Chapter 13 - Gina

Standing on the edge of the trail on a rocky outcropping, I look down into the valley below. Right under us, just a few hours’ trek away, is the town of Sawpit and surrounding tourist attractions. Even though it’s only mid-morning, it feels like one of the longest days of my life.

I don’t know whether to thank those campers or curse them.

I couldn’t believe it when I woke in Bae’s arms. I was still so drugged from sleep that I thought I might be dreaming. I’d had a lot of dreams just like that in high school, after all.

It felt so good to just go with it, to finally let go and give in to the attraction. I could feel my entire body responding, parts of me I didn’t even know existed opening up, throbbing, pulsing, begging—

“Gina?”

Bae’s voice hits me with a shock like ice-cold water. It isn’t the first time today I’ve mentally wandered off and been thrust back into reality before I was ready.

“Yes, I’m here,” I say. “I’m fine.”

I turn and watch Bae come out of the trees nearby. He’s been staying some distance behind me, sweeping out around the main trails to look for signs of wolves. He’s been so dedicated to it, I’m pretty sure he’s avoiding me.

“Good,” he replies. “I didn’t see you on the trail.”

“I came over to the lookout just to scope how far we have to go.”

“Look like just a couple of hours hike,” Bae says, catching his breath.

I’m trying to look at him without staring at him, and I don’t think I’m doing a very good job. He got so hot from running around, he’s stripped down to a sleeveless T-shirt, and his muscular arms are gleaming in the hot sun. With every breath, his massive chest sticks to the damp shirt. Sexiest of all is the tiny, salty drops of perspiration on his top lip.

My tongue creeps to the edge of my lip as I imagine kissing those drops away, running my tongue all over his chest and belly… then giving him the same thorough treatment he gave me this morning.

Sensations hit me so hard, I have to clamp my thighs together and bite my lip to stop myself from moaning. My memories are so clear they are overwhelming, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop them from coming.

Bae looks at me, a sly grin dancing across his lips. He can sense my arousal, I’m sure. My cheeks start to burn as he keeps staring at me, but I don’t look away.

“Are you hungry? Maybe we should have something to eat,” I say, trying to break the moment.

Bae’s expression doesn’t change. “Gina. I’m always starving, don’t you know that?” He slowly licks his lips.

Oh!

I try to keep myself under control, but I know I can’t keep this up. My pussy is throbbing so hard, I’m pretty sure I’m ruining my underwear.

Leaving the tent earlier this morning was awkward as hell. When we heard the other campers, we threw our clothes on and quickly hurried out to greet them. We made a small fire for coffee, but both of us kept dropping everything—cups, sugar, spoons, you name it.

It was obvious we couldn’t be in close proximity to each other without melting, so we gave up on breakfast and started hiking. It gave us a great start for getting into Sawpit before dark, that’s for sure.

We barely stopped the whole day.

“Maybe we should just keep going,” I say, my voice trembling a little. “Get to an inn with a decent bed.” The words are out of my mouth before I can think.

“Sounds good to me,” Bae answers, his grin slowly widening, showing a glint of his white teeth. The hungry look in his beautiful, deep brown eyes is killing me.

“Okay, then,” I keep my voice light as I turn and head down the trail, trying to act cool. My head is still a mess, my heart is still a wreck, but my body has completely made up its mind.

I know there is no fighting this. If I really felt unsafe, my body wouldn’t respond like this. I want Bae, just like I always have, and now, I trust him, too.

I just can’t admit it.

We traverse the trail in record time and walk down the main road leading towards some tourist lodges. I see a few other hikers around, as well as families picnicking and playing ball games.

“Looks like a nice place,” I remark.

“Yeah,” Bae agrees. “I hope their wolves are nice, too.”

“So do I,” I answer, chuckling. So far, we haven’t seen a single wolf, and I don’t know if that’s good or bad.

We head into a lodge surrounded by smaller cabins to check in. I gratefully put my bag down next to the desk and think very seriously of a hot bath and a big, soft bed.

And Bae lying right beside me while I trace my fingers down his chest—

Stop it!

“Hi,” Bailey says to the girl at the counter. “Do you have any rooms available?”

“We sure do,” she says brightly. “Standard or deluxe?”

“Deluxe,” Bae answers immediately, surprising me.

“Oooh, special occasion?” the girl asks.

Bae grins and nods, throwing an arm around me and squeezing me against his body. “Sure is! It’s our honeymoon!”

Part of me wants to protest, but after the words sink in, I realize it’s technically true.

The girl goes through the process of checking us in while Bae tells a grand tale of our hiking honeymoon across the peaks, staying at local cabins along the way.

“We just love the thrills, and the solitude of the peaks,” he says. “And staying in little places like this in between makes it so much more fun.”

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy your cabin,” the girl says as she hands over the keys. “You’ve got a king-sized bed, private hot tub, and there’s limited room service available. Otherwise, you can head to our restaurant out the back.”

“No problem!” Bae grins at her. “Thank you so much.” He picks up both our packs and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Come on, wifey, let’s try out that bed,” he teases me.

Behind us, I hear the girl giggling. By the time we get outside, my cheeks are burning so hot, they must look like tomatoes.

“Was that really necessary?” I hiss at him.

“Yes,” Bae answers. “Got to keep our cover, don’t we? Besides, it’s actually true.”

