(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
(Piper POV)“Good. Now let’s really talk,” Leo says.I nod, but my heart starts racing. I’m nervous about this conversation. Really nervous.“You know, Leo is pretty hot,” Penelope links me. “And I like that he keeps protecting us. I wouldn’t mind a repeat of what happened between you two at Wildwood.”I sigh. I want to ignore Penelope’s comments as being more silliness from my unusually sex-crazed wolf, but the sad truth is that I agree with her. Leo’s dark hair has grown a little since I last saw him at Wildwood. It is still fairly short, but it is long enough now to reveal that he has natural waves in it. Meanwhile, his arms —which are just as muscular as before— look absolutely mouth-watering in his button-up shirt, which is rolled up to his elbows. And don’t get me started on his tight a&&, which I got a glimpse of when he got up to send Charlie away. In fact, his a&& alone looks good enough to make me want to drop my panties right here and now.No. Stop it Piper. I
(Leo Bloodstone POV)I cannot take my eyes off of Piper. Even now —after she has been running for two days with little sleep and food, and while she is wearing a simple blue maxi-dress— she looks like an absolute goddess. It is all that I can do not to lift her over my shoulder, take her to the bathroom, and have my way with her right here in this diner. Goddess knows that I want nothing more. But I know that it is too soon. Despite the fact that I enjoy teasing her, I am happy to wait. For a little while.I am not normally this patient. But the more that I get to know Piper, and the more that I have gotten to know about her, the more impressed I am by her. Alpha Aiden is correct that her attitude is similar to Addie’s, but I can see and appreciate the differences between the two she-wolves. Both Addie and Piper are strong, blunt, and unwilling to let themselves be intimidated by bullsh&t. But Addie is the way that she is largely because her parents have spoiled her througho