37

Chapter 37

Jasmine's POV

When I came out of the hotel room, I noticed that it was very quiet, but something was different. It felt like I needed to get somewhere fast. There was just one car in the parking lot. Was it unlocked? I hoped it was because if they catch me, I'm dead. I knew Lucas was looking for me as he mindlinked me, asking where I was and if I was okay. That man cares so much about his kingdom. When he finds out what's been going on, he's going to be pissed. I wanted to mindlink him back, but now isn't the time. I needed to make my way back. If they catch me, I'm as good as dead.

I hurried over to the car and noticed it was unlocked. Some scratches were on the driver side. I looked up on the hood and saw claw marks. Sh*t, what did these people do to piss off these kind of wolves? Nevertheless, I needed to find a place to hide, so I might as well hide in here. I spotted blankets, a duffle bag, and suitcases in the back seat. I made an effort to open the door as quietly as possible and got into the back seat, covering myself with the blanket. I put the suitcases on top of me. They were heavy, but I didn't care as long as I wasn’t found. I was all good.

I wondered how long it would take for these people to come out. I didn’t even know what time it was when I heard voices near the car. My stomach growled, and I was thirsty. Why did I decide to hide in this car? I could have grabbed something to eat and drink, but no, I chose to hide under a blanket and heavy suitcases for people to come out and drive off in this thing. I decided to mindlink Lucas, hoping he would believe what I had to say. Would he be angry that I left? I couldn't dwell on that now. I had to go back and face what was going to happen. But first, I needed to get these people to agree to take me where I wanted to go.

I heard voices outside the car. 

“Hey, you two right there. Have you seen anyone around here that looks out of place?” I wanted to see who they were talking to, but I couldn't see anything. However, I could hear their conversation. 

“We haven't seen anyone around here. We are just leaving after a night of rest. Why are you looking for them?” I could tell this girl didn't trust them one bit. I saw her hand reaching for something inside the car – something black and metal. What the h*ll was that?

“I ask the questions here, little girl. Have you seen a woman with brown hair and green eyes walking around here like she was lost? We need to get her back to the kingdom for treason. She took the king's money and now she’s on the run.” Well, that was a bold-faced lie. I didn't take a penny from the king; they did. Still, I kept quiet—I didn't want to get caught. Wherever they were going, I would wait until they stopped to make my way back.

I heard them arguing, and then I heard two very loud noises that I had to cover my ears; it was so loud. She or they were shooting a gun, then I felt people getting into the car, starting it up, and speeding off. After what felt like hours but was probably only thirty minutes to an hour, I heard another girl's voice.

“Who do you think they're looking for? They looked dangerous, and they smelled. I think they were rogues.”

“Yeah, they were. But I don't know who they were looking for. I guess we will talk to dad when we get to the kingdom.” That's it. They're heading to where I needed to be. Just my luck. I knew I shouldn't scare these girls; I might get shot in the head. But damn, I was hungry. I moved the suitcases out of the way as quietly as I could, then I removed the hot blanket off me. I slowly sat up, being careful not to get hit by one of them. Then I spoke.

“If you don't mind, could you stop so I can get something to eat? I'm starving.” I was trying to make a joke, but I inadvertently scared the girls. The driver sped up, trying to get as far away as possible, but she slammed on her brakes, causing the car to flip once before landing on all four tires at the side of the road. They hurried to get out of the car, and I did too. The driver pointed the gun right at my face.

“Who the fu*k are you, and what do you want? You have five seconds to tell me who the ruck you are, or you will have a bullet right between your eyes.”

Renee POV

I thought we were just going to wake up and head on the road again, but Luna sat me down and explained to me that she mindlinked her father last night. He said that I was a part of the family now. She then explained to me that her mother looked up my pack and informed her that it was true, someone killed everyone, destroying the land and the houses. She then cut her hand and told me to do the same. I didn't know what she wanted me to do, so I cut my hand. She then grabbed my cut hand with hers, putting them together. After that was done, she told me that we could now mindlink each other, and you could mindlink my whole family now. If anything ever happens to me on the way there, you can mindlink them, and they will tell you where to go to find them. "Now let's get out of here," we stepped out into the morning sunlight. The sky was beautiful, not a cloud in sight, only a slight breeze that shot by. We walked toward the car when these three guys stopped us. They smelled horribly as if they hadn't taken a shower in months. They asked if we had seen anyone who looked out of place. I mean, anyone could look out of place in a town they haven't been to before, but Luna was answering them.

"We haven't seen anyone around here. We are just leaving after a night of rest. Why are you looking for her?" Luna mindlinked me, telling me to keep calm and relax, as she would handle this. She was reaching into the car for her gun—already knew what she was doing before they could even see what was going on. They came forward, getting into her face with a threatening tone.

"I ask the questions here, little girl. Have you seen a woman with brown hair and green eyes walking around here like she was lost? We need to get her back to the kingdom for treason. She took the king's money, and now she’s on the run." I could tell this man was lying. He was looking around while he was talking, not even looking at Luna. He grabbed her by the shirt, growling at her. I stood back when she told me to. She reached around and shot the guy who had her in his temple. He went down fast, and then she shot the other two. We hurried to get into the car, speeding off. We didn't say anything to each other, busy looking back, hoping that we were not being followed. After an hour of driving, we took a deep breath, realizing that we were okay.

"Who do you think they're looking for? They looked dangerous, and they smelled. I think they were rogues."

"Yeah, they were, but I don't know who they were looking for. I guess we will talk to dad when we get to the kingdom. We didn't say anything else for a few minutes until someone rose from the back seat, saying, 'If you don't mind, could you stop somewhere so I could get something to eat? I'm starving.'" Luna slammed on the brakes, making the car flip once and landing back on all four tires. We hurried to get out, and she pointed the gun at the woman.

"You have two seconds to tell me who the heck you are, or you will have a bullet right between your eyes."

"Hold on, wait a second, okay? I'm Jasmine. I'm the one that the rogues have been looking for. I am the king's trustie. I do the filing of the statement and the bank statements. Not so long ago, I've been noticing large amounts of cash being deposited in different accounts. But I never got a chance to talk to Lucas about it because I've been on the run for the last week. They gave me a choice, either join them or die. I'd rather live, so I've been on the run this week. But I knew I needed to get back so I could talk and let him know what's been going on. Can we get back into the car now and go?" Was this girl crazy? I looked from Luna to this girl Jasmine, then back at Luna, shaking my head. I decided to be the first one talking.

"Luna, you need to mindlink your father and see if this is true. If Jasmine is missing from the kingdom, if she's lying, then you can shoot her in the face. But until then, get hold of your dad."

"I have a better idea. Let's call him, put him on speaker while I'm pointing my gun at her face." She grabbed her cell phone, hit a button, and then the phone started ringing. It only took a few rings when a guy answered the phone.

"Luna, honey, are you almost here? I'll tell Lucas to tell his guards to open the gate for you.”