CHAPTER 102: SOMEONE IS FOLLOWING US

*** Author’s Note: Take a peak at the character images, vote on who your favorite’s are! ***

~ODETTE’S POV~

I couldn’t believe what he was doing.

We were drifting. The world outside the windows blurred with each rip of the Ebrake, each screech of the tires. Like he was sweeping me away from the world.

I couldn’t stop smiling. My cheeks were hurting from my laugh screaming.

And Ambrose.

He was laughing. His smile glowed, his eyes shined with affection. His once cold features looked warm and happy.

And that made my soul dance.

I couldn’t help it, the laughter just spilled out of me at every turn.

Once we were down the mountain and off the dirt road, we were driving for what felt like hours.

I finally asked "Where are we going?"

"I have some business in Olgii 3 hours from here; they have good shopping malls. Some almost as good as ours. But here I can hit two birds with one stone." Ambrose answered.

"What kind of business?" I asked nosey.

He looked behind at Emalea in the car and then back to me. "There’s information about some rogues here and I’m meeting with one of the people who might be going undercover. That’s why I asked Emalea to come with us, so I wouldn’t be leaving you alone, but I can’t bring any guards, I can’t tip anyone off, it’s already going to be hard to hide you with your white hair. The less attention I can bring the better."

"There’s nothing more conspicuous with a white haired girl walking around a bunch of dark haired people? Probably the only white haired girl around. You’ll draw all the attention bringing me with you." I shouted at him.

"Maybe that’s the plan?" He looked over and smirked at me.

"Wow, you’re using me as a distraction? How original of you." I joked rolling my eyes. This was supposed to be a date, now he won’t even be with me? Lame.

"I can only hope to live up to your expectations." He teased me.

"You’re insufferable sometimes, you know that?" I crossed my arms and snubbed him, a smirk hidden on my lips. One I know he didn’t miss.

"My wolf tells me the same thing." He laughed.

I noticed Emalea sitting in the backseat a soft smile sat on her lips. I wanted to ask why she smiled like that, but then we pulled up to a turn off a row of buildings appeared in our line of sight, on the side of the road we were met with a welcome sign written in a language I didn’t know.

"What language is that in?" I asked.

"Mongolian. Our pack lies on the Russian side of the Altai Mountains. On a typical road this would be 8 hours, but because we took a hidden mountain route, we cut it in three hours." He answered formally.

Our pack. The way he said it, it made me feel like I was a part of his world. Our pack. Like my pack too.

Our pack. The words repeated over and over again in my mind, and I couldn’t help but feel this sparkling warmth blossom in my chest.

"This is a mostly mortal town, please try and keep your abilities reigned in. People here are very superstitious, and it doesn’t take much to spook the townspeople." He added.

"Okay. I’ll try." I answered.

Emalea still hadn’t said a word since we got down the mountain. She looked calmer now that we weren’t drifting down the mountain.

"You alright back there?" I asked Emalea.

"Yeah, just thankful to have made it down the mountains in one piece, I’m a gamma wolf, my self-healing is even less than my mediocre ability to heal others. You guys would survive a tumble, me on the other hand. Probably not." Emalea lightly laughed stretching her hand behind her head and rubbing the back, trying to brush off the anxiety that had clearly lived on her face for a while.

"Where you really that scared?" I asked her.

"Oh goddess, yes!" She loudly and dramatically expressed. Her eyes wide and doe like.

Her theatrics made me laugh.

But when Ambrose spoke again, it brought my annoyance back.

"The small mall is called Silk Road in English. And no, not the underground blackmarket, this place sells a lot of silk, it’s a major export for the city." Ambrose told us pulling up to one of the few buildings with neon lighting.

Some of these places were old and run down. While others were clearly newer in build, not just because of their condition, but because of the change in architectural design.

I’ve seen some places in Romania look like this, but I’ve never actually been through small towns like this, let alone shopped in one. And Ambrose was about to ditch me here. And just like that annoyance hit me.

