Alphas on the Prowl (30 page)

Chapter Six

They set out before dawn the next day, driving the full eight hours in one stretch. Zach was quiet on the drive, and Sarah couldn’t imagine the things that must have been going through his mind. She noticed that he seemed to grow antsier the moment they crossed the border into Ohio, but she couldn’t really blame him. He was taking such a huge risk just to see her safely reunited with her family. She should have known that he would never have allowed her to make the trip alone. It just wasn’t in his nature. From the beginning of their relationship he had always been protective of her, but now that she was pregnant those same caring tendencies had been coupled with a fierce paternal instinct as well. It only made her love him even more. The thought made her smile, and she reached over and placed her hand in his as he drove.

Zach glanced over at her before his eyes returned to the road. Then he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. He continued holding tight as he drove on, wondering how their lives might be different right now if only he hadn’t made the mistake of siding with her father in the fight against Gabe. If he had never been exiled, he might have imprinted on Sarah a lot sooner. They might have been able to have a proper bonding ceremony with all of their family and friends around. They could be living a happy life together in their hometown, among their pack. His life was such a mess, and he knew now that he was a fool to believe that Sarah could be truly happy living in exile with him. She deserved so much more than that. And now, he was going to make sure that she got it.

He stuck mostly to the highways as he drove, knowing there was a greater chance for them to be spotted by the various packs if they took the back roads. They bypassed Lunar Falls and got off 71 at the Clemmons exit and drove straight to the Holiday Inn, where they wasted no time checking into a room.

“It’s almost one o’clock. My mom is probably at home working in the yard.” Sarah knotted her fingers as she stood before him. “I should go now.”

“You’re leaving now?”

Zach felt a sudden wave of fear sweep over him. He wasn’t ready to be without her yet. He wasn’t ready to let her go. He took her into his arms and held her close, wishing like hell that he could hold her like this forever. But that wasn’t going to happen now, because as soon as she walked out that door he was going to be right behind her. He had no doubt that Gabe’s men would spot him quickly, and then it would all be over. He couldn’t ask Sarah to return and raise their child in exile with him. It just wasn’t fair. And he didn’t want to live without her, so this was the only thing that made sense to him.

“Well, why not? You did all the driving, so I’m not really tired. Besides, I’m anxious to see her.”

Sarah smiled her sweet smile at him, and he wanted to save that image in his mind forever. He looked down and placed both his hands on her still-flat belly and wondered what she would look like a few months from now when it was swollen with their growing pup. And he wondered what that pup would look like. Would it be a boy or a girl? And what would Sarah tell him or her about their father? He gave a sniff and abruptly wiped an unexpected tear from his face.

“I, uh … I can feel how anxious you are to see your mom,” he said, avoiding her gaze.

“Oh, my God. Zach, I’m so sorry.” Sarah placed a hand on his cheek in an effort to get him to look at her. “I didn’t even think about how difficult this must be for you. Your parents and your brother are so close, but you can’t go and see them.”

Zach gave her a sad smile and nodded his head. Not being able to see his family was unfortunate, but it wasn’t the cause of his precarious emotional state right now. But she didn’t need to know that.

“Why don’t you call them?” she suggested.

“What?”

“Well, you can’t leave this room for fear Gabe might find out you’re back in town, but … you could call your folks! Maybe they could come here to see you.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her tight for a moment, just breathing in the wonderful scent of her skin and her hair. He loved her so much.

“That’s a good idea, sugar,”
he thought at her. He didn’t trust his voice not to break at the moment.
“I might just try that.”

“You should,” Sarah replied. Then she pulled away to look into his eyes. “I’m sorry this is so hard for you.”

He caressed her face. “Do you have any idea how much I love you? Or what you have meant to me these last seven months?”

Sarah smiled at him. “Exactly what you’ve meant to me. Everything!”

He smiled, and his lips met hers in a long sweet kiss as he attempted to pour every ounce of his feelings for her into it. They were both breathless when he pulled away.

“I want you to promise me that you’ll be careful,” he said as he handed the car keys over to her.

“I promise,” she replied. “I won’t be gone too long. I just want to visit with my mom for a while and then find Seth.”

He nodded again, but said nothing.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” He watched as she walked out the hotel room door, and he could feel the happiness and the hope coursing through her. But all he felt inside was regret and sorrow. He waited a couple of minutes for her to get down to the parking lot and get behind the wheel. Then he made his way out as well, knowing that he needed to get on with it and just get it over with. He slinked into the brush behind the hotel and shifted into wolf form, and then he took off like the wind and headed straight for Lunar Falls.

o0o

Sarah left the hotel and drove into Lunar Falls, heading for the Wolf Creek Reserve. She knew that she should just go into town to her mother’s place, and she did have every intention of doing that. But she had something important to take care of first. If she was going to attempt to sweet-talk her cousin into lifting Zach’s exile, there was no time like the present.

The Wolf Creek Reserve was home to her grandfather’s estate. It was three thousand acres of lush wooded land that served multiple purposes within the pack. There was a lodge on the property that was used as a meeting place for the Moon Hunter Council of Elders, among other things. But the land also happened to be the location of the family's elegant log mansion.

She pulled up to the massive wrought iron gate and punched the code into the security box. The gate sprang to life immediately, and she slowly drove through and headed down the long dirt road toward the lodge. She knew that the pack’s Enforcers usually met once a week right about now, and she was hoping she would be able to catch her brother here. As she pulled up to the lodge, she could see that the meeting was just breaking up and guys were already heading to their cars. She got out of hers and walked toward the building, feeling a cold shiver from the fear when her eyes spotted him.

