In The Pack

Chapter 10

          “Don’t you dare,” I murmured.  “They’re almost here and I did not just go through that for nothing.”

          We’re here!

          I smiled weakly at Jeremy.  “Get ready to go.  They’re here.”

          I monitored what was happening through Ian.  They were able to surprise the wolves on guard pretty easily and took them out in a matter of minutes.   They left half of each pack outside and the other halves traveled inside. 

          I pulled out of Ian’s mind to focus on Jeremy as pandemonium ensued upstairs.  We could hear the fighting down here.  We both looked towards the stairs when we heard the door slam open and waited to see who would be coming down.

          The wolf pack alpha was first, then Jason, Ian, Xena, Nate, Lee, and Dylan.  They all shifted to human and Jason got to work on my lock while Dylan started on Jeremy’s.   As soon as my cell door was open, I was surrounded.  The wolf pack alpha nosed my hand and licked my cheek before going to stand guard.

          It was his way of saying that he was glad they were able to find me.  Ian brushed a hand gently across my cheek in comfort and Xena, Lee, and Nate took my hands and arms.   Jason looked down at me angrily. 

          “Those bastards!” he exclaimed.  “Those sorry bastards!”

          He crouched down and looked into my eyes.  “This is going to hurt, but we have to get you out of here, hun.”  I nodded in agreement and he waved everyone away from me.   He carefully pulled me up by my arms as Jeremy and Dylan joined us.  He wrapped a blanket around me and kissed my forehead.  “We’re going to head for the woods.”

          He and Jeremy each took one of my arms gently, and everyone else shifted and formed a protective circle around us as we made our way up the stairs.  There was no one to be seen in the hallway and outside, our wolves were holding Derek’s at bay and we had a clear path into the woods.  

          As we walked, the pack members that we passed joined our circle, Derek’s wolves staying where they were left.  They were outnumbered and they knew it.  By the time we reached the woods I was in the center of two packs of wolves, the circle six deep.

          We walked through the woods for a couple miles before we reached the med area that they had set up on their way through.  Jeremy, Jason, Ian, Nate, Lee and Xena stayed with me as we headed for a tent.   Inside, Jason made me lay on my stomach and then pulled the blanket down so he could see my entire back.

          The tent filled with angry growls from all my friends as they saw the extent of the lashes.  Ian and Xena held my hands as Jason cleaned the lashes and bandaged them as best as he could.  Everyone else stood around supportively.

          When I was all patched up, Jason turned to Jeremy.  “What’s going on?” he demanded angrily.  “Why was Layla taken?”

          Jeremy sighed, the sound filled with guilty regret.  “I thought Derek was a friend of mine and I enlisted his help trying to track down Layla when I found out what her mother did to her.  It turns out he wanted the Lupine Necklace.  My family protects and holds it.  He found Layla and told me that if I gave him the necklace that Layla and I would be free to go.”

          “So it’s your fault that this has happened to her?” Jason growled at him.

          Jeremy nodded, but I said, “Jason, stop it.  I told him not to give Derek the necklace.  It’s not something that belongs in his hands.  And Jeremy never thought that Derek would do something like this.  I’ll be fine.”