A Fate Foretold (formerly: A World Gone Mad)

A Fate Foretold 21

        In the morning, Christian felt much better about his relationship with Ally, resolving to treat her as just that – Ally. Nothing more than she had ever been, because she meant just as much to him as ever. Just how much he really did care had never really hit him before, when he didn’t have to think about it. It seemed like only yesterday when she stood before him in California, as if she were judging him. The sudden realization of just how much he had come to depend upon her was unsettling, especially when it came upon the heels of learning her famed identity.

        Ally’s relief at Christian getting over her identity didn’t improve matters in light of his newfound tenderness and displays of affection, even in corridors and rooms unlocked against the prying eyes of the pack unit. Kate had still not warmed to her husband’s nat amatra, although she did a better job of tolerating her. Even so, Ally tried to discourage Christian newly expressed attachment as best she could.

        Zazzie beckoned Ally into her room a few days later and shut the door with a strange combination of a giddy grin and a furtive glance. “I just finalized the arrangements with Christian and pack headquarters in California. I’m going back down south.”

        Ally was speechless. The news blindsided her completely, although she always suspected that Zazzie was unhappier in Alaska than she let on. “When are you going?”

        “A week from tomorrow. I didn’t want to tell you until it was really set in stone. No point getting excited over something that wasn’t certainly going to happen.”

        Ally smiled at her obvious excitement. “And you’re leaving us in the lurch? What will we eat when you’re gone?” She teased to let Zazzie know she was happy for her.

        “Oh please, you’ve seen most of my secret tricks. You’re more than capable of cooking all the basic meals that I usually make in bulk.” She pinched Ally’s cheek exaggeratedly between thumb and forefinger and tousled her hair. “My little star pupil,” she cooed.

        Ally laughed out loud. No one had ever dared to pinch her cheek like that before. “I’m happy for you, really.”

        “You’ll be fine up here,” Zazzie said confidently, although she really wanted Ally’s confirmation.

        “I’ll be absolutely fine,” she agreed. “And you can get back to civilization doing something you love now that you’ve served your time dedicated to the Sullivan pack’s interest.”

        “I’ll see you again soon. At the latest when you guys move back down south in a couple of years.”

        Ally smiled brightly to her friend as she hugged her goodbye, but she knew that it was extremely unlikely that she would still be with the pack unit when it moved back to Californian headquarters.

        This realization helped jolt Ally back into a restless awareness of the limit of her time in Alaska. Seeing Sir Walter again had reminded her of the full implications of the duty awaiting her in Geneva. Ally pushed her initial feelings of sadness down easily enough as her mind whirred through what she would do when she got back home. It was a daunting task, but at the same time her fingers itched to begin.

        How would she leave Alaska when the time came? She didn’t know when that time would come, but she’d recognize it when it came. At the very latest it would be when the Lycan Council made an announcement to the alphas of all the packs that the queen regent was dead. Once that happened, how would she get out of here?

        Ally supposed she could steal one of the Jeeps. The keys were always lying around, and it would simply be a matter of choosing the right time to slip out when she wouldn’t be missed and no one would either hear or be suspicious of one of the car engines starting. Depriving the pack unit of one of their cars would be regrettable, but entirely doable. Perhaps she could leave a note, informing them that they could retrieve the Jeep at an airport. Which airport exactly, Ally wasn’t sure. Fairbanks had an international airport, although with limited service. At a pinch she could first fly to Anchorage or Seattle, but departing from a small airport made her easier to trace.