Rising Alpha

18

"Yeah, it's fully stocked. We should be good for a few weeks here other than anything fresh we might want. But right now we've got more important matters to worry about."

"Like what?" Charlotte's eyes widen and she glances around the cabin.

"We need to be prepared." I head to the left and down the hall.

The hallway leads to five rooms. There are two on the right with three rooms on the left. They are all bedrooms with the master bedroom being the last door on the right. The second full bathroom is the door at the very end of the hallway.

"I'm assuming we're meant to follow?" Savannah's tone is annoyed, but she's behind me.

She won't be annoyed when she sees where I'm taking them. I enter my bedroom and walk around the bed to get to another door. When I open it, Savannah chuckles.

Savannah steps beside me and reaches around me. “Okay, I'm impressed." She picks up an AR15.

"Hey, be careful with that." My arsenal is loaded with shotguns and handguns, but of course, my girl would go for the AR-15.

"Oh, hell no." Alison walks in and picks up a shotgun. "I'll stick with this and increase my odds of hitting someone."

Maybe I shouldn't have brought all of them here. "Have you ever shot a gun before?" A comment like that makes my blood run cold.

"No, but with this bad boy, it shouldn't matter." She turns the gun so it's pointing in Savannah's face. "Right?"

I reach and grab the gun from her. "Rule number one when handling a gun: don't point it at someone unless you're aiming to shoot." I'm going to have to train them for everyone's safety. "Let me take inventory and figure out what will work best."

"Yeah, we want to make sure you're hitting the right people." Savannah sets down her gun and takes a deep breath. "Let's go get some fresh air."

"That sounds like a good idea." Abigail eyes the guns one last time before turning around. "Come on, Charlotte. Let's get out of here before someone gets hurt."

Savannah follows behind, and I reach out and grab her arm.

It worries me about them going out there, but it'll give me some time to go through some stuff without their prying eyes. I don't want them to be more worried than they already are. "Be careful. I'll be out in a second."

A small grin spread across her face and she nods. "We'll be fine. I'll alert you if something goes wrong."

With how far out we are, they should be fine for a few minutes but I better hurry. "Still. Be careful."

Savannah

As I walk out of the cabin and hit fresh air, I take in a deep breath. It's still clear and no sign of the other shifters for now. I'm not sure what to make of all this, but at least we're somewhere relatively safe and now have a roof over our heads.

Alison raises her arms over her head causing her blue shirt to rise over her belly. She's round with child and there are a few stretch marks where her pants begin. "Do you think we can trust him?"

That's the one-million-dollar question, but I don't want to worry them. They followed me after all. "I'm not sure yet, but he hasn't proved untrustworthy. If he asks for something strange or does something peculiar let me know."

"Do you think he'll turn us over to Kevin?" Fear shines through Charlotte's blue eyes and her foot bounces.

Why are they all suddenly looking for me to take care of them in the past twenty-four hours? But there is no chance in Hell that I'll let them down. "Well, he took us a long way away if he was going to give us back. Wouldn't you say?"

"That may be so, but what's the plan?" Abigail winces and holds her arm closer to her body. "Are we staying here indefinitely? Is this our new home?"

All very good questions, unfortunately I don't have a clue either. How can I comfort them when everything is in the air? I don't know what Dom's plans are, but I don't want them to carry any of the burden. "I'm not sure about a permanent home, but I'm thinking we'll stay here for a while."

Alison and Abigail nod while Charlotte stares up at the moon. No one speaks for a moment.

At the end of the day, I ran from Kevin on instinct. If I hadn't, I'd be tied to that asshole for all of eternity. What kind of life would that have been? A cold shiver runs through me, and I take a deep breath. But when he catches me, will it all have been worth it? Not only have I put myself in danger, but these three women who followed me will have just as much, if not more, to lose themselves.

Now they are all looking at me for decisions. They are trusting me as if I was their alpha, which has always been a dream of mine, yet I've never followed through on it. I’m not physically strong enough to win against a male challenger. Did I make a mistake by bringing them with me and giving them a false sense of hope that they can count on me through thick and thin? I'm not sure, but here we are. I've got to stop looking back and keep moving forward. I'll do the best I can and hope and pray that it's enough.

My wolf nudges my mind and whimpers in excitement. She's very happy with me now that I'm finally standing up to Kevin.

The front door bangs open and Dom walks out with two AR-15s, a handgun, and one shotgun. This is interesting. I wonder if Alison will get the shotgun after all?

Dom

When I walk outside with the weapons, Charlotte cowers and steps behind her mother. However, Abigail and Alison look me straight in the eye for a moment before looking away.

I'm very impressed with these women. From what I saw during my short visit, these ladies have been degraded and abused for a long time. For them to even have the courage to run and to stand up for themselves is impressive. Honestly, I have a feeling they'd follow Savannah to the ends of the

Earth. "I figured it wouldn't hurt to have some reinforcements."

Abigail glances down at her arm and frowns. "I'm useless right now and it's pissing me off."

The sad thing is I understand that comment all too well. That's how I’ve felt ever since I lost my pack.

"No, you're not." Savannah reaches out and taps her arm. "You're strong, just injured. But don't worry, in a few days and after you shift, you'll be kicking all our asses.” I hate that she can’t shift and heal herself, because Kevin could find us that much faster. After all, he’s still her alpha.