Dirty Lying Wolves

4. On the Road

June

I woke up cold in the early morning. It was still dark out, but I always woke up extra early in a new place.

It was a wonder I had slept at all. Two people in pain nearby made noise all night. I felt bad for them, even the one that bit me. She must have lashed out in discomfort.

I got up, having to go to the bathroom. I didn't see anyone else awake, so I didn't think I needed to say where I was going. No need to wake them up.

The thought crossed my mind that I could possibly escape. Even if I believed that I would turn into a werewolf like them, I still would rather handle it at home and not in Canada. And while Canada crossed my mind, I realized that I didn't have a passport to get there. Somehow I didn't think they were going to take the highway across the border.

Looking around, I admitted to having no outdoor skills and let the idea of finding civilization anywhere nearby go. I did my business behind a tree and came back highly dissatisfied with the lack of clean clothes to change into.

"Feel better?"

Dom's voice in the dark made me jump. I whirled, running into him as he had been standing against a tree nearby. I had passed him and hadn't even noticed.

"Easy, tiger. Just checking in that you're okay," he said.

"You scared the crap out of me." I wrapped my arms around myself as I took a step back, my heart beating fast.

Dom let out a breathy laugh. "Didn't mean to."

I sighed, looking around us in the dark. The woman, Amelia, was making whimpering sounds and the man looked to be having some sort of small seizure. I shivered. Whatever was happening to them, was it going to happen to me too?

"The plan now is to drive straight through to North Dakota before dumping the car and crossing the border," Dom said.

I turned back to look at him, or as much of him as I could see in the dark.

"Dumping the car?" I narrowed my eyes at Dom. "Is your car stolen?"

"Stolen from thieves maybe. We traded our last ride for this one that was about to be taken apart by a chop shop. What are they going to do, report us?"

I just stared at him. "Do all... werewolves... make a habit of keeping stolen cars?"

"No. We do what we have to, but you'll see the village is a much more normal place. You'll be comfortable there," Dom said.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I thought you'd want to know. I would. And you're sort of one of us now. The plan is no big secret."

One of us. It wasn't the most appealing place to be in, but it was better than hostage or kidnapee.

"Fair enough," I mumbled. "Um, so how are we crossing the border? I don't want to get caught by a border patrol. Especially with a bunch of highly suspicious people."

He raised an eyebrow. "Highly suspicious?"

"I said what I said." I put my hands in my jacket pockets, shrugging. "So, how are we crossing?"

"We'll just walk through the woods. I can smell a human a mile away, we don't have to get anywhere near them. There are some cameras and sensors too, but we've got a prepared spot to cross. Witchcraft that lets our kind go through unnoticed. Paid a pretty penny for it too, or at least Apollo did."

"Witchcraft? Wait, who's Apollo?" I asked nervously.

Dom's face darkened. "He's dead, so it doesn't matter who he was."