Animal Lover Ch. 10

Emmett stomps on the accelerator.

Lyssa watches the dark landscape fly by, brooding. What the hell had happened to her normal, quiet life?

She was now running for her life from a pack of werewolves, with a werewolf.

[Dad.]

[What now?]

[Emmett's really upset.]

Randall stops, growling and grinding his teeth as Ariel comes up beside him.

She is sweaty, her hair wild. "What's wrong, husband?"

"The human. She made overtures to Thomas and he marked her."

Ariel growls. "I told Stephanie to watch the unmated males. Lyssa had no means to resist him or call for help. Stephanie has felt my teeth for her inattention. Emmett will be crushed."

"I've given him two hours with her. She was very unhappy when I told her she would go to Thomas."

"How did it happen?"

"Thomas grabbed her and took her into the woods, marked and mated her. When Emmett found her missing, he and Stephanie went after them. Thomas said Emmett knocked him off Lyssa."

"Knocked off? If he'd mated her they would have tied."

Randall looks at his mate. And blinks. He kisses her, grabbing her butt and pulling her close. "I do love your mind Ariel. Amongst other things."

Emmett stops at a used car dealership. Pulling around a corner, he parks the car. "Stay here."

He pulls out a t-shirt and jeans, quickly dresses, and disappears.

A few minutes later, a dark colored car pulls up.

Emmett transfers Lyssa and the duffle and takes off again.

Lyssa does not ask a question.

However, it isn't long after that her stomach growls. In addition, the car they're in doesn't even have a quarter tank of gas.

A few minutes later, he stops, and pulls the license plate off a car sitting disabled on the roadside. Dawn was coming.

They stop at a gas station, put $20 in the car and Emmett buys some snacks and drinks.

Wanting to disturb Emmett and Lyssa as little as possible at this time, Randall goes to Thomas and Ariel to Stephanie.

"Stand."

--------------------------- "Stand."

"Did you mate her?"

--------------------------- "Did you smell his seed on her?"

"No."

--------------------------- "No."

[They're not mated.]

--------------------------- [They're not mated.]

"Did she resist you? Did she run? Answer."

"Yes."

"Then, tonight, you will meet Ariel in the circle." [Up for a fight, mate?]

[This is a worthy reason. Shall we tell Emmett?]

[Not yet. We'll let them talk. They now have the opportunity to have the discussion they should have had earlier.]

Emmett drives to less populated areas as the sun rises.

But, as the sky lightens, clouds roll in, and it begins to rain.

Randall and Ariel walk hand-in-hand to Emmett's room.

The Alpha pair, one clothed, one not, stand before Emmett's door, and knock. There is no answer.

[Emmett?] Nothing.

"I don't hear anything."

"They wouldn't be asleep?"

Another knock and Randall opens the door.

The room is empty. A window is open. Dresser drawers remain open.

[Paul, are any of the vehicles missing?]

--------------------------- [Joanna?]

[Roland, Erich, to Emmett's room, now.]

--------------------------- [Yes, Mom? What's wrong?]

[Alpha, the vehicles are all accounted for.]

--------------------------- [Did Emmett say anything?]

Roland and Erich rush up the hallway and stop at the door, panting.

--------------------------- [I told him Lyssa would be taken to Thomas' room..]

Roland is wet and naked. Erich is missing a sock.

--------------------------- [..and he told me to get out. What's wrong?]

---------------------------- [He's run.]

"Emmett is gone. With the human female. They have about 2 hours head start. I want them found."

"How do you want them returned, Alpha Wyeth?"

"Was I not clear?" His claws begin to grow. "I said I want them found. I said nothing about captured or returned.

Do not engage Emmett or let him know you are there."

"Yes, sir" "Yes, Alpha."

[What are your thoughts, mate?]

[We interrupted his previous attempt at wooing her. Perhaps we can allow them to complete the process.]

Joanna runs up and stops just inside the doorway. She's dressed in leggings and a long blouse, but her hair is askew and she is also barefoot.

Lyssa's falling asleep in the passenger side of the car.

Emmett looks over at her, contemplating the change in his life since he found her.

He'd now deserted his pack because of her. He didn't know how much time he had left but he hoped to be able to spend some meaningful time with her before the end.

The rain!

He makes an abrupt turn into a farmer's lane and drives the car as far back as he can, until it's completely mired in mud.

