I definitely won’t feel better.
“Is it just you three?” I ask, remembering them talking about someone named Jason or Jerad. Something like that.
“We have a beta at home.” A slow-spreading smile brightens Basil’s face. “His name is Jeremy, and he’s very excited to meet you.” There’s a soft wonder in his voice, almost as if everything happening is a dream come true for him. But it’s a horrific nightmare for me.
I keep my expression blank, making it clear that I don’t really care. “Where are you taking me?” I ask, my tone firm. Almost cutting.
“Home.” Killian stands, and I force myself to take another big bite of the jerky.
I need to fill my belly as much as I can. If I get a chance to escape, it might be a while before I can find food. While I’m very good at finding berries and bird nests, it’s early fall, which means there won’t be much of either.I wish I was a better hunter.
“Get dressed.” Killian tosses a pair of gray sweatpants toward me. They land next to the bottle of water.
I wedge the last piece of jerky into my mouth. It’s almost too big, making my cheeks push out on both sides. The corner of Tristan’s mouth twitches and he ducks his head, hiding what I assume is a smile.
“We need to leave soon if we want to make it there by dinnertime.” Killian rummages through one of the bags.
The other two alphas get up, quickly gathering their things. I lean forward and grab the sweatpants and water. I take a long drink, gulping down as much as I can. Then I get dressed.
Pulling on the pants, I notice the thick wool socks on my feet. They look homemade. The seam along the toes is a little uneven and the blue material changes halfway up the right foot, going from a deep navy blue to a softer, sky blue.Where did they come from?
“Let’s go, sweetheart.”
A strong arm wraps around my middle, and I’m lifted. Killian manhandles me so he has one arm under my ass and the other at my back. My legs dangle on either side of his hips, pressing my core against his firm belly.
Rage and fear burst inside my chest, and I lash out. “Hey!’ I slam my fist against his chest. He doesn’t even blink. “Put me down,” I demand.
“Trust me, Beth,” he says as he moves to the mouth of the cave. “It’s a long walk.” He ducks, holding me tight to his warm body. “You’ll want to be carried.”
I open my mouth to argue, but a crash of thunder erupts outside the cave, making me flinch. Gripping Killian’s shoulder, I turn and look out over the dreary forest. The sky is a dark gray and the leaves hang low, weighed down by the pounding downpour.
Tristan steps up next to Killian. He inhales deeply, savoring the smell of wet earth. “I fucking love the rain.” He puffs out his chest, hitching his belt up a little higher, but all I can see is the knife secured to his hip. “It’s good for the soul.” Then he pushes his hand into his backpack. He pulls out some kind of weird, yellow fabric. It’s stiff and makes a crunchy noise when he unfolds it. It sounds like it’s coated in some kind of plastic.
“I’ve got it.” Basil takes the weird fabric from Tristan. He drapes it over me, tucking it around my shoulders and waist.He touches my back, clearly wanting me to lean against Killian’s chest, but I refuse. I stay upright, keeping as much space between the two of us as I comfortably can.
“You’re a determined little thing. Aren’t you?” Killian’s dark blue eyes flash with excitement.
“I don’t need to be carried,” I grumble, knowing full well he won’t put me down.
“Your feet should stay dry.” Basil moves around Killian so I can see his face. “Hopefully, it won’t rain the whole way.” He smiles before carefully covering my head. The way he’s looking at me makes me uncomfortable. His friendly smile and twinkling eyes are just a sign of well-hidden violence.
Burke was the same way. Around common friends, he always put on a show. He laughed with the kids, was affectionate with his mates, and made jokes about our home being filled with too many little ones. But once they left, the real monster always came out to play.
Brutal.
Hateful.
Vicious.
Killian steps forward and rain taps hard against the top of my head. The sound echoes loudly in my ears, I can barely hear anything else. But my hair doesn’t get wet. Neither does my back or legs. The weird fabric must be waterproof. I have a wool jacket I wear in the winter. It takes a while for water to seep through the thick fabric, but it couldn’t handle this kind of weather.
Lighting flashes, illuminating the dark trees for half a second, then thunder cracks once again. This time, it sounds like it hits right at my back, and the ground shakes. I let out a frightened yip, slamming my body against Killian’s.
He instantly wraps his arm around me, holding me tight. “It’s okay,” he whispers. “I’ve got you.”
Dammit.
I hate being this close to the alpha, but it’s cold, and he’s so warm. Determined to keep something between us, I tuck my arms against my chest, making sure he can’t feel how hard my nipples are. It’s not him. It’s the chill in the air. I have zero desire to be with any of these alphas.
