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Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“I’m not lost…I’m just turned around, that’s all.”

Unknown

“Scarlett, are you sure we’re headed in the right direction? We’ve been hiking for more than a day – it feels like we should’ve seen at least something by now.”

I stopped walking to lean against a large tree trunk.

As someone whose muscles hurt at even the thought of physical activity, hiking through the woods with Scarlett had been less than pleasant. We’d been on foot for more than a day, and every muscle in my body burned with exhaustion. Even with breaks for food and water or sleep, my lungs still ached.

Of course, Scarlett and her supernatural abilities were doing just fine. She wasn’t even breathing heavy – it was my human body that was slowing us down.

She glanced back at me. While I must’ve looked like a sweaty mess, there wasn’t a hair out of place or a drop of sweat on her face.

Maybe she always looks good because she’s the main character. Like some sort of main character privilege.

“Well, we’re out of Crescent Moon territory, I know that,” she said, “And we’ve covered about fifteen miles, so I’m pretty sure the town is just a few more miles east of us.”

“Pretty sure?” I repeated.

Scarlett suddenly looked a little sheepish, and began rubbing the back of her neck anxiously. “Well, I suppose it could be west,” she murmured, “Or possibly north.”

“East? West? North? Those are very different directions.” I used what little energy I had left to push off the tree and gesture to the unknown forest around us. “You’re the one who knows this place, which is why I’ve been letting you navigate this entire time. I thought you knew where you were going. Please tell me you haven’t been leading us into the middle of nowhere, Scarlett.”

I hadn’t even raised my voice, and already, she looked like a kicked puppy.

“It’s just…I’ve never been outside the pack,” she said.

“Wait…like ever?” I asked, “You haven’t left the Crescent Moon territory in eighteen years?”

She shook her head, and I felt something close to pity twisting in my stomach.

She must’ve read the pity on my face because she suddenly said, “No, it’s okay. The pack lands were large and when I wasn’t doing chores, I got to explore them. I asked to go on supply runs sometimes, but everyone always said that I would just slow them down.”

“Well, you’re not following anyone else’s orders right now,” I told her, “What’s the term for a lone wolf?” I could’ve sworn I’d read it in the book, but I was still unfamiliar with werewolf romances as well as the terminology.

“A rogue?” She offered.

“Yes!” I said, snapping my fingers, “You’re one of those now, which means you can do whatever the hell you want. You don’t have to bow down to anyone, especially not that selfish prick of a former mate.”

Rather than look motivated by my words, Scarlett’s face only twisted into a frown. “Rogues aren’t a good thing, Elsie,” she said, “Most packs either kill them on sight or throw them in the dungeons.”

“Well, we’re not heading toward another pack,” I shot back, “Our destination is that human town of yours. Besides, you’ve got a basic idea of where other packs or territories are, right?”

“Well…” I could already tell by her hesitancy that the answer was no, and I felt my stomach sink a little.

She’s still a powerful werewolf who can kick ass, I reminded myself. Traveling with her is better than alone, even if she has no idea where she’s going.

“I know that the Crescents are neighbors with the Nightwalkers pack,” she continued, “We’re supposed to be allies, although I’m not entirely sure where their territory is…so I guess we could be there.”

“Right,” I said, staring off into the forest. I was starting to get a headache. “Maybe we should call it a day and get some rest. When we wake up in the morning, we can figure out which direction we want to go.”

The sun had already begun dipping below the horizon, and I didn’t like traveling at night if I could help it. Scarlett’s night vision may have been fine, but mine certainly wasn’t – and the last thing I needed was to twist an ankle or step on something poisonous.

Scarlett nodded at my proposition, and we both settled against tree trunks across from each other. Fortunately, she’d thought to bring a couple of blankets in her pack, so I curled up with the threadbare fabric as much as I could.

And with Scarlett taking the first-watch, I fell into a restless, uncomfortable sleep with the bark of the tree digging into my back.

📕📕📕

It wasn’t birds chirping or warm sun that woke me up the next morning – it was growling and the sound of someone crying.

“Hey, there’s another one over here! Wake her up!”

I barely had time to open my eyes before sharp nails were digging into my arm, and harshly pulling me off the ground. The hands let me go as soon as I was on my feet, and I stumbled to grab hold of the same tree I’d fallen asleep against.

My eyes shot open, and still half-asleep, I tried to comprehend what was happening. And as soon as I did, my heart dropped like a stone into my stomach.

Scarlett and I weren’t alone anymore.

The sun was up, and we were surrounded by three gigantic wolves, and two of the burliest men I’d ever seen in my life. One of the wolves had backed Scarlett into a tree, stalking her like prey as she cried.

Okay, this isn’t good.

I think it’s safe to assume these aren’t Asher’s men, but who are they?

The man who’d grabbed me, a dark-skinned man with broad shoulders and a shaved head, flared his nostrils at me. “This one is human,” he said, glancing at a shorter blonde man beside him. “I can smell it.”