He shakes her awake. "Lyssa, put these on." He throws her the t-shirt he had been wearing, the jeans, and a hooded sweatshirt.

She looks around, bleary eyed, then at the clothes. "They're too big. I can't walk in these."

"I'm going to carry you. The rain will cover our scent. You won't get so wet this way."

Emmett gets out as Lyssa pulls the clothes on. He pulls off the license plate and flings it into the hedgerow, then picks up the duffle and Lyssa. She looks at the car.

"The doors."

"Our scent will dissipate."

"Oh."

He pulls her tightly against his chest to shield her from the worst of the rain. She watches the car recede.

His strong arms hold her against his chest and his warmth, mixed with his scent, lulls her to sleep.

Roland and Erich find Emmett's track and follow, until they reach the end of the pack lands.

Given the circumstances and the time, additional males are called in for the search.

While Erich follows in wolf form, as far as he dares, the other males, dressed and driving pack vehicles, spread out in the general direction he took.

Three houses owned by wolves of the pack are investigated.

The search party zeroes in on Cameron and Theresa's house. Emmett's scent showed faintly there. A knock brings Theresa to the door.

She cowers slightly at the sight of three males on her stoop.

"Theresa, is Cameron here?"

"No, he's gone to work."

"Is Emmett here?"

"No. I haven't seen Emmett in a couple of weeks."

"His scent leads here."

"Cameron answered the door early. He didn't tell me who it was. What's he done?"

"Thank you, Theresa. If you do see him, please let someone in the pack know."

She nods, confused and alarmed, as they turn and leave.

Lyssa rouses briefly as Emmett lays her on an old mattress in a broken down cabin.

"Where are we?" she asks, sleepily.

"Shhh. Go back to sleep."

He slides behind her, facing the door. He remains in his intermediate form, both to be ready in case they are caught and to keep her warm. He had to get some rest or he wouldn't think clearly.

Cameron is pulled away from his work at the pack business and interviewed.

Yes. Emmett had come to the house in the early morning.

Yes. He had a human female with him.

Yes. He let Emmett take one of his cars.

No. He didn't see which way they went.

No. Emmett hadn't commanded him.

Cowed and trembling slightly, Cameron is told to provide aid to Emmett, should he return, and to inform the pack.

He sags in relief as they send him back to work.

Erich, meanwhile, has gone on to Lyssa's house and found its remains. It was obvious the fire was a couple of days old.

With a two hour head start, they knew the search would be broad.

Randall didn't want to involve the police unless absolutely necessary but the search for a car would take too long since they had no idea of direction. A circle of about 600 miles in circumference was a lot of territory to cover.

With Randall's nod, Roland contacted the Severn pack. Many of their male members, and a few of the females, had taken positions in law enforcement. At this point they were only asked to find the car.

After three hours, Emmett wakes.

While he may not have been completely relaxed in sleep, being curled up with Lyssa had been very pleasant and his cock was prepared for some welcome morning activity.

He stroked the side of Lyssa's face, her arm, then kissed the back of her head and rose.

Still tired, she cracked an eye at him and watched the wolf-man, man-wolf?, follow his erection out the door.

She heard noises, grunting, from the direction he'd gone. Then a strange sound, like a bitten off howl.

After a couple of minutes, he returns. "Lyssa."

She stretches and looks at him, noticing his now-flaccid cock.

He catches the look and tries to ignore it. "I'm hungry so I'm going to see if I can catch something quickly. Then we'll look for another place to stay. Hopefully, someplace with some food for you. I don't want to start a fire here, we're still too close to the car."

Lyssa props up on an elbow and blinks. "OK."

"Do you know how to use a gun?"

She nods. He digs into the bottom of the duffle and pulls out a gun. "Safety here. Pull back the slide for the first shot. After that, just pull the trigger."

"Will it hurt them?"

"Yes." He didn't finish the thought. While being shot might hurt a werewolf, it wouldn't kill them. It would mostly piss them off, but it might slow them down.

He left to hunt, nervous about leaving her alone. It took longer than he wanted and he had to settle for a couple of squirrels.

His hunger was barely curbed when he returned to the cabin. He calls, "It's me, Lyssa." before opening the door. She was huddled into a ball, trying to keep warm.

Looking up, she jolts at the blood on his lips. He rubs it off with the back of his hand.

"Am I going to be a werewolf now?" Emmett looks at her, confused. "He, he bit me."

"It's not that simple."

"So, I won't?"

