**Paige’s POV **
I’m so warm and comfortable, tucked under his arm with my head resting on his chest. This is my favourite place in the world, in Ryder’s safe arms. His breathing is steady. He’s still sleeping.
I had the strangest dream, well; it was more like a nightmare with some good bits. I had a child. He was Ryder’s, and he was the cutest little boy.
“Can we have pizza?” I hear a little voice shriek, and my eyes snap open as everything comes back to me.
Callen.
The wolf.
Ryder.
I sit up with a curse and look down at Ryder in the bed next to me. He is shirtless, with the duvet covering his lower half. My traitorous eyes admire his physique without permission, and I screw them shut, turning my head away before opening them again.
“Pizza, pizza, pizza,” I hear Jaxon chant.
Where am I, and why is Jax here?
“Calm down, bud, you’ll wake your mum up,” I hear another voice I don’t recognise say.
“Sorry. I just really love pizza,” Jax whines.
“We noticed,” someone chuckles, and I’m pretty sure its Callen.
Shit. Shit. Shit. I need to get Jax and get the hell out of here. These people… or whatever the hell they are, are dangerous. I don’t want them anywhere near me or my son.
Ryder lets out a small groan beside me and I hold my breath, not daring to move a muscle for fear of waking him.
When he doesn’t move, I dare to turn my head to look at him again. He’s stunning. Even more handsome than I remember him.
How can he be this… this monster?
How can my Ryder, my childhood sweetheart, the father of my child, turn into a wolf? This is real lite, not a movie or a book. It’s not possible.
I take in the room. It’s so homey. We are in a large four-poster bed in the middle of a room. The walls seem to be made of warm honey-coloured logs. Giving it a rustic luxury feel. There’s a window on the left wall that almost stretches from floor to ceiling with heavy wool curtains blocking out most of the light. It’s hard to tell if the window opens from the limited view I have of it.
There’s a door on the right, which looks to be my only escape and the way to Jaxon. I move painfully slowly, barely breathing so as not to wake Ryder. When I finally get to the edge of the bed, my feet land on a plush white faux fur rug. I look around for my shoes that someone has removed, but if they’re in this room, they’re out of sight. It looks like I’ll have to make my great escape barefoot.
TIJ DUNUS
Inching off the bed, I freeze as Ryder’s breathing hitches
Please don’t wake up. Please don’t wake up.
When his breathing evens out again, I take a step forward, then another, pausing after each step to listen for any change.
After what feels like a lifetime, I make it to the door, resting my hand on the doorknob. I take one last look over my shoulder at Ryder and then pull the door open.
I creep out of the room and find myself in a large, open space. Every wall showcases wooden logs and enormous windows. A black iron rail runs around a cut-out in the floor. I look down to see a kitchen below me. It’s one of those fancy ones, with a large island in the middle. It’s a beautiful place, it’s a shame it’s inhabited by monsters.
I can hear talking coming from downstairs and I tiptoe towards the stairs. I don’t know how I will get Jax away from Callen, but I have to try.
I stop to check my pockets for my phone, but I already know I don’t have it. I remember throwing it in one of the bags I’d tossed in my car before I lost my mind and followed a near stranger into the woods.
The voices become louder as I creep on shaky legs, adrenaline coursing through me. My foot lands on the first step when something clamps over my mouth, and I’m pulled backwards.
“Shh, don’t make a noise,” a deep voice whispers in my ear as I’m pulled into a dark room that smells like cedar and something sweet.
“Damn, you do smell good,” the voice says, but it feels more like a curse than a compliment.
The door he pulled me through closes, plunging the room into complete darkness. My heart pounds in my chest, and I’m so scared I’m almost tempted to call out for Ryder.
“I’m going to help you, but you have to promise not to make a sound, okay?”
I nod on instinct, but I have no intention of trusting the man.
“Good girl,” the voice says before slowly moving his hand from my mouth.
I suck in a shaky breath, urging my heart to slow before pass out again.
“Why are you helping me?” I whisper, wishing there was some light in here so I could see something, anything, but it’s pitch black.
“Because I don’t want you here any more than you want to be here,” the man admits,
Fair enough, at least he’s honest, and it’s not like I’m trying to make friends here.
“Okay,” I nod, even though he can’t see me, or maybe he can.
Can wolves see in the dark?
“I’m going to carry you down the stairs and out of the back door. When we get to the tree line, you need to run. Don’t stop until you get into town. Then get in your car and leave and never come back. Do you understand?”
“Yes, but why do you need to carry me? And what about my son? I need to get him, too.” why d arry me? And what
“Because you are in a house full of shifters with impeccable hearing. They will hear two sets of footsteps on the stairs. As for the kid, forget him. He belongs with us we will look after him,” he says, and I shake my head, a hiccuping sob escaping me.
How could he think I would ever leave my son?
“No. I’m not leaving him,” I hiss.
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