Howl - Brieanna Boyce (free novel 24 TXT) 📗

she wasn’t even committed to the werewolf way of life. I had to let her go like she let me go. She was jeopardizing everything I had built, and not only my own safety but the packs as well.

I couldn’t forget her though, those vampires were after Skylar and I had no doubt that they would make her suffer. I had to warn her, I had to see her and make her understand just how close they were to finding her, I had to be careful though, and I had to make sure no one was following us.

The alpha man in me called to the others, demanding them to come in front of me, at first the call was met with some difficulty but one by one each of the members stood in front of me awaiting my command. “We have to move, very far away we’ll dip into our account and head across country, pack your things,” I stood, “I will be back shortly.”

Gerard looked at me, “You’re going to go see her aren’t you.”

I scanned the room and saw the frowns of disdain, “I am just going to go to warn her.” I threw a look at Jason, “She should know how much trouble she’s in.” No one said their disapproval out loud, either out of fear or simply because they didn’t have to or perhaps a combination of both.

I left the apartment running a hand through my hair agitated, I had to choose between Skylar and my pack, had I been responsible for myself alone I would gallivant across the country with her, but I was subdued by my responsibility, in fact I reaped no benefits from being a leader, except maybe perhaps power, but that was a very scary thing to have and if someone isn’t afraid of it… well they very well should be. I ran quickly and headed to the house Skylar was staying at. It reeked of vampire, I wonder why she was there of all places, was it a ploy? Was she hunting them? I’m not entirely sure, but I am sure there’s a completely reasonable explanation for why she’s there. I got there and looked in the room I knew to be hers; she had a distinct floral smell to her that made it particularly easy for me to track her, I just hope it wasn’t so easy for the vampires as well.

When I got there and looked through her window she wasn’t there. I heard the vampires approach the door and I ducked down below the window. There were two, one female voice, the other a haughty male one.

“Skylar?” the female voice called, a edge of almost parental distress on her voice.

“Wait she left something,” the male voice replied, followed by a ruffling of papers.

Than the woman’s voice broke as she cried softly, “she’s gone,” she whispered.

“We have to look for her,” said the male voice but the female replied, “No she left for a reason and I’m sure she had a good reason.”

I waited there for awhile than quickly rushed back to the apartment than I got a text from Meg reading: “We are all at the airport.”

I sighed and grabbed a cab than made my way to the airport and looked around than finally found the rest of the pack they all looked awkward and uncomfortable.

“Hey guys.”

“Where are we headed?” Derek asked, clearly not pleased with my endangering Jason’s life.

Jason looked away guiltily as Derek slipped his arm around Jason’s waist, “How’s Skylar?”

“She ran away before I told her, apparently she knew as well how much danger she was in.”

“Her vampire boyfriend probably warned her,” Gerard said bitterly.

“She would’ve run away anyway, that’s all she knows how to do, things get bad and she runs. I’m glad she isn’t a part of our pack anymore.” Meg said it trying to be offhanded.

I glared at Meg and grinded my teeth but changed the subject, “Where should we go?”

“Alaska,” Gerard said quickly.

“No!” Meg shouted, “I want to work on my tan let’s go to California!”
Jason added timidly, “the cities just a little too crazy for me… let’s go somewhere quiet.”

Derek shrugged nonchalantly, “Wherever we go I’ll make it a party.”

I couldn’t fight off the smile tugging at my lips; it was as if the universe had gone back to exactly how it had been.

Meg pretended not to be amused, “Please, I’m the life of the party.”

“No,” Gerard corrected, “you’re the slut of the party.”

Gerard and Derek high fived, Jason smiled a little, and Meg playfully shoved me, “Did you hear them?”

I nodded, “Let’s go to Texas, we’ll go to Dallas than find something right outside of it, that way Meg gets her tan, Jason gets a little break if he feels like having some solitude, Gerard… well he gets nothing as punishment and Derek won’t have to always supply the party if we’re near the city.”

I looked around the group and no one seemed to have any complaints so I went up to the front desk and asked the woman behind it to supply us with tickets to Texas. She was an elderly woman, she had puckered faces as if she had sucked on a lemon, her eyes narrowed, causing her wrinkles to increase in intensity until her wrinkles resembled deep battle scars. Perhaps, in a sense that’s what wrinkles were, the battle scars of life’s experience.
She looked over to her computer as if it were an unsightly beast of a thing; she clicked at each key slowly than would quickly snap back her hand as if the computer would try to snap at her. Finally, she looked over the screen pulling on glasses, “there’s a 7:00 at the… Dallas airport.”

