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“I’m leaving, but I’m going to get my child first. If you don’t like that, you’ll see what I canreallydo.” I stood there defiant, daring them to make a move. Let them shake in their boots. I needed them as scared as I could get them.
No one approached me. Even Groza seemed frozen and at a loss. I didn’t press my luck. I had to take my moment and seize it. I turned to go get Charlie.
He’d already made his way over, standing behind me. I didn’t know how much he’d heard or seen, but it had been enough to terrorize him as well. He looked back and forth between the angry mob and me, his eyes huge, tears welling up.
I went to pick him up, afraid he’d run from me, but I wasn’t going to leave him here. I’d never leave him again. He clung to me, wrapping his arms around my neck.
“We’re leaving.” That was all I said because it was all I knew. I was getting out of here.
I turned my back on the pack, heading toward the gates. I forced myself not to walk around them, afraid of showing any fear. I made them move out of my way. As I walked out of the gates, the sounds of chaos erupted. Groza’s plan had worked to a point. She had exposed me in front of everyone, but I was still alive.
“What’s happening?” Charlie asked as I carried him to the ATV. I was afraid to let go of him, terrified someone would jump out and try to grab him. I started it up but kept my hand wrapped around his arm so no one could grab him out of the vehicle.
“We have to go.”
“Are we going back to the hotel?”
“No.”
I couldn’t go back to the hotel after what happened. The pack would probably head there first after they regrouped. I couldn’t waste time stopping at the hotel for even clothing. We’d go with the clothes on our backs. I couldn’t go to Lola’s with Charlie, knowing how she felt about shifters. I doubted they’d be a match for Groza anyway, and it wasn’t far enough away.
We were on our own. The only thing we could do was hide while I figured out what to do next. Hopefully some of those fishing lessons Buddie had given Charlie had stuck, because we’d be eating whatever we could catch.
I took a turn onto one of the roads, taking the ATV as far as I could. But once I ran out of a passable road, these tracks would be too easy to find in dirt.
“Come on,” I said to Charlie, grabbing him out of the ATV and moving as fast as I could into the forest. “Charlie, I need you to help me. You need to listen for the sounds of people and tell me if you hear anything. Also if you smell anything, okay? It’s really important.”
“Okay,” he said, clinging to me.
I moved as fast as I could, my breathing growing ragged. The daylight faded, and it got harder to walk as the cool night breeze burned my face.
I refused to cry as I kept moving. I pushed all thoughts of the people we were leaving behind out of my head. They would never understand. They would never see me as anything but a danger, a threat—a monster.
The moon hung low in the sky as my feet ached and my lungs burned. But I kept going.
“I can walk, Piper,” Charlie said.
I put him down but wouldn’t let go of his hand as I looked around. I knelt beside him, exhausted, but there was no time. They’d be coming for us.
“Charlie, can you see really far?” I knew shifters had better sight, especially in the dark.
He nodded.
“We’re going to play a game. I need you to look around and tell me if you can see anywhere we can sleep. Like a house or something. But make sure you don’t see or smell any people.”
He nodded and then looked about.
“Don’t worry, Piper, I’ll find us somewhere safe.” He tugged at my hand, taking the lead and pulling me after him.
I was glad he couldn’t see my face, or the tears welling up in my eyes.
Chapter Thirty-One
Charlie foundus a little cottage at the end of a small street. I didn’t know if it was safe, but we had to stop for the night. I wasn’t going to make it too much father. Tomorrow, I’d focus on finding a bike we could ride. That would help cover our scent trail.
There were some expired crackers in the pantry I gave Charlie for dinner. I had trouble choking down more than a couple.
We settled onto the couch together. Charlie hadn’t asked where we were going. He didn’t speak about what happened back at the pack. He only stared at me, and I could see the fear. I wanted to say something to him, but everything I thought of was a lie. I didn’t know if it would be okay. I didn’t know anything anymore.
