Alpha Wilson’s POV
I drove away from the pack, the weight of every mile I put between us grew heavier, pulling at me, gnawing at the edges of my mind. My wolf was restless, pacing inside me, refusing to settle.
It growled low in my chest, pushing back against my decision to leave. The bond with Kiara was still too strong, too fresh. Leaving her behind felt like ripping out a part of myself, but I couldn’t stay.
Not when she couldn’t choose me. Not when I felt like I was always going to be second place to someone else.
My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white. The highway stretched on, but it all felt like a blur. My mind screamed at me to turn back, to fix things, to go to Kiara and make her see that I was the one she needed.
But I couldn’t. I was too worn out, too broken from the endless battle between what my heart wanted and what my head told me was true.
I needed to clear my head. To figure out if this was truly what she wanted because if Kiara was still thinking about Eric, then what was the point of me staying?
When I saw a flickering motel sign on the outskirts of town, I decided it was as good a place as any to stop. My body was exhausted, my wolf still pacing angrily inside me.
I just needed to breathe for a minute. I pulled into the gravel lot and parked my car, feeling like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.
The motel was as rundown as they come, with paint chipping off the walls, and the scent of stale cigarettes in the air. I walked inside, my bag slung over my shoulder, and headed toward the reception desk.
The girl behind the counter was on her phone, barely glancing up at me as I approached.
“Room for the night,” I muttered, too tired to care about the condition of the place.
Her eyes finally lifted from her phone, and I could feel her sizing me up in an instant. She had that look, a certain predatory gleam.
At first, I ignored it, just wanting to get my key and go to the room, but she didn’t make it easy. Leaning over the counter, she shot me a smirk, running her fingers through her hair.
“You know,” she purred, her voice dripping with unnecessary flirtation, “we could probably find you something more comfortable than one of these old rooms.”
I felt my wolf stir again, irritated. I clenched my jaw and tried to remain polite. “Just the key. Please.”
But she wasn’t taking the hint. Her hand reached out, brushing against mine deliberately as she handed me the paperwork to fill out.
My skin crawled at the contact. I could feel the tension inside me rising, my wolf was ready to snap. I was trying to keep it together, but she wasn’t backing off.
“Come on,” she purred again. “I bet you could use some company. I get off in a few hours.”
That was it.
Before I knew it, I had slammed my hand down on the counter, the sound reverberating through the small lobby. Her eyes widened in surprise, but I didn’t care.
“I said just the key,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous.
She recoiled, but then her expression shifted into one of outrage. “You think you can talk to me like that?” she spat, straightening up. “You’re going to regret that.”
I didn’t have the energy to deal with this. She grabbed the phone behind the desk and, within minutes, a couple of security guys appeared, lumbering toward me like they were ready for a fight.
I sighed, my wolf more than eager to take them down. They rushed at me, and it was over before it even started. I knocked the first one to the ground with a swift kick to the legs, sending him sprawling.
The second guy threw a punch, but I dodged it easily and slammed my fist into his gut. He crumpled, groaning in pain. The receptionist watched, stunned, as I stood over the defeated security guards, my breathing heavy but controlled.
I turned to her, my eyes flashing.
“Now, give me the key,” I said, my voice deadly calm.
She fumbled for the key, her hands shaking as she handed it to me. I tossed a few bills on the counter to cover the room and grabbed my bag.
Without another word, I headed toward the room number she had given me, my heart pounding with frustration and pain. I slammed the door behind me once I reached the room, letting out a long breath.
My wolf was still restless, pacing, growling, furious that I had left Kiara behind. I dropped my bag onto the bed and sat down heavily. The weight of everything came crashing down on me at once.
I pulled out my phone, and the screen lit up with missed calls. Kiara, Rolan, Pandora-all of them had been trying to reach me. I could feel the guilt gnawing at me, but I didn’t want to deal with it. I didn’t want to hear their voices, to face the questions and the pain.
Kiara’s name flashed across the screen again, and I froze, my heart beating faster. But I couldn’t do it. Not yet. Not now.
I powered off my phone and tossed it onto the nightstand, running a hand through my hair. My head was a mess. My heart was worse. I had no idea what I was doing, or if I was even making the right decision by leaving. But I had to sort through it all before I could face her again.
Reaching for the motel phone, I called down to the front desk, my voice rough. “Send up some alcohol. A lot of it.”
As I hung up, I leaned back against the headboard, staring at the ceiling. The alcohol wouldn’t fix anything, but maybe it would numb the ache in my chest. The ache of wondering if I was too late.