The Lost Alpha’s Daughter’s Return

Bloom wandered through the dark forest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself in an attempt to shield her bare skin from the biting cold. She stumbled forward. Her head spun with confusion.

Where were her friends?

How had she ended up here of all places?

"Rachel? Sarah?" she called out. The thick trees seemed to swallow her words.

But she didn’t receive any response. The silence was deafening, only broken by the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind.

"This isn’t funny!" Bloom yelled. Her bare feet crunched on the forest floor, but it wasn’t just the cold that bothered her. It was the overwhelming sense of vulnerability. She was exposed, alone, and scared in a way she hadn’t felt in years.

That’s when she heard a twig snap behind her.

She spun around. Her eyes immediately widened because of what she saw. A man stepped out from behind the trees. His piercing blue eyes locked onto hers.

“Stay back!” Bloom shrieked as she instinctively tried to cover herself with her hands. She backed up into a bush. Its sharp branches scratched at her skin. “Don’t come any closer!”

The man raised his hands, palms out in a gesture of surrender. “Relax. I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Yeah, right,” Bloom spat, crouching low as if she could disappear into the bushes. She winced when she felt an uncomfortable sting where the branches pricked her skin.

“I wouldn’t hide in those if I were you,” he commented, nodding toward the bush. “They’re poisonous.”

Bloom froze. Her eyes darted to the leaves brushing against her legs. “What?”

“Look, I know this is weird,” the man continued. “But those bushes? They’ll leave a nasty rash.”

Bloom scowled, still clutching her arms around herself. She glanced at the bush again and reluctantly stepped away, hating that he was probably right.

“I don’t know who you are,” she began, “but you need to stay away from me.”

The man hesitated for a moment, then shrugged off his jacket. “Here.” He held the jacket out to her. “Take this. You’re going to freeze out here.”

Bloom eyed the jacket warily, but the chill creeping into her bones finally made the decision for her. She snatched it from his hands and wrapped it around herself, glaring at him the entire time.

“Thanks, I guess,” she muttered.

“What happened?” he asked. He kept his distance but watched her closely. “You’re... not exactly dressed for a camping trip.”

“I... I don’t know,” Bloom admitted reluctantly. “I woke up like this. I don’t remember anything after going to sleep.”

The man studied her for a moment. “You’re not used to this, are you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bloom shot back defensively.

“Being... like this,” he replied slowly. “The confusion… waking up in the woods… it’s new for you, right?”

Bloom frowned. “What are you talking about? I don’t even know who you are.”

“My name’s Red,” he introduced.

“I don’t care who you are!” Bloom snapped, suddenly angry. “And I don’t need your help!”

Red’s lips twitched in amusement, but he said nothing.

Just as Bloom opened her mouth to say something else, she froze, hearing faint voices in the distance.

“Bloom? Bloom!”

It was her friends. Relief flooded through her, but it was quickly followed by another emotion. Dread. The last thing she needed was for them to find her like this—naked, in the middle of the woods, with some strange man. Her reputation was already fragile enough with the media always circling. And she couldn’t take that kind of hit.

“You need to go,” she hissed at Red, glancing around frantically as the voices grew closer.

“What?” Red asked, taken aback.

“You NEED to go!” Bloom repeated, shoving his jacket closer around herself. “If they see me with you, they’ll freak out.”

Red raised an eyebrow. “And why’s that?”

Bloom shot him a glare. “Because they’re my friends, and I don’t want them to think I’ve... I’ve...” She trailed off, realizing how ridiculous this was going to sound.

Red’s lips curved into a full, amused grin. “You think I attacked you?”

“Well, yeah!” Bloom blurted, then faltered when she saw the look on his face.

Red let out a bark of laughter as he shook his head. “You’ve got it all wrong. I found you out here. I didn’t touch you, I swear.”

Bloom’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she quickly masked it with a scowl. “You’re laughing at me?”

“I’m laughing because it’s absurd.” Red’s grin widened. “If I’d attacked you, do you think I’d be offering you my jacket right now?”

Before Bloom could respond, she heard Rachel calling her name. She could hear panic in their voices. Her friends were desperate to find her.

“Bloom! Where are you?”

She straightened, pulling the jacket tighter around her body. “You need to leave. Now.”

Red raised his hands again, backing away slowly. “Fine. Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Go!” Bloom hissed one last time. Then she turned away as she heard the crunch of footsteps approaching.

Her friends burst through the trees a moment later. Their eyes widened in shock. “Bloom! Oh my God! Where were you?” Rachel gasped then she rushed forward and grabbed Bloom’s arm.

“I’m fine,” Bloom said quickly, forcing a smile. “I just... went for a swim in the lake. Lost track of time.”

“What?” Nina asked as she scanned Bloom from head to toe. “In the middle of the night? And... where are your clothes?”

Bloom shrugged, glancing at the jacket she was wearing. “Yeah, I know. Crazy, right? I didn’t plan on going for a swim, but I couldn’t sleep and, well... one thing led to another.”

“And... the jacket?” Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bloom hesitated for half a second before forcing a casual laugh. “This? Oh, I brought it with me. It’s, uh, an old thing. Fugly, I know.”

Her friends exchanged confused glances, but before they could ask any more questions, Bloom turned on her heel. “Come on. Let’s just get back to camp. It’s freezing.”

As they started to walk away, Bloom cast one last glance over her shoulder, scanning the treeline for any sign of Red.

But he was already gone.