ALPHA RYDER'S LUNA

CHAPTER 3: ON THE RUN

MAYA'S POV

I raced out of the room in mortification and disgrace. I was still pregnant and had given my whole to a man who didn't want me; my virginity was lost for real. I could hear Elena running after me as I left. I ran outside, gasping for breath.

"Maya!" She whispered, but I didn't hear her clearly. "Hey, Maya, what's wrong?" Elena asked.

"Caleb, Caleb chose Layla as his mate and Luna," I answered her.

"Are you that shocked, sister? Well, I guess I am too, but why would you be this shaken over that? Layla is our friend, and that means one thing: we'd enjoy her luxury as Luna. She chimed excitedly, obviously clueless as to what I was going through.

"Caleb is my mate, Elena, and..." I broke down into a hysterical sob to finish my sentence.

"No, Maya, Caleb is Layla's mate," she replied, confused as to whatever it was I meant. "And please don't cry," she added, patting my back.

"No, Elena, Caleb is my mate, and he's been for 2 months now; in fact, it's deeper-we made a baby," I said, touching my stomach as I cried harder, then found my way to sit on a stairway at the entrance.

"But I don't understand; he told me he was going to announce me as his Luna today and mark me as his, and now he marked Layla. It means I've been rejected'" I rushed my words amidst sobs.

"No... what?" Elena asked, surprised.

"But why am I just hearing of this? How did you guys meet? When did all of this happen?" She had a lot of questions, and I knew it was wrong for me to have kept them from her; she was my sister, and she never kept anything from me.

"Caleb, he told me to keep it a secret," I said, realizing I had been stupid, and began to break down and cry even more.

"I hate to say this to you now in your darkest moment, but Maya, how could you be so stupid? How would you expect Alpha Caleb to love you when he'd rejected his mate, who was an omega, once?" She asked; she was concerned, but I knew even though Elena was concerned, she'd always say the truth and hit the nail on the head, but what she was saying I had no idea.

"He rejected an omega?" I asked, facing her as I wiped my eyes. "What could she have done?" I probed.

"You really don't know?" Elena asked. myself in, the more confused I was.

"She's here," Elena muttered, tugging at my gown, succeeding in getting my attention. I stood from the stairway I sat on, dusting my gown, trying to look presentable as Layla approached. She was now my Luna, and no matter how I felt, I was to serve her.

"Maya dear," Layla said in a very disgusting tone, "you must have thought Caleb was going to name you as his," she said as she began to toy with her fingers and then burst into hysterical laughter.

"But you see, you dream so high and try to reach things that can never be yours. I mean, look at you, trying to become the alpha's Luna; a mere omega dares to dream," she mockingly said.

Layla had changed from the loving beta friend who stood by me to a bitch who dared to steal a man she knew was mine. "I don't. Would you explain to me already?" I demanded, and then she sighed and began.

"Before you, Caleb had once been mated to another, only he never marked her; his excuse for rejecting her was that she was a weak omega who he couldn't trust to rule alongside him."

I couldn't seem to be able to comprehend the rest of whatever Elena was saying, as the only thing that kept ringing in my head was.

Alpha Caleb had rejected me because I was an omega, but then, why had he been intimate with me? Was I just a plaything in his eyes?

"Maya, Layla is walking towards us," Elena snapped, waving her right hand in front of my face.

But I paid her no attention; the more I thought about the situation, I found it was mated to me.

"But I'm not surprised he rejected you; if I were you, I'd reject me too."

she said with a wicked grin on her face.

"Don't you dare talk to my sister like that, you bitch," Elena growled at Layla, but I pulled her back. Layla was now above us, and getting on her bad side meant punishment.

"Let's go; I want to leave this place'" I said to Elena, who tried to protest, but looking at me, seeing the frustration on my face, she closed her mouth, held my hand, and dragged me further away from Layla.

"I need some water; could you get me some?" I asked Elena. We were in the warehouse of the hotel and had sat in silence for over 25 minutes since we got here after fleeing Layla. Elena didn't say a word; she just sat there for me.

"Sure, let me fetch you some water." She said and made her way out of the warehouse, but soon after, she came rushing back in, panicking.

"Maya, you have to run, right now," Elena said, roughly tugging at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused and not understanding what she meant.

Elena moved closer to me and then, in a low tone and with a sense of urgency, repeated, "You have to leave Nightshade right now."

"Why?" I asked in a more serious tone.

"I can't explain much now, but Layla is dead-no, she's murdered-and Caleb seems to believe it's your doing, and now, the whole pack is on the hunt for you," Sheila said, pacing around in front of me as she rushed her words, but they were clear enough.

A lot of thoughts rushed through my mind, a lot of questions I knew better not to ask because Elena wouldn't have answers to them.

Why was I to be hunted? Why was I suspected? Why should I run? And more importantly, where was I supposed to run to?