“Yes that’s fine,” I said yawning and gave the woman the card we scarcely used for the pack, but I figured that this was a good reason to use emergency money if we’ve ever had one. We went off and waited for awhile than went through security. We finally got through and made our way onto the plane sitting in third class and waiting patiently.
I looked out the window, the others of the pack keeping up their normal, playful banter as the plane shook a bit than moved and finally raised into the air causing my ears to pop and my stomach to drop just a bit and as the scene outside my window getting smaller and smaller underneath me I couldn’t help but think. “This is all so extremely normal,” everything was the way it used to be. I could almost forget the world underneath me; except for one small, pretty, girl whom I hoped was safe and out of the city right now. I closed my eyes and laid my head back on the seat, maybe I couldn’t forget Skylar now, maybe I couldn’t forget those incredible yellow and red eyes, but things were going to turn back to normal and eventually thinking about her would be much less confusing, stressful, and painful but for now I was just going to relax and drift to sleep.

Skylar
I had made my way out of the house successfully, I was terrified that Jesse and Lestat would catch me, they’re accusing glares pressing down on me, in fact I had never really talked to anyone about running away I was too much of a coward to face them. So I had run away like I seem to have done ever since I turned vampire and werewolf. It was better this way, not just for me but for everyone who came in close contact with me. I ran to the subway and the compulsion hit me to see my father and Adoni… I wouldn’t have to stay… I could just visit, just see them, I felt tears well up, I don’t think I ever wanted something so bad. I gave in and thought that I could at least look them, take a peek at how they were doing, if only for a moment.
I received my ticket and made my way over to wait for my train, unfortunately, I had to wait awhile. I made my way over to a rotted old bench, and sat myself down. The longer I spent waiting the more anxious I got, how closely were the vampires following me? Would they ever give up? Would I have to run forever? I should be strong, I balled my hands into tightly clenched fists, If I just faced the queen, just surrendered myself to her than no one would be hurt. But then what? Let’s say this queen found out who I am, what I was, what then? Would I die? Would I be remembered as a hero? I shuttered at the thought, if I was a hero than this world was screwed.
I closed my head and leaned my head back I brought my mother’s oversized sweatshirt to my nose and inhaled deeply, the scent of Kale and mom instantly relaxing me, easing the tension out of my body. I had to breathe, to stop thinking so negatively, neither mom nor Kale would have let themselves get so worked up, both were so certain, so sure, so strong, and so positive.

I thought back to when I’d last seen him in Maryland, how we were both upset, does he think of me too? I smiled darkly, of course he doesn’t he’s thinking about his pack as he always was, as he should do. He was so sure of right and wrong, so capable of making decisions, how does someone like that come to befriend someone like me? I brought misfortune to everyone I’ve touched, I remember I’d had this reoccurring nightmare as a child about this girl and she was cursed, she would walk through the woods and a tree would fall and kill a mother duck and her poor ducklings and a boy kissed her and he ignited into flame. I used to pity that girl and now that girl was me.
Finally my transportation rolled in smoothly and sleekly and stopped opening the door to me as if I was an expected dinner guest instead of a crude stranger. I entered through the doors and sat down on a bench, no one was in the car with me which brought a smile to my face. I looked out the window and erased my mind of all thought as I felt my body being slowly pulled forward than we were off and I distracted myself by watching the lights flash by as we were consumed by the tunnel ahead. I didn’t notice as more people sat themselves around me and disappeared. Finally at the very last stop I stood up and made my leave, it would still take me an hour or 2 to get home, I hopped one subway to another until I was dropped off at a city close to home I walked out as the doors slid open cordially, I walked through looking around at all the people trying to act normal and go at a regular speed but the anticipation and excitement were building and it grew harder and harder to control it.
“S-s-s-skylar,” I heard a familiar voice inquire in shock. My eyes met briefly with eyes that were exactly as my old ones were. They were on a much taller body, with much more handsome features, and a bit of acne that I didn’t see last time, his voice deeper, but I knew that voice, knew it anywhere. It was Adoni.
His eyes watered as he tried to walk towards me, I tried to