Chapter 14 - Savior

4042 Words
......... Zane ......... “No,” I whisper, still unable to comprehend what my father just said to me. “Harlow?” “Yes, son. After Arlo discovered they were mates, he told her he was a werewolf, and she turned on him,” he starts telling me the story while I’m still looking at him shocked. “Oh, no,” I whisper, getting to my feet when he’s done and my father gets up and walks up to me. “He didn’t stand a chance,” I mutter, my heart shattered for Arlo. I can’t even imagine what he went through. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now. It would shake me to my core if Laura was a huntress, but it would kill me if she killed my whole family. The Gods are cruel. Why would they do that? Why would they pair him up with a huntress, knowing she was never going to choose him? They can see everything. They know our futures before we are even born. Why would they do that to him? I feel tears prickling my eyes and I look at my dad’s to find them mirroring mine. “What are you going to do?” I ask, stepping up to him. “I-I don’t-” he stutters, obviously still in shock, and I place my hands on his shoulders, causing him to look me in the eye. “We have to do something. You are our leader now. We can’t let them get away with what they did. We can’t just allow hunters to roam free among us! And that weird b***h, who turned on her own mate! She needs to pay!” “I know, I know, son. I know. I will get the pack together. We will discuss a way forward-” “-They need to die! We have to attack before they hurt another family. Who knows if they don’t know we are wolves already and just biding their time-” “-I know Zane, and we will deal with them. But we need to discuss it first. We need to establish how we are going to go about it. In the meantime, we need to be careful. Your mate, Laura. You need to tread carefully with her. You need to ensure she’s not a huntress.” “Laura’s not a huntress, dad.” “You don’t know that. Just as Arlo didn’t know his mate was. I mean, she gave you a nasty beating today. Which means she knows how to fight.” “That doesn’t make her a huntress. Look… you don’t know her like I do, alright? Otherwise, you’d know she wasn’t one. Plus, a lot of women can fight. They take self-defense classes all the time. Especially victims of bullying like her. Laura’s not a huntress-” “-Fine, she’s not a huntress. But still, just be careful, that’s all I’m asking,” he says, and I tell him I will, also telling him he needs to hold the pack meeting fast and we need to deal with the Winters. He says he will do it tonight. . . . ............. Harlow ............. I open my eyes, realizing I had fallen asleep listening to the headphones. I turn to my side and face the wall, not taking them off. I fell asleep listening to glitter, Arlo, and I's song on repeat, but I’m tired of crying so I forward to the next song. I don't know why I did that to myself. Why I kept on playing the song, reminding myself of the day I betrayed him. The day I stripped him of everything he loved. Just as another song comes on, I hear something and I turn my head to find Dr. Brooks coming inside the room. He speaks, causing me to take off the headphones. . . It’s been five days since I’ve been kept in this room, and I’ve spent the first three crying, begging him to help me get rid of this pregnancy or kill me. But it soon became clear that he wasn’t going to do either. And I had exhausted myself, so I stopped. I’m no longer strapped to the bed, so I sit up. “I brought you something,” he says, opening his backpack and taking out a paper bag. “I hope you like it,” he adds, giving me the paper bag and I take it. “I didn't know what you liked, so I got you the same I was having,” he continues as I open the bag to find a burger, chips, and a soda, and I immediately take out the burger and take a big bite. I haven’t had anything other than grits in forever. Even though I haven’t eaten off the floor since I got here, it’s still been grits. “Thank you,” I mutter with a mouthful after my fourth bite and he nods with a soft smile, telling me I’m welcome before taking a seat next to my feet on the bed. “I’m sorry,” I hear him say after a moment, causing me to look up at him. “I’m sorry for what happened to you. I’m sorry, you’re here, like this,” he adds. “I know you don’t want this baby and I would have helped you terminate it if it were up to me but it's not. And this could be a good thing for you, Harlow. From what I’ve gathered, he wants this baby and that could make things a little easier for you in here. I know it doesn’t mean much considering you shouldn’t even be here in the first place, but you are here now and it would be best for you to make use of what you’ve got. I know it sounds wrong but think about it,” he continues, while I stare at him, feeling tears pooling in my eyes. When I first got here, I was disgusted by Rey. I hated him as I do all the others. I thought he was one of them, but watching him interact with