Page 14 of Her Arranged Alpha
"Well, we can't return with nothing. So, you'd better get looking again." The other one shifted, and the guy holding his nose headed off up towards the other guys, leaving us alone once more.
I ground my teeth together, knowing we needed to move now. This was our moment. They were all a mess and couldn't focus together as a team anymore.
I tapped her shoe, and she raised an eyebrow at me. I held my hand out, wanting her to give it to me. She made a face and mouthed what at me.
I softly sighed and grabbed her ankle, untying her left shoe. She swatted at my hand, but I stopped her, yanking the shoe free. I pointed down and slowly started to scale down the tree. Jillian followed me, taking quick, slow steps, both of us making sure not to make any noise as we moved.
I scanned the area once she got to the bottom. There were no wolves around us, but we needed to give them something to get them to move away from us. If they thought a woman was still here, I needed to get them to move away from us, even if it was just for a few moments.
I held my hand up, telling her to stay as I stepped a little further out of the tree. I scanned the space and pulled the shoe up. I threw with all my might, sending the shoe spiraling through the air. It went out of sight and landed loudly near some bushes by a creek just a few yards from us.
I took a step back into the tree just as a couple of wolves came running. They went toward the shoe, sniffing and heading in a northerly direction. We waited a couple more moments, watching the rest of the group catch up and take off in that direction.
I grabbed Jillian's hand. "We need to move. That should direct them for a while, so we can get back into my territory."
Jillian nodded as she stepped out of the tree, taking off in the south direction back towards my pack. I squeezed her hand tightly as we moved, making sure she stayed with me each step of the way.
Chapter 6 - Jillian
"Do you need me to carry you?" Maddox asked as I hobbled next to him. My left foot ached from all the rocks and sticks I'd stepped on since we took off back to his pack.
"Why, because you threw my shoe and left me with only one?" I asked, glaring at him. He hadn't even given me a choice before he took my shoe and threw it. I understood why he did it, but I would have rather thrown something else.
Maddox paused, raising an eyebrow at me, giving me a charming smile. "It was genius and you know it."
I crossed my arms. "You took my boot. Those were nice."
"If it bothers you that much, I will buy you another pair of boots."
I paused, feeling my foot was starting to ache more. It was the change in terrain that was bothering me. I was trying not to let it show on my face, but Maddox paused and tilted his head at me.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine," I grumbled, trying to step past him, but he hooked my arm and pulled me back. He looked down and frowned. "I suppose I should have thought about how it would feel walking with one foot. We are a good distance away now; they shouldn't be able to catch up, and we are back in the right territory.”
He bent over and waved a hand towards his back. I took in the way his biceps bulged and his back muscles stretched, showing me just how built he was. I had tried to ignore the sexual tension, but staring at him now, I felt suddenly hot.
"Come on." He waved his hand again, gesturing for me to jump on.
I looked at him like he had grown another head. He wasn't seriously asking me to jump onto his back right now. "What are you doing?"
"I'm waiting for you to get onto my back."
"Why?"
"Because we still have a distance to go, and you're wearing one shoe. Unless you would like me to shift into my wolf form and carry you that way."
I chewed on my cheek and moved closer to him. I hopped onto his back. His arms wrapped around my thighs, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. The wind blew, and I leaned closer, pressing my chest against his back, feeling the heat radiate off of him. Even in his jacket, I could feel the heat from his body.
That was another part of being a full shifter: you were always warm. I ached to find this kind of warmth. I was always cold, always looking for some extra layers to put on.
Maddox started walking, seemingly not even noticing the extra weight of me on him as he moved. He walked over larger rocks and branches with ease, moving as quickly as he had before. His fingers were hot against my skin, and I tried to act like it didn't bother me.
I inhaled his scent of musk and ocean. It was a strange mix that went together nicely for him. I rested my head against his back, feeling tired. The walk was quiet as neither of us spoke the entire time.
As we got closer to the house, I leaned back. The neighborhood came into view, and I couldn't help but sigh in relief. "You can let me down. I'll walk the rest of the way."
Maddox paused, and I moved, stepping off his back. I felt a cold shiver roll over me as I suddenly missed his heat. I quickly brushed it off as we headed inside.
