Wild and Free

Chapter 22: Bump in the Road

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS CHAPTER IS SET AFTER THE PREVIOUS ONE AND THE NEXT ONE

CHAPTER 22 (this one) IS SET AFTER CHAPTER 21 AND 23 (I'm sorry it's confusing)

(Auden's POV set after Chptr 21 and Chptr 23)

Love is a cruel thing.

This was the thought that came to mind as I sat on my bed and watched those cheesy human romance movies on the tiny tv in my room on a Saturday night.

Almost every movie was the same. The lovers meet under weird circumstances, hate each other, meet again, are forced to spend time together, grow close, share a kiss, blah blah blah. All ending with them coming together and making up after some kind of catastrophe.

It gloried love in that way that was like a formula, giving people false expectations about what it should be. Part of me hated it, but when I thought about it, werewolves falling in love was just about the same. We had a formula too.

You meet your mate, fall in love, get to know them, mark each other, age, maybe have pups, and the grow old together. For most it was a happy life. For others there were bumps in the road. Either way, unless for some tragic reason, all couples ended the same.

That was unless you were me.

All the talk about packs and mates recently made Celeste uneasy. She was normally quite inactive, as I could not shift as much as I wish I could. However I couldn't take her restlessness, I had to let her free, for a few minutes at the very least.

Before I went outside, I unclipped my necklace. The rush of power fell over my body like a blanket. I hadn't realized how much pain my body had been in until my natural ability was able to take it away. My limbs felt as if a hundred pounds had been lifted off them. The aching that flowed all over was met with a cool, relaxing sensation making me want to curl into a ball and stay like that for hours. But I knew I had to move quickly.

Taking a moment to sniff the air when I got to the woods, I made sure that Mason, Mackenzie, and any of their other pack members no where near so that they wouldn't catch my scent. I couldn't risk them even knowing I was there, especially after the conversation we'd just had. Once I was sure the coast was clear, I bolted into the forest.

I shifted as quickly as I could, letting Celeste stretch her legs and, when we got there, take a dip in the pond back by the waterfall.

Though I had no idea where the Royal Pack's grounds were, I couldn't help but wonder what they were like. I supposed the trip from there to school was probably a hike as well. It had to be pretty far away for me not to have know they were here all that time.

Something in my mind still couldn't seem to grasp the concept that I hadn't been aware. In my old pack, I had been not only one of the best fighters, but also the best trackers. It didn't make sense for me not to have picked up something.But then again, maybe they had a way to cloak their scent like me.

Sometimes I thought about what might happen if my necklace stopped working. In the case that the enchantment, whatever it might have been, were to wear off. God even if I happened to run into another Mason, who didn't listen to me when I told them they would break it. What would it mean? The scenarios ran through my head over and over.

My scent would eventually come back permanently, meaning that Kenzie, Greyson, Riley, or Mason would catch it. My secret would be out. They'd probably try to drag me back to their Alpha to see who the hell I was and, judging by what they told me about his ability, they'd find out. Not only would my identity be exposed to the entire werewolf world, but I would have to look at the faces of my new friends, with them knowing that I lied to them.