“Dante,” I whined for the third time in the last hour, “Can we please find somewhere to spend the night? We have been driving for over thirty-six hours.”
“It’s not safe to stop yet,” he kept repeating.
I reached up and gently placed my right hand on his shoulder. The tension immediately eased from his body and finally his beautiful blue eyes looked into mine.
“Teague needs to rest and I am tired of being in this car. We need to stop for at least a couple hours. I can only imagine how the others are feeling. The pack needs to rest.”
He sighed and I knew I had won. He knew the pack wouldn’t last much longer at this pace. Everyone needed a few hours rest to refresh themselves. We had only stopped twice for gas and even then Dante wouldn’t let us linger for too long. He was convinced someone would be following us.
“Just for a couple hours.”
I turned back to face the front and locked eyes with Teague through the rearview mirror.
“Teague, please stop at the next exit with a hotel.”
“Yes ma’am,” he chuckled.
Ten minutes later, Teague pulled the car off the highway. A road sign indicated a motel about a mile or two off the highway. I told Dante if this was anything like the movie Psycho that I would come after him and haunt him for the rest of his life and afterlife.
But the moment the car stopped I rushed out the door. My legs were thankful to be able to stretch out for more than a few seconds. I sighed in relief as I stretched out my limbs. I knew the rest of the pack would be thankful for the rest as well.
“I’m going to go to the front desk and see what we can do about some rooms,” I called over to my mate, who was talking to Teague.
Before I moved even two steps I was swept off my feet and thrown over a massive shoulder.
“Like hell you are going anywhere alone,” he growled possessively.
I shook my head and giggled while he walked us towards the front desk. Cooper and Teague cautiously looked around our surroundings while following their Alpha. It made me wonder if life was always going to be like this.
Would I ever be able to go somewhere without needing constant protection? Was I condemned to a life where Cooper would have to follow my every move? I loved Cooper but a girl yearned for privacy and freedom.
I lifted my head up and took a long, hard look at our pack behind us. Were they condemned to live a life on the run? I hated that we had to leave our home, but I knew it was for the best. We couldn’t stay there any longer. For some reason Christian and Regan wanted us gone and Walter would never stop hunting us until we were either in his possession or dead. I didn’t even want to think about the mountain lions that were possibly hunting us as well. This was just one huge mess.
“Stop thinking too much,” Dante whispered.
“I can’t help it, Dante. How did things get this bad?”
He slowly pulled me down off his shoulder and into his arms. He gently ran his hand through my hair and cupped my chin. His beautiful blue eyes looked deeply into mine.
“I know it seems like we are constantly fighting for our life together, but I swear Ari that you will always be safe with me. The mountain lions won’t come for us and Daniel swore to me that once we left Christian and Regan would leave us alone.”
“But what about Walter? He is the most dangerous of them all.”
“We will be ready for him this time. The next time he comes after you will be the very last time he breathes.”
I could feel the determination and pride flowing through the bond. He was trying to make me feel safe and it was working. I knew Dante would never let anything happen to me again.
“Now, let’s go buy out every room in this run down motel.”
He gently placed me on the ground and slipped his hand into mine. Teague opened the door to the front building and we calmly walked in. The building was almost completely deserted with the exception of a small man standing at the front desk.
His dark brown hair was slicked back with oil and a pungent cologne stung my nose. Black beady eyes greedily drank in the sight of prospective customers as we walked towards him. Unease settled in the pit of my stomach but I wasn’t afraid with the three beefy men flanking every side of me.
“Good evening,” his cold voice drawled, “What can I do for you on this lovely night?”
“How many rooms does your motel currently have open?” Teague spoke.
“The Wake Side Motel holds over seventy-five rooms, seventy of which are open.”
“We will take them all.”
The pale man’s eyes widened in shock before a sly smile emerged on his thin lips. He knew he just hit the jackpot with such a large group. I could practically see dollar signs in his dilated pupils.
“Of course. Will you be requiring assistance with your luggage?”
“No,” Teague briskly answered. I could feel his unease towards the man as well. Something felt very off about him but I couldn’t figure it out.
The man began quickly typing on his outdated computer.
“Where are y’all traveling from, if you don’t mind me asking?” he politely tried to make conversation.
“The Lunar Forest,” Dante finally spoke. The Alpha tone in his voice practically shouted for this man to shut up.
The man abruptly stopped typing and looked up at us with narrow, judgmental eyes. For a moment I thought his eyes flashed red. But the second I blinked I was staring at his overly dilated black eyes.
“A bit far from home, aren’t we?”
“Family vacation. Are you going to give us the rooms or not?”
Dante’s temper was flaring up. At any moment he would lose control and shift in front of this human stranger. Something we definitely didn’t want happening.
I reached a hand up and gently stroked his shoulder.
“Dante, baby, I’m tired.”
