Rouge's Trail

XII

Ravens sat lazily on the rocks nearby, relaxing in the late afternoon sun. All the other birds had already gone south for winter and they were the only ones in the area, leaving plenty of quiet space for them to lay about.

Thomas stood next to the ship we were going to board as soon as I finished paying off the sailor to answer my fucking question.

"There, 70 American dollars. Now can you tell me if you've seen her?"

He glanced again at the picture I stole from the clubs security cameras. November looked drop dead gorgeous in it, sitting alone at the table with her legs crossed and her head resting on her fist. Her hair fell off to one side and she looked around with mild interest at the dancing people as if it was both the most outrageous and most spectacular thing in the world.

But he only looked at it for a second before counting the 3 twenties and a 10 again.

"Yeah, she got on a ship about an hour ago. Was with 3 other people. Got on the ol' Sabrina."

My partner's eyebrows furrowed together as he looked between me and the sailor.

"Ol' Sabrina?"

November's POV

I never much cared for traveling by sea and Sabrina wasn't helping.

Upon going to the harbor to find a ship to travel on, we found out that the Senorita Sabrina was sailing in less than an hour. She was a cruise ship that probably set sail for the first time in 1973. There wasn't a wave you couldn't feel and everyone made a point of introducing themselves and telling you their life story.

I can't tell you how many Jim and Amy's I dodged that were on their first vacation without the kids in years on my way to hide out in our room.

Or, to be more specific, the bathroom.

There may be a reason wolves are land animals.

I tried to distract myself by imagining what haven would be like but my mind kept wandering back to that blond wolf. Why did he follow me all the way to the Canadian border? What made him so driven to find me?

"You shouldn't run away from me, November."

A shiver rolled down my spine when his voice wormed through my mind. It was like ice water dripping down my back, -34 degrees and tickling my heart with it's bitter feel. Just shy of inviting.

None of it made sense to me. A wolf- let alone a Beta- isn't allowed to mate with a rouge. People fear the prophecy more than they respect the mating laws.

"It's not like I chose who my mate would be."

My stomach churned from the rocking boat, swaying me back and forth slowly. I hugged myself tighter and a new thought occurred to me;

Does Alpha Michael Stone of the Jade Forest pack know his Beta and most trusted wolf and warrior followed a rouge?

I almost did throw up when I thought about the punishment Michael Stone would deliver to me is he found out about this. He held a reputation. He was infamous.

The ruthless Alpha who stopped at nothing to protect his pack and all those who came near it. Who mated with a human that only bears females. Who took the Alpha position before his father was in the ground. Who destroyed the vampires before he would consider joining them.

I can remember all those stories Alexia told me. They were stories of a great Alpha who accepted all and judged with a fair hand. Alpha Jack. He was kind and intelligent. His sons were handsome and strong. He was proud and wonderful. 

She told me if she ever made it out of Ivalo she would go to Alaska and beg for asylum there. She thought that she would be welcomed into the pack orphanage with all the other parentless children. That she would get to know the Luna Catherine, known for her good will and kind soul. If anyone deserved to know Catherine it was Alexia.

Sometimes I think of her, most days I try to forget.

My eyes started to get all watery and the wide toilet bowl in front of me blurred at the edges. If I let those tears fall right now, tiny little drops would hit the flat surface and make little circles that would make bigger ones. Like the rain hitting the puddles.

My mom told me not to play with rain, or else you're inviting a storm to come along.

And killing your best friend is one hurricane people should try to keep at bay.