To Be Free

6

I spent the next couple of days in the room eating pizza and chinese and looking into the surrounding stores to get more supplies to go back to the forest. There's a mall a few miles away so I decided to make the trip there and get some clothes that are in better shape. I'm told I have to go back to that, but Xena insists we keep moving and not stay here too long. I put on my shoes and jacket, grabbed my room key on the way out. I walked out of the motel and made my way towards the bus stop down the street. I study the bus routes for a few minutes to see which buses to take and sit down to wait.

Ten minutes or so pass before my bus arrives, after another connecting bus and a few blocks of walking I finally make it to the mall. As soon as I walk in, I'm surrounded by the chaos of people walking and laughing. I quickly walked towards the directory and looked for any stores with camping supplies and other things I needed, and the first one was to the left. I looked at the display windows as I walked towards the store, taking in the expensive jewelry and clothes and all the things I hoped I could wear one day.

Knowing that was just a pipe dream, I continued on towards the camping store and started looking for insulated jackets, hiking boots and a bigger backpack. “You should grab a sleeping bag to I know it's not fun sleeping on the hard ground” kara suggests “maybe a tent, to it's getting close to winter, and we won't always find a cave out there” I head down another aisle following karas suggestions to grab a tent and sleeping bag, also grabbing a thick blanket for those coming cold nights and head to the check-out. I head out and into another store for some winter clothes and, with an armful of bags, I make my way back to the bus stop and wait. The bus started to pull up, and I quickly grabbed all my bags and climbed on, glad that it was mostly empty, and walked towards the back, setting my bags down and relaxing in my seat watching the streets go by in a blur.

Once back in my hotel room, I start taking everything out of the bags, ripping off tags as I go and start packing everything into my new backpack. I'm glad everything fits. I was beginning to think I bought too much. Setting my bag onto the floor, I quickly disposed of the trash and headed into the bathroom for what would probably be my last hot shower for a while. I take my time savoring the hot water and being extra thorough with cleaning my body and my hair, feeling my tense muscles start to relax under the heat. Forty-five minutes later I'm the cleanest I've ever been as I put on an old shirt and shorts and head to the fridge to finish the last of my pizza.

“We should probably head out in the morning and find somewhere to set up camp” Alora suggested, breaking the silence. I ponder it for a moment and nod in agreement, still dreading having to go back to the forest but knowing it's safer than being in the city. I let my mind wander back to alpha nick, remembering how commanding his presence was. Even though I escaped from him, a small part of me didn't want to, and I couldn't understand why. Something about him just made me feel safe, like nothing could hurt me as crazy as that sounds. “I agree something about him drew me in so i couldn't quite put my paw on it but i felt it too” xena says softly. I think about it a bit more before dismissing the thought chances are i'll never see him again so no point on getting stuck on it. Finishing my last bite of pizza, I throw away the box and head to bed early to enjoy having a bed for as long as I can before it's back to dirt floors.

Morning comes as soon as I'm awoken by rays of light coming through the window. The sun is barely up so I decide to get up for a quick bathroom trip and head back to bed for a few more hours. When I wake up again, the sun is a lot higher in the sky and I decide to get up and get ready to head out. I make quick work of brushing my teeth and putting my hair into a braid before going to check out. As I'm walking towards the forest, I pass by a diner and decide to get some breakfast before my hike. Walking in the smell of coffee, bacon and pancakes swirl around me, making my stomach rumble with anticipation. “ Go ahead and sit anywhere you like honey, someone will be right with you,” one of the waitresses calls out to me from behind the counter with a smile. I find an empty booth in the back and grab the menu, trying to decide what I should get. “Good morning sweetie, I'm Anna, what can I get for you this morning?” I look up and see an older woman standing there with a soft smile. “Pancakes with scrambled eggs bacon and hash browns and the biggest cup of coffee you have” I reply “Alright that'll be up shortly let me go ahead and grab that coffee for you while you wait” Anna says cheerfully and walks off to grab my coffee. As soon as she puts it on the table, I start mixing in sugar and cream until it's perfect and take a sip. There's nothing like that first sip of perfectly made coffee. I'll definitely miss this. Anna comes back and sets my food down with a smile, asking if i need anything else. With a quick shake of my head, I started digging in. The pancakes are so soft and fluffy. The bacon is cooked so crisp it crunches with every bite. It takes me no time at all to finish it along with the coffee. I sat there for a few minutes rubbing my full belly, wishing I could eat a second helping even though I had no room for it when the door to the diner opened. I sit frozen in my seat as a familiar face walks in with a group of men. Alpha Nick locks eyes with me right away, and I start gathering my things, so I can pay and leave.

