Shadow Wolves

Twelve

The first day passed without incident despite everyone waiting with bated breath for something to happen. When a few more days passed and no one came to drag them back to their prison, everyone began to relax a little and yet the tension was still palpable. There had been no sign of Omar despite Katie's continued assurances that he would turn up and when he did they would leave Wyoming for good and find somewhere else to call home. They were pretty much lost without him since they had no idea where the nearest town was. They didn't even know where they were in relation to the borders and state lines.

They had explored the cabin to see what they could find as well as any clues as to who really owned the place. Their searching had resulted in them finding coats suitable for the weather and a hunting rifle. There were no clues as to who owned the cabin and when they might return.

The fourth day of waiting had started with a thick blanket of cloud hanging low above the cabin. The air smelt colder than the day before and the occasional sprinkle of fine snow would float down to rest on the already compacted snow that covered everything for miles. There was no TV or radio to break up the silence but most of the girls had taken to reading the few books in the bookcase. Practically no one dared to go outside either because of the biting cold or because they feared that if they did go outside, their wicked Alpha would come to get them.

By the afternoon snow had begun to fall as the clouds darkened. It started off light and lazy before becoming thicker and heavier until it was nearly impossible to see beyond the small wooden steps that led up to the small covered porch.

Despite the cold, Chloe found herself outside after bundling herself in one of the few thick coats they had found in the only bedroom in the place. The steaming mug of tea in her hands was the only thing keeping the biting cold away from her fingers but the tip of her nose felt frozen. It didn't take long for her body to stiffen up as she sat on the wooden bench leant up against the wall of the cabin watching the snowfall. The silence around them was thick and eery as the snow muffled any sounds around them.

Despite everything that had happened, Chloe still found herself thinking of the mysterious male who had visited the pack. She often wondered what Lucas Wolfe was up to now. Was he aware that someone had attacked the pack? Did he even care? Despite his insistence that he had been there to make a deal with Alpha Nathaniel, Chloe couldn't help but think that Lucas wasn't the type of guy to take advantage of vulnerable people like Nathaniel and his alpha buddies did. Then again, it didn't really matter because he was probably thousands of miles away and likely didn't even spare Chloe a single thought. The idea of that didn't sit well with the blonde in the slightest and yet she couldn't fathom why she was so upset by the thought. She couldn't work out why it made her heart hurt to even think of it.

The front door to the cabin opened and Katie stepped out into the frigid afternoon, drawing Chloe from her dreary thoughts.

"You've been out here for a while." The brunette took a seat next to Chloe as they both watched the snow come down. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Chloe nodded. "I just wanted some alone time I guess."

Katie nodded, her amber brown eyes trying to see beyond the curtain of white. "Hopefully we won't have to stay here too much longer."

"Even if Omar could find this place in this blizzard we are stuck here until this weather passes." Chloe pointed out. "I just hope Alpha Nathaniel didn't find out he helped us escape."

"I think that man has more important things to worry about."

Chloe couldn't help but frown in confusion at Katie's comment. Her blue eyes shifted from gazing at the snow to look at her friend curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Those people who visited before we escaped?" Katie looked at her friend. "They weren't who they said they were. Omar told me that he tipped off this organisation who govern supernaturals about what Alpha Nathaniel was up to. We knew there would come a point where someone would come sniffing around but we didn't think it would be Lucas Wolfe of all people."

"Is that bad?"

"Depends on who you ask." Katie shrugged. "The Wolfes are a big deal in the UK and Europe. There are stories that Lucas' older sister has been nicknamed the queen of Hellhounds. She is the leader of the largest pack in Europe and there is a rumour that she has not one but two mates and they are both demons."

"Demons?" Chloe gasped. "But I thought only shifters had fated mates."

"I thought so too." Katie replied. "Either way, Lucas Wolfe is dangerous and he comes from a dangerous family. Those guys are fierce warriors and not to be messed with."

"Do you think he was involved with this organisation you mentioned?" Chloe asked.

"No idea." Katie's brow pinched together in thought. "It could be a coincidence he turned up around the time the pack was ambushed. I'm just glad we are far away from that place. I'm sure beta Kevin was growing suspicious of Omar and me. There are only so many times you can drug someone before people start noticing."

"You drugged the Alpha?" Chloe nearly dropped her mug in shock. "Katie, what were you thinking? If he found out he would have killed you!"

"I did it to protect everyone." Katie retorted, her upper lip lifting in a soft snarl. "I couldn't watch that piece of s**t groom and take advantage of more girls! Omar got the drugs and between us we would try and make sure his drink was drugged most nights. But then he set his sights on you. I thought he would just harass you at the club where Omar and I could step in but the fucker had to go drag you to his stupid mansion."

"It doesn't matter now." Chloe cut in. She didn't want to relive that night again. It made her stomach turn. "We will be out of here soon. We just need this weather to ease up."

"Yeah." Katie nodded but she lacked conviction and her face was drawn with worry.

"Omar will be fine." Chloe gave Katie's closest hand a reassuring squeeze. "He's probably just had to hunker down until the blizzard passes."

"Yeah." Katie smiled, looking at the blonde she loved like a little sister.

Just then the door opened and one of the girl's stuck her head out, her green eyes dark with worry.

"Is everything okay, Freya?" Chloe asked when she saw the Auburn haired girl's panicked expression.

"It's Emily." Freya replied. "She doesn't feel very well and she's got a fever."

