Chapter 7

Kiara never thought she’d say this, but the human world was fun. If there was one thing Kiara was good at, it was her talking and negotiating skills. Rommik had often praised her for this and told her how she reminded him of their father.

It went without saying that she was better than Kian while mingling with the humans. While Kian wasn’t a fan of her suggestion to approach humans, he took the chance because they had little time to waste.

She approached elderly humans who looked too weak to attack. Old people had a penchant for talking in the pack. She hoped it would be the same with humans, and they didn’t disappoint. In fact, they talked a lot, and she used it to their advantage.

She spoke to them, gently prodding for information as a curious teenager, and they gave her every piece of information they needed without suspecting her motive. They now knew they were headed in the right direction and even had a faster way to reach their destination. After spending a couple days with them, she decided there were both good and bad in humans, just like the werewolves.

Another interesting fact they learned was that the humans used something called perfumes, which made their werewolf noses itchy and messed with the senses. Kian said his sense of smell was in disarray. So, Kiara had befriended another human who sold them, and Kian had managed to steal a bottle or two while the shop owner was distracted.

Now with the help of the nasty smelling liquid, they blended right in, and no one doubted a thing. Though she had to nudge a stiff Kian and remind him to keep his head down a few times at least. She even had to pinch him once to stop the bubbling growl from spilling and lied to a human, saying that Kian was blind, so he wasn’t actually glaring at them purposefully; it was fun.

Their different food and lifestyles amazed her. Their lights never went out at night, and they sold food at small stalls. They used paper notes and coins to purchase things. It was nothing like whatever life she was used to in the pack. They both adapted quickly, though.

Kian took some odd jobs to earn some quick money that would help them travel in those big metal things they called buses. It took them from one place to the other, and she was amazed the entire time.

They were currently stuck in a town called Redwater, which was bigger than the other three towns they traveled through, and to reach Doveport, they needed to gather money for the next bus ride. The bus would take them there in a day instead of five days if they were to travel by foot.

Kiara never complained about the hardships, though. She was enjoying her time observing this new world of freedom. No one cared about what the others were doing, and they didn’t have people who constantly kept an eye on their every move.

After working an entire day, they inquired about the bus timing before they went to eat some dinner. One more day here and they should be able to afford the trip.

She didn’t know what to expect when Kian bought the weird thread-like thing dipped in some kind of unfamiliar gravy but smelled so good. However, it tasted so good that she moaned out loud, causing a few humans to look at her weirdly. After that, they both ate silently and made their way to their temporary hideout.

Once back in their safe place, her thoughts ventured back to the last few days’ events.

They traveled with only one aim—to get as far as they could from the pack and put as much distance between them as possible while hiding among the humans. She knew they were not safe anywhere because if they could find her mother, they would find her too.

Redwater was located close to the edge of the forest and had all the amenities. The humans had buildings called motels, but they charged money, of which they did not have much. So, the werewolves chose to camp out in the woods after sunset and return to the town in the morning.

Sleep came easily with how exhausted they were. Kian was a light sleeper, so he was in charge of keeping watch at night, as usual. It was a wonder how he kept functioning with only mere hours of sleep. She snuggled to his side, feeling the sensation of safety blanketing her before drifting off to sleep.

***

The next morning, they were in the market, and Kiara was looking at the items on display wide-eyed while Kian was on the lookout for a quick job. Humans were weird that way. They paid Kian once for simply carrying a few bags of goods from the shop to their vehicle.

As a werewolf, Kian was stronger on many counts, and it was an easy job for him. So he found himself in the market during the busy hours, keeping an eye out for humans who might need help. She, too, wanted to help, but Kian, being the protective wolf he was, didn’t allow her anywhere near the humans unless necessary.

It was around noon, and Kian had two jobs and enough money to buy them food for tonight when he suddenly stiffened.

He pulled her aside, dragging her away with urgent steps, pushing her into one of the clothing shops. Kiara’s heart beat out of the chest as she noticed the panic on his face. He pushed her behind him as they hid behind a clothing rack.

She was about to ask him something when she saw them.

Oh, Goddess!

Her heart stopped, and she forgot to breathe. She’d seen them briefly in her pack a few times. She’d remember the tall one with a long scar on his face anywhere. Her hands flew to grip the back of Kian’s tunic with a soft whimper of fear.

His hand immediately came around her, a bit awkward in their position, but that anchored her until the werewolves or, more precisely, the hunters, walked past the shop they were hiding.

It was several minutes before either of them spoke. "We need to leave," Kian said, and Kiara gave a shaky nod.

They stayed at one of the motels that night, holed up in their room and munching on the dried meat that was left.

“What do we do now?” she asked. “How did they even find us?”

Kian’s face was tight with tension, his shoulders stiff. “Konrad must have sent them after us. Bernet, Derric, Sven, and Kyle are the only ones allowed to leave the pack and go back. They know these human lands better than anyone else.”

A cold shiver ran down her spine. “A-Are they the ones who killed my m-mom?”

Kian frowned. “I don’t know. I know Konrad and my father were there when it happened. But I think they were the ones who located her first.”

