Page 67 of The Alpha's Sin
I’ll track him down. I’ll tear him apart. And I’ll bring her home, where she belongs—safe in my arms, safe in our bed, safe with me.
I swear it.
55
LOGAN
I’ve been driving for hours. Virginia to Kentucky isn’t a short haul—close to four hundred miles if you go straight, six or seven hours minimum—but I barely feel the fatigue. I don’t care about the distance. Every mile I put behind me is one mile closer to Poppy.
The sun is dipping lower, painting the hills in shades of gold and shadow. My stomach knots when I think about the time—tonight is a full moon. That means my Wolf will demand release, and there’s no way to deny him. I’ll have to stop somewhere and Shift. I can hold it back for a while, but not forever. If I’m not careful, the change will rip me apart.
But I can’t stop. Not yet. Not when she’s still out there, vulnerable.
The phone buzzes on the seat beside me and I snatch it up without looking.
“I’ve got a hit,” the PI says, his voice sharp, excited.
My grip tightens so hard on the steering wheel the cheap plastic creaks.
“Where is he?”
“Little town in Kentucky—Briarwood. Small place, mostly farmland. Credit card in Poppy’s name was used there yesterday at a gas station and a grocery store. Looks like Dirk’s out of cash and leaning on her credit now. It’s him, Logan. I’d bet my license on it.”
A rush of savage satisfaction burns through me. Finally—a real lead!
“Send me the addresses.”
“Already did. Check your messages. Be careful—if he’s desperate enough to use that card, he’s desperate enough to do worse.”
I hang up, my jaw tight. A glance at the GPS tells me it’ll take about three more hours to hit Briarwood. Three hours until I can put my hands on Dirk’s throat. Three hours until I can get Poppy back.
But the moon is coming. I can feel it rising in my blood, pulling at my skin, my bones. The Wolf wants out. If I don’t plan this right, I’ll be forced to Shift in the middle of nowhere—wasting precious time.
I grit my teeth—I’ll make it. I have to.
Dr. Elizabeth’s warning rings in my head: “She may need you to knot her, Logan. It might be the only way to keep her safe.”
My hands tighten on the wheel. If Poppy’s Second Heat has gotten worse, if she’s hurting, if the pregnancy’s in danger?—
No. I won’t let myself finish the thought.
I slam my foot on the gas. Whatever it takes, however fast I have to drive, I’m going to get to her. I have to reach Briarwood before the moon owns me completely.
I have to get to Poppy in time.
56
POPPY
I’m miserable.
Dirk has me chained like some kind of animal. A heavy iron cuff circles my wrist, the chain long enough to reach the dingy little bathroom and the bare-bones kitchenette in this shack, but not long enough to reach the front door. Not that I’d get far even if I could—he never leaves without locking everything behind him.
The place stinks of old cigarettes and mold. There are cobwebs in the corners, and the windows are caked with so much grime I can barely tell whether it’s day or night outside. It’s so different from Logan’s warm, snug, cozy home. I miss his little house so much…but not nearly as much as I miss him.
It’s been over a week—over a week without Logan. My chest aches at the thought, the hollow spot inside me growing bigger every day. I thought for sure he would come charging in, my big Alpha, tearing Dirk to shreds and carrying me home. But nothing. Not even a whisper of him. I’m starting to think…maybe he can’t find me.
Maybe I really am alone.
