D O V E 

Silas had been waiting for me when I pulled into the driveway like I knew he would be. The large two-story pack house stood behind him like a mausoleum.

"Silas," I said his name through clenched teeth as I came around the back of my tailgate.

A taunting smirk played on his lips as he crossed the driveway to my truck, hands resting in the pockets of his dark washed jeans. The t-shirt he was wearing pulled tight against his wide chest with every breath that he took. His coffee-brown eyes were full of mischief. "You were late coming home tonight. I was worried that maybe you had got it into your head to try and skip town. Thankfully, the good Sheriff is only a call away."

The metal of the revolver felt icy cold against the sweat-slick flesh of my lower back. I shifted on the balls of my feet. "And what if I was trying to leave?"

His lost his smirk, "Don't you get it, yet? You aren't ever going to leave this town. Once you're in, you never get out."

"That's what you think, but I'm not staying here for another full moon." I wet my dry lips as I held his dark gaze, challenging him. "You can keep dragging me back here, but I'm going to keep running away."

Silas' eyes narrowed into angry slits, he shifted a step closer to me. I stiffened as my mind began to scream at me in warning. It recognized the predator that lurked beneath his human veneer. I was standing on thin ice and I could see the cracks forming beneath my feet.

"You're going to take your pretty little ass back to your room, now." he pointed a finger at me, before directing it towards the house. "This conversation is over."

I hated the way that he lorded over everyone because he was the Alpha. He thought that the whole world belonged to him. He still thought that I belonged to him even though I had broken things off between us three months ago. When I had come to this town he had been charming and attentive, everything a naive girl could want in a man. Only he hadn't been a simple man. He had been more. He'd turned out to be a werewolf. It took me some time to get over the initial shock of what he was. He wore me down with his persistence and charm until I found myself falling head over heels for him.

"Silas, it's late. What's going on?" A soft feminine voice cut through the night.

My gaze shifted toward the porch, Rachel, stood at the bottom of the stairs in a white house rob. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach, lips turned down in a frown. I hadn't even heard her come out of the house. A heavy feeling settled in my stomach as she met my stare. She deserved better – we both did. We'd both been blissfully ignorant of one another until I had come to live with Silas. That's when the illusion of him had been shattered and I found out that he already had a mate and child. I had been so disgusted. He'd assured me that she wasn't his true mate – as if that absolved him.

"Go back inside." He didn't even glance in her direction, back stiff.

"Silas—"

He turned to her then, dangerous snarl erupting from his chest. "Go Rachel."

She stumbled back a step like he had physically struck her, eyes wide. I gritted my teeth, watching her ascend the stairs attention fixated on her mate – pain, and fear written on her beautiful face. She molded back into the darkness as if she had been nothing more than an apparition. I turned my gaze to Silas, anger rolling through me. I'd tried to leave the moment I'd found out about Rachel. It was then that I'd gone from his girlfriend to his prisoner and I'd been trying to escape him ever since. I'm sure Rachel felt just trapped as I did, but unlike her, I was human and had the gift of free will that she and the other pack members appeared to lack.

Silas had plans to change that, though.

I had overheard him several days ago talking with Charles, his Beta, about how he was going to give me the bite during the next full moon. He planned to transform me. That was what had prompted my sudden urge to get the hell out of this damn town. I'd given up enough for Silas. I had no intention of giving up my humanity.

He turned back to me, more on edge. "You too. Inside."

"You keep forgetting that I'm not one of your packmates. I don't have to do what you tell me to—you're not my Alpha," I said, feeling a little braver with the revolver pressing against my skin. I was going to leave this town, one way or another, either in my truck or in a body bag. I would be damned if I was going to let him turn me into another one of his drones.

"You're right you're not one of us, which means you are simply a weak human girl. What power do you really have?" He lurched forward, shoving me backward. "To me, it looks like none."

His anger was getting the better of him. I had pushed him a little too far. "I told you to never touch me like that – never." It had been a fear of mine for a while now that he would lose control and hit me or worse. I had seen the temptation in his eyes before and there was no debating whether he was stronger or faster. The differences between us were stark. I could never win against him outright. That's why I had a weapon.

"What are you going to do? I can do whatever I want to you. So, Tell me." Spit began to gather at the corners of his mouth as his anger rose. "What are you going to do?" He snapped as he shoved me, again. My feet got tangled under me and I landed on my butt, hard. My teeth cut into my tongue at the harsh jolt, the coppery taste of blood wetting my dry mouth.