Katie and Chloe shared a look before both of them followed Freya back inside. While they had a small first aid kit for injuries, they didn't really have anything for illnesses. Worse still, being stuck in close proximity to each other meant the illness could spread and take them all out, delaying their escape. It also meant they would be in danger of being discovered and not being able to protect themselves.

Chloe hoped it was just an overreaction on Emily's part but upon seeing the other girl, Chloe could tell right away that the situation was serious. Emily, despite her very western name, descended from a pack that once resided in South Korea. Her skin had always been beautifully golden and yet now her cheeks were flushed a violent red. Her straight black hair stuck in clumps to her forehead and her whole body glistened with sweat as if she had just stepped out of a pool. The young woman was lying in one of the cots that made up the surplus beds, her body convulsing as she trembled like a newborn fawn.

"Freya, go get a bowl of water and a flannel please." Chloe spoke up, waiting until the other girl left before moving with Katie to check on Emily.

Katie was the one to rest her palm on Emily's forehead, her lips tugging down and a worried frown pinching her eyebrows in the middle.

"She's burning up." She spoke up after a moment. "We should move her to a different room to keep her isolated so no one else gets sick."

"Is that wise?" Chloe asked, looking at Emily. "I don't think she will handle it."

"Others could get sick." Katie sighed.

"You don't know that!"

A tense silence settled between the friends as neither of them wanted to concede to the other. In the end it was Katie who broke the stalemate, standing back up.

"I'll see if we have any painkillers or something to help make Emily feel more comfortable." She murmured, her worried brown eyes still on their friend.

Chloe gave a soft nod. She brushed a few damp strands of hair from Emily's forehead before dropping her hand to take Emily's in her own. The gesture seemed to pull the dark haired girl from a feverish dream, her almond shaped eyes glittering open so glazed pupils could focus on Chloe.

"Chloe?" Emily whispered, her voice raspy from the fever.

"It's me, Ems." The blonde assured her, giving her a hand a gentle squeeze. "Just try and rest

"I can't." Emily whimpered. "It's going to get me."

Chloe frowned in confusion, watching as Emily writhed helplessly on the bed, the sheets twisting around her legs or wrinkling under her torso. She was trying to sit up but her limbs didn’t seem to want to work. They were too weak and couldn’t hold any weight leaving Emily sprawled out like a punch-drunk boxer.

“Ems, the alpha doesn’t know where we are. He’s not going to get us.” Chloe assured her in a soft tone. “Just rest. You need to get better…”

“No!” Emily cried out in panic. “It’s not the alpha! It’s something else. It’s something much worse. I can feel it inside of me. It’s so angry and it’s going to get me! It will get me if I go outside…”

“Shh,” Chloe cooed, forcing Emily back against the bed as best as she could without hurting her friend. “Please just rest.”

“Chloe!” Freya burst into the room then, her freckled face pale in panic and her eyes as wide as saucers. “We need you downstairs! Someone’s coming!”

“What?” Chloe felt her whole body tense in panic. “Who?”

“No idea! It’s too difficult to see through the snow!”

Chloe could feel dread building in her like a torrent. For a few moments she didn’t move, her mind blank from the sheer panic she felt that no doubt matched Freya’s. Thoughts of Nathaniel having tracked them down filled her mind until all she could think of was Nathaniel’s name and his leering face from when he tried to rape her. She could almost feel his hands on her skin, the scent of his boozy breath and his eyes wild like some savage monster. The bile rose into her throat, burning while her stomach turned.

No. It’s not him.

And that wasn’t far from the truth either. Nathaniel would never raise a finger to hunt them down. He’d get his men to do it and despite how mean and disgusting they could be, they weren’t that good at hunting.

So it had to be someone else.

“Where’s the rifle?” Chloe asked breathlessly as she pushed herself up.

“In the foot locker, where we found it.” Freya replied nervously. “What are you going to do?”

“Stay with Emily.” Chloe ignored the red-head’s question. “I’ll send the others in here. If things get out of hand, run.”

She didn’t wait to see if Freya would obey or object. Instead she ran through to the small store room where the footlocker was kept and grabbed the rifle which was lying at the bottom. She had seen plenty of guns. Nathaniel’s men had them. Pistols, hand-guns, rifles and even semi-automatics. But Chloe had never handled one before and didn’t know the first thing about them but she prayed to the moon goddess she wouldn’t need to use the damned thing and that its presence alone would hopefully scare off any unwanted intruders.

“What’s going on?” Katie appeared as Chloe left the store room and headed for the front of the cabin. “Why do you have the rifle?”

“Some of the girls spotted someone outside.” The blonde replied, pausing only to tell the girls huddled in the living room to head to the bedroom and lock the door. “I’m not going to use it. It’s just in case.”

“In case of what?” Katie’s eyes widened incredulously.

“In case it’s someone who wants to hurt us.” Chloe retorted, pushing past Katie and heading for the front door.

The outside world was exactly as they had left it a few minutes before. The silence that surrounded them was as still as the frozen air while soft white drops of snow fell to earth to join the already knee deep blanket of pristine white that covered everything in sight. At first, Chloe could see nothing except the outline of the trees that bordered the small patch of land. Everything was just so white. The ground, the sky, the trees…

Movement in the corner of her eye caught Chloe’s attention and she spun in the direction of what she saw. Sure enough, beyond the copse of trees and never ending snow was the faded shape of someone or something walking along the only track leading towards the cabin.