A Wolf's Pride (13 page)

“
Tobias, it’s
my fault, don’t take it out on them,” Alex pleaded. Her softly
voiced request seemed to have the desired effect as his muscles
visibly relaxed.

“
The car,” he
growled on a shuddery breath. The men sprang into action, rushing
to obey his command.

His orders
now being carried out, he returned his amber flecked gaze to her.
“Chloe, we don’t have the time to deal with your concerns. We’re
going back to the estate, don’t try to fight us on this, you won’t
win.”

“
Tobias,” Ryan
growled. “Don’t talk to her that way. Just as you wouldn’t want
anyone talking to Alex like that, I don’t appreciate you doing it
to Chloe.”

The thought
that Ryan was willing to choose to protect her from his cousin
warmed Chloe more than it should have done especially as it was his
fault she was in the middle of this volatile situation.
Nevertheless, warm her it did and she instinctively stepped back to
be closer to him.

“
Ryan we don’t
have the time to be dawdling about here trying to sooth your mate.
In case you had forgot, you have just escaped from the police and
Alex needs to return to bed. You know what the doctors said, every
extra day that we get is important.”

Though she
couldn’t see his face, Chloe could feel through his body that Ryan
had been convinced by his cousin’s argument. “You’re right Tobias,
we should go home. It’ll be safer there for everyone. It’s what
I’ve been trying to do all this time anyway.”

As the
conversation came to an end, Chloe’s air supply became increasingly
thin as breath came to her in short bursts rather than a continuous
stream. While escape had been possible as long as they were
travelling alone, the chances of her attaining freedom if they
reached Ryan’s destination would be drastically reduced. She would
be surrounded by werewolves who seemed to think nothing of
kidnapping an unsuspecting human, escape would be impossible.
Ryan’s arms tightened around her waist and his warm breath
feathered over her cheek as he leaned down.

“
Chloe, I can
feel you preparing to run. Don’t. There’s nowhere to go. I don’t
want to embarrass you in front of people you will be spending a
great deal of time with but if you try to flee, I’ll throw you over
my shoulder and personally carry you from here.”

She bristled in
defiance, her spine stiffening. As her back was to him, she didn’t
notice the small smile of pride that emerged on Ryan’s face.
Fiery and defiant. My ideal woman. The instinct
definitely knows what it’s doing when it selects a mate for a
male.

“
I thought we
had a car to catch,” Chloe snapped, striding away from Ryan and
walking towards the entrance fully expecting the arrogant man that
called himself her mate to follow. He didn’t disappoint.

“
I think that
mate of yours is exactly what you need,” Sebastian commented as he
walked beside his brother noting that Ryan’s eyes never left the
gentle sway of Chloe’s hips.

“
I think so
too,” Ryan responded, his voice distant as his attention was
focused on something much more to his liking.

“
She doesn’t
seem like one to put up with any nonsense. You’ve got enough pride
and arrogance for several males, I think that she’s going to take
you down a notch.” Ryan mumbled a non-committal answer, only
vaguely aware that Sebastian had said anything at all and his
brother smiled.
Or several.
Sebastian mentally corrected.

Chapter
Eleven

“
Arrogant ass!”
Chloe fumed, striding down the path in the direction the wolves had
gone. “I can’t believe he threatened to go caveman on me. Throw me
over his shoulder?! I should have slapped him. I should turn around
right now and lay a hard one on him. Aargh,” she screamed. The man
seemed to bring out the worst in her. She had not entertained such
violent thoughts in years but since she had met him, the impulse to
hurt him never seemed far from her mind.
He kidnapped me. It only makes sense that I want to hurt him,
it would be odd if I didn’t want his head on a silver
platter.

