Chapter Three

Willow's POV

"Here, it's not much, but it's the best I can do with not having a female in the house," Pete says as he hands me a pair of sweatpants and an old Led Zeppelin T-Shirt.

I smile graciously, "My go to kind of outfit. Thanks Pete."

He shows me upstairs to the bathroom, "You can shower in here. Towels and washcloths are in the closet here," he says pointing at the tiny linen closet just inside the bathroom door.

"Thanks again, Pete. I don't know what I would do without you."

Pete smiles slightly before wrapping his arms around me in a hug, "You are not just a friend Willow. You are family. No thanks are needed."

I nod my head at his reply. I may not know where I came from or who my relatives are, but Pete really is the closest thing I have to family. I hope one day that will change and that I will get to know my blood family one day, if they still exist, but Pete, he will always be family to me. I close the door behind him and lock it out of habit.

The bathroom is small in comparison to a lot of homes, but it's functional and that's what counts. I look at my reflection in the mirror. I release my hair from its high ponytail and let it fall in waves to my hips. My face is paler than usual, but I'm digging it. My fiery red hair and sapphire blue eyes stand out remarkably against the paleness of my skin. Not having a toothbrush, I squeeze some toothpaste on my finger and do the best I can with my teeth before making my way to the shower. I can hear Pete talking on the phone with someone before I turn the water on in the shower.

The hot water from the shower is instant relief for my sore muscles and tension. Thoughts of Andre out there somewhere slowly starving to death start to creep into my thoughts.  What did he find out that was worth that kind of torture? Was my family a threat to the Vampire community or something? That is the only thing I could think of. How else do you explain Andre and then the Vamp that came after me? If it weren’t for Pete, I would probably be dead. A shiver ran down my spine at the thought.

I make quick work of washing and conditioning my hair. There was no way I was going to get a brush through it without conditioner. I grab the bar of soap and lather it up in my washcloth before placing it back on the shower shelf. I make a mental note to go back to my place and grab my toiletries.  Bar soap always dries my skin and makes me itchy, but for now it was better than no soap at all. When I am finally satisfied, I turn off the taps and step out of the shower, wrapping a towel around myself.

Pete is not much bigger than me, but his sweatpants fall to the floor as I pull them up. I grab the drawstring and pull it tight before tying it in a knot to hold them up. I shove myself into his t-shirt, grab my dirty clothes and make my way downstairs, to find Pete just finishing up his phone call.

"Do you mind if I wash these? I need something to wear for tomorrow?" I ask.

He looks at me nervously as if he has something to say but doesn't quite know how to articulate it.

"We don't have time for all that Willow. We can get you some new clothes. We have to leave in like twenty minutes."

I furrow my brows in confusion, "Leave? Where are we going?"

"Montana. I have friends there that can help us. It's not safe for you here anymore," he says, worry etched on his features.

I cross the room and sit on the sofa across from him, "Don't you think that's a little presumptuous? We don't know why that Vamp was after me. For all we know he could just have a vendetta against all werewolves."

"Use your mind, Willow. How many wolves do you think they come across in a city like Baltimore? Surely, not enough to have a grudge against the whole species. My money is on Andre finding something out that spooked them."

Personally, I feel he is being paranoid, but I still couldn't shake the thought that he could be right. I would go with him anywhere because I know he has my best interest at heart, but for him to give up everything to go with me is too much.

"What about the dojo? What about your house?"

He rolls his eyes, "I can open a dojo anywhere and the house was never meant to be a permanent thing anyway. My real home is in Montana."

"Wait, we are not seriously going there, are we? To the pack that killed your whole family," I ask, shocked.

Pete let out a sigh, "The man that murdered my family is dead, thanks to Alpha Ronan. Ronan is a friend to me. It was just too hard to go back there after everything. It's been years now. Things have changed."

"What if they haven't though? We may be rogues Pete, but I know that you have heard the rumors about their Alpha. How he murdered his own parents and his uncle, while he was just sixteen. Hell, they say he basically slaughtered his whole packs families. What kind of monster does that? You just want to go back to that and trust him?"

