Page 5 of Hunted

Abigail found herself being taken down many routes in her mind, none of them leading to any kind of conclusion. Whatever answers were out there, they weren’t available to her at this point, and she had little reason to believe they ever would be.

She resigned herself to the fact that Luke would never have picked her over his father’s wishes, despite their relationship. From the way Christian had just jumped to his son’s defense, she knew blood was thicker than water when it came to those two.

Whether it was an alpha thing or just a Harper family thing, she couldn’t be sure, and it hardly mattered. Neither did she. Now, she would have no idea if she ever had at all.

She passed a sign letting her know a service station was just up ahead and, looking at the gauge on the dashboard, realized she would need to make a gas stop. Plus, she could really do with cleaning up a bit and was desperate for a drink.

Looking in her rearview mirror, she hardly recognized herself. Her left eye was bruised and swollen, her lip cut, and her face streaked with tears amid dried and caked blood. It had run into her temples, collecting at her ears, her short, dark bob now stuck to the side of her head on the left side.

She smoothed down her bangs, wishing they were longer so she could hide behind them. Luckily, she remembered she had a baseball cap in her trunk that she used when hiking or running as a human.

When she finally reached the rest stop, she pulled in and sat in silence for a few minutes, feeling a numbness that engulfed her spirit. In stark contrast, her body was anything but numb. It screamed at her—bruised, battered, and aching—but her heart and mind couldn’t escape the void that had opened in her.

She climbed out, despite her body’s protests, and went straight to the trunk to retrieve her cap. She was so grateful it was there as she pulled it on, hiding some of her injuries between the cap and the sunglasses she always kept in her glove compartment. Then she filled up before heading inside, paying for the gas in cash and collecting some water and painkillers.

“Anything else?” The cashier did his best not to catch her eye as if understanding she didn’t want to be looked at and certainly didn’t need any questions.

“No, but do you have a bathroom?” She spoke as calmly as she could.

“Out the door, turn right,” he replied.

“Thanks.” She collected her things and headed there. The smell of urine hit her before she’d even opened the door, one of the downsides of having heightened senses, but she had too much going on to be concerned about the stench.

She took off her glasses and cap, wincing as she did, and looked into the dirty mirror above the basin. Even with the layer of grime over the reflective surface, she spied the state of her face before turning on the water and splashing some over herself. The sink turned a dark red as she washed away some of the dried blood, still in shock this had happened.

Until now, her only injuries had been the minor scrapes and bruises typical of play-fighting in her youth, the usual fare for a wolf cub.Thiswas beyond her experience and understanding.

She was a calm and gentle person, despite being a shifter. She’d found her role in life helping others and caring for children. She wasn’t the type to get into scrapes, whether on a playing field or in a bar. Instead, she was more likely to be tucked up at home with her nose in a good book.

But she couldn’t allow herself to crack, not yet.

She dried her hands and face before picking up her cap and heading back to her car. She still had some miles to add to her journey, though she hadn’t settled on a destination. At least she now had plenty of gas, some water, and some painkillers. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

When she was back in the car, she threw her bag from the store on the passenger seat before reaching in and retrieving her water and the painkillers. She knocked them both back gladly and then turned on the engine and headed back out onto the road.

Once again, her mind kicked in, throwing up all sorts of questions and scenarios as it grappled to understand what the hell had happened. She wondered where Luke was right now and if he knew she was gone.

Had Christian told him what had happened at the school? What he’d done to her?

Her phone was still switched off. No way did she want to hear from any of them, and a part of her still worried she could be tracked somehow—if that’s what they were planning. Or would they let her go quietly to just slip off as if she had never even been there in the first place?

Her head throbbed with stress and injury, her eyes drooping heavily. Her body was reaching its limit, and despite being a shifter, she recognized when to admit defeat. A few miles further, a sharp pain shot from her head down to her fingertips, sealing her decision.

She’d been driving for hours, and now found herself heading through a national park. The forest that stretched for miles was the most welcome sight she’d seen since leaving.

No way could she go any further. She resigned herself to the fact she’d be spending the night there and pulled over.

Chapter 4

Luke

Lateron,Lukewouldtell himself he knew something was wrong all along.

Later on, he would tell himself he’d had a funny feeling in his chest—a part of his body telling him something was amiss.

In reality, Luke had no inkling that when he returned from his diplomatic trip to another pack everything would have changed.

The Crimson Claw pack compound was wide and sweeping, covering many acres of land. Now, as he pulled up the driveway that led to his house, Luke marveled at everything he had achieved as alpha.

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