Shadow Wolves

Thirteen

Her heart leapt into her throat and her ocean blue eyes widened as she watched the steady movement of the figure through the heavy curtain of the snow.

Part of her wanted to run inside and hide with the other girls while the other part of her was trying to work out if she should fire off a warning shot or wait until the intruder was closer to determine if they were a threat. She silently cursed her past self for thinking she was brave enough to protect them. She didn't normally out herself in such situations and with good reason. Those who tried to defend themselves and others normally suffered the wrath of Nathaniel's temper. Katie was a perfect example of that and yet, Chloe couldn't deny the urge to step up that had come to life inside of her. Was it because Nathaniel tried to violate her or was it because they were so close to freedom? Either way, Chloe couldn't be a victim anymore and she would sooner die fighting than be cowed once more.

"Chloe?"

The familiar voice dumbstruck Chloe and she faltered in her resolve. The snow still made it difficult to see clearly but she began to recognise the familiar black uniform and dark skin.

"Omar?" The name slipped past her lips before she could help herself and yet saying it ignited the relief and hope inside of her once more.

Before she could think, she set the gun down and practically leapt off the small deck, wading through the snow to meet the male. Sure enough, the closer she got, the easier it was to see that the man stalking through the snow was their liberator. His pale green eyes looked tired and the cold and coloured the tip of his nose and fingers pink. He had on a hat to protect his head but otherwise, his clothes didn't look appropriate for the weather, even for a werewolf.

"Goddess, am I glad to see you." Omar laughed breathlessly. "I was sure I got turned around in this storm."

"We were worried something had happened to you." Chloe admitted with concerned eyes. "Come on, get inside before you freeze."

They barely made it inside when a flash of brown hair and deep brown skin flew past them.

"Omar!" Katie sobbed, launching herself at the male and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Omar had to take a few steps back to steady himself but the look of relief on his face was all anyone needed to see to know he was glad to see Katie again. His eyes flashed gold for a moment as his wolf pushed forward before his arms wrapped around the brunette and buried his face into her hair.

"Good to see you too, baby." He murmured.

Katie wasn’t the only one relieved to see the male wolf; however, Chloe was certain her reasons for being relieved were for slightly different reasons. She left the pair to enjoy their reunion and headed to put the rifle away before checking on the others. It felt right to let Katie and Omar have a few minutes alone even if they weren't mates. It wasn't possible after all. The moon goddess didn't bless the lowest wolves with such a beautiful sacred thing like a fated one. Yet the affection between the pair was powerful. It gave hope to Chloe that someone would love her even if she wasn't their mate.

Most of the girls had worked out that it had been a false alarm and were back to trying to keep themselves while they all waited for whatever came next. Naturally Chloe’s eyes found Emily who still looked like death. In fact she seemed worse as she trembled and shifted around the bed in discomfort.

“I think she’s getting worse.” Freya spoke up as she came up behind the blonde, her eyes filled with worry. “We can’t move her.”

“None of us can move in this storm.” Chloe sighed, her chest tightening in frustration.

They were so close to freedom and now they were snowed in and had a sick person. What if Emily got worse? They had no medicine and they didn’t even know what was wrong with her. It had to be bad to take out a werewolf, even a low-ranked one like they were.

“I’ll see if I can find some soup.” Chloe finally spoke up again. “Did Katie find any medicine?”

“Just aspirin.”

“Well, it’s better than nothing.” Chloe replied. “Can you keep an eye on her for now? I’ll come take over as soon as I can.”

Chloe waited until Freya nodded before she headed back to the front of the cabin to find Katie and Omar. She found the pair outside on the covered porch, seemingly in a heated discussion. It was a stark difference from how they were acting when she left them and Chloe found herself frowning in concern. Heading to the door, she stepped out, unsurprised when both Omar and Katie fell silent, their eyes filled with a maelstrom of emotions and none of them good.

“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked as she shut the door behind her.

“Nothing.” Omar smiled apologetically.

