the bus.
“Please,” I say, my voice already going hoarse. “I don’t know what’s happening. I wanna go back to Silver Moon, but I don’t know the way. And even if I do, my stepmother and stepsister will throw me out again. Alpha Gabriel doesn’t care about me either. And on top of that…”
My thoughts drag me back to the dungeon at the Blood Moon Pack. Alpha Alastair’s final roar echoes in my head, his face twisted with vengeance. If he ever catches me again, I don’t know if I’ll survive that prison a second time.
“I don’t know where else to go,” I whisper. “Please don’t leave me.”
My chest tightens. Breaths come shallow. I drop my gaze, fighting the crushing thought that I’m truly alone now, unwanted, unclaimed, unloved.
Harlow lets out a long sigh. His head dips, eyes closing as one hand drags through his hair.
“That’s why you oughta keep quiet and stick close,” he says. He pauses, then exhales again. “I used to work in Alpha Gabriel’s packhouse, an Omega servant.”
I look up, startled. After all that silence, the truth finally cracks through.
“So… you were sent?” I murmur, searching his dark eyes.
“Gabriel told me to bring you back,” he says calmly. “He knew it was damn near suicide, crossing Alastair like that.”
My chest tightens as he pauses for a breath.
“He was calling in a loyalty debt. Threw in a five-figure reward, too.” His gaze sharpens. “But seeing you like this, I figured you’d be better off somewhere else. Somewhere safe. Far from both of them.”
“What?” I choke. “So you’re betraying him? Why would you do that?”
Five figures is a fortune. Loyalty oaths are sacred. As an Omega servant, defying an Alpha could mean death. The weight of that realization makes my stomach drop. As the fear of what he risks for me sinks in, he crouches down in front of me.
“Lycans were supposed to be extinct centuries ago,” he says casually.
I blink as he ties the laces of my sneakers, fingers quick and steady. The scent of mint and pine rises, grounding me, easing something tight in my chest.
“The fact we’re still breathing is either a blessing or a curse,” he adds, tugging the knot tight. “Hard to say which. And you can’t even control your wolf yet.”
My breath catches. “How do you know that?”
“Can’t mind link with your wolf,” he replies, clicking his tongue. “Anyway, looks like we both have a target on our backs now. I chose to run. Lay low. Start over.”
He stands, adjusting his backpack, eyes locking onto mine. “Your call,” he says with a shrug, then turns and walks away.
I stand there, frozen, knowing he’s right. My home stopped being home the day my father died. Silver Moon gave me nothing but silence and scorn. And Alpha Gabriel, the man meant to protect me, sent one Lycan into enemy territory instead of coming himself.
Could I ever trust my future to someone like that? No. Maybe hope still exists somewhere beyond the packs. Maybe I just have to be strong enough to reach it.
“Wait up,” I call, running after Harlow.
Of all the men I’ve known, he’s the one I choose to trust. Just once more, I fight. Just once more.
* * *
I stare at the three story building in front of me.
Pink and purple lights trace its edges, glittering against the night like a bruise made of neon.
It looks wildly out of place among the dark, half abandoned structures on the city’s outskirts, a single pulse of life where everything else feels dead.
I lift my gaze to the sign glowing above the entrance and read it slowly. “Southern Star Club,” I murmur.
“Well,” Harlow says easily, like we’ve just pulled up to a diner off the highway, “this here’s safe enough. I’ll leave you to it.” He gives a casual wave, already turning away, and my eyes widen.
“Wait,” I blurt out. “You’re really gonna leave me here by myself?”
The words sound thin in my own ears. I’ve only just decided to trust him, to follow where he leads without knowing the road, and now he plans to abandon me outside a nightclub in the middle of nowhere.