We continue the rest of our check-ins with the border patrol, with nothing major to report from us or the warriors. Once finished, we shift back into our human forms and get dressed before making a last lap.
Our enhanced vision in wolf form sees more than our human eyes, but doing it this way has helped us pick up on things that our wolves don’t deem as important. Wolves make snap judgments about what deserves their attention, and they don’t always communicate everything to our human forms.
Sometimes I envy humans for not having to deal with the headache of having two minds. Two minds that often have conflicting views and ideas. It’s exhausting to fight with yourself.
As usual, there’s nothing happening, so Luca and I leave our instructions for the warriors on duty and head our separate ways. As soon as I’m alone, my thoughts fill with a certain blonde she-wolf. I’m eagerly anticipating our first private class tomorrow, even if it will be torture. Beautiful, sexually frustrating torture.
I toss and turn for a while before realizing sleep will not be a possibility while I keep thinking of Emily or imagining her pressed against me. I could call someone. There are plenty of females in the pack that would be happy to spend the night in my bed. But I don’t want anyone else.
I curse myself at the realization that the thought of any other she-wolf does nothing for me anymore. Ever since Emily arrived here, she’s all I can see. My thoughts immediately return to the tiny broken omega whenever I even attempt to consider another female.
With a sigh of defeat, I lower my boxers and grasp my throbbing cock, gliding my hand up and down. I spit on myself, adding some lubrication and imagining Emily’s tongue as I circle the head of my cock with my thumb. Closing my eyes, I imagine her on her knees in front of me, her eyes darkening with desire as I work myself harder. And as I’m about to come, I imagine ribbons of my cum landing across her perfect face before finding my release across my own stomach.
Fuck, even imagining her has me coming harder than I ever had with any other female. Even my supposed mate.
And that scares me more than anything. Tomorrow’s training session is going to kill me. And I can’t wait for it.
Chapter 12
Emily
A knock on my door interrupts my thoughts as I’m settling in for an early night. And as with most things I’m not expecting, the sound immediately fills me with dread. My racing mind goes straight to Aidan—or anyone who could tell him where I am. What if he already knows? What if he’s here? My heart is pounding and blood rushes in my ears as I frantically scan the room, looking for another escape.
But before the darkness can fully claim my vision, Sofia’s enthusiastic voice cuts through the chaos like a soothing balm to my panicked mind.
“Hey Em, you in there?” Her slightly spicy, citrusy scent floats under the door and slices through my fear like a claw through fog. Relief hits me so hard my knees almost give out. And once I’m able to suck air into my lungs again, I realize I’m a complete idiot. Why do I always go straight to the worst possible conclusion? And why am I not engaging any of my other senses?
I open the door and am greeted by a smiling Sofia holding a bowl of popcorn and a stack of movies. “I thought we could have a girly night,” she says with a grin—until she takes in my expression. Her smile fades. “Hey, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
“Um”. My eyes dart around the room as if I will somehow find a reasonable excuse to cover how unhinged I clearly look.
“You got worried about who was knocking?” she asks softly, her eyes full of sympathy. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think.”
“I thought... he might have found me. That probably sounds crazy, but I worry I’m still too close to him. Maybe I should keep moving,” I whisper. Sofia’s face drops and she walks over and gives me a side hug.
“You got away; you’re safe here. And you can’t run forever.”
“I know I can’t, but I’m so scared. Now that my leg is better, maybe I should move on, try to get a job in a human town, save money and get out of the country. As far as I know,he can’t track me that far away, even if heismy mate. Maybe then, I could find somewhere I could settle down.”
My voice trails off as Sofia squeezes me tighter before leading me towards the bed. We both sit, and Sofia pulls a blanket around my shoulders. My eyes sting as I recall how much of a failure my escape was in many ways.
“I had money,” I murmur. “I’d been hiding it for a while. And my mom gave me some, too. But then I lost everything during my escape. And I couldn’t go to a human town with my injuries and having no clothes.” My breath grows shallow, each inhale strained like my lungs are rebelling against the heaviness in my chest. The air feels thick, and I struggle to breathe.
“If he ever finds me again…” My voice cracks. “The consequences will be worse than everything else he has ever done before.”
Sofia squeezes my hand. “Do you want to talk about it? About how he hurt you before?”
Do I? Part of me wants to, but I can’t bear the inevitable judgment. Sofia has been so kind, but at some point, she will have to realize exactly how pitiful I am. And I don’t want her to know it all. I wish I didn’t have to remember it.
“I don’t want to burden you with my stuff. And well, a lot of it is my fault, anyway.”
Sofia’s eyebrows knit together. “How is any of it your fault? He hurt you, Emily. That’s never okay.”
“Yeah, but Ilethim! I shouldn’t have let myself get so taken in. I shouldn’t have been so stupid!” My eyes burn with unshed tears, and my bottom lip quivers, but I don’t want to let my tears fall.
I’ve cried enough.
“Oh, Em,” she whispers. “Tell me—how exactly were you supposed to stop him? I’ve met Aidan Blackwell. He’s… intense. Dominant. And easily twice your size. When would you have had a real chance to leave?”
