AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What now?” Dom asked wearily and Trent jerked his head to the motel where Liam stood hunched over, his hand braced against the wall as he watched us. Dom cursed under his breath as Anna trotted up next to me.
“You need clothes?” I asked her and she nodded, pointedly not looking at Trent or Dom, her snout in the air.
“All I had were shorts,” Trent said defensively, holding his arms up. “Not my fault it’s not good enough for you.” Anna turned her head, ignoring him, and he stomped toward the motel.
I eyed her but she wouldn’t met my gaze and I sighed. “Let’s get you some clothes so we can talk.” Her reluctance was clear but she finally followed me with a shake of her head.
Once Anna was dressed, she refused to talk, stating there was nothing to talk about. When I disagreed, she claimed she was tired and wanted to sleep. I left her in my room, deciding to check on Dom and his newly formed Pack. Even thinking the words made hysterical laughter bubble inside of me and I firmly pushed it down before I lost it completely.
The three men were arguing and didn’t hear me walk up, at least two of them didn’t, Dom snaked his arm around me without even glancing down. “Caleb is offering you a place in the Navarre Pack,” he stated quietly. In fact, all of them were exceptionally quiet as they spoke. Even standing among them, I had to listen carefully to piece together what they were saying.
“I’m part of the Navarre Pack,” Liam argued, thrusting his finger at Dom. “Your Pack.”
Dom swallowed and reminded him, “I don’t have a pack. I’m the beta of Caleb’s Pack. The Navarre Pack.”
Liam stared at the men mutinously, refusing to budge and Trent scrubbed his hand over his face. “It’s late and you’re still weak from blood loss,” Trent said reasonably, the only indication he wasn’t as calm as he sounded were his white knuckles as he clutched the sucker in his hand.
“I’m not changing my mind,” Liam warned, his hand splayed over the jagged eight inch cut bisecting his stomach. He wore an open button down shirt, the loose fit and pattern telling me it was one of my Dad’s shirts. “I’ve been told what to do every day of my life. For once, I have a choice.”
“You don’t want to choose wrong,” Trent advised, his eyes flashing a warning. Liam gave him a wide berth but didn’t back down until finally Dom flicked his hand.
“Get some sleep, kid,” he told him tiredly. “We’ll talk again in the morning.” Liam nodded, turning to leave when Dom added, “And don’t breathe a word of this to anyone.” I shivered at the command in his words, the sound echoing down to my bones and as Liam’s head lowered I knew he’d felt it even more.
“Yes, sir,” he answered, shuffling to the room next to Trent’s.
“That’s a problem we don’t need,” Trent said, staring after him.
“One at a time,” Dom counseled, exhaustion weighing his words. “Caleb is going to escort Sam and Nicky back to the village. Where’s Anna?” He glanced down at me for an answer.
“She laid down, said she was tired. I think she was trying to avoid me,” I replied, unable to hide the hint of hurt in my voice.
“She’s confused,” Dom comforted. “And conflicted.”
“She needs to quit pretending,” Trent muttered cryptically and my eyes shot to him. He shoved the sucker in his mouth, avoiding my gaze and I frowned.
“Why are Sam and Nicky leaving?” I asked, strumming my fingers against Dom’s bare stomach. “Why isn’t Payne escorting them?”
“The motel isn’t safe for them anymore,” Dom said, his tone apologetic. “The Hanleys will think twice before attacking our village. It’s the safest place for them right now.”
“Monster?” I questioned, glancing between them. “Liam? Dylan?”
“They can protect themselves,” Dom said before correcting himself. “Not Monster, but I’ll be here. Sam is staying at my cabin. Payne is staying in their motel room here. If someone shows up looking for them, they’re going to get a rude awakening.”
I nodded, my eyes gritty as I tried to keep them open.
Dom noticed and said, “You need sleep.”
“You too,” I murmured, not arguing the fact.
“Go get some sleep,” Trent said to us, lifting his sucker up. “I’ll keep watch.”
“Is Dylan okay?” I asked as my gaze wandered to Wren’s room.
“Yeah, Leah stitched him up. He had a couple of good size gashes,” Trent replied, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his shorts as he sucked on the candy in his mouth. He still didn’t have a shirt on and I wondered for a second about where the sucker had come from.
My forehead wrinkled in confusion, “He didn’t shift?”
Trent and Dom traded glances and then shook their heads. “He’s not communicating,” Dom said carefully. “We tried the Pack link. Caleb tried to order him and nothing. For the moment, he’s staying in wolf form.”
