Sometime during the night the heater had shut off. I woke up freezing as chilled air came in from the window's frame. I was tired last night that I hadn't put on any clothes fully depending on the heater to run all night. My eyes took in the dark room taking just a second to adjust to the lack of light. Not only had the heater given out but the TV's timer had clicked off as well. I lay wrapped up in the comforter for a few moments listening to the sounds around me. My neighbors had checked out when I was sleeping, the sounds of Uncle Kracker and vigorous love making long gone. The only sounds were the faint coughs from the girl at the front desk.
Slowly I stretched my cold muscles flexing them as a way to get warmer. I wrapped my comforter around me tightly as my feet touched the carpeted ground. The fact that I could see my breath made me highly uncomfortable. While my wolf was happy with the cold it reminded me too much of being held in a small room as I was strapped down. I rubbed my hands over my face before fixating my gaze on a worn spot on the carpet. I had slept for maybe four hours but I still felt exhausted. The itching urge to run with my tail tucked between my legs into the mountains tugged at my being but I tapped it down.
One of the first things the white coats discovered about me was how I could change without losing my baby. It was tormenting to know that someone could inject something into you with monitoring devices hooked up to you. While I never immediately lost a baby the amount of times I changed during it caused it.
"Six total physical transformations before her uterus begins to severely cramp. At that point the fetus is fully dislodged; termination of pregnancy is inevitable as neither drugs nor physical therapy is able to bring it back." One of the white coats had prattled off to his leader while he wrote everything down on his tablet. The man with him placed two fingers on my jugular. I had been muzzled in an attempt to restrain me. My body ached from the rapid change as the painful fluttering began once again in my abdomen. I would not whine out in pain nor grief. I would stay here silent, ashamed, and angered at what had been done. But I swore my freedom.
Three rapid knocks on the door snapped me out of my daze. "Breakfast," a cheery voice called through the door. I stood quickly stumbling in the comforter towards the door. My hand flipped the light switch as I called out, "Just a second," before digging into my backpack. I pulled on a knee-length black dress running my hands through my hair. I answered the door to see a cheery round faced older woman holding a tray with two daisy's on it. A bowl of hot cereal sat in the middle with some fruit and several pieces of sausage on the side. "Good morning ma'am. Breakfast is served. Please feel free to leave the dishes by your door when you're done. Also, I included some extra links on here; Genie told me that you were eating for two on a tight budget so I thought that you'd like the extra protein. If not then I can take them away if you'd like." She fidgeted with the hem of her uniform shirt.
I smiled softly at her. "Thank you for being so considerate. I'll be sure to save the rest for a snack later. Are-are there any store's around here by chance? Or a laundry mat?" I took the tray from her while holding up my blanket. She nodded her head before pointing down the hallways. "Yes, there's a small laundry mat attached to the end of this building. Fifty cents to wash and a quarter to dry. The large machine at the end that has the broken sign actually works. We just place it there so no one knows that it can run without money." She winked at me before reaching into one of the many pockets on her shirt. "I actually found a roll of quarters in the room next door next to a box of condoms. You won't believe the amount of filth that these people leave in the rooms. Well you have a good day now ma'am, be sure to dial "0" if you run into any problems. She waddled off before turning back around sharply. "If the heaters quit just smack the end of it. It should pop right back on." She finally turned back around before disappearing into another room.
I shut the door quickly placing he tray down on the bed. I fiddled with the controls on the wall heater before giving into hitting it with the butt of my palm. The old unit made a grinding noise before rattling back to life. With a small smile I counted the roll off quarters, five dollars to be exact, before walking back into the bathroom for my now dry clothes. I flipped the TV on barely paying attention to the nasally man prattling off the mornings news. I bundled up the other clothes from my backpack then placed them in the plastic bag that I carried around with me. I sat on the edge of the bed throwing off the comforter in favor of the food. As far as I knew I was the only person that would willingly give up bacon in favor of sausage. The delicious meat sticks didn't take that long to cook. On the downside they were a bit greasier that the crispy strips of pig belly. Way more convenient to travel around with though.
