Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
As the flight attendant’s voice announced our descent into Los Angeles late that afternoon, I fidgeted in my cramped seat, my muscles uncomfortable and stiff. Eagerly waiting to get off the plane, I drew in a deep breath and sealed my eyes shut.
But I snapped them open again when an insistent nudge from the man behind me propelled me toward the exit. The passengers were restless to get moving while I dreaded stepping beyond the airport walls.
Groggy, I joined an endless procession of fatigued travelers and stood in snail-like queues with no baggage and nothing to claim. All I had on me was my pristine passport, sweaty clothes, and a few bills I exchanged for dollars.
At the automated glass doors, I took a detour to use the bathroom before I offered the cab driver all my remaining money. I hoped he would agree to drive me to Southern California's eastern forest part.
I held my breath while I did my business in the bathroom. The smell of cleaning products and bleach prickled at my nose until bile churned in my throat. An announcement boomed through the intercom system somewhere in the distance and rang in my ears as if needles were pinned into my scalp.
I rubbed the dull throb pulsing at my temples. I’d give anything for fresh clothes, a shower, and a sandwich.
Technically, I was home, although I wasn’t heading to the kingdom. Home should be a place of hopes, dreams, and love. Home should be the shelter for a stormy night.
But to me, it was the storm itself.
Retrieving my magic book was my ticket out of inheriting the throne.
There was so much more than Dad’s hurt pride about losing the war against the vampire Queen thirty years ago. He wasn’t the only one who’d increased the weight on my shoulders of leading the next war against the Blood Queen.
The Alphas and pack members had grown impatient and discontented with the King’s policy of only defending against the vampire Queen’s attacks and never attacking her back.
Werewolves wanted justice for the crazy vampire woman’s attacks on us, for exterminating werewolves one by one, while the werewolf King only built taller fences and ordered more warriors to guard the territory.
People were fed up with the decreasing numbers of werewolves and wanted justice. For some unknown reason, the vampire Queen had tripled her attacks on the werewolves since the last war. Was she too bitter after the war, even though she’d won it? Or was she after something else altogether?
Regardless, she was one determined and deadly mad vampire who wielded her silver sword with centuries of experience in spilling blood.
To add to her crimes, I learned from the vampire mother at the airport that Victoria also executed her own kind if they disobeyed her. The vampire Queen had piles of sins stacked against her.
I was supposed to take over Dad’s reign and bring the vampire Queen to her knees, but I didn’t know how to do that since I was only a human.
I had no desire to get involved in royal politics, so I had to avoid the kingdom, although Torin’s pack territory was close to it.
I walked purposefully across the pickup area, crossed the street, and lined up in the taxi queue. My stomach churned. I darted my gaze around the busy space, and when a black SUV with tinted windows slowed next to the line of cabs, my insides shivered.
I got out of line and moved close to the crosswalk. The car abruptly stopped, and three people got out, except the driver. Two tall, muscular men and a woman.
No one expected my arrival, and even if Dad knew I was coming, in case Hayden told him, Dad’s men would not be disguised.
The people walking toward me had black caps, sunglasses, and facial masks, barely revealing anything on their faces. The woman had a few long blonde hair strands falling on her shoulders.
Their strong supernatural presence engulfed me with suspicion. The black turtleneck sweaters hid any pack markings on their necks.
I couldn’t tell if they were friends or foes as they calmly made their way toward me.
Guided by my instincts and training, I took off like a streak of lightning. The trio sprinted after me, their pursuit suffocating the air from my lungs.
I made a beeline for the terminal once more. Without waiting for the light to switch to green, I crossed the street with my hands up, zigzagging through the onslaught of vehicles and apologizing to the drivers in the incoming cars.
Harsh honking echoed around me. My only refuge was the narrow sidewalk bordering the towering glass panes of the terminal.
Without warning, one of the men materialized from the doors in front of me and obstructed my escape route. I skidded to a halt.
Spinning around, I contemplated an alternative route only to find another man lurking a few yards away.
Goose bumps sprang up the back of my neck, and a cold breeze hit the exposed skin there, making my body tremble. An instinctual chill warned me of someone behind me.
I was about to pivot when the blonde woman grabbed me tightly across my chest. She didn’t know she’d messed with the wrong princess.
I twisted my body so my shoulder was against the woman’s chest and delivered a hard strike in her lower abdomen with my left elbow.
I tried to repeat the action, but she blocked my second attempt. She wasn’t just a werewolf. She was a trained one.
While the woman held her stomach and hunched over, I made a wild dash across the street again, but this time, instead of turning left for the taxi line, I turned right for the shuttles.
A small van was about to close its doors when I slid inside and profusely apologized to the passengers and the driver. Breathless, I sat in a window seat, watching the three people gather and rush toward their parked SUV, which blocked some of the street.
Two security officers stood there making calls, probably to tow the vehicle.
I let out a sigh. These people wouldn’t follow the shuttle to whatever hotel it was heading for. Who were they? Maybe they were Torin's warriors if they weren’t Dad’s people.
But it still didn’t make sense. Torin wouldn’t send people to grab and attack me. In London, Robin Hood and Little John had strict orders to treat me nicely.
Regardless of what pack the men and the woman were from, it was not what bothered me the most. The fact that they were werewolves was way worse.
After a ten-minute ride, the shuttle dropped all passengers at a hotel.
From there, I took a taxi to the mountain cabins of Southern California. I leaned my head back on the seat's headrest while the man glanced at me in the rearview mirror with curious eyes.
My hands shook. I wiped my clammy palms on my jeans. Why would werewolves be after me now? Nothing made sense.
