Stalked by the Alpha

Part 4: How to Hide

I stared at the phone in shock, not even sure how to react. Werewolves didn't exist as far as I knew, but I with all of the shit I had seen in the last 2 hours, I didn't trust my judgement. Paige had seemed incredibly serious on the phone, and Gabe didn't seem like the type of person to go out of the way to terrify random strangers. Plus there was all the stuff about the Alpha, and the pack-house, and then Paige's eyes glowing...

A knock at the door startled my out of my thoughts and I flew onto the floor, checking the  door as carefully as I could to make sure that I had double locked it. I hadn't opened the curtains, that much I was sure of. Another knock came, along with a quiet voice saying, "Cleaning service." I stood up, wiping my sweaty hands off on my t-shirt, and walked carefully to the door. Looking through the dirty peephole I could barely make out a tiny woman who was holding an extra towel and a spray bottle. 

I called through the door, "I don't need any cleaning right now, thank you!" 

Her soft voice called again, "Look, I'm really sorry to bother you, but I forgot to clean the mirror in the bathroom earlier and change the towels and I feel terrible about it. Would you mind if I came in and just did these things really quickly? Please, my boss will get so mad," her voice trembled a little, and without really thinking about it I was unlocking the door. I guess it was because I knew what she was thinking. The tremble in her voice told me everything I needed to know. I cautiously opened the door a crack, looking all around the tiny woman to make sure she was alone. I opened the door wider and ushered the woman in, trying to keep my face partially hidden by my baseball hat.

"Thank you so much," she hurried into the bathroom and started spraying the mirror, wiping it down with a rag from her pocket. I sat in the corner, away from the unlocked door with a view of the bathroom. I couldn't trust anyone in a situation like this, or so I had learned from North Dakota. I just needed to keep all of my bases covered at all times. I heard a car pull up in the parking lot and I tensed. It was almost midnight, and I was put on high alert. I sidled over to my still packed bag and grabbed my phone from the wall, trying not to move too quickly. I started calculating my exit strategy. I knew there was a window in the bathroom that I could try to squeeze out of that led to the woods surrounding the building. The door was too risky, I decided quickly.  There were footsteps coming down the sidewalk towards the door and I stood up, walking quickly into the bathroom on shaky legs. The maid looked alarmed as I pulled the window open with a sharp tug.

"Miss, what are you doing?"

"Please, I need to leave, someone is looking for me!" Even as I said this, I heard a hammering on the door and I paled. 

She seemed to understand, because she hissed, "Go!" and pushed me out of the window. There was a small roof that above the window and I scrambled onto it, keeping a crouched position. I could hear the maid go to the door and ask in a calm voice, "Can I help you?" 

My traitorous stomach fluttered when I heard Gabe reply, "Hi, yes, I need to speak to the girl who's staying in the room. It's a matter of urgency."

"There is no one here sir," she maintained a calm facade, " when I came to finish cleaning, the door was open and the room was empty."

He growled, "I can smell her, and her scent is fresh. Where did she go?" I could hear him push past her into the room, sniffing deeply and I almost fell off of the roof when I heard him enter the bathroom and yell, "Why is the window open then?!"

"That is my fault sir, the cleaning spray I use is often overpowering so I open the window for a breeze," the remarkable woman continued quickly. 

He gave a deep growl, and barked, "Leave, now!" I heard footsteps and she left quickly. "John, get in here!" his voice seemed to be growing deeper and more guttural by the second. I bit my lip to trap my gasp when I heard John say, "Yes, Alpha?"

"She's close. She must have left right before we arrived here. What did your mate say?" he sounded calmer and more human now.

"Alpha, Paige told me that she saw your mate outside of the pack house, looking terrified. She thought Evan was in trouble so she offered to help her. Paige also said that she has suspicions of abuse and previous trauma from Evan's behavior throughout the day. She gave her the keys to the car and told your mate to take some cash and leave town. Speaking of which, we found her car outside, meaning she's traveling by foot. We can catch her quickly," John sounded angry, and I hoped that he didn't try to take his anger out on Paige. I got her into this mess. 

"Excellent, and what did the gas station attendant say?" 

"He called me after recognizing her face from the mind-link message. He said she bought some new clothes and deodorant in an apparent attempt to cover her scent. She had a small bag of belongings with her."

"All right. We need to find Evan," he said determinedly. My stomach fluttered when he said my name. My knees were going numb from crouching, and I was exhausted. I needed to find somewhere to sit, or sleep. But I needed to disguise my scent more before I did that. I waited until I heard the door slam shut again before sliding up the roof quietly.

 I peeked over the side of the roof over the parking lot and was relieved to find it empty. I leaped off of the roof, squeaking in pain when my ankle cracked. I limped over to my car as quietly as I could, but soon discovered that the windows were smashed and the hood was cracked open. I looked and the engine was in pieces inside. There was oil leaking everywhere and I knew it was hopeless to drive, but it gave me an idea. I took palmfuls of the oil, and with a grimace, started smearing it all over my skin and clothes. I even ran some through my hair, shuddering at the thought of getting it out. I left my bag in the car, and started walking into the woods across from the hotel. My ankle was throbbing and my eyes were closing by themselves, but I needed to find some sort of shelter before I passed out. It was hard to see in the dark, but I couldn't attract more attention to myself. I was tripping over roots and scraping my hands and legs on the brambles, but I was so tired I didn't even feel it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a tiny space in between two giant tree roots and staggered towards it. I fell in a graceless heap and the last thing I heard was a lone howl. 

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