Rescued by the Pack Read Online Free Page B

pounding savagely in her chest. She backed away from the door slowly, bumping into the chair and causing a loud shriek as the legs skidded across the floor. Michael was startled, and he turned to face her.
     
    “Watch where you’re going!” he snapped.
     
    She opened her mouth to spit something back at him, but seeing the genuine concern on his face, she quickly closed it again and slipped meekly into the chair, grasping the arms tightly. Michael’s attention quickly turned back toward the window.
     
    “What should we do?” Logan asked, his muscles quivering with tension.
     
    “Logan, get her to the safe room,” Michael growled. When Logan did not immediately respond, he snapped, “Now!”
     
    Allison’s heart jumped, and she sprang to her feet. Logan placed his hand on her back and gently pushed her toward the kitchen. She allowed herself to be pushed along, though a dirty kitchen with tiles falling from the walls, past a flimsy wooden door, and down a rickety wooden staircase. The steps creaked loudly as they descended. At the bottom of the stairs, they stopped outside a thick metal door set into a concrete wall. Logan gripped the metal handle and pulled.
     
    “Get in,” Logan demanded.
     
    Allison hesitated briefly, but then stepped into near pitch-black darkness. Logan entered behind her, and she heard a loud screech and a clang as the massive door closed behind them. Logan flicked a switch on the wall and a dim light filled the room from a bulb suspended from the ceiling, casting eerie shadows about the room.
     
    “What is this place?” Allison asked, her eyes flitting about.
     
    “Safe room,” Logan answered. “
     
    “What’s it used for?” she wanted to know.
     
    “Umm… it’s a long story,” he told her. “Probably best you don’t know.”
     
    She shivered as a number of scenarios rushed through her mind. She lowered herself slowly onto the edge of a sparse cot and began to chew her fingernails. She watched through a swath of hair as Logan paced the floor anxiously.
     
    “Do you think they’re alright?” she asked.
     
    “I’m sure they’re fine,” Logan answered a bit too quickly.
     
    Allison gnawed more furiously at her fingernails. Her heart was thudding frantically in her chest.
     
    “Look, why don’t you lie down and get some rest?” Logan suggested.
     
    “I’m fine.”
     
    “No, you’re not.”
     
    “I’m fine, Logan.”
     
    “I can hear your heartbeat,” he said. “You’re not fine. Just lie down and get some sleep. They can’t get in here.”
     
    Allison sighed, but she complied. She lied down on the squeaky cot and tried her best to relax. Her heart continued to thump wildly, and she began to tremble. A few moments later, Logan sat gently beside her. His hand rested carefully on her shoulder.
     
    “Allison?” he asked softly.
     
    She looked up at him, and his expression was one of gentle concern.
     
    “I’m scared,” she whispered.
     
    His arms wrapped her in a strong, protective embrace. She found herself melting into it, burying her face into his warm chest. Her hands fell against his skin, and her heart fluttered erratically for a few moments, and then began to calm.
     
    “I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Logan vowed. “I promise.”
     
    Allison felt her muscles begin to relax slightly. Her eyelids were heavy, and she was only barely aware that her breathing was slowing down. Soon, she fell blissfully into a peaceful slumber.

Chapter Three
     
    Bang! The sound jolted Allison upright in bed. Her eyes quickly traveled toward the source of the sound. She gasped, and jumped to her feet, rushing toward the door.
     
    Michael, bloodied and gasping, hung limply from Luke’s shoulder. Allison lifted his arm around her shoulders and helped Luke guide him to a nearby cot. He collapsed heavily onto it.
     
    “What happened?” Allison demanded, surveying Michael’s wounds.
     
    “We had an altercation, but they’re gone, now,”