Rejected Mate and Following Fate

I exhale and almost cry with relief and turn to pull my hands from Carmen, who no longer has reason to hold me back.

“Are you coming?” I ask her warily, legs shaking from adrenalin, and weakening with relief as she nods, gesturing back to a hold all on the steps she must have zoomed together before hyper speeding down here. She goes and retrieves it, and we head for the passenger door of the truck, her climbing in first with me last to sit on the double seat side by side.

“Glad you could make it.” Meadow smirks knowing full well she almost gave me a heart attack minutes ago. No remorse whatsoever in her tone or her amused expression.

“Sometimes I really don’t like you!” I point out, hand over my chest to calm my heartrate, glaring at her scornfully and she laughs

“Ahhh but hamera, you love me more than life.”

“So where are we going?” Carmen cuts in, impatient already and I can feel the anxiety swarming from her in getting to go already. There’s a smog of impatient in her manner and a restlessness that seems a little unnatural. I can’t imagine what she feels today but it’s coming across in subtle hostile tension.

“New Mexico, Chica. Sierra is going to call us when we are almost there to pinpoint where exactly. Right now, we have a rough town to aim for, but Sierra is going to keep using a locator spell to get us right to her when we arrive.” Meadow pulls out her cell and shakes it for Carmen to somehow prove that Sierra knows how to use such things before sliding it back into her pocket.

We packed our bags last night and stowed them in the truck, so we really have nothing to wait around for. Sun is coming up; the homestead will start to wake soon, and we need to move before that happens. Least amount of hold ups and we can focus on what’s to come.

I told Sierra not to see us off, or else I wouldn’t go. I’m worried about her being alone to cope as Luna in my absence, no support, not even the subpack here to help and advise her and I know that seeing her looking so lost would have swayed me. I’m hoping it’s an uneventful two or three days for her, or however long we are gone and that the fog sitting around the perimeter keeps the pack in their homes and out of her hair. There’s nothing else for them to do until we know more and whether we can do something. It’s a waiting game where they have all been told to stay home, stay calm and let us do what we have to do.

They have enough fresh supplies for the month, and we still have our animals, our dried stores and ability to produce some of our vegetables in the homestead greenhouses we set up months ago. We can stay put, stay safe without needing to leave the grounds for four weeks, providing nothing else happens. It’s the best thing for them all to do.

I’m startled back out of my thoughts by the truck starting up again and I spot Tom getting out of the way, his accompanying two wolves who are going on perimeter patrol this morning showing up beside him and I can see the question in their eyes as they spot who is in here. I hold my breath, paused in alarm because I know that the mind link gossip will start doing the rounds sooner than later.

Meadow is the military leader after Colton, I’m Luna, and here we are abandoning them right after their Alpha fell to a spell. I know it looks bad, and they will panic, but they have to trust I’m leaving to try and fix this.

“Good luck”! Tom pack links us, and I catch the side eyed suspicious looks he gets from his mates, but they say nothing, just watch us turn out of the gravel drive and head towards the opening and out into the fog.

I can almost taste their fear and anticipation as they realize we don’t intend to stop where clean air meets emerald mist, but as soon as we cross the boundary, I lift my hands in readiness to push the fog away should I need too, and we lose all contact with those inside.

Like an invisible barrier it cuts off Tom’s mind link and that of the rest of my pack. For the first time in 6 months all those subtle feelings and vibrations I am so accustomed to, the emotions of my people that follow me every day, they all fall silent like I just stepped into a soundproofed chamber and it’s intense, feelings of being swept over by a veil of cold. All that’s left is the tension and silent apprehension of Meadow and Carmen, suddenly intensified as they no longer compete with all the other feelings around me, and I blink back out of the rear window on the back door as the fog surrounds us and envelopes us out of sight of the homestead. A sense of loss, heightened worry and a sadness that I’m leaving them.

“Well, this was something I didn’t think of.” Meadow cuts into my thoughts sharply, and pulls me back to face the front window, glancing to her furrowed scowl and her newly aggravated mood.

“What?” I frown at her and look out when she nods ahead at the misty view feet in front of us and I click right away at what she’s hinting. We can’t see a damn thing, not even the road. Despite the fog near the boundary seeming thinner and almost transparent in places, it seems coupled with morning mist from the mountains, damp air and dull light, it’s killing vision beyond four feet.

“That’s why I’m here” I point out and lift my hands to part the smog. Splitting it apart enough to clear our view for a couple of hundred feet and giving us a an almost uninterrupted path to follow, pushing it out as we go. It’s eerie and deathly silent out here, a strange atmosphere of surreal and with the sun peeking up to bring a little warmth to the green air, it’s an almost haunting atmosphere. It reminds me of a memory, many moons ago when the mountain fogs stayed around the valley for three days and no one could see a foot in front of them while the noises of daily life echoed spookily around.

“Where do you think they are?” Carmen quips in and I squint my eyes to the side to look through the density and shrug. Knowing I can feel the presence of others out there, tingling my sixth sense at a distance but not enough to decide if it’s them I can feel, or the homestead behind.

“I don’t know, I can’t really feel any of them for certain. There’s nothing but emptiness and shallow vibrations.”

