Loved by The Alpha Wolf (The Lone Wolf Book 1)

by K. T. Stryker

  “Because they can,” he replied. “They’re a bigger pack, for one. They’ll be able to keep Davidson away. Davidson also doesn’t know about them. He has suspicions about us, I’m sure, but the only person he knows is a shifter for sure is you. He wants to get you back.”

  “But you can protect me,” Jenny replied softly. “You’ve managed so far, Ross.”

  “We have, but we can’t keep running away from Davidson and hope he won’t follow, and I can’t protect you back at the agency,” Ross said. “That’s probably the first place Davidson would look the moment myself and Connor got back.”

  Jenny sighed to herself, understanding where Ross was coming from but wishing she didn’t have to agree. “I guess so.”

  He touched her hand, startling her. “We won’t be apart for too long,” he said so quietly that Jenny had to strain to hear him. “I’m looking forward to finishing what we started.” A glint came into his dark eyes and Jenny found herself desperate to reach up and run her hands through his dark hair, before dragging his mouth to hers.

  “I’m looking forward to it too,” she whispered, stepping closer. She saw his eyes darken, his head lowering and anticipation boiled in her belly. His lips touched hers, and heat broke through her.

  “Someone’s here.”

  Connor’s voice broke the spell, forcing them apart and making Jenny groan quietly. Ross darted across the room, bending to look carefully through the window.

  "It's a car I don't recognize," he said softly. "Do you think it's Davidson?"

  “Not sure,” Connor murmured as Jenny walked up behind Ross. “We’ll have to just wait and see, although I wouldn’t be surprised if—”

  Jenny gasped, as Davidson stepped out of the car. Her sharp eyes recognized him, her fingers digging into Ross's arm. "He's found us," she whispered, fear coiling through her. "What are we going to do?"

  Ross let out a soft chuckle. “Don’t worry, Jenny. We’re safe for now.”

  Jenny frowned at him. “We are?”

  He nodded. “Of course we are. We didn’t use our real names. We’ve moved rooms, and Connor took care of the tracking device.”

  “He—he did?”

  “Sure, I did,” Connor replied, turning around to grin up at her. “I’ve got pretty good sleuthing skills. Safe to say, that tracker is now in Miss Thompson’s car, and she’s going to be leaving early.”

  Staring at him for a moment, Jenny let out a long breath, releasing some of the tension racing through her. “Oh.”

  “So, you might be able to have that breakfast after all,” Ross said with a grin. “Although we’ll probably have to order it to go.”

  Connor pulled the curtains a little more tightly closed. "That's the three of them all inside. From the looks of it, I'd guess they're planning to stay here overnight and follow us—follow the tracker—when it leaves. They can't exactly just grab someone in the middle of a Bed and Breakfast, so they'll wait until the tracker is on the move."

  Jenny swallowed hard, a frisson of worry piercing her. “What about Miss Thompson, the lady you put the tracker on?”

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Ross reassured her. “What’ll probably happen is they’ll discover that she’s not you, and they’ll leave her alone. Although, it does mean we have to leave quickly. The moment Davidson leaves, we’re out of here.”

  “Going in hopefully the opposite direction,” Connor replied. “Ross, you can take the first shift driving. I’m going to stay up for a while longer, just in case anything changes. If there’s no change in an hour or so, I’m going to get some sleep.”

  Ross nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll probably just get some shut eye just now.” He glanced at Jenny. “You’re welcome to have the bed. I’m probably just going to sleep on the sofa.”

  “Then where am I going to sleep?”

  Jenny’s mouth went dry as she looked from Connor to Ross and back again. “Uh, there is a double bed.” Seeing Connor glance away, warmth rushed into her face. “I can sleep on the sofa.”

  Ross let out a loud laugh, breaking the tension. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen. How about I share with you?”

  Swallowing, Jenny nodded. “Sure, that’s fine.”

  Connor muttered something incoherent before turning back to the window. Wishing there was a little more privacy, Jenny climbed under the thin sheet, pausing for a moment before pulling off her jeans and dropping them over the side of the bed. There was no need to be embarrassed with Ross, right? He’d seen her completely naked so sleeping in her underwear wouldn’t be a big deal.

  “Maybe getting one room was a bad idea,” Ross murmured as he slid in beside her. “Otherwise we’d be completely alone.”

  Jenny tried not to respond but couldn’t help the smile spreading across her face. “Yes, but then we’d not get any sleep.”

  “Not sure I’m going to anyway,” he replied, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. “Sorry we had to stop.”

  “That’s OK,” Jenny smiled, suddenly feeling very comfortable and secure. “Like you said, gives us something to look forward to.”

  Ross’s chest rumbled. “You got that right, Jenny.”

  Laughing, Jenny turned a little more onto her side, tiredness tugging at her bones. Slowly, she fell into a deep sleep, held safely in Ross’s arms.

  Something was prodding her, and Jenny batted it with her hand, only for it to start again.

  “Time to go,” came an insistent voice. “Come on, Jenny.”

  Pushing herself up, Jenny rubbed her eyes before focusing on where she was. Everything came back to her in a rush, and she swung her legs out of the bed immediately, grabbing her jeans.