"Damn Willow. Do you really think I would take you to someone like that? Those are just rumors. He did kill his uncle, because his uncle killed his parents and his uncle is the one who slaughtered the pack members families, including mine. Ronan tried to be there for me, but I shut him out. I denounced my loyalty to him because I couldn't face being there alone, without my family."

I suddenly feel guilty for pushing the issue, "I'm sorry Pete. I didn't mean to bring up the past. It's just hard for me to trust people. I literally have just you that I can trust."

"It's all good, but we do have to go now. I booked us a midnight flight and you know how bad getting through security can be."

I sigh, "You got a pair of socks I can borrow?"

He chuckles quietly as he goes upstairs and reemerges with a brand-new pair of white socks. He knew how I was about sharing under garments and yes to me that included socks. I smirk as he hands them to me, and I slide them on my feet before slipping into my gym sneakers. I miss my combat boots, but I didn't have time to run home before meeting Andre and I was supposed to train with Pete afterward, so I just wore my sneakers.

As if he were reading my mind Pete says, "We can order you a new pair of boots and have them delivered to the packhouse," he says while fumbling with his phone.

I finish tying the laces of my sneakers and stand, "Alright, let's get this show on the road I guess."

He laughs as he slides his phone in his back pocket and drapes his free arm around my shoulder, "It's going to be fine Willow. You will love Wolf Point. It's beautiful."

It was my turn to chuckle, "Wolf Point? As in Wolf Point, Montana. We are going to meet a pack of wolves in Wolf Point, Montana? Seriously?"

"It was named Wolf Point by the first wolves to inhabit the land. My ancestors," he stated, making me feel a little jealous that he knew about his family's origin and history.

I followed Pete out the door and to his car down the street. I never understood why Pete even bothered to have a car. He walked everywhere, but I guess it's for spur of the moment trips that are out of walking range, like the airport for instance.

We rode in silence. Pete seemed to be troubled by something. I could smell it on him. I glance in my mirror to be sure we aren't being followed. It looks clear to me, but Vampire's don't travel by conventional methods, but they don't usually attack in public either. The problem is that we may be in public, but most people in this area are asleep. We would be safe in the airport, but during the ride there, we are practically open targets.

"You alright Pete?"

He nods, "I will be better when we are off the road and on the plane. We are too exposed right now."

"Do you think they followed us?" I ask, my heart beginning to beat erratically.

"There's no way to really know for sure. You can't really smell a Vamp unless they are close. I am probably just being overly paranoid again," he tries, but fails to reassure me.

"Just hit the gas. We are only two blocks away. Hit the gas and ignore the red lights and we will be there in no time," I suggest.

He laughed, 'Yes if we don't get pulled over first and miss our flight."

I laugh too, "Sacrifices must be made for the common good."

"Sacrificing the flight is sacrificing you and that is not a sacrifice I am willing to make," he stated, his face suddenly serious.

"Calm down Kujo, it was a joke. I wouldn't sacrifice you for anything either.'

He mumbled something under his breath as he pulled into the departures drop off and abandoned his car.

"You're just going to leave it there?"

He shrugs, "They will just look for the owner and well, my wife is dead so good luck with that."

I always forget that he was married to a human. It was never going to work out and I am sure that deep down he knows that, but he did love her. Amelia came down with cancer and passed away before I met him. I have been praying that he would find his mate to help fill the empty void in his heart.

As we make our way to security, I feel the tension leave our bodies.

"We made it," I nudge Pete.

"We aren't out of the woods yet. Let's get to our terminal and find some earbuds. It's going to be a long flight, so we mind as well enjoy the movie selection on the plane."

I sigh and follow him through the security gate, and we make our way to the terminals. I have to hand it to Pete. He has impeccable timing. By the time we grabbed ear buds and made it to our terminal, it was time to start boarding.

"That's us," he nudges me with his elbow.

"First class? You sure know how to treat a lady Pete," I tease.

"Ha! What lady? Surely you aren't referring to yourself. You're about as unladylike as they come."

I laugh as I cover my chest with my hands with mock horror, "You wound my poor heart."

He shakes his head and laughs as we board the plane and find our seats. The boarding process took a good twenty minutes or more before the pilot came over the loudspeaker and the attendants went through their safety precautions. Pete passes me my set of earbuds as the plane begins to take off.