Stranger Yet

Chapter 6: No Way Out

Chapter 6

Ayra figured that there could be many reasons a pack might keep a spare house. A decoy could be one of the reasons, or perhaps to store extra food, or maybe even for guests. She considered that it was likely to keep her unaware of where their actual house was. Another reason that seemed practical was that it was a place to keep prisoners away from their actual home, and their families while still being able to have a place to rest in between torturing. She decided she definitely did not want to find out.

She knew her mother was most likely already home, if not almost home. Mother would be furious.

As they walked, she realized how much harder it was to maneuver as a human. She longed for her wolf. The group continued for what felt like ages. She was exhausted, and the adrenaline she had felt before was long gone. She was tired of this game. She just wanted to go home and look through the journal she had acquired from her- no, Emmaleine's- childhood home. The sun had set long before, and she wondered what her punishment would be, when she did get home- if she ever made it home.

.

She knew she should stay focused on the current predicament and getting out of it, but the fear of her mother's response was much worse than her drive to figure out more about Tiernan and his "Spare house". She understood that her predicament was serious, but while escape didn't seem immediately possible, she figured she was better off worrying about something else until an opportunity presented itself. "Focus on the issue at hand," she mumbled to herself.

She also wasn't entirely sure why, but she was in no way frightened of Tiernan, no matter how serious he was. She dismissed the thought of him being handsome -or adorable- when pissed off. She dismissed the fluttering she felt in her stomach when his frustrated and questioning eyes landed on her; hormones were ridiculous. she had accidentally chuckled at this thought, and his angry eyes had yet again found hers.

"What's so funny, trespasser Ayra. I think we all could use a joke." Tiernan had certainly meant to intimidate her into silence but instead, his statement just made her laugh more, partly because it caused more fluttering in her gut. He didn't seem to appreciate it, and finally told her directly, "For the love of all things holy, Shut. The. Fuck. Up. One more noise from you and I'll give you something to laugh about." He looked as if he meant it, but she still struggled to hold in another chirp of laughter... It took every ounce of restraint to swallow the bubbles of laughter back down.

First with Ashley and now she was attracted to her capture as well? Absolutely not. What the hell was going on with her?

He had suggested that she was playing games with him, and now she wondered if she had been, subconsciously. Her wolf yapped in her mind, as if to confirm. It almost spurred another round of delirious and giddy laughter but Ayra controlled herself. She tried to turn her focus back onto escape, so that her little game didn't become more dire than she intended.

She looked around for a weakness, for a direct route out. Everyone seemed sturdy and well trained.

This made it difficult to plan. She had to rely on instinct and opportunity. That opportunity did not arise until they had reached the house, and the sun was rising.

As they neared the well-hidden, green, two-story house, her heart started to pound erratically. She noticed a window near the ground and figured there was probably some sort of basement. She knew that that was probably where she would be kept, and she knew it would be much harder to escape if she let them get her down there. She acknowledged that the game she had unintentionally been participating in was over and she finally felt the fear she should have felt long before. With the tight ring of bodyguards around her, she didn't see a way out.