Rouge's Trail

L

Lucas came up to his room to see me later that night but I wasn't there. I watched from outside the house as the light went on. His shadow moved around in his room but he couldn't find me on the ground standing a few feet away from the trees of the Jade Forest with one of his bags over my shoulder.

It's sloppy of me to take his things with me when I run but I'm not running from anything anymore.

I'm running to something.

Pulling the bag closer to my shoulder, I turned and started into the forest. His smell was overwhelming and my senses were all messed up as a result. I knew that there would be many wolves in the woods tonight because of the high warning they were all on following the Alpha's announcement of Valentin's presence earlier. 

I don't know what Valentin was expecting, but I am so sure it's not for me to walk up to him and present myself as tribute for Cyrus. It's not what I was expecting, either, but there's something in me that's screaming for me to just do it and to keep Lucas far away from that monster.

The Goddess is our guide tonight, I thought to myself, hoping for maybe the last time ever that my wolf could hear me. 

The deeper into the forestry I got the more I realized that the bag was helping. The other wolves smelled the Beta of their pack and avoided him, not wanting to question the actions of the Alpha's right hand. My fingers gently touched the dagger still attached to my leg as a cautious reminder that some of them may be brave enough. 

The first time I touched that knife I had wanted to avenge my mother's death. I wanted to avenge Alexia's death. I was going to make everything alright in the universe for them but that was only a half a second years ago. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was avenging Alexia's death. 

By giving myself away to the man she was willing to die instead of face, I was going to do it. I was killing her murderer.

Me.

Suddenly I heard a rustle from behind me. My fingers tightened around the handle of the knife and I held my breath in my throat. The rustle was gone and my breathing started again, making me walk faster but not run.

That would make too much noise in these woods, I learned that the first time I was here.

I carefully picked my way through the forest as quickly as I could. The closer I got to him the more I remembered the way his dark eyes stared into mine as he whispered in my ear one night.

"I want to try something different tonight."

He smiled as I writhed beneath his touch while his serrated knife cut through my skin, leaving that scar I showed to Thomas. The one that started at my ribs and curled its way down to my panties. I wasn't allowed to make noise when I was with Cyrus. I had to hold still while he licked the blood off of me and wait until I was alone with Alexia to finally start to cry. 

"Big girls don't cry."

The memory threatened to wash over me but I was too close to making everything right. I can go to Cyrus and he will take me back. I was always his favorite.

But I heard another rustle behind me and I turned around to see Lucas standing there looking scared out of his mind. He came over to me and wrapped me in his arms and whispered something stupid into my hair but I pushed him off. He took a step forward.

"Why did you leave? You told me you understood. You said this was the best way and that we would kill Valentin and then-"

"I never said anything about then, Lucas," I cut him off, doing my best to glare at him but realizing soon that I can't," I have a new plan of my own that I need to be getting to."

"Then I'm coming with."

I melted a little at the desperation in his voice. My voice dropped a little when I whispered what I had been really wanting to say.

"If you follow me you will only find yourself pain."

"If that's what it takes then I'll suffer," he took another step to me, his hands finding my shoulders," I need you, November. I love you."

I wish I was surprised when he said the words. I wish I could have grabbed him and kissed him and we could have gone back to the pack house and been in love and mark each other but there wasn't a world in sight where that scenario played out.

"You know I don't love you, though."

"And I'm about to change that," he said before pulling my face to his and planting a kiss on my lips. Smooth, gentle. Just like him. I can't let myself break that. I can't ruin him.

I reached up a hand to rest on his shoulder, allowing myself to enjoy this last moment with my mate. My hand settled gently on the side of his neck, holding it gently with pressure adding when I deepened the kiss. Luke took a sharp intake of breath and help me tighter, pressing out bodies together but soon he dropped to his knees and I carefully lowered him to the ground. Only when I was sure he was okay did I remove my hand from the pressure point on his Vagus nerve.

He was safe on the floor here. Soon enough his Alpha would send people out to find him and they would take him back to his pack house under the assumption that he passed out after a long turn. Questions about why he was fully clothed would come later.

By the time he awakes I will be in the arms of the worst man to ever walk the earth.