Broken Chains

Chapter 9

I didn’t find a car with Sat Nav since it was early and broad daylight I had to be rather more stealthy than I would have liked to in stealing a car and people are so damn untrusting they don’t leave their satnavs in the car. Carl let me drive, by that I mean that I had hotwired the car and I refused to get out of the driver’s seat but that was a pretty good idea anyway since the maps I tried to read were always out of date and so I found that roundabouts and stuff had moved from where the maps said they should be. Carl Basically told me which general direction we were going in before he closed his eyes with a sigh. I left him in peace, after all it was a long way, and after a few seconds a loud grunting snore told me he was asleep. I smiled fondly poor thing he looked exhausted their were large black circles under his eyes and his skin looked pale and doughy, I knew that he hadn’t been sleeping well especially since the note Derek had pushed under our door. I sighed as I was forced to judder to a halt again and again, bloody traffic. Didn’t these Assholes realise I was off to try and save the love of my life I through furiously glaring at a bloody Volvo who spun around the roundabout cutting me off. If Carl hasn’t there and asleep I was irate enough to have given chase as it was I contented myself with just growling and baring my teeth as the Car pulled into bloody Tesco’s. Our target town was on a sign pointing Left so off I went left. See, I could navigate it wasn’t difficult. Carl gave a loud grunting snore that made me giggle, he then growled and began snarling. I giggled again and turned to watch him out of the corner of my eye as he twitched and bared his teeth, it was like watching a dog having a dream, and I could completely believe he was chasing a cat right now. A car horn snapped he back to the present with a jolt, hardly surprising since I had been whizzing along at a blistering fifteen miles an hour. I squealed and abruptly took the turning to the right only to realise a few seconds later that I was supposed to go left, but I couldn’t be much off I’d just have to look for a place to turn around or something I’d be fine, navigating was only difficult when people wouldn’t shut up and let you puzzle out the out of date maps, as it was all I had to was follow the signposts and I could do that I could follow signs, as soon as I had found a place to turn around.

“Carl.” I said shaking his shoulder lightly, he opened his eyes slowly confusion behind his eyes for a second as he clearly wondered where he was. He smiled as his comprehension caught up with him.

“where are we?” he asked pushing himself up slightly so he was sitting up in the chair properly, he had a deep imprint from the upholstery on the side of his face amidst the two day old stubble. His hair was messed up as he brushed it back from his face I was struck by how much he was starting to look like his brother, I mean he always had he always looked like Derek but younger and with shorter hair, but now with his hair growing and a little stubble. It made something inside me hurt. I shook my head dismissing these thoughts.

“Um. I’m not really sure.” I admitted, Carl looked at me for a few moments as though baffled by what I’d just said and then a beam spread across his face and he burst into laughter.

“You got lost when you don’t even know where we are going?” he asked through his snort I felt my mouth start to twitch threatening smile, and suppressed this instead folding my arms sternly. Carl struggled to compose his features as he looked around the car.

“Are we at a motorway service station?” he asked looking completely baffled, I gaped slightly,

“I was looking for a place to turn around.” I said “I could find one.” I concluded lamely. Carl did laugh again at this. His laugh was wrong but the smile was right, but not that it made him look more like Derek I couldn’t seem to make Derek smile so easily.

“I’m just going to pee and then we’ll um…figure this out.” He said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes and nodded; Carl smiled as he leaned over and kissed me on the forehead.

“Carl.” I called as he stepped out of the car. I hesitated “can you get me a strawberry milkshake.”

“You hate Milkshake.” He said with a vague frown I shrugged,

“I just feel like a strawberry one.”

“Your wish is my command.” He said giving me a devastating smile before he walked off. I gave him time to cross the car park before I emerged desperate to stretch my legs but I felt like being alone to be honest. There was a tiny amount of sun that intermediately peeped out from the thick cover of clouds. I stretched up curling my back as I fought my jaws instinct to yawn. Suddenly something caught my attention and I felt myself instinctively stiffen, no it couldn’t be.

“Jessie.” Carl mattered snapping me out of my revive as he shook a strawberry milkshake under my nose. I ignored it and closed my eyes trying to focus. “Jessica.” He echoed I opened my eyes.

