Bronze

Chapter 21 pt.2

Leah

Turning around, I saw the fountain of the driveway before me and a bright stream of light behind it.

.

.

. 

I left when the sun was just below the horizon. That way, no one would see me in the woods connecting the pack house to the south-eastern border. 

When I saw the blinding light of car headlights, I panicked and dashed to the nearest bush. There I hid, waiting for the car and its passengers to leave. 

The car stopped outside the front doors, near me, and four men in different colored suits stepped out. One, I recognized, was Ekon. He stepped into the shining moonlight from the backseat and readjusted his suit. The other's could have been guards or other high ranking members. 

They all walked with their back straight and chins raised. The one at the front rushed to get ahead and then held the door open for everyone else. The door was left to slowly close on its own.

I sprung from the bush, racing to get into the woods as quickly as I could without being seen. 

Once in the woods, I pulled the hood over my head, concealing my eyes, and ran towards the south. The plan was to head south as far as I could go and then make a sharp right east until I came upon the boundary. 

I would meet up with Markus at a diner not far from there. 

My stomach growled with hunger about five minutes into my run. I gripped it harshly, leaning against a tree to support my wobbly legs. 

What was I doing?

Keep going, a strange voice in my head called. It wasn't my wolf, nor was it anyone I remembered. Move!

I did just in time to catch a glint of an arrow. It whirled past my head and struck the tree, sending tiny splinters in every direction. If I hadn't moved, it would have hit my head instead. Bullseye, I thought sardonically. 

Two men stepped from behind a rock to see if they struck their target. They were average looking, not overly muscular but not as thin as Trever Scrogger either. 

The one with glasses groaned. "She got away," he hissed to the other one. That one had a zipped-up grey jacket and a Dodger's baseball cap covering his eyes. 

"She couldn't have gone far," grey jacket said in a hushed tone. Mr. Glasses peered around, squinting his eyes. 

Soon they split up, one going towards me and the other going the way I came. I was lucky the one who I assumed didn't make the shot, Mr. Glasses, was the closest one. He seemed more incompetent than his partner. 

Hunters. They're hunters. 

Creeping behind the tree I was just leaning against, I watched the man carefully. He rubbed his nose with his knuckles, sniffling away a sneeze. Then he stared up at the sky dreamily, his hands going in the pockets of his jeans. He pulled out a keychain, looked at it, then placed it back. 

From this, I could tell he wasn't a lycan. It was easy to spot a human when they lacked the heightened senses that my species had. 

Grey jacket called out to him, startling the tense man. He turned just in time to see a shadow move in the background. It was merely a doe grazing during the night, but with his poor eyesight, it could have been a bear or a giant wolf. To him, it was just a shadow. 

Mr. Glasses swiveled with fear. The doe moved again, and he jumped back, hitting his calves on a fallen log. He tumbled over, landing face-first in the mud. 

When he raised his eyes, I had hoped my hiding place would be enough to elude him, but he stared directly at me, mouth gaping open. 

"Jessie!" He called out to the other man, pointing an oddly manicured finger at my chest. I stumbled back on my hands, fear gripping my legs and forcing them to tense up. 

Jessie found his partner and watched me as I scampered off on all fours. From a distance, I could hear his slight chuckle. It frightened me, even more, to hear the calm in his voice. 

"Let her go, Boon," he said sinisterly. "She's headed for Markus's territory now."

That was the last I heard of the hunters. After that, I made sure to stay hidden at all times, not stopping until I made it to the border. 

Once there, I allowed myself to rest for an hour under an oak tree. Nonstop running for hours made my legs numb and my lungs burn overwhelmingly to the point where I couldn't think of much past it. 

I laid there, utterly still, motionless, through the first hour after midnight. The phone Wendy gave me rested deep in my pocket, and I was tempted to call Wendy to see if anyone had noticed yet. 

Gosh, it had only been a few hours and I was already missing her. 

 And what was I going to do about this ache in my chest? Would that ever go away? 

Resting my head against the rough bark, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I would need it if I planned on meeting up with Markus tomorrow. 

But I couldn't fall asleep. I couldn't stop dreaming of him. Of my memories living in that pack. The beatings, the scars, the abuse, the pain. Everything came back to me all in what felt like a rush of wind from a tornado. 

I cried against that tree. I cried because my heart hurt. My sister was there, my mother was there, my friends from school and my teachers, and I left them all to fend for themselves because I was too scared to face an alpha. 

I was a coward, but now I was going back to make things right. To save them and the others I have grown to love. 

"Is she there, Jessie?" I heard Boon say from behind me. I jolted awake, ready to make a dash if I needed to. 

Jessie shushed him forcefully. Then there was a clicking sound, one of a gun or crossbow being loaded. 

I stilled, afraid, and dangerously close to shifting on the spot. I refrained from shifted at first to conceal myself better in the forest, but now my only concern was getting away from these hunters. 

I knew that they spotted me, but was too scared to jump up in case the noise I had heard was really a gun or crossbow. I'd be dead if my assumption were correct. 

Two seconds went by and I heard nothing. Another minute and I was shaking with the need to run. 

Keep calm, the strange voice told me. Wait here. 

I did so obediently, crouching low to hide. 

The two men stood from their place behind the trees, in their hands were large crossbows, loaded to fire. I held in a gasp at the sight and pressed myself further against the tree. 

No, no, no, no!

They took one step in my direction, looked around boldly in search of me, then backed off. Boon stared off in distance for a second longer, hand holding the locket through his jeans. 

I let out a shaky breath, relaxing my shoulders. 

Thank you, I said with a smile to the mysterious voice. 

For what? My wolf asked, confused. 

Didn't you hear the voice? 

She shook her head, eyes furrowed. 

It must have been my imagination. I could have sworn that I heard it, that it helped me, but if she didn't hear it then there was no point in dwelling on it anymore. After the hunters, I forgot that I was supposed to meet up with the witch. Even if I had remembered under that tree, I don't think I couldn've gone through with it.

Besides, I had a bigger problem to face; one that might've ultimately ended with my death.