Chapter 34: Chapter 34

ADDISON

I crawled into bed. I was exhausted from the excitement of the day.

Slade walked into the room and up to the bed. He kissed my forehead, and I let out a happy sigh. “Sleeping wasn’t part of the plan tonight,” he teased.

I laughed and then rolled over. “I’m exhausted, and I have a meeting at the school first thing.” I stretched and let out a yawn.

Slade slid into bed and wrapped his arms around me. I was drifting off to sleep when I heard him whisper in my ear, “I’ve fallen in love with you, Addison Black.”

A smile spread across my face as I fell asleep.

***

I woke in the morning and got ready for the day. I was surprised at his declaration last night. I knew I had already fallen for him. Hook, line, and sinker.

It warmed my whole soul when he had whispered those words to me. I finished dressing and strolled out of the closet. We had moved the rest of my things over the day before.

Slade had woken up and was sitting up in bed. He smiled warmly at me as I approached him. “Good morning, Luna.”

I grinned. “Good morning, Alpha.” He gave a low growl and pulled me next to him.

“I have to go!” I laughed and wiggled myself out of his arms.

He stood up and wrapped his arms around me. “When will you get back?”

“I should only be gone a couple of hours at the most. They just need help with some organizational things.” Slade kissed me, and I walked toward the door.

I stopped as I got to the door and gathered every bit of bravery I possessed. Then I turned and bounded back to him.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the cheek before whispering in his ear, “I love you too, Slade Black.”

I let him go and walked out the door, smiling as I turned back for a moment to look at the man frozen in shock in the middle of the bedroom.

***

I woke up. My eyes were fuzzy, and I squeezed them closed a couple of times to focus them.

“Where am I?” I asked, speaking to the air. I could hear my wolf whining, something was wrong. When my mind and eyes finally focused, I realized I was tied up and alone in what seemed to be a cabin.

I tried to mind-link Slade, but whatever I had been given was blocking my ability to do so. Panic set in, and I struggled against the bands holding me.

A voice rose from a dark corner of the room. “It’s no use. You’re not going anywhere.”

I recognized the voice. “Vanessa,” I hissed. “Why am I here?”

“You took my mate!” Vanessa’s voice dripped with venom.

“He’s not your mate anymore, and you know it. You rejected him. He moved on.”

“Ha!” Vanessa scoffed. “Do you really think he’s all that happy with you? He won’t even mark you!”

She didn’t know he had done just that. I wasn’t about to tell her that, though.

“What are you going to do to me?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even, trying not to let my panic show.

Vanessa grinned devilishly and drew a small dagger from her back. My eyes widened.

“I-I’m expected somewhere,” I stuttered. “They’ll all know something is wrong when I don’t show.”

“I’ve already taken care of that,” Vanessa said, rolling her eyes. “Apparently, it’s easy to sound like a shy, innocent, little luna. I called and canceled your meeting.”

“You really think Slade won’t know what you’ve done?” I spat back. “You have to realize you won’t get away with this.”

“Nobody will know it was me. They will go looking for you when you don’t come home, only to find you on the path to the school, dead from an apparent bear attack. Apparently, you have a history with them.”

Vanessa moved closer to me, and I tried again to mind-link Slade. No luck. I had to stall.

“Why did you even leave if you want him so badly?” I snapped, hoping she would take the bait. And like every villain in every movie I’d ever seen, Vanessa took it.

“I had higher aspirations. Things didn’t work out the way I wanted them to.” Vanessa shrugged. “I knew Slade hadn’t found another mate, so I came home, only to find you here where you don’t belong!”

Vanessa turned away and walked to the other side of the room, still talking about herself.

I felt the fog begin to lift. ~“SLADE!”~ I yelled in my head. Nothing. ~“SLADE!”~

~Please answer~, I thought to myself.

I tried one more time. ~“SLADE! PLEASE!”~

~“Addison?”~ I heard his voice.

~“Slade! Help me, please!”~

I could hear the panic in Slade’s voice. ~“Addison, what’s wrong? Where are you?”~

~“I don’t know. Vanessa took me somewhere. It looks like a cabin?”~ I looked at my surroundings. It was definitely a cabin. I took a minute and then described it to him.

~“It has wooden walls. There’s a big stone fireplace and a bed. Slade, please come help me.”~ Slade was silent for a second.

~“Addison,”~ he replied, ~“look at the fireplace for me. On the wall to the right of it, is there a heart carved into the wall?”~

I strained my eyes. ~“Yes! There is!”~

~“I know where you are. I’m coming.”~

“Hellooo, little miss luna.” Her words dripped with disdain.

“Are you done stalling, hoping that someone might stumble upon us and help you? Nobody knows about this place, and nobody knows you’re here.” Vanessa grinned.

“Bite me,” I hissed. “Oh wait, somebody already has.”

I shouldn’t have snapped back like that, I knew it would only make Vanessa angry.

Vanessa screamed at me. “You skank! He marked you? He. Is. Mine! I will be luna.”

With fire in her eyes, Vanessa slashed her blade and made a gash down my shoulder. The pain was searing, and I let out an involuntary yell.

She slashed at my shoulder again, ripping through my flesh, leaving behind another deep gash. I was losing a lot of blood, and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer.

As Vanessa drew closer, I summoned every bit of strength I had.

“~No!~” I boomed, “I am your luna. You ~will~ hear me.”

Vanessa stopped, frozen by obedience to her luna’s command. I glared at her. Just then, Slade crashed through the door. I hadn’t seen his wolf before, but he was beautiful.

Snarling, Slade slowly stalked over to Vanessa. “How— How did you find us?” she asked in shock.

I grinned. “The alpha and luna can mind-link, didn’t you know? I called him here.” I could hear Slade’s chuckle, knowing I had only just found out myself.

Vanessa let out a screech before lunging at me. She was stopped quickly by Slade, his large jaws clamping down on her and crushing her.

He dropped her lifeless body to the floor and walked over to me, his wolf sniffing at me and licking at my wounds.

Slade shifted back and cut my ties. He picked me up, pulling me close. “I’m so sorry.”

I winced at the pain in my shoulder. “Don’t you wish now that you had banished her when you had the chance?”

Slade laughed. “You’re being awful cheeky to the man who just saved you.”

“Nah, I had her on the ropes,” I teased.

“In all seriousness, you did,” Slade said. “I’ve never seen a luna command like that before. It was hot, babe.”

I chuckled, wincing again at the pain from the movement. Slade looked down at me with worry. “Don’t be worried, I’ll be okay,” I offered in an attempt to reassure him.

We were almost home when I passed out, which made Slade rush even more.