Chasing Her

Chapter 45

I trudged down the stairs, meeting up with everyone by the front door. Dylan was to the side, talking with his father, while Sam was hugging her parents. I gave a meek smile to them as Sam and I waited for Dylan to finish his conversation.

"Alright, you know the plan, son. Be careful out there," Alpha Braxton stated to the room. He walked over and gave us all a hug, followed by Sam's parents mimicking his actions. With that, we were off.

We started walking into the dense woodlands that surrounded the pack house I had grown to call home. They wanted us to travel on foot, unshifted, so that our scents and movements would be harder to track. Once we had journeyed for a few miles, Dylan stopped abruptly in front of us. He quickly rummaged through his bag, searching for something while cursing under his breath.

Grabbing something small out of his bag, he turned to us with a sigh, "I need to inject you both with this. I was supposed to do it before we made it this far, so I have to hurry."

I looked to Sam, confused, before turning back towards Dylan, "W-what? What is it? No one told us about this..."

Dylan scoffed, filling up one of the syringes with the murky liquid, "It was decided this morning. That's what my father and I were discussing when you came downstairs."

His words were tense, but this isn't the easiest or calmest situation to be in. He walked up to me first, wiping at my upper arm, bringing the needle close to my skin, "It-It's just something to hide your scent. We need to be as careful as we can be, so we are taking any measures we can."

I winced as the needle broke through my skin, feeling weak as the liquid surged into my veins. Dylan walked over and, with a new needle, followed suit on Sam's arm. He put the stuff back in his bag before gesturing for us to trek forward.

Once we began walking, Dylan spoke up, "The uh medicine takes a bit to kick in, but while it is you may feel weak or something. It differs for everyone, especially if it's your first time having it in your system- it will affect you and your wolf more then, but the side effects will eventually go away. It lasts for a few hours, so we will have to use it again once we get to the safe house."

"Why didn't you take it?" Sam asked hesitantly.

He looked sharply at her before facing frontwards again, "I did. My father injected me before we headed out. I was supposed to do yours back there, but it slipped my mind."

Dylan seemed annoyed and angry at our constant questioning of the medicine, so I just kept quiet. I looked to Sam, seeing her full of worry and concern, "It'll be okay, Sam."

She shot me a weak smile before we continued pressing ever forwards. The only smells and sounds we could make out now we're those of nature, the sounds of the forest, the wind, the echoes of the animals scurrying about. I breathed in the deep smell of pinewood, crisp air, and life. It was euphoric. It was like a breath of fresh air after coming out of a smoke filled room, a drink of cold water after running until your legs gave out. It was simply wonderful.

* * *

Hours of walking, trekking, trudging, and climbing passed until we reached a small stream. The water was babbling by, the sound was like a soothing lullaby...one I wish I could actually currently go to sleep to. Dylan stopped at the stream, ransacking through his bag once more. I sat down on a large rock by the stream with Sam sitting next to me. I tossed her my water bottle, chuckling at her panting form. She just glared at me while chugging down the water, dribbles going down her chin and neck.

Dylan sat down finally and tossed us some sandwiches to eat, "Let's eat. The cabin isn't too far from here, so we should reach it before nightfall."