  “What’s happening?”

  Ross grinned, handing her a bowl. “Breakfast.”

  Taking it, Jenny munched on some kind of cereal, not even tasting it.

  “Miss Thompson is leaving,” Connor replied, as Ross poured her a cup of coffee. “It won’t take long for Davidson and the Damsons to follow her. We have to be ready.”

  “I am ready,” Jenny replied, suddenly aware that she needed to use the restroom. She set her bowl down. “I mean, almost.”

  Ross nodded. “Good.” He didn’t smile, growing serious as he walked to the window. Jenny could almost see the responsibility settling on his shoulders again.

  Quickly, Jenny went to the restroom, before pulling on her shoes. Thankfully, the coffee was still hot and there was a warm croissant with melted butter waiting for her.

  “No use driving on an empty stomach,” Connor said with a grin. “Eat up.”

  Jenny ate quickly, her nerves jangling. She kept expecting Ross to turn around and yell that they had to leave, but there was nothing but silence.

  “There she goes,” Connor said softly. “Miss Thompson—wherever she’s going—has left.”

  “Five minutes,” Ross replied, turning around to glance at Jenny. “Once Davidson and the Damsons have left to follow Miss Thompson, we are going to wait for five more minutes before heading out to our own truck.”

  “I’m ready,” Jenny replied, swallowing the rest of her croissant and coffee. Unable to sit any longer, she paced the room, waiting for the word to go.

  “That’s them,” Ross said, his eyes narrowing. “That tracking device works for sure.” His eyes glittered with anger as he walked toward Jenny, handing her bag to her. “Ready?”

  Jenny nodded, finding herself unable to speak. She waited by the door, biting her lip as Connor stayed by the window.

  “They’ve gone.”

  Ross nodded, drawing in a deep breath. "Connor, let's go."

  Dropping the curtain back into place, Connor picked up his own bag and walked toward the door.

  “You and Jenny go to the truck,” Ross said, his hand on the door handle. “I’ll drop off the key.”

  Her heart in her throat, Jenny followed Ross and Connor out of the door, walking to the back entrance of the bed and breakfast, the entrance Connor had
discovered last night.

  “Ready?” Connor asked, pulling the door open. “We need to move quickly, just in case.”

  “Ready,” Jenny replied, feeling precisely the opposite. Walking into the fresh air made her feel as though she had a target on her back even though she knew Davidson wasn’t even there.

  “Come on,” Connor said, quickening his pace. “I put the truck in an old barn a mile or so down the road. We’ll have to walk through the woods to get there.”

  Jenny glanced behind her. “What about Ross?”

  Connor threw her a grin, always ready to smile. “He’s a shifter. He’ll find us.”

  Nodding, Jenny tried not to feel foolish, following Connor through the woods. Sniffing, she realized she could already catch Connor's scent from yesterday, although it was pretty weak. She could probably find her way to the truck without his help, she just had to start using her shifter senses a bit more, even when she was in her human skin.

  “It won’t be long until you’re safe at the East River pack,” Connor said. “Davidson’s going in pretty much the opposite direction. We should have a good enough start for him not to catch up with us.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “We haven’t got too long to go,” Ross said as Jenny yawned next to him in the backseat. “Although we’re going to have to find somewhere to hide the truck.”

  "That's fine with me," Jenny replied quietly. She wished that they'd all managed to get a decent sleep at the B&B because then they wouldn't have to stop, but it just hadn't happened. "We're going to walk the last few miles?"

  Ross nodded. “I don’t want Davidson to find us or go anywhere near the East River pack.” He gave her a slightly rueful smile. “It means you’ll have to leave your stuff here, but they’ll have clothes and things for you there.”

  “You’re not going to be staying at all?”

  He shook his head. “I’m going to talk to Luke, the pack leader, about what we know, but then Connor and I are going to have to go back to the agency. It’ll keep up the ruse of us going in search of information about you. At the end of the day, Davidson doesn’t know anything for sure about us. He just suspects we’re shifters. You’re the one we have to worry about.” Putting his hand on hers, he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “I’ve got to keep you safe.”

  Jenny smiled at him, still wishing that they wouldn't have to be separated. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him to stay with her, to not leave her at the East River pack, but instead, she just sat back and kept her mouth closed. She knew Ross was right. Davidson was after her because she was the only one he knew for sure was a shifter. She had to stay hidden. Suddenly anxious, Jenny grasped Ross's hand harder, folding her fingers between his own.

  Sucking in a long breath, she let it out slowly, trying to calm her frantically beating heart.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked softly.

  Glancing at him, Jenny tried to explain. "Just a bit nervous, I guess. They feel closer now. I know that we've made a good attempt at fooling them, but it won't be long until they realize the mistake. Then what?"

  He gave her a reassuring smile. “Then they’ll try and find us, but we’ve got a good head start. We’re going to keep to these back roads anyway, which means the chances of them finding us are slim.”

  “But he’s got shifters working for him,” Jenny responded softly. “Doesn’t that give Davidson an advantage?” She watched Ross closely, catching the slight furrows that spread across his forehead as he thought.

