Chapter 110: Chapter 110

“Hello, Sussan. If you’re watching this message, it means I’m in trouble.”

Every fiber of my being tensed at his words. His image remained fixed on the screen, while Amber occupied my thoughts. A knot formed in my stomach at the thought that something terrible could happen to that child, especially if David tried to harm her. Her strange teleportation abilities would undoubtedly pique David’s interest, and I was convinced this was why Sven kept her hidden from the world.

I was informed that my current location was safe, at least for the moment. Evacuation plans were provided for me and my friends. I was instructed to trust two individuals who would show up at my door three days after receiving this message. I should follow them and, for the sake of the future, stay alive.

The TV screen went dark, leaving the room in darkness. After a brief moment, I hurried to grab the remote, but Liam was faster and switched to the news. I had no idea which channels were for human news and which were for werewolves, but the twins seemed to be familiar with them.

“Recently, a deadly battle erupted when David Zoe, the leader of the High Council, sent his troops into the territory of former High Council member Sven Ross. What began as a chance encounter turned into a fierce battle when Sven Ross confronted David’s troops. There were rumors about Sven Ross’s pack being a refuge for the White Wolves, which prompted action from the High Table. So far, there is no evidence of White Wolves on Sven Ross’s land,” reported a serious news anchor with a look of understanding in his eyes.

The screen changed again, showing a man standing in front of a dilapidated house. The structure was blackened and barely standing. The correspondent adjusted his hair and began talking about a tragic incident on the Ross family estate, resulting in the deaths of Sven Ross, his partner, and his daughter, Amber Ross. Three sets of remains were found at the scene, and the origin of the fire was under investigation.

Afterward, a sorrowful-looking woman took the floor and pointed out that Sven Ross was considered innocent of the charges pending the High Council’s investigation. It was mentioned that Sven had named his eldest son as his successor before David Zoe’s arrival and had transferred all power and titles to his son. Liam sarcastically commented on this decision, and Ethan expressed his concern about whether Sven was still alive and faking his death.

The conversation continued as the woman on the screen discussed the possibility that Sven had acquired three corpses to deceive everyone, which was deeply unsettling.

“The entire grounds of Sven Ross have been explored, and in the coming days, High Table will send warriors to investigate the packs surrounding his property. The best option for these packs is to collaborate with High Table and trust them to uncover the truth.”

“As the leading broadcasting network of our kind, we will provide hourly updates on the progress of this investigation and the fruitless pursuit of the soul-eater and her companions, which so far has proven in vain. In exactly one hour, we will return with more information on these cases, the most significant we’ve seen in decades.” Continued the news anchor with his imperturbable face and carefully enunciated words. I let out a growl when three images of me appeared on the screen, all taken at the hotel and during the High Table meetings.

The television then switched to a musical ad that Liam quickly muted. It was evident that we were all at a loss for words. The fact that the most powerful man in our world was hunting us all was hard to digest. Every pack would be on the hunt for us, and we were far from home.

We sat in silence for the entire hour, with nothing to do but watch. It was ironic in a way. We were watching updates about our own pursuit, while the world remained unaware that we were watching.

As expected, after an hour, there were no further breakthroughs in any of the cases. High Table still couldn’t locate us, and if they had any leads, they weren’t sharing them. However, they went over nearly every detail of my life since I first moved in with Lia and Dub. The only time Axel or Thomas was mentioned was in relation to my inheritance. The twins noted my mood soured as the reporters went over the worst years of my life. Some information about the twins and a brief segment about Aly was provided as well.

After that, I felt utterly drained, and I jumped when Liam’s voice broke the silence.

“They’ve reduced us to ‘companions,’ Ethan,” Liam scoffed, finally breaking the silence. “Can you believe it? They could have at least included a picture of us.”

Ethan turned to Liam, a look of disbelief on his face. The sight made me want to laugh, despite the stress that had just descended upon us.

“I was in a coma for almost a week and missed the whole meeting,” Liam raised an eyebrow at his brother, challenging him to say something. I noticed a touch of bitterness in his last sentence. It was evident he was upset about being captured by David’s men.

