Page 8 of Found

I say nothing. This change in Shane is one I don’t like and I’ve been trying hard to ignore.

He keeps acting like we’re on a romantic cross-country drive.

Like I want to be here with him.

Like he’s my mate, and he’s happy to bend over backward to give me everything I might need.

I could never forgive him after the way he treated me.

He pulls the car off the highway and stops at a gas station that is eerily familiar to the one in Winter Lake. He must have the same thoughts I have because as soon as he cuts the engine, he pulls the keys from the ignition and keeps a tight hold of them. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

Is he remembering the way I flung his keys into a forest and sprinted away from him in Winter Lake? I know I am.

I open my door and it’s a struggle to get out. His car is a sports car, lower than Mack’s car, and my center of gravity is not what it used to be.

By the time I have one foot out, Shane is outside the passenger door, gripping my left arm and helping me the rest of the way.

I pull away immediately. “I don’t need help.”

An older woman beams as she slows, passing us from the gas station on the way to her car. “So nice to see a gentlemen these days. You and your wife have a nice day.”

I’d like to see her face if she knew Shane abused me for a year, tried to kill meandthe man I love, and after setting my home on fire, has abducted me.

“I am not?—”

“Thank you,” Shane talks over me, his hand tightening on my arm in nothing less than a warning to shut up.

If I wasn’t pregnant, I’d risk causing a scene. The fear he would stuff me in the trunk of his car terrifies me, so I keep silent.

He smiles at the older woman and propels me toward the small public bathroom on the right side of the gas station shop. And just like he said, he releases me and leans against the wall right by the entrance, so even if I wanted to leave without him, I couldn’t.

He crosses his arms and peers into the distance. “Take your time. I’ll wait here.”

I walk in.

He can afford to be relaxed. We’re in Michigan. Miles and miles away from Winter Lake, and I have no cash to get myself back home, even if I escaped right now. I can’t shift and run back home as a wolf. I’m too far along in my pregnancy to be able to shift at all.

And my powers? Still missing in action.

I have no memory of leaving Winter Lake, but we must have been on the road for hours. After we left the cabin, we soon hit the highway, and we were closer to Michigan than I thought we would be.

He stopped at a drive-thru for breakfast. I refused that. And we’ve been on the road ever since. Now the sky is still bright, the day early, but the clock on his car dashcam said it was nearly midday.

Mack would have no clue where I am. All he’d know was what Helena told him: That Shane grabbed me.

How would he know I was in Michigan?

I’m ashamed to admit I practically run to the bathroom. That’s how badly I need to pee. Before I’ve fully even closed and locked my toilet stall, I’m yanking down my baggy linen pants, desperate to pee.

It feels so incredible I slump in relief.

When I’ve finished emptying my bladder, I flush the toilet and take my time washing my hands as I study my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

I look terrible. Bags under my eyes, worn, exhausted, and I have a stain on my T-shirt, probably from the tea Adela made for me back in Winter Lake. I have eaten nothing since yesterday, and my stomach is making its needs known by growling at me.

Shane drove through a drive-thru, asked me what I wanted and when I didn’t respond or even look at him, he ordered two breakfast sandwiches for us. He handed me one, and I placed it in the center console and spent an hour ignoring the delicious smells wafting from it until Shane ate the sandwich himself.

I’m regretting that decision now because I might be able to go without eating for a while, but my baby needs food to be healthy.

---