A Wolf's Pride (7 page)

“
You make it
sound as though you’d kill people if they tried to take me
away.”

“
I
would.”

He had said
the two words simply and with such a calm finality that she
couldn’t help but believe he was capable of making good on his
word. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the diner and she looked in
through the windows. “There are children in there Ryan.”

“
I wouldn’t
want to do it Chloe, but for you I would. I don’t want you to think
of me as a monster, I don’t hurt children but I won’t extend that
protection to anyone else. Relax,” he laughed, “as long as you
don’t say anything we’ll be fine. We’ll get something to eat and
then continue on our journey ok?”

She nodded
grimly, her stomach churning wildly in unease as well as hunger.
When his hand moved to the small of her back, she jumped, his palm
was so hot that she could feel the heat he was radiating through
the layers of her clothes. Her treacherous body was again guilty of
responding to his presence and she cursed it. What was it about
this man that evoked such feelings in her? She’d had boyfriends
before but none of them had been able to draw such a response from
her with so little effort, by simply being alive and nearby. She
allowed herself to be led into the diner and seated in one of the
few booths. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the family sat in the
far corner. The parents were engrossed in a conversation between
themselves and their two children one who looked about five and the
other who looked to her eye to be about eight, were causing mild
mischief, strewing sugar all over the table.

Keep your
mouth shut, Chloe. You don’t want to be responsible for their
parents ending up in hospital.

“
What do you
want to eat love?”

Her attention
was instantly drawn to Ryan and she noticed that a waitress had
managed to sneak up on her while she had been watching the children
playing. “I’ll have some orange juice.”

“
And…” he
encouraged. “That isn’t enough to satisfy your hunger, I should
know I can feel it remember?”

Chloe looked
at the waitress wondering why she had not said anything about his
bizarre comment but she was far too busy watching Ryan to pay
attention to the words that were leaving his lips. “I’ll have a
piece of toast as well then.”

“
What she
actually means is that she’ll have a glass of orange juice, two
pieces of toast and a fried egg, sunny side up please.”

“
Ryan!” she
scolded.

“
You’re hungry
Chloe, if you aren’t going to think of yourself then I’ll have to
do it for you. Your hunger is affecting me too. I’ll have the same
but with an extra two pieces of toast, sausages, bacon and beans
please.” He snapped the menu shut and handed it back to the
waitress, turning to look at her instead and ignoring the
attractive and very thin brunette who proceeded to glare at her as
she retreated to the kitchen. If she were honest with herself it
felt good to have a man be focused so intently on her that other
women were beneath his notice.
Gary was
nothing like this,
she mused remembering
her last boyfriend
. He had the most
wandering eyes I’ve ever seen on a man. I should have known there
was something off about him that first date we had.
Realising what she was doing, she automatically
scolded herself.
Stop comparing your ex
boyfriend to your kidnapper. Don’t enjoy whatever feelings he
creates. His intentions are still unclear and he’s a madman, you
can’t forget that.

“
I don’t see
why you’re so concerned about your weight love, I meant what I said
earlier. You’re gorgeous. All soft, gentle curves. I can barely
stand to look at you because you’re so much of a temptation. Does
that tell you nothing?”

“
Yes, it tells
me that you need your eyes tested. I have a mirror that I look in
everyday. I know exactly what I look like.”

“
Did someone
say something to you? Do something to make you feel like this?” His
voice was a menacing promise of retribution against any one who had
dared to do such a thing. “Just give me a name Chloe, a name is all
I need and you’ll never have to worry about them again. Was it your
father? One of your brothers?” he pressed looking for an additional
justification to harm her family.

“
My family
would never say anything like that, don’t be stupid,” she
snapped.

“
Well I suppose
that’s one point in their favour,” he groused.

“
Here are your
meals.” The waitress said, placing two plates in front of them
before turning her attention to Ryan and purring, “If you need
anything, just come and ask for Abigail.” No matter which way she
looked at it, the words sounded like an invitation to Chloe and it
wasn’t hard to guess who it was addressed to. Chloe rolled her eyes
at the woman’s blatant attempt at seduction.

“
Thanks,” Ryan
replied simply before proceeding to eat his breakfast with gusto,
ignoring Abigail completely.

Take
that!
Chloe yelled triumphantly before
realising that what she had just said amounted to some sort of
claim on Ryan and she went silent. Picking up her knife and fork,
she began to eat the food in front of her and her stomach groaned
in relief, overjoyed that it was finally getting the sustenance it
needed. It didn’t take long before her eyes wandered to her
kidnapper and she became entranced by the sight of him eating. He
was devouring the food the waitress had brought him, chewing large
portions at such a fast pace that she became convinced he would
choke. It never happened, he continued inhaling food before
requesting the waitress bring him another plate of the
same.

“
What?” he
asked confused at the dumbstruck expression on Chloe’s
face.

“
Don’t tell me
you eat like that all the time?”

“
I do, why do
you ask?”

“
Where do you
put it all? If I ate like that I’d be the size of a house in under
a day. But you…there’s it doesn’t look like there’s a bit of fat on
you.”

“
So you’ve been
sizing me up?” he leered, his eyebrows moving
suggestively.

“
I’m serious
Ryan.”

“
So am I. It’s
good to know that I’m not the only one who finds the other
attractive in this relationship.”

“
We’re not in a
relationship,” she sighed.

A shadow fell
over the table and she turned to look at its source. A tall bald
man stood above them, his bulging muscles and dark eyes
instinctively making her nervous.

“
What do you
want?” Ryan snarled, feelings of aggression rushing to the
forefront of his mind. He could sense that this man would be
trouble.

