Chapter Six

Aria spent the next three days in a state of bliss. And then disaster struck. As Aria left the apartment and went down the stairs, two strong arms wrapped around her and jerked her off her feet as the man backed into the bushes. Before she could scream, a hand clamped over her mouth.

“Don’t even think of screaming,” her uncle whispered in her ear. “Nod, if you understand.”

She nodded her head, and he released her mouth.

“How did you find me?” she asked, fear snaking down her spine. A quick look around showed they were alone. Of all the times for the wolves to not hang out around the complex.

“We traced the phone records when you disappeared. It wasn’t hard to find you once I got to town. It’s amazing what shifters will talk about to a complete stranger.”

Gabriel would be furious that his own pack ratted her out. They’d known someone was after her, that she needed protection, so why had someone run their mouth? She hadn’t made any enemies that she knew of. She’d barely even met anyone in the pack. The last few days she’d been holed up in the apartment with Lucas, but he’d gone back to work today, thinking the danger was over. She hoped he didn’t take it hard when she disappeared.

“Did you come alone?” she asked.

He snorted. “My faithless pack turned me over to the council, but I slipped away before they could grab me. I had to steal a damn car to get here, just so they wouldn’t find me right away. Fuckers probably put a tracker on mine.”

If the council was looking for him, then maybe they had notified the alpha about the situation. She looked around again, hoping someone was going to come to her aid, but the area was still empty. It was only a matter of time before she would be missed, and yet, she hoped her uncle would drag her off somewhere else. Autumn was coming to pick her up, and Aria could only imagine what her uncle would do to the pregnant alpha’s mate.

“If we’re going somewhere, we’d better go,” she said. “This area won’t be empty for long.”

His grip tightened on her. “You’re trying to trick me, aren’t you? I bet there’s someone watching from a window, waiting to see if you make it to the parking lot. You were meeting someone. Tell me who the fuck you’re meeting!”

“No one!” She gasped when he nearly bruised her arms with his iron grip. “I swear! I was just going for a walk.”

“Then let’s start walking. Just remember, if you shift and run, I can catch you. And wolves love the taste of rabbit in the morning.”

She swallowed down her fear and nodded her understanding. When he released her, she slowly walked out of the bushes and started across the parking lot. She wanted to put as much distance between the apartment and them as possible before Autumn arrived. Her uncle was close behind her, his presence dark and threatening. Aria saw Autumn’s SUV turn into the parking lot and prayed she would stay in her car, or better yet, just keep driving.

The SUV slowed, and she glanced over, making eye contact with Autumn. She hoped the shifter caught on that it was best to run. When Autumn kept driving, Aria breathed a sigh of relief. Not only was the alpha’s mate and unborn child safe, but maybe she would send help.

They cleared the parking lot and started down the sidewalk. She didn’t have any idea where to go. Her uncle didn’t seem to care, as long as they kept moving. She knew she was on borrowed time though. Either someone would come to her rescue, or her uncle would get tired of playing games and just outright kill her. He wouldn’t care that they were out in the open. The council was after him, so there was no place for him to hide. He’d signed his death sentence; it was just a matter of when it would be carried out.

There were a series of growls closing in on them. Her uncle tensed and looked around, a wild look in his eyes. While he was preoccupied, Aria shifted. She kicked and thrashed to untangle herself from her clothes and made a run for the nearby shrubbery. She scurried under a bush as she heard the howls of wolves getting closer. If any humans were nearby, the pack was going to have a lot of explaining to do. Unless they knew of the pack’s existence. Some towns knew of the supernatural, and others still lived in ignorance. She’d never thought to ask which category Ashton Grove fell into.

There was a yelp and more snarling. Aria inched closer to the edge of the bush and peeked out between the leafy branches. Her uncle had shifted, but the pack had him pinned. He wasn’t going down without a fight though, as he latched onto the leg on one of the pack members, drawing blood and making the wolf howl in protest.

Aria hopped out of her shelter and approached the pack. She dashed into the fray, ducking under the wolves and chomping down on her uncle’s ear with her sharp teeth. He howled and thrashed, knocking her loose, but she took a chunk of his ear with her. She spat it out and dove back in for another go at him. A large black wolf pinned him to the ground and Aria did her best to scratch his eyes.

Two hands reached out and plucked her out of the skirmish, cradling her close to an impressive chest. She snuggled closer, recognizing the scent of her mate, and hoping a few bunny snuggles might keep him from getting angry with her. She knew Lucas well enough to know that he’d want her safe and out of harm’s way, not joining in the fight, especially in her tiny animal form. He kissed the top of her head and started carrying her back toward the apartments. She heard the alphas’ booming voices as Lucas muttered something about brave ass rabbits who didn’t know when to quit.

At the apartment, he pushed open the door and set her on the floor, then slammed the door and planted his hands on his hips.

“Shift,” he commanded.

She twitched her nose at him before shimmering back to her human form. She licked her lips and wondered if there was anything she could say to take the anger out of his gaze. Even being naked didn’t seem to distract him.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Anyone could have bitten you accidentally, or your uncle could have latched his jaws around your furry little ass and killed you.”

“I’m fine, Lucas. I needed to help bring him down. Don’t you understand? After everything I’ve been through, it was my fight. I might not have been able to handle it on my own, but I needed to get in my shots where I could.”

He sighed and stared at the ceiling as if asking for divine intervention.

“Lucas, you know I’m a fighter. I’ve never backed down from a challenge, even once, in my entire life. Did you really think I would just meekly hide and let everyone else fight my battle for me?”

