Chapter Five

Kyra- 

Why I needed to stay until my birthday was beyond me. Yet Alexia and I had both agreed. It would give us plenty of time to figure out what we would do next. I didn’t want to continue to fear who was after us. It was time to start coming up with a plan, instead of always running and having nowhere to go.

After talking it over with Alexia, she also agreed it was high time we stood our ground. We needed to stop running in fear and figure out who was even after us. My father had not disclosed too much information, we seen no reason to ask questions.

We knew that the alpha from the pack we ran from, considered me an abomination and that my mother stayed behind to give my father a chance to escape with me. He claims my mother is still alive, but it has been nearly eighteen years, and four years since my father died.

There was a very unlikely chance she was still alive. We knew that the other packs we have had the misfortune of running into either wanted us for power or to kill us.

Rogues became blind with rage when they come across us, we suspect the reason, though do not actually know. We knew that my father was adamant about us running and that someone was chasing us.

Yet I was trained to fight, of course to protect myself, but he also taught me how to infiltrate enemy camps, how to disguise my scent to get inside pack territories undetected, and he taught me about pack life.

He taught me the rules and what was expected of someone in a pack. He taught me about the things that were redundant if all I’m going to do is continue to run. He even explained mates and the fundamentals of how it all works.

If all I was needed to do was run, why would he teach me all of that. He taught me more than just survival. He taught me how to live. I wanted to know what it was like to be accepted and whether I believed Hunter or not, I wanted to at least experience the life I have dreamed of.

I wanted friends, family and I would even love to have kids. I still don’t believe I was meant to have a mate, but what if it was possible? If I stop running, I could potentially meet my end, but at this point even that was better than the constant running and living in fear.

I will stay for now, then I will leave, and I will take the fight to the ones that seek to destroy me. In the meantime, I will make memories and I will experience a life I could never have before. If Hunter is so adamant about what he says, then what is the worse thing that could happen to see if what he says is true?

I mean I could leave now, could he really stop me if I did? I guess it is a possibility. I did try to escape once before, but I am back here. By staying, I get a chance to figure out what I need to do, instead of just trying to survive.

After leaving Hunter’s office, I made my way outside, I mean if I wasn't a prisoner, I wanted to be outside. I didn't like feeling like I was encroaching on someone else's home.

If I was wanting to experience things and make memories and maybe even enjoy not running anymore, I needed to start trying. I wanted to explore and watch people interact with each other. Mostly, I didn’t trust Hunter, no matter how hard I tried.

When I stepped out, I seen a group of kids playing with a ball. They seemed to not have a care in the world. I never really got to experience that. I was just about to turn to keep exploring when a little girl with blonde pigtails came running up to me.

"Hi! Do you want to play with us?" She asked. 

I could see the look of hope shining brilliantly in her big round blue eyes that I just didn't have the heart to tell her no.

"Sure, I'll play with you." I didn't even care they were just a group of young kids. I had only ever watched from a distance as kids had a chance to play and run. Plus I feel like I’ve been cooped up, so a chance to let off some energy thrilled me.

The little girl pulled me towards her friends and for the first time in my entire life, I ran around laughing and playing. I was entirely out of my element and I appreciated every second of it. It was exceedingly bizarre to have another person, kid or not, want to be around me.

I didn't even care that I felt as if I was being watched. I continued to play with the kids for a bit longer. When some of the kids took off running and chasing each other, I decided to hang back. I was starting to think that maybe it wouldn't be all bad staying around here.

I found myself walking towards what appeared to be a school, a girl probably about my age sitting on the front steps. I was just about to turn around when the girl I met earlier came running up.

"Kyra! I was hoping to run into you again." Riley said as soon stopped in front of me.

"Hey." I didn't really want to seem rude, I just wasn't particularly good at talking to others.

"You going to be sticking around?" Riley asked.

I nodded my head and she let out a squeal of delight. It was going to take some getting use to her.

"So, you're the girl everyone keeps buzzing about." The girl that had been sitting on the steps to the school said. 

I looked at her with curiosity. I hadn't even heard her approach. Well not that I probably could over Riley squealing. I felt Alexia become alert at the girls sudden appearance. 

She had a short black pixie haircut and chocolate brown eyes. I felt warmth radiating off her. She wore a light blue shirt that had the words 'eat me' in big pink letters over a picture of a piece of chocolate cake.

She had a pair of dark blue jeans that had a couple tears in them. Though what really caught my attention was the pair of shoes that were probably originally white, painted to look like chocolate cake. 

"I guess." I said to her. 

"My name is Melanie, but everyone calls me Mel. It's nice to finally meet the girl everyone is buzzing about. You don't smell like a rogue or sound like one."

Oddly I didn't feel annoyed by the statement, I figured I would, but I mean it is the truth. I was for all intent and purposes a rogue. 

"Her name is Kyra!" Riley yelled at Mel, seemingly upset.