As she
approached the car, thoughts of running briefly entered her mind
before they were quickly dismissed. There was a pack of werewolves
in front of her and she could sense Ryan and his family members at
her back. She would never make it more than a few feet before she
was brought back. Realising that escape was futile, she continued
to approach the vehicle the wolves were clustered around. The car
was much smaller than she had expected, having only two seats and
she immediately became confused. They wouldn’t all be able to go to
Ryan’s home in that one vehicle. Her eyes immediately scanned the
street for a second car, but the wolves were all surrounding the
lone car.

“
The car isn’t
big enough for us all to fit inside,” she mused, unconsciously
voicing her concerns aloud.

“
We picked the
car for its speed,” Sebastian responded from behind her, causing
her to jump slightly at his silent approach.

“
Sheesh, you
should walk around with a bell or something. You’re going to give
me a heart attack if you keep doing that.”

“
Sorry,” he
apologised sheepishly, running his hand over the back of his neck.
“We have sensitive hearing so I just thought I should answer your
question.”

“
Go on then,”
she prompted, studiously avoiding Ryan’s searing gaze and turning
back to the car. “Explain why the car is so small.”

“
We thought
that it would just be you and Ryan in it. It’s much faster for the
rest of us to run in our wolf forms. We didn’t think that Alex
would follow us.”

“
So then what’s
the new plan? Are you going to let me go and drive Alex back to
wherever it is you want to go?” Ryan growled low in his throat and
she didn’t even have to turn to face him to recognise that it was
him that had produced the sound. She rolled her eyes dismissively.
“Yes, yes, yes, I know. You’re not going to let me go,” she stated
simply cutting off his inevitable response before he said
anything.

Moving to her
side, Ryan forced her body to turn, cupping her chin and ensuring
that she was looking at him. “There is no new plan. You’re going
home in the car, Alex is going with you.”

“
You’re kidding
right?” He shook his head. “So you’re trusting me not to just drive
off and go home?”

“
You shouldn’t
even think of absconding somewhere with my mate,” Tobias growled,
finally catching up to the group with Alex closely held to his
side. “You don’t want me to have to come and look for
you.”

The intense
statement belied the gentle way that he was holding Alex, but Chloe
was positive that if it came to it he would act on his threat and
the outcome wouldn’t be good for her. “Relax,” she laughed, trying
desperately to lighten the mood. “It isn’t as though I’m going to
run off with a pregnant woman that needs a doctor. I’m not that
kind of person.”

“
It isn’t as
though it would have been possible for you to run away anyway.”
Tobias smiled, opening the passenger door and guiding Alex inside.
“We’ll be surrounding you on all sides, isn’t that right
Ryan?”

“
Yes. Some of
us are going to go ahead of you love and the rest of us will flank
you on the right, left and from behind. We’ll know where you are at
all times.”

“
You’re serious
aren’t you?” Her tone was disbelieving, amazed that they would go
to such extents to ensure that she stayed on course.

“
Of course
love, I can’t afford to lose you. Nobody is as precious to me as
you are. I have to make sure that you’re safe.” He shackled her
wrist and led her to the driver’s side of the car. “Get in
Chloe.”

“
Ryan, you
can’t mean that. You don’t know me. I can’t be more important than
these people, your brother, your cousin?”

He smiled,
his expression serene. “If it came down to a choice of you or then,
I would chose you in less than a heartbeat. Get in please
love.”

Gripping the
door handle, she opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat.
Her mind was reeling at his intensely delivered confession. He had
meant every word that he had spoken of that she was sure. The very
idea that she was of such importance to a man like him was
astounding. He was gorgeous and in any other situation, she might
have found his behaviour attractive so it only made sense that he
could have any woman he wanted and yet he seemed to be fixated on
her. It was mind-boggling. She began to close the door, but his
hand stopped her from completing the motion.

“
Is something
wrong?” she asked, slightly shocked that her voice was reflecting
the inner turmoil her mind was experiencing.

