Runt's Revenge

Tracking

Zayden and his team shifted back into human form once they found a strong scent trail leading out of the river and toward the human settlement. Zayden grabbed a pair of jeans and a black collared shirt from his pack, taking a quick break to have a drink and eat an energy bar.

“What town is this?” Zayden asked Dave as they readjusted themselves.

“Pine City,” Dave replied quickly, “Population 15,500. Known mostly for their local small tech university.”

Zayden updated Nathan via link as they jogged down the trail to the town in a diamond formation, conserving energy for any unexpected engagements. The trail was easy to follow and led them straight to a cheap motel.

“Fan out, ask questions, report back,” Zayden barked out via link.

Zayden, himself, along with Dave, went to the front desk of the motel. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Kelly scouted the perimeter of the hotel, then dashed over to the nearby gas station. She sent Kyle beyond that, into the main part of downtown, as she went inside, presumably to question the employees there. He turned his attention to the young man at the front desk.

“Hello… young man, what is your name,” Zayden asked politely?

“Hi, I’m Kevin. How can I help you sir?” Kevin seemed unconsciously affected by Zayden’s Alpha aura.

“Hi Kevin, I am hoping you can help us. We are looking for two young ladies. The older one is short with long red hair and the younger one is six years old and a blond. Have you seen them?”

“Oh, the sisters? Yeah, they checked in early this morning.”

“Are they still here?”

“Yes, sir. They planned to stay for a few days,” Kevin told him.

“Would you happen to have a spare key to their room?” Zayden asked.

Kevin was starting to look uncomfortable. “Ummm… I wouldn’t be allowed to give that to you, sir, not even the room number… but I could call them in their room and tell them that you are here. Your name?” he asked as he picked up phone.

“Oh,” said Zayden casually, “Don’t trouble yourself. I will just text them to let them know I have arrived.”

The two men left the lobby quickly, easily following the scent trail that led directly to the correct room. Kelly had obviously stopped here a few minutes ago before continuing on. Zayden could sense that no one was currently inside the room. As discretely as possible, he broke the door handle to let themselves in. The room was very basic. They could see that both beds had been used and that, apparently, both of the girls had showered just a few hours ago as the both had left behind towels with their scents. There was no sign of blood or any kind of struggle, so the runt was somehow getting Cassie to go along with her willingly at this point.

Zayden picked up the towel that had been used by Nea, breathing in her scent deeply.

“Mate,” Derrek insisted.

The word echoed through Zayden’s mind. “No!” He said out loud.

“Alpha, there is a fresh trail to the gas station, Alpha,” reported Kelly. “It continues on from there… but then it… changes, it’s different now.”

“Different in what way?”

“The runt seems to be traveling in her wolf form at this point. And Cassie is definitely walking, leaving clear markers.”

Zayden wrinkled his forehead as he tried to imagine what was going on with his daughter and his mate… NO, not mate, he shook his head, correcting himself again to think, runt! “Kyle, what have you got?”

“I’m at the bus station and Kelly just joined me, Alpha. The trail goes cold here.”

“We’ll all be there in a moment.” Damn, they are in a vehicle now. Did they skip town or are they planning to double back again and return to their motel room? There was a lot to consider.

“And we have another problem,” Said Kelly. “We’re being followed. Looks like Alpha Damien has men observing from a distance. When the wind shifted, I caught their scent. I smell at least two wolves. I do not have a visual.”

“Nathan,” linked Zayden, “I need a vehicle in Pine City, ASAP. Wasn’t Lydia supposed to be here ahead of us?”

“Yes, Alpha. She stopped in Edgerton first. She should be in Pine City within the hour.”

“Good, call and tell her to put the pedal to the metal. And have her link me when she arrives. I also need a complete list of any buses that left Pine City this morning with all possible destinations, arrival times, and possible stops along the way.”

“Yes sir.”

“And, Beta, we have company. Damien has us being tailed… probably because they hit a dead end on the Southern route. There are clear scent signs of Cassie and the runt here, so they will be picking up on the trail themselves again. I don’t trust them, Nathan. We need to find Cassie first,” he said. He paced in the bus station while Kyle questioned the ticket booth employees. Why was Lydia taking so long?

 Nea had Cassie exit the bus at a few of the regular stops along the route. The girl would plead with the driver for a quick minute to let her “puppy go potty,” yes… more humiliation, pile it on. But at least this way they were able to lay false leads along as many stops as possible.

Once they reached Cider Grove, Nea decided it would be best to be in her human form again. Hopefully, Damien wouldn’t be looking for her here. Still, before leaving the bus station, she took the dirty motel pillow cases and a little duct tape and wrapped her and Cassie’s shoes to mute their scents and mix in new ones.

“Are you ready to run Fun-Size?”

“How far, Mibayda? I’m pretty tired.”

Nea could see that the girl was exhausted. “Maybe we can find a place to rest for a little bit. We are pretty close to your territory, just a few hours run!

Cassie looked up at her with big tired eyes, and Nea’s heart melted a little for the girl. Yes, they would find a place to rest. But first things first.

“I can carry you for a little bit, okay?”

The girl gave a small smile and climbed up onto Nea’s back once again. Nea ran out the back of the bus station into the nearby woods. She didn’t know these trails, so she tried to keep the sounds of the town continuously on her left so that she didn’t wind up going in circles. Eventually, she let Cassie down and they walked, quickly, for a while hand-in-hand. They took a hard left, walking out into a neighborhood. It was a quiet street with a few neat homes and mowed lawns. Nea could smell that it was inhabited by humans… no wolves here. That gave her some comfort.

“Come on, Fun-Size, that little house over there has a sign that says bed and breakfast! Let’s see if they have a room available.”

Athena knocked on the door, which was answered by an older woman, a little plump with short curling gray hair. She looked at the girls on her porch.

“Can I help you ladies?”

“Yes,” Nea replied, “we’re hoping that you have a room to rent.”

“Oh yes,” said the older woman, “please, come in! My name is Gwen. It is so nice to meet you!”

After checking in, Cassie and Athena were shown to a darling little room with two twin beds. Nea tucked Cassie right in and the girl was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

“We need rest too,” Angel reminded her.

“I know. I just wish we had Cassie in a safe place already, Angel. I’m so worried about her.” Nea looked over at the little girl lovingly, “she’s so sweet.”

“Yes,” agreed Angel. “We love her.”

“Yes, we do,” agreed Nea. She found a little clock radio in the room and set the alarm, again, for just two hours. With any luck, she could have Cassie home by dinnertime.

The old woman peeked through the door about 15 minutes later to see the two girls sleeping in their room. She listened to make sure their breathing was even, closed the door with a small click, and took her cell phone to the front porch to quickly dial the number that she had been sent.