Ensnare

Chapter 19

                I woke up lying on the air mattress. I blanket had been laid over top of me. I sat up slowly, looking around the cabin. I didn’t see any of my pack members. My pulse sped up as I thought of what could’ve happened while I slept. Had they been taken by the Stone River wolves?

                I brushed my hair out of my eyes and stood up, throwing off the blanket. I tip toed over to the window. No one was in sight. One of the floor boards in the loft creaked. I spun around to see Katie drop a sleeping bag over the railing.

                She looked down at me, unimpressed.

                “Pack went to scout. I’m babysitting.”

                I fought the growl that rose in my throat. Typical Katie behaviour. She dropped another sleeping bag over the railing. The back packs were all lined up by the door, ready to go. I assumed Katie had packed them while I was sleeping.

                I picked up the blanket I had thrown off and folded it up. I unstopped the mattress and let the air rush out. It hissed faintly as I watched the mattress collapse. That’s how I felt, I thought briefly, like someone had let all the air out of me. I was exhausted. Being on constant alert took a lot out of you. I hadn’t slept well either, my thoughts plagued by black wolves.

                I braided my hair as I waited for the mattress to deflate. I was still wearing what I had put on yesterday. Too tired to be bothered to change, I sank down in the arm chair. Watching the air drain I felt my eyelids grow heavy.

                Exhaustion had chased away my constant fear. I was just too tired to look over my shoulder very other second. I would fall asleep if I didn’t get up and do something. Sluggishly, I rose to my feet and walked over to the mattress. I rolled it up and strapped it onto one of the packs.

                The door opened. The boys walked in looking tired too.

                “Borders are all clear. They haven’t crossed into our territory since the incident last night,” Matthew announced. “We’re going back through the middle of our territory. We should get a move on as soon as possible.”

                He slung a pack onto his back and the others followed his lead. I tied on my dreadful hiking boots and picked up one of the smaller bags. I wasn't too excited about going outside. Katie jogged down the stairs and grabbed the remaining bag.

                We walked out of the cabin, no one saying a word. Matthew locked the door behind us and we set off at a fast pace. It wasn’t long before my feet were hurting again, but this time I bit my tongue and dealt with the pain.

                I kept glancing around, checking to see if there were wolves. I scented the air every few paces, if Stone River wolves were close by, I wanted to know. Every time I checked though, there wasn’t a trace. We were alone for now.

                The searching gave me a distraction from the pain and the pain distracted me from the paranoia. It wasn’t a pleasant mix, but it could have been worse. I could have been taken by the black alpha.

                “About an hour left,” Matthew told us. No one had spoken this whole time. It didn’t feel like we’d been walking for three hours though my feet would disagree. There was more silence and we continued to walk. Twigs scraped across my bare shins and drew blood. I ignored the scratches and kept moving. I wanted to be back at the lodge more than anything.