"I’m going to the bar across the street. I’ll come find you when I’m done. Don’t come looking for me there, understand? I don’t want to have to kill a bar full of civilians because someone has something to say about my woman." He sounded light with his tone, but his face said how serious he actually was.

"Relax, I can handle myself." I frowned. I felt like he was underestimating me. So, ditching me and doubting me.

Cool story bro.

"Oh, I know you can, but this is my territory, which means it’s my job to handle lowlifes, not yours. And I take my job very seriously." He admitted.

"Just go handle your shit and come find us." I stepped out of the car. Slamming the door, aggravated with him leaving not just me, but Em too, alone in this unknown town with people I can’t even speak the same language as.

I wanted him to feel the chill from my irritation.

Emalea got out of the car followed by Phera my new fox guardian.

The shopping mall was small. Very small. It was one of the nicer buildings for sure, but still, not what I’m used too.

That was until I stepped inside. And rich culture slapped us in the face. Inside the building was beautiful, stalls of silk lined the middle of the halls with small stores on either side. They had a grocery store, a hair salon, dress shops, shoe shops. No, not the usual designer brands, but beautiful, nonetheless. Chatter quieted when we walked in.

"This place is so cute." Emalea said to me.

"Yeah, it is." I answered her.

We walked until we found a bookstore/coffee shop. Em and I wandered around the store a bit.

Looking at a magazine in, what looks to be the same language that was on the sign. I sighed annoyed, I can’t even read this... "I have no idea what I’m looking for."

"Oh, that’s right, I have a list from Beta Damon, he gathered from both Ms. Artemasia and Ms. Ursula." Em answered.

She pulled out a list of things such as notebooks, pencils, folders, and pretty much all your basic school needs. As well as an additional list of books and herbs from Artemasia and books and maps from Ursula.

"Some of these maps are only available in this mall, it makes sense we are here, Alpha King Ambrose really thought it all through, he’s so thoughtful with you. Seeing him like this, it’s nice." Em told me.

"Strange." I said picking up one of the maps. These were in different languages, not just what looked like Mongolian, some were in Russian and Mandarin.

I always wanted to learn Chinese and Mandarin.

Maybe this would be my chance.

Looking around the bookshop, luckily I could read some Russian, so I was able to find some of those books. But as far as the other two languages I was screwed. They had over 30 different books listed between the two tutors I was given.

These people are insane.

We found a cute lifestyle store. It had little knickknacks, stationary sets, lamps, storage bins and all sorts of things like that.

That’s when I noticed we were being followed.

"Em, we’ve got a tail on us."

"A tail? No you don’t, I only have one in my wolf form." Em looked at me confused with my reference.

"It means someone is following us, observing us." I answered as quietly as I could. I noticed Phera’s ears were perked up, signaling she was also on alert.

Suddenly, a presence moved in the shadows of the store.

And a masked figure appeared behind Emalea. Time seemed to still as the figure pressed a silver dagger to Emalea’s throat.

"Well, well, isn’t this my lucky day? Two beautiful ladies like yourselves wandering into my mall." The masked man sounded creepy and perverted.

A snarl escaped me before I realized it.

"You have no idea who you are fucking with, put the dagger down, and I’ll go easy on you. But hurt her, and by the time I’m done with you, you’ll be begging for death." I warned him, my fangs threatening to extend. Every cell in my body screamed to act. But I didn’t get the shifter smell from him, and if he were a vampire, he’d recognize my aura instantly as his ruler. Which means he has to be mortal. But if he were mortal, how would he have been able to move so fast?

Emalea was trembling under the man’s blade. She could feel the silver burning into her skin.

But he had to have knowledge of shifters, to know he’d need a silver dagger. Unless that was a coincidence, and oddly accurate one.

"Oh, I think I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m taking this pretty shifter girl with me." He snickered, pulling her backward with him, plotting an escape.

"Oh, is that so? I could knock the dagger out of his hands. But Ambrose asked me not to use my abilities. But if it came down to it. "I don’t think you appreciate the gravity of what you’ve done. Or who you’ve just threatened."

A wicked grin stretched across my face. "But you’re about to find out, little man."