Shadow Wolves

Eighteen

At some point Chloe had fallen asleep, however the depths of slumber were far from peaceful or energising. The moment her eyes shut Chloe found herself surrounded by watery images of the snowy forest. Blood stained the pure white blanket while the shadows of everything stretched out from the base of trees or bushes, crawling towards her like worshippers. Despite not having a thread of clothing to protect her, Chloe didn't feel the cold. She felt calm and safe.

Even at the sight of blood and ice, Chloe didn't feel afraid, not even when the shadows finally reached her and curled upwards to brush against her hand like the welcoming nuzzle from a dog. The feeling of thick fur brushed momentarily against Chloe's fingertips before she felt like she was being shepherded forward, further into the winter wasteland. It felt like she had been alone forever. Well, not alone because the shadows kept her company as they followed her, dancing around her bare feet as she walked through the snow. Chloe didn't know where she was going exactly but she felt like she was going in the right direction. Something was urging her to keep moving as if there was something important, she needed to see.

Movement between the trees caught Chloe's attention but instead of feeling fear or the urge to run, her blue eyes found what, or rather who was moving through the forest. It almost felt like she developed tunnel vision with the figure being the only thing Chloe could see clearly. It took only a few moments for the person's face to come into view and Chloe's eyes widened in surprise when she realised it was Omar. He was wearing the same clothing he had been wearing when he left the cabin a few minutes before. His features were set in grim lines, but his seafoam green eyes never focused on Chloe as he walked past her towards the bloody mess she had just left.

The sounds of life suddenly echoed through the forest causing Chloe to whip around, observant eyes landing on the scene now playing out just feet away. The rifle she had dropped and forgotten about, now lay at her feet and droplets of blood glistened in the wintery sunlight.

Her blood.

Chloe could make out the old cabin she had escaped from when looking for Emily. She didn't need to get any closer to know what grisly scene awaited her. Besides, she got the impression she wasn't there to relive the memory. She was here for another reason, but it wasn't clear yet what that reason was.

What did surprise Chloe was the sight of someone she never expected to see again. Lucas Wolfe looked every bit as handsome and deadly as when they first met. His hazel eyes were sharp and observant, and flecks of jet black hair poked out from under the wooden hat he had on to help protect him against the cold. Despite the thick layers of clothing, he moved with all the grace of a true predator. It was enough to make the blonde's heart skip a beat and she watched, dumbstruck, as Lucas surveyed the area, taking in the rifle and the blood. His eyes flashed amber for a moment when something caught his attention and Chloe couldn't help but wonder what it was or why he was even here, so close to where Omar was.

Omar!

It felt like realisation hit her like a derailed freight train. Omar was walking straight towards Lucas. Lucas was close by, and it was him and his companions that had been hunting them down. But why? Was he working with Alpha Nathaniel to help capture them?

That didn't matter right now. Not when Lucas's eyes suddenly focused on Omar and the realisation that he had been caught struck Omar. Chloe practically felt Omar's heart sink into his stomach as his blood ran cold. It felt like time had been frozen while the two males stared at each other. It was too late. There was no escape, but Chloe desperately clung to the hope Omar could make it out of this.

"Omar, run!" The words came as a desperate cry but fell on deaf ears.

It was as if she was stuck behind a giant pane of soundproof glass, watching as the scene unfolded. Everything seemed to slow down. A bird flying overhead became frozen mid-flight, the snow spraying out from under Omar's boots as he began to turn abruptly, held like a frozen wave. Something wasn't right about any of this. Why was she dreaming about this scenario? And why was there so much clarity? It was as if she was right there and yet a million miles away at the same time. Every time she blinked, the scene changed but was frozen in time. Omar was now running but so was Lucas. Then there were others, some on snowmobiles, some on foot, some in their wolven forms. They were following Omar, their eyes trained on him while snow sprayed everywhere, and clouds of breath hung in the air like smoke or fog.

They've found me! You all need to run!

Omar's voice rang out through the mind-link with the clarity of a bell chime. Suddenly, the ground gave out from under Chloe's naked feet, and she plunged downwards as if she was falling into the great depths of an ocean. For a moment there was nothing. No air, no light, no ground, no sky, no smells, no time. She thought her heart and lungs would explode from the loss of oxygen before existence exploded around her, filling her senses like an electric shock.

"Chloe!" Katie's voice broke through the noise of someone screaming. "Chloe! What's wrong?"

It took a moment for Chloe to realise it was her that was screaming, her lungs burning as her vision blurred with tears. Why was she crying? Why was she screaming?

"Omar!" She gasped, launching herself up into a sitting position as her memories came back to her. "He's in trouble! They've found him!"

"What?" Katie blinked in surprise and confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"They've found him! The people following him!" Chloe insisted as she kicked off the blanket covering her. "We have to get out of here!"

"Chloe, Omar only left ten minutes ago.” Katie let out an uneasy chuckle, stroking the blonde’s curly mess of hair.

