I Escaped the Alpha Who Poisoned Our Child

The night air carried a chill as I carried Mia back to our basement quarters, her small body limp in my arms. The bite marks on her shoulder had stopped bleeding, but something was terribly wrong. Her skin burned with unnatural heat beneath my touch.

"Mia? Baby, can you hear me?" I laid her on our thin mattress, brushing damp hair from her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open, glassy with fever.

"Mommy," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It hurts."

I pressed my lips to her forehead, and the heat nearly scorched me. Wolf Fever. The dreaded condition that affected pups before their first shift—a lethal infection that could burn through an unshifted wolf's system within hours.

"Mia, stay with me." I rushed to our small bathroom, soaking a cloth in cold water. "We'll get through this."

I placed the cool compress on her forehead, then closed my eyes, reaching for the mind-link that connected me to Elias.

*Elias! Mia needs the pack healer. She has Wolf Fever.*

Nothing. Not even the echo of an empty connection. Just... wall.

*Elias!* I pushed harder, desperation clawing at my throat. *Your daughter is dying!*

The wall remained, solid and impenetrable. He had blocked me out—deliberately severed our mental connection. I knew where he was, what he was doing. Angelique's triumphant smile flashed in my mind as I remembered her words at breakfast: "Elias and I have special plans tonight."

My hands trembled as I returned to Mia's side. Her breathing had grown more labored, her small chest rising and falling rapidly.

"I need... the healer," she whimpered.

"I know, baby." I stroked her hair, forcing steadiness into my voice. "I'll find a way."

But there was no way. The pack healer wouldn't treat anyone without the Alpha's permission—especially not for expensive treatments like the ones Mia needed. And Elias had made it clear where his priorities lay.

I watched my daughter's face as another spasm of pain crossed it. The silver burns on my arms throbbed in sympathy with her suffering. Ten years of submission, of enduring Elias's cruelty, of believing I deserved it because I couldn't shift—all of it crystallized into a single, clarifying moment.

I would not let my daughter die because of his indifference.

"Mia, I'm going to get help," I whispered, pressing a kiss to her burning forehead. "I'll be right back."

I slipped out into the night, my heart hammering against my ribs. The pack garage stood at the edge of the property—a large building where Elias kept his collection of vehicles. If I could just get to the old supply truck...

The garage door creaked as I eased it open, moonlight spilling across the concrete floor. The truck sat in the corner, keys hanging from the ignition—Elias never bothered locking it on pack land.

"Please start," I murmured, climbing into the driver's seat. My hands shook as I turned the key. The engine sputtered once, twice, then roared to life.

I drove back to our quarters, parking as close to the door as possible. Mia was worse when I returned—her skin mottled with angry red patches, her consciousness fading.

"We're leaving, baby," I whispered, gathering her into my arms. "Hold on to me."

As I lifted her into the passenger seat, securing her with the seatbelt, I looked back at the Pack House. Lights blazed from the Luna Suite windows. Somewhere up there, Elias and Angelique slept in the bed that had once been mine.

I was leaving more than just a home. I was choosing to become a rogue—a wolf without a pack. For most, it was a death sentence. But for Mia, it was her only chance.

"Where are we going?" Mia's voice was faint as I pulled away from the Pack House.

"To safety," I promised, accelerating toward the territory border.

We had barely made it a mile when the pressure hit—a sudden, crushing weight inside my skull.

*WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?* Elias's voice thundered through my mind, the force of his rage making me swerve on the road.

*Mia is dying,* I responded, fighting to keep my thoughts steady. *She needs help.*

*RETURN TO THE PACK HOUSE IMMEDIATELY!* His Alpha command vibrated through every cell in my body.

My nose began to bleed, warm liquid dripping onto my shirt as I continued driving. The pain was excruciating—the price of disobeying a direct Alpha command.

*I said RETURN!* The mental shout was so powerful that spots danced before my eyes.

I wiped the blood away with the back of my hand, my grip tightening on the steering wheel. "I'm sorry," I whispered to Mia, though she couldn't hear the mental exchange.

The distance between us and the Pack House grew with every second, and with it, Elias's hold on me weakened. He could still reach me through our bond, but the commands lost their crushing force as miles stretched between us.

*You will pay for this betrayal,* his voice snarled in my mind, growing fainter as we approached the territory border. *No wolf leaves my pack alive.*

I glanced at Mia's fevered face, then at the dark road ahead leading to the unknown. There was no going back now.