Bronze

Chapter 21 pt.3

Leah

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. 

.

.

.

I wandered through the forest for another three hours, completely lost on my route. The hunters had pushed me farther west than I had wanted. Now, I had no idea where I would end up if I kept going south.

Finally, I found the diner. It took me longer than I had expected, so when I entered it was already almost sunset. Should I wait until tomorrow?

The thought did occur to me to get a motel and sleep for the night, but I'd only be giving Kane and his men more time to catch up. If they hadn't figured it out by now, they would definitely figure it out by tomorrow. 

So my decision was already made. 

I walked into the diner and sat down at the farthest booth from the entrance. There were six booths in total that lined the walls, two large roundtables on the floor, and a stretched out counter that held twelve stools. Each booth and table had a small red hanging lamp above it that illuminated the surface for customers. 

I picked up the menu and browsed for an enjoyable last meal. 

In the end, I ordered two servings of french fries, a cheeseburger, and a chocolate milkshake. I handed my menu to the waitress with a sweet smile and pulled out my phone.

This was it, Leah. There is no going back after this. 

I dialed the phone number I was forced to memorize and waited anxiously. I kept twirling a strand of my hair around my finger, seeing if it would curl if I did it long enough. 

"Hello?" A gruff voice asked from the other end. I couldn't recognize it, but I assumed it was his new secretary. 

"May I speak with Mark- Alpha Markus please?" I asked as politely as possible. 

"Who's asking?" 

I groaned inwardly. Why was this guy being so difficult? 

"Tell him," I said coldly. "A little rogue would like to speak with him."

The man stuttered but quickly passed the phone over. Elevator music played in the background, then it would stop, a robotic woman's voice would tell me to wait and the alpha will appear shortly, and the music would continue. This repeated for about five minutes. 

As I anticipated Markus, the waitress brought my food over. I thanked her with a nod and a smile while listening to the awful music. 

The phone went silent.

"Leah?" Markus's voice asked quietly. 

A violent shiver ran down my spine, but I coughed it away and stared straight at a man eating his burger. He eyed me from the side, but I was too engrossed in the sound of Markus's breathing to care whether or not the man thought I was creepy. 

"Hello, Markus," I deadpanned. "I have a proposal for you."

"Oh?" His voice peaked. I could hear the raise of his eyebrows and the faint smirk of amusement on his face. "And what would that be?"

"In return for the safety of my family and the end of this war, I will surrender to you. I won't fight against you, and I won't try to escape."

He hummed in approval. "What if I don't want you now?" He asked.

I scoffed loud enough to draw eyes towards me. "If you didn't want me, you wouldn't have your hunters out in Kane's forests looking for me." 

"I see," he drew out. "You may be right, but how can I trust you. After all, you have an alpha on your side. For all I know, this could be a trap to get me to surrender."

The smell of the fries drifted up to my nostrils. I couldn't wait to dig in and devour them. 

Closing my watering mouth, I sighed. "Would the risk be worth the reward? If I promised you that there would be no one but me, would you come?"

He licked his lips audibly. I could imagine the pinkish-blue lips smirking as he thought of ways to torture me. 

"You make a very good argument, my dear. Where will I meet you, then?" 

I closed my eyes and willed the shivers to stop. When they did, I inhaled as much of the gut-wrenching, stomach knotting, mouthwatering air as I could. 

"A small diner off of interstate-70 somewhere in Missouri. You should be able to find me with that," I told him, letting the fear close my throat afterward. 

"You have an hour to say your last goodbyes, my precious Leah. I'll have a man escort you back to my home."

"I want my family out of your pack!" I yelled before he could hang up. More eyes stared at me in bewilderment. I chewed on my nail nervously as I looked out the window. 

"Yes, they'll be gone before you arrive," he said, now sounding annoyed. 

"You have to promise me, Markus, or the deal is off," I sneered. 

He snickered at me. "Aren't you demanding," he tsked. "Has Alpha Kane spoiled you already? Maybe we should start correcting that when you arrive. Put you in the basement, perhaps? Or put you to work in the kitchen where women like you belong. Hmm? What are your thoughts on this?"

My blood boiled. How dare he! Maybe it was the alpha blood in my veins that made me so angry, or maybe the feminist in me, but I growled out and gnashed my teeth into the phone. 

"Don't be upset, I was only stating the facts." He licked his lips again. "As for your attitude, Leah, I think Axel would have a kick out of correcting it." 

Axel? Oh, Axel!

I gulped remembering the tall, muscular man named Axel. He was terrifying, and when I knocked him to the ground I was sure I'd never see him again. But now I was, and he was going to deliver the punishments?

"Leah? Are you there?" Markus asked curiously. 

"I'm here," I said through clenched teeth. 

"Good, you have an hour. See you soon." The line ended with a beep. Black dots surrounded my vision as I felt the start of a panic attack. 

Oh, Alla! Oh, God! What did I get myself into? 

Seeing the food beneath my lowered head, and hearing the growling erupt from my stomach, I picked up a french fry, plopped it in my mouth, and chewed slowly. Soon, I regained my appetite and dug into my meal, savoring every bite I could without getting sick. 

Should I call Wendy? Ask if everything's okay?

My wolf sneered, shaking her head viciously. Dumb! Idiot! Don't call her when you're waiting for Markus. He could track her number. You could get everyone killed!

You're right, I said, sighing. 

I picked up the burger, now dripping with the juices of the patty, and bit into it. It would have been better if it wasn't cold, but I endured. At least I was eating.  

After I finished my milkshake, I waited, silently staring out the window at the highway for any suspicious-looking men. 

In my head, a cruel thought came to mind that made me laugh hysterically: I was now waiting for the grim reaper, and he was going to take me back to hell to see Satan himself.