What's Beyond the Trees?

Chapter 18 Shift.. Yeah Shift

Coleman's POV

I'm in so much pain but I know deep in my heart that my external wounds have nothing compared to her internal ones.. The heartbreak of losing what she had left behind is probably unbearable in this moment.. I just wish I could take this pain away for her, but I know I can't. So I just have to listen to the sounds of her sniffling and tears as she clings onto me.. Whether she wanted to be with me or not, she is now stuck with me.. I'm not saying she had to be with me and only me.. I'm just saying I'm a person of my word, so that means that I'm going to protect her now that she has no one.. and hopefully in this time spent together she accepts me.. But if not, then that's OK too, because I won't force anyone to be with me romantically.

I groan and pull us up with all the strength I have inside of my weak feeling body, the only thing keeping me going is the adrenaline running through my veins and my determination to help her. I could easily drop her and walk away from this, but no way in hell I'm doing that.. So I just continue getting us further away from the chaos, so far that we can't hear the fighting anymore luckily.

That was making the situation even more tormenting just because we don't know what's going on, let alone wanting to hear her friend dying because he took this bullet for us.. But it was hard to not hear it when these are the only sounds in the night at the moment with the rain ending, so it carries so easily through the whole forest it seems.

I pull us up, onto the cliff side and there are still lots of trees around covering everything, but the one thing that is noticed is the hole that was cut into then fencing. I stop and reach back, pulling her around my back, with her tight hold making it easy to pull her across my torso and into my arms. She looks so heartbroken that it just clenches my heart knowing there is nothing I can do to help her in this time of despair.. except getting her away from this place.

But there is nothing I could possibly say to make her feel better, because none of my words will bring her best friend back. I hold her tightly in my protective embrace, pressing her into my chest as I softly say to her. "Raine we need to sneak through that hole in the fencing.. ok?"

She nods but doesn't respond outloud. I set her to her feet as I observe her getting down on her knees to crawl through the hole. I do the same following right behind her, just squeezing between the metal prongs that are pressing against my skin, scratching it slightly by how big I am compared to everyone else that went through there apparently.

I squeeze all the way through before standing up, grabbing hold of Raine's hand as I look all around cautiously. I keep leading her out of the forestry still looking around at all angles. From the excess stressing, climbing and exuding of all my strength my wounds are bleeding through the wrapping, letting me know I'm not healing as fast as I would like.. But it's not like I can stop either way. So I stumble only slightly, but keep a tight hold around her hand and she let's me with no fight whatsoever.

We get to the turn off point where the meet-up happened earlier today. I look all around as I slowly escort us out of the trees to the open area. I can't see much at all with it being pitch dark out here.. but luckily with my advanced night vision I can still see. The dark night sky plus the clouds covering the stars and moon, makes it look darker and gloomier out here, causing this situation to be more ominous than ever anticipated.

The car that the enemy drove here to meet us, is not here, but the car we drove here is. I run to the vehicle but the windows are broken into and looks like everything was gone through. I groan out looking for anything that could help.. but I don't know how to hotwire a car and the keys aren't here.. Easton was the one who had the keys since he was driving.

I turn to Raine taking her by the shoulders and pushing her against the vehicle. "Stay right here please and don't move a muscle.. my brother was thrown right over there so I'm going to take a look to see if he is still there or if there are any clues." I inform her, she just stares at me not answering me at all, but I back away as I turn around and head over to the area I saw him fly into.

There are scuffs in the dirt along with the bushes and trees destroyed under his weight apparently. I notice a small blood puddle that dried of course with it being hours ago. I huff out, squatting down and touching the dried blood. "Dammit East." I say under my breath.

"He should be fine.. that's not enough blood for him to die from just a small wound.. keep your head up." Raine says from right besides me as I whip my head around to look at her. "I thought I told you to stay over there." I say to her as she scoffs at my comment. "I don't listen very well, I'm a princess and I do what I want." She says playfully, making me smirk over at her.

She squats down next to me and I can't help but just stare down at her mesmerizing beauty, even in the darkness it still illuminates, being her own type of star. I can smell her sweet scent filling my nostrils as she points out and states. "Look at the scuffing over here.. It looks like foot prints and by where it's placed I would say that it's your brother's footsteps.. I think he is ok.. but where is he.. who knows, but at least ok." She says sweetly to me as her gaze meets up with mine. I swallow the lump in my throat before clearing it. "I hope you're right.. but I don't know what to do now." I say almost sounding just as hopeless as I feel about all of this.

