Chapter Text
Margrave, Northern Georgia
He…missed, I couldn’t believe it. Wincing, I slid my feet over the edge of the bed, pulling the sheet with me and paused when I was fully standing. Pain radiates through my core, he hadn’t been gentle, despite knowing I had been a virgin. The tears hadn’t helped either and I could still feel the sting from when he had slapped me, telling me to “shut up and take it”. My lip was raw from where I had bitten it to try and stifle my sobs, and my shoulder hurt from the throbbing bite wound. But there was no pain or discomfort that would have come from disobeying an Alpha command, which meant his claiming bite hadn’t sealed the bond.
Pulling the sheet around me, I carefully made my way to the ensuite bathroom. Squinting at my neck by the light of the moon I almost sobbed. I didn’t dare turn on a light for fear of drawing attention to the fact that I was out of bed but the reflection in the mirror showed he had missed my mating gland by mere centimeters. He had issued the alpha command to “stay in that bed and be ready when I get back” before stumbling off and from what I could tell had left the property, if the drunken yells, car doors and squealing tires were anything to go by.
I shuddered as the situation sunk in, KJ was going to be furious when he realized. There would definitely be more hitting and he would do it again, forcing himself on me before making sure he hit his mark. And it would be soon, he was too proud of his excellent marksmanship to risk anyone finding out about this.
You could leave , the thought floated through my brain and I clung to it. Could I though? I had no money, no family who would help me, nowhere to go. I had been isolated my whole life so my father could hide my condition so no friends to turn to. I slowly stepped back into the bedroom, my eye drawn to the closet door KJ had left open when he got dressed. I had heard a safe beeping before he reappeared and gave the command.
You could leave , the thought came again, stronger this time as I walked into the closet and did a quick search, finding the safe behind the door. And it was…open, just barely. Like he had swung it as he turned and didn’t wait to see if it latched. With a shaking hand I reached out and pulled it open, gasping when I saw the stacks of money sitting inside with several envelopes.
Turning away, I quickly swept my eyes around the closet. If I was going to leave, I needed to disguise myself. Once he realized I was gone, he would start looking and I knew enough about his family to know that they would hack into any surveillance footage they wanted. Dropping the sheet and ignoring the pain I moved quickly. Pulling on a pair of sweats and then layering a couple t-shirts under a black hoodie. I thought about wearing his shoes to disguise any prints but it would make me clumsy so I pulled my own on. Stuffing my hair under a hat I took a look at myself in the mirror. The large baggy clothes made me look heavier, hopefully enough to not warrant a second glance if they were looking for me. Heading back to the closet I grabbed two stacks of the cash, shoving one in my bra and splitting the other between my sock and my pocket.
I could hear voices downstairs when I pulled the door open enough to peak into the hallway. Of course he would have left guard in place but I was praying he had been relying on the Alpha command to keep me in place. Closing the door gently, I turned to the window that faced the back of the property. It opened quietly and I breathed a sigh of relief when it looked like I could climb down. It was painful and I expected to hear shouts at any moment but I made it to the ground with a soft thud.
Southwestern Foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, New York
Reacher waved his hand as the bus pulled away. Waiting for the dust to clear before heading down the hard packed gravel and dirt road that wove its way away from the highway and into the Black River Wild Forest. Five miles of walking later and he catches his first glimpse of Rock Hill Village, Home of the Rock Hill Pack led by Neagley. Most of the 110th had settled there making it the closest thing he had to what could be considered a home.
Technically he owned a cabin here, it was all Neagley and Dixon’s doing. They had done all of the decorating and furnishing; refusing to let anyone else live there. Told him that when his lone wolf days were over, it would be waiting for him.
He hadn’t been back in nearly a year but Neagley always knew when he was coming. He argued that he set off the pack boundary sensors early. She said it was because he was part of her pack whether he wanted to be or not. Regardless, his cabin was always warm and ready for him. He wasn’t sure why or when he had decided he was coming back this time. He was in New York before he even realized it, like something was pulling him here. Sure enough, by the time he made it to the shrine of the Moon Goddess in the village square Neagley was already standing in front of the bar that doubled as the pack house and her home.
“Welcome back boss.” She grinned at him, arms crossed before nodding her head to the bar and opening the door for him.
