Wolf-less Omega Luna novel Chapter 62

Alana’s POV

When I felt the panic somewhere at the back of my mind through the mate bond, I knew Axel had found out that I left the pack and my clock was ticking. I had to move fast.

It was scary being outside the pack like this for the first time. On my own without either Axel or Coral with me. As much as I felt like I thought things through before leaving, I didn’t. That didn’t matter now.

All I had to do was find a way to get to my pack. MoonDay pack. I could start by asking questions.

I looked around the near-empty bar for the thousandth time as the sun started to set. I couldn’t help but feel like a pair of eyes were on me. I tried to brush it off several times but it lingered.

After drowning the last of the awful beer that burnt the back of my throat, I walked up to the bartender who was no doubt a werewolf with the hopes that having spent more than half of the cash I had with me in my little getaway pack, he would be willing to give up some information to me.

“Good evening, miss. Can I get you anything else?” The tattooed down, 5 foot 8” bartender asked before I spoke.

“Yes. Something off your menu if you could,” I replied. Thanks to the beers I had taken, I had a dose of liquid courage.

He quirked an eyebrow at me before leaning in on the bar top.

“I’m looking for a pack,” my voice dropped low. I didn’t want other werewolves listening in on the conversation. “My pack. I’ve been away since I was eight and all I remember is that it’s south, it was attacked and left for ruins years ago and it’s called MoonDay pack.”

His facial expression gave nothing away and I wondered if I had asked the wrong person. I hoped not because the more people I asked, the riskier it would be for me. After a long and excruciating silence, he tipped his head to the back of the bar before strutting away.

I reluctantly followed but not before giving the entire bar and Axel’s car packed outside a once over.

Once we were away from earshot, he opened his double-sized palm and I groaned internally. Part of me knew the information wasn’t to come without a price.

“This is all I have,” I placed the last of my notes in his palm which he eyed before squeezing it in his pocket and leaning on his toes. 

“You need about a three-hour drive from here and one on foot to get there. Here’s a map,” he pulled out a tiny map from his back pocket and handed it to me. 

It had most of, if not all of the packs in the continent on it and it had to be correct because Crescent Moon pack and Emerald pack were on the right spots. The journey from where I was which was labeled Granite ground to my pack was pretty much a straightforward journey except the area covered with greens that could only mean a forest.

“Thank you,” I folded the piece of paper and tucked it in the inner pocket of my hoodie. “But don’t you think you could have given this information up without extorting me?”

He shrugged. “Nothing goes for nothing.” I simply nodded before he pointed to the back door. “Go out through here,” and he left.

I tightened the hoodie over my head, grateful that I made enough preparations for the journey before heading out of the bar into the cool evening.

I got to the forest faster than I normally should have, partly because nighttime was fast approaching and while I had my werewolf senses to guide me through the darkness, I didn’t want to take any further risk than I already had. Secondly was because the determination and panic I felt through the mate bond was now so thick that it had formed a bitter taste that lingered at the back of my throat.

Axel was set on finding me so I had to get away. My family was more important than whatever lie Axel wanted me to live.

As soon as the car was parked at a reasonable distance from the bushes, I strapped the backpack containing my supplies behind me and entered the woods through the clearest opening I could find.

My backpack had some food, snacks, bottles of water, a hand knife, a few change of clothes, and whatever my hands could find within the ten minutes I used to plan my journey. It wasn’t a long-term plan but it would suffice for the next day or two.

If I was lucky, I would get to the gates of MoonDay pack within the next hour and hopefully find a way to get in and find whatever info I could about my dad.

The map leading to me through the woods was in my hand and it was still easy for me to see clearly even though the moon had set over my head, giving off a subtle glow. I looked over my shoulders twice to make sure that the nagging feeling I was still having wasn’t what I thought it to be before I continued further into the forest.

“Let’s do this,” I muttered to myself. The only way I could go now was forward.

Only a few more minutes in, a snapped twig caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on alert and my heartbeat to skyrocket. 

“Who’s there!” The panic was evident in my voice.

I didn’t get enough time to assimilate what was going on or even get in defense position before glowing eyes emerged from the shadows, forming a circle around me.

If my plan didn’t seem like a bad idea to me before, it did now.

I swallowed thickly while crouching and trying to make out the figures in the shadows. The larger part of me wished for it to be Axel and other packmates from Crescent Moon pack but my request was tossed out the window when the foul smell hit me.

Rogues.

When I could finally make out their figures, no, one figure in particular, I knew that it just wasn’t any rogue.

“Alistair,” I choked out, the name scraping my tongue painfully.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of formalities, Alana,”

“Keep my name out of your mouth?” I snapped.

“Feisty. Just how I thought she would be.”

As he made a step towards me, the words rolled out with far less confidence than I had intended. “Don’t come any closer.” 

He only paused for a second before he tipped his chin to me and said, “Even if I know exactly where your Dad, Jake is?”