Chapter 5 Chapter 5

SARA

It had been a couple of hours since I escaped that hell hole that was Alpha Ronan’s palace. I was pretty sure his men would start looking for me soon - if they hadn't started already. However I knew better than to let myself be caught by those goons. Shivers ran through my spine as my mind envisioned the kinds of torture Ronan would put me through if he got his hands on me.

Staring out the train window, I stared at the full moon beaming its light on the river. The repetitive chugging sounds of the steam engine was starting to make me feel sleepy. It didn't matter though because sleep was something I couldn't afford right now because what if someone recognized me? That'd certainly not be good news for me.

With my veil over my head, I patiently waited for us to get out of Lupinia. The farther I was away from Ronan and my stepsister, the better.

About three hours later, we arrived at a small town. The train had stopped for those who wanted to exit. I picked up my bags and got off the train. The air outside was cold - painfully cold. Wrapping my face with my veil, I looked around wondering where to go. It was pretty late already, almost midnight - and I had no idea where I was.

While I was thinking, I got startled by the sound of creaking wood and hooves behind me, and jerked my head in that direction.

“Hey there, Lass.” A middle-aged man, seated on a horse, with a curly moustache greeted with a smile. “Pretty late for a lady like you to be wandering ‘round these parts.”

“Oh…Good evening”, I greeted, my voice rather frail. “I just arrived here actually. Do you know where I can stay for the night?” I asked. The man stared at me with a rather puzzled expression.

“You don't really go outside much, do you?” He asked. That was surprising.

“Pardon?”

“Well, I'll tell you what. I know a great inn where you could spend the night.” He said.

“Really? That's great”, my face beamed.

“C'mon. Hop in”, he gestured with his hand at the carriage attached to his horse. He got down, helped me with my bags and we set out. As we strutted slowly into the small town, I was still trying to make sense of where I was. I glanced at the rider, who was whistling a song.

“Excuse me sir. Where exactly are we?” I asked. He stopped whistling and laughed heartily.

“Y’know, I'm not usually the nosy type and I certainly don't enjoy yapping but I'm gonna be honest with you”, he said.

“You don't seem like you belong out here. I'm no seer, but it's pretty obvious you're running away from someone.”

I felt a cold chill run down my spine. How did he know that?

“Excuse me?” I tried to play dumb.

“The veil, the bags, how your eyes dart around like you're trying to make sense of your surroundings - it screams runaway child”, he said casually.

“I'm not a child”, I said, feeling a bit annoyed.

“And no one ever said that you were, Lass” he chuckled, “However, even grown men gone missing moving around at this time in these parts.”

“Missing?” I swallowed a lump in my throat.

“Yup. And it's quite frequent too. As you know, this town isn't under any pack and where there's no pack there are….”

“Rogues” I accidentally finished his sentence as the realization hit me. The thought of being kidnapped by rogues made me realize I had more to fear now than just Ronan. I was already starting to think it wasn't a good idea to run away.

“Egggggggg….sactly”, he responded and went back to whistling. I looked at him warily now because if truly rogues terrorize people here, who's to say he isn't one?

“I know you're probably suspecting that I might be a rogue”, he chuckled. The hell? Was he able to read minds? Perhaps that was his power.

“Well I'm not. I'm actually part of a Vigilante Squad that keeps the town safe at night” , he turned to me and smiled before continuing with his whistling. I remained somewhat cautious, watching his every move until a few minutes later….

“Alright Lass, here we are” he stopped his horse in front of a log cabin and got down. He helped me with my bags and I got out of the carriage.

“So just head on in. I'm sure they'll have room for you”, he said as he placed my bags at the entrance and knocked. I heard footsteps approaching and soon the door opened, revealing a grey old woman in a blue gown.

“Evening, Miss Gladys.” The rider greeted her, tipping his hat. “My friend here wants a room to stay for…”, he paused to look at me.

“Two days?”

“...two days” he continued. “Give her a room and some food. Bills on me”, he winked.

“Why of course” the old lady smiled at me and back at him, “I'll take good care of her” she said.

“Thanks, Miss Gladys” he said as he climbed his horse again. Some young ladies came to help me with my bags and I was about to turn around to thank the strange man only to see that he had left.

“Alright dear, let's go inside. It's freezing out here” the old lady touched my hand.

“Oh” I responded, my eyes meeting her smile. “Okay”

We went in and she showed me to my room.

“This is where you'll be sleeping”, she said, “Get changed while I prepare a hot shower for you, okay?”

I nodded with a smile. She was about to leave and then popped her head in through the slight gap between the open door and the frame. “By the way, what would you like to have for dinner?” She asked.

“Anything is alright by me” I answered before she left. Falling on the bed, I

heaved a sigh.

It was a crazy day but anywhere was better than being with Ronan.