Free Chasing The Moon by Loribelle Hunt Page B

okay. She had a trust fund from her grandmother. It wasn’t a lot, but it would get her a new identity. It would be enough to hide her.
    Finally she pulled into the Alpha’s driveway. She glanced at the clock. One hour and five minutes. The sun was setting and the sky looked ominous. She’d made the drive in silence, ignoring the distraction of the radio, but she bet the forecast called for snow. One hell of a storm if her experience was right. Turning off the car, she took a last long look around and lifted the door handle. Now or never, Chloe .
    Somehow, despite the shaking that had taken over her limbs, she made it to the front door and rang the bell. She’d heard Jackson had a screener. He took one look at her and ushered her into an upstairs library. Telling her sternly to wait, he disappeared. Seconds later she heard pounding on the stairs and braced herself for the reaction. Despite what she’d gone through with Wyatt, the logical side of her brain knew werewolves didn’t condone this kind of treatment of bonded mates.
    The door flew open and she couldn’t help the cringe. Jackson, her father, Billy. Thankfully she was standing in front of a chair. She sank down, barely registering when her ass hit the seat. Billy got to her first. He dropped to his knees in front of her, his hands creating a gentle cradle around her face.
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    She nodded yes, afraid to trust her voice. His thumbs lightly traced the bruises over her cheeks while he searched her eyes. “He’s as good as dead, Chloe. I promise. You’ll be free to make you own choices.”
    She forced the need to beg and weep away. It wasn’t good to beg for someone’s death, was it?
    Her father pushed Billy out of the way and he looked as close to crying as she felt. She cupped his face in her palms. “It’s okay, Daddy. It’s okay.”
    He did weep then, but she managed to keep herself in check. Last, Jackson knelt before her. He reached up and caught the one tear she lost. His smile was soft and gentle, completely at odds with the hard look in his eyes.
    “We’ll fix this, Chloe,” he promised. And him she believed. Maybe because she didn’t have a personal stake in his life.
    She nodded. “There are things I need to tell you.”
    He sat back on his heels, staying at her eye level, and she appreciated his concern. She didn’t think he’d still express it when she told the whole sordid tale. She forced the whole thing out, from her first meeting with Wyatt when he claimed she’d teased him into claiming her to now. She talked about Wyatt’s determination to force Jackson out by threatening Summer, and her own escape.
    By the time she finished, all three men were silent. Her father and Jackson were grim-faced and determined. Billy scared her. His gaze was so remote, she cringed. If her behavior disgusted him, it was better to know now, right? It would make it easier to cut his tenuous hold on her life.
    Finally she rose, and they stood in a semi-circle around her. She met each one’s gaze, even Billy’
    s, and he smiled at her when she didn’t shrink. Her jaw clenched. She had no idea what he expected from her.
    “I need to go,” she announced.
    A chorus of voices rose in protest, but it was her father’s that finally dissuaded her. He shook his head. “There’s a bad storm coming and we both know you can’t drive in it. Stay here and we’ll talk again in the morning.”
    Finally she nodded, and Jackson led her down the hall. Just inside the room, he pointed to a panel on the wall. “The top button is an alert. The bottom is the intercom. It will ring in the kitchen first. If it isn’t answered, it’ll page me. Use it if you need it, Chloe,” he said sternly. He turned to walk out the door but stopped, meeting her gaze. “Billy lives in the house, too. If I don’t answer, he will.” A knot formed in the pit of her stomach. She needed to make a plan to leave. The last thing she wanted was to involve anyone