Page 186 of His Forsaken Alpha

“Hmmm…”Cavanaugh murmured. “Wood.”

Wynter frowned. “Likewood-wood, or are we talking cock?”

Cavanaugh laughed. “Actually, both.”

Wynter’s frown deepened. “That’s not much for me to go on.”

“You didn’t say it needed to be an easy clue,” Cavanaugh replied, a wide grin on his handsome face.

“Then give me an easy clue.”

“Nope. You get one clue, and you’ve already gotten it,” Cavanaugh said.

“Cruel,” Wynter snarled. He fought a smile. “Howdareyou.”

Cavanaugh wrapped an arm around Wynter’s shoulders. “You know, we could be putting this time to better use.” He leaned down to claim a brief kiss before lifting his head. “Might take your mind off our destination.”

“Maybe,” Wynter crooned. He leaned up, offering his lips to his mate.

Cavanaugh took no time accepting that offer. He captured Wynter’s mouth, a starving man. Wynter was left breathless—and rock hard in a very inappropriate location. When he gathered his wits, he noticed they were landing.

Leaning forward, he searched the helipad.“Blacksburg?”

“I know we were just here and there are some mixed emotions tangled around this province, but there’s something I really want to show you,” Cavanaugh said. “Humor me? If you hate it, we’ll go straight back to Alexandria.”

Wynter took a steadying breath. He trusted Cavanaugh. His alpha offered an outstretched hand, and he took it. Climbing down from the helicopter, he held tight and hoped the reason they were there was worth it. Cavanaugh led him to a beat-up pickup truck parked in the nearby lot.

“This reminds me of Trout’s old truck.”

“ItisTrout’s old truck,” Cavanaugh replied as he opened the passenger door. “Hop in.”

Wynter slid inside, sadness swelling. Cavanaugh jumped in behind the wheel and brought the engine to life. “Still purrs like a kitten.”

“I’m sorry your friend died trying to save me,” Wynter said. “I hate that one more person suffered due to my papa’s madness.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Cavanaugh said. “Trout had cancer. He’d been fighting it for years. A couple of months before I met you, he told me—and that he only had a short time left.”

“No… that doesn’t make me feel better,” Wynter said. “We robbed him of his last days.”

“He died trying to be a hero, because that was the kind of man he was,” Cavanaugh said. “Look at it that way.”

Wynter sighed. “I’ll try.”

“I didn’t bring you here to remind you of the pain,” Cavanaugh said. He shook his head. “Maybe I’ve made a bad call.”

“I’m sorry.Take me wherever it is you want to take me,” Wynter said. “It’s special to you, so I want to see it. I’m sure I’ll love it… because I loveyou.”

Cavanaugh held his gaze a moment before silently moving the gearshift and turning to focus on the road. They drove the opposite direction of Arthur’s home, toward the industrial center. Not long after that, they arrived at the wall.

“We’re going outside the gates?” Wynter asked, hesitant.

“I thought you hated walls?” Cavanaugh asked as he presented paperwork to the Guard at the gate.

“I do, yet I know what they’re there for.”

“Where are you headed?” the Guardsman asked.

“Protected Zone,”Cavanaugh murmured.

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