"Go away, I was here first!" Riley stomped her feet and crossed her arms. I have only seen a tantrum once before and that had been when we had been staying at the apartment when I was younger and seen a small child from the window of the room I was in, throw one because his mom told him he couldn’t have a sucker. 

I was just about to tell her that there was no reason I couldn't talk to them both when Riley's gaze became hazy. As soon as her vision cleared, she looked at me and hesitated, then quickly ran off.

"Don't mind her, that's the Alpha's little sister. So how old are you?" Mel asked.

"Seventeen." I didn't see any reason to say I was almost eighteen. It didn't really seem like a big deal.

"Awesome, so you going to go to school here Monday?" She asked.

My father taught me everything I needed to know, and I was never able to go to school. What more could going to school teach me? Granted I felt like going to school would be a mute point, but I was genuinely curious about it. I actually liked the idea of giving it a try. 

Perhaps I needed to ask the Hunter if that was even possible. Though the thought of talking to him again made me second guess myself. For some unknown reason I felt calm around him and that was something that both confused and frightened me.

"I don't know." I said, deciding I would ask Hunter. 

"Great! Would you like me to show you around a bit?" 

I agreed to let her show me around and I learned a lot about her and the pack. I found out that every pack family all had their own house. There was an apartment building for unmated wolves and even an orphanage for children that lost their parents from rogue attacks and wars.

I learned that Hunter had a reputation of being the cruelest Alpha in any of the packs. Evidently, he was harsh in his punishment of rogues and killed women and children. Mel claimed they were just speculations.

I mean so far, he didn't seem terrible, but I decided I would make my own opinion about him. I still believed it was a trick. He claimed to be my mate and I genuinely believed that I would be mateless. 

Mel showed me there was a small clothing store, a couple restaurants, a coffee shop and even gift shop. She explained that if I couldn't find anything I was looking for, just ask the Alpha and he would order it. Not that it really mattered to me, I had no money. 

She told me all about herself being the youngest of three and she had just turned eighteen. She still lived with her parents, even though theoretically she should be able to move into the apartments now. 

Her oldest sister was going to be moving out soon, now that she has met her mate in another territory, and she was waiting for her mates transfer to come through. Her father was the pack doctor and as soon as Mel graduated college, she was to become the next pack doctor. 

We talked and walked for hours and I felt myself wishing that my life could be this simple. Mel had to go home to her family, and I started walking back on my own. I was walking by the line of stores when I suddenly stopped.

I smelled something so familiar and delicious. I turned to look through one of the store windows and a seen it was a restraunt. When my stomach rumbled, I turned away and smacked into a hard chest. 

I felt a slight tingle dance across my skin and when I looked up, I found myself looking up into Hunter's deep blue eyes. His arms had wrapped around me to steady me when I ran into him. It was unnerving to have him so close. Yet for some reason, I couldn't pull away. Standing in his arms I felt as if a sense of warmth wash over me. Almost as if I could feel safe in them.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but I heard my stomach rumble again and it caused him to chuckle.  I stepped back and looked down, becoming nervous.

"Come on, I'll get us something to eat." He spoke gently. 

I looked up at him, then at the restaurant again and I nodded my head in agreement. He led me inside and sat us at a table near the door. With him on one side and me on the other, my back closest to the entrance. I wasn't sure if he did that deliberately or not, but knowing I could escape, made me relax.

When the waitress came with the menu's he shook his head and asked the lady to bring two big bowls of their home-style chicken noodles and mashed potatoes. I watched him curiously and wondered if he had been searching for me or just found me by chance. I decided not to ask. Instead, I asked him the one question that had been plaguing me.

"Can I attend school?" I asked in a rush. Part of me hoping he would say no, but the other part hoping he would say yes.

The question seemed to startle him, his eyebrows shot up and choked on the water the waitress had brought for us when she took our order. The corner of his lips turned upward as he nodded his head. "You can have anything you desire little one, I will get you set up in school on Monday."

I didn't know how I felt about that statement, but I decided to let it go. When the food came, we ate in silence.  For the first half of the time, it was marginally uncomfortable, but it didn't take me long to just enjoy the company.

After eating we walked back to the pack house in silence. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he kept to himself. After reaching the pack house he led me up to my room and wished me a good night.

I had thought maybe the room had been his, but as I watched him walk back down the stairs, I wondered whose room I was staying in. Not that it really mattered. I closed the door, locked it, then climbed into bed after taking my jeans off. 

As I laid in bed, my thoughts drifted to my father. For some reason  I felt as if I needed to remember something.  There had been no reason to ever question him, so why did I feel uneasy about something?

Just as I was about to slip into a deep sleep, I heard a whisper so gentle and warm, "You need to remember child." 

I knew I had heard the voice before,  but I didn't  know where. It was a womans voice and hearing it, I felt like I needed to listen to what she was saying. There was something about her voice that made me feel love. But what did she mean I needed to remember?  Is there something about my dad that I had forgotten?

Why did I feel like I was connected to the voice and why was this uneasiness  feeling  filling me at the thought of my father? My conscience  was apparently  trying to tell me something,  but exhaustion  took over.