Chapter 6

“Um no… well, not at will,” I restated, trying to make myself sound less pathetic. “It sort of happens randomly. Less and less as I’ve gotten older.”

Sophia laughed, but there was nothing malicious in the sound. “That’s insane! Does Sergio know?”

I grimaced. “I doubt it. And I’d like to keep it that way. Don’t want to give him another reason to hate me.” I tried to act like it was no big deal, and Sophia seemed taken by my façade.

She shrugged. “To be honest, I think he is scared of you. He thinks that there is something wrong with him because he found another mate right after his last one died.” Before I could say anything else about the subject, she smiled. “You want me to help you pack for your trip tonight?”

“I don’t have anything to pack.” I failed to hide the dread from my voice at the thought of our trip to meet the witch doctor. The witchdoctor who could supposedly help resolve our situation…

Sophia offered me a smile, undoubtedly aware of my anxiety. “Well then we should probably go shopping?” She wiggled her brows before waltzing to Sergio’s desk and digging around a drawer. Finally, she pulled out a silver, shiny credit card.

I smirked. “Fine. Do you have any malls around here?” My voice dripped with sarcasm. The packs resided in the middle of nowhere. It took two hours to get to the nearest human-infested city.

She rolled her eyes. “Who doesn’t like a good road trip?”

In a few hours, I found myself driving Sophia and me to the mall in a shining black corvette that we’d found in the pack garage. Sophia had warned me that we should take another vehicle. The black sports car was Sergio’s prized possession, apparently. That thought only made me more excited to take the corvette for a spin.

We had not told anyone that we left, and nobody seemed to care. But as we ventured further and further on the old road away from the Black River pack territory, I felt I strain inside of me that was pulling me back to the pack.

At first, the feeling was mild, but the painful emptiness soon began to consume my thoughts and body. Everything inside of me was telling me to turn back to the territory. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.

Sophia, who had been rapping along to some obscene song about a woman with a large ass, suddenly stopped mid-verse. The abruptness caught my attention, and I glanced in her direction. Her blue eyes were glazed. “What is it?”

When she came out of her trance, she returned my gaze, wary. “Sergio just realized we left. He is not happy. He wants us to turn around.”

I stiffened, but tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “What? Does he miss his car? Besides, tell him that we are almost there!”

She glanced around at all of the surrounding trees as we cruised on the winding, rural road. “Maybe we should head back… he is really–“ Suddenly, her eyes dulled over and she clenched her eyes shut, grasping her head in her hands. I knew why it was so painful for her; she was resisting and blocking out Sergio’s alpha command, and she was doing it because of me.

Sophia groaned in agony, and guilt washed over me like a tidal wave. I completely took my eyes off the road. “Sophia! It’s okay! Let him in! We’ll turn around.”

She stopped squirming awfully as she let him in to her mind, and the entire time I kept my eyes on her. When Sophia finally refocused, she turned to me. “We have to go back, now. The rogues are--- Watch out!”

She screamed the last part, her eyes filled with panic and fear. I turned back to the road, but it was too late. A huge wolf stood in the center of the winding pavement, lips curled back over his teeth in a grow. I cursed and let my reflexes take over, swerving away from the hulking, menacing figure. The world around me was a blur as tires screeched and metal crunched.

Everything went black as chaos ensued. The corvette flipped, rocking to a halt on its back, and Sophia and I were left dangling from our seatbelts.

My vision blurred, but I tried to find Sophia’s body next to mine amid the wreckage. She was unconscious in her seatbelt, but her chest rose and fell. There was blood leaking from a gash in her arm, but, other than that, she did not seem too badly wounded.

I was painfully aware of a sharp pain in my own head, but adrenaline dulled the true extent of my injuries. Besides, I had more pressing concerns. I turned my face to see the huge wolf from before padding over to us as we dangled there—helpless. His black fur was covered in bloody patches that became visible as he approached; he was obviously a rogue.

My heart thundered in my chest as he neared, a predator slowly stalking his prey, until I could see his bloodstained claws next to the window. I began to fumble with my seatbelt, as if I could possibly outrun the monster if I could only unfasten the belt that held me in place. It was foolish. I was at the mercy of this rogue.

Suddenly, a furious, fuming howl erupted from the woods nearby, and my body recognized it immediately.

Sergio.

The rogue wolf let out a low growl before quickly leaping in the opposite direction, beginning to flee from the scene at the sound of Sergio’s howl.

The bushes and trees began to rustle as Sergio and a few other members of the pack shifted back into their human form and emerged from the bushes. The sight of him distracted me momentarily from the searing pain I felt; he was not wearing a shirt, and every line of his protruding muscles rippled as he walked.

Sergio was kneeling beside the driver’s door in a matter of seconds, his piercing, hard eyes were filled with fear and concern as he stared at my flipped over figure.

“Iris?” his voice was filled with worry as he looked me over slightly.