Part of the Promise (Book 3 in the 'Part of' Series)

Chapter 41 Rescue

Chapter 41 Rescue

Ralph's POV

My head was banging, the noise from outside of this room had quietened a long while ago. I was still too scared to exit. I saw what started to happen to the wolves and I ran. I was scared for my family and Aiden. I knew what the gas was which swept through the halls, clearing out every wolf in its path.

I thanked anyone who would listen to me that the room I had found was air tight. I didn't have a lot of fresh oxygen in there, none at all, but it meant that the gas couldn't get to me. I waited until everything was silent before stepping out.

It still lingered in the air. It made my eyes go blurry and my head feel light, but I moved on through the halls. The hallways were littered with big wolves which I struggled to manoeuvre myself around. The sight of it made me feel sick but I couldn't dwell, I knew where I had to go.

The safe room door was wide open. Those who were inside looked weary and pale, I didn't know how long they were exposed to the gas but it hadn't done them any good. "Alpha," a weak voice said from the corner of the room. Abilene was leaning against the wall, the pups were all surrounding her. They were on her knee, clinging to her arms, lying on her legs. He took them."

I bent down in front of her worriedly. "It'll wear off soon, everywhere. I'm going to have to lock you guys back in." She nodded slightly.

"Travis took Harlow and Aiden." My breath hitched and I looked around. Panic started to wash over me and I felt even more lightheaded. "Find them." I nodded at her.

"You can count on it." I squeezed her hand slightly before standing back up. I made sure that everybody was in a safe position before I headed towards the door, locking it behind me. I headed straight towards the main exit, there was some resistance as I pulled on the door but it eventually gave in.

I stepped over the chains and breathed in the fresh air, this'll help ventilate the halls. I left the door open a little bit and closed my eyes. I knew other members of my pack weren't affected by the gas, finding their own place to hide. It was a shame the halls weren't more wolf-friendly, it would have been far easier to communicate.

I shifted into my wolf and tried to start tracking. Randall was better than I was at this, he had a much better nose. This was Aiden I was trying to track though. I would be able to do it, I have to be able to do it.

Murmurs came from the back of my head but I couldn't understand any of it. Abilene and the pups are knocked out, so they wouldn't be able to contact me. I supposed that the gas which filled the halls was stopping our communication. I thought of this as I started to sprint away from the packhouse.

I couldn't focus on the road, the scent of Aiden lingered but it was extremely faint. It was far easier to follow Travis' scent, it was a very strong mix of aftershave and spices. I was hesitant to do so, because they might have split up at some point.

They took the road, meaning that Travis had a vehicle of some sort. It was tricky to navigate and keep myself hidden. Going by paw wasn't too bad but it was slower then I would've preferred.

My worry had reached another level as the trees started to look familiar. We had run this trail several times over the past few weeks. I was starting to get closer to home. I paused abruptly as I heard a voice.

"Alpha, where are you?" A deep voice creeped through to my brain, I had been told by Aiden and Harlow that it was an odd concept, having someone else's voice in your head. I've been able to do this since I was born. It didn't seem odd or strange to me. It was just like someone was talking to you, but it didn't come through your ears.

"I'm tracking them down," I told the voice, I was assuming that it was either Moss or Beaumont. It was still a little unclear.

"You should've waited for us," they replied with a scolding tone. I huffed slightly and started to walk at a leisurely pace. They were close, the scents were getting stronger and stronger. It made me want to dart in their direction.

"Are you all okay?" My eyes watched the trees for any oncoming threats. The forest was unusually still. "Has everybody woken up?"

"Everyone apart from the pups and Abilene, they got it last." I nodded to what the voice was saying. "We're on our way." I knew that I didn't have any room to argue. I didn't have time as my attention was once again grabbed. This time, it was the sound of feet hitting the forest floor.

I tensed up at the vibrations and the noise before darting in their direction. I felt like that was where I had to go. It was in the direction of my home, that may have been why, but it was something I couldn't ignore.

Heavy breathing was audible as my ears twitched. I went faster and faster until I nearly slammed into someone head on. I skidded to a stop as I was faced with a familiar blue hoodie. It was Aiden. Harlow nearly ran right into him but the two of them steadied themselves.

"Ralph?" Aiden asked, he knew it was me. I nodded and looked behind them. A person in black was stealthily making their way towards us from the shadows. I reached forward and pulled on Aiden's hoodie, urging him to continue. "Who else is safe?" I nudged him and started running in the direction I came. He sighed and followed.

At some point, Harlow found himself on my back. It was much trickier to run this way, but we had practice moving stuff on our backs, so it wasn't too strenuous. We ran in circles, chasing each other at one point. I was trying to stall and earn ourselves more time, whilst the pursuers were after our necks.

I didn't know what happened to them which could make them this scared. Yet, I didn't really care. I kept running as the vibrations of the forest increased. I could tell that some of those were negative, beings that aren't welcome here, and others were those who owned the land. Members of my pack came in and joined us at various parts of our circling.

Moss and Tempest fought off any pursuer. Beaumont and Hollis continued our tracks whilst we went along a different course. Rhodes and Elowen stayed beside us. We were even joined by some of Arkin's pack who had followed our pack. I didn't know if there was anybody else there, my mind had suddenly switched.

It's about time someone told Travis where to go.