Asher Sigo

I ran with the pack. I had no clue where we were going, towards Canada, I thought. I didn't let my thoughts get the best of me, however. Nick hated whenever we started to lose focus on what our task at hand was, what we were supposed to do. I didn't really have a clue what our task was, but, in my mind, I pretended that I did. The probably really pissed the others off, but, hey, it was the truth.

I tried to listen to the soft thud of the paws. I could hear everyone's, but I could hear Sawyer and Tyler's the best. I tried not to listen into Jessyca, Oliver, and Lexi's conversation because they knew what had happened. I couldn't even hear Jareth, Matt, and Nick. They seemed to be having their own private conversation. That just ticked me off too.

Sawyer whined softly, catching my attention. I saw him glancing back at me. Of course he was concerned. He worried about Mary Ellen too at times. How had Evan even managed to touch Mary Ellen? Oh, yeah, I was an ass and had to avoid her, just like Tyler, Saw, and Matt. We didn't have a choice. I would have thought Alyssa and Grayson would have looked out for her, but apparently not.

"Don't beat yourself up, Ash. I should have been there. It's my fault."

"Ty, you're just as bad with blaming yourself. How did he even get a chance to mark her?"

"He kissed her. That's probably how."

"When?"

"The night we tracked his brothers who were leaving through the woods," Sawyer said bitterly. A pang ran through my stomach. "The night Nick told you to get out…"

"That bastard!" I growled and stopped in my tracks and turned. "I'm going to go back and rip his throat out, and then his heart before he dies and allow him to feel his body start to die before I show him any mercy!"

"Ash, you do realize that he'll die, like, a second after you rip out his heart, right?" Jessyca asked. I growled at her. "Just saying."

"Well, keep your thoughts to yourself," I growled, and turned to go back, but Tyler was there. He stopped me

"Going back will only make things worse, Ash. We can't make things worse for Mary Ellen. She already doesn't trust Matt, much less us. We need to focus on the task at hand and then we'll work on someone getting Mary Ellen."

"And what is the task at hand?"

"We're going to destroy the Black Ones, Ash," Nick said. Tyler and I both flinched. We hadn't noticed that their minds had joined the rest of ours again. "We need to talk to your dad first, though."

"So we are going to Canada?"

"Yes, Lexi, we're going to Canada."

"No, we're going to Timbuktu!"

"Shut up, Matt."

"You asked."

"I asked if we were going to Canada, not for some comment!"

"Well…it's not like I wasn't going to come back with one!"

"Matt, Lexi, do us all a favor and shut up," Nick growled.

"Sorry," they muttered. The pack fell silent.

I was left with my thoughts again and it sucked. All I kept seeing was Mary Ellen's face, her dark curls. I felt another pang. It was my fault, this thought I blocked from the others. It was my fault. I shouldn't have been a wimp and left. I shouldn't have listened to Nick. If I'd stayed, this would have never happened. If I'd acted like everything had been okay, she would have still had Tyler. We could have found a way to make it work…I just wasn't all that sure how.

Nick finally decided to take a break at a small diner in Michigan. We still had another days run ahead of us, but he decided to take a break. None of us had gone this far without a break in a long time. Tyler was the only one who didn't need one. He was still new and a little ball of energy.

I pulled on a black shirt along with my black shorts and joined Matt on his way towards the diner. Luckily, there'd been a small wood outside of the diner. I picked my phone up from the bag that Nick had tied around his ankle. They were a pain to keep track of when we shifted. I turned it on. I had a little service, but not a lot. I also had five missed calls from Mary Ellen and two texts. I shoved my phone in my pocket.

"Week tops, Ash," Matt said, clamping his hands on my shoulder. "We could all use the break, anyways." I rolled my eyes. "Just relax, Ash. We're going to talk to your dad, find out his info and then we're going to take those mutts down."

"You do realize, M, that we all are mutts, right?" Jessyca asked, suddenly there. She hooked her arm through her brothers. "After all, we're no different than them other than our coat color."

"Are you defending them now?" Matt asked, holding the door open. Jessyca watched him for a moment before entering the diner.

"I'm not defending anyone, Matthew. I'm just stating the facts."

"And what facts do you know?" Matt asked as they walked towards a booth. I slid into one with Sawyer, Jareth, Nick, and Tyler. Somehow, we all fit.

"…about another day to go. We should probably find somewhere to stay to catch up on our strength. We're going to need it in a few days," Nick was saying. Jareth didn't look happy.

"That's precious hours, Nick. We need to get to Canada and learn all we can," he said, leaning forward. "Look, Nick, we need to get there and get back. Our people are there, unprotected."

"Thanks for having faith in the Elders," Sawyer said, twirling the straw in his drink.

"It's not that, Sawyer. Have you seen how long it takes an Elder to shift? The town would be torn to pieces before they could do anything," Jareth said.

"Just wait a minute, Jare. We set it up so that the town will be safe, okay? It's all taken care of, don't worry," Nick said, looking out the window.
"And how did you do that?"

"I just did."

"Explain."

"I don't have to explain, Jareth. Just trust me on this, okay?" Nick asked coldly, looking at Jareth. Jareth fell silent.

"What are you hiding from us?" Sawyer asked. Nick looked at him.

"Just something that doesn't need to be mentioned right now," he said. Sawyer looked at him for a moment before giving a short nod.

I didn't really ponder what they were silently talking about. I wanted to be a wolf again, to just focus on that and not have to deal with anything else. It was always easier as a wolf. You could just turn off all your human senses and become an animal. You didn't have any worries except to stop and find someplace to sleep. You didn't have to deal with the drama of being human. You could just be one with nature.

There was a downfall to being a wolf, though. Nick had told us that there was a man who was a member of a previous pack and had ran as a wolf for nearly twenty years. When he finally decided to come back…he wasn't a man anymore. He hadn't remembered anything and had turned into a mad man, almost killing a man. The Elders had to get rid of him. We try to change back, if we run off, at least once every year to maintain our humanity. That was one thing we couldn't lose.

As much as I loved being a wolf, I didn't think I could stand losing my humanity. That was just too much. I would never fall in love or be able to call someone mine. I needed that. The girl that I loved, the girl that's always been taken from me, is now a mutt's. I had to kill Evan. I was going to be the one to do it, to break their bind. I couldn't let her be with him. It was just…not right. Tyler deserved her, at least. Someone, anyone, other than him would be good for her.

I ran a hand through my hair and sat back in the booth as a waitress brought plates of food. I looked at Nick to see if he'd been the one to order for me. He gave me a slight nod. I looked down at the food and ate a French fry. I was starving, but I didn't want to look like a pig or something. I took one bite and then thought, "The hell with not looking like a pig." I was starving.

I yawned after eating. Sawyer and Tyler looked equally as tired. Nick was looking out the window and Jareth had wondered off to where the others sat. I pulled out my phone to finally respond to Mary Ellen's text.

I'm going 2 get my dad. IDK when I'll b back, but I will b back. don't leave me, mare. Please just trust us this once & take our word. It's all I ask. –Asher

I put my phone back in my pocket with a sigh. I didn't know when I'd see the Lake again. Probably never get to see it; really see it, for a long time. At least, not until this was all over with. Whenever that was, that was.