Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Ayla I waited a couple of hours before I rolled over to face the room. Alpha Harden looked to be asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly. But Gamma Blake was still awake in the chair, still on his phone. I thought back to the morning before when I was in the cell with Randy and Theo.

Concentrating, I searched for the feeling that I was starting to recognize. I felt the power I needed. I focused on Gamma Blake but included Alpha Harden in my intentions to be safe.

“Go to sleep,” I whispered forcefully.

Gamma Blake’s eyes started to drift close and his head fell forward. But my command wasn’t strong enough. He quickly snapped back up, looking around. I closed my eyes quickly. Waiting to see if he noticed I was awake.

He must not have because he was back on his phone when I peeked at him again. I mustered up my power again.

“Go to sleep,” I whispered again with more weight This time he was snoring softly within a minute. I looked over at Alpha Harden. He was also still out. I sat up slowly. When I was sure they were both unconscious, I wrote a quick note on the nightstand notepad, then tiptoed to the dresser and grabbed the car keys. Keys in hand, I quietly let myself out of the motel room. It was still raining heavily, but the wind and thunder had died down. I climbed into the car and turned on the engine.

I pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the road a little before pulling into a gas station parking lot. I grabbed my bag from the back floor. They had packed my things for me, at least. I searched through it a breathed a sigh of relief when I found my phone and wallet inside. I went to turn my phone on but paused, thinking twice. It may be paranoid, but with everything going on, it wouldn’t be ridiculous to think someone was tracking it.

I ran into the station’s quick mart, getting cash from the ATM and purchasing a cheap smartphone and prepaid plan. I had no idea where I was or how to get where I needed so I needed the GPS. Getting back in the car, I quickly got the phone up and running and punched in the address.

It was about five hours away. So, if I was lucky and the weather cleared up, I would be there before midday.

I put the car in gear and got on the road.

I didn’t know how this would go. My goal was to get in and get out without a big fuss. I just wanted to get my dad’s ring and his ashes. I didn’t know if Kingston would be there, but I knew the code to the safe where he kept them. As long as he hadn’t changed it, I wouldn’t need to see him if he wasn’t.

I was kind of hoping he wasn’t. I felt a little guilty about that, but our last conversation made me nervous about being around him.

I would have called Emma or even Pierce, but I was hoping they wouldn’t even know I was there. Mostly because there was too much going on, and I didn’t have time to go through it all then.

I pulled up to the Sablemane packhouse before noon. I was glad to see that it wasn’t very busy, and I managed to make it through without being noticed. I let myself into Kingston’s apartment. Kingston wasn’t there, so I went straight to the bedroom to the wall safe. I entered the code and opened it.

My father’s ring wasn’t in there.

His ashes were still where I left them, but the ring was gone. Only an empty ring box was in its place.

I wasn’t leaving without my ring.

I went back to the living room and started pacing. Not sure if I should call him or wait for him to return. I decided to wait. If I called him, it might give him the opportunity to stash it somewhere. If he hadn’t already. The thought pissed me off.

Why the hell did he take it? Was it just to spite me?

I know I made some mistakes in our relationship, but I never intended to hurt him. Taking a valuable family heirloom, the last thing connecting me with my late father is a bit extreme. Besides, he said I should come and get it. I’ve done that. It should be here.

I was getting more worked up the longer I waited. I was fuming when the door finally opened and Kingston walked in. I was about to start yelling but froze at seeing him.

He was covered in blood.

I started to run to make sure he was okay, but after two steps, the scent hit me. It wasn’t his blood. None of it.

Our eyes met and my breath caught.

“Kingston,” I gasped out, “what happened?”

He didn’t answer me. He just stared like he didn’t believe I was there.

“Kingston,” I repeated.

He started toward me but I retreated. He stopped.

“Ayla...”

“What did you do?” I asked, indicating his blood–soaked hands.

He looked down. “It’s nothing,” he said. He walked around me to the sink and started washing.

“That’s not nothing, Kingston,” I yelled. “What the hell is going on?”

“I was hunting,” he said casually, pulling his ruined shirt over his head. “I didn’t expect to see you back.”

“You told me to come and get my father’s ring,” I stated. “What were you hunting, Kingston?”

His shoulders fell slightly. “So you’re not coming home to me?”

“I told you, Kin,” I replied. “I don’t belong here.”

He moved toward me again. “Yes, you do, Ayla.”

I moved back. He wasn’t himself. Something was very wrong. He looked like he couldn’t think straight, his eyes darting around, meeting my eyes, then anywhere but.

“Ayla, can I not even touch you anymore?” he asked softly.

I took a tentative step forward, reaching out to take his hand. I needed him to talk to me. I needed to know what was going on.

“Kingston, what were you hunting?”

He lifted my hand into both of his, rubbing his thumbs along my skin without looking up at me.

“Waar Pak.”