Alphas Forbidden Mate

GINGER'S POV:

"We have to keep going!" Mother's voice pierces the night as we sprint through the fog-choked forest. The pale moonlight barely breaks through the mist swirling around the trees.

It's been nearly thirty minutes of relentless running-running from someone who is supposed to love and protect us. My lungs burn, and my legs feel like buckling, but then I hear my father's growl echo through the night. The sound sends a jolt of adrenaline racing through my veins, forcing my legs to move faster. Fear clouds my thoughts, and in my panic, I sidestep. Pain erupts in my foot as I fall into a trap, the metallic jaws snapping shut around my leg like a predator's teeth.

"Mother!" I scream, but my voice barely gets through the dense fog. She is already far ahead. My father's growl grows louder with the sound reverberating through the forest. My heart hammers as I claw desperately at the trap, my fingers coated with blood.

"M-Mo-" The word sticks in my throat as his glowing red eyes pierce through the fog. My breath hitches, freezing me in place. With a sickening snap, the trap opens, but my leg buckles beneath me. I collapse onto the damp ground, causing my father to chuckle as he closes in, bloodlust burning in his eyes.

"I told you, Ginger, you can't run from Daddy. My precious little girl."

I scramble backward, scraping my flesh on the cold ground, until I slam into a tree.

"I told you it wouldn't happen again, but you called them on me. You separated us!" His voice grows guttural and monstrous. "If we can't live as a family, then you all will die." His laughter rings as he raises a paw, his claws glistening under the moonlight.

"Dad, no!" I scream, waiting for the strike with my eyes shut-

Forcefully, I jerk upright, drenched in sweat, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I gasp for air. It takes a moment to realize it's a dream. I'm on my bed in the dim hotel room mother moved us to at the Shadow Pelt Pack for safety. I glance down at my trembling hands, trying to steady myself. The nightmare always ends the same, leaving me haunted by the events that tore my family apart.

My father had always been my hero until the night I walked in on him, pinning my mother against the wall, a broken vase in his hand as he choked her violently.

The terror of that moment resurfaces as I remember grabbing Daisy, my little sister, and locking us in my room upstairs. His frantic knocks and desperate pleas still echo in my ears.

"I didn't mean it, Ginger! I'll never do it again!" he cried. But all I could hear was the voice of a monster. It was only then I realized that my mother's "allergies" were just excuses to cover the bruises.

That night, I called the Red Pack police. They came swiftly, dragging him away as his roars shook the house. Mother didn't say a word to Daisy or me. Instead, she packed our belongings and sent us to Everbloom Sanctuary, a place meant to shield children from troubled families. But nothing could shield me from the guilt my father placed squarely on my shoulders.

I reach for the nightstand drawer, my fingers searching for the only tool that ground me-a razor blade. The sharp sting of the blade has become my way of numbing the emotional pain, even if just for a moment. I roll up my sleeves at once, ready to relieve myself. As I hold it in my trembling hand, my phone's ringtone pierces through the silence.

Startled, I fumble, and the blade slips from my grasp, landing with a faint clink on the floor. I inhale sharply as I stare at the metallic blade, then glance at the small line I've made on my wrist. A tear falls from my eyes.

"Ginger?" Mother's voice rings through the hall, her footsteps approaching, drawing me back to reality. I wipe my tears, hurriedly rolling down my sleeve and covering the blade with a blanket as I try to feign a smile to cover the cracks. She opens the door, smiling warmly as though everything is perfect.

"Your friend's here," she says, scanning the room. "And why does this place look like a vampire's coven?" She flicks on the light, making me groan.

"Mom!" I protest, but she ignores me, turning to yell, "Come on in!"

Hana steps into the doorway before I can speak. She is the Alpha Princess of the Shadow Pelt Pack, and we met at the sanctuary. Her family was dealing with her father's ailment, the then Alpha King of the Shadow Pelt Pack, who died weeks later.