UNEDITED
CHAPTER 19(r)
I pushed myself to run faster, the fur on my front and back legs coated with mud and leaves. It was pouring out, making it hard to see and even harder to run away.
I don't know how long I had been running for, hours? It felt like days.
It seemed like never long enough. I would finally be free, away from Caine. He didn't think I would actually leave, he should have known there was no way I was going to stay with him. Serves him right... god the last months were hell.
I was totally done with him. I left as soon as the night hunt went out. Caine, Alec, Ryan, James, and Carter all left with it. It had been my third attempt in the last week.
The first time I tried to leave, Caine appeared out of thin air in the weapons store. I was shocked to see him, considering he had barley left his bedroom for days. My face burned as I had to make up an excuse as to what I was doing. I told him that I was choosing a knife so I could slit his throat in his sleep and he just rolled his eyes and forced me to go to the dining hall with him. I was so nervous he would know that I was trying to leave that I just sat beside him at the dinner table and stared at me food. Every time he was distracted I refilled his drink until he was so drunk he could barely stand. I knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself. When he tried to call me out on my lies I made a big enough scene that both Alec and Ryan had to intervene, they eventually took him upstairs to his room and I was free to go.
The second time one of the sirens went off just as I was about to go. Caine eyed me suspiciously when he realizes I was the first one in the weapons room but I just strapped on the usual gear and avoided eye contact as we left on the trucks.
The next day I finally got my chance. It had been a quiet day and I knew that Caine would be on the final hunt of the night.
I filled a backpack and slipped out.
I reached civilization at sundown, and bought a ticket on the next bus. I couldn't get on any planes without an ID but if I made it close enough the border I could shift a just run across.
~
" Are you hiring?" I asked the redhead at the counter of the convenience store. She chewed her gum loudly and looked me over critically.
"Nope," she replied and went back to reading her magazine. I sighed and made my way back into the main strip of the small mall.
I had been to seven different stores by now, and none of them were hiring or even considering hiring. I shuffled tiredly into the small pub and sat on the bar stool. I had been away from Caine for two days and I felt exhausted. I didn't want to do the rogue thing again, I was over it. I knew that if I lived as a wolf for the next months-years I would probably never recover as a functioning human.
So I thought the best thing to do would be to try and survive as a regular person. Which meant that I needed a job and money.
There were only a couple of other people at the pub... then again, it was only four o'clock. I sighed and flipped through my newspaper, looking for ads.
" Can I get you anything?" A rough voice said next to me. I glanced up. A burly looking man with a large beard tossed a dirty cloth over his shoulder and faced me.
"I'll have... a beer?" I replied quizzically, never actually having a human alcoholic beverage before, I wasn't sure what beer even tasted like.
He nodded and quickly filled a glass with golden liquid. " There you go missy, now drink up and be happy," he said, a large smile grinning from behind his beard. I tried to smile back and lifted the cup to my mouth for a drink.
I spluttered, " This is disgusting!" I pushed the glass away and wiped my mouth, " You drink this around here?" I asked him.
He laughed, " Around here? I'm afraid people serve this everywhere," He slapped the counter and chuckled again, " ahhh... you're not from around here are ya?"
I shook my head. Not from this town. Not from this species.
" No... I left my ma- boyfriend in another state. I had to get away from him," I told him.
He didn't push the subject but only nodded, " so you don't like beer eh? How about one of these bad boys then," he plopped a pink umbrella into an even pinker drink and pushed it towards me.
"This is what I'm talking about!" I said, laughing, "this is a tasty drink," I drank some more.
" I'm Crabs, owner and bartender of the Purple Dragon pub, and Tuesday disco nights," he held out his beefy hand. I gulped down the remains of the tropical drink and grabbed onto his hand.
"Lila Collins," I said, using Caine's last name. It would take a long time for Caine to find me. Either in my human form or by my scent. It would take Caine months to sniff me out, and by then I could be halfway through Canada. I had considered making it to another pack and seeing if they would trial me for a place in the pack. Very unlikely but not unheard of. Anyone wolf who could smell me would recognize Caine's scent all over me, they wouldn't kill me like they would a normal rogue but I'm sure they would hand me over.
Caine was a bad mate, hell he was a bad person. He wasn't allowed to treat me like shit and then expect me to stay with him. He's psychotic if he thought that I would. But there was a hierarchy, and I doubt any other pack alphas would risk harboring me out of fear of him.
The only other option was to go back. My wolf was having a hard time coming to terms with leaving the pack territory and it had been causing me extreme anxiety. But I couldn't go back. Caine was wreaking havoc on my mind and body.
I spent the evening talking with Crabs about himself and the town. He told me that the best inn was the Sunshine Inn and that with a few favors he could get me a room half price, and supper every night.
At nine o'clock I thanked him and went to check into the hotel. Before I reached the door he called out to me.
" You know... I think a waitressing position just opened up in here, you think you'd be interested?" He grinned at me through his fluffy beard.
"When do I start?" I hollered , smiling back at him.
~
Tuesday night disco was the craziest thing I've ever seen. People came in afros and bellbottoms. Woman wore tie-dye and braided flowers into there hair. I spent the night laughing with my co-worker, Katie-Lynn over whoever had the most ridiculous costume. I served people there drinks and for once I didn't bother what Caine would think.
Katie-Lynn told that her parents had named all of there kids, and there was nine of them, first names that started with K and middle names that started with L. Except her parents liked the name Katelyn, so they decided to name her Katie-Lynn. She told me that her mother was drunk on wine most of the time and as soon as she birthed Katie-Lynn, she drank a whole bottle of red wine before naming her daughter. Her father was a Russian/ Italian business man and didn't really mind that his wife drank a little too much. I immediately started to like her.