“Please tell me you can smell that.” Carl frowned but still I could see him begin to breathe deeply taking in the air tasting as much of it as he could it was faint but it was definitely there, hard to detect with our human senses but still undeniably there at least I hoped so as if not I was going mad.

“He was here.” Carl said

“We were right there moving again.” I confirmed.

“How did you find your way here?” he asked sudden suspicious painted all across his features.

“I told you I got lost.” I said suddenly uncomfortable,

“Really?”

“You can drive.” I snapped striding back to the car.

“You think that’s a good idea?” Carl asked diplomatically “because we seem to be following your sort of bond thing-”

“No.” I cut across “we are not because I was not following Derek here I got lost, it was luck, because I can’t have anything else because if I do it doesn’t work.” I said slamming my way into the passenger seat. Carl slid in the driver’s seat next to me silently and when I spoke I was surprised that my voice had in an instant transformed into a whisper. “I can cope with what I did I mean we love each other in a way that it’s not physical possible for a human heart to love, And I wrecked it, but this it’s like.” I rubbed my head before shaking it unable to articulate what it was that it wanted to say. “I’m not a Disney princess I shouldn’t be living in a f*****g fairy tale meant to be world.” Carl didn’t say anything maybe purely because he didn’t know what to say but to be honest saying nothing was pretty much exactly what I wanted from him. He just started the car and pulled out away from the motorway following the road logic and the sparse scent trail dictated Derek would have taken. He began to cruise down the dual carriageway at around sixty his window and mine wound down completely in a vain attempt to catch any kind of whiff of a trail at this speed it was a futile exercise, but as with most futile exercises the simple illusion of taking any action seemed to help. I laid back in my chair with a heavy sigh wishing I could imitate Carl and go to sleep, but I couldn’t my stomach seemed to be churning. But I think this was at least in part to the large milkshake which I had completely consumed in about a minute flat, despite the fact that I don’t like milk. A churning tummy seemed like a natural reaction but I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that It was actually something a little more significant than a large amount of lactose.

I flew forward for an instant before my seatbelt kicked in and flung me back into the seat as I heard the car tires screech beneath us. A barrage of horns suddenly started going off and irate motorists started careering around us making obscene hand gestures, but I ignored this and turned to Carl. He was staring straight out the windshield his hands still clutching the wheel so hard his knuckles had gone white.

“We can’t.”

“I know.” I said placing a hand on his; the scent confirmed it even if we hadn’t memorized the border lines. However much I wanted to find Derek and I did he had gone one way he knew I couldn’t follow and maybe that was why. I knew I could force Carl to move another step even if I got out of the car and ran forwards alone he couldn’t stop me, but he knew I couldn’t do it anymore than I could, every instinct born in me with the beginning of my shifts were howling through me at this Alpha’s threat. We had reached the borders of the next pack’s territory. To go in there was trespasses so death if we could take that final step which I knew we would never be able to do.

“He may not have gone in there.” I said hopefully, as we sat in our immobile car in the middle of a dual carriageway ignoring the still irate drivers forced to career around us.

“He’s in there.” Carl said and to be honest I agreed with him

“Fuck.” I snarled hitting the dashboard with my fists. “He’s gone to the one place he knows we can’t follow him.” That was what we had expected from the Moment Emma told us that but we had almost been hoping to prove this wrong.

“YEP.” Carl said, I swore and punched the Dashboard again,

“I’m in love with a f*****g idiot.” I snapped, “So that’s it?”

“I think so.” Carl said softly. “Let’s go back to that Motel it wasn't far and we’ll regroup and I don’t know re-evaluate.” I nodded weakly as plans went it kind of sucked but we were all out and we both knew it we were going home. I gripped the seat with a little bit of a cringe as Carl performed a u turn across a lane of rapidly oncoming traffic to swing into the second lane going the opposite way. The further we got from the barrier the more I could see his posture visibly begin to relax. If we had strayed into another packs territory we would both be considered rogues for that pack to do as they wished with. In neutral territory we were all equal but I knew if I encountered another packs wolves where my status would afford me a certain level of protection (not against rogues though who were loyal to nothing and no one) but in there I was the rogue the trespasser and one step into Paolini’s territory and I would be in a huge amount of danger and Derek knew that. But then again he maybe a rogue now but if he was caught by their pack they would know who he had been, and I couldn’t dismiss the idea that this would go badly for him very badly. If he was f*****g about in our territory and got caught yes he would die but the boys were his brothers and they couldn’t just turn their feeling for him off like that, they would be merciful but in another place, he would truly experience pack justice.