“We have to get him to turn around!” Chloe argued, shaking her head as the tears poured still as if her very soul was bleeding. “He’s in danger!”

Katie let out an exasperated sigh, a hand coming to rub at her forehead. Chloe didn’t know how she knew but she just knew that Katie didn’t believe her. She knew it just like she knew that with every second they stayed here, they were in danger of not making it out of the state. She could still see the wolves chasing Omar, she could still hear their yips and shouts. She could still taste the copper tang of blood in the air and feel the air stir and pulse as everyone moved suddenly. It felt so real.

Omar, can you hear me? Chloe sent the message out, searching the ether of the mind-link for any hint of the male.

Missing me already, blondie? Omar answered after a few tense moments, his voice rich with amusement.

You need to come back.

What? But you wanted me to look for Emily.

I know but you need to come back! It’s not safe!

Blondie, I’m nearly there. I’ll be quick and be right back.

No! Chloe felt her panic rising. Omar! Please!

Silence.

The tears had stopped now but the panic was rising like murky water in an abandoned well. The silence seemed to stretch for eternity and with it, Chloe's lungs refused to draw in breath as if somehow doing anything else would bring chaos.

I'm still here. Omar finally replied, still sounding amused. Just relax. I'll be back soon.

Had she gotten it wrong?

Chloe's body jolted as another hiccup escaped her, her cheeks wet from all her tears and yet her tired mind could only focus on what she had seen or rather, what she thought she had seen. It had felt so terrifyingly real and yet now, as Chloe began to wake up fully, she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps it had just been a nightmare and nothing more.

A flicker of heat licked up her neck and cheeks as it dawned on Chloe that she had in fact been dreaming and that there were no wolves lurking in the shadows or chasing after Omar. There were no godly assassins with eyes the colour of untamed prairie lands and stormy skies. There was nothing but snow and trees and silence.

"It felt so real." Chloe murmured, brows pinched into a frown as her mind still battled with what she had seen and what was real.

"Chloe, you're exhausted." Katie sighed, sitting next to her friend on the edge of the couch, her hand rubbing soothing circles over the blonde's back. "Everything is going to be okay. Just get some more rest, okay?"

Chloe gave a soft nod, glancing at her friend with embarrassment tinting her cheeks. She shifted to curl up on her side once more, her eyelids already feeling heavy as sleep begged for her to return to its comforting embrace.

They've found me! You all need to run!

Chloe's head had barely touched the pillow when Omar's panicked bark ripped through the silence. Her eyes snapped open then, blue orbs hunting down Katie for assurance that it was just Chloe's stressed mind playing tricks, but a torrent of dread soon consumed her when their eyes met, and she saw confusion and panic staring right back at her.

Katie! Chloe! Omar came through again with more urgency. Did you hear me? Run!

The cabin seemed to explode to life then. Katie dashed for the stairs to call the girls down who had already been rushing around to pull on shoes and clothes. Panic filled the air, pushing against the very structure of the tiny cabin as everyone tried to prepare themselves to flee.

"The vehicle Omar secured us is a mile away." Katie stated breathlessly as she grabbed a set of keys by the front door. "The snow is pretty thick, but we can make it."

"None of us know how to drive though!" Chloe pointed out.

"We'll figure it out." Katie replied. "Come on, let's go."

There was nothing sobering about the frigid winter air as the girls poured out of the cabin and yet the cold couldn't touch them when all of them were amped up on adrenaline. Most of the girls were following Katie but something tugged at Chloe, dragging her to a halt, her eyes scanning the surrounding treeline for the reason she found herself unable to follow the others. For a moment there was nothing but the group of she-wolves and the wilderness. If it weren't for the dread making her heart pound until her chest hurt, Chloe would have considered the scene breath-taking.

"Freya!"

The panicked cry had Chloe's eyes snapping to her friends to find Freya face first in the snow as another girl tried to help her up. Freya's movements were sluggish, her limbs trembling as she tried to get up only to fail even with helping hands.

"What happened?" Chloe asked as she came over to help Penny lift Frey up.

"She's sick." Penny replied, her green eyes darting from one girl to another. "I think she's got what Emily had."

"Okay, we need to get her to where Omar hid the vehicle." Chloe was surprised by how steady and calm her voice sounded but she didn't let it show. "Can you help me carry her?"

"They've found us!" Someone shouted. "Everyone, run!"

Screams echoed through air, bouncing off the trees like bullets ricocheting off of steal. Chloe's head snapped to up to see figures in black pouring out into the clearing from the trees. There were wolves, people in human form and people on snowmobiles just as Chloe's dream and foretold and they were all moving with greater speed than the girls could ever accomplish. However, it wasn't the sheer number of supernaturals moving towards that had Chloe frozen to the spot.

It was Lucas' gaze pinning Chloe down as he stalked towards her.