Chapter 1
Cara’s POV
(Pronounced Car-a)
“What in the hell are you doing in here?” I heard an angry voice behind me. I hate the fact that I never got my wolf because a heads-up that he was coming back early would have helped. I had already put all the money and all the documents in the hidden safe into my duffle bag. I was glad that he didn't know that there had been almost fifty thousand dollars hidden in here when he moved into our home. The safe had been closed, locked back, and was now hidden under the rug. There was no way that he would have known what I was here to do. I was certainly not going to tell him. That money belonged to my family, and I was taking back what belonged to my sisters and me.
“I just wanted to come and visit with my parents again. I still miss them,” I replied, slowly standing up and facing him.
Did you forget that this isn’t your home anymore? Do you normally break into homes? I didn’t allow you in here, and I know for a fact that the house was locked when I left. So how did you get in here?” he asked. He yelled the questions at me as he looked around the room to see if anything had been broken or disturbed.
I held my hand up, with my key hanging from the keychain. “With this. I just wanted to say goodbye to my father one last time. That is why I was in his office. I didn't touch any of your things. I won’t come back. Here is my key,” I told him.
“Your father didn’t want you here anymore. Even I know that, and I am still a new pack member. Once you were proven wolfless, no one wanted you here anymore. You are a waste of valuable resources. You eat our food and can’t help protect the pack. Don't tell me that you are unaware that you are worthless. You need to get a man willing to stand up for you and protect you. If you can find one here that is willing to do that. Don't forget that you are the lowest member of the pack. The only thing that you have going for you is your looks. I wouldn’t mind having a quick taste, but I don't want to claim you either. Since you were so nice and delivered yourself to me like this, no one has to know,” Clay said as he stepped forward.
I quickly took a large step back and then walked to the other side of my father’s desk. “No, thank you, Clay. I am not interested in you. I will leave my extra key for you here on your desk. I am leaving now,” I told him as calmly as I could. I hated seeing his eyes travel over my body. He was disgusting, and I knew I needed to get out of there as quickly as I could.
“I know Paxton wants you, but one little taste won’t hurt,” Clay said as he headed for me. I kept a piece of furniture between us as I worked my way closer to the door. I turned to run out the open door when I felt his hand claw dig into my left calf as he tried to grab me. I screamed out in pain and dropped to the floor as he was holding me in place with his claw.
I could feel the damage he was doing to my leg, tearing through muscle and tendons as he held me down. He took the opportunity to crawl closer to me and smirked. “I don’t care what you want, witch," he spat at me. "I just want a little taste to tide me over until Paxton is done with you, or gets you pregnant. Then I can get my turn with you,” he told me as he used his pointer finger on his other hand to make a claw and slice through the fabric of my shirt and bra.
He was looking at me so hard he never saw my sister coming. She punched him in the side of his head and knocked him out cold, falling on top of my stomach. When he was knocked out, his claws retracted and became his fingers again. Brenna helped me shove him off and helped me off of the floor. She then helped me get to our parents' SUV. It was real now. Our plan is in motion, and we either escape or are forced against our will into relationships with men we despise.
Brenna (pronounced Bren-a) opened the back door for me and flipped the seat forward to allow me to lie down on the floor of the third row. Luna was already hidden, lying down in the floorboard of the second row. If we get caught, she and Brenna will have to fight to save us. I can’t help them with this next part. That is why I volunteered to go grab the money. I knew Clay had a meeting with Gamma Rex and Alpha Paxton this morning. Clay just came back unexpectedly. I guess he needed to grab something because Paxton enjoyed hearing the sound of his own voice. He would never have a meeting that only lasted five minutes.
I refuse to even think about the fact that it could be a set-up for us. I slid the ruined bra and t-shirt off of me and grabbed a t-shirt out of my duffle bag. I quickly slid it over my head. I refused to potentially be exposed if this ended up being a set-up. They might be trying to lure us into a false sense of security. We have to leave. I would rather die than stay here and face the plans that Paxton has made for me and my sisters. Fear chokes me as we approach the gate to our pack. This is it. My heart feels like it is going to pop out of my chest. Luna and I are silent as Brenna rolls down her window and greets the guard.
