Chapter 332
Chapter 332
I didn’t run, because that would only draw attention, and the last thing I needed was a scene. But I moved quickly and deliberately, putting as many bodies as possible between me and him, weaving back and forth in the hopes of losing him.
Had he known that I was going to be here?
That was the only explanation. He must have found out somehow, maybe through Sebastian, or maybe through some other channel I hadn’t thought about, and he had come here specifically to find me.
Ten years of thinking I was safe and it ended at a banquet in Evergreen because I’d listened to Claire and gotten on the road like an idiot.
I found the bathroom at the end of a side corridor and got inside and locked the door.
It was a single occupancy room, small, with a mirror above the sink and a window above the toilet that looked out onto the side of the building. I stood at the sink and gripped the edges of it and looked at myself in the mirror.
My hands were shaking.
“Okay,” I said quietly. “Okay. Breathe, Avery. Think p>
Gideon was out there. He’d seen me, maybe even scented me.
But maybe he didn’t pick up my scent in time. And he might not have recognized me. He hadn’t gotten quite close enough. My hair was different, my clothes were different, and ten years had aged me, too.
Still, I couldn’t go back out there. It was too risky.
I looked at the window and bit the inside of my cheek.
It was not a large window, but it would work My keys were in my pocket. I could get to my car and drive away. I’d replace anything I left behind in the guest room, mostly just clothes and toiletries.
I climbed up onto the toilet lid, unlatched the window, and pushed it open.
The drop on the other side was maybe six feet onto grass, which I could manage. I got my arms through, then my shoulders, then the rest of me, and dropped down onto the ground and landed in a crouch,
I straightened up and started walking toward the front of the building.
I made it approximately forty feet before a hand came down on my shoulder.
1/3
Chapter 332
+25 Bonus
“Hey,” said a voice behind me. “Stop right there p>
I stopped.
There were two of them, both male, both in the plain dark clothing that Sebastian’s guards wore. They were looking at me with obvious suspicion, and I knew right away that they had seen me climb through the window.
“I can explain,” I said.
“Sure you can,” said the one who had grabbed me. “Come with us.
I thought briefly about running. My wolf was all for it. But they were both bigger than me and almost certainly faster, and I hadn’t shifted in ages, and making a break for it in the middle of an Alpha’s formal event would probably make things considerably worse than they already were.
So I went with them.
They walked me back inside, through a side entrance, then down a corridor I hadn’t seen before that ran along the back of the hall. I could hear the noise of the event on the other side of the wall, the music and conversation carrying through.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked.
“To the Alpha,” said the one on my left.
“I’m actually a guest here. I’m not-I wasn’t doing anything. I just needed some air p>
“Through a window p>
“I couldn’t find the door?” I replied.
Neither of them responded to that,
They brought me out through a set of double doors at the far end of the corridor and into what looked like a wide courtyard at the rear of the building. There were torches lit around the perimeter, and a crowd had gathered, guests who had apparently filtered out from the event, forming a rough circle around the center of the space,
The guards stopped, and I blinked, rubbing my eyes to focus on what I was seeing.
Sebastian was in the center of the circle of torches. He had his shirt off and his jaw
set.
And across from him, also shirtless, was none other than Gideon,
2/3
Chapter 339
Editorial Board
Editorial Board Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.