Chapter 10: Chapter 10

SCARLET

Ethan and another man are chatting outside my door. I hear them talking about the Scourge and some ill wolves.

I already knew that six men were stabbed to death. The scent of the culprits was followed back to the Scourge. My torturer said I had the scent on me. How did that happen? And what do they mean that I had the murder weapon in my possession?

Pacing back and forth anxiously, I urge my mind to think back to that day, the day that I met my mate. I freeze as my eyes widen in realization. Ray! That bastard! He was cleaning blood off the knife that I took from him. Plus, he wouldn’t get his grubby paws off me.

And the scent Ethan mentioned… After a moment’s thought, I knew. That is definitely Ray. Goddess, if they found him, Ray wouldn’t hesitate to lie and say I was involved.

I shake my head in anger and irritation. It was all his fault that the Crescent Moon Pack attacked us. He and his goons are the reason innocent people died. I can’t let them get away with this, but I can’t trust Ethan’s pack to take care of it without it implicating me. And who knows how many other innocent packless would die in the process.

Ethan and the other pack member continue to talk outside my door, but I imagine I don’t have much time. I need to find a way out of here.

I quickly look around, trying to think of a way to escape. Whatever I decide to do, I’ll need to be quick and quiet about it.

I walk to the large window, unfasten the latch, and open it wide to reveal a narrow Juliet balcony. This high up, it’s cold and windy. The people below look like ants, and I breathe in deeply to calm myself.

I must be at least forty stories up.

There’s a narrow ledge, only about six inches deep, that circles the building. A staircase is just a few yards away. A fire escape. I frantically look around for a way to get over there without falling to my death.

The stone wall is uneven. I can use it as a handhold while I inch along the ledge. It’ll be risky, but as far as I can tell, it’s also my only way out of here.

If I had more time, I would probably talk myself out of it, but instead I hold onto the railing, hoisting one leg over and out of the room.

Goddess, I must be crazy.

I take another deep breath and force myself to not look down. Wolves heal fast, but a fall like this would crush me beyond repair.

“~This is ridiculous. Go back inside before you kill yourself,~” my wolf scolds.

“~Shut up. Don’t distract me.~”

“~Don’t be stupid and then you don’t have to worry about it. You should just tell our mate what you know.~”

“~No way! He’ll go in there guns blazing like last time,~” I argue.

“~You mean claws drawn?~”

“~Shut up! You know what I mean! What if next time Jo or Will are the ones that get in the way? Then what?~” I insist. My wolf finally quiets. She cares about Jo and Will too and has finally realized there is no talking me out of my decision.

Before taking the first step onto the ledge, I reach up and make sure my grip on the ridge above me is secure. After that, I move my feet one at a time and position myself so that my nose is practically touching the exterior stone wall.

The wind is strong this high up, stronger than I originally anticipated.

My grip tightens as I imagine a random gust of air causing my demise. Slowly, I inhale deeply before blowing it softly from my lips.

Once I’ve calmed my nerves, I inch my way toward the fire escape cautiously. My palms get sweaty, and my heart rate accelerates.

After what feels like an eternity, I reach the fire escape. I will myself to start the run down the stairs, despite my urge to crouch in the corner and catch my breath.

Despite being in pretty good shape, I have to pause multiple times on my way down. Every pause is brief, and I’m careful to hide. I don’t see Ethan peek out the window yet.

My feet finally touch the ground, and from above, I hear “Fuck!”

~Yep, that’s my mate.~ I try my best to remain hidden. After a few moments, I slink away from the pack house, ducking in shadows and dark alleys as I make my way toward the Scourge.

Whenever another wolf gets too close, I quickly hide and wait until they’re gone. It seems to take forever, but eventually I make it back and enter the familiar path to the shelter.

Blood stains the stone walls of the buildings on either side of me, and the same goes for the gravel path.

“Scarlet! Oh my Goddess! You’re alive!” Rebecca, Annie’s mom, says as she runs up to me and throws her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a tight embrace.

I pat her back soothingly. “Yeah, I am. How is everyone?”

She lets me go and links an arm around mine as she leads me toward the entrance.

