Chapter 5

After cleaning up from lunch and completing some additional chores, I headed to my room and waited. Since dinner was not being served at the packhouse tonight, I wasn’t sure when the best time to leave would be. I contemplated what I knew about patrols, checkpoints, and what I thought the warriors would be doing with the Alpha, Luna, and Beta gone. The one thing I wasn’t sure of was when to expect the patrols passing by the creek. I would need to leave shortly after they left the area around the creek. All of this was risky. A good, well-organized pack would not be so easy to escape, and I had already been unsuccessful.

I paced around the room.  It was well after dark at this point, and I knew I had to leave soon. I checked my backpack, the nervous energy of leaving running through me. I needed to get out of here.

A knock on the door startled me, causing me to jump, nearly stumbling over my own feet. I pushed the backpack off the bed, hiding it on the other side.  The door opened before I could answer it and I nearly fell over as it opened in front of me.

“Delta? What are you doing here?” I asked, surprise riddled through my voice.

He stepped in quietly but quickly and shut the door behind him. A sudden rush of unease rushed through me at his actions, and I had a flash that something terrible was going to happen.

Jeremy reached out his hand, taking hold of my wrist to stop me from falling backwards. “Are you okay?” He asked, dropping my hand once I was steady on my feet.

“I am good, thanks.” I replied, taking a step back. “Is everything okay?” I took a calming breath as I spoke, not realizing that I was so nervous. My anxious energy was playing tricks on me, and I hadn’t been able to stop my emotions when Jeremy walked in.

“Everything is good. Are you okay? I didn’t mean to startle you.” He stated, looking around the room.

I smiled. “I am good. I just wasn’t expecting anyone.”

“The patrol is getting ready to pass by the creek. If you are going to leave, you need to leave now. The packhouse is empty. Leave out the backdoor and go straight to the tree line. Follow it east until you reach the creek, and then follow that until it ends. Take this.” He stated, handing me an envelope. “I am going to head out to the patrol station that is located about 100 feet from the creek. I will keep the patrol stationed there distracted. Leave five minutes after I do.”

I sighed and sat down on the bed, grabbing my bag and placing it next to me. I opened the front pocket, ready to place the envelope that Jeremy gave me when he stated, “That envelope contains money, as well as directions to the five closest packs to here. Since we haven’t talked about where you wanted to go, I just included directions for a few places. All of the directions start as soon as you get over the rocky terrain at the end of the creek.”

“You really didn’t need to do this,” I started, placing the envelope in the pocket, zipping it closed, “but thank you. Does this include directions to the Red Moon Pack?” I asked as I stood, turning back towards Jeremy.

“Yes, it does. If you plan on going there, be careful. Because the Red Wolf Compound is there, there are a lot more patrols and security. At the last Alpha meeting, they were discussing upgrading their surveillance to include some pretty high-tech equipment. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t go there. They just prefer that you go through their checkpoints rather than just trying to walk into their territory.” He smiled as he spoke, but I knew that his words held a warning. I knew that my sister and I had been lucky as we had wandered across the country trying to get to the Red Moon Pack. We had ended up on other pack lands a few times, although most times we were able to recognize that we had and get back off just as quickly. On the off chance that we were spotted by patrols, which only happened twice, we were able to talk our way out of getting caught. Coral’s abilities were yet to be fully explored, but whatever she was able to do was able to get us out of trouble both times.

“I am going to head out now. Remember, leave five minutes after I do.” Jeremy and I said our goodbyes and he headed out.

After Jeremy left, I sat on my bed and pulled out the envelope. Inside was nearly $1000 and several maps with detailed directions. He also included phone numbers. All I had to do was get away from here and make a call and I could be at the Red Moon Pack before I even knew it.

The seconds seemed to tick by so slowing, I thought for a moment that time was actually reversing. Waiting the five minutes to leave was the longest five minutes of my life. When the clock finally shows that five minutes have passed, I need to stop myself from running out the door. I knew that the packhouse was empty, but I didn’t want to risk running out the backdoor.

I opened the door to my room, taking one last look around the space that could barely be called a bedroom. The twin size bed in the middle of the room and dresser were the only two items that could fit in the space. The room had no windows and only a small amount of space to move around. This had been my own personal prison for the last year, and I was happy to leave it behind.

Glancing down the hall, I slowly move out of the room and close the door. I trained my ears, listening for any sound in the packhouse. I don’t hear anything and stated to make my way through the house and towards the backdoor.

The view from the backdoor told me everything I needed to know. The training field was empty and I had a clear sight to the creek. I opened the backdoor and stepped outside. Unless I was being set up, I knew that I was on my way to freedom. I sprinted across the training field as fast as I could. Entering the tree line, I looked across the training field, making sure that no other wolves were out. Thanks to the enhanced hearing that I was still able to maintain, I could hear wolves in the distance, but no one was close.

I trudged along the tree line, heading west until I made it to the creek. I adjusted the backpack, pulling the straps a little tighter as I anticipated the long journey. As I began walking along the creek, my mind slipped to Coral. Jeremy told me that there was no sign of anyone in the cabin when he arrived nearly seven months after we left. I was concerned that the photos were still in the cabin. There was no way that Coral would leave those photos behind unless something caused her to leave abruptly. These photos were the last connections that we had to our mom and dad and meant so much to us. I couldn’t imagine what happened that would have caused Coral to leave without them. If Alpha Callan and Alpha Michael had come to bring her back to the Red Wolf Compound, she surely would have taken the photos with her.

But if Coral was worried about me and was upset when they arrived, there is a possibility that she might have left without them. Knowing that Sarah knows where the cabin is, she might have thought that she could just go back and get them.

