C3- Alpha King Elijah

Vynessa's POV

He's following me. The man from the bar– he's following me. My senses are on high alert as I deliberately stick to crowded streets, weaving in and out of pedestrians as I try to lose myself in the sea of people.

Hoping I've finally lost him, I glance over my shoulder.

Worst move! Terrible, fear magnifying , stupidest move. The man? He's there, about thirty feet behind me, his eyes fixed intently on me as he squeezes through the crowd with ease.

He's not…

“Shit sorry,” I apologize, bumping painfully into a grumpy teenager.

“Fucking bitch!” The girl yells back, storming off.

I glance behind me again, confirming how he's not even trying to hide.

I pick up my pace, my aching feet pounding the pavement as I try to put some distance between us. But no matter how fast I walk, the man keeps pace with me, his eyes never leaving mine.

Not even once!

Suddenly a middle-aged woman with a bag of groceries falls into step beside me. She's a bit out of breath when she leans in close and whispers, "Someone's following you!"

I nod, goosebumps covering my hands. I don't dare look back, don't want to confirm what I already know. The woman's eyes flicker to the side, and I sense her gaze lingering on the man behind us.

Without a word, the she keeps pace with me, her presence a comforting shield. "Do you want to go to the police station?" She asks, her voice sure.

I nod eagerly hurrying after her as she quickens to her silver car, parked just a few steps ahead of us. She opens the car door and ushers me in, shutting it behind me. There's a sense of safety within me as she gets into the driver's seat and locks the doors. But as I turn to look out the window, I realize ….

Something's off.

The man who was chasing me is standing on the sidewalk, a smile spread across his face. He's not even trying to follow us anymore. It's almost as if he knows something I don't.

A chill runs down my spine as I try to slowly turn back to the woman, but before I can, I feel the cold end of a gun pressed against my cheek. My heart freezes, and I'm paralyzed with fear.

The woman's voice is harsh when she speaks next. "You're not going anywhere, prey."

My eyes widen in horror as the unknown person behind me chuckles darkly.

"W..who are you?" I demand, trying but failing keep my voice steady.

The woman's eyes glint with amusement, and she seems to savor my fear. "Someone who's been hired to take care of you," she says, her voice dripping with malice. The cold metal of the gun presses harder against my cheek, making me wince. I try not to move, but my body is already tense with fear.

"Don't move," the woman hisses, her breath cold against my ear.

I'm thrown back against the seat as the car speeds away from the curb. The woman speaks again, her voice collected as she directs it to the phone stuck on her car. "We've got her." She says a hint of pride in her tone.

"Don't fucking harm her. She's our only way of getting that hardened bastard to do our bid." A rough voice responds from the other end.

For a brief moment the woman's eyes flicker towards me, and I sense a glimmer of warning in her gaze. "Carried, boss," she says.

The man beside me, unexpectedly begins to trail the gun down my cheek. My heart pounds as his finger traces the curve of my jaw before sliding down my V-neck blouse. Bile rises up my throat as his gaze lingers on my chest.

"Boss, can we at least get a taste of her?" He asks, his voice low and suggestive.

The rough voice comes through the speaker immediately the words leave Gerald's mouth. "Gerald, why do you always have to ask the dumbest questions? That right there belongs to Alpha King Elijah. One scratch on her, and we could all lose our damned lives." Their boss' voice drips with warning.

Gerald's gaze flicks back to my face, his eyes narrowing slightly. The man continues, his words hot and calculating. "This is risky enough. This way, he'll at least hear of us. Hopefully give us a little bit of ranking in the shitty system.”

But just then the woman's eyes flicker towards the rearview mirror, her expression twisting into a snarl.

"Shit!" She spits, her voice hard. "We've got company boss!"

I subtly follow her gaze, seeing a sleek, black car is tailing us. The tinted windows of the long bus reflect the sunlight like dark diamonds.

Gerald, the man beside me, twists around to look, his gun still trained on me. "What the...?" he mutters.

The woman swerves the car, surging forward as she takes a sharp turn into a secluded street. My stomach lurches with the sudden movement.

"Hold on!" She yells, her eyes darting between the road and the mirror.

The sound of police sirens pierce the air, bringing me greater fear and hope at the same time as it grows louder with every passing second.

The woman's face turns grim. "We've got to lose them!" she growls, taking another sharp turn.

Gerald's gun presses harder against my skin, making me shiver in fright as tears pool up in my eyes. “P…please, I swear I didn't do anything.” I beg.

"Oh I know sweetheart. Keep your head down alright," he sneers. "This might get bumpy."

"Boss, we've got an additional problem," The woman says, her eyes flicking towards the rearview mirror. "The police, they're onto us too.” She continues, her voice rising in panic.

But instead of concern, the boss's response is a sadistic laughter that makes me cold with disgust.

"Bullshit." He says, his voice dripping with amusement. "Those are definitely Alpha King Elijah's boys."

Alpha King Elijah? Who the hell is that? How am I robed in all these mess?!

"Shit! There's about twelve of them. We're so fucked." The woman visibly panics now, making me squeak when we barely escape a crash into a trailer.

Gerald, the man beside me, covers my mouth with his smelly hand, speaking up, "No Lisa, we aren't. As long as we get to the boss."

But the boss's response counters his words quickly. "Oh, well, as long as you get to me with his mate unharmed. One scratch on her, and we're dead meat."

Do they think I'm friends with this Alpha King Elijah?

Gerald frowns in confusion before speaking again. "But aren't all meats dead already?" He says thoughtfully.

Even I send him a glare, shocked by his stupidity. Without much time to phantom what's going on, I see a car barreling towards us. It's heading straight for Gerald's side, and I know it's inevitable as we're surrounded on all side.

We're going to crash.

Everything happens in slow motion. First I notice the car's front bumper inches from Gerald's window, and then it's slamming into us. The impact is immense as I'm thrown against the door.

Gerald's body crumples against the door, his head whipping to the side. I hear the sound of shattering glass and crunching metal, my ears ringing from the impact.

I jolt forward as the car's tires blow out, the sound of sharp objects shredding the rubber, echo through the air. The car screeches to a halt, throwing me against the seat.

The woman's eyes widen in panic as she still struggles to maintain control of the wheel, but it's too late. The car shudders and lurches, finally coming to a stop.

Gerald groans, clutching his side as he tries to sit up. "Get out," The woman spits. "We need to get out of here, now."

But it's too late.

The doors are already being yanked open, and rough hands are reaching in to drag us out.

As I'm pulled from the wreckage, I'm shocked when a medical team rushes towards me, their faces etched with concern. Their steps are hurried as they surround me, briefly checking my vitals. I'm helped into an ambulance, where the medical team continues to care for me, giving me a warm blanket, against the cold evening, their hands massaging my shoulders.

Through the open doors of the ambulance, I can see Gerald and the woman being handcuffed, their faces twisted in desperation as they plead for their lives.

An angry looking police offer marches over. “You have the right to remain silent…” He starts, but then, a deep, heart-chilling voice cuts through the air, muting everything.

"Silence!" The command is soft yet strong, light yet weighed with hatred.

I look around trying to decifer who'd just spoke. And then I see him.