Chasing Melody

Dear Journal,

Today I will be reunited with my mother. Is it going to be a happy reunion or a tragic one, only time will tell?

Nervous,

Melody Hunter

Chase keeps talking but my mind is not registering what he is saying. The knot in my throat and the chaos in my mind is all that I can comprehend at the moment.

“Are you sure you have the story down?” Chase asks me for the millionth time. Standing outside the sun is covered by the trees but its warmth fills me to my core.

“Yes, if you ask me one more time I swear I will shoot you again!” I smirk at him as he scowls down at me.

I am a wolf hunter.

I went to Alpha’s Hunter’s territory with one mission and that was to kill off the female alpha. When they decided to take her I wanted to meet them and see what they wanted to do with her...

My stomach churns as I think about this. They want to kill her. Kill my mother.

“You ran into trouble when I found out your plan. We became very close friends but my wolf wants to kill you because you are after our alpha. Being the skilled assassin that you are you manage to subdue me and gave me a choice,” subdue him like that is even possible, “either join your side or die.”

“I got it!” I hiss at him and he nods.

“At least you look the part.” My pants are dirty, my bruises are signs that I was in a fight, and my wardrobe is the look of a badass. Chase makes his way back into the car and pulls out his backpack. “Here are some of your other weapons.” Chase throws the backpack at my feet and I scowl at him. “I don’t want to touch it for too long it hurts me too but the things in there but since you’re human you’ll be fine."

“Wolf's bane,” he nods and then gestures for me to open the bag with his head.

Opening it up I see why Chase did not want to open it up again. There are grenades, some kind of crisscross harness that has too long knives, and the purple plant that I can only assume is wolfsbane.

“There is a necklace in there take it out and put it on. My hand finds the flimsy-looking necklace and pulls it out. The glass container at the end of it is filled with a purple substance. “Keep it concealed so that anything happens and we have separated you either open it and pour it over you or break it over whoever tries to come to close to you.”

His words make everything so much more real. My mind had not accepted the fact that I am in the middle of nowhere making my way into this cold-blooded wolf pack. Sudden overwhelming anxiety overtakes me, my breathing is shallow.

“Melody?” Chase is next to me but his voice sounds so far away, “Melody,” gasping for air my body flings forward. Chase’s strong hands wrap around me pulling towards him.

“I-” this awful groggily sound rips through my throat, “can’t,” wheezing, “breathe.” A loud smack radiates through the air and the sting on my hands hits me. Chase smack the necklace out of my hands and then looks at me.

“What’s the matter?” Panic seeps into his dark brown eyes as his bottom lip quivers, “for the love of god Melody what’s the matter?”

His pain-stricken face allows me to breathe in deeply. The air filling my lips and making everything so much clearer.

“I’m sorry,” I breathe out and Chase swallows down, “I think I was on the verge of a panic attack,” his eyebrows pull together. Finally realizing that he has us chest to chest I start to feel a bit uncomfortable with his nearness.

“A panic attack,” he breathes out and his breath fan across my face sending this unknown feeling spiraling down to the pit of my stomach, “for a moment I thought that wolfsbane had the same effect on you as it does on us.”

“No,” his eyes seem to become more focus and his eyes drop to his arms wrapped around me he slowly releases me giving some needed space, “sorry. Maybe this was a bad idea. I’ll take you back home now,” he sighs.

“Are you insane?” I snap at him. “I’m human! I’m not a baby. I had a moment of weakness sorry but I’m here to get my mother and I’m not backing out now!”

“Spoken like a true fighter,” he smiles at me. I am about to say something when my stomach interrupts me. The dying whale noise surprises me and loses Chase up into a fit of laughter. “Wow, that is the first time I ever heard your stomach growl.”

I can feel the blush creep up my neck, “shut up! I haven’t eaten in a long time.”

“I have some meal bars in the car.” At this point, anything in my stomach would do. Chase and I eat quietly he keeps making this satisfaction noises coming from his throat but we both know that that the bars sucked.

“I want some bacon and waffles,” I complain and Chase rolls his eyes.

“I’m sorry your highness this is all we have at the moment.” We finish up and Chase decides that it is time for us to get going, start heading into the rogues' territory.

Chase orders me to pour powder wolfsbane over my bag and all my weapons. There are some bottles in the car that Chase tells me that the water is infused with wolfsbane as well. Chase points to the necklace on the ground and I pick it up and put it around my neck pushing the glass container under my shirt.

“Don’t forget to switch the rubber bullets with the real ones and also don’t forget to soak them in the water and douse it in the powder.” I got it!

When we are all set we throw everything in the car.

“Here we go!” There is no hiding my nervousness from my voice. Chase seems to choose to ignore it.

“You’re driving,” I raise an eyebrow at him, “how am I the hostage when I am driving I can kill you or us by crashing the car.” I nod my understanding and grab the keys from him. Getting into his car I feel strange.

I want to be driving my car.

My mother’s old car the one that makes me feel like nothing bad can happen because she is looking after me. “Let’s go!”

Driving through the unmarked trail is so much harder than I thought. Bouncing in my seat with every bump I swerve around a bit letting my nerves get the best of me, Chase calms me as his hand grips my wrist steading my hands.

He is concentrating until he picks up some of the wolves scents or sees something that lets us know that we are close to them.

“Stop!” His sudden interruption makes me slam on the brakes as the only noise that fills my ears are the sound of the engine and our breathing.

“They're here,” he whispers so lowly that I have to lean in and stop my breathing so that I hear him. “Get your gun out and point it at me.” I swallow down loudly and my shaky hand grabs my gun and I pull it out. “Now get out and make me follow you, make a show of it!” I nod slowly and then climb out of the car my arms outstretched and the gun pointing to Chase.

I make my way around the car my gun never leaving Chase’s head, when I am on the other side I yell at him, “get out!” Chase’s eyes are dark and his glare makes me want to drop my gun and make a run for it. His wolf is close to the surface and he is angry.

Chase opens up the door my eyes widen as I take in his ripped jeans and the blood glistening down his leg. He stabbed himself so that the wolves think that I am not scared of hurting a wolf.

His body slumps forward and drops into the ground. His breathing is harsh as he is on all fours. His dark eyes lighten and there is a gleam in them telling me to say more. My flustered mind tries to remember what we talked about.

“Where are they?” I yell at him.

“I-” he groans and then drops his head.

“I asked you a question!” The badass in me decides my next move, my leg flings back and I kick him in the ribs.

I’m so sorry! I want him to look at me so that he knows this.

He groans at me but I see the slight nod that he gives me. He approves. The crunching of leaves stiffens my back and then the far off howl makes my jaw tighten.

This is it!

Chase’s eyes scan the entire area and they zero in on a spot, my body is about to turn when the gasp stops me.

“Angel?” His voice sends a cold shiver down my spine.