Page 18 of Scarred Savages
“Decide, Luna,” he urges gently. “Not out of fear, but out of the will to forge ahead.”
I search his eyes for deceit, but all I find is a quiet understanding, an unspoken promise that perhaps I could discover strength in this new reality.
“Fine,” I say, swallowing hard. “I’ll go with Alpha Hudson Northcrest.”
“Excellent choice,” the headmistress interjects, her tone almost gleeful.
“Pack your things,” Alpha Hudson says with a pleased smile. “We leave in a few minutes.”
5
Luna
Notebook: When surrounded by large alpha shifters, do your best not to shit your pants.
The landscape unfolds like a wild tapestry, a vast expanse of emerald pines interspersed with jagged mountain peaks that pierce the sky with their snow-capped tips. I press mynose against the cool glass, watching civilization fade into the rearview mirror.
“Never been this far north before,” I murmur, more to myself than Alpha Hudson’s ears.
“Few shifters have,” he responds, his gaze unwavering on the twisting path ahead. “It’s a different world here—the Northern Districts are unforgiving, but there’s an undeniable beauty in its rawness.”
“The Northern Districts?” My voice jumps an octave. “Wait, we’re not crossing the border, are we?” My heart is hammering wildly against my ribs.
“Sure are,” he says with a wicked smile.
“Rumors say more than harsh. They say the shifters in the North are…”
“Savages?” His tone carries a teasing lilt, though his grip on the steering wheel tightens.
“Yeah.”
“Rumors are easy to spread, and we spread most of them ourselves,” Alpha Hudson retorts. He laughs and adds, “You’ll see the truth soon enough.”
I nod, though a wave of dread churns in my stomach. The trees outside blur into a dark wall, pressing closer. The wilderness stretches endlessly in every direction.
I hate this wilderness—no, I love it—no, it terrifies me.
My fingers twitch with the urge to roll down the window and breathe in the air, even as I curl tighter into my seat.
The knot of anxiety within me tightens with every mile we drive.
I steal a glance at Alpha Hudson, his massive frame making the driver’s seat look almost comically small. My eyes linger on his hands gripping the steering wheel… they’re freaking enormous.
I imagine them around my throat or cradling my face. There’s a certain gentleness in how his thumbs absently trace the leather.
My chest tightens with fear… or is it anticipation?
Protector or captor?
Guess only time will tell. I quickly look away when he shifts in his seat.
“Something on your mind, Luna?” he asks, looking at me from the corner of his eye.
“Is it much further?” My voice comes out smaller than I intended.
“Nearly there,” he assures me. “You holding up alright?”
“Define,alright?” I quip, trying to pull on the armor of sarcasm, even as it feels brittle against the vastness of the wilderness.
