Chapter 3: Out Fanged and Out Numbered

“Backpacking?” he asked, as he pointed to my rucksack. His voice was a deep baritone that I was certain could carry for miles if he wanted it to.

I nodded, unable to form words. I’d never seen anyone like him. Definitely an Alpha. We didn’t have many of those back home. Even covered in sweat and dirt, he looked like royalty. Should I bow or kneel?

He took his seat, still facing me before I could do either.

“Yeah, me too. I love heading down to the Carolina Mountains this time of year.”

“Right,” I said as if I knew what he was talking about.

“But, it’s time to head back home,” he concluded. “Back to reality.”

The word home snapped me out of my daze and I looked away.

“Right…”

My order came, saving me from having to answer. I ate voraciously. Not pausing to recognize any need for table manners as I dug in. I was starving. I could feel the Alpha’s eyes on me. But I shrugged the feeling away. As soon as I finished eating, I would leave and never see that guy again.

I slowed down as I became full midway through and looked up to see that he was eating just as voraciously. He paused to look at me and we both laughed. I didn’t know Alphas were cool. Other than being kissed by the Moon Goddess’ blessings of extreme hotness, he seemed normal.

I took my time eating, wondering if he would try to speak to me again. But he didn’t. I sipped on a cup of coffee as he got his check and left. With the super hot Alpha gone, my mind was freed up and turned back to Julie.

She said we were under cover and she had prepared this getaway rucksack for me. The picture in the fake ID was fairly recent. A lift of the picture from my driver’s license.

Was I in hiding? From who and why? Who was Julie and why had she been hiding me? I wished I could call her, but now I had no idea where she was or where the other orphans would end up. My only hope was to make it to Virginia safely.

I thought about the business card Julie shoved into my pocket. I pulled it out now and looked at the name embossed on it. Vincent St. James, Esquire. Was he an attorney? Was he really my uncle? If so, why had I never heard of him before?

None of this made sense. How could any of this be real?

I snapped out of my thoughts when the bell to the diner opened again and a small pack of rough-looking wolves walked in. Definitely rogues. I could feel creepy eyes on me and knew it was time to make it back to the semi security of the motel.

I asked for the check and promptly paid so I could leave. When I stepped out of the diner, I walked into a semi-circle of six more rogues.

I adjusted the rucksack on my back and took them in. If I just walked normally maybe they would leave me alone. I’d heard of lone rogue vulnerability on the road, especially for females. I am sure they could smell the fear drifting off of me.

I tried my best to look tough and just put one foot in front of the other.

“Hey, little lady…”

I kept walking. The motel was just a few yards away. I just needed to make it to the door. Why did everything seem deserted?

One of the rogue shifters walked towards me as if he wanted to head me off. I stared daggers at him, daring him to block me.

He blocked me along with two others.

“Where are you off to so fast, Kayleigh?” A strong female voice greeted me and I turned around in surprise, taking in a tall, slim, middle aged woman. Her hair fell in a mixture of silver and blonde waves down her back. She seemed high-class, and looked completely out of place set against the rogues that flanked her.

“I don’t want any trouble,” I told her and got a peel of laughter from her entourage.

“Honey, you ain’t been nothing but trouble since the day you were born,” she said, and this time, I could pick up a hint of a foreign accent but I couldn’t place where it was from. “It took me some time, but I found you… Track star, Kayleigh. You look just like your b*tch mother.”

I felt my anger snap. I dropped the rucksack and stepped closer to her. The men laughed but I kept my gaze on her.

“What did you say about my mother?”

“Your mother was a worthless b*tch. And I can't think why he wants anything to do with you.”

“Who?” I asked, but she only tsked and waved a finger at me.

“I do know one thing. You are not going to spoil my plans and f*ck things up for me the way she did.”

Half of the men around her began to shift and snarl. I swallowed, cursing whatever cosmic joke decided that shifters, including rogues, couldn’t shift before they turned 21.

I let my eyes travel along the pack of wolves with fangs out and growling like they were hungry… for me. It didn’t take a genius to see that I was outnumbered. My only chance was to run, but I was quickly grabbed from behind.

She came close to me, putting her face right into mine. I couldn’t help but breathe in her scent. She smelled very expensive. “Never send a desperate rogue to do a Luna’s job.”

“You… you want me dead,” I stammered, realizing this had to be the person behind the burner phone texts.

“Bingo! You really do look so much like her,” she snarled and then slapped me across the face.

I felt tears burning my eyes as my anger flared.

She turned her back on me and walked away. She made it to the back seat of a blacked out, official looking SUV.

The arms holding me tightened and I felt another set of arms lift my legs. I struggled and squirmed and screamed for help. The only sound I heard was the SUV driving away.

Where the h*ll was everyone?

They took me into an alley and I was slammed to the ground and pinned down.

I screamed for all I was worth to no avail.

I thought they were going to just kill me. But the hands that began to roam over my body and lascivious laughs let me know that killing me was the last thing they would do.

“Help! Help me!” I screamed again but no one came. That was the plight of rogues on their own. No one would stick their neck out to help me. I began to cry as I felt my shirt tear and rough hands touch my skin.

Nasty lips were on my cheek and then on my lips. I gagged and nearly threw up as his tongue licked my lips.

Suddenly, all movement stopped and a bone chilling roar filled the alley. The men that were on me leapt off. I sat up and saw the shadow of an impossibly large wolf thrashing about, slashing and clawing through the tough pack of rogues as if each were tissue paper.

I crawled away until my back was against the wall, balling up with my head against my knees until the terrible sound of the wolf clawing into the men that were ready to do awful things to me ended.

When all was silent, I looked up and my eyes locked with the giant wolf. He growled, turning in my direction. His golden orbs swarmed in a sea of flashing red. My breath caught in my throat as I tried but failed to swallow against my fear.