Page 7 of Safe in His Arms

“To my home, my family compound,” the alpha replied.

“A-al-alone?” Devon stammered the words out.

“I have a house to myself, yes, but there are other people in the compound. If you want you can stay with my cousin Rose and her wife. They live in the compound not far from my place.”

Devon’s wolf disagreed with the suggestion. He didn’t seem to want to be away from the alpha, but Devon was also terrified of being alone with him. It was all so confusing.

You’re alone with him now, his brain pointed out.

Yeah, but he’s driving and he can’t do anything. Devon knew that wasn’t true. He recalled the time Anton had slapped him with the back of his hand while driving.

“Stop the car,” Devon yelled, then started hyperventilating.

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t the alpha pressing on the brake immediately. If it wasn’t for his seat belt, that he couldn’t even remember putting on, Devon would have flown through the window or something.

You didn’t put your seatbelt on, the alpha did.

Devon wasn’t sure what surprised him more, that the alpha stopped, or that he didn’t seem angry.

“I…” Devon began, “You…”

“Is everything okay… areyouokay?” When the alpha spoke, his voice wasn’t angry, he sounded concerned. About Devon? That couldn’t be right.

“Why are you helping me? Did he send you?” Devon managed to get out. He shrank into the seat of the car, trying to get as far away from the alpha as he could.

“Did who send me? Don’t you know who I am?” The man asked. His voice sounded surprised.

Devon shook his head, but he still didn’t meet the alpha’s gaze. He barely looked in the man’s direction. Anton hadn’t liked it when he looked him in the eye, but then, Anton also got mad when Devondidn’tlook him in the eye, because he thought Devon was daydreaming, and Anton hated not having his full attention.

Devon sighed.Fuck, he was worn out, from running—from everything.

A part of him wanted Anton to get him, so the constant terror he lived with would be over.

“You don’t know who I am?” The alpha asked again.

Devon couldn’t read the tone in his voice, so he glanced at the alpha, but quickly looked away.

“You can look at me. I won’t get mad,” the alpha said softly.

Devon met the alpha’s eyes, but years of forced submission had been beaten into him, so he looked away again. From his brief glance, the alpha didn’t look mad, and Devon knew for sure what angry looked like.

“Who are you?” Devon whispered.

“Roman,” the alpha answered simply, but that didn’t tell Devon anything. “And what about you, little wolf. What’s your name?”

Devon considered giving a fake name, especially as he was undecided about everything, but instead of lying, his real name came out of his mouth, “Devon.”

“Devon,” the alpha repeated. “That’s a beautiful name.”

“Are you here to take me back?” Devon whispered, but even as he asked the question he felt like knew the answer.

The alpha didn’t seem like he was a threat to Devon, and if Anton had sent him, he wouldn’t be as nice. Neither would he have listened to a word Devon said.

The friends of Anton’s that he’d met were just like him, and this alpha didn’t have that mean streak that all Anton’s friends seemed to have.

“Take you back to where, little wolf?” The alpha asked. His voice sounded bewildered. His next question confused Devon even further, “Can you smell me?”

Devon frowned. That was an awkward question, but the truth was he’d been panicking way too much to focus on any of his other senses, but as the alpha asked, Devon tried to slow his pounding heart down.