Chapter 0308

The constant running is wearing me down. Bus after bus, town after town. A week without proper food or a real shower. Theodore called yesterday—two suspicious men were asking about a young woman at the diner.

When Victor finally decides we can stop for the night, we check into a motel. I’m too exhausted to protest sharing a room. Relief washes over me when I see two beds.

"Take a shower. I’ll be back soon."

"Where are you going?"

"Scouting the area. Making sure we’re not followed. Then I’ll grab us real food." His hands cup my face, his lips brushing my forehead. "Don’t open the door for anyone."

The moment he leaves, I head straight for the bathroom. The hot water is heaven against my skin. I tilt my face up, letting it wash away the grime of the road.

We’ve zigzagged across the country—Colorado to Nebraska, then Montana. Through the Sierra Nevada, then south into Arizona before turning east. Victor’s been in constant contact with Alpha Adrian, updating our location twice daily. The mountains were risky—too many packs, too many eyes. But Victor knows how to disappear. Twenty years on the run taught him that.

I finish scrubbing off the journey’s filth and change into clean clothes. My dirty ones go into the sink to soak. They’ll need washing after Victor showers.

The door clicks open. "Just me." The aroma of food hits me before he even steps inside. My stomach growls loudly.

Steaks. Potatoes. Salad. I could cry.

He sets the food on the small table. "Eat. I’ll shower and join you."

The first bite of steak is pure bliss. I moan without thinking, eyes closed, savoring the flavor.

A low chuckle snaps my eyes open.

Victor stands there, dripping wet, a towel slung low on his hips. Water glistens on his chest, trailing down the hard planes of his abdomen. My gaze lingers, tracing the V of his hips.

His voice is rough. "Stop looking at me like that, Isolde."

"Like what?" The words come out breathless.

He moves like a predator, caging me between his arms. "Like you’d rather skip dinner and devour me instead."

Heat radiates off him. My throat goes dry.

His tongue swipes across my bottom lip. Dark eyes hold mine captive. The world narrows to the space between our mouths.

Then he kisses me, and I forget how to breathe.