Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
“I need to run into town.”
Foster and Hannah both turn to look at me. They’re sitting side by side on the porch swing, gently rocking while Kaitlin splashes in the pool. Early August doesn’t bring any relief from the heat, and my pack is feeling its effects.
Hannah tenses, and her foot hits the ground, bringing them to a stop.
In the ten days we’ve been here, we haven’t left.
I have ventured beyond the treeline, and that is only to check on our security cameras.
“We are getting low on groceries… but is it safe to leave? I can stretch what we have left.”
My heart melts as I watch Foster stroke his palm up and down her back.
She leans into his touch instead of shying away from it, something she wouldn’t have done a few days ago.
Our couch-side conversation changed things.
Opened up the Fated connection between us, and gave it room to grow.
There are still firm boundaries in place.
Hannah doesn’t want to risk anything happening beyond the scope of friendly comfort.
Not until she dissolves her marriage to Colin.
We’re respecting the lines she has drawn, despite our instincts urging us to shower her with the love she deserves.
With the little I know about her asshole husband, I don’t doubt for a second that he would use any relationship between us against her in court.
He’d rather she looked bad than admit he’s a terrible spouse and an even worse father.
“Shepherd will be fine,” Foster promises Hannah. “Only Donovan knows our location, so a trip into town shouldn’t put us at risk. We’ll have to make sure we stock up so it doesn’t happen often.”
“It’s a slight risk, but a necessary one,” I cut in.
My feet pull me across the porch until I’m standing before them.
I crouch so I’m not towering over them, and take one of each of their hands in mine.
“You know how to check the cameras and monitor the property. I’ll only be gone a few hours.
Long enough to grab everything we need and make sure no one tries to follow me back.
I can grab dinner while I’m gone, too, so we don’t have to heat the kitchen tonight. ”
Hannah still seems uncertain, so I take a chance and press my lips to her palm. “I promise to return to you in one piece and without danger on my tail.”
“Mommy?”
I turn to see Kaitlin eyeing us nervously from the steps.
I drop Foster’s hand and hold my arm out, letting her curl against my side.
My clothes are wet now, but the chill from her skin helps fight a bit of the heat.
“Nothing to worry about, Princess. Just making plans for me to go into town. I’m going to get groceries and grab dinner. How does pizza sound?”
“Pizza! I likes pizza! Cheesy pizza!” She wiggles until I let her slip away so she can dance across the porch. Stopping suddenly, she turns and pins me with a critical stare. “No pepperoni. Too spicy.”
Grinning, I wink at Hannah before dropping her hand. She’s fighting a smile of her own as I rise to my feet. “Got it. No pepperoni. Any other requests?”
We all take a minute to make a list of things we’ll need to get us through at least another two weeks at the cabin.
Without knowing what is going on in the outside world, I can’t guess how long we’ll be staying here.
Thankfully, Hannah is an efficient meal planner.
She creates a two-week menu and writes everything we’ll need to complete it.
Foster makes sure we add snacks and treats for our little princess, too.
After walking them through the security measures again, I grab an envelope of cash from the panic room safe and slip into a pair of hiking boots.
My clothes are neutral-colored, and a black baseball cap covers my strawberry-blonde hair.
Aside from my height, I shouldn’t stand out.
Dropping a quick kiss on Foster’s lips and pressing one to the top of Hannah’s head, I walk to the car.
“Wait!” Kaitlin’s voice shouts before I hear her tiny feet pounding across the dirt.
She throws herself against my legs, hugging my knees.
“Bees careful!” The concern in her voice is an arrow straight to my heart.
I drop to a crouch, careful not to knock her down.
She lets me wrap her tightly in my arms, squeezing until she squeals in delight.
“I’ll be careful, promise.” I swallow the longing to stay and slip behind the wheel. All three of them watch me from the porch as I turn the car around and rattle down the bumpy driveway. The sooner this trip is over, the better. I don’t want to keep my family worrying any longer than necessary.
Walking into the chain supermarket two towns over from the cabin, I keep my senses open, but my body relaxed. No one stood out or seemed suspicious as I drove here, but the need to be cautious pulses through my body.
