Because of the weather and the Urbat, we ended up a little further south than where Gabby said we wanted to be after a week of travel.  Bethi still carried a chip on her shoulder, but I couldn’t be sure if it was still toward me or because we were all tired of the never ending road trip.

Dripping wet, we trudged into the lobby of yet another hotel.  While Charlene and Thomas went to the desk to check us in, Winifred approached Bethi and pulled her off to the side.

“I’d like to take out the stitches today.  It was a shallow enough cut that it should be fine, but you’ll need to take it easy.”

Bethi’s gaze brightened as she nodded eagerly.  “I’m so ready to get rid of my Frankenstein.”

After getting our room card, we went to settle in before meeting for supper.  Not more than a minute after the door closed, Winifred knocked.  She came with gauze, alcohol, and sharp scissors.  Bethi moved to the bed as Winifred came in.

“Are you ready?” Bethi asked.  “Should I assume the patient position?  On my back with my shirt up?”

“That would be best.”

“That’s what he said.”

Winifred gave me a questioning look, and I held up my hands as Bethi snickered.

“It’s a saying,” she said, easing onto her back.  “He’s still being annoyingly puritan about Claiming.”  She lifted her shirt, exposing her flat, soft stomach.  I swallowed hard at the sight of so much skin, my thoughts going south until I saw the neat row of little black stitches.  Guilt gripped me, and I moved closer so I could hold her hand.

“Removing the stitches will be far less painful then receiving the cut,” Winifred said.  I wasn’t sure if she was assuring me or Bethi.

Probably me.  Bethi looked completely at ease as she lay there.  Her jean clad legs hung off the edge of the bed from her knees.  The knife strapped to her thigh stood out without Bethi’s long coat to hide it.  She was a tiny, slightly broken, badass girl who kept me on my toes.

Winifred didn’t appear to care about the knife as she doused a piece of gauze with alcohol.  Bethi had kept the weapon fairly hidden, but Grey had noticed it early on.  No doubt the reason Winifred didn’t seem surprised or question the knife.

Winifred swabbed the area with alcohol then cut the first loop.  Bethi winced when Winifred tugged the first stitch free, but kept quiet through the rest.  As soon as the last thread pulled free, Bethi sighed and moved to tug her shirt down.

“Not yet,” Winifred said, reaching down for a bottle.  “It needs to be cleaned again.”  She passed the small bottle of rubbing alcohol to me.  “I think you can take it from here.”

Bethi frowned at Winifred’s back as she left.  Without sitting up, she pulled her shirt down over the little bleeding holes.

“You heard her,” I said.  “Let’s do this quick, and then we can grab dinner.”

Bethi shook her head.  “I’m too sick for dinner.  Let’s skip it.”

Tilting my head, I studied her.  How could a little sting of alcohol cause this much trepidation when mutts and knives never had?

She stared back at me, a challenge that made me want to grin.  I loved her stubborn will as much as it aggravated me.  But, right now, her fear was prompting her to make a decision that might lead to infection.

“Bethi, you’re tougher than this,” I said, gently.

She made a face at me, but lifted her shirt again.

“Go on, you sadist,” she said without rancor.  “Inflict some more pain on your poor little human.”

She scrunched her eyes closed and took a slow deep breath.

It was too late for her to hide.  Those words created an ache in my chest.  My little human…I rubbed the spot over my heart.

I studied her.  Dark hair spread like a halo behind her head.  The healthy flush spreading over her face, darkened her lips.  She tempted me with each chest expanding breath she took.  The exposed area of skin begged for kisses, not sanitation.  I leaned over the bed and pressed my lips to her forehead, then dabbed some alcohol on each tiny little hole in her stomach.  Touching her soft smooth skin again and again made my hands tremble.  She made a few noises and twitched a little, but kept still and quiet for the most part.

Finishing, I leaned forward to kiss her forehead again.  When I pulled away, she was watching me.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me.  I did.  I’m good at that.”

I tossed the gauze into the bin and helped her sit up.  “But not anymore.  Never again.”  I lifted her chin, wanting her promise.

She nodded.

