Rising Alpha

14

I'm worried about what he's going to do with the remaining pack. I made sure to never get close to anyone, because they can always be used against you. However, it doesn't matter how hard you try to distance yourself; you care about your pack members. Being in wolf form gives you access to each person's thoughts and dreams. You get to know them in a way that any non-shifter wouldn't understand. You discover what makes them tick and are so in tune with their thoughts you can see what's most important to them. It's inevitable to grow attached to them.

My eyes grow heavy, but I can't sleep. Not when he's still trying to find us. I hate that he can affect me like this. Hell, I ran away from him. Shouldn't that make me strong and confident? But I'm almost afraid of my shadow. I can't stand the thought of something happening to the three amazing women in the backseat. It's not just me that I need to protect. In all reality, I'm more worried about them.

Bebopping to Ariana Grande, I tap my hand on the armrest. This song is so catchy and wouldn't it be amazing to be able to buy everything you ever wanted? Money might not buy happiness, but it sure helps you find a place to run to and hide.

As we leave the bright lights of Knoxville behind and continue south on I-75, I'm not sure how far we should go or where we should land. Dom hasn't said a word about it since we left. "Mind telling me where we're heading?"

He stiffens and runs a hand through his short shaggy hair. "I'm not sure yet." His hands tighten on the wheel and he keeps his eyes on the road.

"Okay, so do you have a plan on how to stay off the radar? We've got to find some place to stop. We're all tired." Hell, this is something that we need to decide sooner rather than later. I was hoping he had a plan, but it looks like he doesn't.

"Look, I'm not sure." He moves over to the left-hand lane so we're heading to Chattanooga and not Nashville.

"Shouldn't we go to a bigger city?" Yeah, wolves like to stay close to nature, but hell, right now we're trying to get lost. "More people so it should be harder to find us."

"Nashville is expensive." He glances at me and frowns. "How the hell are we going to afford to stay there? It's not like this is going to be a one-week ordeal. We might have to hide out for months."

This doesn't answer my question at all. "It doesn't matter where we go, we're going to run into the same issue." My voice gets loud and the women in the back-seat shift around. Great, now they’re paying attention to us

"Don't you think I know that?" His chocolate eyes flash and he growls. "f**k, I'm trying to figure it out, okay?"

"Why did we drive this direction to begin with?" Any comfort I had about him taking charge has now flown out the window.

"I don't know." He rubs a hand down his face and shakes his head. "I just let my gut take over."

"Oh, so we're just following our guts now?" Times I wanted to hit Kevin in the face flash through my mind. Hell, my gut told me to do it, but I wouldn't have been able to move the next day if I had.

"Maybe you should've checked with us before you went all willy-nilly."

"I agree." Abigail leans forward and glares at Dom. "We trusted you and now when we suggest something you're going to shoot it down even though you have no clue where we're heading?" "Dammit, I'm doing the best I can." His voice is loud and he refuses to meet my eyes.

Did I make a terrible mistake trusting him? Hell, I didn't have a lot of options and Kevin would have found us if he hadn't been there. Maybe we should have left him back there. "So we're going to

ride around aimlessly until we run out of money for gas? Is that your wise plan?"

Charlotte begins sobbing in the backseat. "Mom, what are we going to do?"

Alison slams her hand against the back of his headrest. "Stop the damn car right now." She unlocks the door.

"Holy shit." He reaches over and pressed the button that relocks the door. "Give me a f*****g minute. Let me get off this exit." He begins breathing harder but stays silent.

We're falling apart without an alpha. He needs to take charge over us so we can all calm down. We're all over the place.

We get off the exit for Loudon and turn right toward a gas station. It lights the night with some thick trees behind it. As soon as he pulls into the parking lot, Alison swings the door open and begins walking back toward the interstate.

"Whoa, Alison what are you doing?" Is she flipping crazy?

She spins around and points in his direction. "He won't even tell us where he's taking us. I'll just take my chances with my baby on my freaking own."

"I won't get back into the car until we figure something out," I promise. Dammit, I need her to calm down. We don't need to risk her and the baby. "Just please go stay with Abigail and Charlotte. They need you." Maybe if I work that angle, it'll go over better.

Dom

It's amazing to watch her handle the other women. She's an alpha through and through and now I understand why Kevin is so hell-bent on keeping her.

"Fine, I'll go back for them." Abigail makes her way back to us and touches Savannah's arm. "But make sure we get a good plan or I'm walking." She climbs back into the car and slams it shut.

"You need to get those girls under control." She needs to use her will on them to calm things down instead of fighting me.

"I'm not an alpha." She steps into me and glares. "But you are one. We need you to lead us. We'd follow you."

Oh, hell no. That’s not going to happen. Flashes of the wolf who challenged me ten years ago ripping the neck out of my friend’s dad run through my mind. I’m not strong enough or that would never have happened. “Whether you like it or not, you are. I can’t be that for you all.”

“Why not? You’re stronger than me. Hell, let’s be real. You’re stronger than Kevin.” Savannah stomps her foot and clenches her hands into fists. “We need you. I thought alphas naturally want to be over a pack. Why not us?”