The Fugitive - Chapter 142

Dwayne and Dean were still waiting for them when they returned to the woods. They wanted to confirm Brody was staying at the Hub and would also check up on him. More than likely so they could keep tabs on him. The brothers seemed to have settled into this hunter’s lifestyle now. Whatever made them happy after being kicked out of a pack, it didn’t harm type 2 rogues, and if they were so skilled, it kept type 1’s from causing chaos where they went.

“Do you live nearby?” Esme asked, though rogues who weren’t well acquainted never asked such a question for fear of causing a fight. If they had one, their homes were sacred, and their locations were only for those they trusted. She didn’t care if they answered her, and they wouldn’t fight her; Dwayne wouldn’t because they were on friendly terms, and Dean most likely didn’t want to hurt his pride even more.

The pair looked at her, wondering whether to provide such details. They really were new rogues. “Don’t tell us where you live. Nyx was just being nosy. We live nearby, that is why,” Marcus replied as Dwayne opened his mouth.

Nosy? She wanted to make sure they wouldn’t bump into each other.

Esme walked ahead, ignoring their glances as she ran her fingers across trees as she walked the narrow pathway. “We also live nearby,” Dwayne answered, making her smile to herself. They weren’t completely naïve.

“They shouldn’t be anyway. The pair look to be in their late twenties early thirties,” Isana remarked, tutting as she did so.

“Ah, you forget, we are quite mature for our age. I’ve lived how many lives in my twenty-four years? I’ve lived as a Hellhound, an awful Luna, and a fugitive. I must admit, we have been through a lot; I feel much older than twenty-four sometimes,” Esme replied thoughtfully.

“I wouldn’t say we were an awful Luna. You still did good by the pack, helping in pack meetings and giving your own advice that Ethan would use ninety per cent of the time anyway. That pack never deserved us,” Her wolf added confidently. Esme sighed, after feeling a slight burn on her chest, another reminder of her first mate. Her curiosity suddenly got the better of her, and she wanted to know how Ethan was.

Esme stopped and glanced behind her; the brothers were still talking with Marcus, following her obediently for some reason, even though she was only wandering aimlessly in the woods talking to her wolf. She leaned up against a tree and closed her eyes, ignoring the feeling of

their gazes on her face. The she-wolf focused for a moment, letting the barrier she always had up between her and Ethan slide down, and she gasped, snapping her eyes open, clasping at her chest.

“Nyx?” Marcus rushed to her side, but she held her hand up to stop him.

Ethan’s emotions were like a tsunami abruptly crashing into her, his fury was menacing, and she almost choked from the negative energy. Her breath caught in her throat, but she forced her eyes shut, frowning as she concentrated on building that wall up between the bond. He had left his side of the bond open, almost waiting for her to check in on him.

“Nyx?” Marcus called to her again, and she slowly opened her eyes, staring at the floor, feeling relieved that the barrier between them was back up again.

Ethan, of course, knew of her ‘betrayal’. His anger was chilling, and she felt physically sick. There was another emotion she picked up on as well, one that he seemed to be trying to hide behind his burning fury, and that was motivation. Ethan was more motivated now in finding her. By cheating on him, it was almost like she’d lit the spark to dynamite, but she did not know how long the cord was.

“What did you just do?” Marcus whispered, even though the other wolves would still hear them.

Esme shook her head and pushed off the tree. “Nothing,” She muttered and patted his shoulder, avoiding his gaze. She cleared her throat and forced a smile on her face. “Are you guys done following us now? Ya little stalkers,” She joked, pushing down her trepidation.

Dwayne and Dean did not look convinced by her little act, but they also played along, which she preferred; they didn’t know her well to learn her story. Heck, it was a good thing she was going by her nickname to them; if they needed money, they could sell her out to the White Sands pack.

“Pfft, you’ve got some nerve. I don’t dig troublemakers like yourself, princess,” Dean scoffed, a slightly amused smirk tugged at his lips. But he composed himself quickly, hoping she would not see.

