Secrets of the Willow

Chapter 39 - The plan.

“What do we do now?” I asked Conall in a soft whisper as my head rested on his chest and his arms were tenderly wrapped around me.

When I had finally finished crying, I told him I didn’t want to chance us going back outside again in the dark, so instead we got comfy on my bed and decided to stay here until the sun came up.

My fingernails gently traced his arm as I soaked in the warmth of his body against mine that I had snuggled into and his arms that made me feel safe.

“Well, actually I’ve been thinking and the only thing I can decide on is for you to come with me”.

“Come with you where?”

“I think it’s time you came to my pack”.

“Your pack?” I asked as I lifted my head to look at him. “You mean the other wolves?”

“Yes, don’t worry you know they won’t hurt you, but it’s the only way you can be safe, and we can figure out what to do. We can’t rely on anyone here to believe us, whereas my pack will. Not only that, but without the Sheriff and his team on board and without their guns, we need to be strong enough to kill this thing. My pack has what it takes, we just need to get close enough as a unit”.

“But I thought you said that the other wolves prefer to keep themselves away from humans. What if they don’t want me there?”

“Eva, we have to at least try. Even if they refuse your presence there, they won’t hurt you and I’ll bring you back myself, but we need their protection. He almost killed your friends and has tried to turn you against me. He’s getting desperate now, and Kate’s right, he’s getting more impatient too.

“I know”. I sighed in agreement “He’s just going to get more vicious with his attacks now, but what if I go with you, and he targets my friends even more?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have members of my pack watch over them. We just need you to disappear, if he can’t find you, the more he’ll get desperate and start to slip up”.

“Ok”. I replied, hoping his plan wouldn’t mean my friends would end up being the ones to suffer.

“I know you don’t want to leave them, but I don’t know what else we can do”.

“No, you’re right. I do need to leave town, then hopefully we can figure out a way to trap him and expose him for what he is”. I said as became deep in thought. “The last time I spoke to Sheriff Burke, he came to my house and told me he had the blood tested from the night I hit the creature with the axe. He already knows something isn’t right, that all these attacks aren’t just down to some wild animal. I want to speak to him again before we go, I need to know that he’s not being completely fooled, even if he doesn’t fully believe what I say, or what Kate told him, as long as he’s at least open to the possibility, then I know he’ll start looking at people differently”.

“Ok, you see him before we leave, but we can’t take too long. I need to get you to my pack before nightfall. It’s quite a far way to travel so we need to leave the moment you’re done talking to him”.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hang around any longer than I need to. I want all of this s**t to end!” I said as I felt my eyes begin to water again. “I have to make sure that the Sheriff will at least keep a closer eye on our friends. We’re leaving them behind Conall, and we’ll be too far away to make sure nothing happens to them”.

“Evs, I promise, I’ll make sure they’re being protected, and if you feel like Burke can be trusted when you see him tomorrow, then show him everything else Kate had, including her journal. Maybe once he’s seen it all, and you’ve spoken to him, he won’t trust Malcom as much”.

“I really don’t know if anyone in the Sheriff’s department can be trusted, but I suppose, if I give him Kate’s things, and he still chooses to side with the mayor and believe him, then we know he’s against us, not with us”.

“Ok, just be careful when you’re in there, and maybe it’s best to let your parents know you’re going somewhere. We don’t want them thinking you’re missing and creating a big deal about it, alerting Malcom. The longer they are quiet about you being gone, the better it is for us”. He suggested, and I thoughtfully agreed.

“Ok, I’ll go to his office, leave a note at home, then we get out of this town”. I responded as I closed my eyes and hoped that while I was gone my friends wouldn’t be reckless and try to come looking for me.