Taken by my Mate

Ohio in Pink Sheets

Once the door clicked shut, I wasted no time. Carrying around a suitcase would attract too much attention, so I quickly changed into jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket. I tossed a spare pair of underwear into my purse along with my wallet. I decided to leave the phone behind, plugging it into its charger on the bedside table to avoid any potential tracking by Amara.

I pulled my hair into a bun and made sure my necklace was still on.

It was a gift from my mother when I turned 12 and was the only thing I couldn't bear to leave behind.

Briefly, I entertained the idea of taking one of Theo's expensive-looking watches to pawn for cash, but the thought felt wrong. I didn't want to take anything else from him.

Before exiting the room, I took a moment to take it all in. This could have been my life—the comfort, the luxury, the prospect of love with a man destined to be my soulmate. It would have been easy, safe.

But then I remembered the suffocating feeling of being controlled, of living in a cage. Theo might learn to trust me, but he would always seek to control every aspect of my life. I refused to be trapped again. Resolve stiffened my spine and I walked out the door.

My gift of staying hidden and silent would be useful. I just needed to be quick.

I moved through the halls with deliberate yet silent steps, keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact with anyone I passed, willing them not to notice me. Normally, I would be greeted by respectful but distant 'Good evening, Luna's every time I wandered around but not today. Strangely, it seemed like people didn't even register my presence; they looked right through me. It was a disconcerting feeling, reminiscent of my high school days.

As I finally reached the front door and slipped outside, I caught sight of Theo arriving in his car, looking preoccupied as he retrieved files from the passenger seat. I quickly hid behind the nearest car, watching him enter the house with a furrowed brow. He wrapped a hand around the back of his neck as if he was stressed about something. Suppressing the instinct to approach and comfort him, I scanned my surroundings.

Not far off, a couple of younger boys were goofing around and making their way to a pickup truck. Silently, I maneuvered through the parked cars and slipped into the bed of the truck just as they started to drive away. I didn't know where they were headed, but I was leaving it to fate as I kept my head low and hoped they were going into town.

I lay there for a while, watching the trees pass overhead until I finally heard the distinct sounds of the highway. I smiled. It seemed fate was on my side today.

As the landscape shifted from trees to billboards and signs, I cautiously lifted my head to see that we were pulling into the parking lot of my old high school. Did the boys driving the truck attend school here? The realization hit me, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the absurdity of it all. Of course, I went to high school with werewolves.

Once the truck came to a stop, the boys chatted as they walked away, presumably heading to some kind of extracurricular activity. I hopped out of the back of the truck, relieved to find more than one car in the lot. I began checking the handles of the cars, hoping to find an unlocked one and finally settled in a nice Toyota. There were no keys inside, but that wouldn't be a problem thanks to Kennedy.

Quickly, I hotwired the vehicle and took off down the road. I made my way to the church where my dad's service had been held, found his cousin's name signed in the guest book, and then hit the highway. I drove for a few hours and eventually pulled off into a town to find a public library.

The computers were ancient and slow, but after some persistence, I managed to find my dad's cousin on Facebook. Lou Wesson lived in Youngstown, Ohio. I knew it would be faster to drive but I was unwilling to risk my stolen vehicle being tracked.