Deceiving the Alpha

Alicia grabbed my arm, dragging me up from the floor. I winced as the torn fabric of my blouse exposed my chest, and I could feel the eyes of onlookers on me, judging, mocking.

“Let go of me!” I shouted, struggling against her grip while I tried to cover myself.

“Oh, but you’re coming with me,” Alicia said, her smile twisted with malice. “Let’s show everyone what happens when you try to interfere in our lives.”

Her friends followed, capturing every moment of my humiliation, their laughter echoing through the shop. “This is going to be good!” one called out, filming everything.

Alicia yanked my hair, forcing me to move forward. “You’ve overstepped, Carol. You don’t belong here anymore. It’s time for you to disappear.”

“You can’t do this! Let go of me!” I pleaded, but she did not listen.

“Why not? You’ve already made a fool of yourself,” Alicia taunted, tightening her grip. “Everyone thinks you are just a desperate woman clinging to her son.”

As we approached the exit, I caught glimpses of people watching — faces full of curiosity and judgment. No one stepped forward to help. I felt like a spectacle, a drama for them to enjoy, that even some of them brought out their phone and began filming us.

“Let’s take this outside,” Alicia said, dragging me out of the shop and into the open air.

“What are you going to do?” I demanded, fear creeping into my voice.

“Let’s see how well you swim,” she replied, a cruel smile spreading across her face.

Fear consumed me because I never knew how to swim. What did she mean by that?

With that, she pulled me through the woods just beyond the road, the laughter of her friends trailing behind us. My heart raced realizing the danger I was in.

“Please, Alicia! This is not necessary! Don’t do this.” I shouted desperately.

“Oh, but it is,” she said, pushing me forward, and dragging me further as I refused to walk across the road and to the thick woods beyond it.

“You need to learn a lesson. No one wants you here. And I’m here to make sure you understand that.”

The trees closed in around us, and I knew what they intended. “You can’t do this! Conner will—”

“Conner doesn’t care! He has me now, and you have no business meddling with us. You should get lost!” Alicia yelled.

I struggled against her grip, but she was merciless. “Let go of me! You’ll regret this!” I screamed, but the words fell on deaf ears.

“Too late for regrets, Carol,” she said, pulling me closer to the riverbank where the water flowed harshly with the strong current beneath it. No. This can’t be. I can’t swim. I trembled in fear and tears pricked my eyes.

“This is where you end,” Alicia whispered tauntingly to my eyes as she held both of my wrists behind my back. I struggled to get free, but I couldn’t fight back, she was too strong, and I was scared of what was before me — a rushing river that could quickly drown my helpless body.

Her friends laughed, holding their phones up to capture the moment. “Say goodbye!” one shouted.

Panic surged through me. They were not joking, they wanted to dispose of me, to make me vanish. I had to fight back.

“You’re making a mistake!” I cried, but it only fueled their amusement.

Alicia made me face the camera, holding my jaw tightly as I tried to wriggle my wrist out of her grip. “Look here. You should at least leave a message for me, your future daughter in law. Make it nice, so I could replay it on our anniversary.”

I tried to push her away, but she held me tighter and her other friend helped to hold me in place.

“Don’t be like that, mother in law. You should leave me a present, don’t you think? One that I could treasure forever… Though your disappearance would be enough already to be a gift for the bride—for me,” she taunted, chuckling evilly.

“No. You will never be the bride—”

“Enough,” Alicia hissed, ready to push me into the water. “It’s time for you to disappear for good.”