Page 12 of The Alpha's Daughter
Chapter Eleven
LOU
He told me to stay put, but that didn’t mean I had to be happy about it. I wasn’t some damsel in distress, I was capable of taking care of myself. I even had some fighting skills since I had been required to train for a potential kidnapping. Hazards of being an alpha’s kid. My wolf paced inside me. She also resented being asked to sit out and was now back firmly on Team Lou. Better late than never.
I was so wrapped up in my pity party that I started violently as the passenger door was ripped open by a very angry, very naked man. I recognized him as one of the Bravemaw pack mechanics and blinked at him in confusion.
“Larry?” In the background, another wolf paced back and forth, its eyes fully focused on me and me alone.
“Hello, Princess,” he reached out and grabbed my ankle, yanking me toward the opening with a feral grin. He licked his lips, looking me up and down. “Your father insisted we make sure you were… taken care of.”
“No!” I bucked and kicked, aiming my foot straight for his nose. I felt my wolf clawing violently to get out and slammed my eyes closed in a desperate attempt to focus long enough to unleash her. Larry screamed wildly as I finally made contact, blood spurting from his face. He fell back, hands cupping his mouth and nose.
I reached over and slammed the door shut before sliding over and tumbling myself out of the other side of the SUV.
RUN. I finally synched with my wolf and shifted, tearing a path through the neighboring trees as I worked to put as much distance between myself and the fight as possible. When things began to quiet, I slowed down and tried to get a better idea of where I might be.
For the first time, I was completely alone. My heart raced faster as I realized, this was my chance. If I were ever going to escape or start a life of my own, this was the opportunity I had been waiting for. No alpha, no mate, no man telling me what I had to do. I took two steps forward and paused.
What about Gunnar?My wolf whined. My body shuddered because she was saying exactly what I was feeling. I didn’t want to leave him. He was my mate. We were meant to be together. Letting him go was no longer an option. As one, my wolf and I whipped around and surged back into the direction of the fight, but we didn’t have to travel far.
Lou!His shout came through my mind, clear as day. I breathed a sigh of relief and shifted, tears already streaking down my face. I knelt in the dirt, completely overwhelmed.
“Gunnar! You came for me?” I choked back a sob.
He shifted and stood, picking me up off the ground. He swiped at my cheeks and placed a firm kiss on my forehead. “Always, Shortcake.”
“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have run. Those guys from Bravemaw were trying to take me back to my father, but when I got free I ran and just kept going. I was so afraid that you were going to turn into the same kind of alpha as him. I thought the only way I would be free is if I ran away to be on my own.” I grabbed onto his arms, afraid that if I let go he would leave me here alone. I wanted so badly to tell him how I felt. There was nowhere else I wanted to be than here with him. With my mate.
He pulled me into his arms and held me close, rocking me back and forth, holding my head to his chest so I could hear his heart beating. “I need you to listen to me right now, Lou. I am not a perfect alpha but I will never, ever be like your father. I love my pack, and I would do anything for them. But I need you to hear me when I tell you thatyouare my pack now, too. You’re my mate, and I love you. I wouldn’t change anything about you and I don’t want to let you go, but if that’s what you truly wanted I would try. Even though it would break me.”
I squeezed him tighter before looking up into his face. “It’s not what I want anymore. I want you. I want us. I love you, Gunnar.”
For the first time in my life, I felt the sweet taste of freedom. It was ironic that I found it by also finding my mate and binding myself to a new pack. I didn’t care, though. This was everything I never knew I always wanted. I wound my arms around Gunnar’s neck, suddenly very aware of how naked we both were. Standing up on my toes, I caught his lips in a searing kiss.
He growled low in my ear. “Come on, Shortcake. Let’s go home.”
