Not My Alpha (Completed)

Chapter Twenty-Five - You're Not Going to Run

He sighed and tutted condescendingly. "You were doing so well, Samantha. Surely you aren't afraid of a little bit of rope?" He held out his arms to show me the tangled mess. As he continued speaking, he untangled the material and laid it over his knees. "I guess I understand. I mean, those humans were pretty nasty. You can actually thank them for this rope, here. They've got quite a few handy supplies." He paused, looking at my wary features. His grin slowly turned into a smirk. "I do have a good reason for this, though, and it's not just to torture you. We can't have you running off now, can we?"

I bowed my head, burying my glare. He reached for my hands, easily overpowering my feeble attempts at resistance. My wrists were then clamped in his meaty hands as he started an intricate knot, humming a tune in time with his movements. I tried to follow them, but it was impossible. He moved with precision and speed as if he did this countless times per day. Then again, he probably did.

He saw me watching him and suddenly paused, catching my eye. I carefully looked back at him as a thought crossed his features. He tilted his head side to side and frowned thoughtfully before finally speaking.

"New plan," he chirped.

At that, he started undoing the ropes around my wrists. I looked at him, bewildered, as my skin came back into view and he gathered the rope back in his arms. My body stayed frozen when he abruptly stood up and walked back to the small room, depositing the rope in the doorway. When he turned back to me, a different kind of smile was on his face. 

"You're not going to run."

My eyebrows involuntarily raised. He'd said the statement casually, as if he'd only been talking about the weather. When I stared into his red eyes though, I knew there was a more sinister meaning. 

"What?" I breathed out.

"You're going to stay by Samuel's side for when he wakes up." He said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world. 

My eyes darted to Samuel's unconscious figure. He was still laying by the fire, several blankets covering his body. They rose and fell evenly, keeping time with his heavy breathing. 

I slowly brought my gaze back up to Riley. "Why?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's part of the plan, isn't it?"

My face contorted in confusion. We'd never actually specified a plan for Samuel's and my new relationship, but it seemed Riley had it all figured out. Whether or not he decided to share that plan with me was still undecided. 

"Plus, like I said," he continued, his voice a tone darker. "You're not going to run."

"What makes you so sure?" I decided to play his game, if but for a moment. 

He laughed, but his expression told a different emotion. "Because if we wake up and you're gone, I would have no problem going back home and killing everyone before you even made it out of the forest."

My heart started to beat faster as his words sunk in. Even if I did have the chance to run, I wouldn't make it far. By the time the wolves noticed me missing, it wouldn't be hard to overcome me or run ahead. By the time they caught me again, everyone I knew could be dead. 

Riley noticed my panicked features and loudly scoffed. "Oh, come on now. You didn't think you'd actually be able to outrun a werewolf, did you?"

His words stung. They pierced my heart like a thousand knives. Of course, I thought I could outrun them. Of course, I thought I could get away. Of course, I had hoped things could be better. 

I was slowly realizing that hope was useless. 

I'd had more than enough chances to run, and they all ended the same way. I got caught. I got captured. And now, my family would pay the price for it. They would be killed if I didn't comply with everything the wolves told me to do. There was no way around it. They were smarter, faster, and stronger. I was merely a human who had the delusion I could escape them. The thought of freedom was nothing more than an unattainable fantasy.