Torn by his love: The Alpha's secret desires

Lila was pacing her room, trembling hands from staring at the half-packed satchel on her desk. "Showtime," she whispered to herself, her eyes flickering over the door in fear of it bursting open. "I can't do this. I can't marry Lucas."

The memory of hers filled days in the woods flooded her mind, and she shook her head. Why did I ever get myself into this? whispered, biting her lip. How could I have forgotten the days of running carefree and chasing fireflies?

She dipped her head to see out the window, and there it was: moonlit forest for as far as she could make out. "it was calling to me," she whispered, heart racing. "Right back to being who I am."

Lila took a deep breath and moved closer to her desk. Okay, only what we absolutely need," she told herself to help dampen her increasing dread. As she gathered a couple things in her satchel, doubt began to coil around her throat like ivy again; 'What if I was wrong?

She hesitated, then shook her head no. How will I ever get the courage to leave if not now?! I have to do this." With the vision of being Mrs. Lucas pacing her pulse limitlessly fast, "No more hiding."

Her heart slamming like a beat of drum, she slowly approached the door. "Breathe Lila" she whispered. "You've got this." She cracked open her door and looked down the hallway. "Good. No one's around."

The hallway was a dream like, the portraits of her ancestors seemed to follow every single step she took. "Go to hell with your opinions," she whispered. "This is my life!"

She was faced with the backdoor; a place of darkness and mystery. Lila hesitated. What if Lucas brings it after me? " she said, voice laced terror.But then she shook her head, determination growing within. I cannot live in terror of what he could do to the estate, she pushed open on the door. The cool night air rushed against her, bringing life to all of J'Dia's senses. "Here it is," she replied as she stepped into the shadows.

"I'm free!" she shouted into the night and took off, feeling it rush through her more intensely as she ran. "I'm finally free!"

With the silence that followed, as Whispering Pines melted back into crickets and leaves were crushed underfoot, she laughed again in a way that made her disappear. "I'm reclaiming my life!" she shouted, relief no longer begging for as much space on her chest.

But then the flicker of doubt came back. "What if I made a mistake?" Her spine shivered as she whispered to herself. "What if I "

"No! Focus!" She broke off, and she had her voice again. "You made your choice. No turning back." The sound of her own laughter urged her farther in, with each stride pulling away from the life that had once been hers to live and into territory uncharted.

At Whispering Pines, the grand bedroom was silent but it seemed to be full of life-everything in there held its breath while something waited outside for Lucas.

Lucas frowned as he stood at the bottom of the grand staircase, looking out over an empty Whispering Pines. "Where is she?" He caught sight of Lila's theatre and muttered something under his breath. It was slightly ajar. "L!" he shouted, his voice reverberating off the walls. No response.

He climbed the staircase with purpose, his boots making a dull knock on the hardwood. "Lila, are you in there?" Then he pushed her door further and saw the empty room, still with the sharp smell of that godamn lavender fragrance. Of course she would have done a runner,asperation began to settle in as he made for her corner of the office. The satchel lay open, half-packed.

"What were you planning?" He looked around the empty room, grabbing a soft scarf he recognized as one of her best barriers. "You can't leave. Not like this." Every beat of his heart there was that chance she would not come back.

Lila ran with all her might through the forest, branches striking at her arms. "Keep on going," She shouted into the void, her limbs moving with adrenaline. "Keep moving! You're free!"

She thought that she would glad to be alone until she heard the echo of sticks snapping against each over behind her, causing him even make his heartbeat stop for a moment. "What was that?" she gasped, spinning around. The moonlight flittered through the trees, their shadows crawling along which gave way to an atmosphere that made the jungle feel like it was alive merely a living entity itself The anxiety that tore at her throat pressed down on her shoulders, weighing the night around them into something huge.) She strained her ears to hear something rustle, a breath anything but the crickets chirped on with their happy song.

"Pull yourself together, Lila," she muttered through her teeth and held onto the scarf as if it would keep her grounded in some form of real life. The trees are just playing with you." Yet within the recess of my mind, that fear was sown. If Lucas had followed her, what? Where was he, watching her in the shadows all this time and ready to pounce on her as soon as she caught a whiff of freedom from that life which terrified her so much it haunted even those comforting dreams?

Lila gathered enough down deep in the pit of her chest to proceed on, heart pounding. The darkness was thick around her, and the trees rose high in shadows with trunks like twisted arms that snaked above - a warning. She chose her route cautiously, walking through unbroken forest and beneath clean branches with the same feel of cool moist ground against the soles of her feet that she remembered from childhood.

Every step felt like a relief and at the same time terrified me! She had always been Lila of Whispering Pines, the good daughter and then Jesse's demure fiancée. Every step she took on a crispy leaf was creating another layer of who she wanted to be not someone expected of her and nothing due. The idea excited and scared her at the same time.

Then a body exploded from behind the darkness, and Lila cried out loud bumping back. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as she squinted into the dark, heart thrumming wildly. "Who's there?" She called, her voice steadier than she felt.

However, that only turned out to be just a deer, with its big eyes glaring at me as it reflects the moonlight. It stopped, appeared to be interested but ran off into the brush. Lila laughed, breath she had not realized was there released. "You scared me!" She scolded the night air, shaking her head.