“Hey Stan, can you get the gate for me. I need to go pick up a package for the Luna,” Brenna asked.
“Sure, Brenna,” We heard him say as he headed over to open one side of the gate, and then the other. The pack had money. Why didn't they spend it on getting a new gate? We looked pathetic being so old school like this.
“See you when you get back, Brenna. Be safe,” he told her.
“Thanks, Stan, you take care. I will see you soon,” Brenna replied as she rolled her window up as she passed him. This was it, the moment of truth. She pulled forward slowly as we left, not causing any attention to us as we left the pack. I watched through the gap in the seat, and she watched him cautiously in the rearview mirror as we pulled away. None of us breathed until she finally said, "The gate is closed." She was scared that he could scent Luna, as she was a wolf or the fact that I was back here bleeding. We lucked out that Brenna was a trusted member of the pack. She was well-known and well-liked by all.
We had passed the first challenge but weren’t safe yet, and we all knew it. It was a short matter of time before someone came to look for Clay. Once that happened, they would know that we were gone. We didn’t even reject the pack. Brenna told us to wait thirty minutes until we knew they would be looking for us before we did it. Doing it now might only let them know we were gone sooner rather than later.
“Luna, grab a piece of paper and write this down,” Brenna stated. Luna was now sitting in the second row, happily writing down everything Brenna said. Although Brenna is the middle child, she has always been the one who protected both Luna and me while we were growing up. She gave out a list of medical items and Luna wrote them all down.
Brenna came across as cold and direct, but we knew her as loving and kind. She was stressed and worried right now, so she was in what I liked to call ‘battle mode.’ She was not going to calm down until we were all safe. She would put herself into the line of fire to save either of us, and I was thankful for her. If we made it, it would be because of her plan. At this point, I only trusted my sisters.
“Luna, tear the list in half so we can split up and get this done as quickly as possible. Go ahead and get some of the money from Cara. We will need at least a hundred dollars to get all our items. You grab your half of the list, and I will grab mine. We will meet at the register. Cara, as soon as I stop, I will flip the back seat forward. Please use the time we are gone to try to get in the back seat. I know that you are in a great deal of pain. If you can't do it. We will help you when we get back. I am so sorry you got hurt, but Luna will treat and wrap your leg while I drive. We have to get this done as quickly as we can. They will definitely be coming after us,” Brenna said as she pulled into a local store.
She flipped the seat forward for me to climb over and gently stroked my hair before saying, “I love you, Cara. Things will be fine, but I can’t relax until I know that we are all safe. We need to get on the road as quickly as possible, and I still need to fill the SUV up,” Brenna said before she closed the door to go into the store.
I was sweating from the pain, but I was not going to let it stop me. Sometimes, I wished I had a wolf. She would have already started to heal me by now and would have helped me bear the pain. I felt ashamed that my younger sisters had to rescue me because I was not a wolf.
I hate this. As the oldest sister, I should have been protecting them, but I couldn’t. I was a hybrid, half wolf and half witch. My mother left me behind. He was the Beta of our pack, the Kamaria Pack. Don't think it is fancy, they just chose a fancy word for moon. It was named that way to show respect to the Moon Goddess, Selene. Take my word for it: the Moon Goddess will not be blessing that forsaken pack any time soon.
They returned to the SUV quickly. Luna opened the door, flipped the seat back, and got into the SUV to treat my wounds. Brenna pulled up to a gas station and went in to pay. She returned with a bag of snacks and drinks for us all. Luna finished wrapping up my leg and climbed into the front passenger seat. “Lay down, Cara. We will drive the next 200 miles before we dump the SUV. I don’t want them to be able to track us by it,” Brenna told me.
I laid down and drifted off into a fitful sleep. I was praying to the Goddess that we would make it to the next leg of the journey.