“Do you think they know where we are headed to?” Fear dug its claws into her heart. “Oh, my God! You said Lucille gave you directions. What if…what if they know where we are going? What if she told them?”

Kian immediately moved to sit in front of her, grabbing both her hands in his. “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “She only told me that this place holds the key to what happened eighteen years ago. I don’t think she'd sent the others after us intentionally. But it's you…." His expression fell. "Maybe we accidentally left a trail. Maybe they have a hunch this is where we would be going."

Kiara’s tears fell freely. “I’m so scared.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Me too.” He sighed, wrapping his hands around her trembling body. “Me too.”

“We don’t even have enough money for a bus ride yet,” she lamented, sniffling. “We used it all up for the room. How are we going to escape this place?”

“Don’t worry about that. Leave that to me, okay? I’ll take care of it.” He patted her back comfortingly.

***

Kiara woke from her slumber when she heard the door open and close gently. She blinked her bleary eyes, which took time to adjust.

“Kian?”

“It’s me,” he immediately said.

She sat up groggily. “What time is it?” She yawned.

“Almost seven.” He drew the curtains, letting the sunlight stream inside the room, and she noticed his stiff shoulders as he glanced outside through the window.

“Is everything alright?”

He shook his head, fists clenching by his side. “The hunters are still in town. They almost saw me this time.”

“Oh, no. They wouldn’t identify your scent, would they?”

He shook his head. “I used Lucille’s leftover herbs. I didn’t think human perfumes were enough to throw them off our backs,” he said and fumbled with his jacket pocket to produce some money. “Here. I have everything we need. We leave this afternoon.”

“Where did you get that?” Her eyes widened.

"Don't be angry, but I had no choice. I saw a human opening his shop, and he had a lot of money. So I stole it from him."

“Did anyone see you?” she asked wide-eyed. “You didn’t run into any trouble, did you? You said we shouldn’t steal money because humans seemed to care more about it than other items. And…and that would bring a lot of attention to us.”

He sighed exasperatedly. “No, no. He didn’t even notice it was gone.” He handed her something he picked along the way for her to eat. “We don’t have a choice, Kiara. We can’t stay here any longer, and we can't travel on foot. The bus leaves at noon, and we have to get the fuck out of here." He ran a hand through his hair.

She nodded with foreboding churning in her stomach. “Okay.”

The afternoon couldn’t come soon enough. They left the motel and walked briskly to the bus station, becoming one with the crowd. They didn’t have any more of Lucille’s herbs, so they resorted to the human’s way, hoping it worked. The obnoxious perfume hid their natural scents, and the hoods of their hoodies covered their faces. It should be fine.

Keep your head down, hands in your pockets, and walk like you have no cares in the world.

Humans did that all the time, and they copied the action. She was following Kian, heart thundering in her chest when he stopped abruptly. He quickly turned her toward the shop, a hand around her shoulder, pretending to look at the items being sold.

“Don’t look,” he warned under his breath.

Kiara kept her head down, the back of her eyes burned with tears and her hands trembled with fear. In her peripheral vision, she saw Kian looking behind them.

Then suddenly, he was dragging her away. They weaved through the crowd, keeping their steps as hurried yet unsuspicious as possible. After managing to arrive at the bus station, it was the anxious game of waiting.

Eyes darting around every few seconds, they waited on pins and needles. Kian once again tensed, pushing her behind him and glaring into the distance. A soft whimper left her mouth as she clutched the back of his hoodie in a tight grip.

In front of her, Kian was as stiff as a rock. She could feel the tension rolling off him in waves. His fists clenched at his side. She peeked over his shoulder and what she saw caused her blood to freeze in her veins. The hunters were here, just standing opposite of them. They were talking to someone, possibly inquiring about them.

She swallowed audibly. Oh, no, no, no.

There was no place to hide. If they ran, they’d notice immediately.

That’s it. We are caught. They’re going to take us back to the pack.

Tears slid down her cheeks, and she shut her eyes tight. Then, with a hammering heart, she began to count the seconds to their doom when the sound of the engine invaded her sense. Her eyes flew open, and she almost cried in relief, looking at the big white and blue metal box stopping in front of them.

They hurriedly climbed inside, slipping into a seat and keeping their heads down. Kian tensed when every time someone climbed inside. The bus waited there for over five minutes, and each second felt as if she was sitting on fire.

When the bus finally moved, she released a relieved breath and sobbed in relief. “That was close,” her voice shivered. “I thought it was over for us.”

He squeezed her hand. “It’s not over as long as I’m alive,” he said in a determined voice.

She looked at him, fear rooting deeper in her heart. “They are trained for this very purpose. They know the human city in and out. I don’t want them anywhere near you.”

His features softened. “I can say the same.” He cupped the side of her face. “I don’t remember much from my childhood. My mother passed away when I was a baby. You were the first thing I remember. My first memory of you is you crying in the nanny's lap. You stopped crying when I began to play with you, and that day I thought I never want to see you cry again."

Kiara sniffled upon hearing his words.

“I meant every word I said, Kiara. I’ll protect you with my life. We are in this together. We will be far from them before they can find us again. Just trust me, okay?”

She nodded, and he put a hand around her, holding her gently. “I trust you.”

Only you.