“Hi, Seth.”

Seth Masters froze at the sound of the voice behind him, and his heart did a nervous swan dive into his stomach. He turned around with an expression of shocked wonder on his face and searched the eyes of the beautiful girl standing in front of him.

“Sarah?”

She grinned at him. And a second later she was enveloped in a huge bear hug as her brother squeezed her tight.

“Sarah! My God, I can’t believe it’s really you.” He let her go, but held her at arm’s length as he continued to stare at her. “What are you doing here? When did you get back? Please tell me you’re home for good!”

Sarah laughed at his barrage of questions, but she didn’t get a chance to answer them because he just kept going.

“Mom has got to be over the moon with happiness that you’re back! I can’t believe she didn’t call me. Wait a minute, you haven’t seen Mom yet, have you? ’Cause I know she would have called me the minute she laid eyes on you!”

“Oh, my God. Seth, take a breath, will you?” She sounded agitated, but she secretly loved every minute of his shocked and happy response at seeing her. She had missed this dork so much.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so excited!”

“I can see that,” she said, laughing at him. “And I missed you too.”

He hugged her again.

“Hey, you have a nephew to meet,” he informed her.

“I know I do, and I can’t wait to meet him and to see Sophie. How are you guys?”

“We’re great. We’re better than that, now that you’re home,” he replied.

Sarah smiled at his answer, but she didn’t respond. She didn’t want to talk about whether or not she was home to stay. Not just yet anyway. Not until she’d had a chance to talk to Gabe and find out if her mate could come home too. If not, she and Zach would be making Kentucky their home.

“Listen, I want to thank you for all the pictures you texted me. That little pup of yours looks so sweet.”

“Well, he’s not so little anymore, he’s growing like a weed,” Seth said with a smile.

Sarah looked around and then met his gaze again. “Is Gabe around?”

“Yeah. He’s around here somewhere.”

She licked her lips in a nervous gesture, glancing around again. “I was hoping that I could talk to the two of you about something important.”

“Well, of course, you can. What’s going on?” he asked.

Sarah hesitated for a beat, but before she could respond to that question the ornately carved wooden door of the lodge opened and Gabe stepped out. He was holding his son in his arms, and he and his mate, Carly, were laughing about something.

“Sarah?”

She smiled at Carly and rushed forward to greet her.

“Oh, my gosh, it is so good to see you,” Carly gushed.

“The prodigal daughter returns,” Gabe said as he hugged her. “I’m happy to see you!”

“Thanks you guys.” She smiled as she looked at the three of them. The perfect little family. “I’ve missed you all so much!”

“We’ve missed you,” Gabe said.

“And this little guy,” she said, turning her attention to the small boy in his daddy’s arms. “You must be Elliot. You’re even more handsome than in the pictures Seth sends me. Oh, he’s precious.”

“Thanks,” Carly said.

“Gabe … Sarah says she has something she wants to discuss with you and me.” Seth gave him a look that told him this was serious and that he suspected it wasn’t good.

“Okay.” He turned to hand the child over to Carly. “Baby, why don’t you take Elliot back to the house for a while, all right?”

“Yep,” she said as she placed the baby on her hip, and Gabe kissed her lips. Then she turned back to Sarah and gave her a quick hug. “Sarah, don’t you dare leave town without a nice long visit, okay?”

“I promise,” she smiled. “Bye, Elliot.”

Carly looked down at her son. “Can you say bye-bye to your cousin, Sarah? Say bye-bye,” she coaxed as she waved her hand. The child didn’t respond verbally, but he smiled as he waved goodbye, and Sarah laughed. Carly turned and headed for the house, and when she was gone, Gabe looked at his cousins.

“Let’s go inside the lodge for some privacy.”

He led the way into the spacious hall and over to a small grouping of chairs where the Enforcers had held their meeting just moments ago, and they all took a seat. Gabe could see that she was nervous about whatever she wanted to talk about, and he smiled at her in the hopes of putting her at ease.

“What is this about, Sarah?” Seth asked, getting right to the point. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“No, Seth. It’s nothing like that,” she insisted.

“Okay. Then, what’s going on?”

She hesitated for a moment, trying to decide how best to begin.

“You look good, Sarah,” Gabe said, looking her over. “Where have you been all this time?”

She took a deep breath. “I’ve been living in Kentucky. In the Pine Mountain area. It’s not home, but … it’s pretty. I like it.”

“What do you do there?” Seth asked.

“I’ve got a job waiting tables in a bar there. It’s called The Nowhere; can you believe that? Just like the place in Clemmons.” She gave a small laugh, but Gabe could still hear the anxiety lurking in it and he wondered what this was all about.

“That doesn’t sound like a suitable job for a proper young lady,” Gabe said, looking her in the eyes. “You need to come home, Sarah, where your family loves and misses you.”

She smiled at him, returning his gaze. “Well, that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you both about. But I’m not sure where to begin.”

“The beginning is always a good starting point.” Gabe smiled at her and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest as he prepared to settle in and give her his full attention.

Sarah took one more nervous breath and blew it out. She had to make him understand. She had to.

“Okay, well … I guess I should start by explaining that when I left Lunar Falls I had no idea where I would end up, and I landed in Kentucky completely by accident. But I had been there for about seven or eight months when I stumbled across something that I never in a million years expected to find.”

“What was that?” Seth asked, now intrigued by his sister’s tale.

“A little bit of happiness.” She looked into his eyes and smiled, biting her lip as she prepared to tell them everything. But before she could open her mouth to say another word, one of Gabe’s Enforcers burst through the doors and came rushing toward them.