Meet me in the Emerald Forest

Chapter 13 Clementine

Lukas kept his arm securely around my waist as we walked out of the diner and down the sidewalk to where his truck was parked. Garrick was out front with his head on a swivel. Suddenly, Lukas went rigid at my side. He skipped to a halt and quickly pulled me behind his towering body. I looked around his side to see a group of wolves standing in the street.

"Are those wolves?" I gasped and was immediately taken back to the night in the woods. Lukas said nothing.

"Get her out of here, Lukas!" Garrick shouted as he ran into the middle of the street, standing between us and the wolves.

"What is he doing?" I nearly yelled, wrestling with the waistband of my jeans where my service weapon was tucked away.

Lukas grabbed my wrist and held my arm still. I looked up at him and he shook his head. For whatever reason, I relaxed under his gaze and dropped my hand. By the time I looked back up, Garrick was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a large black wolf with his back turned to us. I felt my mouth drop open but no sound came out.

"Come on." Lukas urged me, dragging me towards the truck again.

A vicious snarl ripped through the street that was now covered in screaming people running in all directions. Lukas shoved me against the side of the truck and turned his back to me, his entire body shielding me from the scene. Another wolf pounced onto the sidewalk. He was just as big as the black wolf but was a sandy color instead. Lukas' body actually relaxed at the sight of it.

"What the hell is happening, Lukas?" I demanded but received no reply.

"Go, help Raven." Lukas seemed to be speaking to the wolf. I stared at him like he was insane.

"Lukas!" I shouted as a wolf crept around the truck and towards us. Lukas jumped to the side, positioning himself between the wolf and me.

"Get in the truck, Clem, and don't come out for any reason." Lukas demanded.

He opened the door to the truck and practically threw me inside, slamming it shut and facing off with the wolf. I pressed myself against the window, my eyes never leaving Lukas. I gasped and covered my mouth as the wolf lunged towards Lukas. I heard myself calling out his name as the wolf's jaw clamped around his shoulder. In seconds, Lukas was pinned to the sidewalk as the wolf's massive paws clawed at his chest. I pushed the door open as hard as I could, slamming it into the wolf. It yelped and rolled off of Lukas.

I had no idea what I was going to do next, but I knew that I had to get to Lukas. I fell out of the truck and covered his body with mine. I peeked up to see the sandy colored wolf ripping apart the smaller wolf. He looked up at us once before running back towards the street.

"Lukas?" I yelled in his face, shaking his shoulder, but he didn't respond.

"Get in the truck, Clementine." An eerily familiar voice said from behind me. I jumped and spun around.

"Excuse me?" I snapped.

"My name is Mateo, I'm a friend of Lukas'. Get in the truck so we can get you both to safety." The man instructed me with an emotionless expression.

He was crazy tall with blonde hair and eyes that flashed from blue to black. He was shirtless and wearing only a pair of low hanging sweatpants. When I didn't move, he sighed and bent over to pick me up. I complained as he threw me into the truck and shut the door. He put Lukas into the backseat and jumped in the driver's seat himself.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, studying his face closely. I had no idea why but I knew this man from somewhere.

"He needs medical attention and you need to be kept safe." He said as he sped off and away from the wolves brawling in the street.