I do the same to Jace’s laptop when I see that the pictures are in a file on his laptop, and I smile as I imagine the look on their faces when they realize everything is gone. I leave the Alpha floor the same way we got up there, and on the Gamma floor, our ways part; through the mind-link I thank her for her help.
I show Lakota and Lance everything I found, and I tell Lance the truth about my past, about who Lakota and I truly are.
“I always suspected there was more to the two of you than that you showed anyone; I hadn’t expected to find myself in the company of Lycans, though.” He says as he looks through the pictures once again.
The next day is spent preparing for our departure; we will be leaving after midnight to avoid as many Pack-members as possible.
Lakota
I have checked my backpack for the umpteenth time since I woke up; I keep feeling as if I am missing something, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out what it is.
Lotus is fast asleep in the back of my head as she kept watch all night; not that she doesn’t trust Dad or Lance, she just wanted to be prepared in case something would happen.
“Lala, what is wrong?” Dad asks, and Lance is in stitches as he hears Dad call me by the nickname Mom gave me, and that is when it hits me; I know what I forgot to put into my backpack.
I kiss Dad on the top of his head as I walk past him, and I yell thank you over my shoulder as I run back to my room.
I slide under my bed to push up a floorboard in the middle of the floor, and I grab the metal box I hid there years ago; it contains the things I treasure most in life. One is a picture of me with Mom and Dad; the other is a necklace that has been passed down for generations in my Mom’s family.
It is a blood-red crystal in the middle of a golden moon, the sign of Crystal Blood Pack, and I decide to wear it instead of leaving it in the box. I place the picture inside one of my notebooks, and I walk back into the living room to hear Dad and Lance discuss our options after we leave the territory.
Lance knows where we want to go, and he is tracing every possible route with his finger; he quickly disregards two routes as they lead past too many hostile Packs. Leaving us with three other routes we can follow, each with their own set of challenges, and as we discuss the Packs we will have to pass, Lance tosses another route out of the window.
“This one will lead us past Hollow Moon Pack, and they have an alliance with this Pack; he will have no problem with selling us out. It will be best to avoid them if that is possible.” Lance explains, and I smile as I see Dad nod at his words; looks like it was a good idea to ask Lance to join us.
Two routes remain after that, and Lance asks Dad which route has the most friends along the way.
“Why do you ask, Lance?” Dad asks him, and Lance tells us that we might be able to reestablish those friendships, giving us an advantage in the future.
“If they know where you want to settle down, they might be able to help with rebuilding the territory or warn us if someone drops by asking questions about us.” Lance states, and I see a surprised look on Dad’s face; I don’t think either one of us had thought about that.
We just thought about getting out of here, but we never thought about the future and any help we might need from someone.
I look at the map in front of us, and both routes hold an equal amount of friends, but I don’t know if any of them ever had an alliance with Crystal Blood Pack.
Lakota
“Dad, which of these Packs had an alliance with Crystal Blood Pack?” I ask as I keep looking at both routes, and Dad is quiet, a bit too long for my taste, so I look up at him. I see a bright smile on his face, and I think he has realized why I asked him this question.
“You are a smart young lady, my Daughter. We will take this route.” He says as he points at the route we will be taking.
“This is your Uncle’s Pack, and I know he will side with us.” Dad points at a green mark as he speaks, and Lotus gets excited about the prospect of visiting with family.
“These two Packs will probably uphold the alliance we once had if we knock on their doors.” Dad says as he points at two other green marks, but I notice two other green marks he didn’t point at, and I ask him about it.
“Those Packs will be a guessing game; I don’t know if they will uphold our old alliance, and I’d rather not find out until we are safe.” He answers.
Dad explains that when he was still an Alpha, he had made those alliances for the sake of his Pack, but that he never really trusted any of the Alphas, and neither had Mom.
“Like Alpha Geofry, they believed they needed to keep their Pack pure, and that meant that if you found a same-sex Mate or a Lycan Mate, you had one of two choices.” He says.
I know which two choices he is talking about; either you reject your fated Mate or you leave the Pack. Most would leave their Pack, hoping to find a Pack that was more than willing to accept them, and some even ended up in the service of the King and the Council.
Dad tells us that he took in his fair share of the couples that left their Pack for their fated Mate, and how Mom would always do everything she could to help them settle in fast. My Uncle is the same type of male my Father is, and I can’t wait to meet him and my Aunt.
Lotus has been awfully quiet from time to time ever since we overheard Jace and Alpha
Geofry; when she is ready, she will tell me what she has been thinking about or what she has figured out, and till that time, I will help Dad and Lance get ready for our adventure.
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