swung it open. She quickly slipped inside, only to find a deserted room, the ticket counter closed and locked. Angel fell to a dead stop, her eyes flicking to the departures board. She’d checked the schedule upon arriving in this city and knew it like the back of her hand. Sometime between then and now, however, someone had opted for a new one and, with panic chasing down her spine, she realized she had no escape. The next bus wasn’t until five-thirty in the morning.
Sighing, she slumped down into the nearest hard plastic chair, jumping at every little sound. What was she supposed to do now? Sit here and wait for Seth to show up? Hope that Hunter did first? Her life was a mess; she just wanted to board that damn bus and get the hell out of Dodge. Of course, her mind took that moment to flash an image of Hunter, remind her of the sinful taste of his lips. Perfect, just perfect. She couldn’t run—they’d follow her scent—and without the bus she was trapped; her only option was to follow Hunter’s plan. She tipped her head back, her thoughts drifting away without pursuit, praying for them not to center on Seth.
In the backdrop her sensitive ears picked up on insects scurrying over the walls, pipes creaking and moaning, and somewhere in a back room, a stray animal tearing into the garbage. She tried to focus on those things, lose herself to the sounds around her, but her mind rebelled. The memory of Hunter’s touch rose unbidden instead. Her eyes tightened and her face pinched with concern. She should not have let that happen. What in the world had she been thinking, getting physical with a werewolf? And not just any werewolf—an alpha. She’d sworn to herself the moment she’d first opened her eyes after her change, after realizing there was a whole other world hidden away in the deep folds of what had been her reality, that she would never become one of them. Oh, they’d tried many things to force her beast out of her—things she did not want to think about in the dark of night with the shadows pressing in. But it’d never worked, or at least, not in the manner they’d wanted.
Angel ached with exhaustion—she’d managed to complete her tenth hour of work before all hell had broken loose, and her dogs were barking. Her finger ran along the line of her lower lip as she remembered the feel of his mouth on hers, the sweet scent of his breath filling her. She’d wanted more ; even now her body burned for it. Ten years and the desire now was just as maddening! Her startled laugh rose in the cavernous bus terminal, dancing off the walls with a haunting echo. The worst—the absolute worst —had been the desire to comfort him when his face had shifted into that torturous look.
Fool .
She’d been taught never to trust a werewolf, especially alphas. The lesson had been carved into her flesh and bone. And here she’d gone and fallen—
She sucked in a sharp breath, snapping straight in her seat. Don’t say it , pup . Don’t even think it. It isn’t possible.
He was a werewolf, a monster. It was as simple as that. She might be one, too, but her human half was stronger, always keeping the beast locked down. She was nothing like them and never would be. If she was being honest with herself, she would at least admit that he was nothing like them as well.
Slamming the door shut on those thoughts, Angel slumped low in the chair again and returned to her former position, arms crossed over her chest to hold in the warmth. Who knew how long this little plot would take to play out, and she loathed the thought of simply sitting and waiting. She started by counting her breaths—anything to pass the insufferable time.
Chapter Four
A familiar scent filled her dreams, and even in her sleep, her stomach knotted. It’d been years since she’d last inhaled that particular aroma, yet she remembered it as clear as day. She scrunched down into the hard-backed chair and buried her nose deep into her jacket in an attempt