  “It does a bit,” he admitted eventually. “But we should be able to cover our tracks once we shift. The East River pack live, well, obviously, beside a river. Walking through it should mean we hide our scent.”

  Jenny settled back in her seat, a little more relaxed. Of course, Ross had a plan—she should have known he'd have thought of some way to keep their scent away from Davidson and the Damson shifters. Just then, Connor's cell phone rang and, since he was driving, he handed it to Ross.

  “Sarah, hi,” Ross began, smiling down the phone. “What have you found out?”

  Watching Ross closely as he talked, Jenny tried not to attempt to listen to his conversation with Sarah. His face showed surprise, glancing to Jenny for a moment before looking back out the window. She was itching to ask him what Sarah had found out but forced herself to look out her own window until Ross had finished speaking.

  “What did Sarah say?” Connor asked. “Is everything OK?”

  Ross nodded before passing Connor’s cell phone forward so his brother could take it. “She had some interesting news about Davidson’s place in town.”

  “Oh?” Connor murmured, glancing at Ross. “What’s going on?”

  A slight grin appeared on Ross's face. "Apparently the police became concerned about his absence from town. For someone who was incredibly worried about his girlfriend's potential kidnapping, it seemed strange that he'd disappear himself."

  Jenny couldn’t help the slow smile spreading across her face. She could almost predict what had happened.

  “Thanks to an ‘anonymous tip’,” Ross continued, with a chuckle, “the police searched his home. They found some of your clothes, Jenny, as well as the room he kept you in down in the cellar. On top of that, there were a few other items Sarah said they were concerned about, although she didn’t manage to find out exactly what they were. I’m guessing the man probably has quite an array of guns and knives.” Remembering the animal skin he’d seen on the floor in Davidson’s hall, he shuddered slightly. “Or maybe tools for skinning animals.”

  Jenny touched his arm. “So, what does this mean?” Her eyes searched his face, wondering if it meant what she thought.

  “Davidson’s not exactly going to be rushing back home any time soon,” Ross replied with a quick bark of laughter. “I’d guess he’ll stay hidden for a long time, especially since now the police are after him.” He grinned at her. “Even if you do turn up back to town and tell the police you’re OK, they’ll still be chasing him. It looks like he can’t come back to Rockshore.”

  A long breath of relief escaped her. “Then, can I come back to Rockshore with you?”

  Ross studied her for a long moment, his fingers pressing against his chin as he thought. "Let's get to the East River pack and take things from there," he said carefully. "Just because Davidson might not be able to come back doesn't mean the Damsons can't. No one's chasing them." He shook his head. "I'd still feel better if you were with the East River pack for a while. They're a much bigger pack, Jenny." He must have caught the disappointment in her eyes because he leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her temple. "Let's talk about it once we're there," he said in her ear. "Luke might have a different idea." Leaning back slightly, his dark eyes looked into hers, sparking that same longing she'd had since the first day she'd set eyes on him. "I don't want to be apart from you either, Jenny."

  That made her smile in spite of the disappointment she felt. “Good,” she replied quietly.

  “Don’t start any of that when I’m driving,” came Connor’s voice, from the front of the truck. “I’m warning you now, I won’t put up with it.” Mischief filled his voice, making Jenny laugh and Ross growl quietly. “Anyway, I’d say we’re about ten miles away by road. Maybe five or six miles for us. Do you want me to try and find somewhere to hide the truck?”

  Ross came to attention immediately, sitting forward and looking out of the window. “Yes, definitely. I don’t care if you have to go off road—just find somewhere that’s away from the road and well hidden. It can’t be an obvious place either. I don't want Davidson driving along the road to spot a pair of tire tracks in the mud."

  Connor shook his head. “Making it real easy for me, Ross.”

  Jenny couldn't help but laugh, and Ross grinned at her. While the two brothers discussed where to go, she looked out of the window to see where they'd be headed. Nothing but green stretched out ahead of them, a few hills in the distance. There were plenty of trees around
with what looked to be a big forest on one side of the hills. She hoped that was the direction they'd be headed in since it would give them the most protection.

  “Woah!” Hanging on to her seat, Jenny was jostled back and forward as the truck turned off the road, going down a small embankment.

  "Wait," Ross ordered. Connor shoved his foot down on the brake. "I'll cover the tracks. Wait for me." Without another word, he jumped out of the truck, leaving Connor and Jenny to find a place to hide the truck.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ross scrambled around, trying his best to cover the tire tracks. He pulled at grass to straighten it and shoved a couple of large rocks in front of where they'd gone. Planting his feet, he took in a few long breaths before finding yet more rocks and effectively building a small wall in front of where they'd driven. He didn't want to make it easy for Davidson and the Damson siblings to find them. Stepping onto the road, Ross surveyed his handiwork with a critical eye, eventually deciding that it was as good as he could get it. Trudging across the grass, he followed the tire tracks into a small copse of trees about half a mile away from the road, managing to catch sight of Jenny and Connor who appeared to be having some kind of argument.

  Breaking into a run, he grinned as he saw Jenny gesture at something, her voice growing louder.