Mated To The King’s Gamma By Jessica Hall

Chapter 55 My feet ached from running, my muscles ached and my body screamed atto stop. | wanted nothing more than to lay down, to catch my breath as | ran blindly through deserted dark streets. | had no idea if | was even running in the right direction, or how far the town was, making decisions at each corner harder.

The fact | couldn’t read any of the signs made it even harder. Yet still | ran praying that Ivy was on her way to me. Praying she picked up on my subtle message, hope was all | had especially once the howls rang clearly through sky.

His voice in my head demandingto return to him, yelling and screaming at me. Then he would tone it down, trying to make out he wasn’t a monster.

“You tellyour whereabouts love, | will cget you. You stop at anyone’s door and hand yourself in and we can go hand put this past us.” He tellsthough | knew what waited forif | did.

“Fucking whore! When | find you, | will make sure you can never run fromagain!” he snarls angrily after a few minutes. Then back to the coaxing in gentle tones, only for his true colors to shine through.

By the t| was out of the town and on a long stretch of road, my feet were bleeding, my shirt drenched with blood and | was limping worse, then when | started. My hand pressed firmly against my side as | tried to stem the bleeding. Yet hope cin the form of a service station. It’s light a burning beacon, and | picked up my pace, nearly there, yet I'm not oblivious to how the howls grew closer and the sound of revving engines of cars tore up the town behind me, headed my way Reaching the service station. I rush inside, scaring the man behind the counter as i locked the glass door.

“Ma’am?” the man says as | peer out the windows. Turning around, his eyes run the length ofwhere | was dripping blood on the floor.

“Someone is after me! | need your phone!” | gush, moving toward him. He seems stunned by my bloody appearance before shaking his head and looking for his phone. “I have a first aid kit,” he tellsafter passing the phone. He asks questions and unlocks the door while peering out. | reach into my pockets to find the piece of paper with the number on it that Alana gave me, while trying to answer him too. My hands shook as | punched the number into the corded phone to ring Ivy. | mean Azalea. I'm trying to wrap my head around her new nbut seem to resort to the old one out of habit. When the phone starts calling, | hold it to my ear.

“Pick up. Pick up.” I whisper, not realizing the call had already connected.

“Abbie?” she asks, “There should be a microphone picture. Press it so | can hear,” Dustin says in the background, it sounded like they were in a car. “Are you there?” | ask while glancing around the windows.

“Yes, can you hear me?” Ivy asks, the phone volturning a little static and crackling.

A sob escapes me. “Ivy! Oh please, thank God!” | gasp.

“I'm right here,” Ivy tells me. And | can’t seem to get myself together enough to speak.

“Did she answer?” the man from the service station asks. “She answered,” | tell him, peeking over at him as he watched out the window.

“Thank you so much,” | quickly tell him, before listening to the static through the phone.

“You there still?” | ask.

“Yes, | am. | am...” The phone crackles before the phone drops out of reception. | curse and hit redial, it immediately starts ringing again, and Ivy answers it “Abbie?” she asks.

“Listen, | need you to cto get me. | was wrong about Kade, Ivy. Send Gannon. Please! | want to chome! I am...” she falls silent.” don’t know where | am. | can’t read the sign. | am... Where am 1?” | ask, turning to the service station manager.

“Metro service station. It is in Langley,” he tells me.

“Metro Service station in Langley. Abbie is there!” Ivy tells Dustin, obviously hearing him in the background.

“Are you okay. Abbie? We are nearly there,” Ivy tellsand I sigh.

“You have to be quick. | know he already knows | ran. Wait, you are nearly here?” | ask.

“You never said it back,” Ivy tells me, and | break down sobbing into the phone. She knew something was wrong.

I hoped she picked up on it during the call. Immense relief floods me.

“I thought you didn’t figure it out!” i choke, wiping my eyes on the back of my hand, and the phone goes grainy again.

“You always say it back,” she tellsand | nod my head.

“What sort of car did you say your boyfriend drives?” the man asks besidewhen a car pulls into the service station. Kades car. | gasp. “A black one.” | murmur when | see him climb out of his car and | duck before | hear a bell chas the door opens.

13:44 2.30% Chapter 55 “Get down behind the counter,” the man says, and | hold my breath, dropping to sit and lean agains the counter, with the phone still clutched to my ear.

“He found me! Hurry!” | whisper into the phone. | hear the service station attendant speak aboveand | glance up at him.

“Can | help you, sir?” he asks before | hear Kade's voice.

