Chapter 86

Claudia’s POV
“Did you message Todd?” I asked Joanna as she comes back from the bathroom. “Yes, I can drive. It might help with the morning sickness, concentrating on the road, instead of my stomach.” “Can’t hurt; I got you your salad” I answer her.
We decided to leave everyone finish their lunch and we will continue on; Joanna has been getting sick in a bucket, most of the way. “I never got morning sickness. I only felt nauseous if I didn’t have anything to eat” I tell her, although I have probably told her that before.
“Yeah, Tracey said the same thing. Mum said she was sick with Jason for the first two months but not with me. I guess it’s because I am having a boy” she responds as we both get in the car and she turns on the ignition.
“That’s normal, first trimester is normally the morning sickness period. Although some people go longer and some shorter. Doctor Elliot told me when I first fell pregnant with Sophia” I explain to her. “He told me the same thing, when I went in for my check-up” she answers, giving me a smile.
“Oh shit; there’s a Macca’s up ahead” she adds, holding in her breath and taking a hand off the steering wheel to cover her nose; only releasing it when we have gone past. “That was close” she whispers.
“Are you ok?” I ask her. “If I smell it, no. If I hold my nose so I can’t; yes” she giggles. “It’s strange how certain things, trigger morning sickness” I smirk and she gives me a shrug as I get a message on my phone and look down at it.
“They’ve finished safeguarding the territory and have left to come back” I tell Joanna. “It’s about time; I thought they would never finish” she giggles and I start to giggle with her. “I’m going to have to pull over; it’s not working” she says, looking a bit paler.
“Ok” I tell her as she finds another garage and runs to the bathroom after parking. I wait outside the car and see a man shifting back and forth, looking at something in his hand, before looking at me again. **“Not good”** I say to Amanda, who is on high alert.
I pull out my phone and message Danny, ‘man at gas station; can’t smell him to determine if he is a shifter. We are two hours south of the castle territory. Joanna in bathroom; being sick. I am going in after her.’
“Joanna, we need to go” I say walking into the bathroom and my position moves to a defensive stance as Penelope is standing beside Joanna, holding onto her hair. “You both need to come with me” she snarls. “Not likely” I scream and throw her into the corner of the bathroom, her head let’s off a cracking sound as it hits the tiles.
“Run, Joanna” I yell as we both, high tail it out of the bathroom. “Shit, the keys” she says, “I grabbed them off the basin” I scream, pushing the button to unlock the door of the car and we jump in and speed off.
“Sorry; I know she yanked your hair when I threw her” I tell her as I notice a car following us. “It’s ok; we are better off getting away with a few less hairs on my head, than not getting away at all. Do we have enough petrol to get back to the castle grounds? I don’t’ care if you speed, stay well away from the car behind us” Joanna says; she must have noticed the car following us also.
“Yes, I’m glad we filled up at the second stop” I tell her. “I’ll use the bucket; we’re not stopping anymore, I can’t have them catch up to us again” she says, pulling the bucket from the backseat.
I push the button for my handsfree “Call Oliver” I yell in the car as the phone connects and I hear the phone ringing.
“Claudia, are you…” “Oliver, we are about two hours away. Penelope just tried to grab us and we have a car chasing us” I scream down the phone. “What route did you take?” he questions. “We are on highway 36.”
“Keep coming. I will make my way down to you from our direction. Are you in your car?” he asks. “No Todd’s It’s a white SUV, shit!” “What was that?” he asks. “They’re trying to ram us” I scream, putting my foot down on the gas.
“I’m in the car now. I want you to keep the phone connected” he tells me as I hear the call click to his car. “Who’s in the car with you?” he asks me. “Only Joanna” “Stupid morning sickness; we had to stop because I needed to throw up. I have the bucket in the back, I can use. I cleaned it out at the stop before” she explains to him.
“Can you see who the driver is?” he asks and I look in the rear-view mirror. “No; the windows are too tinted from this distance” I answer him. “Joanna, call Danny or Dad. Tell them what’s happening” I scream at her. “Sorry; I should have said that calmer” I add, lowering my voice and Oliver laughs down the receiver.
She pulls out her phone, “I need to put you on speaker. It’s Alpha Henry” she says; “Dad; we have someone chasing us and now they are trying to ram us.” “Penelope followed me into the bathroom; thank goddess Claudia can throw people. We high tailed it out” Joanna finishes my explanation.
“Henry; I am on my way down to them; I can get to them in about an hour at this speed, if they don’t get pushed off the road. I have just hit the highway” Oliver says through the car receiver.
“We are still 5 hours behind you. What garage was it?” I hear Danny ask. “The Shell; two hours south of the castle territory” Joanna screams as the car behinds rams us again. “Fuck me; It’s Michael, he’s in the car” I scream.
“Put your foot to the floor. Don’t talk, just concentrate on the roads. Don’t worry about cops; I will deal with them if they chase you. It will be about half an hour if we are both going full speed” Oliver says calmly. How can he keep calm at a time like this?
“Where are the others from the pack?” Dad asks and I look at Joanna. “They are a half hour behind us; they stopped for lunch. We grabbed a quick bite to go and kept moving” Joanna tells them. “Why didn’t you stay with them?” Todd yells down the receiver. I don’t think he is meaning to yell; I could tell he is driving and Dad is on speaker. “I knew if I got sick, they would all have to pull over; I figured they would catch up eventually” Joanna says, looking at me.
“He can’t ram us at this speed; not without causing harm to himself as well. He is only keeping pace” I tell everyone. “Tell me your landmarks?” Oliver asks as I look around. “Farm with big cow signs” I say to him. “Meredith’s farm. You were closer than I originally thought. I’m 10 minutes north from there. Slow down, I’m going to the other side of highway and pulling over. When you get to me; I want you to pull over, when you see me” Oliver tells me and I release the pressure on the accelerator, slightly.
“Claudia?” Danny says; “I’m concentrating. I’ve slowed down, Oliver. I can see them coming up behind me” I tell them. “It’s ok, you are almost here.”
“There; there’s Oliver” Joanna yells, as we come around a small bend and I take my foot off the accelerator completely and put both feet on the brake pedal; coming to a screeching stop behind Oliver’s car on the gravel beside the highway. Michael speeds past and screeches his brakes also; doing a u-turn.
“Fuckhead” Oliver yells as Michael flips him off out of the window and screams down the highway in the other direction.
I get out of the car and run into Oliver’s arms. “Thank you” I say to him as Joanna joins me, wrapping her arms around him too. “Let’s get home, before he comes back with reinforcements. “Claudia; Oliver” I can hear Danny call from Joanna’s phone, still in her hand.
“We’re safe. We are heading home, now” I tell him and I can hear the sighs of relief from Todd, Dad and Danny.
I hang up my phone on Oliver and Joanna was about to hang up on Dad “Why did you call Oliver?” I hear Danny ask and Joanna stops herself from ending the call. She places it back on speaker; “Because the castle was closer than you were; otherwise, I would have called you” I tell him.
“Smart thinking, sweetheart. We will be on the lookout for Michael and Penelope” Dad says; hanging up the phone.
“Let’s get out of here” I tell Joanna; pulling back onto the road behind Oliver.