Page 11

“Just Madden is fine, no need for the whole alpha formality,” I say.

Kane seems to be dumbstruck like I was, whether that’s by her scent or how gorgeous she is, I don’t know, but it takes him a while to get his senses back.

“Well then, Luna,” Kane says, clearing his throat. “We should get you out of the cold. How does bringing you to our car sound? Then we can talk about what to do next.”

He glances down at her feet, which are still visible past the hem of my jacket and his brows draw down in concern. Her legs are allsliced up and covered in dried blood like she was running over this sharp gravel barefoot.

Luna glances around, seemingly to take stock of the train yard we’re in, hesitating before giving Kane a quick nod.

She winces as she shifts her weight like she’s planning on standing on her own. Kane’s faster than I am, sweeping her up into his arms. She lets out a startled squeak at the suddenness of his action.

“You—You don’t have to carry me, it’s okay I?—”

“You don’t have any shoes, little one. We wouldn’t want you getting any more hurt than you already are.”

She seems to settle a bit at that, at the very least accepting there’s no way we’re going to let her hobble over the rest of the train tracks when either of us can help her.

Luna remains silent as the two of us make our way to our car. I slide into the driver’s seat, letting Kane take the lead with her in the backseat.

She’s obviously been through a shit ton and the last thing she needs is to be trembling in terror next to a fucking monster of a guy like me. I just turn the heat on and take whatever solace I can from the fact she’s wearing my jacket right now. Even as the car warms up, she doesn’t take it off.

“So Luna, where were you trying to go?” Kane asks, settling into the seat on the other side of the car from her, giving her space.

“Away,” She whispers, staring at her hands.

“Away from what?” Kane asks, his jaw clenching as he glances at me.

Considering the state she’s in, the two of us can definitely have our suspicions about what she was trying to run away from. She’s a drop-dead gorgeous omega. It’s not hard to make a guess.

She bites the inside of her cheek, almost like she’s trying to figure out what she wants to say.

“You don’t have to tell us now if you don’t want to,” I grunt. “Just tell us where you want to go and we can help you get there.”

She glances up, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. Her expression is hesitant and wary.

I know that sort of expression. She’s wondering what kind of stuff she’s going to have to give in exchange. I know that feeling all too well.

“Where are we now?” she asks quietly.

“We’re in the Northside of Riverwell,” Kane says.

Her shoulders appear to sag slightly when she hears where we are.

“Do you have anywhere to go?” Kane asks again.

Her shoulders tense right back up again. So much for her relaxing a bit there. I don’t know why Kane’s asking her that. If she’s from the Southside and was desperate enough to hop into a train to run away, it’s obvious she probably doesn’t have anywhere to go. Most people from the Southside are poor enough to never move out of that part of town.

She shakes her head, the shame she’s feeling clearly written on her face.

“Well then how about we try and see what we can do to help you?” Kane says. “We should get you to a hospital and get you checked out.”

“No!” She clutches my coat around her, her eyes going wide with desperation.

“You need medical attention, little one,” Kane says softly.

“Please, I—I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

Kane purses his lips like he’s trying to figure out how to convince her to go with us to the hospital.