the guards, I soon realized things weren’t as they seemed. And the more time I spent here, the clearer it became that he didn’t want to be here just as much as I didn’t. I confronted him about it and he didn’t want to tell me his story, but from the little he said and the look in his eyes. I knew I was right. He didn’t want to be here. And so, the way I feel about him has changed. Yesterday evening when he was leaving, he lent me his iPod and told me I could call him Rey. . . His phone rings and he gets up to take it. He answers and I continue eating, but I stop the moment I find him looking at me with a look I can’t decipher. “Are you sure? I mean, it won’t be good-okay. I understand,” he says before ending the call with a somber look on his face. “I’m sorry, Harlow. I wish there was more I could do for you,” he says and pauses, taking my hand before he continues. “I've been instructed to release you back to the cells,” he adds, sitting down next to me again, and I feel something stir in the bottom of my stomach as the little hope I had after what he said shatters. Of course, he would want me to go back to the cells. Why was I even expecting a monster that forced himself on me in the first place to care that I was pregnant? I don’t know his name and I haven’t seen his face since I got here. But I know Rey was talking to him. “I’m sorry,” he softly says, and places his hand on my shoulder and I wipe the stray tear that ran down my cheek. “Thank you. It was nice to be treated with kindness,” I tell him and he nods before telling me to finish up my food cause the guards are on their way. But I can’t even stomach anything anymore. I’ve finished the burger already, so I hand him the leftover chips and soda, telling him I’m full. He asks me if I’m sure and I nod and he takes it to the back. Just as he comes back from the back, the guards walk in and they order me up. I get up, more tears escaping my eyes as I do. “And what the f**k is this?” The one guard asks, pointing at the warm socks that Rey got me that I’m currently wearing, before telling me to take them off. Rey opens his mouth to speak but the guard cuts him off, getting in his face before telling him to know his place and he closes his mouth again. “I don’t have all day!” he yells, now looking back at me as I place the socks on the bed before looking at Rey and whispering a thank you before the guard shoves me forward, ordering me to move. More tears escape as it starts becoming dark after we enter the tunnel, leaving all the bright lights behind, and I find my hand going to my stomach again. We arrive at my cell and the guard opens the gate before pushing me inside, causing me to almost fall on my face. I head straight to my spot without even looking at anyone’s face; feeling like I will break if I do. I sit down and pull my knees to my chest before burying my head against them, muffling my sobs. I wish Grace was here. Thinking of her makes me sob louder but just then, I feel something being placed on my back before feeling someone draping their arm around my shoulder and leaning our heads together. “It’s going to be okay,” she says, causing me to look up at her and I don’t believe my eyes. It’s the girl. The girl that helped me get up when I fell after getting down from the truck. The one I've been looking out for every day when we are out there working. “You are here,” I whisper, with a breaking voice as we engulf each other in a hug. . . . .......... Zane .......... “s**t!” I cuss, getting some bird s**t that I didn’t see on the side of my head as I put my shirt on. I’m currently in the woods, just south of the Winters place. My father met with the pack this afternoon and we are hitting them tonight. We are avenging our Alpha. We first had to guarantee that they’d be together, so one of us had to come here, and let out a howl that will alert them that there are wolves in the vicinity. They will surely gather to hunt tonight, and we will know exactly where they'll be. We have someone already standing watch near their place, watching their movements. Tonight, they are the prey. I didn’t have to shift to howl, but it was going to take me longer to get to the spot I wanted to get to in my human form, so I shifted the moment I was deep in the woods. When I’m done getting dressed, I head to my car, making sure no one sees me emerge from the forest. Coming out of the forest wouldn’t necessarily arouse suspicion in a normal human, but a hunter is a different story and I don’t know who the rest of these hunters are. I get to my car, get in and head home. I get to my turn-off but decide to drive straight and head to Laura’s house. She lives on the other side of town, so it’s a bit of a drive to her place. I step on the gas since it’s almost dinner time. On any other evening, I wouldn’t care about missing dinner, but not tonight anything can happen when we go out there and I don’t want to have any more regrets than I already have. If I didn’t do what I did. I’d be