CHAPTER 10 The Best Option

　　Mia's POV

The sound of a key jiggling in the lock wakes me from my sleep. I look around the room and I only see Dylan sleeping on the floor next to me. Both of us refused to sleep in the bed for fear of some sort of bug infestation.

The key continues to twist in the lock and I am positive that it is someone that is after me. Perhaps my father sent someone to look for me. Or maybe Alpha Thomas changed his mind and is letting my father's men come after me.

Reaching beside me, I smack Dylan in the head. "Wake up," I hiss at him. "There is someone at the door."

Dylan groans loudly and rolls over onto his stomach, hiding his face on the floor. "It is probably just Tommy."

"Tommy?" I whisper loudly. "Who the fuck is Tommy?"

Dylan rolls back on his side and looks and me sleepily. "Thomas... Alpha Thomas," he yawns and I feel stupid. Of course, Alpha Thomas would have a nickname. I just never expected it to be Tommy. It sounds so juvenile.

Suddenly, the door is kicked open, and a tall imposing figure is standing in the doorway. Dylan is on his feet quickly, placing himself between me and whatever danger might be coming for me. Without hesitation, Dylan gives a warning growl to whoever is in the doorway.

"It's me, dumbass," I hear Alpha Thomas's deep voice. "The key got jammed in the lock."

Dylan immediately relaxes and moves to curl back up on the floor, to go back to sleep.

Alpha Thomas walks over to Dylan and kicks him gently in the side. "I need to talk to Mia alone," he says as he looks down at Dylan.

Grumbling about pain in the ass Alphas, Dylan gets up from the floor and stomps out of the hotel room like a pissed-off toddler. He tries to slam the door shut behind him but it just swings on its hinges and opens back up. Mumbling cuss words under his breath, Dylan tries several times to shut the door with no luck. Eventually, he storms off leaving the door wide open.

I glance over at Alpha Thomas and he is trying to hide his amusement beneath his hand. But his soft chuckle cuts through the silence in the room. I haven't heard him laugh before and it is possibly the most attractive thing about him.

Slowly he walks back to the door and closes it gently. As he turns back towards me I am hyper-aware that he and I are alone in a hotel room together. His sandalwood scent fills the room and I can no longer smell the stench of stale cigarettes in the room. He seems to be holding his breath as he walks toward me. He stops just a few feet in front of me and smiles gently.

The silence between us is deafening and I am desperate to fill it. "Did you speak with my father?" I ask curiously. "How did it go?"

Alpha Thomas laughs sarcastically. "You can probably guess how it went," he rolls his eyes.

"I'll get my things," I say as I walk towards the door.

Alpha Thomas reaches out his arm and stops me from moving closer to the door. "Why would you do that?" He asks me in a husky voice.

"I am assuming that my father didn't want to make a deal with you for me." I let my eyes fall to the ground. I don't want him to see the tears that are filling my eyes.

Placing two fingers under my chin he tilts my head up so he can look in my eyes. "Do you really think that I would give up that easily? When I see something that I want, I rarely back down."

My eyes widen with realization. "You want me?" I ask.

Alpha Thomas backs away from me. "That's not what I meant," he says quickly. "I just meant that you seem like the best option for my situation."

I shake the hurt feelings from my head. "Of course." Why would he want me? No one wants me, not even my own family.

"There will be a party in two days' time so you can say farewell to your pack," Alpha Thomas begins to explain. "After that, we will travel back to the Red Moon Pack."

I can feel bile rising in my throat. "I can't go back there. Not even for two days. My father will ship me off to Alpha Richard. I just know it."

"It's okay, Sassy Pants," he says, absentmindedly wrapping his arms around me. "You are staying with me until the party. I don't trust your father either."

I wiggle out of his arms and stare at him in shock. "Do you mean to tell me that you still expect me to come with you to Red Moon and be your Luna for a year?"

"Do you have a better option?" Alpha Thomas laughs at me. "Alpha Richard will not stop looking for you and you can only hide from him for so long."

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and contemplate my options. I could run from here and hope that Alpha Richard will back out of the deal with my father once he realizes that I am missing. But if he chooses not to back out then I would be stuck running for the rest of my life. Or, I could take Alpha Thomas's offer and be his Luna for just a year.

"What if I have a fated mate out there waiting for me?" I try to protest.

A concerned look spreads across Alpha Thomas's eyes and a frown pulls at the corners of his lips. "I would not stop you from leaving if you found your fated mate," he says simply.

I would prefer to run but a feeling in the pit of my stomach tells me that I can trust Alpha Thomas. "Okay, Alpha," I say smartly. "You have yourself a deal." I thrust out my hand for Alpha Thomas to shake.

"Okay, Luna," he says with a smirk on his face. He grabs my hand and pulls me close to him. "This is going to be fun."