Someone was talking outside, but I couldn’t make anything out. The inside of the back of the trailer was hot, stuffy and sealed tight so I couldn’t make out any smells from the outside.

Some bare light bulbs had been rigged up to run from the cab into the back and gave the place a soft light that actually wasn’t too horrible. The back of the truck had been designed for Kade to take his omegas here, and as such, was more pleasant than you might expect. Still, knowing what was in store for me next had me shaking with fear.

I couldn’t help but wonder how many other omegas had lain on this mattress while Kade had his way with them. Thankfully, I still had my clothing on, but as I thought about how many bodily fluids and other things might be on the sheets and mattress beneath me, my skin started to crawl.

It wouldn’t be long now – Kade would come through those doors and take me. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t realized my heat had come, but now that I was aware of it, I understood.

There was something inside of me crying out, and I was hotter than normal. Maybe that’s why they called it a heat. My body wanted to be taken – not by Kade, but by someone.

Seth…

Somehow it didn’t seem possible to be drawn to someone so quickly. But when we’d locked eyes, and I’d smelled his scent, it really did feel like fate. Nothing had ever felt more right than when I looked at him. How I longed to give myself to him. He would be my first and last and we could spend the rest of our lives together.

Maybe he would come for me still…

Maybe somehow things would change…

But as I stared at the closed double doors of the tractor-trailer, listening to the sounds of Kade’s men talking outside, I knew I was being silly. This was the end of the road for me. My heat had come and Kade was going to claim it, claim me and put another one of his pups in my belly and I’d be here forever.

I wouldn’t even get to be a father to my pup – not really. Kade would make all the decisions, and if he didn’t like the way I was handling our child, he’d appoint another of his omegas to be in charge. It just wasn’t fair.

The latches on the door squealed as Kade twisted the handles outside, and I knew my time was up. The doors began to open and a soft orange glow from the parking lot spilled inside. But then, something impossible happened.

Seth’s scent hit my nose with a shock like lightning coursing through my body. The doors swung open and I saw him – my fated mate standing there before me, a look of love and determination on his face.

“Come on!” He said, extending his hand. “I’m getting you out of here!”

My brain wasn’t able to process that was happening, but something deep inside me was, and my hand stretched out for his. His grip was firm around my wrist as he pulled me to my feet, forward and out the door and into his arms.

Time slowed, and somewhere inside me, it was like there was music playing as he held me and looked down at me with the look of the ultimate protector. My fated mate.

Take me now!

My primal urges were so powerful it was all I wanted – for Seth to ravish me right then and there. I wasn’t thinking clearly. His scent was invading my body like a drug, making my mind spin and my heart ache.

Take me!

But Seth didn’t take me, he couldn’t. He set me down and whirled around to face Matias who was standing behind him.

“Matias!?” I stammered, unable to believe my eyes. Matias was unhappy with Kade as a pack alpha, but I never thought he would actually step up and disobey him like this. My eyes got wide as he produced a bottle of pheromone blocker.

“This should get you far enough,” he said, handing the bottle to Seth, who quickly sprayed himself down. His scent vanished from the air, and suddenly I felt empty. Turning to me, he unloaded the rest of the bottle.

“Time to go!” He shouted, handing the bottle back to Matias. “Thank you.”

He shifted and I followed suit immediately as he sprang into action, kicking off the pavement and heading for the shadows on the outskirts of the parking lot.

Everything was happening so quickly I barely had time to process as I sprinted behind my mate, fighting to keep up with his insane speed – he was definitely a powerful alpha.

He avoided the parking lot lights and kept to the shadows, circling the lot back around to the main road. Somewhere behind us, I heard Kade’s voice as he shouted at someone.

He knows I’m gone…

I wondered if he knew Matias was in on it, or whether he’d been able to get away before Kade got back. He was a good guy, Matias, and I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. If he was the one in charge of the pack, everyone’s lives would be much, much different.

But that was impossible…

Or was it? When I woke today, so many things seemed impossible. It was impossible for anyone to find their fated mate in this world, let alone me. It was impossible that I’d ever see Seth again after being taken from him, and it was impossible that I’d ever escape Kade’s clutches.

But I was wrong about everything.

More shouts echoed through the air behind us as we ran, coming out onto the side of the main road and running as fast as we could away from the truck stop. We didn’t have long.

Kade would have half his pack shifted to look for us, but when they couldn’t pick up a scent, he’d send the trucks out. Hopefully Seth had an idea of where we were going, because we didn’t have much time.

We kept moving. My heart was pounding in my ears as we reached the bottom lot of the mill, and I saw a truck parked there and Seth was heading right for it.

He reached the door and shifted, shouting over his shoulder to me. “Come on!”

I raced around the other side and shifted back to human form as he turned the engine on. It roared to life, sputtering and coughing like an old man as I yanked the passenger door open and slid in beside him.

“We made it!” I gasped, panting heavily.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” he said with a grimace, wheeling the truck out of the lot and onto the road.

“He’ll have trucks out for us,” I told him, glancing in the side mirror to check behind us.

“Lucky for us, I know a shortcut out of here,” he replied with a grin. Behind us, I heard the sound of engines approaching.

“Seth,” I whispered. “They’re coming.”

In reply, Seth switched off the lights on the truck, bathing the world in darkness. My eyes adjusted quickly. It wasn’t as good as my wolf vision, but we could still see in the dark better than any human.

As we approached a left turn, Seth kept to the right, aiming the nose of the truck at a metal gate in the trees.

“Seth?” I asked him.

“Don’t worry, Harry,” he said. “We’re going to be fine.”

The truck smashed through the gate like it was made of matchsticks, and we burst into a narrow dirt road through the trees. The whole rig shook as we barreled down the logging trail, and I looked in the side mirror just in time to see an entire fleet of Kade’s trucks pass us down the main road.

Only once we were deep into the woods did Seth turn the truck lights on again.

“See?” He told me, taking my hand and squeezing it hard. “We’re gonna be fine.”