Chapter 28; I leave you my heart

                                    

                                          
*Hands over the tissues* no more needs to be said. Enjoy.
                          
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The next day was bittersweet. Alice tried to hide her sadness and the anxiety that pushed through as she ran with the pack for the first time. Her time was limited now and she knew that there was no point in procrastinating. If she didn't leave soon, Lucien would come for her. After Hades had appeared in her dream it had become clear, after all, she already sensed his presence around her, the glowing eyes and the prickling sensation of being watched. It wasn't something anyone needed to tell her but who else could it be?
                          
Before they went to bed, Alice had pulled Colden into a small gazebo hidden among trees at the very back of the cabin. Ivy grew over it, sheltering them from the worst of the cold and wind. It was like a fairy house, filled with magic and wonder that perhaps on a different day, Alice would have itched to paint. The moment that they were alone amidst the trees and surrounded by the smell of the forest, Alice didn't waste time as her lips brushed across his, their touch feverish and eager.
                          
They were both Alphas now and she was a wolf. There was a primal instinct within her to leave a mark of her own on his flesh, to show that he was too taken and that he was wanted. Her male and provider is what her beast called him. But she knew that it would only make it harder to leave. Maybe when this was over and if he could forgive her, maybe then they would become true mates. As Colden moved his body against hers, grunting with his teeth in her neck and their bodies layered with sweat, Alice could only focus on the love that burst through her chest whenever she met his eyes. Still, she kept those thoughts to herself.
                          
Days began to blur together once more as she held off on leaving. She wasn't certain what it was, just that a large part of her soul couldn't bring itself to go. This was her pack now and the beast wanted to stay, to protect those it cared about. But the longer she stayed the more dangerous it became. Hades began to assault her dreams, silent words of warnings and fits of snarling rage. Alice knew that she was a fool. That she was selfish beyond belief. Yet still, she stayed in a false sense of security.
                          
On the day that all the trees were officially barren and for the first time she saw speckles of ice, another wave of sadness had hit them. The tribe in India had been attacked, most slaughtered by beasts with red eyes. Tya was dead and Yona left heartbroken. It brought her little comfort that the Lycan's had seen death too, caused by the jungle and the wolves. But they were winners after all. Their destruction had hit its mark- her. It was not a random or staged attack, it was a warning and Alice knew that should she not heed it, they would soon find their way here. And then Lucien would have her no matter what and Colden would most likely be dead.
                          
Her hands shook as she held the piece of paper, the pen gripped tightly in her left hand. The only advantage of her soul being part demon was the fact that shadows seemed to become her, even to the most heightened senses she was practically invisible. Colden had called her his little ninja, a term of endearment that made it all the more harder to say goodbye. Alice flickered her gaze to his sleeping form, his right arm draped over her empty side and his face stuffed into his own pillow. Colden's chest rose with deep sleep, the muscles of his back relaxed for once.
                          
Alice's breath shuddered as she moved quietly to his side. Her heart felt as if someone had pierced it with a dagger, her chest constricted with the urge to scream and cry in frustration. It wasn't fair that Lucien was after her and that she had to do this. But if it meant keeping her pack safe, if it meant repaying for all the pain she had brought on by running, then she'd do it. Her lips brushed tenderly across his cheek as she left the folded note on the side table.
                          
She didn't take much with her, just the clothes that were on her back. She'd let her beast take over once she was far enough from the pack house, and then she would run wherever her instinct took her. There was a part of her that was frightened at the unknown; she wasn't certain where Lucien was, where she'd even find him or how, but she knew enough that Hades, one way or another would guide her.