Forsaken By One Alpha, Claimed By His Rival

Aria Kensington POV:

Two tall guards flanked me, their hands like iron clamps on my arms, dragging me from the study. The heavy door clicked shut behind me, sealing away the sound of their laughter and the two years of my life I had just lost to a lie.

The agony of the Rejection was a constant, tearing scream in my soul. I forced myself to stay lucid through the blinding pain.

My goal was simple, escape. I couldn't let them take me to that clinic. I was not the fragile, submissive Omega they all thought I was. The noble, dominant Alpha blood of the Kensington line flowed in my veins, a secret I had guarded with my life. But years of swallowing toxic suppressants to mask my scent and hide my true identity from Dominik, combined with the devastating spiritual trauma of the Rejection, had completely locked my power away. Right now, my body, chemically weakened for so long, was hopelessly trapped in this broken, disguised shell. My wrists were heavily bruised under their brutal Gamma grip, a stark, painful reminder of my temporary powerlessness in this Alpha-dominated territory. A direct fight was suicide. I had to use my wits.

My mind raced through the manor's blueprints. I remembered a ventilation shaft in the service corridor leading to the back garden. Its security sensor was ancient and prone to malfunctioning. It was my only weak point to exploit.

I let my body go limp, collapsing to the floor with a pained, convincing groan. "My stomach... it hurts so much..." I clutched my abdomen, my face pale.

The guards exchanged a hesitant, panicked look. The Alpha's command was to take me to the clinic, but they couldn't risk me miscarrying on their watch. They would be held personally responsible by the Alpha King if I bled out right here in the hallway.

One of them knelt to check on me. The moment he tried to lift me, I threw all my remaining weight into him, shoving him hard into his companion.

They stumbled into a tangled mess. I scrambled to my feet and ran like my life depended on it, because it absolutely did.

Angry shouts echoed behind me. The piercing, deafening shriek of the manor's alarm blared, a terrifying sound that signaled the brutal hunt had begun.

I ducked into a narrow servants' passage. I navigated the dim, dusty corridors, finally finding the service entrance hidden behind a stack of unused furniture.

I heaved the heavy steel door open and slipped inside. The sounds of pursuit were getting closer. I crawled on my hands and knees, feeling my way toward the vent. My beautiful white dress tore on unseen snags, collecting grime and dirt, but I didn't care. Freedom was just ahead.

Finally, my bleeding fingers brushed against the metal grille. I pushed it open. A blast of freezing, snow-laced air hit my face, reviving my fading senses.

I climbed out into the back garden. The snow was falling heavier now, a thick, freezing blanket that would hopefully cover my tracks.

I ran for the perimeter wall. I knew it had a three-minute maintenance window every night at midnight.

It was ten minutes to midnight. Running in the deep snow was exhausting. My lungs burned like they were filled with acid, and my legs felt like lead weights. The cramping in my lower abdomen was becoming sharper, a terrifying warning from my fragile body that I was reaching my absolute limit. Every step was a monumental effort, a desperate battle against my own failing physiology.

But the thought of the tiny life inside me fueled me. He was innocent. He was all I had left in this cruel, calculating world.

A long, terrifying howl echoed in the distance. Patrol teams. They were already releasing the tracker hounds. I could smell the faint, metallic scent of bloodlust in the air.

I desperately tried to summon my hidden Alpha strength, to shift into my true, powerful wolf form for speed. But the trauma of the Rejection had completely severed my connection to her. The majestic white wolf of my true bloodline was suppressed, trapped in the dark, bruised recesses of my mind, unable to break through the years of suppressants and the fresh agony of a broken mate-bond. I was hopelessly trapped in this weak human shell, completely at their mercy if caught.

Finally, I saw the three-meter-high wall. I checked my watch. One minute to midnight. I hid behind a large oak tree, my heart pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird trying to break free.

I could hear the crunch of heavy boots and the vicious barking of hounds getting closer.

Then, the blinking red lights on top of the wall went dark. Now.

I bolted, using the last of my strength to scale the wall. The rough, icy surface scraped my palms raw, leaving bloody smears behind, but I felt nothing but the pure adrenaline.

Just as I hauled myself onto the top, a searchlight beam swept across the grounds, trapping me in its glare.

"She's there!" a guard roared.

I leaped from the wall, plunging into the dark, unknown forest. Would the darkness of the woods swallow me whole, or would it be the bloody path to my only salvation? Whatever awaited me, it had to be better than the cold-blooded Alpha I left behind.