AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My eyes are watering and I just manage to resist the urge to wipe the moisture away with the back of my hand. Instead, I blink a few times, then give Audrey a shaky smile. “Yeah, yeah. I’m okay. Just went down the wrong pipe.”
“If you want something else, I have lemonade. Water. Beer. Whatever you want, Gemma.”
“No, no. This is fine.”
It’s not fine, but my mom spent twenty-five years drilling manners into me. Might as well use them.
Her smile widens. “Good. Drink up. As soon as you’re done, we’ll take you to Ryker.”
We? What does she mean, we?
Before I can ask, another shifter joins us. I stiffen when I notice the male, only relaxing when I realize that the dark-haired shifter is Grant, Audrey’s mate. This is his cabin. Of course he’s here.
Still, unless I’m imagining it, something’s not right.
Setting my drink down on the coffee table, I slowly begin to get to my feet. “What’s going on, Audrey?”
She exchanges a look with Grant. “It’s time.”
Excuse me?
“I don’t know what’s going on,” I say, “but I think I’m going to be going now.”
“But you came all this way to see the Alpha,” Audrey reminds me. “He’s waiting for you.”
“Yeah? Well, Ryker can wait a little longer. I’m going home.”
Grant shakes his head. “Your home is here.”
Honestly, it never was. My home is in Muncie, and that’s exactly where I’m going—and neither one of these shifters is going to stop me if I can help it.
“Back off,” I warn them. “You don’t want to do this.”
Forget not using my rank against my former packmates. There’s a fanatical gleam in their matching golden gazes that has me dropping the old illusion for once and for all tonight.
Grant takes a step toward me. “It’ll be okay, Gemma.”
The fuck it will. I had put enough of a command into those two statements to have even a beta backing down. I purposely made eye contact, too.
Why isn’t it working?
I lift up on the balls of my feet, ready to bolt. The mated pair are glued to my every move.
What the hell is going on here?
I do have one other thing working in my favor. Audrey obviously still believes I’m an omega. Maybe her mate does, too. It’s obvious in the way they’re treating me, and their inexplicable immunity to my alpha commands only adds to it. Neither of them approaches me like an alpha wolf with her back up against the wall which is their mistake.
Grant lunges at me. He’s quick, but sloppy. He bends his knees just enough to telegraph his move so I’m expecting it.
Not only that, but I’m ready, too.
As soon as he gets close enough, I shoot out my hand. Tapping into my wolf, I put as much force into the hit as I can as I pivot on my heel. Grant slams into my fist, my momentum flinging him over the couch and into the wall behind it.
The shifter crumples on the floor. I know better than to think that my strike will stop him, though. If anything, it’ll only slow him down for a few seconds before he’s back on his feet.
It’s up to me to make those seconds count.
I take off. I push past a visibly horrified Audrey—oh yeah, she didn’t expect Omega Gem to react like that, did she?—and make it to the front door before she starts shouting for her mate.
He’ll live, but hopefully he’ll think twice before trying to come after me again.
Fingers crossed.