Derek

I sat on a large fallen log ignoring the dampness seeping through my dark jeans. My current little merry band were a fair distance off, I could still see them. This was the only way I could find of dealing with it. I maybe a rogue now but I still wasn’t ready to go join in with this, it was too much. A scream floated from them.

“Shut him up.” Bethany hissed and Derek registered a fist plunging down and the scream cut off abruptly. Bethany’s smug little grin made something inside me hurt, she was so cruel.

“Derek? What the f**k are you doing over here?” Daniel asked skirting around a tree.

“I don’t like the smell of blood.” I said dismissively taking a drag on my cigarette. Daniel smiled and leaned back against the tree behind him.

“Yeah it’s not good is it. “He said pulling out his cigarettes. “You know you should really quit smoking.” I lifted my eyes to him dubiously as he lit up Daniel shrugged, “it doesn’t suit you, besides you didn’t smoke up until a few days ago you can quit easy.”

“There’s a lot of things I didn’t do a few days ago.” I said stubbing out the remains of the cigarette on the wet log and flicking it away into the foliage. A scream floated through the trees to us, I saw Daniel shudder and I felt bad for him, he was a good guy really if he hadn’t been born outside the pack, hell if Beth hadn’t been his sister or if he had just come to the pack when he started to shift rather than fearing us, what an asset he would have been as it was the poor guy had nothing and he was forced into this life and there wouldn’t ever be anything else for him there couldn’t be.

“I don’t see what good she thinks this will do” I said trying to ignore the thick clogging scent of blood that hung in the air. Daniel; shrugged,

“Why does Beth do anything that she does?”

“This place is different that wolf she's got over there he might be in this pack but they seem to live all over I don’t think he knows anything.” Daniel smiled,

“Of course he doesn’t they never do.”

“How many times have you done this?” I asked as a weak snarling cut through the trees, Daniel shrugged,

“How long is a piece of string?” I frowned

“That doesn’t even make sense.” Daniel rolled his eyes,

“The answer is who the hell knows.”

“That’s ridiculous.” I snorted,

“f**k it.” Bethany snarled.

“Well that was a complete waste of time.” Christian snarled as he followed as always a step or two behind Bethany like the puppy he was. Behind them trailed Nathan, the newest recruit an arrogant seventeen year old pain in the ass. He wasn’t a natural he had been bitten by some rogue he had pissed off. They had left him for dead and though I’d only known him for like three days now I could understand why they had left him for dead, I'd thought about it. Unfortunately his body was bloody strong and he’d made it through his transition unfortunately his new powers seemed to thrill him rather than scare him as it did with most transitioned males. He simply dissolved in pleasure at how powerful he suddenly was and went around basically beating the crap out of anyone he felt like and biting a fair few too. I would have rather just killed him I suppose that was the part of me that was still an enforcer the part of me which was slowly and sadly dying, but Bethany had wanted him so she had acquired him. He had no loyalty to her what so ever but then did any of us or were we here because we simply had nowhere else to go. I mean Eric had been one of her pack the one who had come to collect Jessica's ransom, we couldn’t be sure but he had never come back, Daniel reckons he ran off with the money. I don't know but I knew Darius had paid it and he wouldn’t have risked his daughter for anything especially not a million. I think Nathan was f*****g Bethany now that was her general way of acquiring control, though I honestly couldn't care less, I’d quickly grown bored of that. Especially after I had seen Jessie again, Damn that girl I so wish I could forget her but no and now I knew full well that Bethany wasn’t even a good substitute and I couldn’t even be bothered with her anymore. And anyway now that I had quit f*****g her I didn’t have to deal with Christian so much. True he was still a pain in my ass I was still constantly challenged by him but he was learning and anyway right now Nathan seemed to be more of a problem for him than I was.

“Done torturing idiots.” I said blandly lighting another cigarette which Bethany snagged from my hand.

“It was necessary. We need to find out what we were doing.” Bethany said, “Idiotic to come here if we don’t know what the pack are up to.”