"No. There's more to it than just a bite. We should go."

He shifts to his intermediate form and extends his arms to her. With a sigh, she goes to him.

The Camry is found and, after an inspection, is returned to Cameron by one of the Severn pack. The stolen car from a nearby lot is attributed to Emmett and is added to the search. At the very least, they now had a direction. Now they were looking for another car.

Emmett moves quietly and quickly with Lyssa in his arms. Her face was pressed against his chest, she trembled.

He thinks about them as he walks. A week ago he had been so happy just to be with her. Anticipating what he would have with her. That he'd finally found a mate to love and have a family with.

Now it had all gone so horribly wrong. She was afraid of him, mad at him, and he didn't know what to do. They may not have long together but he prayed for some softness, some sweetness from her, before the end. If nothing else happened he could at least be close to her for a while, until they were found. He heaves a big sigh.

Lyssa lifts her head to look at him. He kisses her forehead and trudges on.

Joanna was almost frantic. Emmett was gone, gone! Lyssa was gone.

It was all wrong, all Thomas' fault. She was seething.

"...but, what are we going to do about it?!"

Ariel has taken her daughter aside, walking her to her room. "Please, dear, we needn't discuss this in public."

"Everyone knows they're gone. I want to know what's going on."

Ariel finally ushers her into her room and sits on a chair beside her desk. "You should be in class."

"I don't want.."

Ariel growls and Joanna breaks off quickly, mumbling. "Sorry, Mom."

"This is a delicate thing, Jo. We need to be circumspect."

Joanna takes a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, although she continues to stand, clenching her fists. "OK. So you're not gonna tell me everything." Ariel shakes her head. "What can you tell me?"

"We are searching for them, as you can imagine."

"Do we have any idea where they went?"

"Yes." Joanna looks at her mother, her mother looks back. "We found the car he borrowed but another is missing and we have not yet found them."

Joanna chews her lip. "What about Thomas? This is his fault."

"The blame lies with more than Thomas, Jo. Bringing a human into the pack is not a simple thing. We expected she would know more about us but, apparently, Emmett didn't have enough time to explain much about us. We went to her house and interrupted. When I assigned you to teach her I should have sent Anna and Jeremy."

"I told her about us, answered all her questions!"

"She wouldn't have known which questions to ask, dear."

Joanna grumbles, "What about Thomas?"

"His mistake was in the belief that, although it is true she has no status in the pack, we would not protect her or fight for her. As a guest in our den and a potential member, it was our duty to do so. This is why I assigned Stephanie to her and why Thomas will face me in the circle tonight."

"So, he's not gonna get away with it?" Ariel shakes her head. "But, he marked and mated her."

"He may have marked her, but he did not mate her." Joanna's eyes go wide. "Did you smell his seed on her?"

"Uh, no. But maybe it's different for them."

"It is not."

"So, so, she's not Thomas' mate. So, Emmett can still claim her?" Ariel nods. "What're you gonna do when you find them? This is all a big mistake."

"We will see. You father is taking it under advisement."

Joanna turns to leave. "I'm gonna go talk to him."

"Your father has other duties to attend to with his Beta gone again. He is aware of your opinion. Now, go to class."

The tension has mostly left Joanna's body. A sigh. "OK, Mom. Thanks." A kiss to her mother and she takes off.

The Severn wolves have spread out from where Cameron's car was left. The stolen car was not found nearby and they were rapidly running out of range.

However, werewolves were well suited to law enforcement roles. The word was quietly spread.

Emmett found a hunting cabin later on that day and decided it would be a suitable place for Lyssa.

There was firewood, bunk beds, and a reasonable supply of food.

The big news in the area was about a local woman. Her house had been burned and she was missing. Her boyfriend had been charged with arson and was implicated in her disappearance. He had been accused of beating a couple of women prior and had a restraining order from his last girlfriend.

Emmett checks the area around the cabin and then rummages through the supplies inside.

Lyssa is sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace. He had started a small fire to warm the room. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really."

He slowly approaches her and drops onto the floor beside where she sits. After carrying her, he enjoys the smell of their mixed scents.

"I want to go home."

He brings a hand up to touch one of her feet. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about before the naming ceremony. I have bad news."

"What now?"

"Your house is gone."

That was the last straw. She didn't even have the energy to scream at him. "Did you do it?"

"No, they.."

"Did Randall have someone else do it?"

