a Primal Pursuit

eighteen

Neither of us knew what to say. What we had just witnessed was bizarre and intense. Bella must be so confused.

Eventually, though, she cleared her throat. "What is this vehicle?"

"You tell me." I murmured. "Some kind of car-truck."

"Oh." she muttered. "I have never been in a car-truck before."

"It's not the greatest ordeal." I winced. "It is still taking me time to adjust."

"I am glad I am not in the front, then." She swallowed.

"Tell me about it." I mumbled.

Silence once more before she addressed the obvious.

"So... wolves."

"Wolves." I nodded.

"I have a feeling it is going to be a long conversation." Arabella muttered.

"It will be." I sighed. "We have a lot to talk about."

"Of course." She agreed.

I turned to look at her. "Well... You took it all rather well, considering we just kidnapped you in the middle of the night."

"Wolves aren't so scary... I have seen them before."

"You have?" I wondered.

She nodded. "When I would walk in the forest, sometimes I'd go near the border. I always saw the sock wolf and a couple of others."

The sock wolf? Everett?

"Why did you not let anyone know?"

"They never harmed me. I thought they were just wild." She shrugged. "We were told shifters killed, Ailia. Hunt or not, I did not want to risk ending up like..."

I winced, understanding her trail of thought. She didn't want to end up like Dad. Killed and eaten by wolves.

She was silent, and I watched the frown form on her face. "How do you live with him? He... he turned... dangerous."

Darius.

"I know." I winced, unable to hold her gaze. "How long were you living with him?"

"I wasn't... This... This was the second time I went round to his house. Mum... she encourage it all... She... said it was good for the family." She stammered. "It's only been a few weeks, maybe a month, since she encouraged it."

"Mother is nothing but a liar." I scowled. "She will do anything to lessen a burden, Arabella. The moment you turned sixteen, she knew what she wanted from you."

"But Darius..." she whimpered, tears in her eyes. "He made everything seem great and then... he made me do things..."

"I know, I know." I interrupted her. "You don't have to talk about it right now, Arabella."

"I was scared, Ailia."

That was it. My heart shattered at the terrified look in my baby sister's eyes.

"It'll be okay now, I promise you." I reassured her. "With everything that I am, I promise."

She nodded quietly, blinking back the tears. I turned to see what was going on and found Asra finished speaking with his pack mates and was walking back toward the truck. I watched him with a deep sense of guilt in my stomach, worried for my sister after this night.

Would she wake up thinking it was a dream?

How would she handle living in the wolf world?

She was taking this all fairly well, so I hoped she moved on okay.

Asra stopped at the hood of the truck when Caleb shouted his title. He didn't turn, but kept his eyes locked on me as Caleb spoke too quietly for me to hear. I shivered, feeling exposed under the power of his gaze, even when Arabella continued to talk.

"Asra... is he... good?"

"He is good." I confirmed, holding my mate's gaze. "More than good."

His jaw tensed before he blinked and rounded the front of the car. I slid off my coat and placed it on my lap as a blanket, trying to get comfortable since we were about to leave.

"Okay, you seem very close to him." Arabella muttered.

I contemplated my next choice of words, chewing my lip. "I love him, Arabella."

I heard her intake of breath, just as he opened the door to his truck and pulled himself in. A soft oh escaped her, and Asra slammed the door shut, turning the key in the ignition to start the engine.

Damn, he was moody. I wondered if there was a dent in the door frame.

"Everything okay?" He wondered, glancing at my sister.

"We're okay. Can we just go?" I licked my lips, a nervous habit.

"Of course." His eyes softened. "Feel free to sleep, Arabella. It's a few hours to my pack house."

She muttered an okay and buckled herself in when he started the engine. I moved to do my own, but Asra was already wrapping his arm around me and pulling it himself. I couldn't help but feel flutters in my stomach at the motion, his head dangerously close to mine. Just when I thought he would pull away, he buckled it in and kissed my lips softly.

With such a simple gesture, I felt my spine decompress, and I exhaled the stress. His eyes were still dark and on edge, but he placed the vehicle into gear and turned us around, following Caleb's truck down the dirt road. A quick glance at my sister told me she saw, and her eyes were scrutinising as she stared between the two of us.

As we drove out of the forest and onto a proper road, I felt my eyelids falling heavy. The heat of the car complimented with Asra's scent and the gentle rocking of the cab was lulling me into a security unlike no other.

"Get some sleep, Tulip. I fear you have a long day ahead." He murmured.

I hummed, glancing at my sister through the side window. She was already asleep, her body giving in and slumped against the middle seat. Her lips were parted, and I traced my eyes along the bruising across her throat. It was fresh, and I never noticed it before because of her hair. The guilty feeling only grew, and I felt every insecurity crawl back to haunt me.

Before I slept, I drifted my eyes to my mate. "Asra... That woman... She..."

"Yes." He nodded, reading my thoughts.

But I needed it out loud. I had to be certain.

"Vampire?"

"Vampire." His fists clenched on the wheel. "Too close for my liking. They have their own land, and it is not so high in the mountains."

"Who is she?"

"An old acquaintance." He murmured.

An old acquaintance.

Things just got more mysterious.