Satisfied, I moved away from the bed and cleaned up the tissues and stitches Winifred had removed.  Bethi carefully sat up then stood.  She moved cautiously, testing the newly healed thin line on her stomach.

“Since we’re eating at the hotel’s restaurant, it might be better if you leave that here,” I said, with a nod toward her knife.

She sighed and made a face, but bent to remove the knife and hand it to me.  I packed it into our bag, in the spot she favored for easy access.

She wore an anxious expression while she waited by the door for me.  As I’d hoped, the knife had given her a small sense of safety.

“We’ll all be there,” I said, placing another kiss on her forehead.  “You won’t need it.”

“Right,” she said under her breath.  She gave the bag a long look then left the room with me.

The rest were already waiting in the lobby, the cubs loudly entertaining themselves with Grey and Jim.

“All set?” Winifred asked us.

Bethi wrinkled her nose.  “Yes.  He got each one.”

Winifred smiled.  “We’ll get you a dessert for putting up with that.”

The smallest cub immediately scampered over to Bethi.

“Can I sit by you?” he asked.

Jim had already taught the cub to be a food thief.  When Bethi nodded, I knew I’d be guarding her food.  She hadn’t yet gained enough weight.  The cub was cute but not enough to sacrifice Bethi’s food.  The dreams took too much out of her to be content with the few meager pounds she’d added.

As a group, we moved to the hotel’s dining room where the wait staff had already prepared a table for our large party.  I sat on one side of Bethi with Aden on the other.  Jim was quick to sit across from Aden, with Liam beside Jim.  Gabby claimed the spot directly across from Bethi, which meant I was face to face with the Yeti.  He didn’t annoy me as much as he once had, but I wasn’t about to admit it to anyone.

Talk around the table rose as everyone tried to decide what to order.  I focused on the menu, debating whether I wanted a quality cut steak or tender prime rib.  My mouth started to water as I debated, wishing both were an option.

Bethi moved slightly beside me and looked up at Gabby.  I followed Bethi’s gaze and saw Gabby’s unfocused expression.

“One of them just changed direction,” Gabby mouthed.

I glanced at Clay.  He frowned.  I think.

“Maybe the rain?” Gabby said softly, her eyes focusing again on the menu.  She didn’t look up again, but her gaze would go in and out of focus as she monitored the progress of whoever had caught her attention.

That was one positive thing that had happened since leaving the Compound.  Bethi’s frantic desperation had decreased.  Marginally.  Being with Gabby, Michelle, and Charlene seemed to help her feel less alone.  I felt a slight bit of guilt that Bethi’s arrival had done the opposite for them.

“Are y’all ready to order?” the waitress asked.

“What are you getting?” Bethi asked, leaning close to me while the rest ordered.

“The porter house steak.”  She made a face and kept looking at her menu then back at Gabby.

When it was her turn to order, she asked for the baked lasagna and salad.  I added a glass of milk with her meal.  She rolled her eyes at me but let me have my way.  Humans needed more balance in their diets than we did.

Across the table, Clay ordered for Gabby and himself.  She reached for his hand as he passed off the menus.  Worry pulled her brow down.

“What is it?” Grey asked softly, finally noticing something wasn’t right with her.  Everyone quieted and looked at Gabby.

“Someone’s changed direction,” Bethi said, speaking for her.

The Urbat’s desperation for power made their search for the human women at our table a dangerous game of cat and mouse.  I glanced at Charlene, wondering how she’d escaped their detection for so long.

“A complete turn,” Gabby said, reclaiming my attention.

“With all this rain, we should be fine,” Sam said, trying to calm everyone.  But we knew all it took was for one of them to catch the scent and send word.

“Have any others changed?” Winifred asked.

“I thought the rest looked like the same inconsistencies they’ve been doing since the beginning.  Remember how I said it looked like a net?  Several have changed directions moving toward a central point,” she frowned.  “They are doing that in six areas.  We seem to be in the middle of one.  The areas are huge though, several states.  Big nets to catch little fish.”

“Do we need to move?” Grey asked.

Gabby shook her head slowly.  “I’m not as worried about their nets as much as I am the one closest to us.  About a mile now.”