He looked down at me and his demeanor shifted back to being a concerned mate. I wasn’t lying to get him to calm down. The pregnancy was practically draining the energy from me. It didn’t feel like this last time. The pup or pups growing inside me were too strong. I could feel the power of them already. It was frightening.
The man was staring at us with a curious look. Humans never understood the connection of mates. It made them curious, but a bit uneasy. It was part of the reason we didn’t go around them that often.
“Allow me to offer you the room closest to here. It is the largest room and has the comfiest bed to accommodate you. I am sure these gentlemen here can continue checking you in while you rest.”
I knew he was just trying to be nice but something about his words made me not want to leave the comforts of my family. But I didn’t have a choice. Dante snatched the key from the man’s outstretched hand and led me away from the front desk. I could feel the man’s eyes on us the entire time.
“What about the others?” I quietly asked him while he walked us towards the first room.
“I already have Teague and Cooper taking care of it. Right now, I am going to take care of you,” he whispered into my ear.
Shivers coursed down my spine at the husky tone of his voice. Excitement ran through my veins and I could feel my blood heating up at the prospect of what he was promising.
He unlocked the door and carried me in. Without bothering to lock the door behind us he headed straight for the bed in the middle of the room. The creepy man wasn’t lying about the bed being comfortable. It was almost more comfortable than the bed Dante and I shared at our old home.
He gently laid me down on the bed and leaned over me. I could tell he was holding up his body weight in fear of crushing the babies and me. I slid my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me.
I teasingly brushed my lips across his before softly placing a small kiss on his strong jaw. He moaned and tried to capture my lips with his but I giggled and turned away. I gently slid my tongue in agonizingly slow circles around my mark on his neck.
“Enough with the torture, Ari,” he groaned.
I ran my fingers down his chest and up under his shirt. He groaned even louder when I lifted up his shirt inch by inch. When my fingertips brushed against his hard abs I could feel his body heat quickly rising in anticipation.
The moment his shirt was off I leaned forward and skimmed my lips down his chest. I knew when I reached the hem of his pants he was past his breaking point. His hands snatched my wrists and he pushed them above my head.
“I said enough.”
He dipped his head and captured my lips in a heated kiss. I could feel the passion heavily flowing through the bond. After the first kiss he didn’t waste any more time and our clothes quickly hit the floor.
A sigh of pleasure escaped my lips when I felt him enter me. Our bodies molded together like we were becoming one person. I felt like we were two magnets unable to keep away from each other.
His eyes locked with mine and I could see his wolf begging to be let free. The dark blue shaded into black before he smiled to show his canines elongating. Pressure built up inside me when he quickened his pace.
I couldn’t hold back my cries of pleasure when his canines bit into his mark. My eyes blurred in and out of focus while my body shivered at the release. He lay down next to me and gently pulled me into his arms.
I intertwined our fingers together and softly placed a kiss on the back of his hand.
“This is how it should always be. Just you and me.”
“It’s how it is going to be, Ari. I wanted to surprise you but the last time I spoke with Daniel he found our packs land and homes to rebuild our lives.”
My eyes lit up in excitement, “Why would you keep that from me?”
He chuckled and shook his head.
“I wanted it to be a surprise but like always I can never keep anything from you for very long.”
I opened my mouth to chastise him when a knock interrupted me. We both groaned at the prospect of putting our clothes back on and going back to reality. We weren’t out of the woods completely yet.
“Who is it?” Dante growled out while he slipped his boxers back on.
No one responded.
“Don’t move,” he ordered me and walked towards the door.
From the bed I couldn’t see who it was behind the door when he opened it. And even with my heightened hearing I couldn’t hear the harsh whispers that were exchanged. But the conversation didn’t last very long.
When he walked back to the bed his whole demeanor was different and his beautiful lips were pulled into a tight frown. He waited until he was fully dressed before he looked up at me.
“Stay in here and don’t leave this room. Don’t open the door for anyone but myself or Cooper.”
“What is going on, Dante?”
“Daniel and his pack have arrived.”
I started to get out of bed but he pushed me back down.
“I should be there to greet them as well, Dante.”
“I don’t want you leaving this room.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“The man at the front desk has suddenly disappeared. Teague sent out Keith and Nathan to look for him. Something just doesn’t feel right about him or this motel, but you were right. We need to rest for the night.”
“I would be safer with you,” I pouted.
He kissed my forehead and backtracked towards the door.
“You will be safer in here with Cooper. He will be right outside.”
“Why can’t he hang out with me in here?”
He growled and narrowed his eyes.
“We are talking about your safety right now, Ari. He isn’t here to ‘hang out’. He is here to protect you. He will stay outside to guard you against anything.”
I knew the subject wasn’t up for discussion and I didn’t think I wanted to protest the matter any further. The feeling the man at the front desk gave me was enough for me to not push Dante on this. There was something off about him and I wasn’t going to risk finding out.
