A Luna for Alpha Kieran Novel – Run Autumn’s stomach growled like a feral beast, twisting in on itself. Three days without food. Three nights shivering in the hollow of a rotting tree. “Fuck this! ” That’s when she saw it. A rough little campfire tucked between two fallen logs. Four rogues…scrawny, scarred, mean looking fuckers…squatted around it. She did not hesitate.
Hunger had eaten the fear out of her a long time ago. Like a shadow, she crept through the underbrush, belly low, hands fast. She snagged the loaf… She crouched in the underbrush, watching the rogue camp ahead…three of them were roasting a rabbit over a fire Their bags lay unattended. “Idiots! ” She lunged. Another snatched loaf of bread, a wedge of cheese…then a ‘crack’ underfoot. A snapped twig. “Oi! Thieving bitch!” One of the rogues snarled, whirling around from the other side.
“YOU LITTLE SHIT…SHE TOOK OUR FOOD!” “FUCKING GET HER!” Autumn did not wait. She bolted. “Catch her!” The forest blurred as she sprinted, hfeet slamming against roots and rocks. Behind her, snarls, curses, the thunder of pursuit. The chase exploded behind her like a pack of wild dogs on crack. Branches slapped her face. Thorns tore at her legs. She did not stop. Did not look back. Heart pounding like a war drum, breath burning in her throat, she ran like hell. “You’re dead, bitch!” one of them screamed. They were fast. One nearly grabbed her coat.
She yanked free, lost a sleeve, and kept going. Her bare arms stung, her legs screamed, but her instincts screamed louder..run or die. “Fucking gutter rat!” A knife whistled past her ear, embedding itself in a tree. She veered left, heart hammering. “Faster. Faster.” But the rogues were gaining. The trees thinned. The ground dropped. She skidded to a stop, boots scraping the gravel. The cliff loomed ahead…jagged rocks and a drop that looked like it kissed hell. When Autumn skidded to a halt at the cliff’s edge, pebbles scattered down below into the void.
The river roared beneath her, black and hungry. “That river!” Behind her, footsteps pounded closer. Curses flew. One tossed another knife. It whizzed past her cheek this time. Her breath hitched. This was it. She could feel her own heartbeat. Memories clawed at her…Lyla’s laughter, the boat tipping, the water swallowing her whole. “Nowhere to run, thief.” She turned. The rogues emerged from the trees, grinning, knives glinting. “Should’ve just starved quietly,” one spat. Autumn’s chest burned. “Fuck them.” She glanced back at the river. The same waters that took Lyla, her little sister… her baby sister… ten years ago… “Maybe it’ll