“They’ll be much better when they see you. We heard from one of the others that they saw you get stabbed! But when we were collecting our lost members, you weren’t there. We didn’t know what to think.”

“To be honest, I’m not sure either. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all.”

She quirks an eyebrow at me, clearly trying to figure out exactly what I mean. Luckily, she can tell that it’s not a topic currently up for discussion, and she chooses not to pry.

“Who all did we lose?”

Rebecca sighs sadly and casts her gaze down. “Old Sam, Cody, Mr. Luckett, Bernie, and Mr. Garber.”

Tears prickle my eyes. I knew all of them. Cody was my age and was always making people laugh. Old Sam was a grandfatherly figure to all of us packless. Bernie had a mate and two pups to take care of. Mr. Luckett and Mr. Garber had both been warriors when they had been part of a pack and were always teaching some of the younger wolves.

I hurry to wipe away a loose tear before anyone can notice, and Rebecca continues, “I’m afraid you already missed their send-off.”

I nod sadly. ~I’ll have to find my own way to say goodbye to them.~

Werewolves have a ceremony, much like a human funeral, except we do ours under the moon and ask the Moon Goddess to bless their souls and return them as wolves so that they may guide the next generation.

As we enter the dining hall, chatter ceases as everyone’s gazes turn toward me. Before I have the chance to do or say anything, I’m plowed into and lifted from the ground in a tight embrace.

The smell of mint and clover surrounds me, and I wrap my arms around him tightly. “Will,” I murmur into the crook of his neck as he continues to hug me as though his life depends on it.

“Where the hell have you been, baby girl? You had us worried sick!” he whispers next to my ear. He’s holding me so close that I can feel his heart thudding against my chest.

It feels so nice to see him again. I’ve missed him so much, and my body seems to instantly relax as his familiar scent envelops me.

Finally, I sigh and pull away from him. I can’t get distracted. I still have a job to do, and I need to finish it sooner rather than later.

Will holds my arms as his gaze roams over me, checking for injuries. He purses his lips together, and I’m sure he’s noticed how worn I look after my stay in the Crescent Moon’s dungeons. When he sees my neck, his eyes suddenly widen. “Hey! Where’s your necklace?”

My eyes bug out as I place a hand on my chest where the necklace should be. “Shit! It must still be in the infirmary!” I exclaim with a grimace.

“The infirmary?”

“Yeah, I have a lot to catch you up on. But first, where’s Jo?”

He gestures behind me, and I turn to see Jo coming up to me, wiping her flour-covered hands on her apron. “Well, look what the Goddess dragged in,” she remarks with a mischievous smile before holding her arms out to me.

I quickly rush up to her and give her a hug. “Oh, Jo! It’s so good to be back!”

“I’m sure it is. But where the hell did you go?”

“I’ll explain everything. I promise. But is there somewhere that we can talk in private?” I ask her softly as I try to avoid prying ears. It’s hard to do in a room full of werewolves with enhanced senses, but the dining hall is once again loud, so hopefully no one is paying attention to us.

Jo looks around, then jerks her head over to the door. Will and I immediately follow her through the kitchen and into one of the large pantries. She shuts and locks the door before turning to me. With a huge sigh, I tell them everything.

***

“The asshole that stabbed you is your mate?” Will asks with a wide-eyed expression of utter disbelief. I simply nod. “Alpha Ethan fucking Kane is your mate…,” he continues, seemingly to himself.

“Unfortunately,” I agree with a shrug.

“So, what now?” Jo asks with her arms folded across her chest sternly.

“I’m going to find proof of what Ray has done. That way, he doesn’t have a chance to frame me or any of the other packless.”

“Yeah, because that’s safe…,” Will groans sarcastically and rolls his eyes at me, causing me to glare at him.

“Well, when was the last time anyone has seen him?” I push, already sure of what their answer will be.

“As far as I know, not since the Crescent Moon Pack stormed the area,” Jo replies.

I nod with a smile. “Exactly. He’s probably in hiding. I’ll just swing by his place and take a quick look around. In and out.”

“It’s not as simple as that, and you know it, Lettie,” Jo scolds.

“Stop worrying. It will be fine.” Easier said than done.