Lone Wolf

Reunited

I woke up on top of a strange bed in a strange bedroom still shifted as a wolf. My head had stopped swaying and my vision was not fading in and out as it was earlier, so I believed that I was back to full strength. I surveyed the room and found clothes laid out for me with Brent's scent seeped into the cotton.

Knowing I would have clothes to change into—even if the clothes reeked of the enemy—I allowed myself to shift. Compared to my first time shifting, I reverted back with complete ease. Once I was completely human, I gave myself a moment of rest on the bed to gather my thoughts. I was tired, hungry, and worried the worst for Aiden, but I had to push those needs to the back of my mind. My top priority was getting the hell off of these pack grounds and away from Brent and Turner. While Brent did seem surprised to see me, I did not forget what Turner mentioned the first time we met—Brent wanted a female werewolf in his pack.

I could not wait and hope Jake and the others would come save me. Being a damsel in distress would get me nowhere in this situation—other than Brent's captivity. Knowing I had to do something gave me to motivation to get up and dressed in an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. After. I slowly approached the bedroom door and gave the knob a turn, but it was locked. I could easily break down the door, which confused me. Why would they put me in a place that I could easily escape from? I doubted Brent wanted five angry werewolves after him, so it was plausible he was putting in enough effort to keep me there so he would not lie to the rest of the pack but made it easy enough for me to still leave.

Not wanting to break down the door just yet because the noise would bring more attention to myself, I padded over to the lone window. Pulling the sheer red curtain back, I saw mostly trees, but after waiting long enough I saw a couple of wolves scampering past. Either I was being guarded or they were protecting the pack grounds from intruders. I stood by the window assessing how large of a time gap there was between the passing wolves, and while there was a gap, I did not know if I would be able to pass through. Jake had warned me many times before how strong my scent was, and I did not know if Brent's clothes were enough to overpower my scent to new wolves.

The house would be riskier as I did not know the way through, so I figured I better give the window a shot. Slowly and quietly, I unlocked the window and raised it enough to slip through during one of the intermissions of prowl. The bedroom was on the second floor, but jumping down to the ground was not difficult with my agility. Once my feet touched the ground, I pressed myself up against the brick wall in an attempt to conceal myself. I did not have much time to waste or to really think over my idea, but the need to make it back to my pack overpowered all worries or concerns.

I did not have time to shift, so I reigned in all of the words of wisdom Jake taught me while training and ran silently into the woods. My senses were on high alert, allowing me to smell how far away the wolves were and hearing if they got any closer to me. My movements were precise, and I would momentarily pause by every tree I passed in case I was seeable from the surrounding area. My heart was racing quickly from adrenaline and my vision was switching between normal and shades of red. I felt like my heart would burst before I felt I was in the clear.

The ground around me still reeked of those in Brent's pack, and I had a bad notion that I was not going where I needed to go. I did not have any shoes, and while I was able to process my every step so I did not step on sticks or brush, I still felt small cuts forming on the soles of my feet.

My hopes were slowly but surely rising the more I ran, but I could also feel doubt rising just as quickly. This was too easy. While Brent did make it sound like I was an unwanted guest, he would not give me up so easily. Also, Turner must have healed just as I had and being led by his blood-driven mind, his first thoughts must be aimed towards me.