Two Weeks Later, Black River Wild Forest, New York
I shivered despite the coat I was bundled in. The heart of New York this time of year was cold, made colder by the wind that was threatening to blow in a storm. Fighting the urge to head back to the town I skirted around a few miles ago, I headed into the tree line. According to the map I had picked up, once I made it through the Black River Wild Forest I just had to get across the border and then I would be in Canada. Shifter laws were different there and I was hoping I would be far enough from KJ that he would never find me.
Once I had snuck off his property, I had headed to Atlanta and taken the first bus leaving. Not wanting to risk being caught immediately after escaping. The last two weeks had been a series of buses and walking. A plane would have been faster but I didn’t have any form of identification and I was sure airports were being watched. I had avoided big cities as well, despite the desire to attempt to lose myself in the bustling crowd of New York City.
In an effort to save money and keep away from cameras, I had spent the last week sleeping in the woods or abandoned sheds. Not that I got a lot of sleep regardless, my nightmares always woke me after a couple of hours. Every night I dreamed of KJ finding me and dragging me back to Georgia, so every night I pushed myself as far as I could.
An hour later, the wind had picked up and a small drizzle had started falling from the sky, soaking me to the bone. I was deep in the forest now, exhaustion and cold blurring my vision as I searched for somewhere I could take shelter.
Keep going, the thought flitted through my brain. The trees began to thin out and I moved faster, praying to the moon goddess that there was a house or something ahead. Bursting through the treeline I barely stopped myself from plummeting down a slope and into a shallow river. My senses were dulled but I could just make out light coming from ahead, a village from the looks of it.
I had just settled on a place to cross when a gust of wind came from the trees and knocked me off balance. I grabbed a nearby bush to steady myself but the ground beneath me gave way and I slid down the slope and straight into the river. The icy water knocked the breath out of me and I just managed to keep my mouth closed against a scream when my arm slammed into a rock as I hit the bottom.
Gotta swim, keep going. The thought bombarded me and I pushed off the river bed with all my might, gasping for air when my head crested the water. The arm that had hit the rock was useless, pain shooting up and down as I tried to swim towards the shore. The water was pulling against me and I barely grabbed a log that was sticking out of the bank. Pulling myself along with my good arm I managed to get out of the water and collapsed. I was freezing now and so tired. I’ll just rest a minute before I head towards the lights.
Rock Hill Village, New York
“Reacher, you got a copy?” Franz’s voice crackled through the earpiece.
“Affirmative.” Reacher replied, focusing on removing a tree limb that had blown itself across the fence behind the repair shop. He’d been in Rock Hill for a week before Neagley had put him on the security team that monitored the pack lands for threats. Few wolf shifters dared to cross into their territory but rogues and ferals were always an issue and Neagley ran a tight ship. Everyone in her pack had a job and role to play. Reacher respected that and had agreed to the job without argument.
Franz’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “We just got a ping on the southern boundary by the river. Something bigger than a normal animal crossed it. Alpha wants it checked out.”
“I’ll investigate,” he replied, abandoning the tree limb in favor of shifting to his wolf form and heading towards the river.
A couple minutes later, another wolf joined him on the path. He recognized Franz’s wolf and nodded his head, following him to where the boundary had pinged. He caught the scent of another shifter before he saw her.
The woman was pushing herself to her feet as they approached and shifted back to their human forms. Her right arm was cradled against her chest and she was covered in mud and soaking wet. He could see her shivering and she looked terrified. Lowering his hands and putting them face up so she could see them, he slowly approached.
The woman's eyes darted to Franz, looking him over before switching to Reacher’s, her face paleing further as she took in his size. He was used to looking intimated but a churning deep in his gut told him his wolf didn’t like that she was frightened. She locked eyes with him and his breath caught as a spark erupted from his chest and collided with one that came from hers. Glowing briefly in a shimmering light that had them all shielding their eyes before disappearing.
“Reacher, Franz. Do you copy?” Neagley’s voice echoed through the radio that had come unhooked from the earpiece during his shift.
Reacher ignored it as his eyes refocused on the woman, just catching her eyes rolling to the back of her head and her body starting to fall. He made it to her side, catching her just before she hit the ground.
“We need Roscoe at the hospital asap.” Franz yelled into the radio, his wide eyes catching the confused look on Reacher’s face.
“What did you find? Sensors are pinging in your area like crazy” Neagley’s voice sounded winded, like she was already running.
Standing and quickly heading towards the village, Reacher answered “We found my mate.”