He walked over to me, standing in front of me, so I couldn't get out of the booth. “Move” I said in a low voice, so people around us couldn't hear. He just smiles and leans down “I'm surprised to see you here. You're quick for someone so small, and you got away from me last time” he responded, ignoring what i said. “Look, I'm leaving, so you don't have to worry about me. I'm not looking for trouble, so can you move out of my way now.” I shot back. “ Not before you answer my questions. If you're as innocent as you claim, maybe I'll let you out of here.” he replied calmly. I noticed his men moving closer to flank him and boxing me in. I'm instantly on alert. I put money on the table for my meal and moved to stand, forcing him to move back a couple steps before looking him in the eye. “I owe you nothing, not an explanation, no answers, nothing, so how about you do us both a favor and move out of my way before I embarrass you and your men again. One way or another, I will be leaving, and I would rather do it the easy way.” I told him. I'm not really sure where all this confidence came from.

He looks at me and starts to laugh before moving out of my way slightly as I go to pass him. He caught my wrist, forcing me to look back at him. “ I wasn't going to hurt you back then, you know we were just investigating a breach in our territory and we found you.” he whispered to me “you say that now, but I couldn't just trust that you wouldn't, and I wasn't going to stick around to find out otherwise.” I replied as I pulled my wrist from his grip and started walking away. Xena was on alert as we walked out, making sure we were not being followed. I walked around for a while checking my surroundings, making sure alpha nicks men really weren't following us before I made my way to the forest.

“They're following us” xena stated, “they're staying back far enough. I can tell they're still trying to follow us. What should we do?” I turned back towards the city and I could faintly make out two figures in the distance. “Kara, can you get us far enough away from them?” I asked and could feel her smile in response. I shot the two men and the bird before stepping into the forest and letting kara take over propelling forward as fast as she could. We ran for about half an hour, the scenery nothing but a blur of greens and browns, before coming to a stop at a clearing. I shifted back knowing Kara was exhausted from pushing herself. “ We definitely lost them this time,” Xena laughed. I chuckled in response and started walking through the clearing taking in all the wild flowers that surrounded me. With hues of blues and pinks and purples, I felt at peace and set my pack down and sat enjoying the scenery and how fresh everything smelled. I can't help but think back to alpha nick. It's weird he was able to find me again. Was it just a coincidence or was he following me? I definitely have to be more careful in the future not to run into him again. I couldn't help the butterflies I felt remembering his handsome face and how he smiled at me. A part of me wanted to trust him and his words, but experiences wouldn't allow me to do that. I can't just blindly trust someone at their word.

Meanwhile, back at the diner

Alpha Nick sits in a booth halfway through his meal when the men he sent to follow the girl return looking defeated. He could tell from the looks on their faces that they were not successful in following her. “Alpha, we are sorry we weren't able to keep her in our sights even with how careful we were, I can tell she knew she was being followed and even flipped us off before taking off into the woods” Michael is one of my best at stealth so to hear that he was discovered was a shock to alpha nick. He stared at his men for a moment before letting out a chuckle, “this girl is fascinating, to say the least” he commented with a smile. He couldn't help but think back to their interaction earlier, even though she hides it under worn clothes. He can tell she is beautiful, and he can't help the attraction he feels towards her. His wolf onyx stirs in his head at the memories. “There is something about her that interests me. I can't tell what it is, but I want to see her again,” he says. Alpha Nick nods in agreement that she has definitely piqued his interest, but even with all his resources, he hasn't been able to find much about her, not even her name. Flipping off his men before running off, she definitely has a fiery personality and her fighting ability is great. He wonders where she learned it. His thoughts kept swirling around with more questions than answers; he felt more determined to find out who she was. The scared look she had in her eyes bothered him the most. Even with her confidence in standing up to him, he could tell she was afraid of them and wanted to escape. Whatever she was afraid of, part of him wanted to protect her even if he didn't understand why even his wolf didn't have a reason, but he felt the same way. Only time will reveal what she is all about; the only issue now would be finding her again.