The Elders shared a look, probably trying to decide how to handle it.  When the waitress came with our drinks, Jim asked for a double whiskey and two kiddie cocktails, obviously to cheer up the cubs.

“That’s close,” Winfired said once the woman walked away.  “But with the rain, we don’t think they could track us even if they were right outside the door.”  Thunder boomed to punctuate her point.  “Gabby, keep us updated.  Sam, grab everyone’s room keys and gather our things in my room.  If he reaches the parking lot, we’ll all go there.”

I passed our room key down to Sam, who took the keys and left.

The waitress delivered the whiskey and kids’ sodas.  Jim pushed the sodas to the boys and the whiskey to Michelle, who reeked of fear.  She cast a worried glance at the cubs.

“Nana,” she said.  “Call Mary and Gregory.  You’re right.  It’s safer.”

Winifred nodded, and Michelle took a small sip of her drink.

While conversation quietly resumed, Bethi and I watched Gabby.  We could see the moment we were out of danger.  Gabby took a deep, calming breath and removed her hand from Clay’s.

“He’s close, but stopped moving,” Gabby said.

“Probably holing up out of the rain,” Clay said.

“If he clears out before check out tomorrow morning, we’ll see if we can book the rooms for another night.  It will give Mary and Gregory enough time to reach us,” Winifred said.

A few minutes later Sam rejoined us just in time for our food.  Bethi dug into her meal with an enthusiasm I couldn’t muster.  The Urbat had greater numbers, more connections, and according to Michelle, more money.  How long would we be able to hide from them?  How had Charlene managed to remain hidden for so long?

After dinner, everyone went to Winifred’s room to grab their things.  The room assignments were rearranged so there would be an Elder in each room in case we needed a quick warning to leave.  Grey and Carlos roomed with us, Sam stayed with Gabby and Clay, and Nana with Charlene and Thomas since their room adjoined to Michelle and Emmitt’s.

Bethi remained quiet as we walked to our room with Carlos and Grey following.  As soon as we were inside, she closed herself in the bathroom with our bag.

Carlos and Grey silently took one bed, both laying on top the covers fully dressed.  I pulled back the covers and removed my shoes while listening to Bethi wash and brush her teeth.  When she emerged, she was still fully dressed.  My girl.  Smart and ready for whatever.

I smiled, removed my shirt, and got into bed.

She didn’t hesitate to kick off her shoes and join me.

*    *    *    *

The next morning, after hearing we’d be staying another day so Mary and Gregory could pick up the cubs, everyone divided into groups.  Winifred and Sam went shopping for food for the next day’s travel.  Carlos and Grey stayed at the hotel, a safety net in case we needed to leave quickly.  Michelle wanted to take the kids to an early movie.  Gabby and Clay stayed behind because Gabby wanted to complete some school work—Bethi’s look of disbelief was missed by everyone but me.  And, the rest decided on the childish movie with the cubs.  I watched Bethi debate our options, slightly relieved when she chose the movie.  I’d slept too much already.

We walked to the theater, trailing behind the group.  The cubs and Jim listed every food they would eat during the movie.  When we stepped inside, Bethi breathed in deeply.

“Popcorn sounds good,” she said.  “A lot of it.”

“Then we’ll get some popcorn,” I said, leading her to the counter.  We ordered a large tub with extra butter and a large soda.  She dug into the bucket as soon as we were seated.

“Mmm,” she said, chewing.  She exhaled slowly as she reached for some more.  “I haven’t had popcorn for…”  She looked to the side, thinking.  “Five months?  Six?  It was before the dreams started.”  She gave a slight laugh.  “Back when I thought I was normal.”

How she was now seemed normal to me.  I couldn’t imagine Bethi any other way.

The theater lit up with pre-movie ads, drawing her attention from her thoughts to the screen.  Not that she could probably hear.  Emmitt, his family, Michelle, and the cubs sat several rows in front of us.  The youngest cub was asking Jim questions in a voice that carried throughout the theater.  Loud little things.  Our cubs would be well behaved.  The thought gave me a sad pause.  If we had cubs.  The world wasn’t getting any safer to bring young into it.

