AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jake looks at me as if he’s asking me to protest for him, but I know better now. I keep my lips sealed and pretend I don’t see his pleading eyes.
“Well, if Uncle Chase can break the rules I think I should be able to too!” he snaps at me, and my jaw drops in shock.
Little turd pulled me into the argument because I won't side with him!
“Uncle Chase is a grown ass man who can handle his own dumb decisions.” Rachel looks at me and smirks. “No offense, Ruby.”
“Yeah? Well…if I ran away with Jenna it would be your fault!” Jake shrieks and Rachel slams on the brakes, spinning the truck in the middle of the highway and stopping us in the opposite lane.
“How dare you threaten that!” Rachel screams. “Boy, I know you heard about Grace’s son, how dare you even mention something like that knowing what happened to him! He used to babysit you! Do not make me think of that happening to you, not ever!”
My heart breaks for her. I can’t imagine the horror of losing a child, or thinking of your own child suffering a fate like that. Rachel’s hands are shaking as she grabs the steering wheel and gets us back on the road, and for the first time since we got in the truck Jake is silent.
A few tense moments pass and she puts her arms around his shoulder and pulls him close, pretending not to shed a tear and wipe it away before she thinks I see it. My heart softens for her, this must be so scary. I see a softness in her that I didn’t see that first night and I feel ashamed that I tried to attack her.
“Rachel, I’m sorry. When we met, I thought…”
“You thought I had eyes for Chase? Don’t make me barf…” She laughs and releases her son, shoving him playfully into me. “I’d sooner think of a rattlesnake in a romantic way than that greasy lugnut,” she chuckles.
I giggle. Chase is a little rough around the edges, but he’s rough in all the places where I’ve been spoiled and sheltered. We complete each other.
I register the roof of my mother’s house poking over the trees and both of our moods turn somber. Jake pulls out a handheld game system and tunes us both out, completely careless as to where we are and what we’re doing. The innocence of a child.
When we pull into the driveway, it looks like every Silver Dawn wolf from all over the country has gathered here. Rachel swallows hard, looking from me to the gathered pack and back to her son. I reach over and lay a hand on hers and squeeze.
“They won't hurt you, I won’t let them” I tell her.
My promise draws Jake’s attention. “Holy shit! Are these all wolves?” He leans up in his seat, oblivious to the danger, only excited to see so many wolves gathered in one place. Some are in wolf form, baring their teeth, and some carry guns of various shapes and sizes.
“Boy, you better watch your mouth!” Rachel snaps, her voice hushed as she puts the truck in reverse.
We both look up the moment the front door crashes open and my brother thunders out of the house. Rachel looks like she’s seen a ghost and she tries to pull out, but I grab her hand and shake her.
“You have to let me get out first!” I shout.
She looks at me with terrified eyes. “I-I don’t know, Rube, it doesn’t look safe!”
Her shaking gets worse as my brother runs at the truck with murder in his eyes. He rips my door open and hauls me out, leaning in to yell at Rachel, except his face goes blank when he looks at her, and then her son.
“You shouldn’t be here!” he growls, muscles bulging, but he takes a shocked step back when Jake extends his hand.
“Dude, are you the fuckin Alpha? I’m Jake! So cool to meet an Alpha! Gosh, you’re so much like my Uncle Ryder, look Momma, he’s got that ‘I’ll kill everyone’ look on his face that Uncle Ryder gets!”
Rachel’s face is completely drained of blood now, so shocked she looks almost sick, and as I watch my brother I see his mouth twitch in a shadow of a smile as he looks at the boy.
“You let him talk like that?” Cole asks Rachel.
Her face darkens with fury and she peels out, door open and all. As she drives away, tires spitting gravel behind her, she flips us off and I have to chuckle. I think I’m going to like her.
Cole grips my elbow and turns me to face him, his face once more full of rage, the pack surrounding us as everyone asks questions about my safety. Cole is bristling with anger, his whole body trembling, but he keeps looking at the cloud of dust as it fades, as if he can still see the truck.
“What’s got your tail in a twist? She just gave me a ride!” I yell at him and his anger’s directed back at me.
“That pack has a growing tendency of trespassing and one of these days I’m going to show them just why they shouldn’t,” he growls in my face, nose to nose. He flinches when he sees realization dawn on my face.
“Did you actually hurt that pup?” I scream, and he drops my arm in shock.
“How could you say that!” he demands, and the pack forms a circle around us like we’re about to fight. “I could never hurt a child, no matter who they are!”
