Chapter 35 Alone

*Diana*

The wolves had been following us since we left Uncle Mike's gated community. Since they couldn't come in, they patiently waited outside. Onyx pointed this out when I was seated alone in Ethan's truck.

"There are a group of wolves waiting outside for you," Onyx said, her ears up and her green eyes menacing.

"What do you mean, Onyx? They're waiting for me and my dad? Are they after us?" Ever since my dad told me about my grandfather, I have become paranoid.

"No. They are waiting for your friend, Didi."

"Do you know why?"

"No, Diana. But I suspect it has something to do with our mate."

Ethan's father was looking for him and I guess they wanted to ask Didi if she knew where to find him. I guess these wolves didn't know who Ethan was or they would have already noticed him.

At the fastfood restaurant, they came in, looking for her. I watched them, as I sat, eating my fries. I thought they were going to come up to me and ask, but one of them looked at me without really seeing me. Onyx was protecting me, actually she was protecting all of us.

"Diana, make haste. Enter the supermarket and find Didi," Onyx growled. I stood up and followed her without asking her any questions.

I handed Ethan my bags knowing full well my dad would not allow me to go to the supermarket if I spoke to him first. Even Ethan said I shouldn't go. But I had to protect Didi and her son.

Now they are behind us about a couple of cars down, following the minivan. We were lined up with a bunch of other cars, trying to turn and enter the freeway. Highway patrol were slowing down cars, warning people of the blizzard so they could turn back. I felt bad for the police officers. It was really cold, the wind was howling and the snow was already falling to the ground.

"Sir, Ma'am, where you folks headed?", the officer asked as he popped his head inside Ethan's window.

"Boston, Officer. We have some business in the city," Ethan answered.

"There's a blizzard predicted to hit. If you get caught, there are rest stops you can park at to wait out the storm."

"Thanks Officer. We will remember that." Ethan smiled at the man.

"You kids take care alright. Dial 911 if you have an emergency."

I looked up at the rearview mirror and I saw two men come out of the SUV that were about three cars down from us. I had to sweeten the deal so the police officer could let us through.

"Officer, here, have some coffee." I reached over to Ethan's side to hand him the cup of coffee I had bought.

"Thank you, Ma'am. It's like you read my mind. Really appreciate it. Drive safely." He moved back and waved his hand so we could proceed to the freeway.

"Drive Ethan." Ethan put his foot on the gas and sped away. The two men who had gotten out ran back to the SUV. However, the police officer had noticed them and was now on his radio, calling for backup.

We drove off and turned to enter the freeway. We saw my dad and Ethan's truck with their hazard lights on, parked to the side. We honked at them to follow us as we drove past. One by one we entered the freeway. The snow was falling ever so gently on the freeway unlike when we were stopped by the highway patrol.

"They will not be able to follow any longer. The snow has blinded them." Onyx laid down on the ground and rested her head on her paw.

I leaned back on my seat, relieved. Now, all we had to do was drive. My dad sped up as well as my Uncle Mike, while Ethan slowed down. We proceeded down the freeway as a convoy with my dad in the front.

"Nice of you to give your cup of coffee away. Are you hungry? Go on and eat. Your fries must be cold by now."  Ethan glanced at the bags of food that were in between us.

"I had to be nice so the officer would let us through. I just played it by instinct." Weird really. The officer said it was like I read his mind. "What about you? You must be hungry." I stuck a fry in front of Ethan's mouth and he took the french fry with his lips, his tongue gently licking my fingers. I felt a jolt of electricity run through me which made me shiver.

"That tastes good. Can I have another one?" Ethan asked without taking his eyes off the road.

"Sure. Anything for you." I placed another fry infront of him and he bit down this time, sucking my fingers. I wanted to move my hand away, but I froze. It all felt so erotic.

Ethan glanced and smiled at me and I blushed. He had just caught me looking at his lips. Diana, what has gotten into you?! All of a sudden, I was fully and painfully aware of a man who brought out the woman in me.

I turned away from him to look out my window and I let out a soft groan. Is this what desire felt? I wanted to be sexy, flirtatious and captivating, but I didn't want to be looked at as a tease. Plus my father was with us. How can you play footsie when your father was behind you?

