Accidentally Mated To Four Alphas-Chapter 283: _ Out in The Wild

~Morgan’s Point Of View~

Morgan hates exile and best believe that it’s not the dirt-under-the-nails part. Not the walking-until-your-feet-go-numb part. Not even the fact that the forest smells like wet rot and old teeth and things that never learned to die politely.

No... he hates who he’s in exile with.

Darien walks ahead like this is just another tactical maneuver. Like losing everything is a chess move he’s already accepted three turns ago. He walks with a straight spine and measured pace, his protector instincts on full display.

Grayson flanks Heidi like a goddamn shield with legs, glancing at every shadow like the forest might grow a mouth and swallow her whole. And Heidi... Morgan’s jaw tightens.

She walks between them, pack slung over one shoulder, chin up, eyes alert. Strong. Unbroken. Untouchable in the way only someone who doesn’t know how close they are to being taken can be.

You should be mine alone the thought snarls in his head instinctively. And that’s the problem.

He didn’t plan for exile like this. He planned for escape. For blood and fire and return. He planned for Darien to fall publicly, and spectacularly so the pack would have no choice but to look to him. He planned for Grayson to... disappear. Maybe in a quiet accident that broke Rayne’s heart just enough to feel like justice.

And Heidi? He planned to win her alone. Instead, he’s trudging through the woods with both of his obstacles breathing the same air.

Morgan flexes his fingers, feeling the demon core stir beneath his skin, warm and attentive. It hums like a blade that knows it will be drawn soon. Soon, he promises it.

He doesn’t need much. All he needs is a misstep or a moment of chaos. Wolves die in the wild all the time. Especially exiled ones, so no one would suspect a thing should any of the two idiots trying to steal his girl die here.

And when Darien scales the nearest tree in a fluid burst of motion, his boots barely brushing bark as he climbs. Morgan watches him go with narrowed eyes, his irritation simmering.

He hates that Darien always wants to act first. Always leading. Always... 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Darien is still high above them. Then: "Fuck." He groans.

That gets everyone’s attention.

Morgan looks up. "Care to elaborate, oh fearless leader?"

Darien doesn’t answer right away. He shifts his weight, scanning the forest canopy beyond the clearing. His voice, when it comes, is tight.

"We’ve got company."

"How many?" Grayson asks, already lowering his pack.

Darien exhales sharply. "An army."

Morgan’s grin spreads slowly and sharply. "Now that’s my kind of exile."

Darien shoots him a look from above. "Vampires."

That... gives him pause.

"Already?" Morgan mutters. "Damn. Didn’t know we were that popular."

Heidi stiffens. "Vampires?"

Darien drops from the tree, landing lightly. "Forty. Maybe more and they are moving fast."

Morgan lets out a low whistle. "They waste no time, do they?"

Heidi’s eyes flick between them. "What do we do?"

Darien answers immediately. "We keep moving. We don’t engage. Vampires track by scent and sound, so if we stay mobile, we can lose them before nightfall."

Seriously? This idiot wants to cower and hide?

"He’s a fool. That’s why you need to cut his head off." The demon core answers Morgan’s thoughts and he can’t help but to agree.

Darien was just a bloody daunce acting like the real deal.

Morgan laughs, hands on his waist. "You cannot be serious."

Darien turns on him. "This isn’t a joke."

"No," Morgan agrees pleasantly, "it’s a bad plan."

Grayson steps between them instinctively. "Morgan, please, let’s..."

"Don’t," Morgan snaps, eyes never leaving Darien. "He’s wrong."

Darien’s jaw tightens. "They outnumber us."

"So?" Morgan spreads his arms. "We’re three Alpha wolves and a god-wolf who can bend celestial energy like it owes her rent."

He gestures toward Heidi. "We don’t run from bloodsuckers."

"We don’t invite them either," Darien counters. "If we fight, we’ll be exposed, injured, and slowed. You and I know we need to get out of these woods while we can."

"And if we run," Morgan shoots back, "they’ll hunt us from behind. They’re faster. Stronger at night. You really want them picking us off one by one?"

That causes a static silence until Heidi swallows. "They’re coming for us? What if they are just going their own way?"

Morgan’s gaze sharpens. "No," he says slowly. "They’re coming for us for sure."

Heidi stiffens. "Can you explain why you’re so sure?"

Morgan’s senses stretch outward, demon core flaring as he listens out. He can hear them now. Footsteps that don’t disturb the ground. Breathing that doesn’t need air.

"They’re not spread out," Morgan continues. "They’re herding. That’s not a random patrol."

Grayson’s hand curls into a fist. "So what’s the call?"

Darien looks between them, then at Heidi. "We vote since Morgan won’t let me decide."

Morgan grins. "Fine."

"I vote we keep moving," Darien says.

"Stand and fight," Morgan replies instantly and shoots Grayson a you better not be stupid look.

The latter hesitates, then sighs. "Fight."

All eyes turn to Heidi. She takes a breath and shrugs. "We could stay and see what they want since we didn’t do anything wrong. They can’t possibly be after us. So..."

Morgan can’t believe her naivety. You don’t have to do anything wrong to be haunted when you’re out in the wild.

Darien exhales through his teeth. "Heidi, you don’t understand, but time is not on our side, so I guess it’s a tie then."

Morgan claps once. "Guess democracy sucks."

Darien looks at the encroaching darkness, then nods sharply. "Alright. Defensive position. We won’t chase them and ensure we don’t split."

Morgan’s grin turns feral. "Oh, I’m chasing."

The forest shifts and the vampires emerge like a nightmare peeling itself out of the shadow.

They simply stroll, not bothering to rush because they know they have the numbers. There are forty of them with pale and sharp and amused, eyes glowing faintly red. Leather and bone and old arrogance clinging to them like perfume.

At their head stands a woman. She’s tall and silver-haired, Lips stained dark like she’s already tasted blood tonight.

She smiles. "Wolves."