Page 4 of Hunted

“Sorry, got to go,” Abigail cut her off midsentence and headed to the fire exit at the end of the corridor.

“But—” Alice called.

Too late, she was out of the door and in the small parking lot, frantically trying to open her car with her damaged and shaking hands. Once she was inside, she managed a small sigh of relief, as if the metal container she was in was some kind of barrier between her and the outside world—a world she thought she could trust and one where she belonged.

How wrong she was.

There was no purpose in stopping at her place, she’d made her mind up on that one. She would just leave and drive, putting as much distance between herself and Crimson Claw pack as she could, however strange and painful that was.

She took off, not looking back even in the mirror, with no idea where she was headed or what she was going to do when she got there. All she knew was that life had changed forever for her.

The man she thought loved her wasn’t who she thought he was. His father, even less so. As the town disappeared behind her and the road opened out, all she could hear was Christian’s voice telling her she was never good enough for Luke, that she had hurt him somehow.

Yet nothing could be as bad as what he’d just done to her. Rejected her and left his father to seek some kind of revenge on her for something she hadn’t evendone.

Now the tears came fast and hot, almost burning her skin with their intensity. But that was nothing compared to the pain in her heart, an agony so deep she didn’t know if she’d ever recover.

Chapter 3

Abigail

Itmust’vebeenhours,but regardless, she continued driving. Though her body ached from head to toe, the things turning around in her mind kept her from sinking into the pain completely.

“Shit.” She winced as the pain in her left arm reminded her it needed some serious attention. She swallowed it down, wondering how long she could continue and whether any of her pack would come looking for her to finish the job.

She wouldn’t put it past Christian to do just that based on the way he was with her earlier. Only he would have the gall to enter a school, beat the shit out of one of the teachers, and walk straight out like nothing happened.

Would Luke be pleased to see her like this?

She couldn’t imagine it, despite what his father had told her. He was always such a good guy. Tough maybe, but he was an alpha. She’d never seen Luke display any of the tendencies toward violence his father possessed.

In fact, she couldn’t remember a time when Christian had either. They were usually a peaceful pack, not like some others she’d heard of that were harsh and brutal.

Crimson Claw was a great pack to be a part of—until now.

Panic spread through her again, not that it had left much since seeing Christian earlier. She’d never worried about violence in the pack, but now that she’d experienced it firsthand, she suddenly worried about the children.

One of the greatest mercies was that none of them witnessed what happened to her, she had that to be thankful for, at least. But what if they weren’t safe now? She knew how much they thought of her. What if that made them vulnerable to attack from Luke and his father?

“No, he wouldn’t,” she muttered to herself, hardly being able to believe Luke would do such a thing. “Not the kids.”

Her mind traveled back to just a few hours ago, to their faces as they worked on their projects, completely immersed in their work due to the nature of it, and how proud they were of their achievements. Before she knew it, huge sobs racked her, the thought of never seeing them again so unbearable she couldn’t cope.

Those children were her life. She loved them as if they were her own and had seen them grow and develop from babies into wonderful little shifters who greeted her every morning with big smiles and the occasional hug.

The loss hit her like a freight train, crushing any hope she had left. The pain attacking her body was one thing, but the losses she was now going to have to deal with were something else. The children, her job, and her home.

And Luke, of course.

For hours she had been debating whether or not she’d done the right thing by disappearing without speaking to him first. She was certain she could have talked some sense into him, let him know that whatever he suspected her ofwasn’ttrue.

She didn’t have the first idea what that could even be. Since they had been together as a couple, everything had gone so well, and she was always glad they had developed a friendship before becoming anything more.

Because of that friendship, Abigail thought she knew him all the better. They had bypassed the sometimes-awkward get-to-know-you stages, which was a strength in itself. Moreover, their shared eagerness to establish themselves in their respective careers only added to the foundation of their relationship.

Maybe she was wrong all along.

Perhaps he resented her for her career choice and would have preferred a mate who could simply support him in his role as lawyer and alpha. Was it that they spent so much time apart after getting together so much later than most alpha couples due to Luke being prepared for his position as pack leader?

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