"Today's high will be forty-five degree's with rain all day. There will be lows of twenty three degrees! Say bundled up today and inside as much as possible. Remember to get your flu shot as well Tri-Cities! Now let's go to Martin with traffic." The cheery blonde weather girl smiled deeply into the camera before it left her. Picking up my bag I grabbed the room key as well leaving everything on as I made my way to the other side of the motel. The same girl from the night before, Genie, was sitting behind the partition again this time on her phone. Her purple lips moved as she rolled her peppermint stick around. Her fingers glided over the screen of her cell phone, the only time she bothered to look up was to point me to the door marked "Laundry" at the end of the hall.
I opened it hurrying through the slight drizzle to the small room. It was attached to the building by only a wall with a small overhang meant to protect against the wild weather of this state. I jiggled the cold handle a few times before going into the room. My stomach gave a lurch at the smell of stale water from the floor drain. A soft kick from within had me grinning behind my hand as I loaded up my clothes in the "broken" washer. I had no soap with me so the clothes would have to get washed by the hot water only. Too much of a coward to go back out in the cold I sat on the folding table watching the clothes spin around.
What was my play from here? Skulk around in the shadows like some classic horror movie monster? There was no way I could come out as a werewolf to the public, a pregnant one at that. Viktor had lied to me about a lot of things when I was in his care but he had always remained truthful on how pack society and law was. Any females would have to report to the local alpha-the status of a lone wolf was only given to males. If word got out that an unmated female was wandering about then she would be brought in immediately to the alpha. Add to the fact that said wolf was pregnant meant even more urgency. "Werewolves are not meant to have children, Meridith, its God's curse. His way of showing his regret for our creation. If you truly thought about it as well only the alphas in an actual wolf pack are allowed to rear young. Anyone else and they have to forfeit the pups to them or leave the pack entirely. If we werewolves did that then every mated pair would have their own pack. We can't have that now, can we?"
I wrapped my hands around my breasts as I thought over his words. I never heard of a werewolf giving birth at all so I was extremely nervous? What if I did? What if I died in the middle of it? What if she died? Yes, she, a girl with rosy cheeks and deep green eyes with brown hair. I didn't know who her father was but I knew she would look somewhat like me. If she didn't then I would love her still.
"Sticking to the outskirts of town seems to be the best method. It's too rural out here for anyone to really pay attention to wolves. But what if they decide to run here?" I steepled my fingers on my lap. "Either way that just means I have to go to another city….no…it's not safe. I need to stay here. If I get found then so be it." The washer sounded its alarm that the clothes had finished. I scooted off of the table to put them in the dryer. As I fed the quarters into the coin slot the door rattled open as a wheezing man walked in. He struggled with his basket for a few seconds before placing it on the top of a washer.
With one person in the room it felt cramped. Two had me nearly suffocating. The wolf began to pace slightly snorting in annoyance at the man who had entered into the room. He rubbed his ear with a hiss before looking back over at me, "Sorry honey, didn't mean to startle you. I just gotta do a load before I go back out on the road. Trucker's life style and all only gives me a few moments to do these things." He began to fill in the washer with his clothes whistling a silent tune to himself. I checked my clothes to see if they were done before adding another quarter when he cleared his throat behind me. "So…" he started out as he leaned up against the wall. "My name's Robert, what's yours?"
"Meri." I answered over my shoulder at him. He nodded his head before looking me over once again. Taking off his hat he rubbed his head before sighing. "Look, I'm not good at this type of thing. I'm a straightforward kind of a guy really, but, I've never done this before."
"Done what?" My lips turned down into a frown as I gripped the roll of quarters in my fist. I had scoped out the exits in the laundry room long before he came in just to be safe if I was ambushed or worse. I had no plans to go down without a fight if need be. Robert chewed on the inside of his cheek before straightening from the wall. "I don't mean no funny business. I swear it; I'm a married man and plan on staying that way so I don't want anything from you, I just want to help." He reached into the pocket of his coat before pulling out a business card for me. "I don't care about where you came from or what you're running from hon but if you need help or any kind then please just give a call to that number." I looked down at the card my mouth going dry.
It was a card for Adam Hauptman. I had been found. My face drained of color.
"Please don't freak out. I'm a wolf too and I just smelled it on you when you walked out of here. I haven't seen you around here before but I smelled you when you checked in. I know this is really scary but I don't want to push you since you're, you know-," he pointed at my stomach before looking away.
