Taken For The Alpha ✔️ - 40 - Wattpad

Taken For The Alpha ✔️

by Midika

YOU ARE READING

Taken For The Alpha ✔️

Werewolf

18+ read at your discretion!
My hands tremble by my sides. "Don't sleep with her..."
He steps toward me, his eyes dark. "Why not?"
"Whatever you were planning to do to her tonight, do it to me instead," I whisper.

Scenes from the Story

Word Count: 3058

~Ayah

The forest canopy spins in great sweeping circles above me.

My entire body is buzzing, from my toes to my temples. My jaw is slack, my mouth already drying out. I can hear my heart in my ears, thumping so loudly it aches.

Zaon is immediately at my side, his distraught face appearing in my view.

"Ayah? Are you okay?" His voice sounds distant, like we are under water. "Ayah please tell me you're okay."

I blink rapidly, trying to clear the fuzz in my head. My fingertips burn from where I touched the flower, and I'm afraid that if I look at them, they will be singed to the first knuckle.

Zaon helps me sit up, brushing bits of the forest floor from my back and hair. I dazedly stare at my upturned palms, grateful to see nothing is array.

I almost died. I can still feel unconsciousness lurking in the back of my skull.

"What happened?" I ask, wetting my mouth with the flask of water Zaon offers me.

"Oh thank fuck." He releases a restrained breath, shaking his head. "You fell unconscious after touching the flower."

It sits on the ground, a few inches away from me. Thankfully, its ethereal petals aren't marred from me dropping it, having been caught on the spongy moss.

"It's magic is strong. I couldn't handle it." The magic still tingles in my fingertips, fighting to escape. It skulks across my skin, a reminder of its power, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand up.

The feeling is...creepy. It's nothing like how my magic usually feels. This is foreign and powerful, existing beyond me.

"If it does that to you, then it's not viable." Zaon's cautious fingers drag my hair off my temples, brushing it back behind my ear.

"No, it's perfect. There's so much magic in that flower, I'm certain it can amplify my own." I stare at it in wonder. "I'm just exhausted from our walk and wasn't expecting it."

The residual magic in my fingertips would be enough to heal Iris, I'm sure of it. While the power feels strange, it doesn't release its grip on me easily. I can use this, it will be enough.

Zaon smiles tentatively, although his uncertainty is palpable.

"This is good news."

Scene Continuation

"Let's get out of here. I plan on sleeping in a bed tonight, not on the forest floor." I let him help me up to standing. "You'll have to hold the flower. If you put it in your bag, you'll crush it, and I don't know how that will impact it's effectiveness."

I resume my position draped over Zaon's back, my sore ankle swinging beside him as we walk back the way we came. He holds the flower gently in his hand, keeping its petals pristine and unmarred.

We walk for a while, Zaon's strength and pace not waning a single bit. However, I quickly notice he's more uncertain about where he is stepping.

"I don't believe we are going the right way," he finally admits, pausing to take in our surroundings.

"You're right. This doesn't look familiar." I sigh, dejected. I want to feel bad that he's carrying me, and that might be how we've wound up lost, but I'm too grateful to not be walking in these miserable boots.

"This is...inconvenient."

"Oh no. Please don't say we are lost." I grip tightly onto his shoulders. I can't bear to sleep out here tonight.

Not to mention the danger of what could happen to the flower if we're forced to sleep out in the open.

Rising Conflict

"I can get us out of here. Don't worry." Zaon pats my arm where it is draped over his shoulder.

"I'm finding it hard not to," I mumble.

"I can hear a river up ahead. If we cross, I believe I can get us back to the road." He immediately starts toward it, a power and purposefulness to his gait that immediately brings me some comfort.

He's right, I can hear the river too. The rush of water over rocks slinks through the trees, growing in volume the closer to it we get.

"I hope so." I stifle a yawn. "Dying in here isn't what I had in mind when I said I wanted freedom."

He grunts in agreement. We continue walking, the bush growing denser until the river reveals itself.

It's far larger than I expected. It's wide and relatively shallow where Zaon sets me down, although it drops off into a rush of rocks and rapids before spiraling down the slope narrowly and to a larger pool at the bottom.

The Crossing Challenge

One slip crossing, and the rapids will suck us in, bash us around the rocks and spit us out at the bottom either severely injured, or dead.

Even if I made it to the bottom, I would drown. I never learnt to swim.

"Alright, we're going to have to cross." He steadies me now that I've been set down.

My attempt to rest my weight on my ankle only brings a sharp sting of pain. I favor it, only the toe of my boot brushing against the forest floor. I'm not sure how I'm going to be to cross in this state, but if I try on Zaon's back, I'll only risk sending us both hurtling down the river.

"Surely there has to be another way around," I say anxiously, looking at our surroundings.

"I doubt it. Plus it will mean a lot more walking." He slips his pack back over his shoulders, having had to carry it while I was braced on him.

