Saving Alyssa

Alyssa’s hands trembled as she stood beside Dylan’s truck, her duffel bag heavy in her grasp. The streetlights flickered, casting long shadows in the empty parking lot, but she barely noticed. Her mind was too full of chaos, too full of fear.

Dylan’s eyes were locked on her, his expression unreadable, but she could feel the weight of his gaze on her. She had thought she would feel relief once she was out of that house, once she had finally broken free. But all she felt was lost. Adrift.

“So, where to?” she asked, her voice low, almost hesitant. The tension between them had been building ever since he’d found her standing in the street, and now, here they were, two lost souls on the run with nowhere to go.

Dylan didn’t answer right away. He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that only made him seem even more mysterious. The air between them crackled with unsaid words, with something far deeper than what either of them wanted to admit.

“Wherever you feel safe,” he said, his voice steady but quiet. He had never sounded so… vulnerable.

Alyssa blinked, taken aback. She hadn’t expected that from him. She had seen Dylan Scott—the school’s bad boy, the leader of his pack, the guy everyone feared—but never had she seen him like this. No bravado. No cocky attitude. Just a quiet, almost protective presence.

“I don’t know where I feel safe,” she murmured, a bitter laugh escaping her lips as she glanced away. “I don’t even know who I can trust anymore.”

His eyes softened for a brief moment before he pushed open the door to the truck and slid into the driver’s seat. “You can trust me,” he said, his voice rough but sincere. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Alyssa hesitated for a moment, torn. His words echoed in her mind, tempting her to believe in something she had long given up on—safety. Protection. But she had learned the hard way that people weren’t always what they seemed. Her father had once been the man who promised her the world, only to turn it into a nightmare.

But then Dylan spoke again, his voice quieter now, like he was speaking to himself. “I know what it’s like to not have anyone, to be alone.” He took a deep breath, his eyes shifting toward the darkened road. “I won’t let you be alone in this.”

Something in his words hit her deeper than she wanted to admit. He understood loneliness. He understood pain. In that moment, Alyssa realized there was more to Dylan Scott than just the reputation he carried. There was a side to him that no one ever saw—vulnerable, scared, and maybe even as broken as she was.

She couldn’t help but wonder if this was why she felt the pull to him. It wasn’t just the mystery, the rough edges, or the way he seemed to have a thousand secrets hiding behind his eyes. It was the fact that, in some strange way, he felt like a mirror of her own pain.

But trusting him—letting him in—was a dangerous game.

She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath to steady herself. “I don’t know if I can trust anyone anymore. Not after everything.”

“I get that,” Dylan replied, his voice low. “But you’ve got to trust me this time. Let me help you. I’m not like the others.”

Alyssa’s heart skipped a beat at his words. She didn’t know what he meant by “the others,” but something in his tone told her he wasn’t referring to just anyone. He was talking about his own world—the world of power, of pack loyalty, of rules she didn’t understand but knew enough to be terrified of.

Before she could say anything more, Dylan started the truck, and they began to drive in silence. The soft hum of the engine was the only sound that filled the space between them.

As they drove further away from her past, her home, her father’s house, Alyssa felt a sense of unease creeping into her chest. The farther they went, the more she realized just how deep the situation was getting. Dylan wasn’t just helping her out of the kindness of his heart. She knew that. There was something more to this, something she hadn’t yet figured out.

What did Dylan want from her?

And was she ready to give him any part of herself?

Hours passed, and they eventually reached a secluded area on the outskirts of town. Dylan pulled the truck up beside an old, abandoned warehouse. It was quiet here—too quiet. No one would find them, not for a while.

“I think it’s safe here for tonight,” Dylan said as he killed the engine, his voice firm but not unkind.

Alyssa stepped out of the truck, her legs stiff from the long drive, and glanced around. The place was eerily empty, but something about it made her feel… calm. Maybe it was the silence, or maybe it was Dylan, standing beside her in the darkness, his presence like a shield.

“This is where you stay?” she asked, trying to sound casual, even though her heart was still hammering in her chest.

Dylan chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it. “Not exactly. But it’s a good place to lay low.”

Alyssa nodded, taking it all in, but still feeling the weight of the unknown. She didn’t want to ask too many questions. She didn’t want to know more than she had to. The last thing she needed was to get even more tangled up in Dylan’s world. But she was already tangled. She could feel it.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, her eyes meeting his. “For helping me. I—”

But before she could finish, his eyes flickered toward the horizon, and a shadow passed over his face. Something had changed, and Alyssa could feel it. She could feel the tension building again, like there was something he wasn’t telling her.

“Don’t mention it,” Dylan said sharply, cutting her off. There was a hardness in his voice, and Alyssa could sense the shift in his demeanor. “I don’t need your thanks. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

Alyssa studied him carefully, her brow furrowing. There was more to this. There was always more to this. But for now, she pushed the thoughts aside.

Dylan was already moving toward the building, his shoulders tense, his eyes scanning the surroundings. She followed him, not quite sure what was going to happen next but knowing that, for better or worse, her life had already changed.

As they reached the entrance to the warehouse, Dylan paused and turned to face her. There was a flicker of something unspoken in his gaze, something he was holding back, but for once, Alyssa didn’t feel afraid. She felt understood.

“You’ll be safe here tonight,” Dylan said, his voice softer now, almost gentle. “Tomorrow, we figure out what comes next.”

Alyssa nodded slowly, her heart still uncertain but her body too exhausted to fight the pull she felt toward him. For the first time in a long while, she let herself believe there might be a chance at survival beyond the walls she had lived in.

But little did she know, the dangers she had fled were far from over—and Dylan’s world was only just beginning to collide with hers.

As Dylan moved inside the dark, musty warehouse, he couldn’t help but glance back at Alyssa, his mind already working through a thousand possibilities. His pack would find out. They would always find out. And when they did, they would demand answers. They wouldn’t understand why he was helping a human, why he was going against the rules of their world.

But there was no turning back now.

He wasn’t going to let her go.

Not when she needed him.

And not when he needed her, too.