The movie started.  Sound blared from the speakers, drowning out the cub’s voice and likely killing every auditory cell in my ears.  Yet, as the show progressed, I didn’t miss the sound of Bethi’s laughter.  It wasn’t harsh or cynical, like I’d heard so often before, but soft and sweet.  I turned to study her and breathed in deeply.  No fear.  No distrust.  No manipulation, regret or guilt.  Just pure Bethi.  The colors on the screen painted her face in greens and pinks.  Her eyes glittered with her humor and life.

Was this how she’d been before the dreams?  Vibrant?  Happy?  I inhaled her sweet scent again and the need to taste her consumed me.

I gently touched her chin and turned her to face me.  Before she knew what I meant to do, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to her.  I tasted salt and sugar.  I opened my mouth and deepened the kiss, letting her true flavor overcome the rest.

Mine.  Always.

Realizing the direction of my thoughts, I released her.  She vacantly turned back to the movie, a dreamy expression on her face as she blinked slowly.  I grinned, ate some popcorn, and watched the show, counting down the minutes until I could hold her in my arms again.

My impatience kept me from enjoying any aspect of the actual movie.  Only sitting beside Bethi made the experience endurable.

Jim tried saying something to me on the way back to the hotel but gave up after my second “what?”

While the rest of the group went for lunch, Bethi and I went to our room.

“A dream’s coming,” Bethi said as I opened the door.  “I’m going to take a quick shower—a warm one.”

She closed herself into the bathroom before I could say anything.  I didn’t mind.  She seemed relaxed and was talking to me.

Preparing for the dream, I pulled back the covers and removed my shoes as the shower turned on.  My eyes fell on the bag.  She hadn’t brought any clothes in with her.  If I were a gentleman, I would put the bag in the bathroom while she showered.  However, the thought of standing in the bathroom with her naked on the other side of a thin curtain started my limbs shaking.  I wasn’t enough of a gentleman to be a gentleman in this case.

I stared at the bathroom door.  What would she do when she realized she had no clothes?  Would she come out wrapped in a towel?  Sweat dotted my forehead and need tightened my gut.  The flavor of her still lingered on my tongue.  Thinking of that just made my need worse.

The water turned off.  Should I leave?  I took two steps closer to the door and stopped.  No.  I couldn’t leave.  She said a dream was coming.  She needed me to keep it away.  The last time I’d left her to deal with her dreams on her own, she’d gotten angry and Claimed Joshua.

My teeth elongated at the thought of Joshua and how he’d touched her.  I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm down.  With that inhale, I caught a whiff of something.  Despair.  I realized how quiet she’d gotten inside the bathroom.  Worried, I knocked.

“You all right?” I asked through the door.

Inside, she moved.  “Yeah.  I just forgot my bag.”

Relived she hadn’t fallen asleep, I moved toward the bag and said, “I’ll get it.”

Walking in and rescuing her from a drowning in the shower because she’d fallen asleep again would have tested me to my limits in my current state.

Behind me, the bathroom door opened.  My grip on the bag tightened as I turned.  Bethi stood in the partially opened doorway.  The lose towel wrapped around her torso hid very little.  My imagination exposed the rest.

She closed the door further and stuck out her hand, beckoning.  Tempting.

I knew what she wanted, just the bag.  But I couldn’t bring it to her.  If I moved, I’d forget my promise to wait.  To give her time to choose me without fear.  If I moved, she’d be mine.

Her fingers closed into a fist, and her hand slowly lowered.  Good.  Once the door closed, I’d set the—the door whipped open and Bethi marched out with fire in her eyes.

“Just so you know,” she said, “I had a boyfriend before the dreams started and I went crazy.  It was pretty serious.”

She yanked the bag from my fingers as her words cut through the haze clouding my mind.

“But I cut ties when I realized what was coming my way.  You know I’m old enough in the human world, and I know that by werewolf standards I’m old enough.  When you’re ready, you let me know,” she said, turning away.

I reached for her, curling my fingers around her arms.

“What are you saying?” I asked.  My need for her made my voice sound less human.

