2. Eleven

It was as if the bond knew what I meant to do because as soon as I drove out of the pack lands, the unease in my body became a dull throb in my chest. It wasn't gut-wrenching painful but was still very distracting. 

All I wanted to do then was turn the car around and run into Harper's arms. I felt a voice inside me that begged me to go back to Harper. 

As the distance between me and home increased, I became homesick. As homesick as I ever could be. The images of my parent and Cory flashed through my mind, making me want to give up the idea of leaving altogether. I knew it was the bond playing tricks on my mind but that didn't make it any easier.

Flashes and memories with my family, friends, and even Harper revolved in my mind, making me clench the steering wheel in frustration. I was helpless to this supernatural force and I found it futile to resist it. The bond was playing games on my mind and I was completely prone to it.

Being human, whatever effects, I felt because of the straining of the bond were, to a very large extent, muted. My thoughts drifted to Harper and how much pain he would be feeling at the exact moment because I selfishly decided that I needed time to get away. As the thought crossed my mind, I had to park my car on the side of the road. I took deep breaths to overcome the feeling of claustrophobia I felt while sitting in the car. I opened the car door and fell on the gravel road.

Tears streamed down my cheeks at the feeling of being torn. It hurt to drive away I didn't want to go back. I couldn't imagine how pathetic I felt and wondered how I must have looked to other people. A teenage girl, sitting on all fours, gasping for breath, with tears streaming down her cheeks. What would they think when they found out that the only reason, I was this miserable was because I couldn't get away from my ex-boyfriend?

How pathetic!

How had my life come to this?!

I hastily reached for my purse in the passenger seat and took out my phone. I fumbled a lot with it and clumsily dialed Sebastian's number. I couldn't make out the phone screen because of the tears in my eyes. I put the phone to my ear and waited with bated breath as the call went through.

"Hello, Zara? Is everything alright?" Sebastian's voice came through and a huge wave of homesickness washed over me. I never thought I could ever feel homesick because of him, but here I was.

A sob broke out of my throat. "I can't do this. I want to come back."

"Zara." He took a deep breath. "Where are you?"

I told him where I was and I was surprised at the amount of distance I had covered. I had been traveling for four hours and hadn't made any progress. I had left the pack lands just half an hour ago.

"Get up from the road and sit in the car. I'm coming to get you."

A wave of happiness washed over me. Sebastian was coming to get me, which meant I would go back home and into Harper's arms. The thought made me calm enough to get up from the road and get back in the car.

I tentatively put my hands on the steering wheel and clenched it so tightly that my knuckles turned white. I gulped and took a deep breath to calm myself down. I hastily wiped away tears from my cheeks. I wasn't ever this weak and I didn't plan on being this way now.

I plugged my phone into the music system of the car and played my playlist. I leaned back in the driver's seat and closed my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up suddenly when I heard someone tapping on the window of the driver's seat. Talk about being irresponsible, sleeping in a car on a highway for a few hours. 

I woke up groggily, unaware of where I was, for a few seconds. Sebastian was standing outside my car, gently rapping on the window to wake me up. I opened the door to the car and looked behind them.

"My beta dropped me here." He answered the question I was going to ask. My eyes zeroed on his face and took in his worried face. He was genuinely worried about me; I could see that and the realization made me burst into tears. The homesickness finally got to me and sobs wracked my body. 

He took me in his arms and I cried into his shoulders. I had never expected to receive so much care from him and it made me grateful to have him. The way he was comforting me reminded me of my dad, who didn't even know the real reason for my going away and guilt struck me. His face flashed through my mind and my sobs became more powerful.

"Oh god! I knew that would happen." Sebastian's voice reached me through a haze of tears and cries while he rocked me gently.

He held me till I calmed down and then gently wiped away the tears from my face. "That's what the bond does. It physically hurts you when you want to get away like this." Something in his voice told me that he was dealing from experience as well but I was far too upset to feel sorry for me. I couldn't even feel sorry for myself right then.

He pulled me out of the car and walked me to the passenger side. He opened the door and put all my stuff in the back seat. Then, he guided me to sit and clicked the seat belt into place.

"Sleep, Zara. It will be alright."

Maybe he used his compulsion on me or maybe I was too tired after feeling the effects of the bond, but I slipped into a sleep right away.

Faintly, I registered the sound of a car door closing and the car coming to life. I only hoped we were going the right away.

I just didn't know what the right way was.

***

I woke up to a pounding headache and groaned as I sat up on the bed. I felt dizzy for a few seconds and frowned when my eyes focused enough to look at my surroundings.

I was in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. I remembered vaguely the events of last night and blushed at how pathetic I was being.

I couldn't feel any pain or unease in me so Sebastian must have driven us back into the pack lands. I wasn't sure if it made me happy. I ran my hand through my hair to undo the knots when the door opened and Sebastian walked in.

I was disappointed when I saw it was him. I had hoped Harper would be sitting beside me when he realized that I had come back, even if I had only ever gone for a few hours. But I wasn't going to be ungrateful to a man who had given up on his alpha duties just to come and get me.

"Where's Harper?" I asked and realized that my voice came out deep and husky. How many hours was I asleep?!

Sebastian stopped mid-stride and frowned at my question. "We aren't in the pack lands, Zara."

"What?" My hand subconsciously went to my chest where I absentmindedly rubbed it. Sebastian must have understood what I was thinking because he slowly walked over to the bed (I was only now realizing that I was in some hotel room) and sat beside me.

"You don't feel the pain and the uneasiness of being away", I nodded. I wondered if the bond had finally snapped under the strain and had finally disappeared. Not being connected by the bond to Harper brought an unimaginable amount of pain in my head and I cradled it immediately in my hands.

Sebastian put one of his hands on my shoulders which made me look at him. "The reason you don't feel the strain of the bond is because I put this bracelet on you."

My gaze moved from his face to my wrist where a dainty silver bracelet rested. "Silver slows down a werewolf, so I thought it would ease the reactions the bond to a werewolf was causing you. It was just a hunch but it's good that I was right."

I gently fingered the bracelet with my other hand and looked at him. "Thank you." 

He smiled and nodded at me. He pulled out two silver rings from the back pocket of his jeans and handed them to me.

"That silver will only be able to put off the effects for some time. If you plan to stay any longer, wear these rings. They are made of silver too."

I held up my palm and thanked him.

"I would have given you more but I could only find these things in my haste." He looked apologetic and I smiled at him in gratitude. How could this man do so much for me when he didn't have anything to gain from it? 

"You have to get up now. We will reach your sister's place in three hours if we hit the road now."

The realization of being close to my sister again hit me full force and I bit back on a groan. I clenched the rings in my hands, determined to not leave before I fulfilled what I came here to do.