Chapter 7

~ Gab ~

Luke struggled to his knees, his suit stained with dirt and blood. A cruel smile spread across his split lips as he pointed a shaking finger at me.

“Arrest him!” Luke shouted, coughing up blood. “He attacked me and my entire security team! Arrest him now!”

In an instant, the officers turned their guns toward me. Every weapon was pointed at me.

I slowly leaned closer to Leah and whispered a question that had been bothering me.

“Who are they?”

Leah froze. She looked up at me, her eyes wide with shock. Her mouth fell open slightly, as if I had just asked the strangest question ever.

“We’re… we’re about to get arrested,” she whispered, her voice shaking. Her eyes moved nervously between me and the officers. “They’re the police, Gab. And Luke has a lot of money and power. He can make them do whatever he wants.”

Police.

I looked at their uniforms, the way they stood, and the authority they carried. Ah… now I understood. They were the human version of pack warriors—the ones who enforced the law and kept order.

My eyes shifted to the side. The officers were slowly closing in on us, stepping over the unconscious bodies of Luke’s men.

"Step away from the girl and put your hands behind your head! Now!" the lead officer barked, his finger tightening on his trigger.

My eyes landed on a large glass window at the far end of the room. It was closed, but the frame looked weak. I didn’t wait for the officers to get any closer.

“Hold on to me,” I said quietly.

Before Leah could understand what I meant, I wrapped one arm tightly around her waist and pulled her against my chest. Then I turned and charged forward.

"Hey! Stop!"

The glass shattered into thousands of sharp pieces as I smashed through the window with my shoulder. I quickly covered Leah’s face with my shirt to protect her from the flying glass. We crashed through the broken window and landed safely on our feet in the hotel’s courtyard.

"After them! They're fleeing!" a voice roared from inside. I didn’t stop to look back. I grabbed Leah’s hand, and our fingers locked together without thinking.

“Run!” I said with a laugh as excitement rushed through my body.

We ran across the green lawn toward the busy streets outside the hotel gates. Behind us, the hotel’s doors flew open as four police officers rushed out. Their heavy boots pounded against the ground while the equipment on their belts rattled as they chased after us.

“Stop right there! Both of you, stop!” one of the police officers shouted. His voice echoed through the alley we had just run into.

I looked down at Leah, the fear that had filled her in the restaurant slowly disappeared. The wind rushed through her hair as we ran, and a smile began to appear on her face.

Her chest rose and fell with every breath, but she kept up with me. She moved quickly and smoothly, just like someone who loved to run.

We turned sharp corners, jumped over trash cans, and ran between parked cars. Then a soft sound escaped her lips.

Leah giggled.

I looked at her, and a big smile spread across my face. It was crazy. We were being chased by armed police officers, running for our lives through a city I didn’t even know. But somehow, at that moment, we felt completely free.

Without thinking, we held each other’s hands even tighter. Her hand was warm in mine, and our fingers fit together perfectly. The simple touch filled me with a strange sense of peace. It calmed my wolf and made me feel like nothing could stop us.

With every step we took together, it no longer felt like we were running away. It felt like we were sharing a wild, unforgettable adventure.

“Are you always this happy when you’re in trouble?” she asked shyly, smiling as we turned left into a busy marketplace.

“I didn’t know trouble could be this enjoyable.” I teased, pulling her a little closer as we disappeared into the crowd.

I listened carefully. The police officers’ footsteps and voices faded into the noise of the busy market. They weren’t following us anymore.

We stepped away from the crowd and slipped into a quiet corner between two brick buildings. But I wasn’t thinking about our escape anymore.

I was looking at my hand. Even though we had stopped running, we were still holding hands.

My wolf let out a soft, happy purr.

Leah looked down at our joined hands. Her eyes widened when she realized we were still holding each other. Slowly, and almost unwillingly, she slipped her hand out of mine.

The moment her touch was gone, my hand suddenly felt cold and empty.

A soft pink blush spread across her cheeks. She looked up at me through her long eyelashes, a shy smile on her lips, then quickly looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

My wolf had finally found his mate… and I was beginning to understand why he refused to calm down. Every protective instinct my wolf possessed rose to the surface at once.

She was still wearing the dress from last night. She looked so small and vulnerable, like someone who had just escaped a terrible nightmare. I couldn’t let her walk around like this.

I looked around the busy market, searching for a place to buy her some new clothes. My eyes moved past the several stalls until they stopped at a small clothing shop across the street.

“We need to get you a new outfit,” I said with a small smile as I turned back to her. “There’s a shop right over—”

The words caught in my throat.

I looked at the spot where Leah had been standing only a second ago. It was empty.

“Leah?”