Page 20 of Fate Awakened

“No.” The solitary word holds more weight than I thought possible, and something inside me splinters. My heart aches, mourning her absence.

“I can’t just sit here chained to a wall while she's out there with him. With them.” I’m pleading now, trying to get him to see reason, to see my side.

“So, what’s your plan? Huh? You don’t know where she is. You don’t know who’s holding her. You don’t know if this was always the plan to lure you out there to start a war. YOU. DON’T. KNOW. SHIT!” Dante’s words cut through me, hitting the heart of the gaping hole in my plans.

I don’t know shit.

Not knowing those things were driving me insane. I need to know she’s safe. I need to know she’s unharmed. I need to know that there’s a chance I can make things right with her. Steeling my resolve, I continue.

“None of that matters. She’s my Mate, and I will find her, but I can’t do it locked up in this room. Unchain me. You have to let me go!”

He shakes his head, pushing away from the wall, his face set in determination, “As it stands, you’re more of a liability than an asset to the pack and your Mate.” He growls his response, his anger rising back to the surface. My best friend is gone. My Alpha stands before me.

“Until you can find a way to control your wolf and your temper, you’re benched. Pres will keep you updated on our progress.”

Resolved, he turns his back to me halfway out the door.

“You can’t do this! She’s MINE! You have to let me go to her. I can find her. I swear it. Please, Dante, you don’t understand. I can’t just sit here. Remember the accident. I know you know what it’s like to be sidelined, especially when you’re needed the most. You couldn’t save your dad, but I can save her. I have to save her. If something happens to her, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

He freezes, his shoulders tensing at the mention of his father. I hadn’t meant to use his pain against him, but he left me no choice. Bri was a part of me now. I’d do anything to get her back.

Anything.

“How do you expect to find her without me?” I ask, using his tactic against him because I know his plan has as many holes as mine.

He relaxes his shoulders and turns to look at me over his shoulder. A ghost of a determined smile slides onto his face, crushing every ounce of hope I was holding onto that he would willingly release me and make me a part of the team.

“Easy. We have Keith Anderson.”

Chapter 9

Bri

Wewalkincompanionablesilence, neither of us trying for small talk. I’ve lost feeling in my fingers and am shaking from the cold.

At this point, I’m simply allowing the numbness to sink in. Ghost appears unaffected by the temperature. Even wearing next to nothing, he comfortably ambles through the undergrowth like he doesn’t care. His eyes stay firmly alert as we weave in and out of the paths worn between the trees.

The sun barely peaks over the horizon as it transitions from day to night, indicating it’s been more than half a day since Hudson took me. It’s probably sometime after 4 pm now. The sun doesn’t stay out long in the winter, and my fear begins to creep back in with its descent into night.

How am I going to get home?

As we turn to avoid another tight grouping of trees, my eyes catch the sight of a cabin coming into view ahead of us. I squint, taking it in before stopping dead in my tracks.

It's the same cabin I escaped from hours ago. I’m certain of it.

What the fuck!?

Then I realize Ghost has stopped and is now watching me, reading my reaction.

“How…Why…” None of my thoughts come together because my mind is spinning completely out of control. The voice that comes out sounds tortured. My eyes lock onto his, searching for an answer that isn’t there. Some realization would explain how I managed to flee, just to be walked back to the exact place I was escaping.

Ghost says nothing. He simply waits for me. His face gives me no indication of what he could be thinking, and my fear is replaced by frustration.

“Who are you, really? Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?” The words fall in quick succession as I allow my irritation with myself to slide into them.

Sure, Bri, follow the half-naked guy you ran into in the middle of the woods back to his place. Fucking brilliant idea!

“Inside, City, unless you would like to stand out here freezing in some attempt for me to warm you up?” His eyebrow lifts as the flirtation slips back into his voice.

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