“I will be back soon. I promise.”
“Like I haven’t heard that one before,” I grumbled when he locked the door behind him.
I huffed and slammed back into the bed. I didn’t even have my bag or a cell phone or anything to keep me busy. The room was void of any form of entertainment, which I found fairly strange. What kind of motel didn’t have a tv or a phone?
I got up and pulled my clothes back on. I walked over to the windows and tugged the string to pull the blinds up. But they wouldn’t budge. I tugged harder and they still didn’t move. I grabbed the string with both hands and the string flung off the top of the blinds.
What kind of place was this? My hands slid under the bottom of the blinds and tried to tug them. But the harder I tried the more tired and frustrated I became. I tried to pull from the sides but I finally realized the blinds were glued to the windows.
“Cooper?” I loudly called out.
Shivers ran up my spine and this time they were out of fear when he didn’t respond. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Someone was watching me. I don’t know how but I knew there was someone there with me.
“Hello?” I whispered while looking around the room.
Suddenly the temperature in the room dropped significantly. My heart rate quickened as I rushed towards the door. I unlocked it and threw the door wide open. My body slammed into another and I would have fallen back if he hadn’t caught me in his arms.
“Whoa, where do you think you’re going?”
I smacked his chest.
“Why didn’t you answer when I called your name?”
He gave me a sheepish look before pulling out his iPod. I hit his chest again. While I was scared out of my mind in that room he was out here listening to music.
“Sorry, Arianna. I was bored and Dante told me not to bother you, that you needed your rest.”
“You didn’t by any chance see someone out here in the last minute or so?”
He peered down at me curiously, “It’s just been me out here, why?”
I dropped my voice to a whisper.
“Ever since we met that man at the front desk I have had the strangest feeling like someone is watching me.”
He shuddered, “That was one weird man. When you and Dante left he kept asking about you two. After he gave us the keys and we gave everyone their room assignments, we returned to the front desk to ask him about any local diners or stores that would be open this late but he was gone. We were literally only gone for five minutes and we were in front of the only door to the building. We searched for him but there was no trace of him anywhere.”
“How were Daniel and his family when they arrived?”
“Badly shaken. It seems they had a run-in with Christian and Regan before they were able to leave. No one was badly hurt but it was enough to convince his pack to leave.”
I bit my bottom lip back into my mouth.
“Oh no. I know that look. Whatever idea you are forming in your head right now you can just forget it. You are going to get us into trouble.”
I giggled at his reaction to my expression. He knew me too well.
“I just want to check on Logan and Freddie and I know you know which room they are in since you just admitted to handing out room assignments.”
“No way. Dante specifically instructed me to not allow you to leave the room. I believe his words were if anything happened to you then I was a dead man walking.”
“And nothing will happen to me. I have my big strong protector with me.”
He groaned, “I will take you to them but we have to come straight back here. I swear, Arianna, you better listen to me and do what I tell you.”
“Cross my heart,” I teased and drew an X on my chest.
“Stay right in front of me so I can see you at all times. They are in room twenty.”
With another sigh from him we started walking towards the room. The whole walk there I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched still. Cooper must have felt it too because he kept glancing all around us every fifteen seconds.
He placed his body directly behind me when I turned to knock on the door to room twenty. It took two minutes before anyone opened the door. I forgot that the pack was meant to be resting and immediately felt bad for bothering them.
“Alpha Arianna,” Oliver bowed his head, “Is something the matter? I mean do you need something? I apologize. I don’t mean to sound rude, but were we expecting you? I am saying this all wrong, aren’t I?”
Both Cooper and I laughed. Oliver was the newest edition to our pack doctors along with being the youngest. He was still getting used to the position. After Eric’s death at Shane’s hands we needed to promote another doctor to replace him.
“I am sorry to disturb you, Oliver. I just wanted to check on Freddie and Logan.”
“Of course.”
He stepped out of the doorway and allowed Cooper and I inside the room. He quickly shut the door and locked it behind us. We walked in to find Freddie and Logan laying in two of the beds. Logan was passed out but Freddie was awake.
“Arianna,” he grimaced as he struggled to stand up.
“Don’t bother with stupid formalities, Freddie,” I chastised him, not wanting him to injure himself any more just so he could bow to me.
“I’m fine really.”
“You don’t look fine to me,” I looked over at Oliver, “How bad is he really?”
“He is lucky that Teague and Scott got him back to us when they did. He sustained life-threatening injuries but I was able to stitch him up in time. With a lot of rest and some medication he will be back to normal in a few more days.”
“Please, Arianna, don’t.”
I shook my head and looked up at Cooper.
“I don’t want him partaking in Dante’s stupid inner circle any more.”
“But Arianna, you can’t do that!” Freddie loudly protested.
