Driving slower than I’d like, I followed the directions coming from my phone. My head throbbed and a big part of me wanted to lie down and bury myself under blankets, but I couldn’t. I had to put as much distance between me and Mike. With that in mind, I kept on driving even after I left Black Mountain territory. The plan was to not stop, even as night fell, but after a few hours my head hurt so badly, I could hardly focus on the road. I was nauseous and feverish. I needed to stop and take a breather. Once I was feeling better, I’d get back on the road.
After the CT scan, I was back in the small exam room, waiting for the results, when the door suddenly opened. “Hey Mom—” a guy said. The lights came on, sending a sharp stab of pain through my eyes.“Lights off,” Kara demanded.
Exhaustion hit me like Kara’s truck when Emily Left. I sighed and sat on the bed. Closing my eyes, I sent a silent prayer to the big guy. Let this be my break, please. Grabbing a change of clothes, I showered and sat on the bed when someone knocked on the door. I groaned, wanting only to lie down and go to sleep. I opened the door to a tall, blonde, Viking looking guy.
I hadn’t gone too far in my search for food when a heavy arm fell around my shoulders. Despite my newfound determination, I flinched and ducked away. With a surprised expression on his face, Dean held up his hands. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”Feeling silly, I blew out a breath and stood straight.
Ryder ~~~ I sat in the back seat of Harry’s car, wishing he would go faster. I spun the plastic covered silver bracelet on my left wrist. It was my uncle’s punishment for fighting with Mike. Like I needed anhy punishment after what Harry told me earlier. As if her not wanting to see me wasn’t bad enough, I scared her enough to make her run away. Guilt crushed me. I just wanted to protect her. Thank God Kara found her. I’d have to thank her, but for now, I had to figure out how to reassure Brook. God, just the idea of her not wanting to see me again tore me apart. I blew out a breath when the pack house came into view. At the door, my parents waite
God, what did I do to piss you off? I mean really! First, Mom pretty much grounded me for life, and now Ryder. Mortifying didn’t cover that mess. Good lord, if he had come five seconds earlier… my face burned at the thought. I dressed quickly and left the bathroom. Someone knocked on the door and I didn’t need three guesses to know who it was. I waited for the ground to swallow me whole. When it didn’t, I begrudgingly opened the door. I decided to arm myself with sarcasm instead of dying from embarrassment. “So the perv does know how to knock.” “I am not a perv! And I didn’t realize you were in this room.” He almost looked embarrassed as I had been. Good. I crossed my arms and gave him my best glare. “Yeah, if you did you would’ve burst in sooner, right perv?” His mo
I knew Ryder heard Mom, so I followed her downstairs. Harry stopped us in the hallway. “What’s wrong?” Mom asked as he ushered us into an empty room, his expression pinched. “Alpha Ryan knows everything,” he said as he closed the door. “He knows we’re here and worse, he knows Brook is Ryder’s mate. Ryan gave me orders to bring you back to Black Mountain territory by six in the morning tomorrow.” “What?” Panic slammed into me. I couldn’t go back. “Harry, you can’t take me back!” My voice was shrill even to my ears. “Of course, he’s not taking you back,” Mom said, placing her arm around my shoulders. However, Harry looked like he was ready to toss his cookies. “If I don’t, it’ll be an open act of aggression and he’ll make sure it leads to war.”
Ryder ~~~ I growled, running my hands through my hair as I watched Brook run from me. What happened? I didn’t understand any of it at all - the lying or acting like I was going to hit her. With heavy footsteps, I stomped through the halls and into the pool room where my brother, Andy, Kara, and Beth were waiting. I slumped into one of the lounge chairs next to Dean. “Didn’t find her?” Kara asked. “I did, but lost her again,” I told them. “Weird,” Andy said, looking thoughtful. “She wasn’t like that the first day. Wary, but she never seemed to avoid any of us.” “Actual
“See, normal,” Ryder said, leading me to a table in the cafeteria-style dining room. He only let go of my hand when we sat down with the others. I said nothing back. What could I say? He was just so nice and seemed authentic. It left me so confused. Harry made it seem like I’d lose everything if I stayed, but Ryder was only asking for a chance to prove himself. It seemed wrong not to let him. God, this was such a mess and gave me a headache. “Hey Brookie,” Dean said, waving to me. Several people from the other tables looked over at ours, and I hunched up. “Hey,” I said in a grumble. “You’re grumpy. Is it that time of the month?” Dean asked. He did not just ask me that? Andy groaned, glaring at him. “Dude, seriously. Shut