Page 9 of Under A New Moon

He grabbed her hand and booked it, clearing the line of scattered wolves before they had a chance to get back into formation. But they would still be in hot pursuit, slavering for their hides. She tugged against him as if to keep up the fight but she was no match for Galen’s strength and motivation. He tried to urge her forward. “There’s no point, just go!”

“I can do this!”

“No!” he yelled over his shoulder with a breathless laugh. “You can’t!”

After fighting her and all of the shifters, he was shocked he still had enough strength to drag her along. One eye was almost swollen shut but his metahuman healing should have kicked in by now. When he finally rested, he figured, the process would begin.

Where could they go, though?

They were surprisingly fast on foot but the wolves were faster. He’d have to outsmart the lot for either of them to make it out of this scrape alive. It was odd, though. Galen couldn’t figure out when he started giving a shit about her safety.

He’d liked Shelly- or, he thought he did.

Maybe he was just holding on to that memory of her as the waitress. The friendly face. The sweet company that made his mornings worth staying up for. He cursed himself for falling for her lies. She was too kind. Too sweet.

The sun was just beginning to lighten the sky when he heard the distinct rhythm of paws on concrete. They only had another moment before the creatures came into sight, and once they did, Galen wouldn’t be able to shake them again.

“Over there,” he said between breaths, pointing at a motel with its vacancy light still illuminated. It was a run-down place but if they could get inside right this second, they’d be home free. For a while, anyway. He was happy to pay for the room once there weren’t any wolves on their tail.

She was finally running in step with him, and she nodded without argument.

They leaped over a low fence and skirted it to the back of the building. He was about to break a window when she stopped him. “Don’t. I’ll do it.”

Galen listened for the wolves.

They must have passed or hadn’t yet caught up. He peeked around the corner to make sure and saw the entire pack speeding down the street in the opposite direction. The wind must have drawn their scent further down the street.

At this point, it was just dumb luck.

He leaned against the siding and breathed a sigh of relief.

She set about breaking the door open, and with one rallying kick, it gave in to her insistence. “Come on, let’s go,” she said, ushering him inside with a scowl playing about her features. She checked that no one had been disturbed by the noise before shutting the door behind herself and driving the deadbolt home.

There was a furious look on her face.

Galen found it more than a little amusing. After all the shit she put him through, andshewas angry? Nah. She didn’t get to pull this shit.

In all honesty, she was about as busted up as he was, sporting new scrapes and gashes on her face and body. The hoodie she’d worn was also torn to shreds, almost falling off her shapely frame. He looked her up and down.

She looked him up and down. “You look like shit.”

“You do too, miss bitch,” he said with a lopsided grin.

She rolled her eyes. “So, what now? It wasn’t really my plan to be stuck with a shifter in a fucking motel room for the day, but here we are.”

“Yep,” he said, popping the ‘p.’ He looked around. At least they’d picked an unoccupied motel room. That would have made things more awkward than they already were. The queen-sized bed looked like a wonderful place to crash, though he knew it probably was hard and lumpy, based on the quality of the Budget Motel they’d found themselves hiding in.

Betrayal caught up with him, seeping into his marrow. He couldn’t stand the silence building between them and was more than glad to break it. “I’m not exactly sure why they were trying to attack me, and I guess I’ll figure that out eventually, but whyyou?” His features crumpled in confusion. “You were so- nice to me. What the fuck happened?”

“Yeah, not everything’s as it seems. I figured you’d know that better than most.” She sat at the end of the bed and glanced out the window as if to ignore him. After a brief silence, she conceded. “I just get the order, okay? You pissed someone off higher up and got put on a list. That’s how it works.”

“Okay…?”

She glared at him. “That’s all I know.

“It’s not like you get put on that list for no good reason. You did something shitty, and you get your comeuppance. Humans may be weaker compared to your people but we still fight back. Don’t act surprised now.”

“My people?” he asked.

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