Alpha Loren novel Chapter 45

November 3rd

And so we ran. The ground was beginning to get less flat which I hoped was a hint that we were at least going in the right direction. Milly was beginning to get tired so we had to slow down a bit as the ground got less and less even. 

Fortunately, the two men from the clearing had not seen us and didn't appear to be following, but we kept going all the same - it wouldn't be long till the war began to catch up with us.

"My legs hurt," Milly said after about 40 minutes, we had only moved about 10 miles which meant we had a long way to go before we reached safety.

"Only a little bit further now," I lied.

"Can we have a rest?" She asked.

"When we get there," I said readjusting my grip on her hand. Running through an unmanaged forest is one thing, pulling along a 10 year old child with you whilst trying to escape a ruthless war is a whole new level of hard work.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Somewhere safe," I replied. "We have to keep going Milly."

"Are my brothers there?" she asked.

"Maybe," I replied knowing that at least one of the four wasn't.

Another 20 minutes later, Milly had got so tired we were barely making any distance. If we were attacked now there was no way she'd have enough energy to sprint. I settled for a 10-minute break- that way fighting wouldn't catch up with us and hopefully neither would anyone else, but we'd still regain hopefully enough energy to carry on for another hour.

"Who are you?" Milly asked as we sat leaning against a thick tree, the child right next to me as I kept my eyes peeled on the forest.

"I'm Ella- the Luna," I replied. 

"Alpha Loren's mate?" She asked.

"mhmm," I said nodding my head. "I'm also your cousin."

"My cousin?" She asked.

"Your Dad's sister is my Mom," I clarified.

"I never met my Daddy..." Milly said. Of course she hadn't. Milo died 10 years ago and Milly was about 10. Stupid thing to mention Ella.

"My Dad died too," I said wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

"He did?" Milly asked looking up to me with her big brown eyes.

"Years ago," I answered.

"Were you sad?" She question. I nodded my head.

"I still am, but you know what the worse part is?" I said.

"No," Milly said shaking her head.

"My Mom isn't the same without him, so it's like I lost both," I said. "Do you have a Mom?"

"Everybody has a Mom Luna," Milly said pleased with herself that she had 'outsmarted' me.

"You don't have to call me Luna, Milly. I'm your cousin and I meant do you ever see your Mom?" I said with a smile. She shook her head her proud smile vanishing.

"Mommy ran away when I was a baby, my brothers look after me now. My oldest one Max mostly. But he's disappeared and I don't know why," she said.

"I'm sure we'll find him," I said squeezing her hand. "Do you go to school?"

She shook her head.

"Max says it's too dangerous for someone like me," Milly says.

"Someone like you?" I said. "What does he mean by that?"

"He says I'm different to the other kids. I don't know how but I want it to go away. He says I can't go and play with the kids either, because I might hurt them. He's very kind to me and he always says how he's only trying to protect me and because he loves me, but I don't like being different. I want to go to school and have friends," She said. I tried to imagine Max's loving alter ego for a second, but I couldn't see it. 

"Well I think being different makes you special and I don't think you're dangerous," I said before I heard the crunch of a leaf.

"What was that?" Milly said clinging to my arm. "Is it Max?"

"I don't think so. Stay behind me," I said as I got to my feet pulling her up with me. I pulled the knife out of its holster preparing myself. Less than a moment later there was a man only a metre away coming from the opposite direction we had heard the leaf crunch and heading straight for Milly. 

She screamed as he reached out a calloused, dirty hand around grabbed her arm. Her scream triggered me to snap into action. Nobody hurts a child. Milly screamed as my knife landed in his chest and he keeled over completely still.

Moments later there was a second set of footsteps and another man came into sight. I reached down pulling my knife out of the paralysed man preparing my self to use it again. 

As he neared Milly suddenly was no longer at my side.

"Milly no!" I screamed as she ran towards him. I lifted the knife up ready to throw. 

But then paused.

Milly and the man had reached each other, but he wasn't trying to mangle her like the last one but instead had lifted her small body up into what looked like a hug. It was only then that I realised who it was. 

Max.