Chapter 6
Cara’s POV
We dropped the SUV off about ten miles away from the bus station. We then took an Uber over to catch the bus. We had to. My leg feels like it is on fire. I can't run very well at all. I am ashamed that I was the weak link that was holding them back. They were moving slower than if it was just them. It was mainly because I was injured. I am hoping that we can grab some short naps on the bus. It would not be real sleep; it would just be resting our eyes. We have been missing sleep all week leading up to our escape. We were semi-awake in these little naps. We took turns watching over each other. The tension eased a little with each passing mile we put between us and the pack. Brenna has a brilliant mind. She is a strategist and an excellent planner. She leaves nothing to chance. She had devised this plan quickly, and she didn’t disappoint. I still remember dreading having to tell my sisters what I overheard them say they did to our parents.
FLASHBACK
I had knocked on their door, with my stomach full of dread. Would they believe this completely unbelievable story I was about to tell them? Or would they finally realize their lives were harder because they protected me? I was scared to death to tell them what I had overheard. They knew it was something serious just looking at my face. I made them enter their bathroom and turned on both the sink and the shower to cover what I was about to tell them. They could see the tears in my eyes when I relayed the story to them. They didn’t speak or try to interrupt. They just listened to what I had to say to them.
I was just starting to worry that they thought I had made it all up when Brenna finally said, “That really explains a lot. Rex has been much bolder lately, and I wondered why he felt like he had a chance. He knows how much I can’t stand him or Lisa. I guess he let the other two talk him into this being a good idea. Paxton is a horrible Alpha, and Lisa is one of the worst Lunas I know. They are going to run the pack right into the ground. I cannot believe how disgusting those jerks are. They actually had the nerve to kill our parents. What wouldn't they try to do next? In what plane of existence would they think we would be OK with this? Knowing what they had done to us? To our parents? Just to try to claim us? It doesn’t make any logical sense. How could they possibly think that it would be acceptable?” Brenna asked out loud to no one in particular.
She was furious. I know my sister, and she was pissed. She wanted blood for what they had done to our family. But, instead of doing that, I could tell that she was working on a plan to get us out of here. She had that thoughtful look on her face. The one she gets when she is trying to solve a puzzle in her mind. She had already assumed charge of our group. She would not rest until she had us safe and sound. She was on a mission, and from that point on, I worried less about our situation. I have complete faith in my sister. I just wished I knew a spell or two to help us escape.
“Clayton has been hitting on me non-stop since he arrived. I could see that he was refusing to accept the fact that I did not want to be with him at all. He ignores all my arguments against him. My opinion doesn’t matter to him at all. I cannot believe that they would go so far as to kill our parents just to try to claim us as chosen mates. They are completely disgusting,” Luna replied.
“At least, you two would be claimed. Paxton just wants to use me as a breeder. I cannot imagine allowing him to touch me. It disgusts me to even think about it. We have to get out of here. I know he plans to put this into play when Lisa leaves to go on her little shopping trip. We need to put our heads together and figure something out,” I told them, unable to hold my shudder back. I felt bad for mentioning it now. Each one of us was in a bad position. Mine was truly not worse than theirs.
“I’m sorry,” I breathed out to them.
They wrapped me up in a hug. I knew that they understood that I meant it. I was sorry, sorry for all three of us. We each had a huge issue looming over us. One with the potential to crush us. They wanted to take away our hopes and dreams for the future. To take away our chance to fall in love. If they succeeded, they would change us into someone we never wanted to be. I cannot imagine how heartless someone would have to be to do that to someone else. I felt sick just thinking about the plans they had for us.
I was wrong about what I said. My sisters would have it way worse than I would. Clay and Rex marking and mating them would definitely be worse. Once claimed, they would feel the pain of betrayal each time their chosen mate strayed. What a miserable life to lead. These guys were not good men. They were users in this just to get the girls that had shot them down over and over again. They may desire us now, but they would move on to the next girl once they got their fill of us. My sisters would suffer so much, feeling the pain of their mate's betrayal.
