Chapter 11 - chapter 10

### Chapter 10: Running from the Flames 🐺🔥🌙

**Lia's POV**

I storm out of the pack house, my heart slamming against my ribs like a trapped beast.

I can't believe this was the things am going to put on for the rest of my freaking life.

Every Lycan in the yard turns to stare, their eyes crawling over me, hungry and vile, like I'm meat they can tear apart.

I don't care. I need to escape, to break free from this cursed mate bond that chains me to Dorian, Eric, and Rick—the monsters who killed my parents, who burned my life to ash.

Two years I ran, dodging their claws, their lies, their twisted games. Seeing them tangled together—kissing, touching, lost in each other—makes my stomach churn, my blood boil with hate. 🩸✨

I take a step, my eyes darting for a way out, when a shadow looms behind me, heavy and threatening.

I spin around, and it's her—the girl from the field, the one who nearly gutted me with her sword. Her dark hair's pulled back, her eyes sharp and cruel, a smirk twisting her lips.

"What're you doing out here, omega?" she asks, her voice dripping with mockery. "Running again? Do the Alphas know you're sneaking around? Or should I go get them and tell them their little mate is running off again."

I laugh, a sharp, bitter sound, my hands clenching. "You're insane," I snap. "Get the hell away from me. I don't have time for your crap."

She steps closer, her smirk widening. "Oh, you've got a mouth on you," she says, her voice low, taunting. "No wonder the Alphas keep you around. You're all talk, aren't you?"

I growl, stepping toward her, my rage flaring. "What's your damn problem?" I spit. "Why're you coming at me like this?"

She chuckles, her eyes glinting with malice. "Maybe I just hate omegas like you," she says, her voice cold. "Weak. Pathetic. Thinking you can play mate to Alphas when you're nothing."

"You don't know me," I snap, my voice shaking with fury. "You think you're tough? Try me without a sword. Then this time we both shall see who the omega really was."

She laughs, loud and mocking. "Oh, I'd love to, omega," she says. "But you'd just cry for your mates to save you."

Before I can lunge, a voice cuts through, sharp and commanding. "Lydia, enough."

I turn, and it's Eric, striding toward us, his blue eyes cold as ice, his aura heavy, oppressive.

He glares at Lydia, his voice like a whip. "Get out of here. Now."

Lydia smirks, tossing me a final look. "See you around, omega," she says, her voice dripping with venom, before sauntering off.

I turn to Eric, my heart racing, my voice hard. "Why're you here? Following me now?"

He steps closer, his eyes narrowing. "Dorian needs you," he says, his voice flat but edged with command. "You're coming with me."

I laugh, a raw, angry sound. "Dorian? I'm sick of his name," I spit. "Every damn time, it's Dorian. I'm not his dog."

"You're his mate," Eric says, his voice low, dangerous. "Ours. You don't get to run forever."

I glare, my hands shaking. "I'd rather die than go back to him," I say, my voice trembling but fierce.

I turn to walk away, my feet moving fast, but Eric grabs my arm, his grip bruising. "Where do you think you're going?" he growls. "The entrance is the other way."

I smirk, yanking my arm free. "I know," I say, my voice sharp. "I'm not going to him, you bastard."

He grabs me again, harder, his eyes blazing. "You don't get it, do you?" he says, his voice a low growl. "You're ours, Lia. Stop fighting it."

I lose it, slamming my fist into his leg, then swinging at his foot. He stumbles, cursing, and I bolt, my heart pounding.

"Lia!" he screams, his voice echoing. "You'll be caught!"

I run like the woods are on fire, my legs burning, my breath ragged. The pack house fades behind me, but I hear them—Lycans chasing, their growls closing in, their boots pounding the dirt.

"Lia, stop!" Eric's voice cuts through, sharp and furious. "You're making this worse!"

"Go to hell!" I yell back, my voice raw, my feet tearing through the underbrush.

I hit the woods, branches snapping against my skin, the mate bond screaming in my chest, pulling me back to them even as I run.

I hate this life, hate them, hate the way my heart betrays me, tugging me toward Rick's softness, Dorian's cruelty, Eric's coldness.

My legs are giving out, my strength drained from years on the run, and I trip, my body pitching forward.

I brace for the fall, but a hand catches me, strong and steady, pulling me upright.

I look up, my breath catching, and see a stranger—sharp jaw, dark eyes, not a Lycan but something else, something powerful, his presence like a storm.

"Who're you?" I ask, my voice shaking, my heart pounding as he pulls me behind him.

"Stay behind me," he says, his voice calm but firm, his body tense, ready for a fight.

I watch, frozen, as Lycans charge from the trees, their eyes glowing, claws out, snarling like beasts.

"Back off," the stranger warns, his voice low, deadly. "She's under my protection now."

The Lycans laugh, one of them stepping forward. "You think you can take us, outsider?" he growls. "She's ours."

In one swift move, the stranger takes them down—fast, brutal, like they're nothing, their bodies hitting the ground with a thud.

My jaw drops, my heart racing. Who the hell is this guy?

Eric appears, his eyes blazing, his aura heavy with rage. He locks eyes with the stranger, and the air crackles, thick with tension.

"It's been a long time, Eric," the stranger says, his voice low, steady, but laced with something dark, something that makes my skin prickle.

Eric smirks, his eyes glinting with something dangerous. "Same here, Dean." 🥀✨