The Alpha’s Runaway Bride

"Do they even care what I want?" I fumed, pacing the length of Scarlet’s room. My cousin sat cross-legged on her bed, watching me. I needed her to agree with me, to tell me I wasn’t crazy. But instead, she was just sitting there, waiting.

“I’m serious, Scarlet. It’s like everyone’s forgotten that I’m an actual person with my own life and my own desires. No, instead, it’s all about the pack, the damn truce, and me marrying Harvey Thornburn.”

I stopped in front of her, expecting her to chime in. But nothing. She raised an eyebrow, silently inviting me to continue.

“I can’t do this,” I groaned, throwing myself into the chair by the window. “I won’t do this.”

Scarlet sighed softly, shaking her head. “You know how things work, Liana. It’s not about what we want.”

I glared at her. “And you’re okay with that? You’re just fine being a puppet for the elders, doing what they want, living a life they’ve planned out for you?”

“I’m not saying it’s fair. But you know what’s at stake. We all have to make sacrifices for the pack.”

I snorted. “Sacrifices? You mean like you married Kyle when he wasn’t even your mate?”

Scarlet’s face hardened at that. “That’s different.”

“Is it?” I pressed, leaning forward. “You gave up on finding your mate because the pack needed you to marry Kyle. Now you’re stuck in a loveless marriage, and for what?”

Scarlet’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t give up on anything, Liana. I made a choice. Kyle might not be my mate, but we’ve made it work. And maybe finding my mate isn’t the most important thing anymore. What matters is the pack.”

Her words hung heavy in the air. And I could tell she was trying to convince herself that she did.

“You’re not happy.”

Scarlet’s eyes flashed with something I couldn’t quite place, but she didn’t deny it. Instead, she bit her lip and looked away, staring at the far wall as if it held all the answers she was too afraid to say aloud.

“It’s not about happiness,” she muttered. “It’s about survival. You’re next in line, Liana. You know what’s expected of you.”

I clenched my fists. “Well, I don’t care about what’s expected of me. I’m not going to marry Harvey. I’m not going to let the pack control my life.”

Scarlet’s gaze snapped back to me with her brows furrowing. “What are you saying?”

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should tell her. But if there was anyone I could trust with this insane idea, it was Scarlet. She wouldn’t turn me in, even if she didn’t agree.

“I’m running away.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Liana, don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not joking. Four nights from now. During the Blood Moon festival, when everyone’s too busy celebrating, I’m leaving. I’ll slip away, and no one will notice until it’s too late.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Scarlet stood up. “You can’t just run away! Where will you go? What will you do? The other packs will hunt you down. And what about your father?”

I swallowed hard. The thought of my father tightened something in my chest. “He’ll be taken care of. The pack won’t abandon him. He’s loved, Scarlet. They’ll make sure he’s comfortable.”

“But what about the pack itself?” she pressed. “You’re supposed to be the next Luna, Liana. If you leave, it will fall apart. Do you really want to abandon them when they need you most?”

I stood up, facing her. “What about what I need, Scarlet? Has anyone even thought about that? Has anyone stopped to ask if I want to marry a man I hate? If I want to be Luna just because some old men in a room said I should?”

Scarlet shook her head. Exasperation was clear on her face. “You’re acting like a child.”

“No,” I snapped. “I’m acting like someone who refuses to be chained to a life she didn’t choose.”

She rubbed her temples, clearly frustrated. “There are other ways to deal with this. You could—”

“What?” I interrupted, laughing bitterly. “Run away to the city and live under a new identity? Fake my own death? Give me a break, Scarlet.”

“No. You could talk to the elders. Maybe negotiate something different. Maybe they’ll listen to reason.”

I laughed again, shaking my head. “Reason? They’ve already made up their minds. They won’t listen to me, Scarlet. They never have.”

Scarlet let out a long sigh, looking at me with something like pity. “You’re making a mistake.”

“Maybe. But it’s my mistake to make.”

There was a heavy silence between us. And I could tell Scarlet was biting back more arguments, but she didn’t say them. Instead, she just looked at me with that same sad, resigned expression she always had when she talked about her own life. A life I knew she wasn’t entirely happy with, no matter how much she tried to pretend otherwise.

“Fine,” she finally said. “But if you’re really going to do this, you’d better be smart about it. Don’t let them see it coming.”

I smiled faintly. “Oh, I’ve already got that covered.”

For the next few days, I played my role perfectly. I smiled when I was supposed to, nodded along when the elders talked about the upcoming wedding, and even managed to keep my temper in check around Harvey. The arrogant bastard actually seemed impressed by my sudden change of heart, which only made it easier to deceive him and his men. They hardly paid attention to me anymore, so convinced that I had accepted my fate. It was almost laughable.

And then, on the night of the Blood Moon festival, while the pack celebrated and danced under the crimson glow of the full moon, I slipped away. The noise and laughter drowned out the sound of my footsteps as I made my way to the hills, where the forest would offer me shelter and a path to freedom.