The Wolf's Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika Read Free

sweetheart.”
    “I know, Mom.”
    They spent the rest of the evening together, with a pall cast over what would have been a normally cheerful, casual evening.  Ben had tossed the rose into the outside trashcan immediately, but its presence still lingered in the house like a ghost.
    Reika had packed the night before, one duffel bag containing two changes of clothes, toiletries, and her dog-eared copy of her favorite book, The Princess Bride.
    She prepared two letters.  One to her parents to tell them she was leaving but would be safe from the lynxes, and that in the future, when it was safe for her, she would contact them.  The other letter was for Ben, so he understood she didn’t hold him responsible for what had happened and that she loved him.
    When the hour grew late, she kissed her family goodnight as she always did, taking a mental picture of her parents cuddled together on the couch in front of the fire and her brother as he made cinnamon rolls in the kitchen for tomorrow’s breakfast — his Friday night ritual.  She struggled not to cry, not to say goodbye and tell them her plans.  But it was far safer for them to remain ignorant of what she was doing.
    She didn’t dare sleep.  She had to leave at 12:30 a.m. in order to walk to the rental car she stashed behind a gas station, two miles from her home.  It would take her approximately four hours to drive to the Louisville Airport.
    Her parents went to bed at eleven, and her brother followed shortly.  She heard them all moving around in their rooms as she sat on the edge of her bed and watched the clock.  Finally, the house was silent.  She dressed warmly, sprayed heavy perfume all over herself to mask her scent in case anyone tried to follow her through the woods at any time, left the two letters on her bed, and opened the window of her second-story bedroom.  She dropped gracefully and silently, rolling in the snow and popping up onto her feet.
    The two miles through the wooded area between the neighboring streets concealed her as she ran in near darkness, spilling out onto the main street and darting across an empty intersection where her rental car waited.  The WAA had reserved it for her.  She had picked the car up on Tuesday and parked it behind a deserted gas station.
    She kept a sharp eye on her mirrors and drove as fast as she dared.  She was positive that no one had followed her.  Her frayed nerves and the thought of what would happen if the lynxes caught her fleeing kept her alert in spite of how little sleep she’d gotten during the week.
    Almost free , she thought, as she pulled into the parking lot of the airport and walked to the American Airlines terminal.  She looked around, scanning the nearly empty airport for anyone who looked familiar, and saw no one she recognized.  Two men, wearing military-style pants and black jackets, stepped into view and motioned for her.
    “R. S.?”  the taller of the two said.
    “Yes.”
    “Do you have your cell, computer, or any form of ID?”  the other asked.
    “No.”  She’d taken a chance on driving without her license and left it at home, knowing that she would have had to toss it out once she arrived at the airport.
    “Good.  Here is your new identification.  Your name is now Brittany Caulfield.  Our flight is preparing to board.  Let’s go.”  The taller one held out a driver’s license to her, and as she reached for it, a piercing roar ripped through the silence around them.
    She darted her eyes around the terminal as the two wolves put their hands on her arms, urging her to follow them to the gate.  The wolves were knocked away from her by three hulking figures who snarled warnings in deep, guttural words.  She hadn’t seen Eli, Josef, and Adam for sixteen years, but she recognized them immediately.  They threw the wolves around as though they were stuffed toys.  The taller wolf went through a glass wall and hit the outside sidewalk hard.  Josef hauled the other wolf