His Claim

Chapter 4

Kaia's POV

The ride is silent; his eyes never glance in my direction. His gaze is fixated onto the road ahead of him, his stone face holding no emotion.

The silence in the car is icy and uncomfortable. I shift my legs uncomfortably, my hands resting in my lap with chilliness.

My wolf stirs restlessly in my mind, the smell of the outdoors enticing my primitive claim. My fur side wanted to escape him, she feels threatened by his wolf. His eyes drift onto my face for a moment, his boring stare impossible to ignore.

A short sob escaped my lips, and he clenched his jaw. Anguish struck me to my core, shattering my soul into pieces as I began to cry out my sadness. He let out a low growl, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"Please relax." He pleaded, his knuckles turning bone white as he clenched them. My lips quivered in response , and his reprimand only caused more sadness to seep from my pores.

His words mean nothing to me, how can I relax after what has happened to me? I shy away from his form, hiding behind the curtain of protection that my hair provides. I inhale the scent of my favorite shampoo, the lavender smell proving some comfort for me.

His eyes blazed with a striking silver, pupils dilating as they stared me down. His lips slowly curled upward in a growl, but the car halted suddenly. I was thrown forward, and a bloodcurdling scream escaped my own lips. A low growl came from his direction and I closed my eyes in fear. He threw his arm out in front of me, canines glinting in the light. My vision blurs for a moment before I'm inches away from his face.

"I'm not the monster you think I am, Kaia." He said, eyes meeting mine before he pulled a clump of tissues out of his center console reluctantly. He tossed them in my direction, eyes slowly drifting back to the road. I took the clump of cotton and dabbed at my eyes, my lips parted slightly.

"How do you know my name?" I say with a shaky voice. I feel weak and I struggle to hide my fear.

His eyes soften, no longer resembling unbreakable stone. Showing me a vulnerable side to him, I feel undeserving.

I lifted my head, and looked in his direction with a confused expression.

"You're going to make a great leader for my pack." He said, eyes showing the slightest glimmer of hope. I turned my head towards the window, unsure of what to say. His gaze lingered on my face for a few seconds before he pressed his foot on the pedal again, his jaw clenching.

My eyes widened and I felt my heart drop into my stomach.

I was obviously extremely apprehensive about becoming another leader of another pack.

I let out a shallow breath through my gritted teeth and I pressed a hand against my forehead.

I swallowed a ball of spit and wiped beads of sweat from my forehead, despite the temperature outside. I couldn't imagine myself leading any other pack other than Redwood. The thought trickled into my mind and it made me gag instantaneously.

"I can sense your apprehension, Kaia." He said sharply. I ignored him and continued to stare at the forest rushing by. His grip on the wheel tightened and he let out a low sigh.

Obviously I was apprehensive. A mangled snarl managed to escape my throat and rung out in the air loudly. He turned his head slightly, giving me a disapproving look while my lips curled back in a growl. My eyes burned into his, staring the Bloodmoon Alpha down with the superiority of a Western wolf. His brows furrowed as a bright silver began to pool across his pupils. It wasn't hard to tell that I was pissing him off, challenging this King for his throne.

"I'm not going to tolerate this disrespect from you." He growled without looking away from me. The edge to his voice made a fear stir in my stomach but I refused to look away.

His hand flew off the while and gripped around the hem of my shirt in an instant, pulling my face nearly an inch away from his. I let out a loud gasp, my hands finding the fabric of his shirt and trying to push him away. I press the edge of my fingernails into his skin, trying to inflict some sort of damage onto him.

Fear immediately comes over me as he drifts his face closer to mine.

He may be a trained Alpha with war-scars, experienced and stoic, but I'm much swifter than he is. I slip out of his grasp as he lets his guard down, my eyes immediately darting to the door. His body slams against the opposite window as the car begins to drift to the curb violently.

The scene is a blur as I press my fingers into the unlock-button, desperately trying to open the door. I growl in anger as I rip the button from the door with my bare fingers. It flies out of sight as the fuming Alpha holds his head in pain.

A scream erupts from his lips as he quickly obtains control of the car, foot slamming onto the brake. Lucky for me, his foot bites through the metal of the pedal and it snaps in half. My heart pounds in my chest as I push the door open, the car rumbling ominously. The road rushes by dangerously, but I jump from the car door.

I'm slammed into the concrete almost immediately, fear setting in as my skin scrapes against the ground. The last thing I hear is his angry screams, watching me from the driver's seat as he tries to stop the spiraling car. As I lay on the freezing concrete, fear sets in deep.

Did I just dig my own grave?

An eagle cries from the sky, a single feather fluttering down from where it swooped upwards. I scan the ruthless forest in front me, a million different strange scents swarming my nose. Even if I tried to go home, it's not like I'd know where to go. I'm a stranger to this place, the Far North.

I slowly step over the guardrail uneasily, my heart thumping with each passing second. The dry leaves crunch as I step onto them and I cringe for a moment. Blood rushes through my skull as I try to devise some sort of plan.

If I continue to stand here, then he could easily find me.

This thought has me disappearing into the shadow of a tree, shielding myself from the road. I take a deep breath.

I pull my clothes off, bringing the jacket to my nose, smelling Quinton's scent one last time before I toss it into the dirt. It doesn't smell anything like me. Only him. I can't remember the last time I smelled like me. I used to smell like my home. Of flowers and green tea, fresh-brewed lemonade and cattle meat.

Tears trickle from the corners of my eyes as I peel my sticky boots off.

I was seen as a novelty, nothing more than a prize, a trophy to the Alpha. He may have had the upperhand but when I wasn't cast under his spell, I knew the truth.

The thought brings another cloud of sadness over me, and I begin to cry. I blubber like the adult I am, sobbing into my hands until my eye makeup is completely smothered onto my skin.

It hurts, being alone.

A cold wind brushes by as I cover my chest, stepping into the cover of the woods as tears run down my cheeks. The trees sway uneasily in the wintery wind, their branches creaking like old bones. I press my palm against the bark of a trunk, a bit of dry debris coming off onto my fingers. My wolf howls from inside of me, a slight yip escaping my lips. Bones cracking and taking a new form.

I take a deep breath and begin to run, my legs aching each time they meet the ground.
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