That was the only thing that I wouldn’t have to suffer through. Paxton had marked Lisa. That would also be my problem. She would feel it when he came to me. I already knew who she was going to be pissed off at, and it wasn't going to be him. Paxton may lock her up for a while, but she wouldn’t stay there. No matter what, she was the Luna here, the former Gamma’s daughter. No matter what Paxton said, she wouldn’t be kept in the cells for long. Then she and her cronies would be gunning for me. No matter what, we have to get the hell out of here. There was no other choice.
“Leave it to me, Cara. I will come up with a plan in two days' time. We need to act like everything is fine. We can’t let them catch on to what we know, so act normally. We can meet again then. We can’t let anyone learn that we are leaving,” Brenna announced.
She figured out the plan in less than a day, and it was a good one. We were changing directions to throw them off. Brenna was even planning to leave the keys in the SUV when we got to the next point. We were all kind of hoping that it would be taken to buy us more time. We didn’t want an unknowing human to get hurt for taking it, but we needed to get as much distance between us and the Kamaria Pack as possible.
She told us that we were going to an area with several packs. She didn’t call them first; she didn't want to give them time to come up with a reason to reject us. She said that it would be harder for them to reject us while we were standing at their gate. I know she already had a pack in mind that she preferred. Knowing Brenna, it would be a strong pack. One that could protect the three of us. She wanted us all to be able to live there, and she said that this pack was more progressive than the other packs in the area. We had both asked her which pack, but she shook her head, refusing to answer us. She is scared that we are being spied upon. She doesn’t want to let them get to the pack first to poison them against us.
Brenna spelled out the rest of the plan to us, which was quite detailed. She had thought of everything. Down to buying us burner phones, as we needed to leave our old phones behind in the SUV. She didn’t want the pack to have any way to find us. Brenna was calm, assertive, and detailed. I was glad that we all had a part in getting out of here. Originally, Luna was supposed to get the money and paperwork from the safe. But once I mentioned that it wouldn’t be smart for her to be there if Clay returned, they both agreed with me. I was the oldest. It was actually my job to protect them, not vice versa. I just wish I had received some training on how to use my powers. They would have probably come in handy trying to get out of here.
He would much rather me be a ‘wolfless’ hybrid than for me to be a witch. It felt like he was condemning me for that side of me. I knew he was utterly disappointed in me after I didn’t shift. I could tell he still loved me, but I couldn’t tell you the last time he hugged or told me he loved me. It is one thing to think that he loved me there at the end. It is quite another to have it confirmed. It would have made me so happy to know that he loved me. Yet, here I am, unable to hear the words from him. He told Brenna and Luna he loved them on several occasions. He tried to be stealthy about it, but he slipped up a couple of times.
I had overheard him tell them, and it was hard to hear. On two of those occasions, he had turned around to see me standing there, watching him pour out his love to each of them. It was hard to see, and it upset my sisters as well. They were frustrated that he had an opportunity to fix it and tell me that he loved and was proud of me, but he never did.
I can feel the tears rushing to my eyes again, thinking about it as I lay in bed. I have to let it go, Dad is gone. It can never be rectified. hoping that sleep will not elude me again. We leave tomorrow. I already feel like an albatross around my sister's necks. I know I will hold them back, but they refuse to leave me behind. I am honestly thankful that they wanted to take me with them. I don't want to be left behind here in this Goddess-forsaken pack. I cringe just thinking about how disgusting Paxton is. What he would do to me without anyone here to protect me. It would not be a life worth living.
As I lay in bed, I swear to the Goddess that I will be able to protect them one day. To take care of them. I don't want to be weak anymore. I pray that I will find someone who can help me develop my powers, that is if I have any. I hate feeling helpless. I refuse to do it any longer. I am going to change my destiny. I don't want to be dependent on my sisters anymore. I want to be just as strong as they are in the future. I can already feel my life will greatly improve after I am free of this pack.
END OF FLASHBACK