Chapter 5

We arrived in Dallas in the early afternoon. I stepped out of the car and followed Jason down the street. We wandered around for hours before he came to a halt in an alley and turned to face me.

"That smell," he exclaimed, his gaze fixed on me. As he sniffed my arm, I felt my heart rate rise. "You smell exactly like one of the Gemini Lycans."

"Really?" I asked, pretending to be surprised. He looked me in the eyes and pressed his lips against mine, catching me off guard. As a warm sensation filled my body, I melted into his kiss. As the kiss intensified, I wrapped my arms around him, an electric current coursing through me. I winced as a shooting pain shot through my stomach. I gasped and yanked away, my gaze falling to the knife embedded in my abdomen. I looked deep into his already hardened eyes.

"It's you," he growled as I yelped as I pulled out the knife.

"Jason, please," I yelled as he charged at me. I spun around and kicked him. It didn't have the desired effect because I was sloppy due to the blood pouring out of the wound. I dashed down the alley toward the busy street, which was my only option at the time. A few people were screaming as I ran out into the street. As I staggered, one grabbed my arm and looked into my eyes.

"Miss help is on the way," the man said as he held me up. Jason was standing a few feet away from me, but he didn't pursue me. He couldn't risk it with so many people around. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I was attacked," I exclaimed, still clutching the knife in my hand. As he held me, the man noticed it stiffening.

"Don't worry, I've got you," he said, his grey eyes scanning the place. As spots danced across my vision, I could hear sirens wailing in the distance. I handed the knife to the man.

"Don't let them have it," I exclaimed as my vision faded...

In the hospital, I awoke with stitches in my wound. I was relieved to see that my Lycan healing had already begun.

"Miss," I sat up as I noticed the man from the street.

"Who are you?" I asked, noticing his sigh.

"I'm the witch who created this," he said, making me gasp. As he put the knife down,

I tried to move away from him. "I'm not going to cause you any harm."

"How can I trust you when you created the very weapon they're using to kill all Gemini Lycans in the world?" I snarled as he sighed.

"I made the knife to kill one Gemini who was causing a lot of trouble," he explained as he sat next to me.

"Then why is my entire pack hunting my brother and me?" I wondered, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Because Gary is corrupt and is afraid of being overthrown by legitimate leaders," the man lamented. "My name is Ryan."

"My name is Laura," I said quietly, shaking his hand. "A member of my pack is looking for my brother, who is in California."

"Rest, and I'll take you to where he is tomorrow," he said, looking me in the eyes.

"Please stay with me," I begged as he nodded.

"I will, but not because you want me to," he said as I closed my eyes. "You'll figure it out soon."

"Laura, wake up!" Ryan yelled, his voice fearful. When I saw Jason in the hallway, I jumped to my feet. I reached for the knife, but quickly realized it wouldn't be much use. Jason walked in with a wide grin on his face.

"Come with me and he gets to live," Jason yelled as I cast a glance at Ryan. I took a step toward Jason when Ryan grabbed the knife and cut my arm. When he lunged, plunging the blade into Jason's leg, I winced, touching the wound. When Ryan pulled out the knife, Jason screamed. He grabbed my arm and raced out of the room, leaving Jason bleeding on the floor.

"My blood makes it a weapon," I exclaimed as Ryan laughed.

"Yes, I created it to kill and to protect you," he explained as we dashed down three flights of stairs. We rushed down the street to meet a black sports car that was waiting for us. There were a few more people inside the car. As I tried to catch my breath, we jumped in the car and drove away from the hospital.

"What prophecy would send them after me?" I asked, my eyes filled with fear.

"It says that if you and your brother are reunited, your powers will be magnified, which can only happen if you were raised apart," Ryan explained softly. "You are linked by magical strings that have grown and strengthened over time, and all of that energy will be released into you once you are joined."

"Gary believes we'd like to be Alpha," I sighed. "Because we were raised apart, we are a greater threat than before."

"Yes, and your parents knew this was going to happen," he said, causing me to come to a halt.

"My mother is no longer alive, and my father told them about the power of the special knife and to track us by our smell," I gritted my teeth.

"I'm sorry she passed away, but we don't have time for this; we need your brother's name so we can track him down," Ryan said. I remembered his name, Scott... Donald.

"His name is Scott Donald," I said as the man in the backseat entered the information into the computer.

"It appears we are on our way to north San Diego," the man said to Ryan. We had to hope we beat the pack or my brother would be dead. I could feel him getting closer as we drove toward California. I could tell he was feeling something as well.

"How are we going to protect him?" I asked softly as a few people pointed guns at me.

"If they try to hurt him, silver bullets laced with wolfsbane will end them," Ryan said, squeezing my hand.

"Thank you for assisting me and believing in me," I said through tears. I'd lost so much in just a few weeks, but the worst part was how I'd lost Jason. He stabbed me after kissing me as a distraction. Even greater betrayals must be waiting for me in Texas.