I'm sorry it's taking so long to get chapters up. I admit I'm having some writer's block, so I've been working on another project I hope to have up before Christmas. I will finish this story, I'm just not sure how soon. I hope you'll all have some sympathy and hang in while Erin and Luka figure out where they're going.
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As the glow of satisfaction faded, Erin became aware of what had just transpired, and felt a shyness that had been completely missing moments ago. She let go of the wolves she had been gripping and smoothed her skirt back down over her legs which she clamped together demurely. She was glad for the darkness, since she could feel her blush bloom across her face, neck and chest.
Garrett spoke into her mind again.
“Don’t be ashamed. This is completely normal behavior in a pack. Though you are not officially mated, Sophie provided your release just as any female in the pack might in the absence of another female’s mate. We all felt your experience, and we all know you now and could find you easily.”
Something he said broke through the serious misgivings Erin was having about herself.
“One of the wolves at the celebration said that, too. He was huge and came up to me with three other wolves that only scented the air. They didn’t actually…” Erin broke off, flushing hotly again.
Garrett was sitting alertly, bright eyes watching Erin closely.
“That’s probably a bad thing,” he thought to her. “We should keep moving, and get you cleaned up as soon as possible.”
Everyone was rising. Erin climbed back on Garrett’s back, and he was off in an instant, the rest of his pack flanking them. They flew through the forest now.
After a time, Erin saw lights in the distance, flickering and moving. She envisioned a search party of the rebels waving flashlights across the dark forest. Garrett seemed to be heading straight for the lights.
Another few long bounds and Erin could tell the lights sweeping through the trees were headlights on a curve of a road not far away. The wolves turned slightly, so they were following the road, but still deep enough in the forest to remain unseen. After a couple of minutes following the road, Erin saw more lights and recognized a gas station ahead.
“We have cars parked there with clothing and money,” Garrett explained as they slowed while still under cover of the trees. There were two SUV’s parked close to the woods and out of the bright lights from the front of the station. Garrett shrugged Erin off his back and cautiously sniffed the air before slinking forward toward the vehicles.
Suddenly the human Garrett stood opening the back hitch of one of the SUV’s. He quickly pulled jeans over his altogether too sexy body, and threw several bundles of clothes into the undergrowth, toward the other wolves. Erin watched with fascination as the wolves transformed into gorgeous men and a woman in the blink of an eye. They were all strongly muscled and sleekly built. Erin felt a hint of the earlier arousal sneak back up on her looking at their beautiful bodies.
“I only have a set of sweats for you,” Garrett called to Erin, shaking her out of her thoughts, none-too-soon.
“We keep sets around for wolves that lose their clothes in an unexpected shift,” Garrett said.
Erin was fascinated by this world she knew so little about. The pack members were casual about being nude, but quick to get clothed and divide between the cars. Erin was guided into the dark blue SUV. She was placed in the middle of the backseat. Two big men flanked her. Garrett was in the driver’s seat, and Sophie was in the passenger’s seat. They immediately took off. The other car followed a safe distance behind.
“Where are we going?” Erin asked tentatively.
“We’ll head for the border, stopping at a motel to get you cleaned up before we run you back across to the States,” Garrett began.
“We’re in Canada?” Erin squeaked.
“Yeah. Didn’t you know how far you’d travelled?” Garrett replied.
“No idea,” Erin mulled, ”We were in the air and going fast, but that’s all I could tell.”
“Too bad you don’t get motion sick like me. You could have puked all over Miko. Would have served him right,” Sophie giggled.
Erin laughed.
“Maybe. Or the gag spell would have forced me to swallow it back down. That makes me glad I didn’t,” Erin said.
Both of the men seated beside Erin looked a little green and turned away.
“Sorry,” Erin apologized, “I forget others don’t have nurse’s stomachs. Very few things gross me out. Anyway, you were saying we need to cross back into the States, right? I don’t have a passport or even a driver’s license on me. How can I get back?”
“I’ll run you across. The others will meet us with the cars farther on,” Garrett explained.
“But,” Erin began, then with dawning realization, “Oh. ‘Run’ me across. I get it.”
“Once we’re in the States, we’ll contact Luka, and he’ll tell us where to meet him,” Garrett said.
Erin thought about that for a few minutes. She had refused Luka’s mating contract. He probably wasn’t going to be happy to be called up to babysit her anymore.
“I’m not sure about that,” Erin hesitated, “You might just want to contact the council to have someone collect me. Luka has probably written me off.”
“No, Erin, Luka has definitely not written you off,” Sophie jumped in at this point. She giggled again, “In fact, he’s been pretty insistent about being a part of this plan from the first moment he got a message through to us. He was frantic when he told us to be looking out for you and demanded one of us make contact with you right away so you would know you weren’t alone.”
Erin was a little taken aback.
“Really? I figured after — well after what I said — he’d wash his hands of me,” Erin said.
Two important pieces of information came through Sophie’s words: The first was that Luka still cared about her, the second that Luka was in regular contact with at least some of the rebels.
It was very late, or maybe early was a better word, and everyone was tired. Conversation dwindled as Erin considered how she was going to apologize to Luka, and what her refusal meant to them both. Before long, she found herself dozing. She popped awake though when the car came to a stop under a brightly lit sign declaring “Rooms by the day, week, or month.”
“Sophie, you know what to get, right?” Garrett asked.
“Erin, what size pants do you wear?” Sophie asked, putting her hand up to signal Garrett to wait.
“Fives, usually.”
Turning back to Garrett, Sophie answered, “Got it, boss. Phillip and I will get everything and be back here in no time.”
Garrett nodded. Sophie and one of the men took off toward the other vehicle. Garrett took Erin’s arm and handed her to the other man from their car.
