AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She had to be quick. No way did she want to smell of this place and risk getting tracked by her ex-pack. She headed straight for the area that contained everything she needed. Hopefully he hadn’t managed to find it, if he was even looking. He probably just wanted to come here and create some havoc before she left, one last chance to take control.
“Thank god.” She breathed a huge sigh of relief when she saw the fan above the stove hadn’t been disturbed. That thing had never worked and had been her hiding place of choice for her stash.
Pulling off the grid, she reached up and took out the plastic bags that contained her money and ID. As she did, she realized she never really trusted Clark. She wouldn’t have this type of stash if she did. Perhaps she always knew it would come to something like this.
She looked at the money, saved from years of tips that she’d worked so hard for, and felt proud of what she was able to achieve with some hard work and a good attitude. Thank god she’d listened to her instincts when it came to saving money and wanting to be financially independent.
Then she ran to her bedroom, collected a rucksack, and threw in the money along with some small basic items of clothing. She didn’t need anything else. Just her money, her ID, and the courage to do this. Without even taking a glance around, she left.
She walked as quickly as she could, avoiding the major roads and routes as she made her way to the neighboring town—a larger one that had a busy bus terminal. By the time she got there, she was tired, and her feet ached, but it was worth everything. She was already on her way out.
She boarded her bus, feeling for the first time that she might actually be able to escape. As they pulled out of the station, her eyes were glued to the window, trying to catch any sight of her ex-pack members.
But she saw nothing. No Jonah, no Clarke. Just the usual sights and sounds that anyone would expect somewhere like this—people coming and going, suitcases, luggage. Nothing out of the ordinary.
She rested her head against the back of the seat, relief making its way through her tired and anxious body. It wasn’t going to be a long trip. The plan was to get on and off across several stops and lines, throwing them off her scent so they wouldn’t be able to track her.
Altogether, she had four changes to make and she was desperate not to fall asleep just in case she missed any of her stops. Plus, she was too worried that by sleeping, she would be letting her guard down. She was a long way off from being able to relax. Yet.
Along the way she stopped off at a thrift store, buying several outfits that she could change into and then dump before moving on, just another way to throw them off her scent. Piece by piece she was leaving a trail of lies.
It was only midday when she boarded the next bus, tired but wired as she tried not to think about how Jonah and the others would have reacted when they discovered she was gone. If she thought about those things long enough, they might be her undoing.
The bus wasn’t too full, and she stopped at two empty seats, hoping she’d be able to sit there alone for the duration of the journey. As tired as she was, no way was she going to sleep, and she didn’t want to have to make small talk or even deal with someone sitting next to her right now.
After putting her bag in the overhead compartment, she settled into her seat, her eyes heavy from the complete lack of sleep and her mind on where she was going to end up. She knew the best place would be somewhere that would help cover her scent.
They would never let her just go. She was pretty sure of that. The only way forward was to pitch up in the hardest place to find her—somewhere with lots of scents, lots of people, and all that came with them.
A place teeming with scents, distractions, and a distinct lack of open green spaces wasn’t the natural habitat of a shifter. But at this point, she had no choice. She was on her way to the next state over.
It was city life for her from now on.
Chapter 4
Delilah
Ithadtakensometime, but after looking around the city, Delilah had found a hotel with vacancies within her budget. Being overwhelmed, she had taken an entire day to just sleep. The television had streaming options, so she binge-watched and ate pizza.
The break was exactly what she needed. These past few days, she had feared for her life, severed ties with an abusive lover, and gone on the run. A “me day” seemed merited.
But today, Delilah felt remorseful. She couldn’t afford to take an entire day to rest, but she had. She had built up plenty of savings, but it was easy to burn through what wasn’t being replenished.
Today, she vowed to find something more permanent in town. She couldn’t afford to stay in hotels forever with no income. What’s more, the room was nice, but it was a little too cozy for her.
She dried her hair after spending much of the morning in the jacuzzi. The room came with a hair dryer, kitchenette, couch, and coffee table, packed tightly together. She admired the wall art—an impressionist painting of a mountain meadow, which reminded her of a Van Gogh she had seen—before stepping out.
The complimentary breakfast was satisfying but made her miss home. Here, the eggs were fake or hard-boiled, the cereal was a little stale, and the bacon and sausage were dry and burned. She remembered the feasts back home they would make for the pack and felt resentful at all that had been snatched from her.
The transition from the calm lobby, with hints of smooth jazz filling the room, to the city streets, was pronounced. With her enhanced senses, Delilah was suddenly overtaken by the auditory assault.
Outside, car horns honked angrily, echoing through the streets and hotel parking lot. Valets took cars from guests and moved them into the parking garage. Fortunately, Delilah didn’t have far to walk.
Witnessing the barely moving traffic and furious drivers, Delilah was thankful to be a pedestrian. She strode down the street, proudly looking to the sky. Doubting herself would do her no good. She needed to walk with confidence, taking her day in stride.
“Ay, caramba!” a man shouted out his car window at Delilah. She pulled her jacket tight and kept walking, avoiding eye contact with the driver as he blurred past. It had been a middle-aged man, seemingly there just to ogle people.
Skyscrapers dominated the scenery. It wasn’t just tall buildings of glass windows and rectangular steel but ornate towers of every conceivable shape and subdued color. They all stood apart, but still blended harmoniously into one giant mosaic of a skyline. Delilah loved the variety of businesses and architecture that dominated the cityscape.
