“I don’t know yet. I just have to leave here. I can’t marry that monster.”
“I know. Be safe, baby. I love you so much. I always will. If you need me, I’m just a phone call away. Promise me you will find a way to let me know you are okay once you get where you are going?”
“I will, Mom,” Autumn told her, now crying too. “I love you too.”
Her mother nodded and then motioned for her to go, tears still streaming down her face. She stood at the outer door and watched her roll the bike quietly through the side yard and down the driveway into the darkness. Autumn made sure she was well away from their house before climbing onto the bike and kicking it to start, then heading toward the highway. She looked both ways, contemplating where she would go, and then decided: America. Pointing the bike south, she roared through the night, terrified and, somehow, exuberant.CHAPTER FIVEMalcolm
It was hard to make it out at first. It was dark, and he was tired, having been on the road for nearly a full day already with only a short rest break. The light of his bike hitting the silver metal frame of the motorcycle lying on the side of the road, halfway down the ditch, was clearer as he came closer. He pulled over to one side to check it out. This time of night, it could just be that they were waiting until daylight to have it pulled out, but he wanted to be sure.
The sound of a low groan from further down made him glad that he did. Grabbing the small mag light he kept in his side saddle, he made his way down past the bike and closer to the form lying there in the mud. It was a woman, but not just any woman. He could smell her. Another wolf would have left her to lie there, but he didn’t subscribe to the uglier side of shifter rivalries. It was one thing to go up against another pack that had attacked you, but a different thing altogether to leave someone in pain just because they weren’t your kind.
“Can you talk?” he asked her, kneeling to look her over with the flashlight.
She was scraped up pretty well and a couple of gashes were caked with dried blood, but nothing seemed bent out of its normal shape, so maybe she hadn’t broken anything. If she shifted, she could heal a bit faster, but was probably still looking at a good week or so for some of the rougher spots.
“Yes,” she managed, but it was weak, confused.
“Do you think anything is broken? Anything hurting inside?”
“Everything h-hurts.”
“Alright. I’m going to try to get you up.”
“The bike,” she began to say.
“The bike is fucked. Come on. Let’s take care of you.”
It was a struggle, but he managed to get her to her feet and onto the bike. Grabbing the army duffle he saw lying on the ground, he strapped it on top of his and sat down in front of her, pulling her arms around his waist and telling her to lock them there.
“Do you think you can hang on?” he asked.
“I hope so,” she managed. Then, a little more fearfully, “You’re a wolf.”
“I’m not going to hurt you. Looks like you’ve done a fine job of that yourself,” he told her, starting up the bike and heading down the highway.
Even in the darkness, the moon had been bright enough for him to see how attractive she was. If she had been a wolf Omega, he would have said fate left her there for him, but a bear shifter was only a hindrance to him getting on with his search. He had no idea what to do with her, especially at this late hour. He drove until he saw a vacancy sign for a small campground sporting cabins and pulled in. It would have to do for now. He could check her out a little better and see if she needed more serious assistance.
Helping her inside, he sat her on a sofa in the small reception office and went to the window, ringing a bell. The clerk looked over his shoulder at her uncertainly, taking in the torn clothing and blood. He shook his head no, preparing to turn them down, but she spoke up.
“I wrecked my bike. He didn’t abduct me or anything.”
“Shouldn’t you be at a hospital?” the clerk responded to her, but she just waved her hand around in a dismissive gesture.
“She just needs to rest. I’ll get her cleaned up and take her to the doctor in the morning.”
“If you say so, man,” the clerk said, looking at her uncertainly. He checked his computer and shook his head again. “Sorry, dude. I don’t have any two bedrooms open. We’ve only got one cabin with a double bed.”