The Wolves of Cain

Packless

Date: 2-21-17

Chapter 23: Packless

Lucas and Mason follow close behind Adrian until he suddenly stops. Monique catches up first.

"Adrian! Why did you stop?" Monique asks in a hushed whisper.

Lucas answers before Adrian can. "She ran off again, using the trees to evade us."

Adrian turns to Lucas. "Wow! It sounds like you can control some of your wolf senses." Adrian says sarcastically.

"Yeah, why's that so surprising?" Lucas asks defensively.

"Because I believe you and your brother aren't the most capable for-"

"Hey! Can you stop fighting, Adrian?" Monique interrupts before Adrian can say any more.

Adrian grins at Monique and she rolls her eyes at him playfully. Lucas can tell she's not really mad. Then Lucas realizes something.

"Monique, why aren't you as fast as Adrian?" Lucas asks Monique because he saw that she was a little slower than both him and Adrian. "Aren't you like him?"

"Were only half siblings. So we're not the same type of supernatural." Monique says with a shrug. It doesn't seem to upset her that she's not a werewolf like Adrian.

Lucas notices that Adrian is looking around, listening for any movement near them. He is waiting for vine girl to show up.

Monique notices this, so she decides it's okay to keep talking. "I'm a Shadowhunter, which means I draw runes that give me power." Monique vaguely explains.

"I've never heard of that." Lucas says honestly.

"I think I hear her." Adrian suddenly says, actually warning them this time before he takes off.

Since Adrian is the fastest out of all of them, he gets ahead and out of sight.

Vine girl jumps out from the shadows, surprised Adrian completely, and wraps Adrian tightly with vines.

"I love playing games with you." Vine girl says sweetly.

Although the vines are squeezing so hard that Adrian can hardly breathe, he manages to gasp out a few words. "Really? Me too!"

Even in a deadly situation, Adrian just can't lose his sarcasm.

Lucas catches up just then and slams into vine girl, knocking her to the ground, messing up her concentration so she lets go of Adrian.

Lucas gets up quickly to make sure he didn't hurt vine girl, who he can't help but think of as Ivie. But vine girl isn't moving.

"Great. Way to go Lucas! She's out for the night." Adrian says, sneering at Lucas. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

Mason runs up just then and wisely stays silent, not wanting to get in the middle of the conversation.

"I saved you! And I didn't hit her hard enough to knock her out!" Lucas argues, felling his anger rising up from deep inside of him. It's like it's always there, just waiting to come out.

"I guess you underestimated your new strength." Adrian practically snarls at Lucas like a wild animal.

Lucas doesn't say anything because he's slightly embarrassed. He ruined everything tonight by trying to help. Adrian apparently needed Ivie awake, but as vine girl.

Lucas doesn't see a thing as vines wrap around his neck from above in the tree. They pull Lucas up as his claws come out and his eyes turn bright from the danger. Lucas claws at the vines but they won't let go.