“Not going to argue with that.” I said picking up my half empty bottle of Jack Daniels and taking a healthy swig. “So what priceless information did you glean from that.”

“Not our fault the stupid cunt died.” Bethany said indifferently blowing smoke at me that didn’t bother me but what did was the look of complete indifference on her face.

“So that was pointless.”

“I don’t know. I had fun.” Nathan said not even flinching as the bottle I had flung hit a tree not an inch from his head shattering spraying him with shards of glass. Nathan snarled at me. I felt the twitching start in my limbs as my shift threatened my eyes narrowed at him as I growled under my breath.

“Nathan mate f*****g apologise.” Daniel said casually. Nathan snorted dismissively “mate seriously you don’t want to get in this.

“Daniel stay out of this.” I snarled in a voice that was already starting to sound more like a growl, the shift was progressing to the point that my bones would soon start realigning incapacitating me however briefly I needed to get a hold of myself , there was very little honour among these guys I knew that. Daniel shrugged,

“Just trying to save you skinned knuckles bro.” He said thoroughly indifferently. Bethany leaned back against a tree behind her watching the exchange between me and Nathan with an air of true indifference , she had wanted to lure me away from the pack I had known that but now she’d succeeded and I was fully rogue I knew she couldn’t care less whether I stayed with her or not. After all when we still shagging she was getting off on the idea that her sister knew full well, but now I’d put a stop to that she was pretty f*****g indifferent about me even being here.

“Beth will you just f*****g sort this.” Christian said waving his blood soaked hands around “we have enough to do without these two engaging in a f*****g pissing contest.”

“You have such a way with words.” Beth said dismissively flicking her fag end away vaguely “besides I don’t think I should deal with intergroup conflict its not good for group moral. They’ll puzzle it out between them.”

“Look Beth we have to get the f**k out of here, those f*****g things start to stink pretty damn quick.” he said with a vague gesture at the body that made me want to snarl at him.

“Fine.” She snapped “Nathan get in the f*****g van, and Derek you deal with that.” she said flipping her hand towards the body again.

“What?” I snapped.

“Look the body bothers you so you f*****g deal with it.” Bethany said vaguely “come find us when your done. We better get moving.”

“Why where the f**k do we have to go?” Bethany smiled,

“Off to reek some havoc my love.” She said lightly flipping her hair before she flounced off her skin tight clothes showing off every inch of her stunning figure. Nathan watched her intently for a few seconds before he grinned at me as if I had lost our little staring contest and rushed off after her with Christian who instantly pushed past him to ensure he was closest to her. When the f**k would he get it Bethany didn’t love him in the least. Says me, But I knew I may have been acting like a lost little puppy over Jessie for a long time but she loved me in her way. Bethany was more than completely indifferent to Christian even being there. Jess always knew I was there she just chose to either avoid me or screw me, I know which I preferred. I turned my back on them and strode back over to the dead wolf, who had been left to rot on the forest floor. I winced at the sight of him, true I had tortured rogues for information to the point of their death so I could hardly take the moral high ground. But this was pointless the body was curled up in the foetal position the thick bonds cutting deep welts into his wrists and ankles clearly he had been beginning to shift his limbs thickening . Blood was still gushing out of him his face was a mangled mess, but he was clearly still reasonably young and the lack of his muscles showed that he was clearly not a warrior he was some sort of civilian trying to pass himself off as human. This pack was so different I didn’t understand it, but I knew one thing, this guy wasn’t going to be able to defend himself against even one of us, and he wasn’t going to know the workings of this pack so what was the point of this death. There was none and that was the single reason I couldn’t deal with it.

“f*****g mess isn’t he.” Daniel said I flinched,

“What the f**k are you doing here?” I snapped leaning over to pick up the body.

“I’ll give you a hand.” Daniel said.

“Why.” I snorted, Daniel shrugged,

“retribution bro. “ he said slowly stubbing out his cigarette on the tree next to him “I maybe doing what I need to do stay alive but being a victim of circumstance doesn't make me like what I have to do.”

“You know in a different life you could have been a good guy.”

“Possibly.” He said with a vague smiled leaning over to grab the guy’s ankles. “So you going to help me move this guy or what?”