Chapter 3

The two men shared a look before turning their eyes back to me.

“We’re not just anyone.” the green-eyed one said. “My name is Beta Kellan and that’s Alpha Lucian.”

He tilted his head toward the man still standing by the door.

“So you can be sure,” he continued, “you have our word. We aren’t going to hurt you.”

Just as I thought.

I had sensed the power rolling off them from the start. Their presence wasn’t normal and they carried the kind of weight only high-ranking wolves had and that made me trust them even less.

My own mate had treated me like garbage. His Beta? Even worse. Cold, cruel, and loyal to a fault. If these two were anything like them, I couldn’t afford to lower my guard.

But I couldn’t fight them either. So I have to play along.

“Okay… fine,” I said softly, rubbing my hands together, trying to act nervous instead of calculating. “I’ll trust you.”

I forced my face to stay calm, my expression blank.

Inside, my mind was racing, thinking of the best way and time to run, any possible way to escape before they dragged me into something or somewhere worse.

“Okay,” Kellan said, grabbing my grocery bags. Let’s go.

He didn’t wait for me to move. He just walked to the door and opened it, waiting for me to follow. I hesitated, then stepped out.

Lucian was already walking ahead, silent, but his eyes kept flicking back at me. His stare was cold and I looked away quickly, not wanting to meet his eyes. They were scary and put me on edge.

He led us to a dark jeep parked right in front of the motel and I stopped for a second.

That car wasn’t there when I left for the store. I was sure of it. But now, it sat there like it had been there all along.

Kellan opened the back seat and nodded at me and I climbed in slowly. My heartbeat was loud in my ears. I was nervous, worried and scared.

He and Lucian got in the front seats, and just like that, the jeep pulled away from the motel.

I sat in silence, staring out the window, my fingers fiddling in my lap. I didn’t know if I had made the right choice. Everything inside me screamed at me that I shouldn’t trust them.

But I had no better options. Not yet.

I leaned back, biting my lip as my thoughts raced. I had to come up with a plan very fast. I needed to get out before they reached their pack. If they took me back to my mate…that would be my worst nightmare.

Then, all of a sudden, an idea hit me. A dangerous one and a stupid one but it was the only one I had.

I was going to jump out of the car.

My heart pounded harder at the thought. I knew how risky it was. We were moving fast, and I could get hurt. Badly. But sitting here, doing nothing, waiting to be taken to who-knows-where…? That felt worse.

Lucian kept glancing at me through the center mirror. His eyes were sharp, like he could read my mind and I looked away quickly, trying not to show the panic growing inside me.

He was watching me too closely. That made me even more nervous. I had to act normal. I had to be smart. If he suspected I was planning something, he’d stop me before I even moved.

I took a deep breath and kept my face still, but inside, I was already counting down.I was going to do it. I had to.

I slowly unfastened the seatbelt, careful not to let it make a sound. My fingers moved with shaky precision as I released it from my body and let it slide back into place.

I didn’t look at the center mirror. I couldn’t. If I made eye contact with Alpha Lucian, he would know that something was off.

My grocery bags sat next to me. I looked at it and hesitated. Should I take it with me? Would the movement draw attention?

No. It was too risky. I let it go and turned my focus to the door.

To my relief, it wasn’t locked.

A quiet breath slipped from my lips. If it had been locked, my plan would’ve ended right there.

My palms were sweaty now and I rubbed them on my dirty jeans. Taking a deep breath, I glanced out of the window, looking at the road. It was covered in dark asphalt and with the sun beating down on it. It was hot, shining hot.

If I landed wrong, I’d get burned. I’d probably scrape my skin raw.

I winced, trying not to imagine myself rolling across the road with blood and scalds on my body. But the pain still felt better than being dragged back to a life I was trying to escape.

I braced myself. One chance. One move. This had to work.

“You might want to put your head back in the car,” Kellan said.

I jumped, a small scream slipping from my lips. My heart slammed in my chest as I yanked my head back inside the window.

I hadn’t even realized how far I had leaned out.

“Damn,” I whispered, holding my chest.

My heart was racing so fast I thought it might stop. His voice had come out of nowhere. I hadn’t expected it.

“You good?” he asked, turning slightly in his seat. His eyebrows were raised, watching me closely.

“Yes,” I said quickly, swallowing hard. “I’m fine.”

He didn’t say anything. Just stared for a second longer, his eyes flicking to the sweat beading on my forehead.

“I’m okay. It’s just… pregnancy stuff,” I added with a shaky laugh, trying to wave it off.

His eyes narrowed for a second before he finally turned around.

The second he looked away, I moved.

I grabbed the door handle and pushed it open.

Then I jumped.