“Ari, are you ready?” he called without looking back.
My stomach dropped, and a lump formed in my throat, but I didn’t stop.
I took another step and swung as hard as I could, aiming for the back of his head.
The sickening thunk echoed through the silent kitchen, and I squeaked when his body dropped to the floor. The sound of him hitting the tiles was unsettling.
I froze, staring down at my father’s unmoving form. His eyes were closed, and his head lolled to the side. I didn’t have the strength to check for a pulse.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.Sort of, anyway.
Iwassorry that he put me in this position and gave me no alternative.
Not for hitting him.
He deserved that.
All at once, I dropped the bat and ran for the backyard. I carefully closed the door behind me, doing the only thing I could to cover my tracks at this point, and broke into a sprint.
I barely felt my feet pound against the grass as I tore across the yard. Water splashed my leggings as I hopped across the large stones disrupting the stream, and plants caught on my clothes as I darted into the woods.
I was doing it.
I was going to get away…
Hope lit up my insides, and I pumped my limbs harder, running as fast as I could.
When the house had nearly disappeared behind me, a voice said my name.
“Arina.” It was so close, it made me scream. “Where are you going?”
I stumbled to a stop, dread sinking through me when recognition set in. I knew that voice, and it didn’t belong to my father.
Blinking, I spun on the spot and found myself face-to-face with the last person I wanted to see.
Zero.
He was wearing a T-shirt with a demented clown face across the front, the same thing he wore when I met him with Hallow.
“Why are you running from me, little pet?” He flashed me one of his stupid grins, and I wanted to slap it off his face.
“Get away from me,” I snapped, backpedaling to put space between us. “I have to get away from the alphas, and that includes you.”
“Oh pet…” He shook his head slowly, taking calculated steps through the underbrush. “You can’t escape me. You’re my scent match. We belong together.”
My stomach pitched.
He knew the truth.
How did he find out? When?
I panicked silently, taking more backward steps and trying to keep my balance.
It didn’t matter if he knew or not. The truth didn’t change anything. I was getting away, and he couldn’t stop me.
“I don’t belong to anyone,” I gritted out. “Fuck you!”
My skin heated, and I whirled around, prepared to run deeper into the woods to escape him. However, the trees had disappeared.
