Free Escaping Dominance (Heart of a Wolf Series - Trina's Tale) by Marylynn Bast Page B

was cut out for a life on the run.
    While Amber rested in the jeep, Trina played with Toby out in the picnic area. Occasionally she would see Amber’s head pop up when a car could be heard heading in their direction on the highway. Other than that, she appeared to be resting okay. Trina knew how to keep Toby busy and out of the way. She had learned this at an early age from when Dean and his friends snapped and snarled about him being too loud or underfoot. Remembering all the bad stuff helped remind Trina that she was doing the right thing by taking her son away from his father and the lifestyle he was set on living.
    The weather was nice. There was a very small patch of grass maintained at the rest area. She had noticed since being in the desert, they tended to hardscape most areas due to lack of water. Playing under the small acacias trees bunched around the covered tables provide d protection from the direct midday sun and Toby was able to burn off some of his energy.
    Trina was happy to see him running around because she was worried about him sleeping so much since escaping from Dean at the motel. Watching him play , she hoped the sudden changes in his life were not affecting him too severely. He seemed okay though . Digging in his backpack, she pulled out the small rubber ball and they were tossing it back and forth when she heard the sound of a vehicle approaching.
    Amber’s head popped up, and then back down quickly when a department of public safety vehicle pulled into the parking lot.
    Trina could only imagine the panic Amber probably felt because the same surge of adrenaline rushed through her veins. It was a possibility the officer pulling th r ough the lot could be a member of the local wolf population. With the packs living among humans they blended by working the same jobs. In fact, Trina noticed they held a lot of government positions. If the officer was a pack member then she was on the verge of getting caught and dragging Amber down with her.
    He would recognize that she was from another pack and enter her name into their police data base. She was sure Dean had reported her as a runaway to the council the moment she left pack land and got him in trouble with the police. If the officer ran her name, the council would be alerted to her whereabouts. She had to think of something, and fast. Sniffing the air confirmed he was human.
    Grabbing Toby’s hand, Trina began running towards the officer, e ffectively diverting his attention from the jeep and on to her. Trina knew she was cute, men looked at her all the time and the officer was no different.
    Climbing out of the car, the door open, he stood with his arm draped over it , watching the cute little blonde running towards him.
    She had no clue what she was going to say or do. Then it all went from bad to worse when she saw the red and white truck pulling in. Her head was spinning. Had Dean gotten the cops involved, reporting her as a kidnapper who had taken his son from him?
    Trina stopped, staring in terrified silence from the officer to the truck driving through the parking lot. She tugged Toby behind her, determined to keep him away from his father no matter what.
    Amber still had the choice of taking off and leaving her to deal with the mess she had found herself in. Since the officer wasn’t a werewolf, there was still a chance he could help her.
    In her peripheral vision, she noticed Amber pull her reclined seat into the upright position and half expected her to start the engine and leave. Her shoulders sank in relief when she stepped out of the jeep instead. What Trina saw next shocked her, and she blinked a couple times, biting her lip to keep from gasping. She did a double take to make sure that what she had just see n had really happened.
    Amber’s lips were moving. One hand in her pocket, the other passed over her face. She leaned down and looked in the side view mirror. With a nod, she straighten ed , turning to face Trina , a slight smile on