Lana's P.O.V. My eyes squeezed shut as the feeling of dirt beneath my lids made it difficult to blink. The pounding in my head had me reeling, my mouth watering as my stomach rolled. I felt so stupid for trusting Nyla.Yet, any mother hearing the news that their child was hurt would panic too. It had been the first time I had ever been away from Maddie. My irrational rush of emotions and adrenaline had me moving to get to my child before I considered all options. Nyla was a snake, but I never imagined that she would be this venomous.I tried to remember what had happened and where James would be taking me. From the movement beneath me, I knew we weren't at our final destination, but I had no way of knowing what direction we had gone in when we left town.***A cold sweat had broken out across my forehead as James smiled menacingly at me. His eyes trailed over my body like I was his prey, and he was ready to tear the meat and flesh from my bones. He looked different than before. He wa
Lana's P.O.V. I did my best to brace myself as the car pulled over on the dirt road. The slope on the side of the road from the wash caused my body to slide down, head first into the side of my prison. "Son of a bitch!" James yelled out. His deep voice made me instinctively cringe as it grew closer. The trunk popped open, and the sharp midday sun blinded me as the subject of my nightmares stood before me. "I'll just have to do this here." A scream ripped from my throat as he reached for me, wrapping his fat, calloused fingers around my arm and pulling me out of the car roughly. My legs kicked out at him as he dragged me out of the trunk, and my breath was knocked out of me as I hit the wet ground beneath me. The evidence of last night's storm coated my body as I sank into the layer of loose mud that had yet to dry. I tried not to voice my disappointment and anger, knowing that my smell was going to be diminished by the moist Earth. "Don't do this, James. Please, don't do this!" I
Oliver's P.O.V. I was in a rage. There was one scent that I couldn't get out of my mind, and it belonged to the one wolf that was unaccounted for. Nyla. Her stench had been in my bedroom, in Lana's dresser. She had taken Lana's clothes, but the question remained. Where did they go? I was searching the pack grounds high and low. Alpha Jones humored me, allowing me to comb through her lands and buildings. Anything that had even the smallest trace of Lana or Nyla's scent was torn apart. I knew I would have to pay for the damages, and I would, but I really didn't care at the moment. Alpha Jones demanded full cooperation in my search. As soon as I had regained control, she stepped forward. "She's not here, Oliver. One of my border patrols just advised that she left the grounds by car almost thirty minutes ago." Her confident stance was a show of power, but the empathy in her eyes told me that she understood that I was in pain. "She wouldn't. Not willingly. Not without me and not wi
Oliver P.O.V. Alpha Jones was a woman of honor and had been known to stay true to her word. When she assured me that she would be keeping Nyla in the dungeon until I returned for her sentencing, I believed her. The last thing I had expected was for Conner to volunteer to join the search for Lana. Without his wolf, it seemed pointless, but it was the lesser of two evils. With Nyla locked up, the only one left on the pack land that I saw as a threat to Maddie, was Conner. Having to choose between leaving him there with Maddie and taking him with me was a no-brainer. I wanted him as far away from my child as possible. I had left behind a group of my pack to protect Maddie, who was oblivious to the situation, but she was excited to feed our pack the lunch she had made them. The rest of the pack was probably hungry as well, having driven all night to meet us, but they knew there were more important things at stake at the moment. Nyla had been easy to crack and after a simple command fro
Lana's P.O.V. It was strange being back in the cabin. After only two nights away, I was surprised to see the layer of dust coating everything. The small droppings in the corner were evidence that another rat had already found its way inside, which made me shiver in disgust. The deja-vu was unsettling. It was like we had never even been here. The broken glass of the front window crunched beneath our shoes as James dragged me inside, pulling me forward with his hand wrapped around my inner elbow. "So, this is where you've been hiding." He said as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Fitting that you would live in a place like this. A used-up old house for a used-up whore." I let out a moan of pain as he pushed me to the floor. With my wrists cuffed behind my back, I collided shoulder first into the hardwood before rolling onto my stomach. I watched with my cheek pressed against the cold surface as he began to dig through the cabinets, growing more frustrated with the limited supplies h
Oliver's P.O.V. The smell of her blood grew thicker as I glared down at the gunman before me. The nerve of this pathetic human to lay a hand on my mate had me ready to end him. If it weren't for the gun pointed in her direction, I would have. I had promised Lana that I wouldn't let him hurt her again, yet there she was, beaten and bleeding on the floor. I had failed to keep my word and failed her as a mate. "Ah, you must be the dick she's been sucking," James said as he turned to face me but kept the gun pointed at Lana's head. "You both took something that belonged to me. I know you have it since it isn't here. I want it back, now." For a moment, I thought he was referring to Lana. To the fact that I had been with her while she was still married, but when he demanded it back, I knew he had bigger fish he was after. "You'll never get Maddie back," I stated, making sure my voice was loud and clear even though I filled with terror as Lana slumped over onto her shoulder, her eyes bl
Oliver's P.O.V. The smell of rogues approaching had us piling into our cars quickly. While they would be no match for us, I couldn't risk having Lana in the line of fire, especially while injured. With us being on free land as well, they would see us having such a large number of pack wolves here in an attempt to claim the area. The threat to their land would encourage them to attack to fight to the death to keep it for themselves. The amount of no-man's land in the country was already rapidly dwindling. The room they had to run free was getting smaller each year as packs, humans, and other species alike expanded their communities. The larger we all grew, the less room the rogues had. I kept Lana curled up against my side as everyone settled into the cars, but she happily kept her hold on me as we pulled away from the house for what I hoped was the last time. I was ready to take her home, to give her a real house where she would be safe. Several pairs of feral wolves lined the road
Lana's P.O.V. I hadn't been surprised that James had gotten away with his charges. In a town as small as ours, he knew everyone and had connections. When he had driven his car into the back of that truck, they couldn't even treat him. Our resources were so limited that they had to rush James to the city next to us for a hospital. It was one of the reasons why he had moved us there when we had gotten married and left our families in the city, an hour away. He was in demand there. As they needed law enforcement officers, he took advantage of that and put fear into everyone he came across, rejoicing in his power. When it came down to it, he got away with everything because of his position. Since he was the only one injured, they probably just wrote it off as an accident instead of reporting that he had been driving under the influence. It was infuriating. I was so tired of people getting away with endangering others, and I was happy he was no longer a threat. Now, all we had to do was