Vanessa's P.O.VI whipped around a bend, and the Auto Body appeared down the road. The parking lot out front was empty, but there was a black truck in the left-hand bay that looked quite familiar. My stomach twisted, and bile rose in my throat. What the hell was he doing here?. A light breeze carried his forest-scented cologne, and heat rushed to my lower belly. His pupils dilated as his dark eyes penetratedmine.Oh, God.I was a sweaty mess, and my blouse stuck to my body in awkwardplaces.Alpha Marcus, on the other hand, was just as gorgeous as always. His deep brown eyes traced over my body, and his lips quirked into a smile. Desperate to rekindle my dignity, I snapped, “What the hell are you doing here?”“Oil change. What are you doing here,Vanessa. Not planning to leave town, I hope?”I sure the hell am.Something about him made the hair on my neck stand on end, though I Couldn't quite put a finger on it. Power. Presence. An undercurrent ofdanger. dragged my gaze from his. “Since
Vanessa P.O.V The trip to the Capital sucked, but it was the perfect hideout spot- right under the enemies nose. With the summer heat and the passenger window broken, it was likeI had a hair dryer blasting in my face the whole way.What does it mean to be a true Luna? Did having just white fur make one special? Why were the rogues so interested in finding me? The questions kept looping through my mind like a broken record. I needed answers. Hopefully I'd be able to camouflage with the residents of the capital and look for answers.The only reason I choose to go to the capital was that there was an address behind one of mother's photo, it was the only piece of her that I had. I knew it was a huge risk but at the end it was all worth it. There was just one tiny hitch in my plan : I couldn’t pullthe address up in Google Maps, which didn’t seem to recognize a 00200 East Avenue, the lycan capital. That wasn’tentirely surprising. I decided to first just drive to the Capital and I'd figur
Vanessa P.O.V I clenched the wheel with both hands and watched the black silhouette slowly approach in the rearview mirror.I’m a goner.He paused beside my window, placed both hands against the car, andbent low. I slowly turned my head to meet his gaze. Gold flickered in his dark-brown eyes. “Ms. Vanesa, I thought I told youto stay in town.”I was so scared that my hands trembled on the wheel, but his silvery voice still sent shivers down my spine. "Am sorry Alpha, I just want to be free."I replied as I turned away and kept my gaze locked straight forward. “I flicked my eyes toward the city at the far end of the bridge. He leaned closer. “And the lycans capital is where you'll find your freedom.” He asked sarcastically. His voice was calm and soothing, and a compulsion to meet his eyes again came over me. They were now a deep honey gold, and an inexplicable wave of relief relaxed my muscles.Then a cascade of sensations overwhelmed my senses. The rich scent ofmoss and pine. The
Vanessa P.O.V Vanessa effortlessly heaved my suitcases into the back of his black SUV.So much for running from my troubles. Now they were giving me a lift.I gave a last forlorn glance at my car as the tow truck driver loaded it onto his rig. He handed me a card. “Don’t worry, ma’am. We’re taking it to Savage Body, one of the best repair shops in East Avenue . It’ll be up and running before you know it.”I thanked him and gave my poor car one last miserable look. I’d come so close, halfway over the bridge, with only a few more blocks to go. I’d pushed the car over its limit to cross the finish line, and it wasn’t any wonder that it had conked out.Sometimes you ran so fast, you wound up tripping over your own feet and landing on your face. That was me in a nutshell.I sighed and hopped into Vanesa's vehicle. I didn’t dare ask him about his keys, or where he’d gotten an SUV to chase me with. A sliver of guilt tugged at me. He could get new keys made, right?He climbed in the vehicle an
Alpha MarcusFinally, Vanessa settled down, and her expression of mirth turned into bewilderment as she studied my face. She slowly pushed her drink asideand whispered, “Oh, my God. You actually believe what you’re saying.”At least we were getting somewhere. “Because it’s true. You’re beinghunted by werewolves.”"Yeah, you already told me that." She replied nonchalantly. “I want you to describe your assailants. What stood out as strange aboutthem?”Vanessa swallowed, looked down at the table, and mumbled, “Theyhad claws for hands and glowing eyes. They could run faster than a car. Iran one over, but there was just a wolf left on the road.”She was exaggerating. Wolves couldn’t run faster than cars.“Tell me, what unique feature can you point out about them? " I asked."They had some markings, more of tattoos."She responded. " Can you describe them? " I asked. " Even better, I can sketch a rough drawing of what I saw." Vanessa said. At least it was easier to control her with my
Vanessa P.O.V The nightmare coiled around me, a python slowly crushing the breath from my lungs.The tattooed woman from the earlier attack chased me through the crowded bar.I shoved left and right, but people with horns and fangs pressed in aroundme. I could barely breathe, let alone move. In desperation, I dove over thebar, dodging flying cocktails and bottles. But I wasn’t fast enough. Thewoman lashed out with long claws and dug them into my skin. My bloodpoured down her fingers, and her eyes blazed with crimson light. “Youwon’t escape! You’ll give us what we need!”When I pulled away, I slipped in my own blood and crashed to the floor.She leapt through the air, face contorting and twisting into that of a wolf.Then she was on me, clawing and biting my neck like a savage animal.In the midst of all the chaos, he was there. With one swift move, Alpha Marcus slammed his fist into her chest and sent her flying off my body and onto thebar. The woman lunged for me, but Alpha Ma
Ttthirty fivveVanessa P.O.V Finally, I'd managed to get rid of Alpha Marcus and his tail, now I could embark on my quest. "You thought that it would be that easy to get rid of me, I guess you never learn." Alpha Marcus voice echoed as he approached me wearing a big grin on his face. "How the hell… I won't even bother to ask."I replied still shock ridden. " I thought you'd be happy to see me, you specifically asked me to come. " Alpha Marcus said. " When?" " You weren’t obvious about it, but you showed me the picture with the address."He responded. It was now all starting to make sense, he knew that this was the only destination I had in mind. " Okay then, shall we? " I asked as I pointed towards the door. I stepped into the house, which smelled of cinnamon and incense. It tookmy eyes a couple seconds to adjust to the meager light shed by half a dozendim candles floating in the air.A young woman sat behind a table hung with purple and gold cloth. She gave a knowing smile. “I
Vanessa P.O.V The darkness drained from the room.I burst up out of my chair and stumbled back from the table.Alpha Marcus ,already on his feet, caught me.Lady Fortune pointed at the door. “You need to run. They are close, at the Ferris wheel, but closing fast. Wolves and demons. Go.”Alpha Marcus grabbed my hand and pulled me from the tent.“Walk normally, but don’t let go of me.”He pulled out his phone with his other hand and hit speed dial with histhumb. “They’re by the Ferris wheel and headed our way—look for rogue wolves and some kind of demon. Sounds like there may be a lot of them.Send everyone in our direction but move discreetly. We’re headed toward the far end of the Midway,that's the pickup location .”He hung up and, hand-in-hand, we pushed our way back the way we had come.Confusion tore at me. “You have people here? Waiting?”“Yes. A lot. As long as you’re outside of the Iycan' kings territory , you’re protected.”“Protected or bait?” I snapped. “Why aren’t we runn