Chapter 42
I ran through the forest. Even though I didn’t know where I was going. Everything looked the same to me as I ran. There was a noise behind me. I look back, only I lose my footing and trip over, landing with a thud. I roll and land on my side and look up to see a man running behind me, but he slows and stops not far before me. My eyes widened. “Get up,” Tala roared in my head as I tried to move up, but pain rippled through my ankle. I groan as my eyes land on the man. He stares at me as a smirk inches the corners of his lips up at the corners. “Finally,” he said, his eyes changing from blue to gold. What the hell— The man’s body breaks like the other guys, and fur sprouts out of every inch of his body. I watched him turn into a big, matted brown wolf. The wolf snarls, showing his teeth. I tried to move by sliding back, using my arms and ass to move as far as possible, but I hit something behind me. I look up to see a damn tree. The wolf stokes toward me, his eyes pinned to me as I am his next meal. “Tala,” I whispered. “What do I—” A branch snaps to the side, which makes me look to see a grey lump of fur sprinting toward the brown wolf and attacking it. Loud snapping and growls echoed as I looked away. I didn’t want to see what was happening. “Move,” Tala shouted. “Run. Now.” I didn’t need to be told twice. I got up and hobbled around the tree and ran. Even though my ankle throbbed, I needed to move. There could be more. I ran as fast as I could and found a familiar place ahead, which made me halt when I stood before it—my mum’s house. I looked around, but there was no one. I could hear screaming in the distance, making me run up the steps and open the door. I ran inside, slamming the door shut. I rested my head on the door and closed my eyes—trying to calm my heart down. I took a few deep breaths in and out, but as I was about to open my eyes, a pair of bright green eyes bore back. I stilled. What the hell? This can’t be happening. “Calm down,” Tala blurted. “It’s only me.” I stared at her eyes. “What are—” I asked, but she grunted. “Not now. We need to leave. More are coming, and we must find somewhere safe until Carson can find us.” “I don’t want him to find us,” I blurted. “He’s a wolf.” Tala said nothing for a moment. “I… We…” she said but stopped and let out a sigh. “Leah, do you trust me?” she asked. I said nothing but gave her a nod. I did, but I didn’t know why. Tala seemed to be the only one listening to me since I started hearing her voice. Something about her made me feel safe when she was around. “Leah, listen to me,” she said as I stared into her green eyes. “I know you have loads of questions, and you feel scared. I will tell you everything, but first, we must get you to safety. Do you understand?” “Okay,” I muttered, opening my eyes and pushing off the door. I looked around, but there was no one in the house. “Where is everyone?” I asked. “Probably fighting the wolves,” she muttered, which made me still. “Mum would be—” I whispered. “Leah, concentrate,” Tala said, making me shake my head to clear my head. This was all too much. “Go upstairs and grab a few things.” I move as someone banged on the door. “Hello, little human,” someone shouted. “Let the bad wolf in.” Fuck. I turned around and bolted upstairs to my room, closing it behind me. I leaned on the door and felt my body shake. “It’s okay,” Tala said, sounding calm. “We can leave through the window. It leads onto the back road from this place. We can head onto the main road and find somewhere to stay.” I said nothing. It was the only plan we could come up with on the spot. Pushing off the door, I looked around and found my wallet. I walked over and grabbed it, placing it into my back pocket. I walked over to the window and found someone outside, so I moved back and closed my eyes. Tala’s green eyes bore back. “What do we do now?” I asked, hearing a loud bang coming from downstairs and growls erupting. They were in the house. “They are inside,” I panicked. “We need to get back outside,” she said. “Go out the window.” I opened my eyes and opened the window as crashing came from downstairs, and someone thundered up the stairs. “Come out, little human,” someone growled. “We want to play.” It was now or never. I climbed out of the window and walked across a little roof till I came to the edge. I looked down, but it was too high. I looked over my shoulder, only to see a man look out of the window with a big grin on his lips. “There you are, sweetheart,” he said as he climbed out the window. “Jump, Leah,” Tala shouted. I turned around and did that. I jumped off the roof and landed with a roll to the side. Pain shot through my ribs as I moved up and groaned. I took off and tried to run, only to be grabbed by someone from behind as they wrapped their arms around my waist. “Got you,” a rough voice said. “Get off me!” I screamed as I used my legs and arms to thrash about. I thrashed around until my leg connected with his cock. “Fuck,” he grunted as he let go of me. Pushing him back, I turn and look behind him and spot a wolf coming into view. My eyes widened; the wolf growled and lunged as it latched onto the man’s shoulder, causing him to shriek in pain as the wolf dragged him backward and ripped into him. I screamed as I turned around and ran as fast as I could till I spotted a road through some trees. “Keep going,” Tala muttered. “We need to find somewhere safe.” My mind raced as I tried to think of where to go. I didn’t want to go back. An image of my old home came to mind. It was the one place where I felt safe as a child. “I know where,” I said to her as I ran along the edge of the forest line till I spotted a town ahead. “We have to get a bus,” I murmured. “When we get one, tell me what the hell is happening?” Tala stayed quiet for a moment but let out a sigh. “You want to go back home,” she murmured. “Yes,” I said. “It’s the only place I felt safe; if mum knew me, she would know I would return there.” Knowing she may not know that, I had to take my chances. But did I want my mother to find me? She never told me any of this. “Fine,” Tala blurts. “I will tell you what I can. But we should go down there. We can hide amongst the people. It will be too hard to track you.” I frown. “How would they be able to track me?” I asked. “Your scent,” Tala murmured. “The problem is, how the hell did they know what you smell like? They would have to have something with your scent to know who you are. As wolves, that is the only way they would know who they are targeting.” A shiver rippled through me at her statement. Who would do such a thing? My mind kept racing, but I needed to concentrate on one thing at a time. I said nothing as I ran to the town and noticed a bus station. Running up to the booth, I asked for the ticket to where my dad used to live and paid for it with the last of my money. The woman gave me the ticket and told me to have a lovely day. I couldn’t even say anything to her. The bus arrived five minutes later, and I climbed on. I gave my ticket to the driver and walked to the back of the bus. I slid into the seat and kept my head down. I wished for everyone to get on the bus, even though only a few people were getting on. After the last lady finished talking to the driver, she found a seat, and the bus driver closed the door. The bus drove away, and my heart spiked. I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. Tala stared back, but her eyes softened. “Rest,” she said. “We have a long drive to go, and I will tell you everything when you wake up.” I knew she was right, but I didn’t want to sleep. I’m still agitated about what happened. How did they change into wolves? I have never felt so scared in my life. My brain raced over every detail, but I was exhausted. I open my eyes and move up, only to groan from my ribs. I placed my hand on them. “They will heal,” Tala said. “Just relax. I know you want to know what the hell happened, but wait until we are at least an hour into the drive. At least then you would have calmed down slightly.” I said nothing as I leaned back into the seat and looked out the window, trying not to let my mind run away, which was easier said than done.