"Hey, what happened? I thought we were having fun." Ethan sounded hurt. I turned my head to look back at him and I saw his mouth had formed into a pout. He was adorable.

"Sorry, just got lost in my head again. Here, have some soda." I put the straw to his mouth so he could take a sip.

"What's wrong, Diana?" He asked after taking a sip.

"Nothing, just wondering what those men wanted with Didi." I had to lie. How could I possibly tell him I liked how he licked my fingers? He probably would think I was a slut.

"Diana, he doesn't think you're a slut. Whatever you are feeling, he feels the same way. Even more." Onyx didn't even lift her head. She looked bored.

"They probably wanted information on where to find me. They actually didn't look familiar at all.  Maybe the reason why they didn't notice me in the first place."

"So you have friends waiting for us in Boston?" I try to change the topic. He nodded his head and gave me a lopsided grin.

"My Beta and a few trusted men. They're like brothers to me. I'm sure you'll get along with them."

"Will they like me?" I had a bad feeling his father wouldn't like me one bit, but what about his friends? Ethan's right hand reached out and rubbed my thigh. I again felt a jolt of electricity as he touched me and I felt that strange heat building up inside of me. Onyx lifted her head and started howling. My wolf obviously wanted more to happen.

"Don't worry, Diana. You are my Luna. You complete me. In a way, they already know you through me. They'll love you just the way I love you." My eyes widened in shock. Love?

"Y-you l-love me?" Is it possible to be in love with someone you have only known for two days?

He takes my hand into his and squeezes it. I looked down at our hands then back at him. It felt so right.

"I don't mean to scare you. I know you've only learned you are a wolf last night. In the wolf world, when your wolf calls out mate, the connection is instant. I knew the moment I walked inside the diner. Your scent, everything about you, I was just so aware." He rubbed my hands with his thumb. "It's been really difficult for me to play the saint. All I've been yearning to do is take you in my arms and show you how much you mean to me." He glanced in my direction, his eyes filled with want and I felt myself become terribly warm. I moved closer to him and found myself wanting to give him a kiss on his cheek. I inched my face towards his, my mouth near his ear.

"Whoops. Seems your dad is turning into the rest stop." He takes his hand from mine, pats my thigh and places it back on the steering wheel. "Your dad told me he wanted both of my hands on the steering wheel at all times." Ethan shook his head and chuckled. "When I have a daughter, I'll probably act worse than your dad." I smiled. He wants to have a family. That I wanted too.

We turned to exit the freeway to the rest stop. I had to prepare myself for a tongue lashing from my dad. I fluffed my hair and patted my cheeks. "I love my dad. I love my dad. I love my dad," I chanted in my head.

Once we were all the rest stop, we all climbed out with our bags of food. There was a mess hall off to the side of the restrooms and we all took seats at a long table in a corner.

"Nice work, kiddo. Fast thinking there," Uncle Mike said while he unwrapped his cheeseburger. "Didi here sent a postcard to Ethan's family with her address several years back. Probably the reason why they followed her." Mike took a big bite of his burger and groaned in bliss. "I know this will clog up my arteries, but no one makes a greasy cheeseburger like they can."

"Diana, next time, don't go rushing off like that." Yup, here comes the tongue lashing. "What if something happened to you?" My dad was squirting some extra ketchup on his burger.

"Dad, I can't explain it, but I just had to be beside Didi. What if something happened to Harley?" I looked at Harley who had ketchup all over his mouth. "I can't live with something like that on my conscience. Onyx will take care of me. I trust my wolf. Dad, you need to trust Onyx." Onyx had always protected me since the beginning. She would give out small warnings especially when I crossed the street.

"Alright. I'll listen to Onyx. Just at least tell me first." My dad bit into his burger and concentrated on eating.

Whew! That went well. I smiled at him and started eating. Ethan, I noticed, was hungry. He already finished his burger and was halfway done with a slice of pie my dad had brought from the diner. He had some ketchup on the side of his mouth and I instinctively reached out to wipe the ketchup off. He quickly licked off the ketchup from my fingers and winked at me. That earned a cough from my father. We turned to look at him, feigning innocence, but he glared at the both of us. Didi and Uncle Mike roared with laughter.

My family. I loved them. And I would kill anyone who ever so tried to touch them. Onyx howled in agreement.