An Unwanted Second Chance (JB Tirado) novel Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Night had fallen in the camp. Riley leaned against a tree, her wrists tied loosely behind her. Though the bindings weren’t tight, the position was uncomfortable. Maddox was sure that the pack would attack within the next day, but the waiting was unbearable.

Jaxon laid on his back nearby, his hands tied in front of him. She hadn’t uttered a word to him about their

plan for fear of being overheard. He had barely looked at her, staring blankly into the trees for most of the

day. She could read the defeat written on his face.

She had seen Evan a couple times throughout the afternoon, drug around with Cheree as she spoke to various rogues. He had been in tears almost every time she saw him, but she was grateful that he was

obeying the mad woman’s requests. Riley wasn’t sure she could watch him be hit again without doing

something.

Maddox had given her some bread and cold rabbit while in his tent, explaining the basic layout of the camp

to her. They had agreed that when the time was right, she should get Evan from the tent and run deeper into

the woods. He discouraged her from going towards the pack, as the rogues would expect that from her. Maddox had also insisted that she leave Jaxon, given his knee would make it impossible for him to escape. He promised Riley that he would do everything in his power to protect the warrior from harm.

Once they had returned outside, Maddox had slipped a small switchblade into her pocket and tied a strip of

rope very loosely around her wrists. When the moment came, she would be able to easily slip her hands free,

which was why she kept her back pressed to the tree – for fear that another rogue might realize her bindings

were not right.

Most of the rogues had settled in for the night. Many slept in tents, but some slept on pallets of blankets

under the stars. She could make out wolves prowling the perimeter, the camps own patrols on the lookout for

possible attacks. She adjusted herself, using the light of the moon to focus on the tent she knew Evan to be

1. in. She hoped he was ok.

Suddenly a wolf nearby howled, the sound causing her to jolt away from the tree. Jaxon attempted to sit up,

but winced.

“What was that?” he muttered, looking over to Riley.

More wolves began to howl. All the wolves on patrol had joined in. Rogues leapt from their beds and

appeared from their tents, stripping their clothes as they began to shift.

“They’re here,” Riley gasped as she heard the first sounds of fighting. Snarls and growls filled the air. Riley slipped her wrists from her bindings just as Cheree ran from her tent.

Riley jumped to her feet, moving behind the tree as quickly as possible. Maddox darted from his tent, running towards where Jaxon was struggling to sit up.

“Where is she?!” Cheree screeched.

“What?” Maddox pretended to not understand.

“The Luna!” Cheree cried. “Where is she? The alpha has come. I need her.”

Maddox turned to the tree where Riley had been. “She’s gone. Where did she go?”

Chapter 83

More snarls and growls filled the air. Cheree turned to see the wolves coming into her camp, tearing through her wolves. Even Riley was astonished by the numbers she was seeing. How had they gotten so many warriors so quickly?

“Find her,” snapped Cheree, pointing at Maddox. “Find her and bring her to me. I’m going to look for the alpha.

Cheree began to shift, taking the form of a large gray wolf with bright yellow eyes. The wolf turned, darting into the fight. Riley sent a prayer to the Moon Goddess that Kent ripped her throat out if she managed to find him.

Once Cheree’s wolf was out of sight, Riley turned and ran towards the tent that Evan was being kept in.

“Luna,” Jaxon gasped, but Maddox slammed his hand over Jaxon’s mouth before he could draw any more attention.

Riley barely spared a glance at Jaxon, her thoughts focused on Evan. She had to trust that Maddox would protect Jaxon as promised. She needed to get the boy away from danger as quickly as possible, which meant she had to push her worry for Jaxon to the back of her mind.

When she stepped into the tent she spotted Evan huddled on a pallet of blankets on the floor, tears streaming down his face. He sat up quickly when he realized it was Riley.

“What’s happening?” he cried, the sounds of the fight growing closer to the tent.

“It’s ok,” Riley whispered, hurrying closer to him. “I need you to be quiet. We have to run away right now.”

Evan sucked in a deep breath, biting his lip as he nodded. Riley looked him over, noticing a new bruise blossoming on his cheek. His arm was still in a sling.

“Can you climb on my back?” she asked, kneeling next to him. “Can you hold on with just one arm?”

“I can,” he said, scrambling to his feet. “I’m really strong. That’s what dad says.”

“Of course you are.” Riley tried to sound confident, even as her stomach twisted in knots.

Evan wrapped his good arm around her neck, looping his legs around her hips. She winced at the pain in her shoulders and back, but ordered herself to ignore it. She heard him whimper as she stood, his injured arm

pressed against her back, but he didn’t loosen his grip.

Riley darted out of the tent once she was sure there were no wolves nearby. She rushed away from the pack

just as she and Maddox had discussed, heading deeper into the woods. She cleared the camp without being noticed, most of the fighting happening on the opposite side. She moved as quickly as possible, ignoring the

pain in her body as she picked her way through the trees. Luckily the light of the full moon helped guide her, allowing her to avoid the roots and brush that threatened to trip her.

Just when she was starting to think they were in the clear and she might set Evan down, a large gray wolf sprang in front of her. She braced herself, her heart in her throat until she saw the familiar trail of black along

his spine.

“Patrick,” she gasped.

Within a minute he had shifted, standing in front of her.

“Thank the Goddess,” he murmured, stepping close enough to pull Evan off her back. “Are you both ok?”

< Chapter 83

“Careful,” Riley warned as Evan whimpered again. “His arm is broken.”

Patrick sat Evan on the ground and knelt down in front of him to inspect the boy. He tilted Evan’s face side to

side.

“Where’s my dad?” Evan whispered, his voice trembling.

“Back at the pack,” Patrick replied. “He’s at the hospital but he’s going to be ok.”

Riley felt a rush of relief. Last she knew of Max, he had been climbing out of the car to fight the rogues by himself. She hadn’t wanted to let herself think of what had happened to him.

Suddenly a large black wolf broke through the trees, skidding to a halt in front of her. Riley was sure she had never seen such a beautiful creature in her life.

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