She dropped the bag and stepped close.  “You didn’t think a girl willing to cut herself, take drugs, run away from home, and hitch rides from strangers would save herself, did you?”

Anger clouded my thinking.  “Joshua?”

She snorted as she traced the line of my jaw with a fingertip.  “No way.  He smelled like mud.”

Her gaze held mine for a moment then she stood on her toes.

“You smell like home,” she whispered, brushing her lips against mine.

The flavor of her scent, the taste of her lips, begged me to move.  She reached up and gently touched my hair.  The soft skin of her lips brushed back and forth against mine.  The need to make her mine ripped through me.  I pulled her against my chest and let her in.

She pressed against me, her grip on my hair tightening, urging me for more.  I tilted my head and deepened the kiss, surrendering to the pull I could no longer deny.  Bethi’s breathing grew shallow, and I pulled away from her to trail kisses down her neck.

“Tell me this is a yes,” she whispered, hope and desperation wrapping around her.

I groaned and kissed my way back to her lips.  Just before I claimed them again, I met her gaze.

“This is a yes.”  I tilted my head, exposing my neck.  My insides heated as she reached up to hold my shoulders.

The towel fell to the floor, and she pulled me down to her trembling lips.  Her scent sweetened boldly, making it hard to breathe.  She gently brushed her lips against my neck.  I shivered with need and lifted my hands to cradle her head.

I couldn’t remember a moment I’d dreamed of more.  Her lips on me.  Her teeth scraping the skin, then the feel of her teeth within me.  Euphoria burst in my chest, and I struggled not to howl in joy as a new pathway nudged my mind.  The connection stretched and grew.  I felt her shy hesitancy and gentle caring inside me.  She filled me.  I sent all my love for her over the link and smoothed my hand over her hair and down her bare back.  The feel of her skin under my fingertips robbed me of all thought but one.  I needed her.  All of her.

She kissed her way up my neck to my jaw, and I pulled back to claim her lips once more.  My hunger wouldn’t be stopped this time.  It couldn’t.  She was my air, my sustenance, my existence.  Turning us, I backed her toward the bed.

I pulled away from her lips to remove my shirt.  She watched, the harsh rasp of her breathing competing with the loud beat of our hearts.  A smile lit her face as I tossed the shirt aside, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.  The move brought us skin to skin.

“Last chance to stop this,” I said, my words rough with need.  Though I said it, I doubted I’d be able to walk away.

Thankfully, she didn’t test me.

“I’m never letting you go.”

I kissed her deeply and eased her back onto the mattress.  I touched her everywhere, determined to erase any memory of past boys from her mind.  Each sigh and every gasp drove me on.  She opened to me, moving with a shy grace that heated my blood.  Sweat beaded my forehead as I held myself over her.  Her beautiful gaze met mine as I eased forward to complete our bond.  She cried out and I froze, frowning.

Apology and passion flooded my mind as she started to move beneath me.

“Mine,” she breathed, kissing my neck.

I couldn’t hold myself back.  I moved with her until we lay in a sweaty contented heap several minutes later.

She traced her fingers through the hair on my chest, sending out waves of peace and small bits of worry.

“You lied,” I said quietly, turning to kiss the top of her head.

“The last lie I’ll be able to get away with now.  Well, with you anyway.”

“Was there even a boyfriend?” I asked gently.

“Not a serious one.”  She paused for a moment.  “Still wish we would have waited for the magic eighteen?”

I turned to face her.  “Yes.  You are worth waiting for.”  I pushed my love at her, wrapping it around her.  She smiled and kissed me.

“You’re worth waiting for, too,” she said.  “But, I didn’t want to risk dying without feeling this.”

She trailed her fingers along my skin and the connection between us grew, bursting with love and life.  Her doubt and fear were gone, and I felt the beauty of her ageless wisdom.  I wouldn’t have wanted to die without feeling this either.

Her stomach rumbled, and I felt guilty for allowing her to skip lunch. I could still count her ribs.

“Let’s get dressed and eat,” I said, sitting up.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, obviously feeling something over our link.

“You never eat right.”  I stood and went to find my pants.

