Couldn’t fit the Piper/Leo interaction in this chapter, but it is coming.
(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
(Piper POV)As I walk into the diner, I am aware that Leo Bloodstone is nearby. It is weird that I can somehow sense him even though he must be too far away for me to smell him… but I can. Maybe it is just that his strong alpha energy sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the humans in this area. In fact, that is probably exactly what it is. When I was younger, I remember always being able to sense when Xander was around when our families went on trips together through human territories. (Those trips did not happen very often, but I have fond memories of the few we took.) Now that I have sensed Leo nearby, a part of me wants to keep running. However, at this point, I am too tired to do so. Penelope is too. Although my head wounds are healing, the more the adrenaline fades, the more drained I become. On top of that, neither Penelope nor I have gotten much sleep since we ran. We have alternated between our wolf and human forms, in the hopes of giving one another rest breaks,
(Piper POV)“What are you celebrating?” Charlie asks hesitantly, clearly confused.“I finally found my runaway bride,” Leo says matter-of-factly. It is a little eerie just how matter-of-factly he announces that, and the tension at the table increases.“Congratulations,” I reply with fake enthusiasm. I then pretend to look around the diner. “Where is she?”The corners of Leo’s lips tilt upwards, but he does not respond. I decide to continue to push him; it may be my only opportunity to do so. At least for a while.“Why did she run?” I ask Leo. “Was she afraid that you would kill more of her friends if she didn’t?”Leo’s eyes remain locked on my own. “I have killed none of her friends.”“Oh, I’m sorry. I meant, was she afraid that YOUR MEN would kill more of her friends?”Leo now seems slightly irritated.“I repeat,” he growls, “none of her friends have been killed. And none of them would have been harmed if they had not pointed a gun in my direction. My guards acted on instinc