"Alpha Wyeth had nothing to do with the destruction of your house. Ronnie Wilson was found nearby with empty gas cans in his truck. He's been arrested."

"So, it's really gone?"

"I'm sorry. The house is a total loss."

Tears start rolling down her face. "So, I have nothing left. It's all gone. Everything."

Emmett says quietly, "No, not everything."

She curls up tighter, head down, speaking to her knees. "My house is gone. My job is gone. My car?"

She looks up briefly, he shakes his head. "Even that. I was right. There's nothing left. I might as well be dead."

At this he takes her by the shoulders and pulls her upright. "Don't say that. You're alive." She beats on his chest with her fists. This hurts him not at all and infuriates her.

"You did this. It's all your fault. Why didn't you leave me alone?"

He notices the movement of her foot and spins her, so she can't kick him in the balls again, then pulls her tightly against him.

"Let me go! Let me go, goddammit!"

"Lyssa, calm down. Listen to me. I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you. I'm sorry this didn't turn out the way I planned. That it's been so hard on you. I wish we could go back and start over."

She can't get away; he was too strong. He did, however, feel warm against her back and she liked the way he smelled.

She quieted in his arms and sniffled. "I guess I could eat something."

Lyssa watches Emmett prepare a meal from the goods kept in the cabin. It wasn't fancy, but, between the meal and the coffee, she started to feel better.

The day is passed quietly, with Emmett making regular patrols. He scared up a couple of rabbits and ate well.

Lyssa worked on altering a pair of sweatpants to fit her better and wondered what she would do about shoes. He told her he would start work on something for her the next day.

Darkness began to close in. They stayed up a little while and he went on patrol again.

Thinking of nothing else to do, she dropped the pants and crawled into one of the beds in his t-shirt.

Emmett returns and finds her abed. He puts another log on the fire.

She watches him shift over to the grey wolf and trot over to the door. He curls up, back to the door, nose under his tail. But his eyes remain open, watching her.

She rolls. She twists. She sighs. He watches her. After a while, he shifts, to ask a question.

He sighs. "I heard you, in my mind, scream my name when Thomas had you."

"What?"

"I heard you. It was loud, and clear. Why was it me? Why not Stephanie? Or Joanna? Or even Randall?"

"I don't know."

"I think it's because you've come to rely on me, that you feel safe with me around."

"Um. Yeah. OK."

"Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"Um. No." She chews on her lower lip.

She doesn't sleep well, nor does he.

Emmett was on high alert, listening for whoever might be coming after them.

Lyssa was plagued by nightmares. A vision of a terrible wolf man creature rose in her mind, with glowing eyes, slavering jaws, deadly claws.

She sat bolt upright in the bed, shrieking.

Emmett, who had been dozing, jumped up, snarling, braced for attack. He looked over at her. She was wide-eyed, panting.

He snuffles at the door, making sure no one was around, then trotted over. He licked her hand, laid his head in her lap, and whined.

She took some calming breaths and patted his head. "I'm alright. Just a bad dream."

When she snuggled back down he returned to guarding the door.

Morning broke and she rose to the smell of coffee and pancakes.

She stretched, dark circles under her eyes, and pulled on the sweat pants. "Good morning, Lyssa, breakfast is almost ready."

Her reply is a sigh.

Breakfast is eaten mostly in silence.

Lyssa shuffles around the cabin while Emmett runs patrol.

When he returns, he finds her in a chair with a book she's found.

He pulls a deer skin off the wall and walks over to her. Taking a knife, he slices off a large piece. "Please. Put your foot here."

She looks at him. "What are you doing?"

"Making you a pair of moccasins. They will keep your feet dry and warm."

She reads as he works, occasionally glancing at him.

"Will something happen to your family because of this? What do they think of me? Nobody said anything about them."

"I have no family."

"What do you mean? No brothers or sisters?"

"No."

"Parents? Cousins?"

"Yes, I have cousins, but my parents and siblings are gone."

"What, what happened to them?"

He looks at her. The rest of the pack already knew, of course. This started to open old wounds.

"I'm sorry."

"No. It's fine. It was a long time ago." He takes a breath. "There was a fire. My mother pushed me out a window and told me to run. No one else made it out of the house."

Her voice is quiet. "So, you have no family either."

The rejoinder is automatic. "The pack is my family." He closes his eyes. No, they weren't. Not anymore.

She's quiet a little while. "How old were you?"