Chapter 34: A New Home

Dex pulled off the road and onto a dirt road. He had a vague idea where they’d be safe and he expected there to be a cabin here. This was unclaimed territory. If this didn’t work, they’d move on and find something else. He’d keep Emma safe no matter what.
“Smooth,” Emma said as they bumped along the rutted road.
“Nothing but the best for you,” Dex said.
She smiled at him as she held onto the dash of the truck. “You spoil me.”
“Sadly this is the best I can do right now, Emma.”
“It’s fine, Dex. As long as we’re together.”
As long as his Emma wasn’t with Lucien. He didn’t know what the future held, but as long as Emma was in it, he’d consider it bright. Finally, the trees opened up and a cabin appeared. The porch looked rickety, but the roof was intact as far as he could see. “Home, sweet, home.”
Emma climbed out. “We can work with this.”
He loved her so much. She’d been through fire and brimstone to be with him and he was going to make sure her life was the best it could be. He stood next to her. “I can fix this.”
He put a tentative foot on the bottom step. It almost gave under his weight, but in the end, it held him. The porch creaked when he stepped on it, but nothing broke. He’d have to make sure that none of the boards were rotted. The door was unlocked and he found a room with dust and cobwebs, but a few pieces of furniture.
He turned back to Emma. He held out his hand. “M’lady.”
She took his hand and he pulled her against him. He scooped her up into his arms. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying you across the threshold,” he said.
She laughed, resting her hand on his chest. He’d missed Emma. He hadn’t realized what had been missing in his life. The hole in his heart, the hole in his world had been Emma. And she was here now. His. Maybe things wouldn’t go smoothly because of Lucien, but they could handle it all together.
He was a stronger Alpha with his Luna by his side
He set her on her feet inside the two-room cabin. She looked around and he held his breath until a smile broke out on her face. “Ours.”
“Yes. It’s ours.”
Unless a pack came along and claimed it, but this land had been abandoned for as long as he could remember.
“Needs some cleaning,” she said.
A large bed with a mattress sat in one corner. In the opposite corner, a small bathroom had been installed. He doubted the place had plumbing when it was first built. They could make this work. “Some repairs.”
She tucked herself into his arms. “We can do this. Dex. You and me.”
He hugged her closer. “We can, Emma. We’ll make it our home.”
She let go of him. “Well, we need to get some work done before we lose light.”
“Let me gather some wood for a fire and then I’ll see what there is to hunt,” he said.
He left her wiping things down. They hadn’t brought cleaning products, but there was a town within driving distance they could find supplies. Walking around the cabin he found some wood that would work for kindling. Further, into the woods, he found some larger logs and dragged them back to the house. He’d have to buy an ax if they were staying here.
His mind drifted to Lucien and what could happen next. He doubted that Lucien had anyone follow them. He hadn’t driven in a straight line to get here. Their scents could be tracked, but most of the roads had been filled with traffic so it might be hard. Not impossible.
He would talk to Emma about the reality of their situation tonight. He owed that to his Luna, to be honest. Lucien had treated her like a servant; he would treat her like an equal.
When he returned, the cabin looked better. “What did you do?”
“You sacrificed a t-shirt. There wasn’t any dirt, just dust, so I wiped everything down.”
He kissed the top of her head. “You’re the best, Emma.”
“I’ll need something stronger to clean the shower,” she said.
“I guess we’ll put those off until we can get to the store. There's a town about thirty miles from here. I’m sure it has some kind of store.”
“That can wait until tomorrow. What did you bring me to cook?”
“Let me start the fire then I’ll show you.”
He had a fire going minutes later. In their wolf form, they could eat raw meat. In their human form, they couldn’t. At least they had options if he hadn’t been able to find wood.
He led her out to the porch where the corpses of several rabbits lay. “They are a little lean that’s why I caught more than one.”
“Maybe we’ll feed them and get them fatter for use in the future.”
She was already thinking ahead. “That’s why I’m so glad I have a Luna. And it’s you.”
She hugged him around his middle. “You going to skin those?”
He looked down at her. “Of course. Anything for my Luna.”
“What is our next step?”
“You don’t want to live in this Shangri-la forever?”
“What if this isn’t a long-term solution?”
As she said that, two wolves came out of the woods. Dex tucked Emma behind him. The wolves shifted into human form. They stared at Dex and Emma for what seemed like minutes but was only seconds.
“Are you those two fugitives?” the one asked, striding closer to the porch.
Word had traveled fast. “Maybe.”
“I’m Lugo, Alpha for Maverick Woods Pack.”
Dex guessed they were standing in Maverick Woods. “This land has been claimed?”
“Yes,” Lugo said.
Their plans to stay here for a while were just crushed. “We’ll move on.”
Lugo waved his hands. “You can stay for tonight.”
“No one will bother us?”
“I’m extending this courtesy for twenty-four hours,” Lugo said.
“Why? You have every right to kick us out.”
“Let’s just say I don’t have any love for Lucien. I won’t tell anyone you’re here. Just move on so that you don’t bring Lucien’s wrath on my pack.”
“We’ll be gone at first light,” Dex said.
The wolves shifted back to animal form then disappeared into the woods. Emma had been gripping him and she let go. “That went better than I thought.”
He tugged her into his arms. “We have tonight, but I don’t know of any other territory that is free.”
“Should be we return home?” she asked.
“Not yet. We might eventually, but I don’t think now is the time.”
“So what’s next?”
Dex took in a deep breath then let it out. An idea had been niggling at his brain. “We might live among humans.”
“What?” she asked.
He could see the worry on her face and he longed to kiss it away. As much as he wanted to shield Emma from the bad parts of life, he had more respect for her than that. “Think about it. Our smell could get lost among them. We would have time to think about our next move and how we can speak to the Elder of your old pack.”
Her gaze went away then back to him. “That does make some sense.”
“Humans have newspapers and agents who can help us find a place.”
“How do you know so much about the human world?”
“I spent a few months in it when I was searching for my place in our world.”
She smiled up at him. “You are full of surprises Dex.”
“Shall we make some dinner while we still have light?”
“Yes. I’m starving.”
“Why do I think that is your permanent state?”
She just laughed and left him to his skinning.
The next morning, they were packed and on the road before the first light. Dex didn’t want to overstay their welcome if it could be called that. At least Lugo promised he wouldn’t tell Lucien they’d been there.
When they reached the edge of the human part of the world, Dex pulled to the side of the road. “You ready for this?”
“I’ve heard stories, but I don’t know what it’s like out there.”
“There is no Alpha. They elect the people who govern them. If we find a larger city we can blend in better. No one will ask us any questions. Small town people tend to be friendly.”
“I trust you, Dex.”
That’s all he needed to hear.