A Fate So Cruel

Chapter 5 - Safe House

"How much longer?"

I was once again curled up underneath a stained canvas in the backseat of the car. From a small hole in the cloth, I was able to catch a sliver of the outside world by way of the window and the slight lightening of the sky told me that dawn was near.

We'd been in the car all night. Although, we'd driven for less than half that time. The other half was spent pulled off on the side of the road with the car turned off to avoid any Enforcers on surveillance or Burrow border patrols.

Between the frequent stops and the winding back roads to avoid any checkpoints, I wondered how much distance we'd actually gained over the night.

"It's not too much further, Noa. We're almost there," Boston promised.

I couldn't see him from where he sat in the passenger seat, but the sound of his gentle, reassuring voice calmed my nerves a bit. Still, the sooner we were off the road and in the safe house, the better.

"We need to hurry," Isaac grumbled impatiently. "The virus Jac used to block the test results from being uploaded to the database should have expired by now. Won't take them long to realize she's gone and to start the manhunt. If they haven't already."

I thought back to Chelsea being dragged into the courtyard. My stomach twisted. Then I remembered what Boston had said back in my dorm room about the blood test I'd taken.

"Is how they found Chelsea? With the student health profile?" I whispered.

"Obviously," Isaac replied coldly.

I flinched but his harsh tone wasn't enough to overpower my curiosity. "So they're able to find out if someone's mated to a Lycan with a blood test?"

It was a shocking and terrifying prospect. And I needed to know more.

I knew very little about how matebonds worked. Like most things directly involving the Lycan, it was shrouded in uncertainty. Up until this point, I had no need and no desire to learn any more than necessary.

All I knew was that every so often, you'd hear whispers of some poor human who had been dragged out of their home or from work or off the street on their way to the grocery store by a Lycan claiming to be their mate.

Even more rarely, you'd hear about those who ran. Sometimes it was because they were already married or had children–or WERE children themselves. The stories always ended the same. With the Gendarme hunting them down and ripping them away from everything and everyone they'd ever known and loved.

I used to have nightmares about it when I was younger. In my dreams, I'd be walking to school or outside playing with Boston when a dark shadowy figure would appear on the edge of my vision. I'd turn to look at it head-on and, suddenly, it'd be nearly on top of me. When I tried to run, my feet became heavy, like they were encased in concrete blocks. I'd barely make it a few feet before the monster would swallow me up and I'd wake up in a panic.

Sometimes my Grandad would be there to comfort me. As I got older, the dreams became less frequent and more of an occasional nuisance. The only sign I'd had one was when I awoke panting and with a pounding heart, covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"The technology has been around for a few years," Boston explained. "Since then, the Centrality has slowly been trying to test the entire human population. They've gotten through almost every other Territory already. There's really just the Alderman and Hillshire Territories."

"They started in the Northeast and out West," Isaac interjected in a pragmatic tone that made him sound like a soldier giving a report. "They tackle the most populated Burrows first. Usually, they start by using the organizations they have their hands in to get people on the registry–like the local hospitals and universities. Then, they mandate the general population. Anyone who doesn't comply is in violation of Territory Ordinances."