Rising Alpha

15

My wolf growls loud inside my mind and begin pushes to the front. He’s not happy with my decision. He wants to lead them and is infuriated that I’m saying no to my mate. I can’t let him make the decision for me; that’s what happened last time and I can still see the blood on my hands. I went off to war so I could forget, but still, I see my former pack’s blood on my hands, not the blood of the enemies I killed. “It’s not you. I can’t lead a pack. I’m not as strong as you think I am.” Please let this go.

“Can’t or won’t?” Her voice cracks and her finger shakes from where it’s stabbing me in the chest.

“Savannah…” How do I explain this to her so she understands without telling her my gory past? I don’t want to see even more disappointment in her eyes.

A howl sounds off a few hundred yards away from us. s**t, have we already been spotted by someone? We need to go before they have a chance to identify us. I can’t believe Kevin has allies even this far away from the camp. Maybe I’ve underestimated him. “How the hell could he have found us?”

“I don’t know.” Savannah’s eyes are wide and she tightens her grip around something in her hand.

“What is that?” I point to her fist. She’s grabbing it so hard, it’s gotta be something tied to that prick.

“Huh?” She blinks a few times and then open her palm. “My dog collar. Kevin made me wear it.” Clear distain is evident in her tone.

That asshole may be a horrible human being, but he’s got some brains on him. That’s not a good combination. I grab it from her hand and toss it in the woods at the same time another howl comes and it’s closer. “That f**k is tracking us. Get in the car.” I don’t even need to say the words because Savannah already has her passenger door open.

I skid over the hood of the car and get in the driver seat, starting the car at the same time. I peel out of the parking lot and get back on I-75 South.

“What’s going on?” Charlotte's small voice trembles.

“Some shifters smelled us.” Savannah buckles up and gives her a small smile. “But don’t worry. They didn’t get a look at our faces.” “Dear God.” Abigail mumbles.

As I glance in the rearview mirror, Charlotte twirls a strand of her long, dark blonde hair. Her bottom lip quivers and she snuggles into her mother’s side.

Shit, she’s still such a child and scared half to death. This has been one long day of hell for her. Even if I’m not going to be their alpha, I’ve got to protect each one of them. What type of man would I be if I sent them back to that douchebag?

There’s only one place I know that can protect them. For my mate and her friends, I’ll take them to my grandfather’s cabin. I hope I don’t wind up regretting it.

SAVANNAH

M

y head hits the window, startling me awake. What the hell? How in the world did I fall asleep? And damn, that hurt. I reach up to rub the side of my head and fall back against the car

door as we take another sharp curve. I don't have a clue where we are.

It's midnight, so only about an hour and a half after the whole gas station stop. We're taking a winding road up a steep hill. I glance to the left and notice there is a whole city lit below us. Under normal circumstances, I might admire the view but we're heading up a mountain to God knows where. "Where are you taking us?" This seems mildly suspicious considering the last time we talked he had no clue where to go. The road is two lanes so we've gotten off the main road.

He keeps his eyes forward and hands on the wheel. "You'll see when we get there."

"Wow, that's specific." Who does he think he is? "Next time remind me to not ask such vague questions."

The corner of his mouth twitches and he glances at me from the corner of his eye. "I'll try to tone it down next time."

Yeah, not the reaction I wanted. A few cars pass us as we continue to climb, but overall it's a calm and peaceful night. It'd be nice to know where we were though.

Soon, we come to a place where several roads intercept. One direction points to Rock City, the other points to Ruby Falls, and various other places. Wait, if I remember the signs a while back, this is near Chattanooga. Why the hell are we here?

We continue on straight and pass a small community on top of the mountain. There are cute older homes and after a little while, even a baseball field. It's like a small community away from the hustle and bustle.

"Are you taking us up here to kill us?" There aren't any hotels that I've seen so far so that's the conclusion I've come to.

"Yeah, that's it." A smile lights his face and he chuckles. "Killing you back in Asheville would have been too easy. I needed to take you four hours away."

"Well, A for effort." I may be kidding, but it would be nice to get some actual answers from him. I don't like being left in the dark.

Soon he drives by a large, brick house and turns onto a dirt road; no hesitation as to where he's going. Hell, he obviously has a definite destination in mind.

"What the..." The road then gets bumpy and I'm flung back and forth in my seat. It's almost like riding a rickety old wooden roller coaster. Another jar slams me into the passenger door once more.

"What's going on?" Alison's groggy voice is so deep she could pass as a man.

The car drops all of a sudden, causing my belly to jump in my throat.

"He's trying to torture us or taking us off-roading somewhere." Abigail groans and clutches her arm. "Otherwise, I'll kick his ass for all this bouncing."

Shit, I forgot about her arm. "Dammit, how long are we going to be like this?" My wolf whimpers at Abigail and Alison's condition. This better be over soon.

The car lurches once more and Abigail yells out in pain.

"I'm sorry." Charlotte's soft tone is concerned and she's clutching to the door handle with all her might. "I'm trying not to hit your arm."

The ladies in the back are scared; the spiced smell is thick on my tongue almost to the point of causing me to dry heave.