The Alpha's Gamble - Chapter 13: Chapter 13

The guys got out and circled the border, careful not to step onto the pack land or we’d be caught in the blink of an eye. Me, however, I was contemplating the idiocy of this plan and seeing my future wither before my eyes. What kind of karmic debt was I paying off?
Logan dragged his foot back from the borderline and turned his head, dark eyes piercing mine through the window.
“Let’s go.” He said.
This was bad, all of it was bad and impulsive and if we weren't caught and thrown back to our pack with wounds to tell our story, it’d mean we were dead.
Death didn’t bother me too much; it was the prospect of throwing the only thing away keeping me from giving up that entwined the thorns around my heart.
When I opened the door, I was hit by the deep musky scent and testosterone that waved from the border. The Timber Pack was known for being predominately more males than females, but they were all warriors. Everyone was taught early on, and it was through their undeniably well-trained warriors that they had garnered their reputation and power: they would lend their warriors to other packs, exchanging their skills for money.
The grass was high and thick, and the trees were perfectly placed to obscure the view from outside the border. They had built the perfect natural growth barricade to keep outsiders from peering in; it made me wonder why the hell they were choosing this pack to play God with.
I followed them along the border, around the dense bushes, and crouched when Nate put his hand on my back and a finger on his lips.
My heart was racing, the voices in my head were loud and treacherous as we neared a small clearing where we spotted a road.
Noah rose and I saw a plan concocting in his head when he pulled a lighter from his back pocket. Logan grinned and stepped aside and when I turned my head and saw Nate’s throat bob and his eyes linger on mine, I felt the cracks widening in the vision I had of my future.
Noah grabbed my wrist and yanked me closer. He plopped the lighter into my hand, and I swear I tried to hear the plan, but the second the metal touched my skin, all thoughts fell like marbles, and my mind was quiet. He raised a finger and pointed down a road that led into the pack.
“When you follow that road, you’ll eventually come across a red house, around the back, you’ll find Rosemary bushes,” Noah instructed.
“A shit tone of them.” Logan chimed in. I looked down at the squared metal lighter with a rose engraved on the front. Noah closed my fingers around the lighter and stared me dead in the eyes.
“You will burn them.” He said.
I looked around at the guys, wondering what the reason for them being here was if I was the one executing this plan.
“What’s your job?” I asked.
Logan backed up with that stupid grin deepening and his menacing eyes peering mine.
“We’ll make sure the car is nice and warm for when you get back,” Logan said.
Son of a bitch, they were letting me do this alone while they rested safely on this side of the border.
The road stretched far into the pack; the Timber Pack was not known for being pleasantly surprised by unwanted visitors, so they ensured that no such thing would occur.
“Fine,” I spat and put the lighter in my pocket. When I started toward the road, about to cross the border, I threw a glance behind me. Nate was the only one who hinted at worry, but the Reed brothers were stoic and calm, Logan could barely contain his amusement. And it felt like I was walking down this road and leaving behind everything that made life worth living.
Burn them.
Maybe I should’ve just lived with the sex tape or come up with a plan of my own to get rid of it. My throat closed and my stomach twisted in knots from the regret that crept under my skin. I kept pulling my foot back from the border, scraping my heel into the grass, and I knew I had to hurry. The second I started down the road, they would know an outsider was in their midst and they would deploy their warriors: you can imagine a wolf-less girl up against a pack of mercenaries.
Shit, okay…let’s go.
There had to be a body of water or something around here, I looked around, hoping I could soak myself and make it harder for them to track me but the closer I got to town the clearer it became that they had thought of that as well.
Footsteps digging into the dirt and rushing toward me sent a spike of fear down my neck and I picked up speed.
Fuck. Okay, I needed water- I hurried into town, hoping to buy myself some time by blending in with the rest of the pack and luckily for me the streets swarmed with people.
Some cast wary glances, sensing that I wasn’t one of theirs and catching my scent before they even glimpsed my way, but I kept a neutral expression and heard the sweet sound of a rushing stream not too far away. Water, I needed water.
I clenched my jaw and ground my teeth in a continuously nasty habit whenever my nerves jumbled in pain, and my feet burned from the stress as I ran past the stores and down a bright alleyway. The stream was rushing, strong, and close but the warriors were closing in behind me.
If I was caught, I could kiss the Auburn Academy goodbye, they pride themselves on being anally selective with who they let in- delinquents, and arsons were not on the list of candidates eligible for the Academy.
My fingers scraped the rough tiles when I turned a sharp corner and I saw the cliff where pack members were soaking in the bright sun- that had to be it. The stream was down there, I couldn’t see it but I heard it, the water crashing against rocks and a harsh stream rushing down below the cliffside. Footsteps echoed behind me; the warriors growled from behind the buildings and I couldn’t outrun them on their territory. I looked back, the luscious grass would soon be trampled by the at least three warriors that were on my tail- when I turned my head back I realized the pattern of bad decisions I was in and took off toward the cliffs. The edge got closer, I pressed my feet into the ground and heard a gasp behind me as I lunged over the side and looked down at the shallow stream, waving my arms around like that would make me fly before I landed head first on the rocks below me.
“Fuuuck!”