Hate Mates (The Alpha Shifter)

Chapter Seven

The sun was high in the sky when Alexa woke the following morning. She closed her eyes as it hurt. Opening and closing them, she let her eyes get accustomed to the glare. She and Landon had taken off into the forest last night.

Marcel hadn’t chased after them.

Did her parents know she was gone? Did they care?

Landon’s strong grip around her waist tightened, and she smiled, turning over, to face him. “Hey.”

“Morning,” he said. “The first night, we did it.”

She laughed. “One night? We’ve got to get breakfast, and there’s the full moon tonight. What are we going to do?”

“You’re not going to like what I’ve got in mind,” he said.

“If it’s hunting, count me out. I’ve never been good at it.”

“Actually, it kind of involves stealing.”

“Stealing?”

“Yeah. My mom always leaves the kitchen window open. I’m thinking we can sneak into my mom’s kitchen, take some food, and run.”

Alexa rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.” She shoved her hand into her jeans pocket and pulled out her small flat purse, and then her bank card. “I can pay for some food.” She did something crazy and kissed the tip of his nose, quickly jerking back. “Er, let’s go.”

Landon let her go, and she got to her feet, taking a step back from him. Her face started to feel warm, but it was crazy to feel so embarrassed about kissing him. It wasn’t even a real kiss. Just the tip of his nose.

“Alexa?”

Her stomach growled, and she was so happy for the distraction. “I’m hungry. Come on. Let’s go.” She walked, not exactly sure which direction she should go in. Her feet kept on taking her, but then Landon captured her arm and pulled her back.

“Talk to me.”

“I’m hungry. I think it’s time we eat.” Alexa tried to shrug off his arms, but he wouldn’t move, nor would he budge. It started to piss her off that he refused to move. “Landon, come on, we’re going to starve.”

“No, we’re not. Let’s talk about—”

“There is nothing to talk about. It was a kiss on the nose. Nothing more. Nothing less. Let’s not make a big deal out of this.”

Landon let her go, and as she made to walk away from him, he captured her hand, locking their fingers together. She wanted to remind him they didn’t have to touch anymore. They were no longer bound by the cuffs. She didn’t have a problem with his hand. In fact, she rather liked it and didn’t want him to stop.

Tightening her grip on his, she started to make their way through the forest. “Do you think we should head back to town?” Alexa asked.

“Nah, this forest has a road running straight through it, and on one of the roadsides is a café. It sells good food. It’s run by a human, but he’s a good person.”

“You know him?”

“Dad does.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Alexa asked.

“Dad’s not going to put the word out that his son has run away from home. It would be bad news for the pack. Besides, I’m sure my dad already has a plan for us. He’s always one step ahead of the game.”

Alexa stopped. “Wait? One step ahead of the game. What if your dad expected this?”

“Expected what?” he asked.

“This? Us. Running away.”