Page 60 of Possessive Alpha

When I’d returned to the dirt-cheap studio apartment where Clara was waiting for me, I’d made a mistake not telling her about the bundle of twenty-dollar notes I’d found in my bag of groceries. Maybe if I had, she’d have worked out sooner than I had that Adrian was playing the long game instead of the short we’d gotten used to on the road.

As Adrian had helped me pick up my food from the sidewalk, he’d probably realized my meager groceries, mostly tins of soup and the cheapest package of beef, had been a sign I didn’t have enough money to buy everything I needed.

He’d likely guessed we were desperate and figured he’d take his time trapping us.

I didn’t tell Clara about him, thinking I wouldn’t see him again.

But I did.

It seemed coincidental at first that he would be in the same places I was. He’d smile, nod, but keep his distance as if he sensed my wariness.

And slowly, I started to trust him.

Then I introduced him to Clara.

It wasn’t until weeks later that I realized he must have known the moment we’d arrived in his city for him to always be where I was. He probably had his enforcers following Clara and me right from the start.

Adrian didn’t want me. He wanted Clara. The way most guys fall for my beautiful sister, Adrian had fallen for her.

He could have killed me and taken Clara. Maybe he suspected she would run if he did that. Maybe he just likes to play games, letting me believe he was a good guy looking to help out two girls down on their luck.

But he fooled me.

He wanted Clara, and he used me to get to her.

I will never forgive myself for putting Clara’s life at risk.

I’m still drowning in guilt when Cody and Seth fall silent and turn to me. That’s when I know what’s coming.

I don’t know what they will do to get me screaming loud enough to draw Clara into a trap, but it’s going to hurt.

I scramble to my feet, backing up with no hope I’m going to survive this.

Cody moves toward me on silent feet. He won’t threaten me or choke me like Seth did.

He won’t waste time with words.

So when he stalks toward me, I get ready to fight or run. But I won’t scream. I won’t put my sister at risk again.

A growl echoes through the cave chamber.

Cody pauses for a split second. Seth angles his head toward the sound, his shoulders tense.

I don’t waste that split second of inattention.

I whirl around and sprint deeper into the cave.

The way out must be in the other direction, but there’s no getting past Cody and Seth. There’s only escape—I hope.

This way.

I sprint for my life.

My footsteps are light, barely audible at all, and my heart is in my throat. But I am utterly certain that Cody is chasing me down, as silent as he is.

I hurtle deeper into the cave. My hair whips me in the face and I’m too terrified to look behind me. If I had a couple of minutes, I could stop and shift. As a wolf, I could see a way of surviving this confrontation.

The soft crunch of a footstep just behind warns Cody is closing the distance.

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