He continues holding the flower tentatively, the petals gleaming in the waning light. It will be night soon, making it more dangerous to cart the precious amplifier around.

"We may as well try." I rest my hand against a thick trunk, keeping my weight off my foot.

I can't expect Zaon to continue carting me around on his back. He might be an Alpha, but I'm sure he is feeling fatigued.

He eyes me skeptically. "Can you do this, Ayah? You really don't want to fall into this river."

I follow the curve of the river with a tentative gaze, biting down on my lip. It seems to appear angrier the more I stare, water flicking up from where it rushes against the rocks, promising our demise if we're to fall.

"Yeah. That wouldn't be great," I mutter bleakly.

"I mean, there's a chance that if the rocks don't get us, we'll be able to swim to the edge. Still, I don't want to try our luck," he says.

I sigh. "Well this may come as a surprise, but in all my time being locked in one room, I didn't learn to swim."

Decision Point

Would he save me, or would he let me sink to the depths of the river? I doubt he would let his sister's one chance at life slip through his fingers, but one can't be too trusting in this situation.

"Are you sure you want to do this, then?"

"It's a bit late to do otherwise, isn't it?" I really don't want spend the night out here, and the sky is already beginning to darken.

"Come on then, it will be fine." Zaon sidles close to me, winding his arm around my back. "Hold onto me the entire time, alright?"

I nod anxiously as we approach the river. It churns and swirls around, licking up the land toward the toes of our boots. One glance at Zaon and I can see the flower glistening in his hand, held tightly but carefully.

The Instinct to Survive

We step into the water, and I immediately feel the strength of its pull against my ankles. My grip tightens on Zaon as we make slow steps onward, me trying my hardest not to grit my teeth into my lip as pain lances up my ankle.

"You okay?" He asks as I stumble a bit over a slick rock.

I nod, unable to pull words together. The water has reached up to our thighs, and is rigidly cold. At least it's soothing some of the pain in my ankle, or perhaps it is only plunging it into complete numbness.

We make it to the other side of the river. I'm relying heavily on Zaon's sturdy frame. He's practically dragged me across with one arm, clinging to me while I look at where the river merges with the rocks before tumbling into rapids.

"Alright, step up," he coaxes calmly, hanging back a step to brace me as I lean toward the edge of the bank.

Only for a chunk of it to fall away under my feet, slinking into the water and tipping me off balance.

I teeter to the side, my injured ankle unable to bear my weight. I fall, feeling Zaon reach around to grab my arm enough to yank me back up, but my wet skin glides through his fingers and I plunge into the stream.

Near Fatal Consequences

Ice cold water envelopes me, the current immediately dragging me out of Zaon's grasp.

I can hear him yell, although that sound isn't clear until I emerge above the surface for a breath. He's already a few feet away, his expression morphed into panic.

I thrash, being pulled under the current again. I can't swim, only flail, reaching around for anything to grab before I'm tossed down the rapids to my certain death.

Mercifully, I manage to snag the sharp edge of a rock in my hand, grabbing it with all my strength. I'm pulled toward it, my biceps straining as I force my head from the water.

"Help!" I shriek, the sound strangled as water spills down my throat.

"Ayah!" Zaon rushes toward me, the water tugging him along. "Grab my hand!"

He reaches down at me, but both my hands are lodged around the rock, my feet dangling behind me. I'm right at the mouth of the fall down the slope and into the rocks. If I fall now, I'm doomed.

"I can't...I can't let go!" I exclaim desperately.

The tips of my fingers are painfully numb, scraping against the harsh edge of the rock. Every inch of my strength keeps me up, afloat, but barely. It's waning quickly, threatening to send me plummeting if my willpower collapses.

Zaon leans down further, his face etched with fierce concentration. He is just as likely to fall as his hand delves until the water toward the rock, white wash swirling around us, flicking up against my face.

His strong fingers wind around my wrist, grabbing me tightly.

His eyes meet mine. "Trust me, I've got you."

"I'm going to slip!"

His other hand delves under the surface, grabbing both my wrists this time. I immediately feel his strength as he pulls me against the current of the water, the sound of it loud in my ears.

I relinquish my grip on the rock, choosing to trust him as he lifts me toward him. Once I'm close enough, he wraps his arm securely around my waist, his body warm against the chill of the water.

"Grab a hold of me." His voice is calm in my ear, steadying me as I oblige his command.

Rescue and Reflection

This time, we manage to make it to the bank and out of the water safely. My clothing feels heavy, clinging to my skin as I drag myself out and collapse straight onto the grass, violently coughing up water.

Zaon kneels beside me, dragging in deep breaths. He looks wild, dark hair draped over his skin, absolutely soaked. If I had the presence of mind, I might think he looks mouthwatering, his shirt clinging to the muscles of his abdomen and the muscles of his arms.

