The Alpha’s Runaway Bride

Helen, Georgia, wasn’t my first choice. In fact, it wasn’t even on my radar when I first started planning my escape. But the more I looked into it, the more this tiny, mountain town tugged at me like some invisible force. Something about it just felt right. Less than a thousand people lived here—small enough to be invisible, but cozy enough not to feel completely isolated.

The mountains reminded me of home. In a way, it felt like I could disappear without really leaving. No one would find me here.

I spent the first couple of days settling in. The house I’d rented was small but comfortable, tucked into a quiet neighborhood where no one asked too many questions. The first thing I did was call Scarlet. I needed to hear a familiar voice, but I also needed her to keep her mouth shut.

“Liana?” Scarlet’s voice came through the phone, hushed but anxious. “Where are you? Everyone’s going insane looking for you.”

“I’m fine,” I assured her quickly. “I can’t tell you where I am, Scarlet. Just… promise me you won’t tell anyone we’re talking. Not a soul.”

She sighed heavily on the other end. “You know how dangerous this is. If Harvey’s men find out you’ve run—”

“They won’t,” I cut her off. “They think I’ve accepted my fate, remember? As long as you keep your promise, no one will know.”

There was a long pause before she spoke again. “How’s your father?”

My chest tightened with her question. “I was going to ask you the same thing. How’s he doing?”

“They’re keeping it from him… about you, I mean. He doesn’t know. They don’t want to upset him in his condition.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

Scarlet’s silence on the other end told me she was biting her tongue. I knew she didn’t agree with what I was doing, but I also knew she wouldn’t betray me.

“Just be careful, Liana. You’re not invincible.”

“I’ll be fine,” I promised her. “I’ve got a plan.”

The truth was, I had no idea what my plan was beyond simply disappearing. I spent my first two days in Helen familiarizing myself with the town, meeting the locals, and figuring out how to blend in without drawing too much attention. It wasn’t hard. The people here were friendly, the kind of people who asked how you were but didn’t pry too much.

But by day three, I was starting to run low on supplies. I hadn’t thought much about food when I’d arrived. So, I grabbed my keys and headed to the one and only grocery store in town. It was a small place, nothing like the massive stores I was used to back home, but it would do.

I was perusing the produce section, mindlessly picking up apples and trying to decide how many I’d need, when I heard a voice behind me.

“Excuse me, miss?”

I froze as my heart pounded in my chest. That voice—it was so familiar. Slowly, I turned. And my breath got stuck in my throat as my eyes landed on him.

It was like seeing a ghost.

He looked exactly like Harvey. The same sharp jawline, the same stormy eyes, even the same tousled dark hair. For a split second, I thought I was back home, that I’d been found, that Harvey had somehow tracked me down. My body tensed with my instincts kicking in. I was ready to fight. My fingers itched to reach for something to defend myself.

But then he smiled.

And everything about him softened in a way that Harvey never could. His eyes, so eerily similar to my nemesis’s, crinkled at the edges with kindness, not malice. His posture was relaxed, open, the complete opposite of Harvey’s rigid, commanding stance.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. You just dropped one of your apples.”

I blinked, glancing down at the apple rolling away from my feet. Slowly, I bent to pick it up. My mind raced as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. He wasn’t Harvey. But the resemblance was uncanny.

“It’s okay,” I replied, forcing a smile as I straightened up. “I just wasn’t expecting anyone.”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Small town, hard not to bump into someone eventually.”

I nodded, still trying to shake off the eerie feeling crawling up my spine. “You’re new here, too?” I asked, hoping he’d give me some sort of explanation. Maybe he was related to Harvey. A cousin, maybe. Or a distant relative. There had to be some connection.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Moved here about a year ago. Needed a change of pace, you know?”

I nodded slowly. This was too much of a coincidence. I had to ask. “Do you have any family in Arizona?”

His brow furrowed slightly, as if he was trying to remember something. “No. At least, not that I know of. My family’s from the east coast originally. Why do you ask?”

“Just… curious,” I said quickly, waving it off. “You remind me of someone.”

He smiled again. I felt that strange pull in my chest ease a little. Whoever this man was, he wasn’t Harvey. He couldn’t be. He was too… gentle. Too warm. Everything Harvey wasn’t.

“I’m Henry, by the way,” he said, extending his hand.

I hesitated for just a second before taking it. “Liana.”

“Nice to meet you, Liana. I hope you like it here in Helen. It’s a small place, but it grows on you.”

“I hope so,” I replied. “I’m new here, too. Just trying to get settled in.”

“Well, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. People around here are pretty welcoming. And you’re in luck—this is the only grocery store in town, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around.”

I smiled, though my mind was still clouded with questions.

Who was this man?

And why did he look exactly like Harvey?