“I could hope. I don’t know what I’d have done if I’d lost you, Aria. You’re lucky Autumn called the wolves who live here before calling Gabriel and then me. She saved your life.”

“And I will thank her. I was careful, Lucas. You know I wouldn’t have done something to put myself in danger. I had five wolves out there ready to defend me. Do you really think they were going to let something happen to me?”

The fight seemed to go out of him and he shook his head. “It doesn’t stop me from worrying. You should get cleaned up. I’ll see if someone will bring your clothes back from wherever you left them.”

“Thank you.” She stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss against his cheek before heading to the bathroom for a quick shower. And her toothbrush. She could still taste her uncle’s blood in her mouth.

After she was cleaned up and dressed, she found Lucas sitting on the couch watching TV. She snuggled next to him and put her head on his shoulder. His arm came around her and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he breathed a sigh, probably from relief that she was in one piece. She wanted to ask what was being done about her uncle, but she didn’t want to remind him that she’d taken part in the fight.

“You know you want to ask,” he said.

Damn it. He knew her too well.

“All right. What’s being done with my uncle?”

“Gabriel and Connor called the council and have permission to do with him as they see fit. The sorcerer has been called in. Stripping him of his ability to shift won’t be enough. He’s a nasty, vile man, and not being able to change into a wolf isn’t going to fix that. They may do a complete mental wipe, or they may decide to put him to death. Will that bother you?”

She shook her head. Honestly, knowing he was gone for good would make her rest easy. Did that make her a horrible person? She knew the kind of evil that lived in her uncle’s heart, and she worried that even a mental wipe wouldn’t be enough to change him. Eventually, he would either start to remember, or his true nature would come out, and he’d end up hurting someone else. She didn’t want anyone to ever live through what she’d been through over the last few years.

“He needs to die,” she said. “It’s the only way to stop him for good.”

“It’s not our call, Aria. I’m sure the alphas will do what they think is best for everyone. We’ll just have to live with their decision.”

“Call Gabriel,” she said. “I want to talk to him.”

Lucas didn’t look happy with her demand, but he pulled out his cell phone and made the call, handing the phone to her when it started to ring.

“Lucas?” Gabriel asked when he answered.

“It’s Aria. I know you have my uncle and you’re deciding his fate.”

“We’re wrapping things up now.”

“He needs to die,” she said. “I know him better than anyone, and even if you wipe his memories, the evil that lives inside him will come out again, and he’ll end up hurting someone. You can’t change him, no matter what you do. You can take away his ability to shift, and his memories, but the evilness in his heart will still find a way out at some point.”

Gabriel was quiet for a moment. “You’re sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes. I’m not saying it because I want revenge. I’m telling you to kill him because it’s what’s best for everyone. Wolves, humans, and anything in between. No one is safe as long as my uncle draws breath.”

“Then it will be done.”

She thanked the alpha and hung up the phone, passing it back to Lucas.

“So, what does a bunny shifter do after the bad guy is caught and she doesn’t have to look over her shoulder anymore?” Lucas asked.

Aria grinned a little and slid her gaze his way. “She tries really hard to get knocked up by her super sexy mate.”

Lucas nearly choked on a laugh. “You want a baby?”

She swung her leg across his lap and pressed her lips to his. “No, I want lots of babies…but one at a time would be ideal.”

He looked a little startled. “Just how many can you have at one time?”

“Three or four, but Mom only ever had me.”

“Four?” His eyes went wide. “We need a bigger place.”

“Right now, the only thing we need is each other. And a lot less clothing. Strip, my sexy mate, and remind me why life is worth living.”

“Now, that I can do,” he said right before claiming her lips in a kiss that made her toes curl.

Aria knew that life with Lucas would never be dull. With him by her side, she could face anything. She might have been locked down by her uncle, and kept as little more than a prisoner, but she was finally free, in every way that mattered. The only thing being kept now was her heart…and Lucas could be the keeper of her heart for as long as they both lived.

“I love you,” she whispered against his lips. “I want you to claim me again. This time because it’s what we both want, and not as a way to protect me. I want you to set your wolf free.”

He growled softly and stripped out of his clothes, before removing all of hers. As they toppled to the carpeted floor, Aria knew in her heart that she was right where she was supposed to be. And she was going to spend the rest of her life showing Lucas just how perfect they were together, in every way possible.

Lucas entered her with one sure thrust, and she clung to his shoulders. Their bodies moved together as one as the scent of sex filled the air. Lucas’ strokes became deeper, harder, and soon Aria was losing control. She felt her rabbit half rising to the surface and watched as Lucas’ wolf peeked from his eyes. Turning her head to the side, she offered her shoulder to him once more.

He bit, hard and true, his fangs sinking into the same spot as before. She cried out from the sharp bite of pain that quickly turned to a warmth that spread all the way to her toes. Aria cried out her release, clinging to her mate, as he came inside of her. With their hearts beating erratically, and their breaths coming out in pants, they lay twined together on the carpet.

Aria didn’t know if they’d created a life during any of their times together, but with some luck nd before long, their little family would expand to three or four. And if that’s all Lucas wanted, she would be content with his decision. She didn’t know what the future would bring, but she knew that she wanted to spend it with Lucas. Coming to Ashton Grove had been the best decision of her life, and she would thank God every day for leading her back to Lucas.

She closed her eyes and snuggled close. With his heart thrumming under her ear, she let out a contented sigh and tumbled into sleep. Safe. Free. And completely his.

 

~*~ The End ~*~