HOPE POVI was drunk or drugged. I didn’t know which, but I could feel it and I had no idea how it had happened. I had only had water to drink.My brain was foggy, and it was hard for me to put words together coherently. I could see the disapproving look on Bianca’s face every time she looked at me. Lucia was glaring daggers at me. All of their friends were ignoring me. Nicco had been spirited off to hang out with some of his old buddies and the only person who was nice to me was Izan.“Are you okay, Hope?” he asked, peering into my face, concerned.With difficulty I shook my head. “No. I don’t feel well. I need Nicco.”Izan looked around. “I think he’s out front in the driveway looking at Alberto’s new Charger. I know Alberto and I know his Charger. Nicco will be out there for a while.”I stood up unsteadily. “I think I need to go back to my room.” I lurched and reached for the back of the nearest chair. I could see Bianca pursing her lips and turning her back on me. I
NICCO POVNot taking the time to undress, I shifted into Lupo. He was insistent that something had happened to Hope and he was getting hard to control. He’d have an easier time finding her, anyway.Lupo headed towards the villa where we were staying but her scent trail was at least a few hours old. We circled around the pool, hoping to pick up a stronger scent but we couldn’t find anything.“Head for the boundary” I suggested. The entire property was enclosed by a ten foot high concrete wall and it would be impossible for her to wander off. If she was disorientated, there was a chance she would end up at the wall at some point.Lupo turned and loped towards the south, swinging our head back and forth, trying to pick up Hope’s scent. I could feel his panic and frenzy and it was affecting me. I was beginning to believe that he may be right. It was weird that we couldn’t pick up on Hope’s scent. She was our mate. We should be able to find her.“Hope!” I tried mind linking her.
HOPE POVMy head hurt. It hurt bad. I was also having a hard time breathing at this point and my chest felt like something heavy was pressing on it. I was also hot and rocking from side to side.I kept my eyes mostly closed and looked through my lashes. There was an odd red glow around me and a very musty smell. I tried to stretch my limbs and realized my hands were cuffed behind my back.I held back a whimper of fear, trying to figure out what was happening. My senses were slowly coming back and my brain was beginning to clear. I felt a big bump and, with a jolt, recognized that I was in the trunk of a car.There was some rumbling noises and then the car rolled to a stop. I kept my eyes closed, waiting for an opportunity, any opportunity. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be in the situation I was currently in. The red glow abruptly ended and there was some squeaking as the car rocked. I could hear footsteps crunching on gravel and th
HOPE POVI looked behind me again to see the two men gaining on me. I gasped and tried to put on a burst of speed.Ever since meeting Nicco and mating with him, my body had been undergoing some changes. I noticed I was getting stronger and faster. Maybe not werewolf strong, but more than a typical human. Since I got Nicco’s blood, my strength had increased even more. But it was failing me now. Whatever drug or poison that I had been given made my joints feel achy and leaden. I was running with my arms tied behind my back and my coordination was off. It was dark and I couldn’t see where I was going. I ran straight into someone.I bounced off them, landing on my back. I rolled to my side, scrambling to get to my feet while making mewing noises.“Shhhh, Luna. It’s me. We want to help you.”“Mario?” I gasped out, looking at him with shock. “Who is with you? What are you doing here?” I was confused and a little overwhelmed. How did he manage to be here? Could I trust him?
CHAPTERI was dragged along by Mario. I knew his eyesight was better than mine because he saved me a few times from braining myself into a tree, so I just trusted him, going along with it. He was sticking to the trees, staying away from civilization. I realized we were heading in the general direction of the villa.Five minutes after Gina left with my dress, we heard howling. Mario stopped short.“They figured it out. Those were hunting calls.” I took two steps forward, tugging at him. “Then let’s keep going. I don’t want them hunting me.”“Wait just a minute,” Mario said. “I’m going to shift. My wolf can go faster than us. Just climb on when I’m ready.” He squished up his face and with a horrific popping noise, shifted in front of me. His wolf was a lot smaller than Lupo and I was worried I would squash him. He swung his head wide and bobbed it and I pushed my worries aside, scrambling on to his back. I felt his legs buckle a little but then he gathered himself, trotti
NICCOHope dropped her tree branch and began to walk over to me. I took it all in. She was in her underwear, hair unkept, dirty and scratched. She was walking like she was drunk, staggering and dragging her feet all at once. As I watched, she began to crumple.I shifted and was by her side, catching her before she hit the ground. She was unconscious, her eyes rolled up into the back of her head. I looked over at Mario who had managed to shift back into himself. He was still winded, bent over double and gasping for air.“Why does she smell like you?” I asked, my voice fierce.“I scented her, Alpha. I’m sorry but I needed to buy us some time.” His voice was respectful but full of fear.“And why is she half naked?” I pressed. “Because I took her dress and led the hunters away,” a voice said from behind me. I turned to look and saw a girl walking towards me. She looked remotely familiar, but I didn’t know why. She looked at me and took exception to the look on my face. “Oh,
CHAPTER 63HOPE POVI opened up my eyes to Nicco staring down at me. I smiled at him and then groaned. Everything hurt.“I need to ask you a very important question,” Nicco said, his voice serious. I nodded and winced. Even that little bit of movement was excruciating.“Hope. Did you know about your wolf?” Nicco’s voice was insistent.I slowly sat up, looking at him with concern. I don’t remember him hitting his head but maybe he did. I know he fought and killed at least two wolves. Or maybe he was poisoned with whatever they gave me. “Nicco, honey. I’m human, remember? I don’t have a wolf. I wish I did, but I don’t.” I spoke softly and in the most reasonable voice I could. Nicco looked at an old woman who was holding a vial of what looked like blood and gave her a helpless look.“She thinks I’m crazy,” he said in Spanish.“Ask her about her strength,” a man said in the same language. I rolled my eyes to the side and saw Mario standing with another woman I didn’t know.
CHAPTER 64NICCO POVI kept the rumble going until Hope dropped off to sleep in my arms. Gina looked at her and then back at me. “Do you believe her?” she asked me, somewhat curtly. I looked at her in mild surprise. No one talked to me like this in the States. I was treated with deference, called by my title and spoken to with respect. Gina was a blunt and a little rough around the edges. Oddly, it didn’t bother me coming from her.“Who?” I asked. “My mate? She had no idea that she has a wolf.”“No, the healer,” Gina said. “I would think that your wolf would sense Hope’s if she really had one.”I shrugged. “Maybe,” I said. There were things that I always had trouble explaining, like why the rumble worked on her. It was a fated mate thing and I had just assumed that it was because we were fated. But I had never heard of it working on a human mate before. She had also accepted me and my Pack quickly. Most humans, when introduced to our world, don’t handle it well. Human