“Gabriella, I’m not asking. Turn around.”
“There is nothing you can say or do that will make me turn around.”
I turned around, running my hands through my hair. I then froze. I turned around and looked at her. “Protection, that’s what you need, right? That could be arranged.”
Gabriella seemed to pause, but Hazel spoke. “That’s just one part of the problem, Westley.”
“Then what else?” I asked.
“For starters, we lived in an apartment that was utterly disgusting. I’ve been jumped. We’ve been looked at like criminals for doing nothing. You can’t fix that.”
I could. I would.
I looked back at Gabriella. “I’ll deal with it. Like magic, it’s all going to be solved.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“We can find you a better place to stay. I can figure out a way to better protect you guys. You can fall under my protection if needed.”
“Are you high?” Hazel asked, looking at me like I was insane. “Let’s say you can magically do that. How is that going to solve our problem with everyone thinking we are criminals?”
“That will take time,” I admitted, knowing that it couldn’t be fixed overnight. “But this is a better idea than you two running off and running into god only knows. You have no idea what is out here. No idea what you will encounter.”
There were three clicks, and they were closer this time. I didn’t have time for them to argue anymore.
I moved, grabbing Gabriella and throwing her over my shoulder. She screamed and started to shove her elbow into myneck, but I held her firm. I looked at Hazel, needing her to at least understand with reason. “Hazel, you need to understand that this is the best option. It’s not pretty, it’s not easy, but it’s the best.”
“Shut up, Westley!” Gabriella screamed, pounding her hands into my back now.
Hazel bit onto her lower lip, seeming unsure. “And what if we can find something better?”
“And what if you find something worse?” I asked, tilting my head. “You guys already lost one home, one pack, don’t give up on this one.”
“Westley, put me down! Stop talking!”
I watched Hazel crack. She slowly nodded her head, and I turned, needing to get us moving back to the town and hoping to god we didn’t run into Asher.
Chapter 3 - Gabriella
“Westley, you are the lowest kind of human being there is!” I screamed, pounding my fists into his pack. Rage burned in my belly. We were so close. Hazel and I were probably only a mile away from the pack line, and we would have been free.
I looked over at Hazel. “Hazel! We agreed! Tell him to put me down.”
She looked at me with a hurt expression. “We can’t outrun him. And what if he’s right? What if we don’t find anything better?”
I scoffed. “That doesn’t mean we agree!” I pushed my hands against his back, trying to wiggle myself free from his hold. His arms only tightened around my hips, securing me against his shoulder tightly.
“I hate you!” I yelled again.
“Stop yelling!” Westley snapped. “Do you want Asher to hear you?”
Why were they even out here? Were they out scouting again? Why did it matter if Asher heard us?
“Yes, I hope he does hear me!” I yelled even louder. “Asher! Westley has gone insane!”
I felt a slap land hard on my ass, and I yelped for another reason. I felt my face grow hot with embarrassment. I looked at Hazel, whose mouth hung open a little.
“Did you just slap my ass?”