Silas stood over me, handsome face contorted into a beastly scowl. His eyes glowed amber for a moment, enough to send fear racing through my veins. My survival instinct took over. I scrambled backward on my hands, pushing myself up off the ground. I freed the revolver from its hiding place in the waistband of my jeans. The smooth wooden handle fitting perfectly in my palm. I stood on trembling legs, revolver positioned between the two of us.

"How about I shoot you?" My voice shook as the neurons in my brain were overloaded with adrenaline. "How's that for no power?"

His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the gleaming metal. He had never thought I'd go so far. Silas fixed his gaze on my finger that sat on the trigger. It would be so easy to pull it back. To end all of this, here and now – no effort required. Put a bullet in his brain. He deserved it. I could hear my inner voice shouting at me to do it – to pull the damn trigger.

So, why was I hesitating? Because I knew if I killed him that would make me the next Alpha. That's how things worked around here. You got to keep what you killed because you earned it. Titles were given only through blood, be that bloodlines or blood spilled. I mean, if I killed him now, I would be freeing all of these people from his control but how long would that freedom last? I was only human. It wouldn't be long before someone got ambitious and decided to kill me. I couldn't kill him – not now, not here.

He schooled his expression, looking disinterested.

"You think that gun is going to protect you from us?" He snickered, chest puffing up with arrogance. "That's cute."

I narrowed my eyes at his dismissive tone. I exhaled a slow and even breath, reigning in the tremble of my hand.

"This thing is loaded with silver bullets." I watched as the new information settled over him. He shifted – a subtle movement – but it was enough for me to know that I had gained some footing. He was eyeing the gun in my hand with disdain. "I might not kill you but I'll definitely hurt you."

That cleared the air between us. Now it was just a battle of the wills, his against mine. He thought to try and intimidate me by moving a step closer. I didn't have any more aces up my sleeve. This was it. The only thing I had now was my brain and the revolver in my hand.

"I'm getting really tired of this. Hand over your little toy, gather your things from the truck, go inside and unpack. You don't want to press me further." He held out his hand towards me, waiting. He expected my compliance – in the house slept thirty or so wolves, that in a moment's notice, he could put upon me. A threat he'd used before – a threat that had worked to keep me here. Not this time.

I swallowed, hard. I held his gaze as I placed my thumb on the hammer and cocked it back, the cylinder rotated and clicked in place. "I am leaving here tonight, Silas. You really don't want to test my resolve." I slid a foot backward, edging myself closer to my truck.

"If you shoot me or any of the pack with that thing, I'll end you."

I took another sidestep, glancing to the left to see how far I was from the driver's seat. I licked my bottom lip as I met the amber gaze of the beast beneath his skin. "I won't have to shoot anyone if you'll just let me go. That is all I want Silas...to leave. No one needs to get hurt."

He let out a loud snarl that sent goosebumps racing up my arms. He began to pace back and forth, his eyes never straying far from my revolver, "The first chance I get I'm going to sink my teeth into your throat. I'm going to taste your blood on my tongue." The guttural tone of his voice had me shrinking into myself. I wasn't a brave girl, but I was desperate. Desperation kept my mind focused on the only thing I needed and wanted, my freedom.

"You want to run? Fine. I'll let you run." His agreement caught me off guard. It was out of place for his character. He'd never let me go – especially now that I had threatened his life. He became still, though his posture was still menacing. "I'll give you a head start or it won't be any fun. Just know this time it won't be anyone else chasing after you. It's going to be me. This isn't how things are going to end between us, Dove." A threatening promise that chilled me to the core. He was letting me go only because he saw a better form of torment in this. It could be the only reason.

"Goodbye, Silas." I didn't waste any time standing there debating with him about that. I took the opportunity he was giving me. I backed away, keeping the barrel fixed on his chest in case he got any ideas. At the last moment, I reached back with a trembling hand, wrapping my fingers around the cold metal handle.

I heard the soft click of the latch as it unlocked. I scrambled into the driver's seat, slamming the door shut and locking it. I dropped the revolver into my lap as I reached forward and turned the keys that I had left in the ignition. I threw it into reverse, letting my tires spin wildly over the loose gravel driveway as I pressed my foot to the gas. I didn't even look to see if Silas had moved out of the way, to be honest, I'd been happy if I'd hit the bastard. It wouldn't have killed him, but it certainly would have slowed him down considerably.

I shifted the gears into drive, barreling my truck down the long driveway away from the pack house. The moon peeked through the clouds as I cast one last look back, seeing Silas dark silhouette watching me as I went. I tightened my hands on my steering wheel. I was certain of two things as I headed toward the interstate, first I was finally leaving Jericho. And the second being I would never be free until Silas was dead.