I held up my hand to stop him, “I don’t want to hear it, Freddie. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt. I’ve made up my mind.”
“You can’t do this to me. I need this,” he begged, “I need to do this, for Theo. I need to have a purpose in this pack. Please.”
My suspicions were confirmed. He was trying to make up for what his stupid brother did to our pack. I couldn’t really blame him. His parents felt ashamed as well. They didn’t even show up to their son’s funeral. In fact, Freddie and I were the only ones there.
“I will consider it, but for now I need you to rest and listen to everything Oliver tells you to do. I don’t want to hear that you weren’t following the doctor’s orders.”
“Yes, Arianna.”
I turned back to Oliver, “Now, tell me how my dim-witted friend is doing.”
“His injuries were minor. The Alpha didn’t do any real damage except breaking Logan’s nose. He will be fine by tomorrow.”
“In that case.”
I walked over to Logan’s bed and whacked his head with all my strength. He jumped up in shock and almost fell off the bed. He groaned when he steadied himself and rubbed the back of his head where I hit.
“What was that for?” he grumbled.
I narrowed my eyes and he had the brains to look at least half ashamed.
“I cannot believe the shit you have been pulling behind my back. Again! We talked about this Logan. You and Dante shook on it. You promised me you were going to behave yourself after that night at the restaurant last year.”
He balled his hands into fists and narrowed his eyes back at me.
“I only promised that him and I could start over and I would give him a second chance. I never promised I would behave. I don’t know how many times I have to warn you that he is dangerous and going to end up getting you killed. Or worse, he will be the one to kill you.”
My eyes widened in shock and I gasped at his accusation. I couldn’t believe he would say something so horrible out loud. I knew he hated Dante but this went beyond treason to his Alpha.
“Logan, take is back.”
“No. Who left his mate behind countless times to go search for Walter? Who got captured and had to have his pregnant mate risk her life to save him? Who left their pregnant mate unprotected and let her get stabbed? Who went after Theo and left his mate to be captured by Walter and the hunters? Who once again got captured and allowed his mate to be experimented on to the brink of death? What is it going to take to get you to see that he is not good for you? Is it going to take your own death for you to realize it?”
It was like an emotional blow to my heart. Logan had always been there for me. We were inseparable since birth. We always listened to each other and we always picked the other up when we were down. But this was one path I couldn’t follow him on.
None of what he said was Dante’s fault. If I were Dante, I would have gone after Walter as well. It wasn’t his fault Walter captured him and it wasn’t his fault Theo stabbed me. Every action Dante took against the hunters I stood behind his decisions. He knew I didn’t blame him for any of what happened this year.
“You know none of what you just said was Dante’s fault. Walter and his followers along with the hunters are the only ones to blame. He was only reacting to things that happened to us.”
He scoffed, “What a cop out.”
I gently placed my hand on his arm, “Logan, I need you to think really hard about everything you just said. I need you to think about it then let it go. You can’t go around saying stuff like this anymore. I love you. You are the brother I never had, but I can only protect you for so long. If this continues I am going to have to let Dante exile you. I can’t stop him forever.”
“I don’t think I can do that, Arianna.”
I took his hand into mine and looked deep into his hazel eyes.
“Please, Logan. Think of your parents. Think of Scott. Do it for them, for me. I can’t take anyone else leaving me.”
He sighed and nodded his head.
“I will try, for you.”
A strange look crossed his face before he shook his head and gave me a small smile. Dante never missed a chance to tell me that Logan’s feelings for me went past friendship and family but I always told him he was being paranoid. Now that I looked at my friend I wasn’t so sure Dante was imagining things.
“Arianna, perhaps it is time we return to the room,” Cooper suggested, “Dante is already upset I allowed you to come here.”
I hugged both Freddie and Logan before giving Oliver strict instructions to not allow them to do anything but rest. Cooper opened the door and walked us back to my room.
“Coop?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think there are other shifters that don’t live near the Lunar Forest?” I asked as we stood in front of the door to my room.
He looked down at me, “I am sure there are. I mean, we knew nothing about the mountain lions until we met them. What is this all about?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“We have been here for an hour and I cannot shake the feeling that someone is constantly watching me. The second I got out of our car I felt like we weren’t alone here.”
“Well the man said that five rooms were already occupied. Perhaps they are the ones watching. I would be curious too about such a large group. We have almost three hundred people in our pack.”
I quickly shook my head. This was different than a curious group of human strangers. This was something else entirely. But when I sniffed around the room the only scents I caught were from my pack.
“I’m probably just being paranoid.”
“If there is one thing I know about you, it’s that you are never paranoid. You should trust your instincts. They are there for a reason. What are they saying?”
“That I should take my pack and run.”
Before he could respond Cooper quickly shoved me against the door to the room without a word to explain. But he didn’t have to.
“Perhaps you should have done just that,” a cold voice sneered.