with her right now. I wouldn’t be standing in the shadows and watching her through a glass window like some creep. I get to her street but drive past to the next street. Her room has a sliding door facing the opposite street and that’s where I sit and watch her as she lies on her stomach on the bed, going through her books. She always keeps the blinds open until 7:pm, which means I only have fifteen minutes before heading home cause we eat dinner at 7:15. I set my alarm for fifteen minutes. I have to, otherwise, I’d stay here all night. I adjust my seat and watch her as she pages through her book, occasionally keeping her pen between her teeth. “No matter what happens tonight, I have to make it back to you,” I whisper, as she suddenly sits up before looking in my direction as if she can sense me. . . After what feels like a very short moment, my phone goes off and it’s time for me to head home. I look at her one more time before turning on the engine and heading home. . . . . “Are you okay?” my dad asks, and I tell him I am, and he asks me if I’m ready. “I’m ready, Dad,” I reply, placing down the glass of juice I had in my hand before asking if I may be excused. “Do you have somewhere you still need to be?” my father asks, turning to look at me with a concerned frown on his face and I tell him I do, getting up from my chair. “I have to see someone,” I add, putting the chair back in its place. “Okay, just remember we are leaving in an hour,” he says, and I tell him, okay, before running to the living area and grabbing my car keys on top of the coffee table. I have to speak to her. She has to know how much I regret what I did. . . . ......... Elora ........ “The food was great mama, thank you,” I tell my mother before asking if I may be excused and she says, yes. I get up, Hudson and Varn, giving me a knowing look. Hudson is not the only one who likes Varn. My mother and aunt like him too and they invited him over for dinner tonight. All three of us are going to head to the base together. I leave them at the table and head upstairs to take a shower and get ready. The Shadow organized a last-minute hunt after hearing a wolf howling just south of his compound. He called Hudson and when he told me my stomach churned for the first time. We’ve had breaks in hunting before, some even longer than the one we just had, and I’ve always been ready when called back, but tonight I’m not. I have this bad feeling that I can't shake and if I listen closely…. I’m scared. I have never been scared, not even when I was starting out. I don’t know if not wanting to hunt anymore is starting to affect me; to make me paranoid. And the worst part is I have no one to talk to about it. I quickly take off my clothes and head inside the shower. I make the shower quick and head out when I’m done. We are going to have a meeting first before we head out, so we have to be there a little earlier. After wrapping myself with the towel, I step out of the bathroom but I scream as I’m suddenly pinned against the wall. “What-” I try to say but he clamps a hand over my mouth while keeping both my arms pressed against my chest. My heartbeat accelerates and I move to knee him in the crotch but he blocks me with his leg. “Please, calm down. I’m not going to hurt you,” he says, but I don’t believe him. I struggle harder against him, trying to get free but he holds me in place with minimal effort. How the hell is he this strong? Tears start coming out of my eyes as I realize I can’t move. “Please don’t cry. I’m not going to hurt you, Laura. I promise,” he says, while my body trembles under his hold as I start hyperventilating, realizing no matter how strong I am. It's still not enough. He could still hurt me. Why is this happening to me? Why is he doing this to me? “I’m not going to hurt you. I swear. I will never hurt or let anyone hurt you ever again. I only want to apologize to you. I’m sorry for what I did to you, Laura. I’m sorry, I hurt you,” he says, tears gleaming in his eyes, and I stop struggling, exhausted and confused. So he broke into my place to apologize? “I’m so sorry,” he repeats, loosening his grip but not letting me go. “What I did to you was wrong, and I should have come to apologize to you a long time ago. I have no excuse. I was a jerk and a coward and I deserve for you to hate me. But Laura, I want you to know that-I-I,” he stutters, his eyes filling with an emotion I can't decipher; the tears he's holding back looking like they could fall any minute, making me more confused. “I want you to know that I'm sorry,” he says before slowly removing his hand from my mouth and letting go of my hands, and I get a feeling that's not all he wanted to say. He steps back from me and there's silence for a moment as I try to find my voice. “Get out of my house,” I whisper, with a tremulous voice, and he tells me he’s sorry again before turning around and walking out of my bedroom. I slide down the wall the moment he closes the door; not able to comprehend