“I'm looking for a girl. Abbie, cout. This human won't save you from me!” Kade's voice growls and | flinch at his tone.

“Sir, | have not seen a girl,” the man says.

“I can smell her. Now cout Abbie, before I kill this man!” | hear Kade growl out.

| swallow and my skin prickles with goosebumps as | hear his footsteps grow closer. When the man is suddenly grabbed by the collar of his shirt and ripped over the top of the counter. | scream jumping to my feet in tto see Kade snap the mans neck. His eyes dart to mine and | drop the phone racing toward the rear of the building where | saw the man go to retrieve the first aid kit. Kade snarls and gives chase and | find a door. My palms hit hard and it burst open. Once outside I look around briefly before taking off across the road toward the mountain so i can hide in the forest.

“Abbie!” Kade snarls and adrenaline pumps through my veins dulling all my pain as | run for my life. The howls grow louder in the distance as his pack closes in. | slip on the loose dirt and twigs as | force my body to start climbing up the mountain only to be tackled. Kade’s fist slam into the back of my head before my side makingwheeze and | feel my ribs crack. My scream is deafening and hurt my ears.

*#Think you can run from me! Who were you on the phone to?” He says, rippingbackward by my hair.

#% Fuck you!” | spit at him, just as | hear a loud crash like a car accident, coming from above. | kicked and thrashed while screaming for help.

A furious growi tears out of Kade, and he tossesinto a nearby tree. Pain washed overas | got to my hands and knees, only for him to grab my hair.

“Ivy!” | scream out clearly through the forest praying she could hearwhen he starts draggingdown the mountainside with my flailing and thrashing.

Kade dragsout down the hill and onto the grassy patch. | escape his clutches and begin running again when his body hits mine from behind and he pinsto the grass of the small meadow at the bottom of the mountain.

My eyes try desperately to scan my surroundings, my vision attempting to correct itself. But everything looks extremely fuzzing except the neon sign which blinks frantically. All | can hear is the static noise emanating from it. The service station is about 300 meters fromand across the road. | scream when Kade starts rippingbackward from the woods. Kicking and screaming, | thrash around trying to loosen his grip begging him to letgo. Those pleas fell on deaf ears, however. Kade ignoresas he ripsout of the treeline once again.

When | hear noise off to the side and | pray it's help and not his pack members when | start screaming, letting them know | don’t want him as a mate. Isn't there laws? | wasn’t sure, but | was willing to do anything at this point.

“I reject you! | reject you!!” | scream. Kade tossesto the ground, and | try to crawl away from him as | struggle to get back to my feet.

“Doesn't work like that, love. That is not how you reject someone!” he growls at me, stalking toward me. On my hands and knees, | was struggling to remain conscious when | heard a scream makingpeer over my shoulder to see Kade spin around. Ivy comes from God knows where, drenched in blood, twigs and dirt covering her and | realize it must have been their car | heard crash on the road up the mountain. She rushes at him with a rock in her hand, Kade deflects her blow and she crashes on top of him.

The rock flies from her grip as he lands on top of her and it rolls away, stopping next to me. Kade growls, trying to pin her. “What are you doing here?” he snaps at her, holding her down on her back. Snatching the rock | get to my feet staggering toward them. | raise both hands above my head clutching the rock and slam it down on the back of his head. Kade abruptly freezes before he growls and looks over his shoulder at me.

Kade’s blood runs down the sides of his face and drips onto Ivy from where | hit him with it. Kade turns to attack me, but Ivy grabs his ankle, tripping him, and I lift the rock again and smash him in the head with it again, and he goes limp on the ground, face down and unmoving.

Ivy sits up and 1 look at her, then rush over to her. Tears stream down face, as | take her in. Dirt, and twigs in her hair, she is covered in the sdirt as me. The rock dropped from my hand as | stepped over Kade and moved toward her to help her sit up. Ivy clutches her stomach, which was bleeding like a steady stream and saturating her torn and filthy pants.

*lvy!” | gush, clutching her arms; | haul her upright. A sigh escapes her, and | grab her face in my hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Only when | do her eyes go behind me. “Abbie!” Ivy gasps. My head turns seeing him get to his feet and | rip Ivy to her feet with a strength | wasn’t sure how | possessed given the state we were both in.

“Can you shift?” Ivy asks me, but | shake my head. “You?” | ask and she looks down at her bleeding wound and also shakes her head. | whimper, and Kade groans when howls in the distance ring out loudly, sending my blood cold. An icy shiver slivers up my spine.

“The pack! He called his pack!” | panicked, knowing we needed to get out of here before they find us.

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