Page 82 of His Wild Mate

He called us true mates, but we weren't really mated. Therefore, there could be no bond to sever as he had mentioned the first time I attempted to leave him. It hadn't been easy though. I feared the pain would be much worse now, but it couldn't last forever. I'd been through a lot of horrible things over the years. I would survive this too.

“Where are we going?” I asked, ready to change the subject.

“Up into the mountains. There's a cabin my family rents for a week every summer and every winter. I called while I was packing to ensure it was available this week. I knew where to find the key but didn't want to take the chance it was rented out with how late it is.”

“Is it safe?” I asked, hesitantly.

“It should be. It's isolated. There’s not another cabin around for miles. It's why my family loves it so much. We can be free to shift and run there without fear of being seen. Even if you were to go into heat, there shouldn't be anyone around to heed the call.”

“That sounds wonderful,” I said softly.

If only life could always be that simple. But I knew this isolated cabin was only a short getaway while he got control of his wolf and gave Thomas and James time to get to the bottom of whoever was stalking me.

It was already dark and I was yawning when he pulled off the highway and started the ascent to the top of a mountain. My ears were popping, signaling that we must be very high in altitude. I couldn't wait to smell the crisp, fresh air.

The drive up the mountain was long, and even in the dark with the moon bright, I could tell the views must be amazing. Since we were driving in the car and not running, the odds of my stalker following us were pretty slim. He'd have to be a hell of a great tracker to find me.

When the cabin came into view, I was hit with a wave of excitement. I was already in too deep. There was no way leaving him wasn't going to hurt, so why not relax and enjoy a little more time withhim? As long as I held onto my convictions that this was it, I would be okay. I could do this.

I yawned.

“Tired?”

“Very. How are you?”

“Better knowing you're safe here.”

I didn’t want to tell him that there really wasn't anywhere I could go to be safe. When I went back into heat, even a place like this wasn't entirely safe because I would just summon the local canines.

There was still snow on the ground at this elevation which helped me relax a little more knowing that it wasn’t likely there were a lot of dogs wandering in the vicinity.

Emmett parked and looked over to me. True to his word, he genuinely looked better, far more at ease.

“Welcome to our little home away from home. The owner is a stubborn one. Dad's been trying to buy this place from him for years. He's determined to keep it, but likewise, stubborn enough to keep developers away. I've always loved it up here. I think you will too.”

“Okay,” I said because I wasn't sure what else there was to say.

He grabbed the bag he’d packed and got out. I was more than ready to stretch my legs, so I didn't wait for him to come around and open my door, which I suspected he would.

Emmett pouted at me. “I was coming to help you.”

“I appreciate the chivalry, but I’m also ready to be out of the car.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough. Let's get inside, and I'll give you a quick tour and then we can crash.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Inside was almost as gorgeous as the surrounding area. The cabin was large and beautifully furnished. It had an open floor plan and in the center of it all was a magnificent stone fireplace. The entire back wall was encased in floor to ceiling windows rising two stories. I stared at it in awe.

“Wait until you see the sunset tomorrow.”

His body was pressed up against mine, though he still couldn't wrap his arms around me the way we both wished he could. I leaned back against him instead.

A part of me had hoped that getting him out of Collier Pack territory would somehow void Thomas's order. It was apparent that wasn’t happening. Just because he was out of territory didn't make him any less a Collier wolf, and I certainly didn't see him willing to break his allegiance to his Alpha, who happened to be one of his best friends too. It would have been nice to feel his hands on me just once before we parted.

“Okay, so if you turn around, you'll see there's a loft over the front of the house. As a kid, that would be my territory. Sometimes the Six Pack would be allowed to join us. There was only one time we all were here together, but often one or two of them would come up with us. I could usually count on James and Clay. We long ago relinquished it to Esme though.”

I loved that he was so enamored by his sister. It was cute. I didn’t always understand their bantering, but even when they were teasing each other, the love between them was evident. With their age difference it seemed uncommon and kind of special to me.

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