The Lupine Necklace

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

          Sneaking out of Derek's compound was easier than we expected.  The wolves were overconfident in their abilities or fighting with a wolf from another pack.  Both were common and made sneaking around them in the woods easy, even with my injuries. 

          There was once close call.  We were almost to the edge of the property, so close to success when  a voice rang out behind us.

          "Whoa!  Who's there?" he asked.  I turned to see a young boy, around mine and Xena's age.  His eyes widened as he took in my appearance.  My shirt was long gone from the whipping, my sports bra barely holding together, and blood covering me. 

          "Who are you?" he asked as Xena took a protective stance in front of me.

          Xena snarled.  "Derek's prisoners.  We've escaped and if you make one wrong move, you'll wish you'd never been born."

          The boy looked confused.  "Prisoners?" he asked.  "My alpha didn't say anything about prisoners.  Just that the packs were coming together to find a valuable object."  He looked disgusted by our ragged state. 

          I snorted.  "That sounds like Derek."

          He smiled at me.  "I've met him.  Creepy dude."

          I laughed and then gasped in pain.  Xena spun around to make sure I was okay, placing a hand in mine.  I squeezed it. 

          The guy looked angry.  "No one should harm innocent girls," he growled.  "Let's get out of here."

          Xena and I stared at him in shock.  "Um, what?" Xena asked him.

          "You heard me," he said, walking towards us.  "I'm going to help you.  This is sick and wrong.  I'm Lewis by the way."

          He was muscular and tan.  He was taller than Xena and I and had shaggy brown hair and green eyes.  He seemed sincere enough and we really could use the help.  My mom's house was still a good twenty minute walk away and I wasn't sure I was going to make it.

          "Layla," I told him.  "And this is Xena."

          He nodded.  "Nice to meet you." He stopped in front of me, Xena having moved aside when I made introductions.  "There's no easy way to do this," he told me, looking regretful.  "I'm going to carry you over my shoulder.  Wrap your arms around my waist to help keep yourself from moving a lot as I walk.

          I nodded nervously, knowing this was going to hurt.  He crouched down and wrapped his arms around my legs and I clenched my eyes and jaw shut, determined not to make a sound as he stood.  I let out a low moan, but stopped as soon as I realized it, and wrapped my arms around his waist.

          "Find the road and then follow it until I tell you where to turn," I told Xena.  She smiled softly at me and nodded. 

          Lewis pointed, "The road is that way."

          "Thank you," Xena said, smiling at him, before heading in that direction.

          I knew that it was dangerous to blindly trust him, but I got the feeling that he was trustworthy and the wolf pack alphas had raised me to trust my gut instinct.  Alice and Jason didn't believe in it, but it had never led me wrong before.

          While we were walking down the road, Ian forcefully opened the bond again, breaking through my block.

          Don't block me out, Layla, he told me.  Do you have any idea how much I worry about you?