Of course whenever she asked about my family I tried to change the subject. I could easily just tell her the truth that my parents and brother actually did die, but then I would have to tell her the rest of my life story. I didn't feel like getting arrested so I decided not to.
Besides Crabs and Katie-Lynn, there was one other employee. A super gloomy bartender named Holland. He had a mess of blonde curls covering his head and thick dorky glasses. I'm sure is Holland cut his hair and lost the glasses he would be a super attractive guy. Of course no one would date him because of his depressing personality but the guy was built and pretty tall for a nerd.
I called to him for an order from a rowdy table and he grumbled, annoyed. He pushed some hair out of his eyes and plunked nine mugs of beer onto my tray.
" Thanks Holland," I teased him. He pouted, " whatever," he replied. I chuckled at him and brought the group their drinks.
" Do you think Larry Brutanic would go for me?" Katie-Lynn asked me and stared at a hot guy wearing a cowboy hat. I grinned and nodded my head, " uhh..duh. You're hot," I told her and laughed. She gasped, " you think so?" She said, faking surprise.
"Oh yeah... right Holland?!" I called to him over the chatter of the bar. He snorted and grumbled something under his breath. Me and Katie-Lynn laughed. Well I tried to.
"Hey are you alright?" She asked after I'd finished my epic coughing fit.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Just didn't eat much today so I'm not feeling the greatest but I'll be fine."
Truthfully, I had been a walking nightmare. Mentally, I thought I was doing pretty great. My stress and anxiety had dropped a little and the fear I felt every single time Caine moved in my direction was gone. Physically, my body was beginning to deteriorate. My lungs were burning with the need for oxygen, it was like mine weren't enough- I needed the air of another persons. That person being my mate. When my lungs were not constricting, my stomach contorted until I was so nauseous I couldn't stand.
I'd spent the last few days, sleepless and throwing up. I think I was beginning to show signs of a fever as well. I prayed that wherever Caine was he was feeling worse withdrawals than I was.
My nightmares had started to change, for the first time ever. All I could see were the other warriors, Alec, Ryan, and others. Always dead, surrounded by demons. As if it were my fault that I had abandoned the pack.
" We're closing in an hour so not too long left until you get to go home," Katie-Lynn chirped up.
I nodded and smiled, "I'll make it no problem."
We cleaned up the bar at 1:30 and closed it down for the night. I walked with Katie-Lynn to her apartment then made my way over the Inn.
I brushed my teeth and crawled into bed. The internal arguments of my wolf flirted with my own heart.
Stay and be free but suffer from the withdrawals.
Go back and endure the horrors of Caine.
~
The glass bottle hit the wall with a loud smash, spraying the dark liquid on the wall of Caine's office.
Alec sighed and went back to reading the Spell book he had been studying for the last few days.
Caine had been at it for the last two weeks now, none of the furniture in his bedroom or his office was still intact. A broken computer lay at his feet. Frankly, Alec was impressed the windows were still intact and that he hadn't ripped off his door.
" Did they find her yet?!" Caine growled, taking a swig from another bottle.
Alec growled back without looking up and Caine spun to sneer at him for the disrespect.
" No Caine, they didn't find her. And you won't," Alec said, annoyed with the Alpha.
Caine snorted. "And pray tell me, beta. Why hasn't she been found yet? I mean she's your Luna."
Alec clenched his teeth. Caine had the knack for twisting things onto him. Alec could count on one hand how many times Caine had taken the blame for himself.
" The way I see it Caine, we are running out of time. If the binding rites aren't completed by the Autumn Solstice, they'll be void for another year. And talk of a certain demon coming back up to the surface is brewing. We need to find her before anything else happens. You know as soon as he catches wind that she's somewhere and without a pack, your problems will become much greater."
By the end of his speech he was breathing hard and his wolf was pushing out.
Caine didn't even look at him.
Alec snarled, "or you could've stopped taking that fucking inhibitor and none of this would've happened."
Caine growled back and tuned to face him. "Do it without her here," He replied darkly.
Alec was taken aback and it took him a couple seconds to process Caine's request, " you're out of your fucking mind, Caine. She'll never forgive you." He roared.
Caine had him by the throat in an instant. Although I hard thing to do because unlike many other people, Alec wasn't far off of the size of his Alpha, and not anywhere near as scared.
They stared at each other, breathing heavy, canines barred, before Caine shoved him away.
Caine shrugged and finished off his bottle, " she hates me already. This won't make a difference."
Alec shook his head in disgust and turned to carry out his orders. He used to love being a warrior, now, Caine's antics were almost too much to bear.
Almost.
He was ordered to fetch their priest and bring him to the pavilion.
Caine was standing at the table in the middle pavilion, looking down at the short hedge munk. The munk was bald and stout and looked a lot like fryer tuck from the Robin Hood movie.
"We're going to need some of her DNA... preferably her blood..." The munk, who's name he found out was actually Morris said and started laying out a bunch of candles on the stone table.
"Alec," Caine barked, " go find Lila's maid, she'll help you find something." Alec nodded and turned to leave.
"I'll come with you," Ryan grunted, and ignored the weird look Alec gave him.
They walked back through the castle and found the maid's bedroom door. Ryan lifted his hand to knock, but Alec had already flung the door open.
Marlee was completely naked except for a pair of black panties. She yelped and dropped the towel she was using to dry off her hair.
Alec felt his eyes darken with lust, he had been taken off guard and his wolf was ready to pounce. He growled low in his throat.
Ryan snarled so loudly he surprised both Alec and Marlee. He quickly passed Alec and grabbed onto Marlee, standing I front of her to shield her naked body from the other male.
"Mine!" He growled.
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~A