Permission to escape - The Rogue Pack

Chapter 9 - Patrol

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Sam's wolf barrelled through the open front door, charging through the humid air of the forest, desperately trying to put as much distance between her and her emotions as she possibly could. After about an hour of running, she realised that she was in the middle of nowhere, and shifted back to her human form. The cold air on her bare skin made her feel alive, and she felt safe knowing that few wolves ever ran this far from the packhouse and that the mountains around were uninhabited. She wandered through the forest, lost deep in her thoughts. She couldn't help but wonder whether Aiden was right about the mate thing

What if my mate does choose to accept me for who I am, and doesn't judge my past? What if one of the twins is my mate? Surely I could trust them to accept me? I mean, with all they know about me, a couple of extra details wouldn't make much difference. And if I can trust them, shouldn't that mean that I can trust the person who is made for me, who is fated to be mine.

But still, Sam couldn't shake that feeling that a male mate would make her feel controlled, and undermined. She had never been good at feeling inferior. Not that she'd searched for the spotlight but she just believed in putting her best into everything she did, which meant that no matter how well she did, she felt proud of herself. It probably helped that she often came out on top, probably due to her Alpha genes.

God, I wish they would understand me. Don't they know me enough to understand that I could never just be the good little housewife? I need a purpose, a responsibility in life or I feel worthless, and I promised myself that I would never let myself feel worthless again. So screw them, it's my decision and I'll stick by it.

Sam wandered deeper into the forest. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the fence appearing through the leaves or the noise of the busy courtyard beyond. Luckily, she snapped out of her reverie just as she came in view of the source of the noise, quickly dropping down behind the shrubbery. She must have walked outside of the pack's territory. Not that it was an official territory with them beings rogues, but they did have a group of wolves that patrolled the area, and none of them had ever reported the compound below her. She peered through the leaves.

Three buildings were placed in a triangle, a small courtyard in the centre. The buildings were small and squat, nestled on the edge of a cliff just below the tree line. Perfectly concealed from the world. A fence surrounded the entire area. It was topped with barbed wire, which on closer inspection appeared to be made of silver and Sam could hear the light hum of electricity emanating from it. Two watchtowers rose from either side of a large gate, the only obvious entrance to the compound. Guards milled around the area, all equipped with automatic rifles, and she spotted cameras dotted around. The compound was obviously well guarded.

Sam shifted slightly from her position in the bracken, trying to spot a company logo or some sort of identifier. There was none, which was abnormal. The compound could be military, which would explain the lack of logo and the obvious desire to remain undiscovered, but why would there by an army base in the middle of the mountains. It was too small to be a training facility, and there was an army lab in the valley, so why would they need another here? It was too isolated to be a military headquarters.

Puzzled, Sam decided that she wanted a better look. The obvious entrance was going to be difficult to get through, but if she could balance herself on the cliff ledge, she might be able to get a glimpse through one of the windows. But first, she needed some clothes.

Feeling the familiar stretching sensation that accompanied the shift, Sam sped off in the direction of the treehouse. The twins would still be in the meeting so it should be deserted, and it was the closest spot where she would find clothes. She hesitated as to whether she should fetch the twins, or any backup, but decided against it. They didn't need to be involved until she had more information, and anyway, she was still furious with them. They bloody knew that it was a touchy topic and they didn't need to bring it up in the middle of the meeting.

Calm down! She reminded herself, forcing herself to take measured breaths and clear her head. Her dark side silently hoped that the compound was bad news, it would give her a chance to unleash some of her anger.

By the time she was on her way back towards the compound, clothes clutched between her teeth, she had calmed down to an extent. But I guess a twenty-odd kilometre run will do that to you.

Back in her previous hiding place, she quickly changed, pulling on the black leggings and camo t-shirt. She laughed at herself for her clothing choice, as soon as she got onto that cliff ledge, her dark attire would do very little to help her stay invisible. Doing her best to stay out of the line of sight of the cameras, she edged towards the cliff face. 

Reaching it, she realised that the fence jutted out slightly, meaning she would have to swing over the daunting crevasse of nothingness below to get across to the other side. She'd face far more dangerous things in her past, but nonetheless her heartbeat rose and adrenaline shot through her veins as she slowly swung her right leg around the to the other side. 

Making sure it was safely planted in the ground, she gently shifted her body weight, until she was hanging from the fence, fingers entwined into the metal and feet firmly anchored either side. If someone saw her now she would never be able to run. The metal cut into her fingers. It felt like knives in her palms, but she kept her grip solid. 

Shifting her weight further, she slowly removed her left foot from its positioning. Just at this instant, the stones below her right foot shifted and she dangled, holding on to the fence for dear life. 

Refusing to panic, she swung both feet back and forth, ignoring the wrenching pain her hands, creating momentum. Just as they reached the upper part of the pendulum, she released her hands and flew forward, landing solidly on the firm ground at the back of the building. 

Trembling she opened her hands, looking at the deep gashes embedded there, the oozing blood dripping on to her bare feet. Her teeth clenched as the pain of her werewolf healing kicked in and the gashes slowly started closing, her skin repairing itself almost instantly. Another great advantage she had gained from her past life.

Ignoring the pain, she tiptoed towards the first window. It was set at eye level and rose steadily upward from there, reaching the roof of the single-storied building. Below it, bars were set into the wall. Sam peered into the window. The room beyond was dark, but she thought she could make out tables and chairs. It seemed almost classroom like. The room beyond the bars was equally indistinguishable.

She moved on to the next window, acutely aware of her precarious position mere centimetres from the drop as she walked on. The next window was lit and she caught a glimpse of people milling about inside. She could hardly make out what they were saying, only catching snatches of the conversation.

"... the shipment arrives tomorrow ..."

"... but human mates ..."

"... slow torture ..."

Mate, they were definitely talking about the supernatural. Both werewolves and witches had mates, heck even humans could be mated with the supernatural. Sam shifted slightly, trying to get a better look into the room. There was a large table in the centre, covered in papers and plans. Men surrounded it, obviously engaged in a heated debate. Even with her werewolf sight, she couldn't see what the papers said. The man with his back to her moved slightly, leaning over the table. She froze. The symbol on the paper. She'd seen it before. But it couldn't be. It wasn't possible. She felt terror grip her heart.