What I felt over the link had my teeth lengthening and my pulse jumping.  She wanted me.  Now.  Back in bed.

I clenched my jaw and forced myself to keep moving.

“If you don’t stop, we’ll never feed you,” I said, walking to the bathroom.

*    *    *    *

We met everyone downstairs for dinner.  Winifred’s assessing look missed nothing as her gaze swept over Bethi.

Congratulations, she sent me, smiling.

“About time he pulled his head from his—” Grey started to say.  Carlos cut him off with a nudge.

Apparently I’d been the only one with an age issue.  But I couldn’t deny I felt better knowing we were Mated, and I’d be able to find her anywhere now.  My girl seemed overly fond of trouble and running away.

Thomas and Charlene were talking to Winifred, Mary, and Gregory.  Before arriving at this hotel, Grey had mentioned running wild in the woods before Thomas met Charlene.  My thoughts about our females and the Urbat hadn’t left my mind.  I wasn’t ready to talk to the Elders yet.  Not because I didn’t trust them, but because I wasn’t sure if I trusted my theory.  I wanted more information.  Who better to ask than the man who’d run wild?

Before Bethi moved off to talk to Gabby and Michelle, I turned her and kissed her cheek.

“Don’t go too far,” I said.

She grinned.  “I can’t get away from you now.”

“No.  You can’t.  Behave, though.”

She laughed and joined the other women.  I caught Thomas’ eye and nodded to the side.

“Can we step outside for a moment?” I asked.  “I wanted to ask you a few things.”

“Sure.”

Thomas led the way out the doors.  We didn’t go far.  I wanted to be able to watch Bethi through the glass.

“Congratulations,” Thomas said as soon as the doors were closed.

I nodded, eyeing up the man.  Over the past few days, my opinion of him had changed slightly.  I wasn’t ready to join his pack or anything like that.  But, I now knew I’d been wrong to think Thomas and the Elders were trying to keep unmated women away from the Forlorn.

“Something on your mind?” he asked, watching me.

“Yeah.  A few things actually.  Grey mentioned you and Gregory roamed quite a bit in your youth.  In all your time in the woods, did you come across many families?”

“Not many,” he said.  “Men who had females kept to themselves.  Hidden, if they could manage it.  There were a few families we knew who welcomed us, but most did not.”

I nodded, having expected that answer.  “And how many males did you come across grieving the loss of a daughter or a wife?”

Thomas frowned.  “A few.  Life was hard in the woods.  That’s why Charlene’s made such an impact in so many ways.  What this about?”

“A suspicion.  My parents were killed when I was still a cub, and something about that is bothering me with everything that’s going on now.”

“Like what?”

“I found them after school.  Da was on the floor, his throat ripped out.  Ma was in the corner, not far from him.  The police blamed it on a break in.  But nothing had been taken.  Just their lives.  Da’s throat told me it was one of our own.  Humans typically don’t kill like that.”  I inhaled slowly, making sure to stay calm so Bethi wouldn’t feel anything over our link.  “I’d always thought that Ma had tried to stop a fight for territory.  We had a good thing there, blending with the humans.  But, Bethi says these Urbat have been searching for them.  What if…while the Urbat were searching for them”—I nodded toward the women inside—“they’ve been attacking families and any Mated pairs, reducing our numbers just in case they couldn’t find what they were looking for?  It easier to take power when there’s no opposition.”

Thomas frowned as he considered my words.

“There’s something else that’s really bothering me.”

“More than that?”

I nodded.  “You found Charlene a long time ago.  Joshua is proof that there have been traitors among you for a while.  So, why now?  Why not attack when they first discovered Charlene?”

Thomas tilted his head as he considered me.

“Maybe,” he said slowly, “they did.”

“Tell me,” I said.

“It’s not a quick story.”

“That’s fine.  If Bethi’s taught me anything, it’s to take the time to listen.  So, go ahead.  I’m listening.”

Through the glass, Bethi’s gaze met mine.  I hoped whatever Thomas experienced with Charlene would give us a clue as to what was happening now.  We had so few answers and so many lives to try to save.  Our Wisdom was exhausted, and we needed Strength to pull us through.