I spit one last time into the grass before I rise onto my knees. "Holy fuck. I almost died."

Zaon shifts closer, tugging me against him. I don't resist, immediately leaning into his warmth.

"You're in shock, just breathe." He rubs my arms, forcing warmth into them. He himself is shaking, although I can't be sure if that's from the cold or from shock of his own.

I glance at him. "You saved me..."

He didn't even hesitate. He charged straight into the river, risking his own life to get me out. I'm not sure that I would have had the courage to do that if I were in his position.

His face softens. "Of course I did."

I inspect his hands once he pulls away. They are empty, and the space around the riverbank is also bare.

"Where is the flower?" My voice trembles.

He sighs, bowing his head. "It's gone."

My eyes widen, my near death experience suddenly forgotten. I can hear my heart beating in my throat, knowing that if we lost the flower, all we've been through will be for nothing.

"What?" My throat is so dry it aches, even after all the water I swallowed. "No, it can't be."

"I needed both hands to grab you." He sweeps his soaked hair off his forehead.

"So you dropped it?"

"I tried to throw it but it was too far and it weighed too little. It landed in the water and was washed away," he explains forlornly.

My head falls into my hands. "Fuck...this can't be happening."

We could try check down the river, but the sky is darkening and it will have been washed far away by now. Zaon's one chance of saving his sister has been dashed, and my chance at freedom is gone.

"I'm sorry Ayah. It was you or the flower," he murmurs.

"That flower was what we needed, I could feel it. " There was so much magic contained in just one flower. Just a touch of it would fuel me enough to heal Iris. "Now it's gone."

"We will find another amplifier."

"Will we?" My voice is hoarse. "My father never could. This was our one chance Zaon, and I ruined it."

His brow creases and he takes my hand. The touch is so tender, although I'm too embroiled in self loathing to notice. If only I had been more careful about stepping onto the riverbank, testing my weight against it before I tried to step up, Zaon would never have had to save me.

"You didn't ruin anything." His thumb drifts back and forth over the skin of my hand soothingly.

"I know you only saved me because of my powers." I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing back to urge to burst into frustrated tears. "Fuck, you should have let me go."

"Don't say that," Zaon growls. "Regardless of your powers, Ayah, I would have saved you. A million times over."

My breath catches. "You...really?"

He lifts my hand, pressing a kiss against my fingers. His mouth is so soft, and his gaze is so earnest.

"Yes Ayah. Of course," he breathes.

I'm transfixed by him, utterly enamoured in this moment, my frustration forgotten. "Why?"

What I'm really interested in, is what he isn't telling me. There is more to the press of his gaze into my skin than he is willing to reveal. I want to dig into his thoughts and figure out if he feels the same way about me as I do him.

He opens his mouth to respond, before he pauses, angling his head.

"People are approaching," he whispers.

I strain to listen, but I don't hear anything behind the wild rush of the river.

"What? Out here?"

A line of concentration burrows between his brows, his entire body tense. Whatever he's hearing, he doesn't like it.

Suddenly, he's on his feet, reaching for me.

"Can you stand?"

"I guess so."

I let him help me up, bearing my bodyweight against him. He seems nervous, which probably means I should be nervous as well.

Suddenly, a group of three males appear from the forest like. They would look innocuous if it weren't for their matching, all black attire and the weapons strapped to their backs.

"Alpha Zaon, the sighting was correct," one of them states, a scar running along his jaw. "What are you doing out here?"

Realization dawns on Zaon's face, but he doesn't relax. "Ah, Nevan's men."

Nevan? I'm fairly certain this is his pack we are occupying, and Zaon told me earlier he lives in close proximity to this forest.

I keep pinned against the Alpha, knowing I wouldn't be able to keep myself up without his support. I'm sure it's a strange sight, especially since we are soaking wet.

"He sent us to greet you, when a sighting was made within his pack borders," the male explains. I still can't decipher whether his tone is friendly or not.

Zaon nods his head tightly. "Give Nevan my best."

"He has requested your presence back at his manor."

"Kindly pass on my behalf, would you? My...friend and I have other business to attend to." Zaon's grip tightens on my waist.

I really hope I'm not about to get between Zaon and a fight.

"I'm afraid he has insisted." The male shifts, raising a pointed brow. "Being that you are on his land, unannounced, sir."

Zaon grimaces, realizing we're cornered. If we leave, tentative pack relations could be impacted. But if we stay, we have to see an Alpha who Zaon explained is incredibly wild and unpredictable.

"Very well. How far is his estate from here?"

"Not far. We will guide you back." The male looks at me, gaze dropping to my ankle. If he cares that I'm injured and a further walk through the forest will only hurt me more, he doesn't show it.

The guards all turn, walking back into the forest with the expectation that we follow.

"Zaon...what's happening?" I ask anxiously.

"Everything is fine," he assures me, although his eyes are cold and distant. "We're going to visit an old friend of mine."