“It didn’t look like ‘nothing’.” Chloe countered, her frown deepening. “So, what were you two arguing about?”

An uneasy silence fell between the trio with Omar and Katie no longer able to look the blonde in the eye. Katie crossed her arms and turned away to hide the tears threatening to spill while worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Omar was fairing now better with his pale green eyes staring out into the white void. Each moment that passed only added to the concern and anxiety building in Chloe and the urge to shout at the pair to demand they tell her filled her chest.

“Omar wants to go back out there.” Katie finally spoke up, her voice wavering as her sad black eyes looked at Chloe.

“What?” Chloe gasped.

“The people who raided the pack will be looking for me.” Omar explained. “I just need to keep them away from you until the storm passes and we can make it out of here.”

“What if they capture you again?” Katie snapped.

“They won’t.” The male countered.

“But why can’t we just leave now?” The brunette groaned. “We’re sitting ducks if we stay here.”

“We can’t.” Chloe spoke up. “Emily is sick. We can’t move her.”

“Sick?” Omar’s expression turned from exhausted frustration to alarm and confusion. “What do you mean, sick?”

“She has a really bad fever.” Chloe explained. “And I think she’s hallucinating. Katie gave her aspirin to help make her feel comfortable and I was going to see if I could make her some soup when I saw you two arguing.”

“Yes but we can still move her in the van.” Katie pointed out.

“If the weather was different then maybe the van is getting nowhere in this.” Omar shook his head and sighed. "I could try and get to the closest human town and get some medicine. It will also draw whoever is following me away from you."

"No!" Katie shook her head frantically as a whimper escaped her lips. "I don't like this! It's too dangerous and we just got you back!"

"Baby," Omar sighed and cupped his female's cheeks soothing her instantly. "It will be okay. The town isn't far and if I go in wolf form I will be back before you know it."

"I'm not going to change your mind, am I?" Katie sighed in resignation, eyes glimmering with tears and bottom lip quivering.

Omar's smile was heavy with sadness. "I will be as quick as I can."

Chloe desperately wanted to be on Katie's side in this argument but the truth was, healthy or not, none of them were capable of navigating miles in thick snow and the blizzard. They didn't have wolves like Omar did and there was only so much their bodies could handle before the elements took their toll. They were unfortunately trapped albeit not for the first time but at least they were free to make their own decisions. Soon the storm would pass and they would be able to continue their journey to wherever it was that Omar was leading them.

She remained close to the door as Omar said goodbye to Katie with a tender kiss before stepping out into the whiteness. The plan was simple, really. Omar would double back on himself a little before shifting. He'd have to hide his clothes somewhere and hope that his pursuers didn't find them before he got back to them. Hopefully, with the town being on the pack land, they could keep in touch for most of Omar's journey.

Still, twenty miles was a long way to go in a storm.

"Stay inside!" Omar yelled through the curtain of snowflakes. "I will be back soon."

He was out of sight much sooner than when they first spotted him. The storm has worsened so there was definitely no way they could get out now. Chloe eventually stepped forward to wrap her arms around one of Katie's. She was certain her friend would stay in the same spot until Omar returned regardless of the threat of hypothermia or frostbite. Chloe could only imagine the torment Katie was feeling right now but she needed her friend to focus. They were still far from safe.

"C'mon, K." Chloe coaxed. "The girls need you. Omar will be back soon."

The taller woman let out a shaky sigh and closed her eyes for a moment as if she was waging a war internally. Just when Chloe thought her friend was ignoring her, Katie opened her midnight coloured eyes. There was still worry simmering in their endless depths but there was also determination. Katie had always been the dependable one, the leader even. A few more days of putting on a strong face would be worth it soon.

"Thanks, angel." Katie smiled at the blonde and pulled her in close for a hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Oh, probably worry less." Chloe giggled and hugged her friend back. "Come on, it's freezing and we should probably make sure we have everything we need to take with us."

"Deal." Katie nodded, following Chloe back inside.