Losing Her Mate (Book 2 of The Red Dawn Trilogy )

Chapter THIRTY-ONE

Christy P.O.V

I CAN'T FREAKING believe this.

I refuse to even consider it.

There's no way Hunter would do this to me......right?

My heart pleads desperately with my mind trying to dissuade me from reason and calm my nerves but it doesn't work. I know the truth.

I race about my room stepping over dirty clothes and discarded accessories looking for my car keys. I finally find them hiding beneath one of my sparkling bedazzled bras. I scoop them up and head out of my suite.

I make my way quickly down the halls. I use as much stealth as I can manage in my haste, taking soft steps, looking around corners and down stairways before continuing on my way. I manage to make it out of the house through a back door hurrying through the darken courtyard and pass a thick cluster of trees and brush, all the way to the lighted parking garage next to the mated members homes.

Once inside I collapse against an interior wall well hidden in the shadows where the scarce recess lights don't reach. I relish the cool cement a welcome to my overheated body. I take a moment to catch my breath closing my eyes and trying to slow down my rapidly beating heart.

After calming myself I look around making sure I'm alone then make my way over to my hot pink 2009 convertible Volkswagen Beetle. I push the button on my key chain to pop the lock then climb in and shut the door. I put the key in the ignition and turn listening to the car as it roars to life. I release a big sigh of relief. I actually made it out without any detection, which honestly wasn't particular a large feat considering mostly everyone is at the mandatory meeting tonight.

A frigid chill slivers through my body at the thought of the meeting. It's all everyone was talking about today and Amber stressed that every adult had to attend. NO EXCEPTIONS. If I had been discovered it would have looked highly suspicious. I would have surely been questioned and I'm a horrible liar.

I know all to well what must be being discussed right now. It's a feeling I've had since hearing those awful screams. I don't know why but Hunter immediately came to mind. The White Wolf. I know he has something to do with them.

I don't know exactly what happened but the awful sounds that night didn't bode well with my conscious. I tried calling Hunter yesterday morning with no luck. I haven't been able to reach him in days. The cell phone number he gave me has been disconnected and I don't know any other way to reach him. So after much debate I've decided to go looking for him. I only hope no one will notice my absence at the meeting.

Suddenly I feel a disruption in the pack connection. It's not the usually mellow background emotions or nice happy feelings of contentment coupled with images of simple happenings within the pack. No this is an intense torrent of frustration and alarm. I tentatively explore their agitation and instantly become barraged with images of the day the rogue pack terrorized us a few months back. I see images of slaughtered members scattered about the lawn of the pack house, crazed rogues with blood dripping from their muzzles, frightened children clutching their mothers bosoms and the most prominent image I see is of a beautiful yet vicious looking white wolf.

The waves hit me hard, enough to make me swoon. My heart lurches in my chest slamming against my rib cage and I clutch at it as if my palm will somehow protect it from the heartache it's experiencing. On the heels of the pain comes overwhelming guilt that crushes down on me making my shoulders slump and head sag.

I'm the reason they're hurting. My family is in a disarray because of me. I can feel their emotions clearly fear, wrath, grief, and intense hopelessness and it's all my fault. My wolf completely in accord with my feelings lets out a series mournful whines that echo in my mind.