Chapter 12 The hunt for the Skinwalkers
The hallways were dim and empty. The other girls in the harem were back in their rooms, and all the doors had been locked.
Rue crept stealthily along the hallway, silently putting one foot in front of the other. She could hear a few giggles as she walked past some of the rooms.
Down the stairs she went, until she was standing before the front door. So far, she hadn't been caught.
As she reached out to touch the door knob, she heard a door slam shut.
"Shit!" She hissed and ducked, hiding behind one of the couches.
Approaching footsteps sounded and she held her breath as someone stepped into the sitting room.
She quietly peeped out of the corner of the couch and spotted Aurora standing in the middle of the sitting room, staring at nothing in particular. What the hell was she doing?
Aurora looked around for a moment, a confused frown on her face.
"I could have sworn I heard someone in here." She murmured to herself.
Rue shut her eyes, hoping she wouldn't get caught. With the few minutes she spent with Aurora, she realized the redhead was inquisitive to a fault. It would be really awkward if she found her there.
After what felt like eternity, Aurora finally turned and walked back to her room.
Rue released the breath trapped in her chest in a silent sigh. That was close, she thought. She could only hope Aurora would return to her room, because if she decided to enter Rue's room, she would find an empty bed.
She crawled out from behind the couch and straightened. She had to be careful.
Creeping towards the door, she reached for the bolt to turn it. It didn't budge. It was stuck.
"Oh, please, not now." She whispered. "Not when I'm so close."
She tugged at the bolt again, and when it still didn't budge, she realized she had to find another way. Every second she spent there was risky.
She moved towards the windows and turned the lock. Luckily, it opened easily.
"Yes." She whispered triumphantly and pushed it open.
Sitting on the edge, she swung her legs over to the other side and jumped down. The distance between the window and the ground wasn't much, and she landed softly.
Leaving the window open, she turned and raced towards the entrance of the kingdom.
Several guards moved about, patrolling the area. But being wolfless and scentless aided her as the guards didn't detect her presence.
The main challenge awaited. Escaping through the large bronze gates without getting caught.
Rue knew this was going to be a challenge, but she had come so far. She wasn't about to turn back.
She would definitely find a way to escape Eryndor that night.
...
Thane crouched silently in his massive lycan form at the borders of Eryndor.
His dark fur shone brightly under the glow of the full moon. He was totally still, blending perfectly with the shadows.
Only his eyes were visible, two red pools, sharp and alert, along with razor-sharp canines which gleamed sharply in the dark.
Scattered all around him were the Elite Warriors, all in their lycan forms, waiting for the Skinwalkers to emerge.
They had been waiting for hours now, and with the position of the moon, it was getting closer to midnight.
The hunt had started hours ago, yet the creatures hadn't shown themselves. It was almost like they knew Thane was lying in wait for them.
\[Henry, any sign of it?\] He asked through the mind link.
Henry responded instantly. \[None yet, Alpha. No sign of movement on this side.\]
\[What about you, Grayson?\] Thane asked the Warrior's second in command.
\[Not a sign, Alpha. Which is strange because they have been leaving traces of their appearance.\]
Thane's scowl deepened as he scanned the forest. "Where they hell are you, you bastards?" He whispered.
Suddenly his ears perked up. He heard a twig snap somewhere inside the forest. It came from afar, but his extreme hearing ability caught the sound instantly.
Just as was about to give an order through the mind link, a scent stopped him.
His eyes widened and he straightened. He sniffed the air, and when he realized who that scent belonged to, his fury mounted.
Rue!
It couldn't be. What the hell was she doing in the forest?
He rose from his hunting spot and turned in the direction of the scent. Strangely, he was the only one who could smell her. The other warriors couldn't.
\[Alpha?\] Henry called to him, his voice alert.
\[Stay put. I'll be back.\] Thane replied curtly and took off in the direction of Rue's scent.
As he ran, something mixed with the rage boiled within him. Something that felt close to intense excitement and hunger.
...
Rue couldn't believe how easy escaping Eryndor had been.
The guards at the gates had been engrossed in lewd conversation about a few maidens, so engrossed that they didn't spot her or feel her presence.
She had crawled through a hole in the corner of the gate, hardly big enough to fit in anyone. But with her petite figure, it had been easy.
Now as she ran through the forest, she couldn't help the feeling of excitement she felt. She was finally free.
Once she passed the borders, Thane would never find her. She would finally be able to plot out her revenge against Helsing and the werewolf council for betraying her.
She burned with rage as she ran. She would take back her pack, or she would die trying.
Suddenly an eerie shriek stopped her in her tracks.
She paused, her chest heaving, her heart pounding wildly. She carefully looked around, her eyes and ears alert.
The sound came again, a high pitched screaming that sounded all around her.
Terror seized her as she backed against a tree. She hadn't thought of the dangers she would face after she escaped. She had been so focused on leaving Eryndor.
She leaned down and picked up a stick, as if that could protect her.
As she started making her way forward, a creature suddenly burst out of the forest.
She screamed and fell backwards, the stick falling off her hands. She backed away, her eyes wide open in terror as she gazed at the hideous thing before her.
It had the body of a lycan, but the face looked distorted, broken. It stood on its hind legs, the hands eerily long and dragging on the ground, sharp claws, curved and brown with dirt.
Its eyes were hollow, dark empty pits. Its mouth opened wide, revealing complete darkness surrounded with rows and rows of sharp teeth.
Fear seized Rue as the creature advanced, its intent obvious. She felt paralyzed with terror.
As the creature lifted its claws, it paused and looked in a certain direction. Snarling softly, it turned and bounded back into the forest.
Rue finally snapped back to her senses. She jumped to her feet, turned in the opposite direction and started to run.
Out of the blue, a lycan appeared and slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.