Semua Bab The Alpha and Her Hunter: Bab 11 - Bab 20

His scent wavered at the river. Willow bent down, digging her hands into the mud, and lifted it to his face. Thankfully, he had decided to not cross. It would have surely killed him. These were glacial fed rivers, numbing the skin within seconds of contact. He went west. She rinsed her hand and quickly dried it on her pants, stuffing it back inside the gloves she had grabbed as she left her house. This was a furious storm. Thunder echoed miles away, crashing against the mountains that separated them from the next valley. The river was rising, swollen and angry. Torrents of rain continued falling down. She could barely make out his footprints along a drier patch of mud that was slightly sheltered by an overhang of shale. She paused her herself, breathing in his deep, woody scent. He had trailed his hand along here, keeping himself steady. Her heart thrummed. She would find him alive. He had to be. The next part of this trail was the worst, it hugged the side of the cliff with no r

Dawn broke brightly over the tent. Willow squinted against the glare. She looked over and realized that she was pressed against Garin's back. They must have moved together sometime during the night as if attached by a magnetic force. Part of her didn't want to leave. There was something fragile and tenuous between them here. Their families didn't seem to matter. Who and what they were didn't matter? It was just them. The few minutes she had spent alone with him had been more electrifying than the many years she had spent with anyone else. The initial danger that she had felt when they first met was gone. Perhaps it would be the death of her, but she found she didn't care. Sitting beside him last night, almost kissing him, made her feel more alive than she ever had. Perhaps it was the forbidden nature of him that so drew her to him. She knew that nothing good could come from it but here she was, playing with fire. She peeked outside of the tent. It was light enough for them to get

Garin smoothed down his chestnut hair, hoping to tame the wayward cowlick that refused to comply. He hadn't seen Willow in a few days. After his dad had dragged him home, he had been too embarrassed to face her. That and his dad made Silas escort him anytime that he went into town until Garin had had enough and went back to his apartment for a few days just to get some breathing room. Now he was waiting in his car outside of the café like some lovestruck idiot, hoping to catch a glance of her. The town was full of people anxiously awaiting the festival in two days. The line to the café was stretched outside. He shouldn't bother her. Not when she was this busy. He saw a tall, lean man come loping up the sidewalk and peer into the windows. He felt his teeth clench when he realized it was the guy, he saw her with before, Lyall. He even hated his name. Lyall cupped his hands against the glass and left, a slightly crestfallen look on his face. Good. Garin was half tempted to tell him ho

Willow's head was still spinning from the night before as she walked to work. Her grandmother had offered her the car again, but Willow had too much energy flowing through her. She couldn't keep the smile from her face, even as the rain began to fall. The streets were quiet, the tourists still sleeping off the night before. Willow's heart was soaring, and she knew it was only a matter of time before it came crashing back to reality, but she didn't let that dampen her mood. When she walked into her store, she remembered that she hadn't cleaned up last night in her rush to see Garin. With a groan, she trudged back to the utility closet for the cleaning supplies. She flipped on the radio as she wiped down the tables, singing softly along, the strong scent of the lemon cleaner filling her nose. Mopping the floor, she noticed a curious set of footprints on the wooden planks. They lead to her office. She placed her boots next to the print on the floor. They were much larger than hers.

"What do you mean the truth? She was in a car accident," Willow said, confused. "Drink," her grandmother said nodding towards Willow's mug. Willow took a small sip of the tart, spicy drink. Willow had never seen her looking so lost for words or uncomfortable. Loriann was staring down at her hands, which were just now beginning to hint at her age. "Your mother wasn't killed by a drunk driver. She was murdered by a hunter. A member of the Red Hoods actually. They claim they don't know who it was, but I never believed them." Willow gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. Her grandmother shook her head once, her eyes surprisingly dry. Her tears for her daughter had run dry many years ago, she had nothing left. "I didn't know how to explain to a five-year-old why her parents never came home," "Parents? But I thought my father passed before I was born?" Willow felt adrift. What was happening? How did she not remember her father? "No, he died at