(Xander POV)I did not want to leave Piper behind at Moon Shadow Pack, especially after our fight. However, the doctor reassured me that she was going to be okay; I had already been there far too long; and I knew that it was only a matter of time before Amanda and Leo’s men came looking for me.Ultimately, trusting that Alpha Aiden and Beta Jonas would follow through on our discussion, I left the herbs with them and headed out with Daphne.As we waited for our taxi, Daphne excitedly asked me where we were going. Her excitement annoyed me to no end, but it was a fair question.A part of me debated whether I should take Daphne directly back to Blue Ridge, or whether I should first return to the hotel where I left Amanda. There were pros and cons with both approaches.The deciding factor for me was that I knew Amanda would lose her sh&t upon seeing me with my fated mate. In fact, I knew that there was a decent probability that —if I brought Daphne back to the hotel— Amanda might even
(Piper POV)Dr. Fellows insisted on observing me overnight, just in case I had any more fainting spells. That was mostly fine, except that it meant that —once visiting hours were over— I was stuck alone in a hospital room, with little more than a television and my wolf to entertain me.I would never admit it to Aiden, Jonas, or any of my friends, but I was not sure that being left alone was a good idea. After everything that happened with Xander, and after hearing that my father… died…, I would have appreciated more of a distraction. The kind that human cooking shows can’t really offer.(Yes, I am addicted to human cooking shows on TV. I figure if I watch enough of them, eventually I will learn how to cook properly. Of course, that may work about as well as my addiction to romance novels teaching me about love.)I guess the good news about being stuck in the hospital was that it gave Penelope and I some extra time to talk about everything. Penelope was even more angry than I was
(Piper POV)I could tell that Asher was hiding something from me, and I had a ton of questions. However, I knew that most of my questions would have to wait. I needed to get out of Moon Shadow before an unnecessary war broke out; I did not want any lives to be lost over me.For a brief moment, I thought about leaving Moon Shadow and going directly to Bloodstone Pack. However, Penelope was against the idea, and I knew that both Aiden and Xander would view it as another betrayal. I also worried that one or both of them would try to get me back from Leo, which would give up any home field advantage they might have otherwise had. Whether I liked it or not, running again was the only logical answer right now. Or so I thought.I hurried to try to get out of bed, but I was still dizzy and my legs a bit wobbly. I guess I hit my head harder than I realized. Asher caught me just before I fell.“Easy, there, Piper. I am going to have to carry you out of here. I am also going to have to
(Piper POV)Suddenly, we hit a pothole and both of our bodies were thrown against the body of the car. Thank Goddess we were both wearing our seatbelts, but even with that, the jerking movement was not great for my still-recovering head wound.“Sh&t,” Asher cried out. “Piper, are you okay?”I rubbed my head. “Yeah, I’m okay. The wig added some good cushion,” I teased as I tried to make light out of the situation. “I am just glad that the air bags did not go off.” “Me too. I know that this tunnel has not been used in a long time, but you'd think that they would figure out a way to maintain it somehow. I’ll have to talk to them.”I don’t know why, but that comment was all it took to trigger a “light bulb moment” in my head.“Asher, I know Aiden did not tell you about this tunnel, because he would have tried to stop us from using it. Who told you about it and gave you the key?”Asher glanced over at me and smirked. “You are starting to figure it out now, huh?”“I think so,” I
(Piper POV)We hit the third pothole hard, and we could hear and feel the damage being done to the car.I suggested that Asher pull over so that we could check how bad it was, but he did not want to. Instead, he wanted to get as far away from the pack as we could. He insisted that we would continue to drive until we got to the next town, or until we couldn’t drive anymore, whichever came first.Unfortunately, it was the latter. We probably only made it another 2000 - 3000 feet before he was forced to stop.Thankfully, despite everything, I now had a decent amount of adrenaline in my system. That adrenaline allowed me to temporarily ignore my dizziness and my head wound —by this point, head wounds— and get out of the car on my own. I grabbed the umbrella that I saw in the back seat and used it to cover myself and Asher.The damage wasn’t as bad as we feared. Basically, our back passenger tire had been punctured and completely shredded. Asher opened the trunk and found a spare, w
(Piper POV)There are times in life in which everything moves at the speed of light, and there are other times in which life stands still. Somehow on that rainy night just outside Moon Shadow, life managed to do both, starting with the moment that the strange SUV parked in front of us and a male got out.At first, the umbrellas (his and mine) and the heavy rain blocked my view of the male. However, I could tell that he was wearing what appeared to be business clothes —nice pants, a button-up shirt, and a tie— and his outfit seemed out of place given the late hour. But even more unusual was the chill that ran down my spine when I heard his voice. The chill was one of familiarity as opposed to fear, but I did not yet recognize it.“You okay?” he yelled back at me from a distance.“Just a flat tire,” I yelled back. “You got any tools?”I wasn’t sure then why I was comfortable enough to ask him, but I was.Unfortunately, just as I yelled back, a bolt of lightning came out of the sky,
(Asher POV)I have watched Piper since the first day she arrived at Moon Shadow Pack, in part because Jonas was nervous about having her around. In anticipation of her arrival, Xander told Jonas a variety of things about Piper. Some nice things; some not-so-nice. I had a bad feeling about the entire situation, and that feeling grew the more time I spent around her.My bad feeling was part of the reason that Jonas started to become suspicious of Xander too. They had been friends for a long time, but Jonas had slowly started to realize that he only knew the side of Xander that Xander wanted him to see. I suppose that is the benefit and downside of a long-distance friendship.Fast-forwarding to today, and I am not sure of many things. So much about the Piper-Xander-Leo situation confuses me. There is one thing that I am absolutely sure of, though: Piper is cream of the crop when it comes to she-wolves. She is kind, funny, and loyal. She calls you out on sh&t when you cross a lin
(Leo Bloodstone POV)It has taken me two f&&king days, but I have finally tracked Piper down again. She is currently waiting for a table in a packed human diner, which is actually perfect because it limits her escape options.This time, I am not taking any chances. I am 100% on my own. No one knows where I am, and I doubt anyone else knows where Piper is either. Nor do I have any guards with me. I do not trust them not to mess this up again.Tracking Piper was tough, but I was determined. Also, Addie’s suggestion to follow Asher’s scent was brilliant. Yes, I now know that Piper’s friend’s name is Asher. Thankfully, he is doing okay. Or at least I think he is. It was difficult to fully follow what Addie was saying when I talked to her a few minutes ago. Most awkward f&&king conversation of my life.*** FLASHBACK, 10 MINUTES AGO***I am f&&king relieved when my eyes land on Piper for the first time in two days. She is walking into a diner, and I decide to let her get settled