Intransigent

Sequel Announcement

Title: Precarious
First Posting: January 2017

Synopsis:

Book 2 of the Strength Series, following Intransigent | You do not need to read Intransigent to understand Precarious, but you may enjoy it more if you do.

Adrianna did something she shouldn't have. Sure, Richard was an obnoxious Alpha, with grabby hands and no manners and sure, he may have tried to force himself on her, but she still shouldn't have killed him. A good kick in the gonads would have made him leave her alone, but her wolf had taken over.

So, she ran. She knew that Richard's father wasn't any better than his son and her pack and Emma's pack already had bad relations with Richard and his father, Matthew. She didn't want to endanger her brother or Emma and Ashton. They were like surrogate parents to her. Running would help protect them. It probably wouldn't protect her, but then again, there wasn't much that could. She had killed an alpha, after all.

Excerpt:

Nothing good could come of killing Richard.  All it would do was escalate the already tense relationship between my pack and Matthew's.  It was a relationship that always had everyone walking on eggshells, ever since Matthew took over the pack from his father and continuing when Matthew passed the alpha title to his son, Richard.  I'd just blown all the careful stepping out of the water and I wasn't willing for my brother and parents to take the fall for it.

This running would ensure that Matthew knew that I killed his son on my own and that my families had nothing to do with it.  That was my goal anyway.  I couldn't handle it if I put my family in danger after everything that they had done for me.  I knew that Emma had killed my father when I was a baby, and from what she and Rodney had told me, it was for the best.  I knew that Rodney had run away with me when he was only six and I was a baby, seeking help from Emma because our father was abusive.

He wasn't just abusive to us, but he'd kidnapped Emma from her seventeenth birthday party and held her in the dungeons for two years, trying to torture her into agreeing to mate with my eldest brother Jeremy.  He was dead, too.  Another alpha killed him when he tried to save my father from Emma.

I knew how much they had all sacrificed to keep me safe, especially Rodney.  Now it was my turn to protect them.  I would miss them more than anything, but I couldn't go back to them.  Maybe when I knew I was safe, I could call and tell them, but that was it.  For their safety, I wouldn't be able to see them again.

I whined in pain at the thought as I searched for a clump of bushes or something to curl up in.  These woods were kind of bare, but I knew I had to find a hiding spot before going to sleep.  There were paths through these woods and wolves weren't native to this region.  I couldn't risk being found by humans.  Sighting me would put any other packs in this area in danger if the humans started a wolf hunt to protect their farms and children.

    It took me thirty minutes to find a suitable clump of bushes and worm myself into them.  I curled up in a ball and wrapped my tail around my back legs, my head resting on my paws.  Just a few hours, I told Alaina as my eyes sank closed.  Then we need to move again.

I knew she would make sure I was awake.  She knew we were in danger, spurring me on, even while I was tired.  She was the only reason that I had made it this far on my own.  I fell asleep easily, knowing that Alaina would wake me to start running again in just a few hours.

    And that's exactly what she did.  The sun had moved a little way across the sky, but not enough to be alarming.  It was time to start running again.  I crawled my way out of the thick bushes and took off again.

    It took me another three hours to leave Indiana behind for Illinois and then it was time to find a city.  I shifted and dressed in the sundress that I'd kept tied to my leg, before walking towards the city that I could hear maybe a mile away.  I followed Alaina's directions and walked all around the city, making sure to cross my paths repeatedly, back tracking and circling to make the trail as confusing as possible to track.

    Then I turned around and led a false trail south until I hit a river.  I splashed around in the river for a moment, taking some time to clean my white coat.  Then I crawled out of the river in the exact same place I went in and traced my own trail back to town.  I continued this pattern six more times, all the paths leading out of town leading back around to the same river, or another one if one was closer.  When I was done, I headed north again, towards Iowa.  I knew I needed to find another river to further confuse Matthew before I could continue easily.

    I nearly sighed in relief when I found one.  If I'd been smarter, I would have checked maps before this, to make sure there was plenty of running water to lose my scent in, but it had worked out well enough.  I spent a lot of time running down the river, making sure that my exiting trail was far enough away that Matthew wouldn't find it.

    And then I kept running.  I knew that I was safe enough to sleep longer, and I really needed it, but Alaina refused.  She pestered me to keep running, even though I was dead on my feet.  I didn't think I could run much longer, but she kept pushing.  I remembered Emma's words once again.  "Listen to your wolf, Adrianna.  She'll always do what's best for you."

I'd let Emma down once already, and I wasn't about to do it again.  Alaina was adamant that we couldn't stop and I knew that I had to listen to her.  I wouldn't let Emma down again.

    Alaina, I can't keep this up, I panted as my legs shook and my vision spotted.

    Yes, you can, Adrianna! she growled at me.  Keep going!

    I stumbled, plowing my face into the dirt.   I groaned painfully, almost sure that I couldn't stand back up.  The black spots in my vision were growing and I heard a growl come from my left that was most certainly not Alaina scolding me.

    I saw a startlingly black wolf approaching me with his hackles up and teeth showing right before the darkness completely clouded my vision.  The last thought that registered before I fell into exhaustion was that Emma may have been wrong.