Chapter 19

He stopped suddenly; the feeling was something off through their newly acquainted bond. He felt the feeling of randomly aching joints and the feeling of a wet, stinging pain attacking the entire front side of his body.

Was she...in pain?!

Impossible!

She was asleep when he left her! He ran upstairs to his room, slamming open the doors. He looked at the bed her had left her in, his eyes narrowed in confusion, his mouth slightly open.

Gone?

Erick scented the air slowly, but there was franticness in his sniffs. She hadn't gone to the restroom. He sharply looked at the closet before taking in another breath, his gaze turning harshly to the balcony as he quickly made his way over to it.

Looking over, he looked both ways several times before using his keen sight to see, his heart beating heavily in his chest. They were faint—fortunately not covered by the Omegas that walked through—but he made out barefoot prints in the snow that led away from the compound, taking back roads and going in between homes to get there.

His heavily beating heart dived and sank, and he and his wolf were stunned in the least.

Everything was blank.

Did she really...leave them...again? And she was in pain? His mind and feelings returned to him when the word pain entered his mind.

Pain and hurt tore through his heart, making constant slices at it, "We mated. Why would she leave?"

He closed his eyes and thought back on what she had told him last night. That's right. She had said she was afraid, and she had tried to think of a hundred and ten reasons not to be together. He opened his eyes, and his hurt turned to raw anger.

She has no right to leave now! Not now, not ever! He turned went toward his closet and grabbed some clothes.

"Emmanuel! Get up and prepare my car now!" He projected to his beta.

Marco and Conroy were in intensive care since he nearly killed them yesterday, he didn't trust Keric entirely, so he will have to do it. He turned on his heel and headed out the door to the garage.

"Jessica," He projected through their bond, "Where are you?!"

~*~*~*~

She should have seen it.

She should have seen it coming as she tripped over a tree root that hid under the snow. Jessica fell face first down the side of the steep hill, her footing gone as she rolled, barely missing trees, getting nicked and hit by small and unseen rocks as she tumbled. She couldn't see anything, dizziness and pain taking their toll on her before a feeling numbing pain ran through her body as she smacked into wet asphalt face down, her cheek and body seemed to try and weld into the ground, but at its failure sent ripples of pain internally.

She faintly heard the sound of honking, screeching, and even screams get closer to her.

She couldn't react, her body stung in pain and her mind was stunned. Her eyes were black around the edges, threatening to consume the rest of her sight as well within the blurriness.

"Oh my goodness!" A woman's voice, echoed faintly through her head, "Kenneth! Come here!"

The sound of a door opening, slamming, and footsteps ran running over vaguely went through her mind.

"Oh geez, Barbara, is she alright?" A man, Kenneth, asked, worry and panic in his voice, "She just fell from nowhere! I barely even saw her!"

"Not now, Kenny!" Barbara told him, "Can you pick her up? We're going to a hospital."

More footsteps.

Another car door opened.

"Mommy, is she alright?" A child's voice asked, worry full in his voice.

"Hopefully, Chris. Scoot over honey," Barbara said before Jessica felt herself get hoisted up gently, carried, and put softly into the car.

Her body still not responding against her will, she barely was able to do anything as the man buckled her in, slammed the door, and drove off. Her body, slowly, but surely, tried to worm its way into blacking out.

However, she refused.

She had no idea which way the nearest hospital was, but she sure wasn't going to allow them to take her there.

Jessica heard the sounds of the couples franticly trying to rush to the hospital, the minivan accelerating on the road, each small turn and slight swivel moved her in her seat, and if she wasn't numb now, she would have shown fear at this.

She felt the feeling of her skin being touched lightly by gentle hands.

Small hands.

It must be the child's.

Weakly, Jessica sniffed the air. Their scent blew into her nose and made her want to sneeze. That sweet, yet bitter smell of fear, the sour smell of alarm, and the warm smell of concern hung heavy in the air; they were drenched in it. As she took a small and subliminal sniff once more, she scented that they were human. That's a relief.

...But at the same time...

She felt something push its way inside her head, a voice.

Erick's—the Alpha's voice.

He was pissed.

"Jessica, where are you?!" He inquired.

To this, she didn't respond. She kept her eyes shut, not looking out a window or anything to hint where she was.

"...Wait a moment," Jessica a thought of realization crept into her mind, "This is all too strange for me. I'm an Omega, and the Alpha is asking me something...and yet I refuse to respond. I should respond, but...I don't want to... Want? My wolf...keeps claiming him as...our mate, yet I dare challenge him back despite our separate positions?! This is unlike me! This is all wrong! I don't understand! The moon Goddess never has gotten anything wrong before, so why now?! Why me?!"

Jessica jerked slightly as she heard Erick growl in her mind; he had heard every word she thought.

"This isn't wrong, Jessica. It's fate, and the deities are never wrong. You are my mate. Listen to your wolf, and tell me where you are," Erick's voice was calm, yet there was an obvious tone of anger and a not-so-obvious tone of hurt underlining it as well.

Jessica froze, but inwardly she shook her head, blocking him out as she held fast to her previous ideas. It would be a matter of time for him to find her now, and she didn't know how the Delaney pack Alpha would treat humans with her scent on them. She needed to get out of here. And fast.

Slowly, Jessica's eyes started to open as she quickly formulated a plan in her head.

"Mommy! Mommy, she's awake!" Chris's voice bellowed unnecessarily next to her, making her wince and her ears redden.

As she opened her eyes, she looked about the vehicle quickly as if in shock and fear of her new surroundings.

"Wh-where am I?" She laid her soft Quebecer accent on hard.

"Shh, it's okay honey," Barbara tried to soothe her calmly.

Quickly, Jessica started to shake, remembering that in winter weather, humans would be cold in a single long-sleeved shirt, pants, and no socks or shoes.

"Oh dear," Barbara turned and turned the heater up a bit before looking back at Jessica, "You're safe dear. We saw you fall on the side of the road. Are you alright?"

"Y-y-yeah," Jessica stated, appearing as if she was cold and slightly shaken up. She then allowed herself to relax a bit, "T-t-thank y-you."

Barbara smiled warmly, and she could see Chris smiling from the corner of her eye as well.

"If you don't mind us asking, what were you doing dressed like that in the mountains?" Kenneth asked as he drove, his mad driving from before seemed to have dulled down a bit at her opening her eyes, much to her relief.

"Kenny," Barbara looked at him.

"N-no," Jessica quickly said, "It's alright."

She let out a small sigh as she sat up, thinking up her story quickly, "My boyfriend, well ex-boyfriend now, thought it is a good idea to go on this camping trip out here in Wyoming with a few of his...friends."

She pretended to catch herself from cursing in front of Chris, "See we live in California and—"

"Really?" Barbara interrupted, "From California? Where are you from? You don't sound like you're from there."

"Born and raised in Northeast Canada," Jessica gave her a small and meek grin, "....And I live in Longbeach."

Barbara's eyes widen and a huge grin spreads to both of her cheeks, "Really?! What's it like there—"

"Babs, not now!" It was Kenneth's turn to stop her before he looked up at Jessica in the rearview mirror, "I'm sorry about that. Please. Go on."