Chapter 15

Why did she decide to go to Dell’Oways? All those times she had refused when Donna had begged. Maybe it was the guilt. The nightmares that plagued her mind. Or was it that she didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts. Whatever had swayed her mind she had seen firsthand the kind of people that Josh called friends. Donna too. Maybe they weren’t the people she thought they were. She couldn’t concentrate on one thought. Everything clashed together, leaving her feeling helpless and confused.
She climbed up a steep hill. Upon the grass mounted hill she stood as still as the trees, not completely frozen as her red hair danced just like the leafless branches did.
***
“What was all that about?”
“You know what, I don’t know what your problem is,” Josh slammed his fist into the steering wheel. Jenna’s scent had taken him to the forest. He knew the dangers that lay behind those trees. He had seen them. He had faced them. Jenna would have no way to survive. She would be prey. An easy meal for the abominations. The ones that should never have been. They had no soul, they were lost. Driven by hunger and anger. He had to go after her. Find her before it was too late.
“Her father is responsible for Jax’s death!” Paige yelled. Josh looked at her. Really looked at her for the first time since she arrived. Paige was hurting. It was there in her eyes.
The pain she felt. It was rare, fresh. She needed someone to blame. She wanted revenge. Jenna was an easy option. Yet his heart didn’t ache for his sister, but for Jenna.
For many years Josh had shut himself of from humans. He had no care for them like the rest of his family. They were greedy. Self-centered and only looked out for themselves. But he could feel it. The start of something. Love? He didn’t know. Whatever it was. It was powerful.
“The sins of a father should not be passed to the offspring,” Josh gritted his teeth together. He didn’t want to say something that he would regret.
“The apple never falls far from the tree,” Paige muttered and got out of the car. Josh followed her. She turned around and glared at him, with fire in her eyes. Tears glistened in the corners, but it didn’t extinguish the blaze. Josh turned away and headed straight into the forest. He would speak to Paige later. Right now, he needed to find Jenna.

***

Donna walked out of the café alone. She wanted to follow Jenna. Make sure she was okay. When she saw Josh run out after her, she let him. His sister hot on his heels, Donna worried about Jenna. She hadn’t seen it before, how she had missed the telltale signs she had no idea. She shook her head. It wasn’t her fight to deal with.
She looked around. The car park was empty, apart from a few cars. The others were still inside. Gossiping. They had no idea what was out there. What lurked in the shadows, waiting, and watching for the right moment to strike? Donna knew. She knew all too well. She had been running from them for a long time.
She could feel them watching her. They would come out, but right now they were observing. It was too late for Donna, and she knew it. She couldn’t run now. They had already found her. All she could do was wait. Her fate was coming whether she liked it or not. It was time she faced her past.

***
Jenna’s eyes drifted to the horizon. The sky had turned pink, and the sharp throng of tree branches had ripped a hole in the clouds. She had stayed too long. Lost in the beauty of the wilderness she had become dazed. She scanned her surroundings. Jenna wasn’t sure how far she had ventured. All she could hear was the sound of nature. The sound of chirping birds as they sang their melodies, dried dead leaves rustled loudly in the wind which was gradually growing stronger.
She couldn’t remember which way she had walked. It all looked the same. Then again, her mind had been in a fog. She was lost not only in the forest but in her own guilt and lies.
Jenna walked. Hoping the path, she had chosen would lead to the road. She had no sense of direction. She checked her phone. Hoping she could call someone. The first person that came to her mind was Claire. But was she the right choice? She did say that she’d be there. It didn’t matter. Jenna had no luck. Her phone was out of service. She was cursed. There couldn’t be any other reason. Nothing seemed to go right. The peace she felt earlier shattered.
She felt something she had never felt before. It started with a stirring in her stomach then grew to a prickle across her skin. She was on another’s territory.
The thought both shocked and paralyzed her. It was not something she would normally think. It was more than that. It was the voice; it was inside her head. It came from within. But it wasn’t her voice. It felt and sounded different.
“Run!” the voice screamed as twigs snapped followed by the sound of growling and snarling. Jenna didn’t have time to ponder the voice or question it. She ran. Her legs pumping hard while she tried to dodge rocks and tree roots.
It didn’t take long for the forest to be eloped in darkness. Her throat burned and her side ached.
She could hear the thud of an animal. It was close. She heard her heart thumping in her head and her legs began to quiver like jelly. She tripped over a tangled mossy root and the earthly ground rushed up to her face as she thudded to the floor.
I am going to die… I am going to die. Those words choked her mind as she struggled to stand up. The stories rushed forward. The forest is guarded. Those who enter are eaten alive. The wolves are there to protect a secret. They take no prisoners. If you listen on a night, you can hear them howl. Jenna was about to become dinner for one of those wolves. The protector of the queen that is what the town called them.
Jenna looked over her shoulder. There wasn’t just one wolf, rather a pack. They circled her. Slowly they edged their way to her limp shaking form. Jenna let out an icy scream. Only emptiness left her dried lips.
One of the wolves lunged, its teeth bared and its eyes glowing. It moved in slow motion. Jenna’s instinct was to protect her face. Her arms covered her face, and she ducked her head to the ground. The wolf never made contact. She heard grunts and growls. Peaking from her cocoon, she didn’t understand.
A tiger was fighting the others. He was larger, and by the looks stronger as he was taking them down quickly. The tiger caught her eye. There was something familiar. His eyes. They reminded her of someone. The main thing she could not understand is the tiger. They had never been any reports that one had been spotted. The climate was all wrong.
Something warm blinded her. It was wet and ran into her right eye. Touching her forehead, her hand was covered in blood. Yet there was no pain. Panic took control of her entire body as the tiger set its sights on her. The world around her began to dissolve. The forest and fighting began to fade away. Complete darkness smothered her.