Twice Tempted: Between Two Alphas (Mia and Cameron) novel Chapter 99

Chapter Nintey-Nine

ASHLEY

We’re on the road toward Coldfoot before I’m fully awake. There’s an old packhouse there. My parents built a new one deeper in our territory when we expanded, but the one in Coldfoot is a useful midpoint to rest on the journey from Brooks Range down to Denali, so we kept it. It’s where we’re supposed to meet Merilee and Eric’s warriors.

He’s been quiet all morning, his eyes fluttering constantly as he communicates with his pack.

There’s nothing to distract me from wondering about it, because there’s no one else around.

Any human with an ounce of common sense is at home right now, waiting for the plows.

The roads are treacherous from last night’s storm, and there are still snow flurries every few minutes, but we press on. We don’t have time to wait for the weather to clear.

Eric doesn’t mention how we woke up—me, wrapped in his arms, every inch of his body pressed against me—so I don’t bring it up.

Neither of us brings up the vampire cabin, either. It’s all I can think about.

Cassian’s face looms large in my mind, his dark eyes cold and bottomless. The memory of his undeniable power layers over the violence in that cabin.

I’m no stranger to blood and violence.

The path I’ve been these last years is littered with it. But vampires are different. They kill not just for survival, but for the pleasure of it. The hunt is a game as much as it is a necessity.

And I’m willingly heading straight into his territory.

I’m bringing him my daughter.

Eric clears his throat, drawing my attention.

“It’s not too late,” he says. “We can turn back.”

“And let my daughter die? Never,” I spit, venom in every syllable.

He growls, his eyes flashing. “We can find another way to save her—one that doesn’t involve making deals with ancient, evil, bloodsuckers.”

“We’re out of time.”

Eric stops the car, right in the middle of the road. There isn’t another car in sight, but it still makes me frantic. Every second we’re still is a second that Merilee doesn’t have to lose.

“What are you doing?” I ask, desperate. “We can’t turn back. You have to keep driving!”

“I’m not sure I believe that,” he says. “Philipe had other options, but he chose Cassian, too. Why should I believe you when you say this is the only way?”

I’m about three seconds from getting out of the car and hitchhiking the rest of the way.

“Because when it comes to my daughter, I will always do the right thing. I swear. If you never believe another word I say, believe this: I wouldn’t do this if there were another option.”

He doesn’t look convinced.

“Is this really the right thing? To let him turn her into a—a monster? Is that really better than letting her go?”

The burst of rage that rips through me at his suggestion is so potent I expect my claws to rip through. If I still had my wolf, Isis would have leapt forward and lunged straight for his throat, mate or not.

“Yes. No question. I don’t expect you to understand... Maybe you’ll know what this feels like one day when—”

I stop.

“And we need gas,” he says evenly. “Stay in the car. This won’t take long.”

He gets out of the truck and I look around. Sure enough, he’s stopped at the last fuel station before the final push to Coldfoot. It’s our last chance to fuel up before nearly fifty miles of empty road.

The station looks abandoned, but the pumps work.

There’s a sign above them that lists the hours the convenience store at the back of the lot is open. Underneath there’s a disclosure: We reserve the right to close for inclement weather.

Confident that Eric and I are alone out here, I get out of the truck to stretch my legs, which earns me a glare. He might miss my wolf more than I do. Her absence makes me immune to the full sway of his Alpha powers, and every time I defy an order, no matter how small, a vein pulses in his temple.

“Ashley, get back in the truck,” he says through gritted teeth.

I walk away from him, face turned up to the pale grey sky.

He growls at me, but the sound is coming from the wrong direction. He should be behind me.

I look up just in time to see a light grey wolf charging at me. There are two others on his heels, their fur a darker shade.

On instinct, I crouch, ready to defend myself, sizing up where to strike to do the most damage.

A shadow passes over my head and when I look up, all I can see is black fur.

Eric’s wolf collides with the light grey wolf in a flurry of snarls and growls. I stumble backward, dodging Eric’s tail.

I look beyond the fight to see where the other two wolves are, and my eyes lock onto the one on the right. He stares right back, and my stomach drops.

It’s Oliver.