Chapter 2

Sydney glared at them.  Did they honestly think that she would leave to go on some wild goose chase with Blake?  Out of all the people they could send her with, they had to choose him?  It did not matter if they held similar positions.  The group of people standing in front of her may not know it, but she was also the second of command for her pride.  She was a strong lion, and everyone knew that.  It had made others fear her, but the leopards standing there looked nothing but bored and annoyed by her outburst.

Was she really selfish?  She knew what was going on; this was a plot by her brother to get her away from the human world.  He wanted her to mate with a shifter, to live in the shifter world alongside him, but it wasn’t what she wanted.  She liked to blend into the human world.  She liked the fact that they didn’t know who she was, that they did not look at her with caution.  Could they really blame her for wanting a normal life?

“Why Alaska?” Blake asked.  Even the sound of his voice caused her to react.  How would she be able to spend so much time with him when she couldn’t handle it now?

The Leopard Queen looked between Blake and her before saying, “Emma’s mother, Evelyn, was last spotted in Canada.  They think she was headed towards Alaska to seek help from a group of snow leopards there.”

“Evelyn?  That’s her name?” A voice asked.  Turning, Sydney glanced at Zeke.  The man was hot, but at that moment, she was glad that Blake was the one accompanying her instead of him.  Black leopards may have been the rarest and the ones who held the bloodline for the throne, but it was the snow leopards that held the most magic.

“Believe me; I’m ecstatic that I don’t have to go along with the two of you,” he told her before turning towards his Queen. “Ally Cat, don’t even think it.  I don’t care if my clan can help us.  I’m not leaving you when there are only a couple months left in your pregnancy.  Evelyn is still out there, and I am staying with you until I know that there is no danger.”

“Zeke, you should be in bed,” Alexandria said while stepping away from the Leopard King and towards Zeke.  Grabbing his arm, she began pulling him down the hall.  Even at this distance, Sydney could hear her admonishing him.  “You're hurt, and I promise you that if you don’t stay in bed, I’ll send you off for a year.”

“You wouldn’t do that,” Zeke grumbled.

“Yes, I would, and your mother would love for you to visit.”

They rounded the corner, and Sydney couldn’t hear another word.  Standing there in an awkward silence, she glanced at the two males in the room.  Sebastian still looked down the hallway.  The expression on his face told Sydney that he wanted to follow after his mate.  Thinking back to when Leo’s mate was pregnant, she smiled.  The man didn’t let Christy go anywhere without him.  Sydney was surprised he even let her use the bathroom without standing in the room with her.  Leo had compromised, though, and stood outside the door.

Glancing at Blake, she noticed that his eyes were on the picture frame he held in his hands.  He rubbed a finger back and forth on the glass with a soft smile on his face before setting it down on the table.  Sydney felt a flash of jealousy flow through her.  Would she ever have a group of people like this to call her own?  Would she ever have a man follow her with his eyes while another protected her picture as if it was a last heirloom?

“So,” Sebastian said. Sydney snapped her eyes in his direction, and noticed that he still had his eyes locked onto the hall, “do you two need supplies?”

“Supplies for what?” she asked.

Blake huffed.  “For the trip to Alaska, you’ll definitely need different clothes,” he said while glancing at her clothing in disgust.

She tugged her skirt down and glared at him.  “I like my clothing the way it is.”

“Yes, and I’m sure every male in a hundred mile radius does too.”

“Thank you,” she replied with a smug smile.

Blake narrowed his eyes at her.  “That is not-"

“Hush!” Sebastian hissed.  “I can’t hear with you two arguing.  Her pants look fine, Blake.”

“I’m wearing a skirt,” Sydney told him with a confused expression on her face.

“Yeah, stop doing that too,” he replied while taking a step towards the hall.  “I’ll be right back, I think Alex is sick.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but he was already out of sight.  Rolling her eyes, she turned towards Blake.  He was looking at the hall as if he was trying to decide something.  Nodding, he took a step forward.  Sydney threw an arm out.  “She is most likely barfing up her breakfast.  I doubt she wants everyone watching it.”

“How do you know?” Blake asked with a suspicious glance.

“Oh, give me a break.  She’s pregnant.  It’s what pregnant people do, throw up.”

He curled his lip at her.  “Do you have to say it like that?”

“Like what?  Barfed, blew chunks, spewed, hurled, vomited-”

“Shut up!” he yelled.  “Why can’t you just say that she is emptying the contents of her stomach?”

“Maybe because only people like you would say something like that,” she supplied.

“People who have a little class, if that was what you meant, I agree.  Maybe, you should take some notes.”

“You,” she began, but before she could utter another word, something hit her in the back at the same time that something smacked Blake in the face.  With an angry expression, she turned.  Zeke stood there, leaning against the wall with his hands crossed over his chest.

“Go ahead, try something,” he told her with a bored expression

She gulped and looked down and the object.  It was a bag.  Glancing up at him, she mumbled, “What is the bag for?”

“For you and Blake, now both of you leave,” he ordered.

“What do you mean leave?” Blake called out in a confused voice.

Zeke pushed himself away from the wall and took a step towards them.  Sydney did everything she could in order not to take a step back.  The man was completely unnerving.  “What I mean as that you two need to get out.  Go to Alaska, hell, go where ever you want.  Just don’t stay here.  You’re stressing Ally out, and I won’t have that.”

“You’re right,” Blake mumbled.  “I didn’t think about it, but all this arguing isn’t helping is it?”

Zeke just shook his head at the man.  Sydney glanced between the two of them before nodding.  “We’re leaving right now.”

“Good,” he told them but didn’t move from his spot.

Sydney bent down awkwardly and snagged the pack they had for her.  What was in it?  She had no idea, but she was going to get out of this house as soon as she could.  The further away from these crazy people she could get the better.  Backing up while facing Zeke, she waited until the door hit her before turning.  Jerking the door open, she exited.

Her relief was short-lived though as Blake walked onto the porch.  Sydney sent him a smile.  “Well, I guess this is where we head our separate ways.”

“I don’t think so,” he told her.  “Ally said that both of us have to go that means that you are getting into that car with me, and we are driving away.  We can cross the border in our animal forms.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a passport.”

“Me either,” she said with a shake to her head before catching herself.  “I’m not going with you.  Zeke said that he didn’t care where we went.”

“Yes, but our leaders told us to head to Alaska,” he replied with narrowed eyes.

Taking a step down the porch, she glanced around for an escape.  If she could just get off the porch, she could attempt to outrun him.  Blake must have realized her attempt, because he surged forward and grabbed her.  Throwing her over his shoulder, he began walking towards the car.

“Let me down!” she shouted.  “If Leo finds out about this, you’re dead.”

“I think Leo would be happy that I’m taking you away, not sad to see you leave.  Now, stop moving,” he grunted as she punched his side.

“If you let me go, I’ll stop!”

“If I let you go, you’ll run.”

The car door jerked open and he pushed her in.  She didn’t even have time to right herself before he was sitting in the driver’s seat.  Sending him a smug smile, she reached over to open the door.

Blake laughed at her.  “Remember, you broke the handle.  The only way for you to get out, is to break the window and reach your hand through.  The back doors are on child lock and the window is locked too.”

She growled at him.  “You’re a jerk.”

“Yes, and you’re a spoiled brat.  I guess we can’t choose who we get stuck with.”

Crossing her arms under her chest, she ignored him.  Just wait, she would find a way to escape.  She would find a way to get back to her friends.