“Forgive me for wanting accurate news. The least they could have done is mention my and Aly’s a*******n,” Liam remarked sarcastically.

“I have a name other than ‘soul-eater,'” I pointed out, looking at Ethan with the same furrowed brow Liam had at that moment. I noticed his last sentence had a touch of bitterness. It was evident he was upset about being captured by David’s men.

“‘Soul-eater’ sounds a bit terrifying, but at least it makes people think twice about messing with you,” Aly shrugged from her spot across the room.

Liam shot her an exasperated look.

“They called you ‘Sussan’s assistant,'” Liam said, keeping his expression neutral but jumping when my uncontrollable laughter surprised him.

Perhaps it was the accumulated stress that finally made me burst out laughing, or how genuinely surprised Liam seemed to be when talking to Aly and Ethan, but my sides hurt, and tears filled my eyes as I laughed at all three of them.

Liam was the second to join in the laughter, followed by Aly. Even Ethan let out a soft chuckle, which was the most I could get from him at that moment.

“Three days,” I sighed after finally catching my breath. I slumped onto the couch and sighed as Liam’s fingers stroked my hair. “Three more days of waiting. I think I hate waiting more than anything else.”

During those three days, we spent most of our time together. Although exploring Sven’s well-stocked safe house pantry made me realize I was tired of it all. Intense morning training sessions helped me maintain some semblance of self-defense, in addition to my ability to separate someone’s soul from their body.

On the third day, at ten in the morning, we heard a series of loud knocks on the door. The security tablet beeped and displayed the image of a man and a woman.

When we opened the front door, I wasn’t the only one who was a little surprised. The woman appeared to be around thirty years old but was dressed like a tourist. She wore a T-shirt that said “I Love NY” and a baseball cap on her head, along with oversized sunglasses. Her shorts and thick-soled shoes completed her touristy outfit. The man beside her was dressed almost the same, in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, and he wore an identical pair of thick-soled shoes.

Although their clothing left us puzzled, I couldn’t help but notice the alertness in their emotions and the tense muscles that seemed to stand out from almost every part of their bodies.

“We’re here to escort Mrs. Sussan, her companions, and her friend,” said the man, towering over Aly and me. My own surprise startled me, as did the man’s voice, which sounded light, carefree, and actually somewhat cheerful given the circumstances. Despite his shaved head and thick beard, the smile on his face transformed him from a menacing warrior into a gentle giant.

“It seems we’ve arrived at the right place. We’re Tyson and Mel.”

“You won’t need to carry anything with you,” Mel added in a sterner tone, indicating that we should leave. His behavior was different from Tyson’s, much more serious and severe.

“Come on. We had to leave the van on an access road. These shoes aren’t for walking in the forest.”

During the day, the house had a completely different appearance. It wasn’t the first time we had ventured out since arriving at the safe house, but I still couldn’t get used to how big it actually was.

I felt both relieved and anxious as we descended the steps to where the forest and the garden met.

“What’s with the clothing, anyway?” Aly was brave enough to ask, raising an eyebrow at the T-shirt she was wearing.

“Right now, your friend is the most important person in our world. And considering she hasn’t let it go to her head, she could really change things for all of us,” Mel explained as she walked ahead without looking back. The French braid cascading down her back swayed as she walked. “She needs protection, but we can’t drive on the road with an armored vehicle and six escorts. David Zoe would be on us within minutes. A disguise might buy us enough time to get you to your destination.”

“Aren’t the back roads an option?” I asked.

“David will have them monitored first, considering they’re smaller and more likely to be used by you, the fugitives,” Tyson replied with a deep laugh, like two rocks colliding. I turned to look at him as he followed us, unable to contain a smile.

“The highway is as dangerous as the back roads, but it will save us at least two hours,” Mel added from the front, picking up her pace to the point where Liam and Ethan had to help me from stumbling over everything.

I kept my gaze on the ground as we progressed, navigating roots and fallen plants. I almost fell when my foot slipped on a patch of mud. It was Liam’s arms under my shoulders that kept me from getting dirty.

“You’re a dangerous soul eater,” he smiled softly, his breath brushing against my ear, sending a wave of inappropriate emotions for the moment and place through me.

