Chapter 12

She stood there looking after him, letting him go and walk out of her life, as tears fell down her face. 

She knew he was right; she knew he had to get away, hell, she wanted to get away too, but father had other plans for her. What she didn’t tell him was that her father had sworn her for marriage to the Alpha of a small pack to the east that had just moved into the area. He hoped that the alliance would strengthen the Blackthorn Pack, he didn’t care that he gave his only daughter away to complete strangers, if they promised him their unquestionable loyalty. Mother and he had fought about it just before he left to head to the Everwood’s party, in fact she had been sent to warn them. Her mother had told her to warn the Everwood’s about a possible attack tonight.

Earlier, as Rochelle had neared the South gate she heard the explosions, and realized she was too late. It has already started. She then saw Ryker running away, luckily, he didn’t see her. She saw the pain and terror on his face and began to follow him from a distance. Garrett caught up with her as he was chasing after Ryker calling his name. She promised Garrett that she would find him, and he told her that they weren’t angry with him for killing a wolf, they just wanted him back and to make sure he was ok. Suddenly, she told Garrett what had happened between her parents, and what her father planned for her. Holding her arms and looking deeply into her eyes, he said that his pack would protect all of them, and that she doesn’t have to join a pack she has no idea about. Rochelle wholeheartedly believed every word he said, almost regretting the descision she had already made. She gently urged him not to do anything stupid and asked him if he wanted to start a war between the packs because that is what would happen if the Everwood’s stepped in on this. She made him promise that he wouldn’t say anything to anyone, and to just protect her mother when she left. She told him that she had made up her mind to go to the new pack, and not go against her father, because right now, no one needed a war, and she wanted to protect him. Although she didn’t tell him that last part abaout wanting to protect him. 

For as long as she could remember, she had liked Garrett, but has kept all of this to herself, knowing how he feels about the possibility of dating his best friend’s sister. The arrangement is for her to go to the new pack tonight, then live with them for two years, learn their ways, find their weaknesses, and report back to her father, or else he would kill her mother, she didn’t doubt that for a second. She didn’t have a choice, she wanted more than anything to allow the Everwood’s to protect her, but that was not an option. Then on her eighteenth birthday she would marry the Alpha. She couldn’t tell Ryker about this, or he would never leave, hell, she couldn’t tell anyone, she prayed to the Moon Goddess that she hadn’t made a mistake telling Garrett about the arranged marriage. It just all came out in the heat of the moment of everything that had happened. She looked around at the cave that had become a haven for her and Ryker and gathered the few belongings she had scattered around, as she silently cried, and prayed to the Moon Goddess for a miracle. She hoped everyone would be safe when she leaves tonight, then she walked out of the cave, never to return.