Chapter 6

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 chest, feeling my heart race.

Breathing deeply, I opened and clenched my fists to try and stop their nervous shaking.

I turned around slowly to peer around the corner towards the backdoor.

Luca had left the patio.

My eyebrows furrowed.

There was no way it was that easy.

Not knowing what else to do, I felt an obligation to go and wake my father. He and Alpha Reid needed to know that Luca was on our land.

I slowly tiptoed up the staircase and walked down the hallway towards my parents' room. As I passed my bedroom, I noticed my curtains blowing violently

in the large gusts of wind that blew through the room from the open window. Seeing the rain pour in, soaking my chair and bookcase that sat under the window, I hurried into the room to close it.

I tugged and pulled at the top of the windowpane, trying desperately to pull it down but it was jammed. The window shut suddenly, sending me off balance as I had put all of my weight into closing it.

I felt a hand grab my waist to steady me and I immediately turned around.

Luca stood behind me, his rain-drenched body close to mine. I gulped.

"Wrong choice."

Before I could reply, I looked down at his feet and noticed his  muddy shoes.

"Oh my God!" I whispered harshly. "You're getting footprints all over my carpet!"

I reached over to turn on the lamp that sat next to my bed, gasping as it illuminated the mud that was trailed across my room where Luca had walked

"What the hell is the matter with you---"

I looked up to see an incredulous look plastered on Luca's face, stopping short in the middle of my sentence as I took in his features that were now fully visible in the glow of my lamp.

Luca's disheveled and damp obsidian-black hair fell in his face, falling just short of slightly arched eyebrows that gave him a stern and focused expression. His eyes were a pale green that reminded me of sea glass; a sharp and piercing gaze made me lean away, feeling as though I would melt under its intensity.

High cheekbones and an angular jaw that was perfectly framed by darkened stubble made for striking facial features that added to his steely demeanor. His golden, honey-toned skin gleamed with rainwater that rolled down his toned arms and off his fingertips.

A gray, rain-drenched t-shirt clung tight to his broad shoulders and lean, muscular torso.

Damn, girl. Breathe.

I had completely lost my train of thought.

"You can ogle me later, amore," Luca said, his voice deep and tone laced with amusement.

"Right now, we need to leave." There it was again.

If he kept calling me that, I knew that I wouldn't be able to put up much more of a fight. I closed my eyes and shook my head, a desperate attempt to rid

myself of the perverse thoughts that were running through my mind.

"I, um... I can't leave," I said, finally opening my eyes.

"I already told you that."

Drawing in a deep breath, Luca reached out and pulled back my curtain.

"Do you see that truck out there?" he asked, gesturing to the brand-new black pickup truck that sat in the road at the end of my driveway.

I nodded slowly, anticipating his next words.

"You have five minutes to decide whether you getting in that truck is a voluntary or involuntary decision on your part."

Luca turned back to me.

"I suggest you use those five minutes to pack a bag."

Before I could say another word of protest, I heard the creak of an opening door. Luca and I both turned to see my father walk down the hallway, stopping just as he passed my room.

Seeing Luca and I, his expression morphed from one of shock to one of anger.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ronan?"

He looked at me, making sure I wasn't hurt.

I nodded slowly, letting him know I was okay.

"Get away from my daughter and out of my house," he growled, stepping into the room.

"She's my mate," Luca said.

A bolt of lightning flashed through my window and was immediately followed by a crack of thunder that made the floor beneath my feet quake.

"I'm not leaving this room without her."

My father looked back to me and I let my gaze fall to the ground, unable to stand the disappointment on his face.

"Over my dead body."

Luca turned to my father, his jaw clenched.

"If that's what it takes."

The two men squared their shoulders, eyes narrowing in on one another. I saw a momentary flash of fear in my father's eyes and I realized then that he knew he was about to get his ass handed to him.

While my father was a Beta, Luca was an Alpha.

Their titles alone determined the winner of the fight.

Luca would kill him and my father knew it. When Luca took a step forward, I felt my heart drop to my feet.

"Stop. let out the breath I had been holding.

"Stop," I repeated.

I turned to look at my father.

"I'm leaving with him," I said, feeling a knot form in the back of my throat. "Please, just let us go so no one has to get hurt."

My father looked at me with eyebrows knit together in confusion. Even Luca seemed surprised.

"Just let us go," I said again, this time my voice barely above a whisper.

When neither of them made another move, I leaned down and pulled out my suitcase that I had packed with clothes from my apartment and placed it on my bed.

Quickly, I grabbed my backpack and threw in my paint supplies and went into the bathroom to toss in my toiletries as well.

Sighing, I realized I still didn't have a damn toothbrush. I walked back into the room, the tension between Luca and my father still heavy.

"I'm ready," I said, throwing the backpack over one shoulder. Luca grabbed my suitcase from the bed and walked over. Noticing how I eyed the sheet-covered painting that was leaning against the wall, he grabbed that too.

I turned to my father and stood on my tiptoes to hug him.

"Love you." I said.

"I'll see you soon, okay?"

He said nothing as I pulled away, still glaring at Luca.

I moved past him into the hallway to see my mother standing in her bedroom doorway, clutching her robe around her.

Seeing her, I felt the tears that I had been so diligently holding back begin to fill my eyes.

She looked over my shoulder and saw Luca leaving my bedroom and I saw the realization hit her. Whether she recognized Luca or pieced everything together, I didn't know.

Reaching forward, she grabbed me and pulled me into a hug so tight that I felt the air leave my lungs.

"Please be careful." she whispered into my ear.

I gulped, nodding as she pulled away.

"I love you," she said. "Promise me that you'll call whenever you get where you're going so I know you're safe."

I nodded again, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "I will."

I turned away from her and went down the staircase, trying to keep from completely falling apart.

Luca followed me into the foyer, watching as I opened the front door to the sheets of rain that were falling outside.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw my parents standing at the bottom of the staircase, my mother trembling as tears fell and my father shaking with rage.

Turning to Luca, I saw the determined expression he wore.

"Go," he said, nudging me gently out the door. Letting out the breath I was holding, I stepped out into the rain. Luca followed me closely. I could hear his feet splashing on the sidewalk as we ran out onto the end of the driveway where his truck was waiting.

He ran out in front of me and quickly opened the back door and put my painting and suitcase into the backseat. Running around the truck, he opened the passenger door for me.

Just as I was about to climb in, I heard my father's voice calling out from the front porch.

"You'll regret this, Ronan!"

I turned to look at Luca, whose attention was still on me. I could still hear my father's taunting as Luca nodded at me to get into the truck. He placed his hands on my waist to hoist me up into the seat.

"You won't get away with this!"

Luca closed the door as I sat down, running around the truck to get in.

He pressed the ignition and the truck roared to life. I pulled my backpack off of my shoulders and placed it at my bare feet.

As we drove away, I looked out my window to see Mady's house as we drove past it. I wished then, more than anything else, that we had never gone to Las Vegas.

Why did Luca Ronan have to be my mate?