Chapter 54: The Drive

I drove for an hour. No direction. Just away.

Tears ran down my face. I couldn't stop them.

Cole. The pack. Stacey. Alex. Everyone. Gone.

My phone sat on the passenger seat. Twenty missed calls. All from Cole.

Ten texts. All begging me to answer. To tell him where I was.

I wanted to call back. Wanted to hear his voice. Tell him I loved him.

But I couldn't. Erica was watching. If I called, Stacey died.

So I drove. And cried. And felt my heart break with every mile.

The mate bond pulled. Hard. Cole was trying to find me. Trying to track me through it.

But I pushed it down. Buried it. Made myself numb.

If he found me, everyone died. I had to stay away.

My phone rang. Unknown number. Not Cole.

I answered. "Hello?"

"Good girl. You're following orders." Erica's voice. "Keep driving. I'll tell you when to stop."

"Is Stacey okay?"

"For now. As long as you keep moving."

"Where am I going?"

"Away. That's all you need to know." She paused. "And Lita? Don't try anything smart. I'm tracking your phone. I know exactly where you are."

"Fine. Just don't hurt them."

"I won't. As long as you obey." She hung up.

I kept driving. Through towns. Past cities. Into nowhere.

Around midnight, my phone rang again.

"There's a motel coming up. Two miles. Stop there. Get a room. Stay until I tell you to move."

"Okay."

"And Lita? Ditch your phone after this call. Get a burner. I'll text you the new number to call."

"Why?"

"Because your Alpha is tracking you. Duh." She laughed. "Throw the phone in a river. Break it. Whatever. Just get rid of it."

"How will I know when to move?"

"The burner. I'll contact you on it. There's one in the motel office. Guy behind the desk will give it to you. Prepaid and ready."

"You planned all this."

"Of course I did. I'm not stupid." Her voice got mean. "Unlike you. Following orders like a good little pet."

I wanted to yell. To tell her I hated her.

But I couldn't. She held all the power.

"I'm at the motel," I said. It appeared on the right. Old. Run down. Perfect for hiding.

"Good. Get a room. Rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

She hung up.

I parked. Got out. My whole body hurt. The silver ropes had burned my wrists. Left marks.

Inside, the office smelled like smoke and old coffee. A guy sat behind the desk. Maybe sixty. Didn't care about anything.

"Need a room," I said.

"Forty bucks. Cash only."

I pulled out money from my pocket. Thank god I had grabbed some before.

He gave me a key. "Room twelve. Around back."

"The girl on the phone. She said you had something for me."

He reached under the desk. Pulled out a cheap phone. "This it?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

He didn't ask questions. Just went back to his magazine.

I found room twelve. Unlocked it. Went inside.

The room was gross. Stained carpet. Lumpy bed. But it was shelter.

I sat on the bed. Looked at my phone. Cole's face on the screen. A photo from a month ago. Smiling. Happy.

Before everything went wrong.

I opened the texts.

"Lita, where are you?"

"Please answer. I'm worried."

"Whatever happened, we can fix it. Just come home."

"I can't lose you. Please."

"I love you. Come back."

Each text broke me more.

I typed a response. "I'm sorry. I can't come back. It's better this way. I love you. Goodbye."

I hit send before I could change my mind.

Then I took the phone outside. Found a dumpster behind the motel. Threw it in hard.

The phone shattered. My last connection to Cole. Gone.

I went back inside. Sat on the bed. Stared at the wall.

What now? I was alone. No pack. No mate. No home.

Just me and a cheap phone in a dirty motel room.

The burner phone rang. Scared me. I answered.

"Hello?"

"See? Not so hard." Erica. "Now. Here's what happens next. You stay there for three days. Don't leave. Don't call anyone. Just wait."

"For what?"

"For me to make sure your pack believes you're gone. That you left on your own. Once they stop looking, you can move again."

"Move where?"

"I'll tell you when it's time. For now, just sit tight." She paused. "And Lita? Don't try to be a hero. Don't think you can sneak back. I have eyes everywhere. You run, they die."

"I won't run."

"Good. Talk soon."

She hung up.

I lay down on the bed. Stared at the ceiling.

Three days. Seventy two hours. Alone. Cut off.

Could I survive that? Could I handle being away from Cole that long?

The mate bond ached. Physical pain. Like my chest was being crushed.

Cole felt it too. I knew he did. He was hurting. Confused. Broken.

Because of me. Because I left without explaining.

Tears came again. I let them fall.

This was the right thing. The only way to keep them safe.

But it felt so wrong.

My phone buzzed. Text from a new number.

"Lita. It's Stacey. Someone gave me this number. Said you're okay. That you left on purpose. Is that true? Please tell me it's not true."

My breath caught. Stacey.

But how? Erica said no contact.

Unless this was a test. To see if I'd respond.

I didn't reply. Deleted the text.

Five minutes later, another text.

"It's Cole. If this is really you. If you really left. Just tell me why. Please. I deserve that much."

My hands shook. Everything in me wanted to type back. To explain. To tell him I loved him.

But I couldn't. It could be a trap. Erica testing me.

Or worse, it could be real. And responding would put him in danger.

I turned the phone off. Threw it on the table.

Then I curled up on the bed. Pulled the thin blanket over me.

And cried until I fell asleep.

In my dreams, I was back at the gym. With Cole. With the pack. Happy. Safe. Home.

But when I woke up, I was still in the dirty motel room. Still alone. Still broken.

Day one of three.

Sixty eight hours to go.

And no idea if I'd survive them.

Or if the pack would survive without me.

Or if Erica was lying about everything.

But I couldn't take that chance.

So I stayed. And waited. And hoped this nightmare would end.

But deep down, I knew.

Nightmares don't end.

They just get worse.