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CHAPTER 21
The next morning, we had to sweep the area to ensure that no one had tracked us to this town before heading out for breakfast.
We decided to visit a diner in town, where we noticed many people staring at us. Since it wasn’t a very big town, it was clear that they didn’t know us and were curious about our presence. This was especially true because werewolf men are quite large, and she–wolves are known to be very beautiful–though I didn’t always
feel that way.
Once we finished our meal, we got into Connor’s car for the remainder of the journey to the cabin. It was going to take another four hours, and it wasn’t until we were about halfway there that I started to sweat. I needed to open the window for some fresh air.
Connor noticed the change in me, especially with the cold rain pouring outside. “I don’t understand how you feel the effects of infidelity. You’ll only feel something if he’s still hooking up with other women,” he said.
“I thought so too. But one night on the beach without my pills, I felt the pain even though he wasn’t with anyone. Then these bruises appeared,” I explained, lifting my shirt.
“Wow, those are deep and dark,” he commented.
“They haven’t faded; I don’t know if they ever will,” I replied.
“Can Meadow help?” he asked.
“The pills kept them from forming. Without them, they might get worse,” I said.
“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Meadow whispered in my mind.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I think we should go back to Landon,” she insisted.
“Why?” I questioned.
“Because we shouldn’t have left with Connor. I just feel it,” she said.
“Connor was always the nicest person to us in Vincent’s pack. You always liked him. What’s wrong with you? You know he’s alright,” I said.
“Your eyes are glowing. What’s Meadow saying?” Connor asked.
“She’s just scared that we’re going to get found,” I replied.
“I promise we won’t,” he said reassuringly.
It wasn’t long before the pain began to creep inside me. I held my stomach, trying to stay quiet, but Connor could see my discomfort.
He pulled over so I could lie down in the backseat, which I was grateful for because I was too uncomfortable in the front seat.
I was writhing in pain in the backseat, and despite my efforts to remain quiet, I couldn’t suppress the screams that escaped my lips. Meadow was in just as much pain, howling in my mind. I managed to push her away with whatever energy I had left, locking her away in the back of my mind to spare her from what I
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was experiencing.
Connor kept looking back at us, worry etched on his face, but I couldn’t say anything to him. I was concentrating too hard on trying to control the pain.
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Once we arrived at the cabin, he opened the back door and picked me up, carrying me inside. He took me to one of the bedrooms and laid me down under the covers, but I quickly kicked them off due to the sweat that
drenched me.
Connor opened the window in the bedroom, then grabbed a cold washcloth and placed it on my forehead. He stayed by my side the entire time.
I didn’t know how long this was going to last, but I had a feeling it was going to be much longer than I anticipated. Throughout the night, I didn’t get any sleep, and Connor remained by my side, despite my repeated insistence that he get some rest. I doubted he would be able to rest with me screaming the way I
was.
He looked genuinely concerned and wasn’t sure what to do. But I knew that I just needed to ride it out. And I was hoping to the moon goddess that it wasn’t going to kill me.
At some times during that night I wanted to kill myself just from the pain.
I wanted it to end so badly. No one could ever imagine this kind of pain.
When you find your mate, that person is meant to be the only one for you, and you are the only one for them. Once the mate bond is established, even the touch of another woman can make your skin crawl. But Landon never experienced the mate bond, which is why he never stopped his womanizing ways. And now, I was the one suffering for it.
I knew that Meadow wanted me to tell him everything. However, I was acutely aware of how he feels about other species; he has never been shy about his disdain for anything that isn’t a werewolf. I understood that he would never accept my fae side and would likely either execute me or hand me back to Vincent. There was no way in hell I was going back there. I would rather face execution, and if given that choice, it would be the one I’d choose.
By sunrise the next morning, I was completely drenched in sweat, and so was the bed, but I could feel the pain beginning to subside.
Connor had stayed up with me all night, providing unwavering support throughout the ordeal. I noticed the occasional angry look on his face, almost murderous at times. I knew that if Landon had been in front of him then, he would have killed him for what he did to me. But that wouldn’t have helped anyone.
As the pain began to subside and I started to settle down, I noticed the sun rising outside the window. Slowly regaining my senses, I saw Connor starting to calm down as well.
He walked over to the wardrobe, opened it, and I was surprised to see clothes hanging inside – all women’s clothing, and they were my size.
I found that a bit odd. I sat up, gripping the side of the bed to steady myself, and stared at Connor as he pulled out some fresh clothes for me.
“What is it?” he asked, looking confused.
“Why do you have all those clothes?” I replied.
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“I was prepared, just in case I needed to bring you here. That’s the whole reason why I made sure this cabin was untraceable,” he explained. I nodded, still puzzled about why he had gone to all this effort without
knowing how my marriage would turn out. There was a good chance I would stay with Landon, and we could
have made our marriage work. No one knew how it would end–at least, no one from Vincent’s pack. I was
pretty sure Hayden did, though.
Not to mention, he couldn’t have done all of this in just the couple of weeks that I was living with Landon. This had been planned for a long time before the marriage was even arranged.
Maybe he was planning on getting me out of Vincent’s pack. Maybe that’s why this place is here. He had plans of rescuing me the whole time.
“Here are some fresh clothes. The bathroom is across the hallway and has soap, shampoo, and conditioner – everything you might need,” he said, handing me the clothes.
I stood up, feeling a bit unsteady on my feet, but I managed to make it to the bathroom.
I locked the door as soon as I walked inside and noticed that the bathroom was fully stocked. It contained everything I used in my bathroom at Vincent’s packhouse, right down to the moisturizer I applied to my hair and the exact same hair dryer with all its attachments.
“I told you, I have a bad feeling about this,” Meadow said, finally stepping forward.
“I think he was just preparing for the worst–case scenario. You heard him at the wedding; he said he would take me away the moment he thought I was in trouble,” I explained.
“This is way too much for him to simply want to save you. Something isn’t right,” Meadow insisted.
I was beginning to see this as a red flag, but I tried to ignore it for now.
I took my shirt off, and as soon as I looked at myself in the mirror, I froze at the sight before me. My torso and chest were covered in dozens of deep, dark bruises from all the times Landon had cheated. I couldn’t believe he had cheated so many times; I didn’t realize there were so many women involved.
But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised–he made his intentions clear from the start.
