Page 11 of Beneath His Alpha's Wings
He shook his head, so I headed off to find Tagger. He came to visit me often enough, so I knew he’d be able to navigate home. As I headed down the hall, I rubbed at an ache in my shoulder. Was that from a night of flying right after the full moon? Shit, I didn’t bounce back from those nights like I used to.
Chapter Three
Lucas
I sat nervously in the car with Kessel and Tagger. We drove along a few familiar roads – one of the perks of living on a peninsula – but soon I wasn’t quite sure where we were heading. It wasn’t until we pulled into a marina that I remembered them talking about an island for Teddy. They were takingmeto some island too, were they? Aside from Half Moon Island, most of the others in the area were uninhabited wildlife refuges.
Sure enough, we climbed into a boat. It was no large yacht, but it was bigger than a regular old motorboat too. I felt like I was holding my breath as Kessel guided it out of the marina and down a channel. To my surprise, we soon turned out of a sheltered cove and headed onto the open ocean.
As land faded away from sight, I started to worry they were going to kill me and dump my body or something. I glanced around the boat, looking for something they might use to knock me out or weigh me down.
“How uh… how far out are we going?” I asked.
I tried to stay positive. Assuming they weren’t going to kill me, it was no wonder they didn't think Knash could find me or that I could escape. The phrase out of the frying pan and into the fire came to mind. At least with Knash if things had taken a turn for the worse and I decided to try and escape, all I had to do was get out of the house and start running. Not that I could run fast while pregnant. But the idea of being able to make my way through the woods, even at a slow pace was more comforting than being on an island in the middle of the ocean. I didn't think I could swim this far, even not pregnant.
“Ah, that’s it, right?” Tagger asked.
“That's it,” Kessel replied.
I followed their gaze is to see a blur solidifying the distance. It looked quite tall and skinny. I frowned at it, wondering what on earth it was. Was it a ship?! Was I going to be sailing around aimlessly? It would beimpossiblefor Knash to find me then.
As we drew closer, I realized that I was looking at a lighthouse. Soon, we drew up to the small, rocky island and the structure towered above us. Kessel slowed the boat down as we pulled up to a little boat ramp on the shore.
I couldn't see anything else in any direction. We were clearly smack in the middle of nowhere. As Kessel expertly steered into the ramp, I remembered him saying I could stay at his place. Had he meanthere?
“Are you a… a lighthouse keeper?” I asked.
“No, no,” he chuckled. “It was decommissioned when they built the new one on Eclipse Island.”
“Oh.”
He and Tagger started to roll up their pants to their knees, so I did the same. Then, Kessel skillfully hopped out of the boat and tied it off on a big iron ring in a rock. Tagger followed, then at Kessel’s direction held it still. Kessel returned and then offered a hand to me. I accepted it, worried for the safety of the baby, and he helped me climb out of the boat.
“Careful,” he warned, putting a hand on my upper arm to steady me. “It's a little slippery on the rocks.”
“Thanks,” I said, tightening my grip on him. As I stepped into water that went halfway up my calves, I was glad I had found the flip-flips.
Kessel helped me up the boat ramp and out of the water. Soon I was standing on solid ground again, although I still felt a little wobbly. I was reluctant to let go and somewhat disappointed when he did.
“You look tired,” Tagger said to him softly. “Can I stick around while you get some shut-eye?”
“I’d appreciate it,” Kessel said. “Unless you’re in a rush to get back to Josh and Val.”
Tagger shook his head. “Josh is working late at the bakery and he’s allowed to bring her. She’s got her own little space all set up in the back and everything. But I would like to call him.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, man.”
Tagger started up a winding path through the rocks.
“Ready?” Kessel asked me.
I wondered for a moment if I had made the right choice to come here, when it occurred to me that I probably hadn't actually had a choice at all. I wondered if they would have forced me to come to the island to this island if I hadn't agreed to it. I wondered if Knash was out there looking for me. Was he worried about me? Was he angry like he had been when he lost Adam? Was he really the bad guy or were the wardens just as bad? I sighed, there was no way to be sure.
And yet, I felt like I could trust Kessel. He was different from the others somehow, although I couldn't put my finger on it.
With nothing else to do, I nodded. Kessel returned it, then headed up the path after Tagger. The two quickly got pretty far ahead of me as I picked my way carefully on the uneven ground.
I was so focused on where to put my feet, that I didn't even notice Kessel had come back for me until he was by my side, taking me by the arm.
