Leah
I fell asleep after the second stop. I was still exhausted and a bit delirious from the massive blood loss I had just endured, but luckily my mother had no issues with me trading places with her to nap on James's head. His trotting motion helped aid my transition into sleep.
The next time I woke up was when we found the highway.
"We could grab a bite to eat," I mentioned at the sight of a gas station.
Both my mother and James glared at me.
"With what money?" she asked me, mortified that I would even ask such a question. I shrugged my shoulders as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
All I knew was that I was hungry.
The day had gone by, but we were slowly making progress. James was doing the best he could with two adult bodies and a toddler on his back. I was surprised he was going as fast as he was.
I looked behind my shoulder at my mother, who was, conveniently, also looking behind her shoulder. She was watching for patrols or searchers that might've been following us- at least, that's what I hoped she was looking at, and not longing for the old life that she could never go back to.
"Hey, Mom?"
She jumped slightly, startled by my voice. She quickly changed her expression into one of friendly politeness, but she wasn't fast enough. The instant she turned, I saw the pain in her eyes. The confusion.
"Mhm?"
Releasing Sophie's limp arm from my grasp, I reached around my body and patted her gently on the leg. She reciprocated by giving me a smile.
"What will you do? I mean...when we get into Bronze territory?"
She studied my face for a moment, opened her mouth, and, at the very last second, shut it again. Her lips flattened to a thin line, curving down at the corners.
Finally, she spoke. "I have no clue," she said honestly. "I think I'll leave Sophie with you for a while...until I can get back on my feet. First, though," Her voice grew quiet, her eyes narrowing in on me. "I want to meet this mate of yours!" She exclaimed excitedly.
I giggled, heat spreading from my cheeks.
"You already know him," I stated, biting my lip.
"Do I?" I could hear the question in her voice. "Or do I know of him? There is a difference, you know."
I nodded, holding tight to Sophie as James made a leap over a rock. "I suppose," I mumbled after we landed.
A beat passed between us, both of us not ready to tackle the obvious elephant in the room. Or in our case, the elephant on the back of a giant wolf. Either way, there was a ginormous elephant that needed to be dealt with.
Like ripping a bandaid off of a healing cut, I started. "What changed?" I questioned her.
She hummed in response, understanding what I had asked.
What changed from then to now?
She shrugged, her grip around my waist tightening. "I watched you get hurt. I watched as you cried on the floor, blood all around your face and arm, and I couldn't do a thing to stop it. I might not be very maternal, but I do have the instincts buried deep down. I am still a mother at heart, Leah, despite what you may think."
"She loves you," I sighed, defeated for once in my life with my mother. Maybe I should stop fighting her? Maybe I should let the cards fall where they may, and, finally, get over whatever hurt feelings I still had.
My mother peered around me and almost cried right there on my shoulder. Sophie was laying on James's neck, arms spread wide to cradle his fur. She was smiling like she always did when she slept; noticeably, when she had good dreams.
The sight must have touched her, I thought.
The forest we had been running in slowly spread out in density. The trees, which had previously been so close together that we had to weave around them, now gave enough space so we could continue a straight path for longer periods of time.
And then the smell changed.
All at once, it hit me like a meteor strike. My mother and James sensed it, too, but not as strong and forceful as I did. For me, it was like returning home. For them, however, it was just a new place to start over. They were fleeing; I was coming back.
We came up to a chain-linked fence, surrounded by wolves and Kane's army. They were stationed there after Oscar's trespassing over three months ago.
James lagged slightly, slowing down his trot to a walking pace, stopping just outside the small cabin built to house the new recruits.
I ordered everyone to stay back, not wanting to risk their lives.
These guys were new, I said to myself as I approached. They don't know.
A second later, my wolf purred as if she were in my ear. I can smell him. He's near, Leah!
I didn't need an explanation to know who she was referring to. It was obvious; the only person I could smell from this far away was Kane. My heart leaped from my chest.
"Hi guys," I said meekly with a wave. Two guards stepped forward while at least a dozen stayed behind. I notice four in the windows of the cabin, staring.
One of the two men that stepped in front of me held himself in higher regard than the others. He constantly had his hands folded behind his back, and his shoulders squared.
He was an older gentleman, I would say he looked mid-forties, with a straight angled nose and clear-cut, thin lips. His cheeks were well defined by the lightly tanned skin and the black beard that graced his face.
"What can I do for you?" he asked, not looking at me, but at the wolf and woman behind me.
"I- erh, I need to get into Kane's- I mean! Alpha Kane's territory," I said stuttering. I don't know why I was stuttering so much. It might have been the rainy pine forest scent that kept getting closer. I ended my statement with a weird, dry chuckle; my face burning hotter than the sun.
He raised his black, not very bushy eyebrows at me. "Right this way," he said, leading with his hand to the cabin. "You can fill out some paperwork, and I'll have the alpha review it. If he deems you worthy, you may come in."
My palms were sweating now. Not only would I have to be stuck in a room full of guards for probably hours while I signed papers, but I kept getting wafts of Kane's scent everywhere I turned.
Did he smell me, too? Did he know I was here?
My brain was racing with a million and one questions when I saw my mother start following the guy into the cabin. James trailed behind her like a puppy.
"Wait!" I called out, extending my hand and gripping my mom's wrist. A short, spark of pain jerked up my arm from the bite mark, but I held on tight despite it. "I need to speak with him," I told the man bluntly.
"I can see that," he said, eyes narrowing. "Still, I need you to come inside for a brief inspection."
I groaned loudly because this guy wasn't understanding. I needed to see Kane, now! Couldn't he see how desperate I was?
It had been too long since I last gazed at his face, only seeing him smile in my dreams as I slept in that cell. And then there was my momentary glimpse into his head. I broke apart when I saw his pain. The sooner I found him, asked for his forgiveness, and moved on, the better we will both be in the long run. And that was assuming he would actually forgive me.
"Sir," I said trying to calm my raging nerves. Any second now, I was about to run through the fence blocking my way and dash for the packhouse. "I really need to see him."
My mother gave me an apologetic look. She couldn't fully understand since she never had a mate of her own, but she did have my father. She recognized the longing in my voice and the fear etched on my face.
The men in the cabin stood on edge. Then, like rooted tree trunks, the guards near the fence- every single one of them- straightened their slouched backs, pressed their lips into thin lines, and stood completely rigid. The only one who didn't move was the captain, but he was already like that.
"Ah," the captain sounded, eyes glazed over, smiling. "It looks like you're in luck. He's here."
Far in the distance, just beyond my in-depth field of view, stood an angry, taut wolf the size of a car. His low growl could be heard from miles away, exactly where I stood.
My eyes fixed on his golden ones as he took a hesitant step forward. The light from the sun bounced off of his dark chocolate fur, dancing around him like waves on a calm ocean.
My mother gripped the hand which was holding her arm, pulling me to her side as she watched the beast move faster toward us.
"Is that the alpha?" she whispered in my ear, fearful.
I shook with anticipation.
"Yep," I said back, never taking my eyes off his.
From where I was, it looked like he was a complete beast, giving every primal urge that he had full control over his body. And I know I used to joke about him being a beast before, but this was different. This time, he actually was.
I gulped.
He was going to kill me.