10. Leave the pack

“No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.” — Virginia Woolf

******************

Meanwhile,

The closer the deeper they drove into the South, the more restless Grant became. His beast was no longer willing to be caged and wanted to assume control. They didn't even have the time to rest because the king wouldn't let them. They also didn't visit every pack as they had originally planned, also because the alpha wouldn't let them.

“Do you feel anything now?” Leornado asked. They've been driving for hours after leaving Sunset Pack. It was one of the two packs that they were able to visit before the alpha decided against stopping at every single one.

“Just keep driving,” Grant said. His eyes were closed and hand on his forehead. He was fighting his beast internally as all he wanted to do was burst out of the car and run. Doing that would just terrify the people. A rampaging lycan was no joke.

“Understood,” Leornado replied. He was getting tired of hearing the same command and repeating the same reply, but he had to be careful. Though a lycan he may be, too, there was still a difference in power between the king and his lycan subjects.

“We have been driving for a whole day, your Majesty, the warriors must be tired. The prophecy is bound to take place tomorrow. Shouldn't we rest somewhere before continuing? They will need to be in their best forms to combat an unknown enemy,” Leornado said again in an attempt to fulfill the warriors’ requests.

They have been linking him for quite some time now, and he could understand their plight. Since no one would dare to mind-link the king directly, he was their scapegoat.

“If they can't keep, then they don't deserve to be my warriors,” Grant uttered, his tone cold and menacing and his gaze, thought only meeting Leornado's fleetingly, carried a warning that he didn't dare to object.

Leornado showed his neck to the alpha's beast as a sign of surrender and submission while also replying to mindlinks from everyone else.

It was never an easy job serving the king, especially when he was in this state. Any little mistake couldn't spell your end.

As the sun set and the moon hung up in the sky in all its Majesty, it felt as though the goddess herself was etching them. The stars scarred across the sky twinkled beautifully like those you would see in a child's bedtime story.

But the beauty of the sky outside does not ease the tension constantly increasing inside the car. Because of the strong alpha aura the alpha animated, the driver who was only a warrior could no longer stay inside without being affected so, Leornado had to take the steering wheel and the warrior went ahead to join another car.

“We are close, so drive faster,” Grant said after the long silence that had dragged on for far too long.

Leornado glanced at him through the rearview mirror but nodded and affirmed, “Yes, your Majesty.”

“Take a left turn in the next intercession,” his orders came again. It took Leonardo all of his strength not to ask why as he silently followed the others. With the new orders given, he was starting to make guesses of where they were headed, but nothing was certain yet.

***

Esme rose to her feet and took slowly, unsteady steps towards the window. Her eyes stared at the full moon. She wanted to curse at the goddess one more time, but of what use would that be to her? She has already done that but ended up in such a sorry state.

“Esme?” Alicia called, standing by the window, eyes wide and mouth agape. She looked as though she couldn't believe Esme was already standing and walking on her own.

“Those must still hurt. You shouldn't be walking around so that you don't reopen them,” she said, her tone laced with worry and concern. She told careful steps towards the window where Esme stood with her back to her.

“How do you feel now?” She asked, trying t9 see through the cloth wrapped around Esme's body for how the wounds were recovering. It would have been a lot better if she had been allowed to heal, but with her fight against Dawson earlier that had the wounds reopened, they became worse.

“It doesn't hurt anymore,” Esme said, but Alicia was not having it. She would only believe it when she saw it.

“I really do hate Dawson. You would have been in less pain had he not come to force…” she trailed off, realizing that Esme wouldn't want to recall that. “I am sorry.”

“It's alright, Alicia,” Esme said, her tone still calm and her eyes never looking at her. She appeared resigned to her fate, but her eyes had a hidden spark within them.

Her mind clouded with the thoughts of the vision she had seen. The reason why she ended up like this. She wondered if thay vision would become a reality in a few hours or if just her fate thay was truly cruel towards her and had thrown her into this messy and painful situation.

“It can't be alright. Not when your back is bleeding…” She strained off once again as soon as Esme let go of the cloth covering and pooled around her feet. “How is that possible!” Alicia exclaimed in shock.

She reached her hand to touch Esme's back but paused just inches away, afraid to touch it.

Was there ever such a miracle?

“J…just moments ago, it was all bleeding and…and… but now. Is it healed?” Alicia stuttered. There were no words that could clearly explain her shock.

“I don't know how either, but it did happen,” Esme uttered and turned to face Alicia. “I want to leave the pack,” she declared, and Alicia blinked.

She was happy for the healed wounds despite how suspicious it was, but hearing this was a bit top much for her.

“The vision I saw, I am certain it came into fruition. The NightCrawler Pack will fall and perish in a few hours,” the confidence in her words as she spoke baffled Alicia but it also told her all that she needed to know.

“I will pack up for you and also keep an eye on Alpha Dane. When it's clear, I'll let you know,” Alicia said without eve asking where she would go. She trusted her lady even though she had fallen from grace.