‘Til We Meet Again

Chapter 20: Planning

Trinity

"Where are the others?" Vienna scanned the scene before checking on Alpha Chris. Another person I didn't know spoke.

"A couple of them are on the way. The rest are either injured and laying low or ..."

"Dead." Vienna finished his sentence and glanced at the woman she had abducted. The woman looked furious.

Alpha Chris finally addressed everyone.

"Obviously, we were ill-prepared. I underestimated the pack's readiness. We lost quite a few warriors."

"And we still don't have Christian." A very tall woman cut her eyes at me. I glanced down at the ground feeling like I had failed.

"We're going to have to head home. They will retaliate. We can't put the members of our pack in danger. We have a long journey back, so we will rest for a couple of hours and begin the trip." Alpha Chris stood tall, despite his imjuries. Everyone looked defeated.

I felt a hand pat my shoulder and looked up to see Alpha Chris giving me a reassuring look.

"Alright. Let's go."

We all filed into the diner beside the motel. It was a little dated, but I was relieved to be able to sit down and have a drink of water. I was parched and extremely anxious. Vienna joined me with her hostage, who I noticed was glancing around at all of the exits.

Vienna mumbled, "Don't even think about it." Hennessey sat beside me.

"Sorry." My voice was barely above a whisper.

"Why are you apologizing?" Vienna raised a brow.

"I couldn't find Christian." I was fidgeting in my seat, trying not to make eye contact.

"That wasn't your fault. We didn't have enough time. And it's possible they are holding him at a different location." Hennessey took a sip of coffee. His eyes fixed on the wall he was facing.

"Yeah. Besides, we probably shouldn't have bought you anyway. Too risky. You have a lot of training to do." Vienna pursed her lips.

We all fell silent. I turned to see Alpha Chris staring into his mug. He was seated by himself. I thought to myself how odd it must be for the humans in the diner to see a bunch of people with bruises and wounds sitting around like normal. I started to feel uncomfortable. I glanced around nervously, but the staff didn't seem to be paying us much attention. After about an hour, everyone stood suddenly, tossing bills on the table for whatever they ordered. I stood too. I still couldn't receive mindlinks from other pack members. With everything going on, Alpha Chris had dropped the ball in accepting me into the pack officially. The journey home was treacherous. Thankfully, werewolves healed quickly, so people were beginning to feel better. It was a silent trek as everyone mourned. I wasn't familiar with everyone, but I could tell who didn't make it.

Once we were a 30-minute distance away from White Crescent territory, Alpha Chris turned to face us.

"We are returning, defeated. But we can't let this moment define our pack. We are all fierce fighters. In the coming days, I suspect we will be under attack. Training must commence immediately. Go to your homes, hug your families, wash up, rest. We will meet back at the training grounds at 6:00 pm sharp."

The collective mood was somber. People responded, nodding sheepishly.

Vienna had a tight grip on the woman she had abducted. Hennessey motioned for me to follow him. As soon as we were back on pack lands, Hennessey quickly walked me to the packhouse and upstairs to my room.

"Stay here until I come back for you."

I frowned.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing for you to be concerned about. Just wait here. I will come back and get you."

He left without another word. I locked the door behind him and sulked to my bathroom. It was exhausting dealing with this whole thing.

I just wanted Christian back.

As I washed my body, I silently prayed to the Moon Goddess. She had to be able to help.

Christian

The creaking door woke me up from a light sleep. I heard hushed whispers, but couldn't make out what was being said. There were footsteps that sounded like they were getting closer. Through the darkness, I could feel the thick tension in the air.

"Your father has waged war on my pack. I want you to know that he has made a dire mistake. Obviously, there will not be a ceremony just yet. It's been postponed until we deal with White Crescent. You will be notified when we are ready." The gruff voice made me wince. I knew who it belonged to. I heard the footsteps walking away before they paused.

"Sorry you won't get to say goodbye." He chuckled menacingly. The thought of that made me shudder. I immediately thought of Trinity. Paige, my mom, my friends ... Even though I was angry with him, my dad. I couldn't just sit here. I had to do something. I had to get out of here.

I thought for a second. All I needed was to gain Anna's trust. If I could get her to release me from the shackles, I could escape. I just needed to get out of the shackles. Everything after that would be a piece of cake. I was determined to make it out of this alive and get back home. I took a few deep breaths and said a lengthy prayer to Selene.

My mind was made up about the escape. The plan replayed in my head over and over until I began drifting off. The next time Anna showed up, I would charm her. I just needed info. Once she began to trust me, I would convince her to let me hold her for a few minutes. I just needed her to take the shackles off of me and I could easily overpower her and run. Simple enough.