My foot slipped, causing it to fall in the water, pulling me from my thoughts. I cursed under my breath. My shoe was wet. While it was only a minor inconvenience, it still sucked. It only added to the negative thoughts that were running through my mind. I knew that all of that about Coral was just wishful thinking. Deep down, I was concerned that something had happened to Coral and that she was not at the Red Wolf Compound. Well, I wasn’t just concerned about it. I knew she wasn’t there. If Coral was there, she would have insisted that they come looking for me. And, judging by the maps that Jeremy had provided to me, I knew that I wasn’t only about 150 miles from the Red Moon Pack. Coral would not have allowed them to just make phone calls to try to find me. She would have made sure that they actually sent out scouts to try to find me. I was close enough to be found and I wasn’t, which meant Coral was not safe.

I had been walking about an hour when I could hear voices in the distance. I slowed my pace, trying to pinpoint where the voices were coming from. The Delta hadn’t told me how far away the creek the patrol station was, but if I had to guess, I would say that I had come upon it. I crept forward, trying to make out the voices and ensure that they were not too close. I would have been screwed without my enhanced hearing, but with it, I could make out bits and pieces of what was being said. I didn’t recognize most of the voices, although the sound of the Delta’s voice allowed me to let out the breath that I was holding. He was holding up his end of the deal. I could hear the jovial tone in the conversation even if I didn’t know exactly what was being said. It was clear that Jeremy was distracting the patrol so I could get by.

I said a silent ‘thank you’ as I moved past the patrol. I continued on along the creek, keeping my head down and my ears opened. Jeremy wasn’t lying when he said that the patrols would be lax. On any other day, I should have encountered at least one patrol on my way out. The patrol groups were staggered in such a way that no one area was without patrol for any more than an hour. Yet, I had been walking for nearly two hours and I had not seen anyone.

After walking another 30 minutes, I felt a weight lift off of me. I had come to clearing. Although the creek continued on east, I had exited the densest part of the forest and I knew that I had left pack territory. That same pressure in the back of my head returned and I could sense that it was my wolf acknowledging that we were one step closer to freedom.

‘Soon, Senna, soon.’ I spoke to my wolf. I wasn’t sure if she could hear me or not, but I had spent a lot of time talking to her over the past year. I never anticipated being without my wolf for so long. I was actually lonely without her. I hadn’t realized how much I communicated with her throughout the day until she was gone. I had slowly adjusted to it, but I know that if I had Senna with me, this last year would have been much more tolerable.

After walking another two hours, I decided to take a break. I had been walking almost five hours and I was exhausted. I checked the maps that Jeremy had provided me before I left. One of the maps was a general map of the area. Based on the direction I was traveling, I would not encounter another pack before I reached the human towns and could make some phone calls.

The Silver Springs Pack was located right next to several human towns, so I had a lot of experience interacting with humans. I was grateful for this experience when Coral and I decided to leave. It allowed us to easily navigate through towns without too much trouble. There are still some packs that isolate completely from humans. It seems impractical to do so, but I know that some still do it. Most Alphas own property throughout their pack territory as well as in surrounding cities and towns. That was typically how they made most of their money. Running a pack was very expensive and those businesses help to fund all that is needed to run the pack.

With a sigh, I grabbed a granola bar from my bag and scarfed it down. I had skipped dinner, and I was now realizing how bad of a decision that was. I had been so anxious and excited about leaving that I had been unable to eat. However, with how much energy I was expending, it really hadn’t been the best decision that I had made. It definitely won’t be the last bad decision I make.

The process of walking this far was exhausting. It had been so long since I had walked this much, coupled with the fact that I had lost muscle mass not just from losing my wolf, but also from lack of good exercise and good diet. Just when I felt as if I can’t walk anymore, the creek seemed to end. Water falling from the rocky terrain marked the start of the creek. A smile fell across my lips, and I couldn’t help the wave of excitement that ran through me. The previous exhaustion that I had felt is gone and I felt as if I could take on the rough terrain that confronted me.

By the time I reached the point in all of this rocky terrain crap where I felt as if I could rest, full exhaustion had set back in. While I did feel safe where I was, the fight between wanting to continue and needing to rest was fully waging within me. The tiredness won out, and I found a spot where I could sit and rest for a few minutes.

I had no idea how long I slept but drops of raining hitting me woke me up. I jumped up, grabbing my backpack and ran towards a tree for some cover.

My frustration mounted when well over an hour had passed and the ran was still falling. Against probably most of my better judgment, I decided to trudge on. I was losing time by waiting for the rain to pass and each minute that went by was another minute when someone from the pack would come looking for their runaway omega. I was confident that Jeremy would direct them the opposite way, but I couldn’t chance it. I had to keep moving.

I continued down the rocky terrain. Unfortunately, I could not see the end of this terrain. Jeremy had said that it was rough, but I hadn’t anticipated it going on for so long. This must have been a long stretch that was part of the mountainous region in this area. Although it provided good cover and made it more difficult to be followed, it was difficult terrain to traverse. When the rain was added in, this trek was becoming nearly impassible.

I slipped, nearly losing my footing, but was quickly able to regain my balance. The rain was falling hard and I was soaked. I had checked the backpack once already and, thankfully, it seemed to be watertight, but I wasn’t sure how much more rain it could handle.

I slipped again, but this time, I could not keep my balance. The terrain here was too steep. I yelped as my leg twisted underneath me and I started sliding down the hill. My body collided with a boulder that stopped my downward decent, my shoulder crushing with such force that I literally saw stars. I tried to push myself, but my leg crumbled under my own weight. I collapsed to the ground, pain radiating throughout my entire body.  A tree just a few feet away became my destination as I attempted to pull myself out of the rain. It was a slow process, and I was unable to move more than a small push at a time.

By the time I finally make it under the tree, I pulled the backpack underneath me and collapsed, exhaustion and pain causing everything around me to go black.