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Forty Two
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FATED ESCAPE Forty Three
Over a meal of lasagne and salad that Adela and I made, all my efforts to ground myself crumble under the pressure of my father’s pointed remarks about me failing to live up to the Boone reputation, and Connall making sly digs at my expense despite Mack’s repeated attempts to stop him.Faith doesn’t look at me, and Tina doesn’t either. I get why Faith wants nothing to do with me, even if she did try to kill me, but it hurts that Tina is treating me the same way.I doubt she’s the only one of my packmates who thinks I’m failing in my role as Luna by staying with Adela. No one will say it. Not Chris, who’s busy eating, or Warren, or Penny talking with Faith as Mack talks to Adela, but I’m sure they’re all thinking it.By the time we’ve all eaten and are outside, all shifted and ready for the pack run, the only place I want to run is right back to Adela’s.Although Mack and I tried to talk earlier, two minutes later our fathers were back to snapping at each other, which meant we couldn’t
FATED ESCAPE Forty Four
First, I head upstairs to pack a few more clothes, clothes I have thanks to Mack’s generous shopping trips, and then I go to say goodbye to Mack.He’s in the lounge with Tina, Warren, Penny, and Faith, getting ready to watch a movie. Ordinarily, I’d be joining them, but since Adela sleeps early, it isn’t fair to ask her to stay just so I can watch a movie with everyone first.After I say goodbye to the rest of the pack, Mack walks me outside. “You sure about this? I could always drive you over to Adela’s after the movie? Or you could take the car?” He kisses my brow. “Or you could just not go at all.”I smile up at him. “Nice try, but it makes the most sense for me to go with Adela now. I’d only wake her up if I come back later.”Already, I can see her fighting back a yawn as she waits for me in her car.Mack peers into my eyes, not looking convinced by my smile or my words. “Aerin…” “It’s what I want. It’s one movie night. Anyway, I could do with an early night.” Before he can conv
FATED ESCAPE Forty Five
After climbing the stairs and entering the room, I close the door behind me and move to sit with my back against the wall, my legs stretched out in front of me and a stuffed yellow bear cradled against my belly.With no idea whether this baby is going to be a boy or a girl, we’ve tried to stay neutral with a soft buttercup yellow paint for the walls, a white crib that I watched Mack build, and a matching baby changing table and dresser set up on the wall near the window.As the window overlooks the backyard, I hear Faith laughing as Mack explains his gardening process. My attempt at tuning it out goes so miserably that I regret not escaping into the forest.I know this is Mack being friendly so Faith will open up about why she’s come to Winter Lake in pain, but that doesn’t make it any easier to listen to when I also know how easy Mack is to love.When there’s a soft knock at the door, I turn to it with a smile. “You can come in, Moses.”A second later, the familiar lean figure of the
FATED ESCAPE Forty Six
“My son is the next alpha of the Raleighs, which means he doesn’t need to be tied to a weak omega carrying another man’s pup. Soon, he’ll realize that, if he hasn’t already, that is.”Although his words are hurtful, they’re not unexpected. Not with the way I’ve caught him staring at me, and not with the things he’s said. But since I doubt I’m going to change his mind about anything, I don’t even try. I continue walking away.“She killed herself. Did Mack tell you that?”The pain and rage I feel building inside him warn me that I’m dealing with anguish so old that it’s practically ingrained in him. It makes me even more wary, because every time he’s in pain, it will trigger his anger.I keep walking toward the house because staying isn’t safe. “I didn’t say you could leave,” he murmurs.I hear him take a step as if to follow. My heart thumps in alarm, because if he tries to hurt me, I’m going to hit him with emotion and I have no idea what it’s going to do to him. Probably make this si
FATED ESCAPE Forty Seven
“The only time I can get five minutes alone with you is away from here. So we’re going out there.” He speed-dials someone, and a second later I hear Bennett’s voice on the other line. “Bennett. I need you here. Yeah, right now.”Bemused, I blink up at him. “Uh, Mack?”He tugs me from the room. “Let’s go.”I trail him down the stairs. “But where are we going?” “Somewhere no one will disturb us.”“And that place is…?”Before he can respond, Connall steps through the back door, his eyes going straight to Mack. “Oh, there you are. I need—”Mack doesn’t hesitate to cut him off. “Not now. I’m busy.”Connall’s eyes slide over to me and narrow with suspicion. “I see, so she’s been telling tall tales, has she?”My back stiffens at the mocking tone of his voice. But I don’t get a chance to speak. Mack beats me to it. “Da, considering I didn’t even invite you here, you should stop before I show you the way out.”Connall’s lips curve. “I see, and you plan on using force to do it.”Mack falls sil
FATED ESCAPE Forty Eight
When Adela knocks on the door to announce dinner is ready, I tell her I’m not hungry. Unlike Mack, she doesn’t go away until I agree to join her at the dining table. But the moment I’ve cleared my plate, I return to the bedroom.During the night, I wake with my heart in my throat, the visions from my nightmare still clinging to me.In my dreams, it isn’t Shane whimpering on the ground, the victim of my strange gift, but Mack.No matter how hard the rest of the pack tries to stop me, I don’t. In the end, Bennett turns to me with violence in his gray eyes, and as he’s reaching for me, that’s when I wake up.After that, I don’t sleep. I can’t.I wrap the comforter around myself and spend the rest of the night and early morning in the lounge watching an old black and white movie with the subtitles on, so I don’t wake Adela.She finds me there bright and early the next morning.“You didn’t sleep a wink, did you, child?” she murmurs before settling in on the couch beside me.“I slept.”Not
FATED ESCAPE Forty Nine
If nothing else can convince me to go, that does, because she’s right. Today is the day my father promised he’d leave, which means I at least have something to be excited about.But not about Moses leaving. I would rather he stayed, even though I know he never would. It isn’t only because he has Lucy waiting for him back in Minnesota, but because he has responsibilities as well. He’d never walk away from those. Not even for me.So I head for the bathroom to shower and dress, conscious that Mack has had hours to come to terms with my uncontrolled power, and that today, he may not be as understanding as he was yesterday.I don’t even make it into the house.That sounds like Mack has kicked me out or refused to let me in, but that couldn’t be further from the truth since he’s the one leading me by the hand away from it. “Mack, what are—”“No questions,” he interrupts me as he continues to lead us through the forest.“What about the bag? Can I ask about that?” I ask, my eyes going to the
FATED ESCAPE Fifty
It isn’t until he brushes a tear from under my eye that I realize why he wouldn’t. “I wish I could take all your pain from you,” he says in a sober voice. “I think, even if you told me not to, I’d do it anyway because I never want you to be in pain.”“I think that’s love,” I admit. “Yes, so do I.”“I think I’ve decided.” “On what?”“Where I want us to make love.”His eyes darken. “Really? And where is that?”“Here, beside the stream.” I lean up and kiss him. “And then in the stream.” I kiss him again. “And then—”He raises an eyebrow. “You’re thinking I’m capable of far more than I am.”My smile fades. “No, I’m not. And I’ve decided, that as Luna, I’m going to be as demanding as you.”He grins. “Is that so?”I nod. “Yes, but only in bed. Like you.”“Well, I’d better get to work giving my Luna what she wants,” he murmurs as he lowers his head to mine.His next kiss is full of heat and desire, but it’s also tempered with the tenderness that is, and always will be, Mack.At first, we mov
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