To Be Claimed

✙ Chapter 27 ✙

Bursting outside, I pushed myself closer to Ryker, frantically searching around for the others. Tyler was leading us, sprinting through the dirt circling in the air. A loud siren, similar to the one of a tornado warning, was blaring - it seemed to bother werewolves because of their heightened hearing. Ryker kept wincing, along with Ethen and Tyler. My feet slapped against the ground frantically as I forced myself to keep running, struggling to keep up with them. Despite Noah being human, he was a fast runner, probably from all the training he endured as a hunter. Tyler slowed down when he approached the fence that surrounded the building, one twice as tall as me. Easily, he climbed up the fence and leaped off the top, landing on the other side. I gulped loudly and watched as Ethen basically ran up the fence and flipped over the top, carefully landing on his feet next to Tyler. Unbelievable, I thought, looking towards a sophisticated Ryker. I can do this.

Noah started climbing up the fence, using his muscular arms and long legs to his advantage. His fingers curled through the chain-link fence, almost in desperation to reach the top. Tyler watched with a glare while Ethen kept his eyes focused on our surroundings, searching for guards. At the top, Noah's pants got caught and he jerked himself to side, resulting in him falling tremendously to the ground by Ethen's feet. He landed on his side with a yelp, crushing his arm beneath him. Tyler chuckled and muttered something under his breath; I was relieved when Ethen tried helping him to his feet, though Noah shrugged his hands away.

"You're next," Ryker said, gesturing with his head.

I nodded and grabbed onto the fence, yanking myself up from the ground. I started climbing, rushing a little bit, though taking my time to be careful. Tyler was staring with a smirk and Noah was crawling to his feet, groaning. Keep going, I thought, motivating myself. You can do this. Eventually, situated at the top, a harsh wind rammed into me, almost knocking me off. I heard Ryker curse under his breath, moving closer to the fence, just in case. I tightened my grip on the fence and swung my other leg to the other side, slowly making my way down.

"Just jump, Emma," Ethen shouted, holding out his arms. "I'll catch you."

I glanced down at him and hesitantly, released the fence. I found myself falling for a few seconds, before Ethen's hands swooped underneath my arms and caught me. My feet lingered above the ground and shakily, I shook myself out of his hands, thanking him. Like his brother, Ryker easily hurried over the fence, though since he was weaker, his movements were almost fearful. With all of us on the other side, Tyler clapped his hands together, rolling his eyes. "That took a little too long - come on, lets keep moving."

Without a second thought, we disappeared into the trees. I grabbed Ryker's hand again and kept close to his side, stumbling around trees, leaping over fallen trees, and ducking underneath low branches. For some reason, his heavy breathing calmed me, maybe because it reminded me he was still partially human. Every once in a while, Ethen used his abilities to shift fallen trees out of our way - I believed it was to help his brother out. He was aware of his brother's weak state; he didn't want Ryker using too much energy. Though, he made sure his intentions weren't obvious - Ryker would've hated being pitied.

"Your brother escaped," Tyler shouted over his shoulder, startling me. At first, I thought he was talking about Caine, but then, his eyes met mine. "I still sense his presence, which is close, meaning he isn't dead."

"Is he with Drew and the others?"

"Not when I bumped into them," he responded, scurrying around a tree. "He was with his pack - didn't you know he took over as Alpha when Daniel died?" I pinched my lips together; the thought had occurred to me before. Since Daniel and his Beta, John, had both died, then the third-in-command was forced to take over - my brother. It was strange knowing my brother was an Alpha now; he held the power with the pack that tormented me for months. "And, if I was you, I would ask him why he was doing witchcraft in the woods - I would love to know."