FATED ESCAPE

osed to be the best day

one as beautiful as the blond- haired, blue-eye

a mate who only laughed when

ear I t

lties, all the disgust in his eyes when he looked at me, a

asted the same. Until ev

e old alpha, Shane's father Iain,

he next generation, his father loved to remind Shane

to come from his

ing of her. The long blonde-haired, go

rned away from him, we would mate in silen

und sh

, he would slip away again. To shower.

was neve

that I would do everything I could to avoid anyone and everyone. My mission in

e with too many freckles. It must be Aerin who doesn't deserve a mate as pe

As a wolf, I found happiness I could never feel in my human skin. As a wo

his scent. No, I

stay away, to return to

n't l

the stream; B

p into the blue sky, he thrust into her. At his every grunt,

as sharp. It felt li

was clinging to his shoulders

into his biceps, and when I lifted my wolf's ey

chore. Wasn't some duty

ee it, to see how much pleasure she gave

a bite on her neck. He'd bitten her

was lifting her head from where she'd rested it on Shane's shoulder. Before she could, Shane slid hi

stopped running since th

ossible with my shifter nose and ears, has me scrubbing at my

for the first time, why all the bus driver

ften than not, I've been the youngest person o

s, I should know. If I'd been paying attention to the wor

be a pretty stupid question. "If Winter Lake is where y

e in the town

with pastel-painted shop fronts and

tty, beauti

e out a grocery store, post offic

picture of the town on a postcard in a bus station gift sho

in othe

on again?" I ask, un

housand. But it's a n

g from Minnesota, it'

'm new, but who would think to look for me in a

it," I

as me turning to find

who come here. To retire mostly." And with that, the man in

-a medium size gray duffel bag, I toss my l

ld've thought this through a little more thoroughly

he house long enough to change, grab his wallet from

me had more purpose than I did, but the silver BMW I

ar near the train station and went straight to

formal ceremony in a church. So, once I showed the bank teller my ID with my married name, the

gray duffel. Afterwards, I got a cab to the bus station where I bough

y serving another customer before I quickly bought another t

no alpha ever lets his mate walk away. Because even though Shane didn't want me, there was no

want me, but

en I started to get sick. And tha

The bus driver opens the doors and as I s

w. Long enough for my sickness to subside, long enough for me to get used to

t even close, which is why I'm here in Winter Lak

ow that this will

step off this bus, I won't be leaving it for another whole week. It was the biggest appeal of Winter Lake;

ange yo

nd force myself to take the first steps

minu

op and turn back, my brow wr

e in the next town in time. That's how long you've got t

that eas

," I mutter, but do

figure out if this town is going to be it, or

s seat and head down the street toward the diner, since other than a

e that'll be where most of the inhabitants

erally a minute to get back to the bus a

own the street befo

my eyes sweep the streets because I'm distinct

y perfect hiding place. Shifter. What