CHAPTER 37

JASMINES POV

The police sirens blared, disturbing the peace of the night. Caine and I took another path different from that which we used to come up the mountain. The base was already surrounded by the police and wolf guards, waiting for a command to engage.

“Hurry, this way,” Caine called, pulling my hands towards another path. We ducked under the branches and raced through the foliage, the distant shouts and blaring of the sirens drawing closer. My heart hammered in my heart as adrenaline coursed through my nerves, pushing every muscle in me to run faster.

Caine glanced over the trees above us, pausing for a second as we took a scan of the environment around us.

“Do you even know where we are going?” I asked, hyperventilating as I grabbed my knees.

“We’ll lose them if we can make it to the stream. There’s a tunnel at the bank which leads directly into the pack house. I could sneak you into a car and drive you back to my father's house,” Caine said, withdrawing from where he was after a torchlight waved passed us.

“What if they catch us before that?” I panted, struggling to gain my balance after I moved backward and stumbled over a root. Caine caught me just in time, pressing his index against my lips.

“We’re not alone,” he whispered. A clock snapped through the air, drawing our attention. Caine and I turned to face the familiar figure. The girl from the back of the diner. The wolf hunter,

“Don’t even think about it,” she bellowed, holding the gun firmly with an improved stance as Caine grew out his claws. “I knew it…liars,” she hissed, the pain in her tone giving me goosebumps.

I was about to say something to her when Caine interrupted.

“Look, brown-hair…you might not have noticed but we’re in a bit of chaos. The people chasing us, they’re pretty worse than you think we are. So a bit of advice, run!” Caine said and pulled my hand.

The sound of a bullet pierced through the air, throwing me to my knees with my hands on my head.

“Make another move and the next will be to your brain!” the girl yelled, her hands fidgeting and fighting with the gun. Her ragged breathing filled the air until Caines’ voice broke through it.

“Jasmine,” he called faintly. I turned to him, kneeling a little behind me, with both hands holding his stomach as his blood oozed out. He was shot. “Run,” he whispered, forcing his wolf to take control.

From his struggle, I knew it was a silver billet he had in him.

“I’m not leaving you!” I cried, rushing to assist him.

“I’ll blow your head off if you make another move. You and I can make this go easy. Who killed my family!” The girl yelled, taking distressed steps forward. “Don’t mess with me, girl!” She cried, corking the gun again,

But I didn’t care. All my wolf wanted was to get Caine to safety. His blood was oozing out with an unusual speed, scaring the shit out of me. I applied pressure on the wound, tearing up as I felt his body grow cold.

“Run, Jasmine. I can make it,” he quivered.

“‘No…I’m not leaving you,” I replied, pulling him closer to me. The sounds of the guards and the sirens closed in, and soon, I could hear the heavy boots of the guards heading our way,

There was only one to get Caine to safety without harming anyone else.

“Give me a name!” The girl yelled.

I pushed away from Caine, slowly got to my feet, and lifted my hands in the air. At that moment, I prayed for that surge of energy. But I guess it wasn’t there when I needed it to save someone else.

With a swift turn, I raced down the sloppy hill, running in scattered lanes as bullets were fired from my back,

“I’m here! Help!” I yelled, racing towards the guards. “I’m right here!” I screamed again. I noticed the change in their motion, and soon, I was standing before a ton of wolf guards, the lights from their guns blinding my eyes.

I raised both hands in the air and fell to my knees, surrendering. But I guess that wasn’t enough for someone considered a threat.

My head got knocked with the base of a gun, and my world went blank in a flash.

**********

My head throbbed as I slowly regained consciousness. Voices drifted from behind the thick curtains and door, sharp and escalating.

“You can’t be treating her like this. She’s my daughter, not a prisoner!” My father's voice boomed, filled with anger and frustration. “We have nothing to be scared about at this stage. We can still tame her. She hasn’t met either wolf,” he argued.

“Your daughter is responsible for the death of over a hundred humans. Look at the damage caused in her dormitory…”

“She was attacked!” My father defended.

“And what? It suddenly becomes legal to possess such power?” Alpha Morgan returned. I slipped out of the bed and staggered my way to the door. Halfway, I lost balance and fell.

“Jasmine wasn’t running for no reason. She’s been treated unfairly even when she was still a teenager in your school,” my father added. I thought I heard the low growl of his wolf after his statement.

Was he about to fight the alpha?

“What did you expect from a wolf whom you treat in such a manner? She was trying to survive!”

“By escaping? Joseph, don't let family ties cloud your judgment. She’s just like her mother. A predator. Have you even reached out to her? To know why she lied to you…why she lied to us all those years? Have you? Or you’re too scared to know the truth?” The Alpha thundered.

My father’s growl was the response to his words. I heard a loud thud in the corridor, followed by the slashing of claws and guttural snarls. They were fighting.

I forced myself off my feet, hurrying to the door to know what exactly was going on. I almost slipped as I stepped on the blood spewed on the floor.

“Dad! Stop!” I yelled, holding my head which was still in pain. The alpha was thrown across the corridor, and my father stood, his wolf slowly over his features. “Dad!” I yelled, drawing his attention. His blue eyes flickered with surrender, and soon, those animal features were gone.

The exit door opened and Caine’s younger brother ran in.

“Ohh, my God! Dad!” He exclaimed, rushing to his father who was regaining himself.

“I’m fine. How did it go?” Alpha Morgan asked.

I turned to him, trying to read the room. Why was Dave here and not Caine?

“Before we got there, his body was moved. Caines’ gone,” Dave dropped.

******