Not the Luna

Chapter 27

I stare at the slip of paper in my hand. "Nobody move." I say sharply. I look at Nicole, then Emily who still stands 20 feet away.

"What does the paper say?" Nicole asks. I quickly shush her.

"Be quiet." I hiss. "And stay behind a tree at all times. I don't want you getting hurt." I say.

"But what about you?" Emily whisper-shouts from a distance.

"Don't worry about me." I say. The two girls obey my order and press themselves against the left side of the trees.

"What does the paper say!?" Nicole hisses again. I ignore her.

"I'm getting you two out of here." I say. "Use me as a human shield."

"What!?" Nicole spits. I put my hands on her shoulders and look her dead in the eyes.

"Just trust me."

She swallows hard, not losing eye contact and nods. She lets me in on the left side of her. I put my body in front of hers, literally guarding her from the sliver arrows.

We make it to the next tree big enough to guard us from arrows. Our footsteps are making more sound then I would've hoped in the dead leaves path. Now we are about 10 feet away from Emily. I notice Emily's panicked expression, she looks like she's on the verge of crying.

I turn to Emily, "This time we run." I whisper. I use my fingers to count down 3,2,1. We burst off, I make sure I guard her from the direction the first arrow came from. We make it to Emily and without stopping to see if Emily's okay, we sprint out of the woods.

When we're on the main road, Emily squats down and hugs her knees. "What happened?" She asked.

"What did the paper say?" Nicole asks for a third time.

"It said, 'Get out of my woods.'" I lie. If they know the truth, no doubt both of them will break into tears.

"Weird." Emily says.

Then it comes to me. Why didn't the mysterious archer hit me? Why did he/she only aim for Nicole? What was this person trying to protect? Or defend? Or...hide?

I feel something deep in my gut. Something that's calling me back into the woods. I want to know. I feel curiosity over load my brain and take over my thoughts.

"You two need to go home. Now." I say.

Emily and Nicole look at each other. "You know you haven't been treating us very kindly lately." Emily starts off.

"Yeah, you boss us around like your slaves or something." Nicole continues.

"And we only hang out where you want to go." Emily adds.

"That's a load of bull." I say. "I always come up with places to go, and you two agree to come because you have no better ideas."

"Okay so maybe the last point not so much, but everything else is relevant." Nicole says. I take a deep breath and choose my words carefully.

"I've just had a lot on my plate lately. I've also been needing to act like an Alpha -or I guess Luna now- more and more. The leadership thing just takes over, kinda like second nature." I say and bite my lip. The two look at each other and then back at me.

They slowly get up. I watch each of them trying to read what they could possibly be thinking.

"Nicole," Emily says. "What to go to get a bite at Howling-" Then she pauses. "Oh right, got kicked out of there." Emily looks down, thinking of something to say, but Nicole never breaks eye contact with me.

"Molly, what are you up to? Why do you suddenly want us to leave?" Nicole says.

Emily looks up at Nicole, then follows her eyes to me. "Yeah." She says agreeing with Nicole. "Why?"

"There's somebody in there threatening security, not just for our pack, but for the other four packs too." I say. The girls look at me like I have two heads. "What?"

"You just said that you cared what happened with the other packs." Emily says. "Who are you and what did you do with Molly?"

Until she said that, I honestly didn't realize what I said was bad. I shouldn't want to help the other packs. I'm an Alpha. I'm supposed to hate the other packs the most. What's happening to me?

Honestly, it gives me one more reason to investigate the woods.

"Guys, I just need some time alone." I say. They glare at me but slowly walk away. I start to walk the opposite direction, hoping they'll think that I'm actually going this way.

After a few minutes of walking, I turn around to see how far away they are. I see them just turn the corner, out of sight.

I immediately sprint into the forest. I make it to the silver arrow that still waits in the tree. A second note is wrapped around the arrow, right were the first one was. I reach in my back pocket and pulled out the first one, mostly to make sure I wasn't going crazy.

I unwrap the small note and read the same handwriting.

READY OR NOT, HERE I COME. MOLLY BAYTON.