The access road was a narrow dirt path that wound into the forest. The trees parted to reveal the narrow dirt path, allowing only a strip of cloudless sky to shine down on us. The air was cool and clean, in stark contrast to the time I had spent with the twin’s pack, where the sun and humidity were in constant battle.

This time, I laughed when we came across a navy blue minivan. It wasn’t the floral seat covers that made me laugh but the variety of stickers on the back. One said, “My kid made the honor roll this year!” and another, “Dog Mom!” On the rear window, there was a group of those stick-figure families, with a muscular stickman representing the dad, along with a mom, four kids, and a dog.

“Just another vacationing family,” Tyson smiled, patting the minivan’s hood firmly.

“Is this thing safe?” Aly asked, raising an eyebrow at Tyson.

“Oh, you can be sure it is,” Tyson replied with a smile that suggested he liked the question. “We’ve got Aly to the side of the van and opened it up. This thing is filled with reinforced steel and bulletproof glass.”

Apart from the mix of country and rock music seeping through the van’s muted speakers, only silence and the hum of passing cars reigned in my mind. I sat in the middle between Liam and Ethan, while Aly took the back seat.

“So, how do you know Sven?” I finally gathered the courage to ask.

Tyson and Mel exchanged a long look that was clearly a silent conversation.

“Ross was a member of the High Table… I mean, he was. He knows a lot of people, both werewolves and humans,” Mel replied in a tone that made it clear she wasn’t going to provide more details. Her emotions weren’t hostile or angry but rather fiercely protective and professional, qualities most people could never muster.

An hour of ups and downs through the mountains passed before we finally had to make a stop. Tyson and Mel agreed to pull over at the smallest and most run-down gas station that had ever graced the Earth. It was barely more than a shack, big enough for only a handful of people at most. An ancient cash register sat on a folding table, and a disinterested-looking man stood on the table, digging at something under his nails.

Mel went into the shack for the four of us and retrieved bottles of water and modest snacks. Both Aly and I headed to where the attendant told us the bathrooms were. What we found was one of those portable toilets.

“At this point, I feel like it would be safer to go into the woods and use the bathroom,” Aly sighed, although her comment was entirely accurate.

“You couldn’t use it?” Ethan asked with a head tilt once we both returned.

We both frowned in unison.

“No, that bathroom is a security hazard.”

Mel looked somewhat annoyed at having to make another stop, but it was preferable to venturing into the woods. The next gas station was equally desolate, with a bathroom that left much to be desired, but at least it was a step up from the previous one.

We kept a low profile, hidden behind the tinted windows of the minivan. After another half-hour, I was starting to get tired. I leaned on Liam’s shoulder, and my eyes narrowed when I was roused from my half-sleep. Anger and determination emanated from four of the people in the vehicle.

“What’s going on?” I asked, pulling away from Liam to look around.

We were still on the highway, with signs and other cars passing by quickly. No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

“Let’s hope it’s nothing,” Ethan grumbled from his seat, giving Aly a nudge to wake her up.

“What’s happening?” she asked, stretching with a gentle c***k in her neck.

“We’re being followed,” Tyson informed, with a serious and determined expression. I preferred the cheerful and joking Tyson. A serious Tyson was frankly terrifying. His imposing physique stood out even more in moments like this.

Mel pulled a cell phone from her shorts pocket and brought it to her ear.

“Heading up the exit 65. We’re being followed by a black Ford. How’s the traffic looking from your vantage point?” she asked, forcing the words out quickly.

“Are there others ahead?” I asked, leaning forward in my seat.

“Don’t think we came alone, did you?” Tyson smiled in the rearview mirror. “It was too risky for the others to get close, so we have them parked at different points along the road. They’ll alert us if there’s anything up ahead.”

“Darn it, they must have somehow found us,” Mel cursed, taking the phone from her ear to send a message. “Traffic will come to a complete stop in the next fifty miles. We have twenty minutes to get out…”

“LOOK OUT!” Aly yelled just in time as a Mack truck swerved into the median from the other side of the road and entered our left lane.