The trucks were pack and ready to go by the time the sun was up the next morning. They were full of chains, tranquilizers, and anything else necessary to get the men home safely.
Cooper glared at me all morning while we packed the trucks. He still wasn't happy about my decision to go on this trip but I had to bring my mate home. I couldn't trust anyone else to do it.
Keith and Scott were driving one truck while Cooper drove me in the second truck behind them. Last night Scott informed us the trip would take almost the whole day to reach Alpha Walter's camp. That reason alone made me anxious to leave.
"Stop fidgeting," Cooper grumbled before shutting the back of the truck.
"I just want to get going already."
"Ari, please be safe," my mother begged and pulled me in for a hug.
"I will look after her, Teresa," Cooper promised.
"Mom, please make sure Bobby and Kevin stay out of trouble. The last thing I want to come home to is a burned down pack house."
"Oh, you know I can't control those two. The only one who can is-"
"Dante," I sighed, "This family needs him now more than ever. We can't waste any more time looking for him and the others."
"We need to get going, Arianna," Keith called from the truck.
"Okay, mom, Daniel and Christian's men should arrive sometime early this afternoon. Louis, Daniel's son, is going to be tagging along to spend some time with Bobby and Kevin. So please, I cannot stress this enough, keep them out of trouble. The last thing Dante and I need is a grumpy Alpha revoking his vote for the Hollows to merge with our land."
"Everything will be fine, sweetheart."
"Do not have Freddie watch them again. Have Jerry, Logan, and Pete trail them."
"Everything will be looked after. Don't worry."
She gave me one last hug before Cooper led me towards the passenger door of the truck. As much as I wanted to go find Dante I felt guilty for leaving the pack defenseless. Theo still hadn't shifted, which made me anxious, and I was taking the remaining defenders. Without our man fighters the pack was a sitting duck if we fell under attack.
"They are going to be fine," Cooper reassured me as we pulled out of the driveway.
I gazed out the window at the trees of the Shadowland territory, the land I grew up on. I had never been out of the territories aside from my short visit to the outer rims when Dante and I met last year.
My father and the other Alphas forbade pack members from straying that far from the territories without permission. Wild, out of control rogues roamed the mountains and ocean-side. They were ruthless killers without an ounce of sanity left in them.
The mountains were new territory even for Cooper. Dante and his men never strayed that far from the territories.
"Are you nervous?" I whispered after a couple hours of silence.
"For you, yes. We have no idea what we are walking ourselves into, Ari. This is dangerous and completely irresponsible for you to be doing."
"We went over this last night, Cooper. There is no other way."
"You should have told your mother about your condition."
"My condition," I gritted through my teeth, "is fine."
"What if you get hurt, Ari? Dante is going to kill me."
I smirked.
"Well that is your problem not mine. Listen, everything is going to be okay. I will try to stay out of the fighting as much as I can. Happy?"
YOU ARE READING
Loving The Beast Within (Sequel to Shifting Love)
RomanceFor once Arianna feels like she is exactly where she is supposed to be, in the arms of her powerful Alpha mate, Dante. But with Alpha Walter and the hunters still on the loose it's hard for anyone to truly find happiness. Soon her mate goes missing...