He doesn’t let go of my hand all the way to the cabin, and I don’t pull away. When we stop at the door, he turns to look at me, and my fingers tighten around his. There’s an intensity in his eyes, more than I’ve ever seen. For a moment, it feels like he is going to say something profound, but then turns away from me to open the door, and the feeling passes.

“I think we should jump straight in the hot tub,” Bailey says, grabbing the room service menu. “You want some champagne?”

Yes, and YES!

“No, Bae. We have a job to do, remember?”

He scowls. “Yeah. But I just thought we might…”

“I know,” I say, my tone a bit too hard. “But let’s take care of our duty to the pack first.”

I’m using an excuse he can’t possibly argue against, but I know in my heart it really is just an excuse. If we relax in here alone, we are going to tangle together and fall into that bed and probably never leave it.

I’m not ready. I’m just not ready.

I take a shower and change quicker than I ever have in my life. Bae ordered some lunch while I was in the bathroom—sandwiches and tea, no champagne—and I eat while he freshens up.

“Ready to go?” I ask the second he steps out of the bathroom

“Yep,” he answers, grabbing his jacket. “We might not find anything, you know. It might take a few days.”

I can tell by the hopeful tone in his voice that he wants to get back here as quickly as possible and be alone with me. I feel like I’m being torn in two, because I want that as well, but I’m so scared to move too fast.

“Better get started, then,” I say, heading for the door.

As we leave, Bae takes my hand. I try to pull away, but he gives my hand a squeeze and sidles up closer to me.

“Got to keep cover, remember?” He grins at me.

“Yes, of course,” I agree, not minding an excuse to hold onto him.

We quickly walk into the main street of town, stopping in at cafés and shops, dropping subtle hints that we are looking for the alpha. Humans won’t get the reference, but the pack members will.

Walking in exposed, alone, with no weapons—as well as being discreet—should signal to the other alpha that we mean no harm.

Then, we enter the next part of town, which is obviously rundown and not as well maintained as the tourist areas. I start to get a bad feeling as we approach a bar that has a bunch of tough-looking guys sitting out front on a wooden porch.

“Bae, I don’t think we should—”

The harsh sound of gunning motorcycle engines cuts through the air, drowning out my words. The machines come out of nowhere, pouring out of side streets and surrounding us. They whip around in a circle that gets tighter and tighter until Bae and I are standing close together in the center with barely any room to move.

They finally stop, but only one of them turns to face us. A few of them cut their engines so we can hear each other speak.

“What are you doing on our turf, alpha?” the leader yells at us.

Bae stands in front of me with his arms wide and palms up. “We mean no harm. We just want to speak with your alpha.”

“And murder him?” the burly guy growls.

Bae shakes his head. “Our territories are overlapping. I want a peaceful discussion about our options.”

The guy grins, revealing a stumpy row of brown-stained teeth. “Options,” he echoes. “Did you hear that y’all? He wants to discuss his options.”

Laughter rips around the circle, and some of them pull off their helmets so they can laugh even harder.

“You aren’t the alpha,” Bae snaps. “I can smell it on you. You’re probably not even his second-in-command. I doubt you speak for him.”

Jesus, Bae, why?!

A burly guy gets off his bike and strides straight up to Bae until their faces are almost touching.

“True, I’m not alpha, but I rule the town, see? They told me you were sniffing around, marking territory, and they called me in straight away.”

He pauses, his eyes glowing as his wolf rises inside him. “You want the alpha, you go through me first.”

“No problem,” Bae snaps, starting to roll up his sleeves. Immediately, other bikers start to dismount all around us.

“Uh, Bae—” I begin.

“Don’t sweat it, I can take this guy.”

“But… all of them?”

Bae looks up and notices how many of them are getting ready to fight. Seeing his muscles harden up and the rise of his wolf scares me half to death.

Back down! They’ll tear you to pieces!

“Wait!” I shriek, leaping in front of Bae to talk to the burly guy. “We truly don’t want to fight. I promise, we mean you and your alpha no harm. We just want to talk.”

The guy looks me up and down, leering. I’m praying Bae can’t see it.

“If you’re trying to make a bargain, what will you offer us to sweeten the deal? Tasty little piece like you.”

“That’s it!” Bae roars, trying to shove me aside. “I’m taking this guy apart.”

“No!” My voice comes out so strongly, it rings around the circle, and I throw my hand up to make Bae stop. “I am den mother, second only to the alpha and of true blood. No matter the pack or where they reside, the den mother is sacred.”

The burly guy frowns. “We don’t have to believe you.”

I shrug. “No, you don’t. But if you’re wrong, you may experience repercussions from other packs all the same.”

“I can’t just expose our alpha, even if you are den mother. I was ordered to deal with you,” he says. A few of the goons in the crowd have started yelling at him. They want to rip us to shreds.

“To prove we are here for a treaty of peace, I will offer myself as security,” I say.

“Gina!” Bae yells. “No!”

I turn and hold up a hand to him. “This is the only way, Bae.”

The burly guy squints. “You mean, we have your permission to do anything we like with you should your alpha mate here attempt any violence against our alpha?”

“Correct,” I say softly. I’m scared out of my mind, but somehow, my voice is even, and my eyes are calm.

“Deal!” he yells, grabbing my hand. Before I know what’s happening, the burly guy has grabbed me, thrown me onto his motorbike, and is gunning the engine.

I can’t see Bae. I don’t know if they are even bringing him with us.

Did I just make a huge mistake?