Her hand lightly touches over my back, caressing it as she let's out a deep breath.. "I think all we can do at the moment is gather what we know and have... and try to come up with a plan.. let's go back to your vehicle and see if there is anything that could help us in there.. maybe we can start it.. and town is just that way." She says pointing down the road. I nod at her plan because I can't argue I don't have any other ideas at the moment so it's the best we got.

"My brother Easton had the keys because he was driving.. We didn't bring much with us since we were just doing this meet up then back to the pack property." I explain to her as we both stand before walking over to the vehicle. I reach inside the hole of the vandalized window and open the door, trying to not cut myself on all the broken glass from when they broke in before. I look around the front seat and nothing, no phone, wallet, keys.. nothing. I sit in the front driver's seat feeling defeated just worried to death about my brother.

I groan out as I run my hand through my hair, leaning back against the seat, when I feel Raine's hand gently touch, then drift down, starting from my left knee. I get nervous just feeling her so comfortably close. She looks over at me biting her botton lip before I hear a popping from the hood. She pulls her hand out from releasing the lever before she turns away from me and walking to the front. I let out a deep breath as I shake my head and the nerves with it.. I'm thinking too much into this and there are more important things to worry about at the moment.. So I should stop thinking about her, but that's easier said than done.

I get out and walk to the front looking at her stretched into the vehicle looking for something. "Even if I wanted to start this baby up.. I wouldn't be able to because they took the starter and those are real cheap to get... but we wouldn't be able to get into a*****e until morning, then I can install it.. and we will be out of here in no time. But until then I can't do anything.. We have to break into a place to get what we need or wait." She says knowingly to me with her hands now on her hips. She takes one hand wiping her cheek, before looking back at me.

Who would have thought she would know her way around cars? And with the black streak of grease on her cheek she looks like a mechanic. I reach over instictively, cupping her cheek before wiping away the black streak with my thumb. I can see her eyes close as I feel her leaning into my touch making me want to do it longer. That is until her beautiful eyes flutter open and awaiting a response as I clear my throat before stating. "If we could find a hotel I bet we could sneak in.. get cleaned up and figure out where to go from there." I pull my hand away but it's harder than you think since I feel so magnetized to her. "Ok sounds like a plan." She says sweetly to me as we lock into that hypnotizing gaze we seem to share everytime we are near.

She smirks up at me as we share a comfortable silent moment.. Until I grab the hem of my shirt and pulling it off of my upper body before tossing it over to her. Her eyes are wide as she takes in the details of my upper body, when she sees that I'm noticing her staring she looks away before stuttering out. "What.. What are you doing?"

"Well.. You're going to have to ride me." I say before my eyes go wide on realization of how that sounded. "Um.. I meant.. like on my back.. in bear form.. So we can make good time getting to town.. I'm very fast.. even when hurt." I say in a nervous tone as she giggles then smirks up at me. "I bet you are.. Ok I'm game, Never rode a bear before.. sounds fun." She says to me as a cheeky smirk appears on my face while I rub the back of my neck nervously.

This means I have to actually do this in front of her, I don't mind really, I just don't want to freak her out more than she already has been today, since there has been so much overwhelming sh*t going on today. So here goes nothing I guess.. I slowly reach down, noticing that her gaze is following my hands, before hooking my thumbs onto the waistband, gripping it tightly in my nervous hold.. Just to slip the sweatpants and boxer briefs down to my ankles, before stepping out of them. I hand them over to Raine, who's mouth is wide open causing my smirk to get bigger.

"I had to take off my clothes or they will tear when I shift." I explain as she nods but not taking her eyes from my body. "Shifting.. tearing clothes.. yeah.. ok." The smile that emerges from that smirk is something I haven't had happen at all today. "Ok when I shift you can jump on my back but just hold onto whatever you can to hold on tight.. I'm very fast in this form." I warn once again as she smirks bigger. "Ok teddybear let's see what you've got." She states playfully as I shake my head staring over at her for a short moment, until I shift and stand in front of her waiting for her to climb on.

I hear her jumping up with no luck in getting on my back.. I hear her try another time with no success. So I decide to lay down on the ground for her, she is small and I should expect that she might have a hard time getting on me. This time I feel the weight of her small body on my back, wiggling on top of me, adjusting before grabbing hold of some of my hair. "Let's get going handsome.. I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She purrs into my ear. I let out a deep breath feeling a little less nervous than before since she had a great reaction to shifting in front of her.. So let's get this run underway and hopefully I won't scare the hell out of her in the process.