Torin’s pack territory stretched over central California, while the werewolf kingdom was nestled in the southern forest and mountains. Washington and Oregon were more densely populated with vampires since the vampire Queen had moved her kingdom there after killing many local werewolves years ago.
I guess she took over a territory closer to the werewolf kingdom to make it easier to spy on us, attack us, and plot against her number-one enemy.
That was how she ruled. If she wanted something, she took it by force.
But Torin’s territory stretched between the vampire Queen’s land and the werewolf kingdom, serving as a shield. His pack wasn’t the biggest in the country, but it was the strongest and most strategically located.
I dozed off, and when I woke up, I recognized the line of trees and the two-lane winding road. I asked the driver to pull over to the side.
“You’re sure you want to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere, close to a dark forest?” he asked.
I couldn’t exactly ask him to drive me on the main road to the pack manor. Torin had a security post stationed there.
I paid the driver and strode toward the forest. After I stole my book back, I’d have to hitchhike a ride back to the airport, and then Tammy and I could go on a permanent vacation to Italy or Paris.
My parents’ voices rang in my ears, scolding me for how reckless I was to roam in the woods alone. But any fear was replaced by restlessness that drove me toward my book.
If I could sneak inside Torin’s pack manor, I could find his bedroom and my book. I was sure he kept it inside his lair. My parents kept valuable items in their bedchamber.
Getting in and out undetected by supernatural smell and sight would be difficult, but I had a small build and could hide easily.
My mind buzzed with a scenario where I’d distract the people in the manor to exit the building or to gather away from Torin’s room. I could set off the smoke detectors, break a window with a chair, and push furniture down the stairs.
I almost laughed. Who was I kidding? Torin’s men would find me immediately on their territory. I couldn’t be reckless with my determination. All I knew was I needed to be inside the manor first somehow.
If I didn’t get my magic book back, I’d never know the answers I so desperately sought. Learning about my human heritage would finally give me the peace of mind I had longed for, allowing me to fully embrace a life among humans.
And I would finally have evidence to persuade my dad I wasn’t meant to be the next Queen. No book, no way out of becoming a Queen. I just knew it.
Tucked away behind a tangle of parched earth, fallen branches, and thorny bushes, the first row of towering trees erupted from the ground. The two-mile hike into the heart of the forest felt like the first gulp of fresh air after a coughing episode. The sun hid behind the tree crowns.
I drew another deep breath, the rich aroma of damp moss and decaying vegetation filling my nostrils. I allowed myself to connect with nature’s rhythm, feeling for any supernatural presence around me.
I listened intently with every step, darting my gaze around, my senses keenly attuned to any threat. I moved like a shadow through the underbrush, ready to duck from Torin’s men at a moment’s notice.
But apart from the crunch of twigs and leaves protesting under my boots, there was nothing.
The trees began to grow sparser, and Torin’s sprawling manor emerged in the distance. Green hills surrounded the small community of cottages, businesses, and Torin’s home. I leaned on a tree and listened to the rustling, chirping, and cooing.
Oddly enough, there were no other signs or sounds of life. Wouldn’t I have to sneak in and hide from patrolling warriors?
Torin’s pack had the best fighters who would guard the center of the pack territory heavily. Since they were so close to the vampire Queen’s castle, this pack was attacked regularly.
Dad would describe Torin as an Alpha who prioritized his pack’s safety above all else. His members reciprocated with fierce loyalty and unwavering trust.
But there was no evidence of any protection and security from the pack. Unlike the kingdom, Torin’s territory didn’t have fences, at least for most of the land. No extra bright lighting either.
Torin relied on nature’s barriers, like thick trees and brush, to hide the werewolf town. It was as if he wanted to make a statement—he wasn’t afraid to meet the enemy head-on. The lack of tighter security spoke volumes about his pack members' trust in their Alpha.
The eerie silence made my insides knot, a sense of unease twisting my gut.
That feeling suddenly hit me as I gazed at the beauty of the sun sinking behind the hills.
The grassy field that separated me and the well-lit manor looked smooth and empty.
Cold chills shook my body, and I sagged against the tree's rough bark.
No way was it this easy to walk up to Torin’s pack manor.
I shook my head, and my initial shock turned into hysterical laughter. Birds took flight at the sound.
Smiling, I started on the grass toward the central building.
Torin expected me.
A heavy weight lifted off my shoulders. I rolled them back and lifted my chin high. The previous muscle tension disappeared, and my pulse steadied.
My strides were confident and determined, even though I was walking into a trap.
But I was ready for his challenge.
I didn’t know what had gotten into me. Maybe I’d gotten immune to him by witnessing him shift into his scary vampire several times. Maybe I wasn’t the same innocent and naive girl from five years ago. Maybe I was insane.
The manor stood before me like a stunning statue, easy on the eyes but cold to touch. The building formed a U-shape with ample open space in the middle. It was a village-type structure with sharp, pointy features rather than a luxurious house.
Windows took up much of the wall space, a statement that the Alpha was not afraid of anyone. My dad, on the other hand, took extra precautions and installed metal doors throughout essential buildings in the kingdom.
But not Alpha Torin.
In front of the front door, I tilted my head back and looked at the security camera in the corner. I flipped Torin the bird because I knew he was watching me.
I could feel his presence under my skin. I knew my way around, so I walked right in and headed for his boardroom.
In the living room, I ran my finger over the familiar white leather couch. This man hadn’t changed anything inside.
But he was about to discover I had changed, and history wouldn’t repeat itself.