Shifting Love

Chapter 27: The Escape

"What about everyone else?" I asked for the second time.

I still wasn't convinced that sneaking me out was a good idea. I couldn't understand why we weren't bringing the others along with us either.

"You don't think they will notice four missing Alphas and their mates?" Christian sarcastically replied.

I rolled my eyes, "Did you happen to notice the intelligence of some of those wolves? They weren't exactly Einsteins up there."

"Ari," Fiona interrupted again before my temper flared, "Don't feel guilty because you are leaving us behind. We will be fine here."

She knew exactly how I was feeling inside. It wasn't fair for Dante to take me out of here while they stayed in the old, musty basement. But I understood. It was safer for them down here. With a war being inevitable, we needed them to stay alive and well. The hunters would inadvertently keep them that way.

"It will be okay, Arianna," Bruce agreed.

Dante reached out and stroked my cheek soothingly. My nerves calmed down when I pushed my face into his warm hand. Heat flowed from the center of his hand through my body before he pulled away.

"You two need to get going before they notice he has been gone for too long," Daniel warned us.

"We will only have a few minutes to move once I get you free. The hunters won't be able to hear the noise but the other wolf shifters will surely be woken up," Dante whispered in my ear.

I nodded my head to let him know to proceed. His hands worked quickly and he broke the chains pinning me to the wall. The metal clinked onto the ground when he dropped the broken bindings.

"Good luck," a few of the Alphas called out.

Dante swept his arm under my knees so he could carry me up the stairs. I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck.

It was hard to concentrate when every time I inhaled his scent dominated my senses. But I forced myself to push the hormones to the back of my mind. A distraction would be the difference between life and death in this building. My senses needed to be focused on all the hunters and shifters in the place.

"Steady your heart and keep quiet," he whispered.

His lips softly brushed across mine when he stopped in front of the basement door.

"Wait."

He abruptly stopped. The hand that wasn't holding me against his chest paused on the door handle. I tightened my arms around his neck and hastily pressed my lips against his. Warmth erupted in the pit of my stomach from the simple touch. It was a feeling that I didn't think I would ever get used to.

After a couple of seconds I reluctantly pulled away. I placed my forehead against his as I remembered what we were supposed to be doing.

"What was that for?" he asked.

The stairwell was dark but I knew he was grinning.

"I needed reassurance before we stepped out there."

"Reassurance?"

"That you were really here and you weren't going anywhere."

"Ari, I am taking you out of this place. When this is all over, I am locking you in our bedroom and we are never leaving. Ever."

I stifled a laugh, "That's good to know, Alpha Dante."

"First things first though. Let's get you out of here."