“
Your seatbelt
Chloe,” he reminded gently. His arm brushed over her breasts as he
pulled the strap over her chest, securing her in place. The brief
contact had sent spears of heat coursing through her and she gasped
unintentionally. The confident look that appeared on Ryan’s face
told her that he knew of the effect he was having on her and she
fixed him with a fierce glare in response. “Alex is going to guide
you Chloe, follow her directions and be safe. Don’t let anything
happen to you ok?” He didn’t wait for an answer, placing a brief
kiss on her cheek before shutting the door and walking away from
the car.

“
You’re good
for him.” The soft voice at her side pulled Chloe’s eyes away from
Ryan’s retreating form and she turned to face Alex. “I can’t
remember the last time he was so gentle and concerned with the
safety and wellbeing of another person. He’s usually so brash when
he’s trying to show that he cares.”

“
I wouldn’t
know, I haven’t even known him 48 hours.”

“
Trust me then,
you’re definitely good for him. Then again it isn’t like I should
have expected anything different. Ryan is a good man and the
instinct is rewarding him for that.”

The faint
smile on her face contorted into a grimace and Chloe remembered why
they were in such a rush to leave. “We should leave.”

“
Right, well
just stay on this road until I tell you to turn.”

“
Ok,” Chloe
agreed, starting the engine and following Alex’s instructions as
they travelled down the long dark road. Minutes passed in silence
as Chloe mulled over what had happened to her in the last few days
and what was likely to happen in her future. If she managed to
escape, no one but her family would believe what had happened to
her, but it would be enough. The chances of Ryan allowing her to
leave seemed non-existent and so she if she were to ever gain
freedom she would need help. She turned to Alex with a smile. “So
how far along are you?” she asked, inclining her head towards
Alex’s stomach.

Rubbing a
hand over the large mound, Alex couldn’t help but smile in
response. Her own family before she had met Tobias had been a
living nightmare, her mother had committed suicide because of the
actions of her abusive father who had swiftly turned his attentions
on her as soon as the gentle soul of her mother had been
extinguished. Needless to say, life with her gentle and kind mate
was a revelation into what a family should be like and she couldn’t
wait to add to it. “A little under eight months now.”

“
Wow, your baby
must be huge,” Chloe whistled, slightly stunned by the revelation.
The small woman sat beside her looked ready to give birth right
there and then.

“
Babies.” Alex
corrected.

“
Excuse
me?”

“
Babies,” she
reiterated. “I’m having triplets.”

“
No wonder
you’re so big.”

“
It’s a good
thing. The bigger I am, the healthier they are.”

“
You look a bit
small to carry triplets.”

“
I am small
Chloe, but it isn’t something that I’m worried about. I just want
to make sure I can carry them for as long as I can. The longer they
stay inside me, the better their chances are for
survival.”

“
I wouldn’t
worry too much, they have amazing new equipment for premature
babies. Your babies will be fine.”

“
Try telling
that to Tobias,” she laughed. “When he was born they didn’t have
all the technology we have today and his sister died as a result of
that. He’s so worried that that’s going to happen to me. The fact
that I keep getting these painful twitches does nothing to reassure
him. Turn right here,” she instructed absentmindedly.

“
Ryan said he’s
over two hundred years old, is that true?”

“
Yeah. Tobias
is even older. He turned three hundred and seventeen just a few
months ago.”

Chloe could
feel her jaw drop at the revelation and was well aware that her
face was in all likelihood reflecting the feeling of shock that
filled her. “Three hundred and seventeen?”

Alex laughed.
“Yes.”

Chloe’s mood
turned sombre. “Are your babies going to be werewolves
too?”

“
Yes. We’re
going to have to go off the main road for the next part of the
journey. Turn here,” she directed pointing out of the window
towards the forest that surrounded the road. “Don’t worry, there’s
a path. It might not look like it, but it’s there. Just turn here.
Good,” she praised as Chloe followed her directions driving further
into the dark. “Now where were we? Oh yeah. The babies. They won’t
be born as puppies if that’s what you’re thinking. They’ll be
human, they’ll be able to change into wolf form a few weeks after
that.”