“
Chloe, my name
is Robert, I know your father, Harry.”

“
Oh,” she
replied inanely unsure of exactly what the man wanted from
her.

“
You’re quite a
distance from home, why?”

“
Why is that
any of your business?” Ryan questioned, his muscles tensing in
anticipation.

Robert
continued directing his questions at Chloe as though Ryan had not
spoken. “Chloe, is there something you want to tell me? I’m willing
to help you with whatever you need. I don’t think that your father
knows about this trip otherwise he would have said something.
What’s going on?”

“
How do I know
that you know my father?”

Robert
smiled, pleased that she had not simply accepted his offer of
assistance without verifying who he was. “Your father’s name is
Harry Evans, you have three brothers, the oldest is Jonathan who’s
followed by Christian and Daniel and they all take after your
father in terms of appearance. Tall, dark haired but you and your
brother’s all have your mother’s eyes. Your father, brothers and I
are all part of the same organisation, we go hunting together. Do I
pass the test? Are you going to tell me what’s going
on?”

Her eyes
wandered around the diner and she breathed a sigh of relief when
she saw that the young family had already left. “Well now that you
mention it, yes, I’m having a bit of a problem.”

“
Chloe,” Ryan
growled in warning.

She continued
regardless. “This man, broke into my house last night claiming that
he was a werewolf, I assume if you’re part of my father’s crazy
gang then you’ll take him for his word. Anyway he said he’s a
werewolf and claimed that I was his mate. He proceeded to abduct me
from my home and is currently driving me across state borders to
his home. Is there anything you can do to help me with
that?”

“
You’re a
werewolf?” Robert gasped.

Ryan’s sharp
eyes had spotted the tattoo on the man’s neck and so he saw no
reason to deny it. “Yes, I am. And you’re a hunter.”

“
Do you know
who this woman is? Are you aware of what you’re doing?”

“
I’m taking my
mate home with me.”

“
You wolves
really are crazy. This woman is our high commander’s daughter. If
you hand her over peacefully, I’m sure you can bargain for a quick
end.”

“
I’m never
giving her up, she’s my mate and we mate for life.”

“
That’s
impossible. She’s human and you’re a monster.”

“
So I’ve heard.
If you think to take my mate from me then I’ll show you what a
monster truly is,” he laughed before standing up and moving away
from the booth where Chloe was sat. He could sense that a fight was
about to erupt and didn’t want his mate caught in the melee. Robert
pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at Ryan’s chest and he
laughed in response before leaping into action. He moved so fast
that Robert couldn’t see where he had gone and before he knew it he
was laying on the ground with Ryan’s fists pounding at his
face.

Seeing an
opportunity to escape, Chloe slipped out of her seat and ran from
the diner. Her eyes immediately landed on the car that they had
arrived in and she ran towards it, pulling open the door and
grabbing the keys from the glove box where Ryan had left them. She
had seen him place them there and had almost commented on how
unsafe it was to leave the keys in an unlocked car, she had chosen
not to say anything hoping that the car would get stolen and they
would be forced to stop. Thankful for his lack of common sense, she
hopped into the driver’s seat and turned on the engine hoping to
put as much distance as possible between her and Ryan.

Ryan had
noticed the moment Chloe had run from him, but he had to deal with
the man lying beneath him. He sadly didn’t have the time to kill
the man and so contented himself with leaving the man unconscious.
When Robert had bled enough to satisfy Ryan’s blood lust, he stood
calmly as though he had not participated in a minor brawl. Opening
his wallet, he placed several large bills on the table to cover any
and all damages that he might have wrought before walking calmly
from the diner. The first thing he noticed was that the car was
missing and it brought a smile to his face.

Silly
mate,
his wolf commented.
Does she know nothing about wolves? There’s
nothing sweeter than the chase. Go after her Ryan.

Did you think
that I was going to just let her leave?
he
scoffed as though the mere thought was ludicrous. He walked a few
feet away from the diner, ensuring that he couldn’t be seen before
he allowed the change to wash over him. Bones cracked and muscle
contorted as his shape became that of a large brown wolf, that
would easily reach a man’s waist. His fangs and claws were razor
sharp so that he could effortlessly dispatch enemies like Robert
but it wasn’t for that reason he had transformed. His nose was even
more sensitive than when he was in his human form and there was
nothing faster than him. He quickly picked up his mate’s scent and
a wolfish smile appeared on his lips before he sprung into action,
running as though the devil were at his heels.

Chapter
Seven

Chloe’s hands
on the steering wheel were tight and easily fit into the grooves
that Ryan had left earlier when he had bent the wheel within his
grip. She had barely noticed the indents in the hard material, so
caught up was she in her attempt to escape. Robert had provided her
with the opportunity to return home and she fully intended to use
it. As soon as she had entered the car, she had begun driving in
the opposite direction, hoping to encounter a police officer along
the way. Her bad luck seemed to be holding as in the ten minutes
she had been driving she had not seen even one other car on the
road, let alone an agent of the law. The speed at which she was
driving was most definitely illegal as she had hoped to attract the
attention of someone who, if not willing to help her, would hand
her into the safe custody of the police, but no one had appeared to
stop her.

Daddy is never
going to let me here the end of this, he’s going to demand that I
move home.
She could envision his face as
he told her once again the dangers of living alone.
But right now that might not be such a bad idea,
I don’t think I would feel safe at my apartment. How did he manage
to break in so easily? I can worry about that later,
she decided.
I should
focus on getting back home, where I’ll be safe from him.