The blonde man’s suspicious gaze darted between Scarlett and I. “A human and a werewolf traveling alone,” he growled, “Are you rogues? What are you doing on our territory without permission?”

I glanced at Scarlett, who looked like she was in the midst of a panic attack. She was far too focused on freaking out (and trying not to piss off the giant wolf in front of her) to engage with the blonde man.

Which left me.

My heart was hammering away like a drum and my hands were shaking.

Deep breaths, Elsie.

You can’t panic right now – you’ve got to stay logical.

These men were clearly werewolves.

And unfamiliar.

And probably willing to kill us if we gave an answer they didn’t like.

With my hands still shaking like crazy, I addressed the two men in their human forms. “I think this is just a misunderstanding,” I said, and even my voice was shaky. “We’re not rogues!”

Neither of the men looked the least bit convinced by my wobbly explanation.

“Then what are you?” The dark-skinned man asked. He turned to the blonde again. “I’ve never seen a human traveling with a werewolf before, have you?”

The blonde shook his head.

Come on, Elsie! Think!

“Well, that’s because…” I rattled my brain for something that wouldn’t end with my head on the floor. “She’s escorting me.”

Both men raised their eyebrows, but the rest of the lie had already begun falling from my lips. “I accidentally stumbled onto Crescent Moon territory a couple of days ago, and the Alpha sent one of his wolves –” I gestured to Scarlett. “ – to escort me back to human civilization, but we got a little lost on the way there.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. After all, I had ended up on Crescent Moon territory accidentally and Scarlett was escorting me back to human civilization. I’d just left out the part where nobody knew we’d left, and I was actually from an entirely different world.

Through her panic, Scarlett managed a shaky nod of agreement when the blonde man looked at her.

“Crescent Moon, huh?” The blonde asked, staring at me again. He had piercing blue eyes, and it took everything in me not to waver under his gaze. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Like he was looking right through me.

Still, I was determined to make sure we got out of this. “We really didn’t mean any harm,” I continued, holding my hands up in surrender, “So, if you could just point us to the border of your territory, we’ll go right back to being lost on someone else’s lands.”

The men exchanged a look between them, as if weighing the pros and cons of killing us or just letting us walk away.

To my surprise, Scarlett spoke up next. “This is N-nightwalker t-territory, right?” She stuttered, and flinched when the blonde man turned his piercing gaze to her. “You’re allies with Crescent Moon.”

“Yeah,” I piped up, pointing to Scarlett. “If you kill us, you’ll be killing a pack member from an allied pack.” I paused to let that sink in before slyly adding, “I don’t know about you guys, but having to answer to your Alpha or even ours sounds a lot more stressful than just letting us be on our way.”

Tense silence hung in the air, and I didn’t even dare breathe for fear that they’d see through my bluff.

Because that’s what it was – a bluff. Scarlett and I both knew full well that neither Asher or anyone else in the Crescent Moon would blink an eye at our deaths. I was just a human, and they all hated Scarlett…but the men in front of us didn’t know that.

The men exchanged another look before the blonde finally looked at us again. “Well, you two make some good points,” he said, a smile spreading across his face. That should’ve made me feel better, but his smile only unnerved me more. “There’s only one problem here.”

“What’s that?” I whispered, and my heart was already in my throat.

Something was wrong. We needed to get out of here.

“This isn’t Nightwalker territory anymore,” the blonde said, and his smile turned dark.

“Anymore?” I repeated, and I was almost positive they could smell my fear.

It took everything in me not to bolt, but I knew I wouldn’t get far.

“The Nightwalkers are under new management, you can say,” the blonde man’s eyes flashed with dark amusement. “Welcome to the Dark Moon pack, ladies.”

Scarlett let out a fearful cry.

My stomach dropped.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Of all the places we could end up…

My head was spinning so fast that I barely registered when the dark-skinned man hauled me up by the arm, and began tugging me along.

The wolf who’d cornered Scarlett growled at her and began nudging her along with its snout.

“Where are you taking us?” I asked, flinching at the harsh grip on my arm.

The blonde took the lead in the group, and didn’t even bother turning around as he said, “Well, normally we just kill unfamiliar wolves and humans that end up on our lands, but there’s something odd about you two and your story. I don’t buy it.”

“It’s the truth,” I argued, “There’s nothing odd about us.”

He paused, turning around to shoot me another dark smile. “Well, if that’s true, you can explain it to our Alpha.”

He’d turned around before the words actually registered in my brain.

We were on Dark Moon territory, which meant –

We were going to meet the cruel, ruthless Alpha Enzo.

The man with a penchant for world domination, and the villain of Scarlett’s story.

Well, if memory serves, the Alpha Enzo from the book wasn’t fond of humans…or basically anyone.

Which means he’s definitely going to kill us.

Now that my life is on the line, I really regret telling Ava how hot I thought his character was.

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