Free Home (Running With Alphas Book 7) by Viola Rivard Page B

significantly reduced over the years, she still had to take them and worry about the whole host of side effects that came with them.
    For the first time, Taylor realized that she hadn’t only been running from the law—in many ways, she had been running from her old life. If she had turned herself in, everything may have worked out. Such a high profile case would have probably netted her a top-notch lawyer. And if the senator had been bold enough to kidnap and rape her, she probably hadn’t been the first woman. Other women would have been inspired to come forward, or in the worst possible scenario, they would have found the bodies of previous victims.
    Taylor had considered all of this during the time she was on the road. Even when she and Alder were trekking through the forest on their way to Halcyon, she had still been considering turning herself in. It hadn’t been until she had found out what Alder was that she had truly changed her mind.
    Not only was Alder able to keep her safe from the outside world, but he was able to give her a fresh start, a new life. She could leave behind her old identity and all of the troubles that came with it.
    “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered.
    She might have continued to berate herself if she hadn’t been distracted by another strange feeling. Her hand drifted down to her navel, her forehead scrunching as she concentrated on the faint sensation. It felt as though she was being tickled with a feather from the inside.
    After a moment, it stopped. She laid still, holding her breath in anticipation for the next movement, but it didn’t come. When she finally exhaled, the breath was accompanied by a soft whimper. There was no way she could dismiss it as her imagination. She had just felt her babies for the first time.
    Taylor sat up, goose bumps breaking out across her flesh as she searched for her discarded clothing. She dressed quickly, ignoring the stinging cold of the floor as she left the room on bare feet.
    There was no light this deep within the den, but the darkness didn’t intimidate her. During the past months, she had learned how to navigate the passageways alone. She kept a hand on the wall as she walked, following the upward draft.
    The light was still on inside Cammie’s room. Taylor stopped short of barging in, not expecting to find that Sarah was still there. She and Cammie were sitting beside a small fire, chatting over what smelled like tea.
    They both looked up, offering her smiles as she stood in the doorway. Taylor opened her mouth, but had no idea what to say. She realized how stupid it had been for her to even come to Cammie in the first place. While Cammie was skilled in the medical arts, what would a werewolf know about heart transplants?
    While Taylor remained flustered in the doorway, Sarah awkwardly pushed herself up into a standing position and cleared the distance between them. She placed her hands on Taylor’s shoulders.
    “What’s the matter, honey?”
    Taylor tried to respond, but her chin quavered ominously. She tried to rein in her runaway emotions, but Sarah wouldn’t allow it. The older woman pulled Taylor into a warm embrace.
    “It’s going to be okay,” she said, stroking Taylor’s back.
    There was something in the way Sarah spoke, something in the way she smelled and the way she felt that completely disarmed Taylor. She didn’t care that Sarah was practically a stranger. She let herself lean into her embrace and let herself cry.
    When her momentary lapse in propriety was over, she peeled herself off Sarah’s now-soaked shoulder.
    “I’m so sorry,” Taylor said, swiping at her eyes. “It’s just hormones.”
    “I know,” Sarah said, leading her over to the fire. “Here, sit down.”
    Taylor complied, while Cammie draped a blanket over her shoulders. The wolf shifter offered her a cup of tea.
    Taylor graciously accepted. She took a small sip and held onto the cup, siphoning its warmth into her numb fingers.
    “I’m sorry