unbroken (unexpected series)

Chapter 23

A/n: Not Edited. This is short I know, but I had something else to type up for school. Also, for those that wanted to finish or BEGIN reading the first book in the series, 'Unexpected,' I put it up and can be found if you go to my works section. 

Chapter 23 – Oakley POV

I had taken less than ten steps when I heard Ben shouting behind me, spinning to face him, “Bumblebee-” he shouted freely, and three others whispered the name in question, “What’s wrong?” Ben asked when he stopped in front of me, glancing over at Tera and Kiley.

“Nothing – uh – Chelsea called me,” I whispered, tapping my head lying but I couldn’t explain it to him, or myself. The scent was distracting me, pulling my attention, which was normally focused and capable. He nodded slowly and I thought he was done, but in a low voice Ben said, “No one knows us here Bee, and what they do know, they know what you’ve believed all along about Mom. You didn’t have friends in Middleburg but,” he shrugged, “you can have them here you know? You don’t have to be all alone…” he whispered. Sighing I stepped closer to him, wrapping my hands around his shoulders, hugging him tightly.

“See you at Chelsea’s?” he asked when we let each other go, I nodded smiling, watching him run backwards before turning I entered the umbrella of trees, not aware of what I was doing per se but I started using my senses, specifically my sense of smell, which immediately led me off the trail. Putting the ipad in the little sack I had, I began just following my nose, climbing albeit very slowly. The different animals, bird chirping loudly above me, singing a song that the trees rustling, carried down to me after a while I stopped at a fallen trunk, preventing passage easily.

Sweaty and thoroughly dirty, I leaned against it, the scent of sandalwood and citrus stronger the further I continued, listening I could no long hear the river, and the sky above me that had been bright on the beach, but the canopy of trees and lush leaves hid was starting to clear. I glanced down at my feet, the thin sandals I had chosen to wear, my toes, covered in mud, but I was deterred, taking them off I held them in my hand, climbing over the large fallen stalk that graced the forest floors, persistent I trekked over large boulders, ferns cutting at my ankles until I reached a plateau.

A steep edge that had been warn, the sky no longer clear and bright above me, the scent I had followed all the way here, I had climbed a mountain, hidden well, the birds around me cried heading over, and I spun to a menacing growl behind me, that stilled my movement. Unafraid, I was face to face with a large, beautiful black wolf, silky shiny coat on the tops of its back, legs muddied much like mine were I suspected and for the same reason. The wolf neared, growling, but I leaned forward sniffing, a smile gracing my face, it was at it’s strongest, which I couldn’t understand.

The black wolf growled, inching towards me, standing tall, proud on the mountaintop, “Hi…” I whispered the wolf continued growling, large grey eyes, almost silver against the black coat. “Uhm… I – I’m Oakley,” I said over the growling, holding my ground, instead of stepping back. I glanced over my shoulder, the steep climb up seeming worse as I looked down upon it, I turned back to the wolf, the snarling halted but the fury in it’s eyes remained. The air cooler around me, a squaring behind the wolf catching my attention for a moment, “I – I was – you were at the beach. I followed your scent up here,” I said confused having this one-way conversation.

I peered back into the cave like space, sidestepping the black wolf and the guttural snarling, flinching only twice, but I sat just at the edge, “I’m in your space I know that – I’m sorry. I just couldn’t concentrate and I kept smelling you, it was – so I came looking, took me a while since there isn’t a path or anything.” I watched the wolf, gazing into grey eyes, it tense, and me stiff, my back against the large rock.