I spoke too soon, and almost as the words leave my mouth, the truck shudders at the rear, like we were kicked with something hard and heavy, as something fast collides in a weird kind of way. It reverberates through the metal of the vehicle and sends shivers up my spine, widening my eyes in alarm.

as she can. I push myself out of my seat and dash into the rear of the truck to peer out the window, to see if I can see anything, but I also have to keep my hands splayed to the front to keep the fog parted so she can see where she is going. My

rocked again with another strong shockwave. This time though even though it causes the side of the truck to wobble, it doesn’t veer us

I spot the wolves running parallel just inside the fog around us. They are keeping up speed to meet ours and one takes a running leap at us again. Only this time we see it. The bouncing off the

without it they would have taken this truck down in one run and no doubt be all over the top of us and ripping through the metal with their claws. They are barely denting the surface of the strange orb around us and as long as Meadow keeps us on the road and going, they won’t be able to do a damned thing. Well unless they figure out that throwing trees and boulders might take us down, but they are so focused on chasing, intent on pursuing that they don’t seem to

him to reality as a dark black shadowy wolf, bigger than the rest and defined by his darkest fur and forbidding presence, runs at us and makes a leap

but it doesn’t come, and we catch sight of him rolling to the ground on the opposite side of the road, as though he went right over the top of us. He obviously couldn’t get on the roof, swayed by the protection, but

away as tears blind me, pain surging in my chest and crushing my heart at the angry vengeful wolf coming at us again. He’s determined to derail our vehicle. Colton isn’t in there anymore, only darkness and fury

check I’m still keeping the fog open for her to navigate through and raise my shoulders in a shrug, overwhelmed at the numbers of them swarming at us from all angles. The mist is not getting any thinner but it looks like we’re heading out onto the road

how to process what’s happening right now. All three of us gasp loudly, rocked in reaction by a sudden jolt as we’re thrown

hit him! I did hit him, them…God knows how many but….I hit HIM!.” her voice breaks, tears evident as her pain saturates her emotions, her face crumbling as her brows hit her lashes and she struggles back a sob. I crawl to the front seats as carefully as I can,

her heartbreak seeps into

to swerve left and I’m thrown against the door this time. I see the

this is far from over. I’m already bruised all over

us and failing. They don’t seem bright enough

deflated, and searching the fog and the moving figures for the one wolf I want to see yet

One thought, one urge, and all other reason has flown away.” It’s the only way I can describe how they are right now and Meadow nods, wiping her soggy face and pulling herself back together with that fierce aura

looking for wolf blood, no matter what stands in their way. They don’t seem to think

has anyone actually tried to see if they will do anything to us?” Carmen looks form her to me,

bitchily and crosses her arms over

My arms are getting sorer by the second due to holding them up with intent, and my energy is waning with holding my powers straight and steady for so long to keep the fog clear. I wonder how much further before we are free from it and I can take a small breather. I’m not used to

in relief, sighing heavily and rubbing my shoulders to ease the pain. “Reserve it for when we really need it. You’ve had a rough night and probably should rest.” She throws me a look that says ‘please’ and I sit back

They become less frequent and less violent and more like small thuds that barely do anything other than shudder the walls for a second. It looks like they are bound to the homestead and fololowi8ng us is not an option. I feel like we’re all holding our breaths and silently praying they give

to be much longer, right?” Carmen breaks the tense silence and leans forward as though she is peering outside to try and see any kind of end to the smog

and it reached there. So if it does thin we have miles of it

and stares blankly at me, her eyes misting up and she shakes her head to clear the obvious emotion. “All those

a second and narrows her eyes before glancing at

to care about anyone except yourself and now you’re crying over wolves you spent a lifetime treating like trash.” Meadow’s anger spikes and I know it’s born of frustration and the tension of our current

on her arm and throw her a look that’s meant to say ‘calm down’ in a bid to diffuse and settle this hostility. Carmen has suffered a loss too and it’s obvious she loved her mom and is still in a lot of pain. I’ve never known Meadow to be so

tears across her eyes and I sit in awkward silence for a moment, throwing Meadow a strained look and she

People don’t change that dramatically.” Meadow can’t help the venom in her tone and despite me having more reason to not like this girl, Meadow has still never let go of her grudge about Carmen’s misdemeanors of the past. Maybe because they have a two-year history and a lot more than I ever did with her, maybe that’s why.

I can’t read, and I honestly don’t know how to mediate. I love Meds to death and well, Carmen,

be fierce and Cesar is usually the one to handle her like this. Her pain comes out in aggression, loud sassy attitude, hot fiery passion, or sheer fury, and she has only us two to take it out on. She would never do it to me, not because I’m her Luna, but because she protects and loves me like she’s my mother and I never get her rage. Cesar can handle it;

eyes ambering out in anger. This time turning fully hostile and the heat and

like this for this entire trip.” My patience snaps, my attempts at hopeful and upbeat are stomped out and instead heavy fatigue grips me as my head starts to ache. I can’t deal with this

glancing to me with apology and a hint of defeat on her pretty face and goes back to the road, something coming to her realization suddenly as she widens her eyes and quickly turns left to right with a quick head move. “They’ve stopped” she points out and instinctively I turn

did they stop so

finally an end in sight to this depressing

off not sure how to word it, but Meadow