Page 7

Stacy

My eyes burst open, panic immediately spiking in my body. I’m in the dark, in bed with the alpha who caught me. The dreamy-looking guy who says the right things, who has a gentle touch.

Greyson Blackwood has me feeling like I’ve been in the wrong skin my whole life, because the right skin would mean I’d have been under his body, whether in the shape of a wolf or a female.

Not sleeping a wink last night and after the traumatic events of today, this must be why I was able to fall asleep on top of him.

He stroked my hair and my back until I drifted off in his incredibly warm embrace, and it didn’t take long despite that I felt his erection against me, thick, with heat coming from it, showing me what he wants from me. What every male wants.

I’m not accustomed to being around men who control their carnal urges. Especially not alpha men.

I’m relieved, but suspect it won’t last long. I’ve had men utter sweet words to me before who haven’t really meant them. Or who might have meant them but when it all came down to it, they didn’t keep those words in mind, often because of Wyatt. Wyatt has a knack for ruining absolutely everything.

Also, I’m still not entirely convinced Greyson Blackwood knows what he’s talking about in terms of me being fated to be his. I did mess with my scent. Played with potions. I can’t help but want to believe, though. In fact, I want it to be true so badly I can almost taste it. Because what it would mean to have a future here, in this place, with this man? It’s beyond anything girls like me wish for.

How strange to fall asleep on top of somebody. I would never have thought I’d like it.

I lift my head from Greyson’s warm chest and look down. The length of my hair falls onto his face, so I move it out of the way. He’s snoring softly, clearly in a deep sleep, and he doesn’t rouse when I roll away from the heat of him.

I miss the feeling as soon as I’m a foot away, so I gaze at his sleeping form for a moment, then manage to drag my eyes away. This is not the time to ogle the sleeping, handsome alpha who says I’m destined to give him babies, be by his side doing whatever I want to do while he provides for me. As awesome as that dream come true sounds, reality is creeping in, and I probably don’t have much time to figure things out.

My belly bottoms out at the magnitude of the mess I’ve found myself in and my eyes dart around the dark, beautiful room as my mind races.

It’s still night, but I have a decent sense of sight, so I’ll easily be able to find my way out of here. No time like now. I only hope I’m not already too late.

Because if Wyatt thinks I just ran away, that I didn’t bother to do what he wanted me to do today, something awful will happen. He’s threatened harm to Halla. He’s dropped blatant hints about what might happen to the other women in the pack, particularly Adelaide and Misty, not to mention Aunt Shea. And I can’t let them down, either.

I need to get to the motel. Hopefully, Jimmy is there waiting for me and hasn’t alerted Wyatt that I didn’t come back today yet. If my bag isn’t still outside, Jimmy has the other key to my room.

I note that behind Greyson’s house, there are no more homes that I can see. I don’t know if it’s the end of the village or if there’s more beyond the forest back there. I studied the map when I first got to town and though it looks on the online map like Arcana Falls hasn’t been updated at a street level like everything in Drowsy Hollow, I’m thinking if I follow the river we walked along, it will eventually take me to the old highway that runs back down to Drowsy Hollow.

My plan? I have no earthly idea what to do except that I have to try to talk Wyatt out of his plans somehow, some way. He will never win. Not from what I’ve seen. The size of these men, the resources they have, the sheer numbers of healthy, able-bodied folks in their pack? He can’t possibly win. And I don’t want him to try. I don’t want the casualties that will be inevitable if he does. I don’t know what the deal is with Tyson Savage yet. I don’t know why he killed Father. What I do know is that this pack isn’t the abomination Wyatt made them out to be. Not from what I’ve seen so far.

If someone else were in charge of our pack, they might see the logic in working with this pack instead of against them. Maybe the Arcana Falls pack would offer restitution for Tyson Savage’s crime against my father. That could help our pack in a big way. Maybe help us move to some new land, somewhere we can dig a new well, for a start.

If I can get back home and find a way to have a quiet word with Malachi, I’ll tell him about this pack and the fact that they often help with consulting for other packs and have a whole lot of manpower. Maybe we can ask them to consult on ways to make our village more like theirs after Wyatt is gone. I don’t know how we’d pay, but maybe we could work it out.

Deep in my heart, I know there’s only one way to stop my brother. And that’s not by exiling him. The only way to stop him is if he ceases to breathe. And I hate that I have to think that way, but I do. I know my brother too well.

Maybe one of this pack’s alphas could challenge Wyatt. An alpha in a place like this wouldn’t want our territory so maybe they could help get Wyatt out of the way and then eventually Mal could take over what’s left of us. Though, why would someone do that for us? The way Greyson spoke tonight has me thinking all kinds of things that might not be possible.

I haven’t got it all worked out, what I’ll say or do. All I know is that I need to get to that motel and meet with Jimmy before Wyatt does something stupid. Before someone gets hurt. Halla. Addy. Aunt Shea. The girls might be subjected to even more injustices than they endure now.

I need to get back before Wyatt tries to get someone else to attack here and hurts somebody. Such as Greyson.

Even if Greyson thinks I’m his mate, even if he’s right, I can’t turn my back on my pack. No. Can’t just abandon those girls who deserve to get out from under Wyatt’s vile dictatorship. I can’t let Wyatt use Halla as a weapon when she grows up. Maybe I can get back, sneak her out and bring her here. Greyson’s cousin from the Young coven might be able to help me reach Aphra’s coven. I hope Aphra is okay, but even if she isn’t, I’m sure her family would want to protect Halla. And if not, I’ll look after her myself.

My mind is spinning with options and possibilities, but the overall feeling is fear. All I know is that I have to do something and that something starts with meeting Jimmy and getting him an update. Tell him I failed at killing Tyson, but that I think Wyatt should talk to them about a truce. I could try to make him think it’s worthwhile, that there’s more to gain this way. Tell him how they’ve helped out many other packs. I don’t know; it could all go wrong but all I know is I need to get back and meet Jimmy who said he’d be at the motel tonight to get my update and give me more masking agent. I’ll see what he says, hopefully find out where Wyatt’s head is at, and judge from there.

I’m only wearing the soft grey Savage Construction t-shirt, so I’m hopeful my bag hasn’t been stolen.

I tiptoe outside and find my bag on the front step of the home beside a large, beautiful, aromatic basket. I don’t have time to peruse the basket but immediately see wine, candles, and I can smell chocolate and other food fragrances.

We could never leave treasures like this on someone’s doorstep at home. It’s not far off wolf-eat-wolf in the pack. The climate and culture in our pack is abysmal – an illustration of what happens when you live with next to nothing in your pantry and your pocket for a long time.

I’ve never resorted to theft, others have and though I’m not a thief, I’m guilty of other sins. Clearly our circumstances in my pack have meant I’ve had to resort to other unsavory things. Attempted murder. Poisoning perfect strangers. Wishing my brother was swept away on the wind and gone out of our lives forever.

Self-loathing slithers through me as I stand on the doorstep and quickly get into my jeans, my socks and shoes, and pull my sweatshirt on over top of Greyson’s t-shirt. I stuff my other t-shirt and bra back into my bag and move quickly into the night, noticing how peaceful everything is, how charming this village is – even in the dark, and content the energy is here. This is so, so different from the energy where I come from.