what just happened. And I'm still sitting there when Hudson and Varn bust inside my room, looking like they've just seen a ghost before my mother and aunt enter, trailing behind them, their eyes wide. My mom and aunt don't know about the bullying incidents, only Hudson knows. They are just shocked to see a guy they've never seen before in our house, exiting my bedroom. They ask me if I’m okay, Hudson, asking me what he was doing here and how he got inside, and I tell them I think he came through the sliding door. Hudson is pissed and wants to go after him but I stop them, telling them he didn’t hurt me. He’s still pissed that he broke into my room but my mother and aunt calm him down, saying they will speak to his parents. My aunt helps me up and they leave my room so I can get dressed. The whole time, whilst getting dressed, I’m thinking about what just happened; the look in his eyes, haunting me. What is wrong with him? Why is he so obsessed with apologizing to me suddenly after all this time? Why is he back in my life? And why did the look in his eyes look so... sincere? When I’m done getting dressed, I head downstairs and we head to the car. Varn recently moved to a rental apartment three houses down the street, so he's riding with us. I get in the back passenger seat, so he can get in the front with Hudson. He does and Hudson starts the drive. They are still discussing what happened with Zane and Hudson is still pissed but they don’t say anything to me. . . After what feels like forever, we arrive at the compound and the shadow opens the gate for us. We get inside to find everyone already waiting for us. The shadow tells us where he heard the wolf and we start with our meeting. When we are done, we strategize. We don’t know if we are going after a single werewolf or if there's going to be more. We don't even know if it’s a werewolf and not just a normal wolf. Normal wolves exist too, but it’s easier to recognize them, cause they are a normal size, unlike werewolves, who are freakishly large. But sadly, sometimes we realize it’s a normal wolf after we’ve already killed it. We gear up after we are done and head out to the cars. There’s no moonlight tonight, so the shadow tells us to be extra vigilant. We get inside the cars and I'm riding with Varn, Hudson, Riley, and Daryll. Hudson is driving. We are going to leave the cars at the edge of the forest and continue on foot. Hudson turns on the engine since our car’s in front, but I gasp when the headlights shine on a huge gray wolf standing in front of the car. We all freeze looking at it and just then, others come snarling out of the shadows. A howl cuts through the night sky, causing me to snap my head to the right and my eyes widen seeing more, pouring over the walls. We reach for our weapons, and they jump onto the car, attacking us. The windscreen shatters on impact and my door opens, causing me to fall out, calling out for Hudson as he gets ripped through the window. I get up and pick up my crossbow but it slips out of my hand and drops to the ground as the headless body of one of our men falls to the ground in front of me. I drop to my knees paralyzed by fear before gathering myself and crawling underneath the car, my heart drumming against my ears. I have never seen these many beasts in my life. There are screams, gunshots, and growls everywhere and I tremble with tears streaming down my cheeks as I watch people I love drop dead around me. Blood and gore are everywhere as they get mauled by the beasts. I don't know how we ever thought we stood a chance. We are no match for these things. My mother’s face flashes in front of my eyes and I cover my ears, not able to listen to the screams and growls anymore. The car I’m under shakes as though going to crush me as someone climbs inside, and I start audibly crying, recognizing Ace’s voice. “No, no! Please!" He screams as he gets torn apart, and I pee myself, my hands not blocking out the horrifying sounds, no matter how hard I press them against my ears. “God, please help us!” Just then, I’m ripped out from underneath the car. I scream, taking out my knife and stabbing the beast in the head, causing it to let go. But another one bites me on the shoulder and throws me across the field where I land miserably on my side. I groan, dizzy, and the growls faint as I try to regain my senses. But I let out a scream as one severs my leg while one charges at my face as if they want to rip me in two. My arms fly to my face and my life flashes in front of my eyes, knowing this is it. But another one comes out of nowhere and knocks it off just as it's about to land on me, and it lets out a whimper as it crashes to the ground. My savior lets out a ferocious growl, protectively standing over me, and its glowing eyes as it looks back at me are the last thing I see before darkness takes over.
Free reading for new users
Scan code to download app
Facebookexpand_more
  • author-avatar
    Writer
  • chap_listContents
  • likeADD