Several silent hours later, we arrived back home in the dead of night. Neither of our fathers felt comfortable with Mady and I going back to our townhouse, especially while it was unclear as to why we had caught the attention of a rival Alpha.Not wishing to cause any more trouble than necessary, we both agreed to stay with our parents until things smoothed over.We both returned to our townhouse to pack a bag, taking time to gather a few things. I made sure to cover my painting before carrying it out to the car where my father was waiting.Along with paint supplies, I grabbed an extra set of pajamas and clothes for a few days. I could only hope there was a spare toothbrush at my parents' house because mine was still in Las Vegas.I said goodbye to Mady as the two of us went our separate ways, promising to meet for coffee the next morning. When we got home, I said goodnight to my parents and went upstairs to my old bedroom.After what felt like an eternity of laying in the bed starin
I wanted to cringe at the pet name, but there was a part of me that desperately needed to hear him call me that again.My reply was quick."No," I said firmly." I have two jobs that I work, I can't just leave. Besides, my family would disown me if I left our pack for another-especially yours.""You misunderstood me," he said. "I didn't ask a question. I told you to come with me."I scoffed."Forgive me for acting upon my rights of autonomy," I told him, sarcasm lacing every word.My eyes drifted over his shoulder again, landing on the backdoor. Luca followed my gaze and stepped back away from me."Don't pretend you don't have a choice here," he said."You pick the door you walk through."I began to walk towards the backdoor."Okay, I guess this is goodbye then," I told him.Opening it, I walked through and turned to close and lock it behind me, leaving him to stand out on the patio. As I turned the corner to walk up the staircase, I leaned against the wall and placed my hand over my c
An eerie, early morning glow settled over the fog that fell on the acres of rolling farmlands outside my window.We made it over the Oregon border into Washington after a few hours had passed and neither Luca nor myself had spoken a word.I kept my head turned towards the window for most of the ride so he couldn't see the slow, silent tears rolling down my cheeks. I already missed my family and Mady.There was also the issue of the fact that I was exceedingly uncomfortable-not just because I was somewhere I didn't want to be and alone with someone who I only knew to be a murderous tyrant, but also because my hair was still damp from the rain that had also soaked through my shirt and pajama pants.My bare feet were freezing, despite the heat being on in the truck. When Luca noticed me fidgeting uncomfortably in my seat, he sighed."We'll stop when we get to Spokane," he said. "You can change there."I turned to look at him with eyes that were red and swollen from crying."Where are we
After driving around for a few minutes, we stopped next to a water tower that was so tall it peaked over the tops of the trees around us.A man was standing under a tree at the base of the tower, waiting for us. He was tall and of an athletic build. His skin, a rich shade of brown, was a stark contrast to the white t-shirt he wore. His shirt was tucked into cargo pants, which were held at the waist by a thick belt that holstered a gun. Hair shaved to his scalp, I could immediately tell he was of the no-nonsense types.Luca drove up next to him and rolled down his window to hand him my phone."Carrie, this is Lincoln," Luca introduced.I smiled and he nodded curtly.Never saying a word, Lincoln took the phone from Luca and turned to walk back towards the tower. He opened a door at the base of it and went inside."He works inside a water tower?" I asked."It's not a water tower, it's an office. He's my chief officer of information and technology. He runs a team out of IT guys out of the
Luca used a PIN pad that was attached to his door handle to unlock the door before opening it and letting me walk past him. I noted it was the same four numbers that were used to open the gate.When I walked in, a large laundry room was to my right with windows that overlooked the driveway. To my left was the entrance into a kitchen that was bigger than my old apartment.White cabinets sat along the lower and upper part of the walls with a wide window along one wall where the sink was, letting in ample amounts of daylight. A large soapstone-capped island was sitting in the middle of the kitchen and was lined by six countertop chairs on one side.I had never been in a kitchen that big.Natural hardwood floors ran the length of the kitchen and into the dining area that it opened up to where a long wooden dining table was placed under a simple iron chandelier. To the right of the dining area was a circular staircase that led up to the second floor and down into the basement.Further on w
"So what else do you do besides build houses and run a pack of over five thousand people?" I asked, backing away from both his gaze and the awkward tension."I don't have time for much else, I'm afraid."We were both quiet for a moment before Luca cleared his throat awkwardly."Speaking of the pack, I have a few things I need to see to. You're more than welcome to look around. If you need me, I'll be in the apartment that's over the garage. I typically utilize that space as an office."I nodded quickly, glad that I would get some time to myself.Luca walked back into the house and disappeared.Immediately, I felt like I could breathe normally again. I slumped into the couch that was beside me, trying to figure out what to do next.It wasn't long before I felt my eyelids begin to get heavy. As I tried to wake myself up, it occurred to me that I had been awake for over twenty-four hours. I hadn't slept since our only night in Vegas.As soon as I came to this realization, I felt a wave o
I woke up the next morning to the sound of birds singing. My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the bright sunshine that seeped into the room from the windows behind the bed.A gentle breeze created by the ceiling fan softly brushed my hair into my face, causing a chill to sweep over me. I pulled the comforter over my shoulders and sighed in contentment. My eyes opened again as I remembered what had happened.I had been in Heat.I hadn't realized it in the moment, likely because I was blinded by the sudden onset of pain. But I knew almost instinctively that's what had happened.Heat was rare-it occurred only after twenty-four hours had gone by of mates meeting each other and not consummating their bond. Most people didn't make it to this point. The fact that Luca and I did, however, was probably due to our unfortunate and unusual introduction. I couldn't imagine sleeping with the guy right after he'd kidnapped me, no matter how much I wanted to.I sat up in the bed.Feeling a cold breez
I sat down on the bed, my dirty laundry still in my hands. The last time I'd been on that bed, I had gotten off it to throw up. There was a similar feeling in my stomach at that moment.This relationship is doomed, I thought.While there was a part of me that was extremely jealous that Luca hadn't waited for me to have sex for the first time, there was another part of me that sympathized with his reasoning.It was true that most people waited for their mate to have sex. It was rare to come across someone who didn't. But those people who I knew that didn't wait were those, like Luca, who didn't meet their mate until they were much older.My mother was one of them. She would always tell me that there was a nagging feeling in the back of her head that told her she would never meet her mate. I could imagine Luca probably heard the same voice.That was something to sympathize with.The more reasonable parts of me, however, understood why people waited for their mate. After being around you