Fighting her instincts to protect her freedom

Chapter 11

Author's note: I wasn't going to upload yet, but then after reading the comments from chapter 10, I decided I wanted to write this and share it with you. I hope you like it. Please vote and comment! I love to receive feedback. 

Fighting her instincts to protect her freedom - Chapter 11

They all woke up very early the next day and met at the hotel's dining room for breakfast. Unlike previous days, everyone was silent. Mariana and Mateo were just happy to be together, enjoy the place, but Jorge noticed how sad everyone else looked.

- Are you guys OK?

Ariel didn't know what to say. "No, our pack has been attacked by an unknown enemy and now we are all sad and frightened", was the answer that came to mind. Yeah, that wouldn't be a good thing to say. Patricia, who seemed like a natural born leader in these situations answered.

- We saw the news at the hotel last night. You know, about that awful murder in Surco. So many people died! It's really sad. Besides, a friend of a friend was there, so it kinda made us scared and depressed about the entire situation.

Jorge looked at them with sympathy in his eyes. Mariana and Mateo had also listened and their faces showed surprised. They probably hadn't heard the news the night before. Jorge continued the conversation.

- I know what you mean. It kinda made me remember what my parents said about the time when terrorism was the norm in the entire country. When the bomb at Tarata boulevard exploded, one of their friends lost his hand. The entire city was frightened. I'm too young to remember that, but I do remember the hostage crisis at the Japanese embassy. I was a really young kid, but I could feel the shock that everybody was feeling.

His face was sad while talking about that part of the country's past. Ariel suddenly realized that she had been wrong to think the humans wouldn't understand. After all, those who died were Peruvians just like them and it brought really sad memories. Jorge continued.

- But I don't think the usual terrorist groups did this. They haven't made any attacks in Lima in years and why wouldn't they claim responsibility for this? Besides, the death of three people in a park nearby is too much of a coincidence. We probably should all be more careful from now on. Although I don't think any civilian could have prevented the massacre from happening. The police should have done their job better!

He was getting angrier and Ariel felt uncomfortable. The human police wouldn't have been able to do anything against a bunch of werewolves, except getting killed too.

- Jorge, calm down. These people, these monsters, obviously knew what they were doing. They probably planned everything so they could be in and out before the police could react.

The mood was weird the rest of breakfast. That is until Mariana spoke.

- I forgot we're supposed to go start our expedition through the Inca Trails.

Patricia had already told them that there were no flights available to return to Lima, so they were stuck in Cuzco as planned. They had wanted to go to the funeral, but now all they could do was send flowers and their condolences. Ariel had tried calling Tom but the line was always busy, so she sent him an e-mail and was going to call him later. She was at least relieved knowing he had found his mate before this. At least Adriana would be there for him. 

The rest of the morning was spent packing. Ariel felt guilty about continuing their trip while Tom was in so much pain. She finally managed to contact him.

- Tom, this is Ariel. I'm sooo sorry Tom! I wish I were there. I wish you didn't have to go through this. I wish the attack hadn't happened.

- Whoa, Ariel, breathe. I know you can't come back. I saw your e-mail. We are all very sad, heart-broken really, but we can't be sad for long. There is a war approaching. And I'm the pack's beta...

- Tom, you're the Beta, but you're also a person. You're entitled to feel sad. Let Adriana take care of you during these days. Nobody will think of you as weak just because you're mourning the loss of your cousin.

- I know, I know. But I'm not the only one who lost somebody you know. Parents lost their children, and that's the worst. I wish I could take their pain away.

- Tom, you're not almighty powerful. Just let them mourn too. They need time. So do you.

- I don't have that luxury. Alpha Rafael and I have to find out who is our enemy. We need answers and we need them fast.

- I trust you and I trust Alpha Rafael. You will find the answers. I know you will.

- Thanks Ariel. And please enjoy your trip. There's nothing you can do about this right now anyway. So just enjoy it. Try to forget about this mess. Trust me, you'll need this little breather because when you come home, trainings will be even harder than before.

- Tom... I wanted to ask you... Did Sebastian lose anybody?

She was angry at Sebastian, sometimes she felt she hated him, but at times like these, she couldn't just forget he was her mate.

- No. Nobody from his family or circle of friends were present.

Ariel breathed, relieved.

- So I heard he went to Cuzco too. Did you meet him?

- Yeah. It was a disaster. I'll tell you about it when I get back. Let's just say, he's not my favorite person in the world right now.

- Ace, I can't wait to hear all about it. But don't forget to enjoy your trip!

- Yes, sir!

Ariel was trying to lighten the mood a bit. For once she was glad he called her Ace again. After that, the call ended with some more words of sympathy and Ariel's promise of enjoying her trip.

....

The expedition they had chosen was for four days following the Inca Trails and started some miles away from Machu Picchu. It felt good to be trekking, the exercise took their minds off the sad events that had happened. Ariel followed Tom's advice and tried to enjoy her trip as much as possible. The scenary was great and the ruins along the way were also beautiful. Ttheir tour guide explained the history behind them and she listened to him with interest. She looked around, thinking about painting this place.

The walk was tough, even for the werewolves, due to the altitude, the ups and downs of the terrain and the many stairs along the way. Besides, not being able to shift to their wolves, they had to stick to their human forms. The humans were even more tired. Though Mariana and Mateo were used to the altitude, the terrain and long walks had taken the toll on them. When they arrived to their camping spots, they all fell to the ground and rested. Ariel liked to contemplate the stars before diner and before going to bed. They were beautiful and she wished she could paint them. At midnight, when everybody was sleeping, Ariel, Patricia and Claire shifted to their wolfs and ran a bit. Not for long, but long enough to appease their wolves who had felt trapped during the day. Before returning, they howled to the moon expressing their pain for the loss of their pack members.

Finally, after four days they arrived to Machu Picchu. The sight was breath-taking. The queue to the entrance was long. It was obvious that this was the most visited spot by the tourists. But the wait was worth-it. They heard the explanations of the guide about the construction of the site. The Inca's hadn't discovered the wheel, and yet they had managed to transport massive rocks from far away. Engineers and architects always came, he said, interested by the seismic resistant construction. The explanations were interesting, but the air of mystery and magic surrounding the place was even better.

When they returned at Cuzco, they all felt better, stronger and ready to face the challenges ahead. It was good too, because they attacks weren't going to cease anytime soon. Ariel didn't know this yet, but she would have an important role to play during the upcoming war, but at that moment she was blissfully unaware of this and slept dreaming about a pair of beautiful green eyes.

..........................

Author's note: Next upload will probably be next week because I'm going to the beach! but don't worry, I'll make the time to write. Please give me some advice about a celebrity who matches Sebastian's looks. Thinking about it has been driving me crazy LOL.