Chapter 203

Almara’s Pov

The thud of my paws hitting the earth matches the rhythmic beat of my heart. Fast, yet steady. Something kicked in a couple of miles back that changed my mood from frantic to oddly calm in a maternal instinct kind of way.

I have one sole mission to focus on, protect my daughter. Once that realization clicked, everything else inside me fell into place. I have this odd inner knowing that should anything or anyone get in my way, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Only when Arthur periodically sprang into my mind did I nearly stumble. The thought of him alone, not even in the last state I saw him in, but just conjuring up an image of him- a still shot from my memory bank, one where he’s alive and happy is enough to throw off my tempo.

If I pause to consider his current state of well-being and why he’s in that comatose state, to begin with, I’ll crumble. I have to stay focused on what and on who I can save and right now that’s my daughter.

Sites and landmarks are a blur as I race past them. Though my mind is steady, my body moves at an accelerating pace I didn’t know possible. It’s like I’m part of the wind, blowing by trees, buildings, and other wolves.

I can’t stop to think about what others must be thinking seeing their Luna, if they can even process that it’s me, flying past them. I’m sure it’s alarming to say the least, especially given the circumstances our society is in. They’re probably all wondering if they should be running too.

Then I stop. My paws come to a halt in the ground and only then do I realize somewhere along the run I split open some of the padding leaving a tail of bloody paw prints. Though my minor injury isn’t what causes me to stop, it’s a voice. Though not so much the voice itself that causes me to cease, but rather the emotion inflicted by the sound of this voice.

My breath is hot and heavy and I feel my blood swishing around in my ears. It takes a moment for all my senses to come back. First was the hearing which caused me to stop running. Then it was my sense of feeling. My paw stings, my lungs burn, my skin prickles with cool sweat.

The next sensation to come in is my sight. My eyes go from tunnel vision to being able to perceive the landmarks around me. I’m in the middle of the city. Standing in the city means I'm only ten miles away from home, which is enough to almost make me start running again, but I don’t.

Tall buildings tower over me though they all seem to be empty, nor a single light inside shines through any of the windows. I doubt people are working as usual these days. Overall, the city seems to have a palpable emptiness to it.

I wonder if that’s from the amount of gammas having been drafted, or fear that’s making people stay in their homes. Maybe both.

The sidewalk on which I stand is cleared- though I assume that’s because of me, no one wanted to be in my way, and seeing that I would’ve run down anyone in my way everyone stayed clear.

The wolves that are still nearby, standing in the street or on the other sidewalk cast nervous glances at me, while others have their eyes glued to their phones- which isn’t completely abnormal, but the fact that they’re all making the same face of fear and confusion is what makes this suspicious.

My own phone vibrates in my pocket, drawing in my sense of sound. I go to pull it out of my pocket, the thin rectangle feeling foreign at my touch. Though before I have a chance to see the message, a static sound crackles overhead.

I glance up and see a large T.V mounted on the roof of the techno building glitch with scratchy rainbow colors as the signal tries to pick up whatever is being transmitted to it.

“Sacrifice. . . made” the voice. I realize again. That’s the voice that made me stop running. I look at the T.V again and see a grainy image of Delfino, the vampire Councilmen, speaking. I pivot my entire body to square the building and don’t take my eyes off the screen.

“The war will draw to an immediate end, only if the Covingtons agree to this simple term,” Delfino says, a twisted smile playing on his lips. He dips his chin and a dark shadow casts down the middle of his pointed features.

I swear it’s like he’s looking right at me. I stand taller, sliding my shoulders down my back and standing my ground, showing that I won’t back down- just in case he can see me.

“Bring us your daughter,” Delfino says simply though he knows there is nothing simple about that demand. A few heads turn to look at me, I can feel their eyes boring into every pore of my body. I let their stares burn at my skin, I don’t look away from Delfino.

“We want her and her extraordinary skill set. That is all.” He brings his pale hands together as if in prayer. How does he know about her advanced skills? He pauses for dramatic effect, then as if the idea just sprang itself on him, he adds “I do not care which one of you dogs brings us to her. Whoever delivers her will be the one who ends this war,”

I allow my eyes to skid ever so slightly over the nearby pedestrians. Surely Delfino said this on purpose. He’s making it into a game. Worse, he publicly announced Grace's advanced skills for her age which not only begs the question as to how he knows that but also reveals a far more sinister reason as to why he mentioned it.

Someone will want Grace for themselves, maybe not to end the war, but for their own desire. Delfino must know that which means if he doesn’t get Grace, someone else might and either way Arthur and I are without our pride and joy and that is what Delfino is truly after.

Power and dominance aside, he just wants us to suffer. The T.V shuts off leaving an eerie quiet over the normally loud and vibrant city.

My primal instincts jump back into high gear again. I turn on my paws and begin taking off. I run faster than when I first started. The other difference is I’m no longer the only one running. Behind me a mob of others have joined.

I don’t know where to go. I can’t run to my house otherwise I lead them all straight there. I hear my name being barked among other calls to think about the greater good. I tune them out, duck my head, and run faster than I ever thought possible.

My paw has stopped bleeding which means I’m no longer leaving a trace, maybe I can take a sharp turn and lose them. It’s worth a try.

I’ve made it to the highway and I jump the guardrail and bolt down the hill, it’s steeper than I thought, and the speed at which I was running causes my body to overextend with gravity. Halfway down I lose control and fall.

I roll, hitting longs, branches, and trees until eventually darkness takes over.