That doesn’t stop me from making a quick trip down the toy aisle.
The pool, swing, soccer ball, and coloring books have been great for entertaining Kaitlin so far, but I want to pick her up a few other things to play with.
Give her more options while spoiling her like the princess she is.
I stop in the game aisle first and grab a couple for all of us to sit down and play together.
Family game night sounds like a great way to spend the next rainy evening.
Rounding the corner to the doll aisle, I see an end cap full of magnetic building blocks.
They’re a big hit with young kids, something I remember from shopping with Foster last December to fill Angel Tree requests.
They’re a great medium between the chunky plastic toddler blocks and the intricate design of something built with Legos.
Grabbing two boxes, each of a different color, I toss them into the cart.
With a nice stack of surprises for Kait, I work on getting everything off Hannah’s list. The cart is overflowing by the time I finish, and I couldn’t fit the cases of water we need.
I finish paying for everything, load it into the car, and run back inside to grab them.
A display of fuzzy body pillows catches my attention during my second trip inside.
I almost pass them by before memories of Hannah tossing and turning at night surge to the front of my mind.
Taking in the array of colors, I settle on two sunshine yellows for her and a dark gray for Foster.
On my way back to the checkouts, I detour to grab a bottle of scent-neutral massage oil.
My Omega loves having his muscles tended to, and it may help ease the pain Hannah has been experiencing in her upper thighs and hips.
The car is packed with entirely too much stuff as I pull out of the parking lot. I have a feeling my mates will scold me for it upon my return, but I cannot regret spoiling them, at least in what little ways I can, while we are hiding from the Montgomery cult.
My eyes track over the cars on the road behind me as I drive out of town and start the journey toward the cabin. They slowly trickle off the road, heading down long gravel drives or toward other small towns in the area. I don’t circle to the correct road until I’m certain no one is following me.
Sunlight still streams through the trees when I pull to a stop outside the cabin. The front door flies open, revealing one frazzled Beta, a stressed-out Omega, and an annoyed four-year-old. I quickly climb out and around the hood, ready to face whatever threat awaits me.
“They don’t have their listenin’ ears on today!” Kaitlin’s frustrated exclamation has me freezing halfway up the steps. “I tolds them you promised to bees careful!”
Foster’s expression shifts to amusement as he sweeps our little princess into his arms and tickles her sides. Her laughter echoes around the porch, helping their concerns to fade. I bite back a laugh of my own when she wiggles out of his arms and ducks behind my legs, using me as a shield.
“Come here, Little Bug. Let’s help carry everything into the house.” Hannah gets right down to business, heading to the car. She pats my shoulder on the way. Silently letting me know she’s relieved I made it back safely.
The cheesy, gooey scent of the pizza has our feet moving quickly.
My mates give me the side-eye when they see the non-essentials I picked up.
With a shrug, I close the trunk, hiding the rest behind my back as I usher them all inside.
I’m their pack leader. I can shower them with gifts anytime I want.
“Can we eat yet? I hungry!”
“Wash your hands first!” Hannah calls out as she places the last of her bags on the dining table.
After dropping my surprises on the side of the couch where they aren’t in view, I join Foster and Hannah in the kitchen. We make quick work of sorting out what needs to go in the fridge and freezer. They’ll need to be put away before we eat, but the pantry items can wait.
“All done! See?” Water droplets hit my arm as Kaitlin appears at my side, tiny hands waving through the air.
Hannah closes her eyes for a long second before giving her daughter a stern look. “Bug, how do we dry our hands?”
“With a towel,” Kaitlin grumbles, grabbing one from the front of the stove and hastily wiping them.
“Sorry, Mommy.” Her apology is accepted, and she’s sent to the table with plates and napkins.
I join her, helping to move the rest of the bags and the cases of water stacked in the center.
These mundane moments make our life in the cabin seem normal.
Like we’re a newly formed pack learning to coexist together, not hiding here.
Those feelings don’t mean I’ve forgotten the threats against my girls.
As soon as the DAU brings down the Montgomery cult, I’ll make sure no one from that awful place can ever get their hands on them again. Not Hannah’s parents, and certainly not her piece of shit husband.