Chapter 0307

My palms cradle her face. "Do you get it now?"

Her breath hitches. "Yes."

I crush my lips to hers in a fleeting kiss. "Move. I'll be there in twenty. Be packed."

The hotel room swallows me whole as I snatch my backpack. The bus terminal reeks of diesel and desperation. Next departure? Fifty-three minutes. Enough time to grab Isolde and disappear. Two tickets burn in my pocket as I sprint back to her place.

Snarls ripple through the pines. They've tracked her scent. Circling like vultures. My fist pounds her door. "Open up. We're leaving."

The door swings wide. Isolde stands there, duffel bag slung across her chest. "I have to warn Theodore—"

"No time." I yank her forward. "Call him from the road. They're here. We can't take on the whole pack."

Her pupils dilate. The door slams shut behind us. We're running now, sneakers slapping pavement. The bus hisses at the platform, half-loaded with passengers.

"Board now. If we're lucky, it's sold out and they can't follow. If not..." My knuckles crack. "We fight at the first stop."

Plastic seats creak beneath us. "What if they chase us?"

"Evading hunters is my specialty." My thumb strokes her wrist. "I'll keep you safe."

The engine roars to life. Through grimy windows, I spot them—pack SUVs screeching into the lot. Frantic gestures. Pointing. Then I see him.

Broad shoulders. Hands planted on hips.

Alpha Magnus locks eyes with me through the glass.

Shit.

This just became a suicide run.

The bus lurches forward. My phone glows in the dark. "I'm calling Adrian first. Then you ring Theodore."

Isolde's fingers worry at her bag's stitching.

"Hey." I trap her trembling hands. "Look at me. I swear on my wolf's life—nothing touches you. You're mine." The growl vibrates in my chest, Magnus surging to the surface.

She nods, but fear bleeds through her scent. "When Mom and I ran...we switched buses every stop. Had cash stashed for emergencies. Should we—"

I tilt her chin up. "Would that help you breathe?"

Another nod.

"Then we hop buses like jackrabbits. Any connection under thirty minutes, we take it. Deal?"

"Deal."

Adrian's voice crackles through the line. Offers backup. I tell him we're being hunted—I'll call when the trail's cold. Then Isolde dials Theodore. The old man's shouting shakes the phone. Kidnapping accusations. It takes three minutes before he believes I'm not the villain here.

When the call dies, I drag her against me. Her head finds my shoulder, but sleep doesn't claim her for hours.

Midnight. First transfer point.

I leap off, scanning the lot. No tails yet. Inside the station, a westbound bus idles. Two more tickets. Two more ghosts in the night.

When I return, Isolde's upright—wild-eyed until she sees me.

"Change of plans." I press tickets into her palm. "Next bus leaves in seven. Let's vanish."

Bags. Sprinting. Another vehicle. Another escape.

For seven days, we zigzag across the state. Their scent clung for seventy-two hours.

Then—silence.

We're ghosts now.