Ah, was the ex Alpha coming off his pedestal willingly now?

“Hey, I don’t understand the mind of a stalker,” Esme winked, feeling a little better from the light-hearted joke. At least, Dean wasn’t always a jerk.

“Sheesh, see ya around, Nyx.” Dean turned around, waving his hand without giving her another glance before he started to strip and shift into his wolf form and ran off.

Esme didn’t realise she’d been watching the whole time and almost jumped when Dwayne pulled her into a hug. His body and arms were huge, making her feel like a small child. She was tense and blinked in confusion, trying not to let her head rest on his chest. “Take care of yourself, Nyx. I’ll let you know if your little trick works for me.”

Trick? Oh, the wolfsbane.

“Good luck,” She mumbled and relaxed when she was out of his hold. Dwayne smiled, almost too dazzling to look at before he turned around and chased after his brother.

The forest was quiet once more, if only for the creatures rustling in the trees and bushes while the two werewolves stood still on the spot. “Nyx..” Marcus began as he stepped towards her.

“I foolishly opened the mate bond to Ethan. That is what happened,” She replied before he could voice the question she already knew he would ask.

Marcus cursed under his breath and stepped towards her again, but she turned around and walked in the opposite direction to where the brothers ran to. “Let’s go. I’m fine, don’t worry. It was sort of a reminder of what I have been running from this whole time,” She murmured before slipping her clothes off and shifting on the spot, running at full speed away from her friend.

It took Marcus a while until he caught up in his wolf form, most likely because he needed to put the clothes she left behind in his bag. The pair ran for another thirty minutes, returning to the spot where she left her clothes, and they were soon walking down through the streets of Chester, their clothing much better than in the woods, making them fit in more with the humans. By the time they made it to the parking lot of ONYX, the pair were looking exhausted. Esme, in particular, didn’t realise how much of a toll her little moment of curiosity would take out of her.

So, when Paul, the annoying vampire, stopped the pair from entering ONYX, Esme’s patience was at its thinnest. “I wasn’t told we were letting in more dogs,” He spat, glaring at both Esme and Marcus. “I can’t believe Gabriel’s dog is letting in another..”

Gabriel’s dog? Is that what she was being referred to as now?

Marcus growled involuntarily, making Paul smile and step up to him. “Oh, did you not like that? This bitch here-”

Esme’s patience snapped. She pulled her knife out from behind her, grabbed Paul’s arm and jumped over him, keeping her arm around his neck and her blade under his eye. “You know, I never did anything to you.. How does it feel now to be totally useless.. to this bitch?” She growled into his ear. The fear of his eye being cut was more significant than the actual injury.

Vampires could heal quickly, but it seemed like this one was a young vampire, one that still needed disciplining. Esme cut just below his eye, but the action seemed to wake Paul from his paralysis, and he threw her off him. In mid-air, Paul grabbed her by the neck with that vampiric speed and slammed her to the ground.

The concrete below her broke from the force sending cracks across the tarmac. The pain in her back rippled up to her neck, making her wonder if she’d broken a bone. No matter, she’d had worse pain. “You’re done,” She whispered, gripping onto his hand that was wrapped around her throat. “Like.. you said… I’m GABRIEL’s dog.”

Paul’s eyes widened before he was thrown off her. Marcus stood in front of her as she sat up, patting off the dust from her jeans in annoyance. Niko was holding Paul by the throat against the wall.

“You know, normally when someone skives from work.. they don’t tend to return to work.”

That voice..

Esme turned her head back and found Leo walking towards the scene. She looked at where he was coming from and stilled, realising he must have seen everything. “What mischief have you got yourself into now?” He smirked, shaking his head, unfazed by Niko and the other bouncer dragging Paul inside.

Leo can’t have seen everything; he was too relaxed if he did. If a human saw what just happened, they’d think Paul and she were superhumans or something. She was speedy, nimble and acrobatic, and Paul just revealed his vampire strength and speed. It had all been a blur until she was slammed into the ground.

Unless there was more to Leo than she initially thought.