Escape The Pack

Chapter 4

I must have sat there for a good hour before I got the energy to stand up and head upstairs. The party was still going on, I could hear the happy laughing and partying.

It made me sick. How could he do this?

And suddenly it became too much. I rushed into my room, locking the door behind me. I grabbed my backpack and threw in a few t shirts, shorts and a pair of jeans. I threw in an extra pair of shoes, a few photos, my beanie hat, all the money I had and my iPod. I ditched my phone, and I pulled on my converse.

I scanned my room for anything else I would need, but decided I should travel light.

I knew I needed to leave now when the party was still going. That meant I had a good twelve hour head start before anyone realised I was gone. I was about to make my way downstairs, but instead ran to leave a note.

"Mom, dad, Oscar. I'm sorry. I don't belong here. I never have. And now it hurts too much. I love you all. Don't try to look for me. I'll be okay. Love, Laila." 

Nodding my head, I left it folded on my bed before I bolted downstairs. I glanced around myself as I headed for the front door. As I reached it, I smiled a little. But only a little.

The pain was getting worse the more my wolf accepted that Evan had rejected us. I tried to ignore the heartbreak, but it was overwhelming.

So I started running. My feet crunched the leaves and twigs as I ran through the trees. I need to head for the border, and hope that the rogues were gone.

I was a good fighter. I could hold my own, but I wasn't my mom. So I wanted to avoid rogues if at all possible.

As I moved away from the pack house, and Evan, my mind was divided. I pulled to a halt as I got close to the border of the territory. Beyond this was unclaimed. It was dangerous, full of rogues. 

My wolf was begging me to turn back, run to Evan and get him to take us back. I felt so bad for her. She just wanted her mate. Maybe if I had been different, more girly, more normal, this would have been different. He would have accepted us and we would be happy.

But no. That could never have worked. This was who I was. And if he couldn't love us like this, then we didn't need him. 

So despite my wolf's pain, despite the danger, despite how this would hurt my family, I kept going. 

The second I crossed the border, I felt the strangest rush of wind. My mind was suddenly free and I realised what had happened.

I laughed a little, enjoying this new feeling of freedom. Now that I had left the pack and territory, my mind link with everyone was gone. I was on my own.

Darting to the right, I ran through the forest, zigzagging through the trees. 

I knew how vulnerable this would make me. It was rare, but sometimes wolves left their pack, or were kicked out. But they didn't become rogues. They became lone wolves. They travelled by themselves, passing through but never staying. They weren't as vicious as rogues, didn't want to take over packs. They just  wanted to be alone.

Which was what I was now.

Realising this, I paused for a moment and striped off my clothes. I threw them in my bag and loosened my backpack as much as possible. Then I shifted into my wolf.

Despite my dark hair, my wolf was pure white. From head to toe, I was covered in snow white fur. The contrast made my blue eyes stand out. I was an average sized wolf, being lean and long. This meant I was better at running than fighting. I was known for my speed.

I loved being in my wolf form. It made me feel amazing.

I took off running again, making my way through the forest. It was late, so the only sounds were a few animals that were running about the forest. This time of night was the most calming. Everything else seemed to disappear, fade into the darkness.

I ran all night, making my way through the forest. Every so often I would stop and rest, but there was still the lingering scent of rogue around, so I decided I would find a proper place to sleep.

It was morning by the time I found a town. The unclaimed territory was bigger than I thought. Or I had just missed them all. The town was average enough. There wasn't anything particularly remarkable about it.

As I stood at the edge of the trees, I sniffed, making sure there were no other wolfs around. I didn't want to get into a fight.

Nodding, I stepped out from behind a tree and quickly blended in with the groups of people walking down the street. Nobody paid any attention to me, which I didn't mind. I was used to flying under the radar. 

I moved with the people until I saw a hotel. I smiled and headed towards it. I decided I would get a room for the night and then continue tomorrow. I was too exhausted.

The person behind the desk looked at me skeptically. "Hello there. What can I do for you?"

The hotel was simple, clean and tidy. It was nice enough, nothing special. But this guy was acting like it was the Hilton or something. 

I smiled at him politely. "Hi. I'd like a room for the night please."

He pursed his lips and sighed. Turning to the computer monitor, he typed away. "A single or double bed?"

"A single."

"And just for the one night?"

"Yes."

He nodded. "Alright. Will you be paying with cash or credit?"

"Cash." I reached into my back, pulling out my wallet and handing him the money. He looked at it, as if he expected it to be fake. But he just slid the key across the desk and didn't speak.

I thanked him and headed upstairs. When I got to my room, I saw it wasn't bad. There was a single bed, a TV, minifridge and a good sized bathroom. I nodded in approval.

That's when my stomach started rumbling.

I dumped my bag on the bed, put my wallet in my pocket along with my room key, and walked back out of my room. As I stepped out of the hotel and back into the street, everything seemed brighter and I felt happy.

I was ignoring the pain in my chest, as my wolf still had the connection with Evan's. I didn't want to think about him anymore than absolutely necessary.

I had barely been walking for five minutes when I sensed someone was following me. I didn't dare stop, incase it was a murderer. Or worse, someone from my pack.

I picked up my pace and continued down the street. I was trying to act as natural as possible, but I had to admit, I was freaking out a little.

I thought if I went into a shop, I could lose them. So I quickly ducked into a cafe. It was small and cosy, the smell of coffee filled the arm. There were sets of armchairs everywhere.

I decided I would actually stay for a while in here. I ordered a hot chocolate, and sat in an armchair by the window. As I was sipping my frothy drink, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I sighed, scanning the room until I found the person watching me.

The guy stared back, neither of us breaking contact. Slowly, he made his way across the room. His eyes were narrowed as he scrutinised me. I kept my face blank, not giving away anything. He finally sat down in the armchair opposite me.

We both stayed silent.

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