“Wait,” Cherry said, cocking her head back. “I hear something.”
We became still, listening in to whatever Chery heard. There were distinct footsteps about a hundred feet away from us. The abled Lunas shifted and stepped forward. I grabbed Hazel’s arm and pushed her to the back of our group.
Through the thick brush, a body stepped out. It was a tall man, muscular and bald.
“Lunas?” he called; his voice slightly more childlike than his appearance. “You’re safe.”
We remained tense, looking around for others. Around the opening of the woods, two other men stepped out, three wolves beside them. A group of five wolves appeared to our left, and soon we were surrounded by Warrior wolves.
The Lunas in front of our group shifted back, finally allowing the exhaustion to hit them. The Warriors stepped forward quickly, wrapping blankets and clothes around the women. The other Warriors came and picked up the weaker Lunas who could not walk.
Hazel quickly grabbed my hand, her nails digging painfully into my skin.
“Sloane,” she cried. “They can’t know who I am.”
“They won’t,” I assured her, pulling her behind me.
“No, they’ll find me. My family will find me.”
“Is there another name you like to be called?” I asked, pulling her hair down from her ponytail.
She stuttered momentarily, thinking of something else to call herself. “I can go by my middle name.” She half-smiled, the dried blood around her lip stretching at the motion.
“Okay.” I nodded as another Warrior came and placed his arms around me, allowing me to lean against him as we began walking. Another guard did the same for Hazel. “What’s your middle name?” I called a little louder.
“Emily.”
Thumping
“When will Rush be here?” Hazel asked, sitting next to me on a couch in the packhouse. I glanced over at her, repeating in my head that her name was now Emily. Emily. Emily.
“Soon.” I smiled softly. “I talked to him about an hour ago, we’re only two hours away…so he should be here any moment.” I laughed, remembering how fast Rush drove.
Emily chuckled, pulling the blanket wrapped around her shoulders tighter towards her chest. I looked around the room, noticing the way the other Lunas clumped together. Cherry sat on my left, nervously biting her thumbnail.
“Luna,” a Warrior from the pack came and bowed in front of us. We directed our attention to him, kneeling on one knee. His eyes were focused on me, a small, sad smile on his pale lips. “Would you mind stepping into the other room with me.”
I turned my head slightly and saw Cherry nod her head, sending me off. I let the blanket around my shoulders fall onto the couch and stood up, the large men’s shirt covering my upper half fell slightly off my boney shoulder. I followed the warrior to the kitchen, where two other Warriors were waiting.
I staggered back, eyeing the group of males.
“Luna,” the shortest one greeted. “We just have a few questions for you.”
“And what would that be?”
“The girl you’re with,” he began, biting his lip in between his sentence. “She’s human.”
“She is,” I confirmed.
“I don’t doubt your judgment, but I just need to know that we are safe with her here.”
“Emily isn’t a problem,” I said firmly. “She was the one who helped us escape. She also fed us while we were in the cells. Her family beat her, she’s just as much a victim as we are. I told her I would keep her safe.”
“I respect that.” He nodded. “I just needed to be sure.”
“I understand.”
The tallest one escorted me back to the couch, where I sat waiting for a few more minutes until I heard a car abruptly skid to a stop. I shrugged Emily’s arm off my shoulder, bracing myself for Rush. He threw the door open, eyes moving rapidly around the living room until they settled on me.
I stepped forward, away from the other women, allowing Rush to immediately pull me into his arms. His nose dug into my shoulder; arms curled around the middle of my back. My toes skimmed the floor, heels lifted.
“I missed you,” he breathed heavily. “So much.”
“I missed you, too.” I kissed the side of his head, fingers clenching around the backs of his shoulders.
“Please, don’t leave me again. I nearly tore the house apart. I was going crazy, Sloane, crazy. I didn’t know what I would do if you didn’t come back.” His voice was clouded, and although his head remained on the curve of my neck, I knew he was hiding small tears.
“Hey,” I said in a hushed tone. “Shh, I’m not going to leave you again. I’m going to stay right by your side.”
“You better,” he cried childishly. “Are you okay? I mean, I know you aren’t fine, but are you injured? Did they hurt you?”
“Rush,” I hushed him, not bothering to mention the slight burns on my arms from the silver bars. “I will be fine. Let’s just go home, please.”
In one swift motion, his head snapped back, and he peered down at me quizzically. I narrowed my eyes back at him. He turned his head, eyes staring blindly at something as he listened. “Sloane, what is that noise?”
I grimaced, leaning back out of his arms.
“What noise?”
“That thumping.” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“It’s um, nothing bad,” I said nervously. “You’re, um, you’re going to be a father.”
His face became deadly serious, mouth in a flat line. I gulped. He had said once before that we weren’t ready for a baby now, but I hoped somehow, he could understand. His words kept repeating in my head, and as the seconds dragged on, the echo got increasingly louder.
“We’re having a baby?” he choked out, swallowing loudly.
I nodded apprehensively, putting my hand on my belly instinctively. He dropped down, his knees painfully hitting the hardwood. His right hand reached out to