My mouth hung open in plain shock. How the hell was this possible? There was no way I could be found out so soon-no way at all! "Stay away from me." I uttered out before pulling my clothes from the dryer. I rushed past him barely missing the meaty hand he held out to grab me with. "Miss, wait, please!" He called out but the door slammed before he could even move. I ran through the hall past the lobby ignoring Genie's call for me to walk not run in the facility to my room. My hands were shaking so badly that they could barely hold the key steady enough to put into the lock. When I was finally able to I pushed myself into the room practically slamming the door behind me. I sank down to the floor clothes in hand as I buried my face into the still warm clothes.
How? I was so careful to not leave any traces of me. I paid for everything with cash and stuck to busses and cheap places that didn't need ID. The pack shouldn't even be out here! Tears of frustration at being found so soon rolled down my face against my will. Ever since I left the facility I had started crying again. My resolved was failing me quicker than I had expected.
The sound of laughter brought me out of my funk to make me lift my head. A video of a girl chasing after a wolf that had her doll was playing with a narrating host. The wolf weaved figure eights around the girls' small body before stopping in front of her to drop the toy. It sat back on its haunches booping her shoulder gently with its oversized paw. My arms wrapped around my belly hugging the warm clothes against the tiny life inside. I had only started to feel small fluttering movements last night but that was all the indication I needed. I had never made it this far along in any of the pregnancies I was force into. This one, this precious one, would be my first successful one. I was determined of it.
I grabbed my back pack off of the luggage carrier taking out only the thick pair of leggings and red jacket. Once fully dressed I put my shoes on quickly wrapping up the extra sausage links before stuffing them into the front pocket of the bag as well. My mind wandered back to the towels that were hanging in the bathroom. They weren't big enough to be a blanket but I could wrap myself up in them. I folded those up then tucked them into my jacket shutting everything off. My door clicked shut behind me latching into place as I pulled the hood over my head.
Genie wasn't at the desk this time but her magazine had been left open at the same place it was last night. I jotted down a quick thank you note at the end before scooting my key into her part of the partition. I only signed my room number too afraid to let her know my full name in case they decided to hunt me down for the two towels. The weather had taken a turn for the worse since I came back inside. The wind picked up threatening to blow the hood off of my head but I held it tight against me as I walked on the rain slicked cement. If I remembered the sign correctly a gas station was up ahead about ten miles. It would take the better part of the day for me to make it up there but I had to. Knowing my luck if I stayed there then Robert would have called the pack for backup. That was something I would not stick around for.
I heard the diesel engine at the seven mile marker as the road made a curve to the right. The truck slowed down as it spotted me the acrid scent of it burning gasoline itched my nose enough to make me sneeze. "Meri," Robert called from the driver's side three feet above me. "Please listen, let me take you into town at least. I'll drop you off at one of the fast food joints or take you to a gas station." I looked over my shoulder only to see him leaning out of the side of his truck his face a mass of worried wrinkles and creases. So this was what a wolf looked like when he felt the need to protect those that were lower than him.
"The last time someone said that to me I was turned. What makes you think I can trust you?" A car honked behind him as it merged into the next lane to pass him. Viktor had a similar face that night I was kidnapped. He would put it on whenever he felt that he needed to convince me to do something for the white coats or any other wolf. I felt like darting away into the woods but the wolf kept me grounded. If I did that he would send someone out to look for me who had more knowledge of the terrain than I did. He looked around nervously again before hissing through his teeth. "You got me there. How about this, I have a loaded pistol here, you hold it and if I try any funny stuff you can shoot me in the leg." He thrummed his fingers against his door.
"Deal." I walked in front of his trunk peeking over to make sure it was safe for me to cross over. He pushed the door open from inside leaning down to give me a hand into the giant truck. Once in he fumbled with the seatbelt trying to strap me in, "I got it," I muttered as I wrapped the seatbelt around me carefully. He nodded flicking on his wind shield wipers as he pulled away from the curb. We sat in silence for the first few seconds before he started to drum out a beat on his steering wheel. "Is it warm enough for you? Body temperatures high when you're a werewolf but you look like you're freezing over there." He twisted the knob for the temperature to a warmer setting.
"How did you find out about me?" I scratched at the dried mud on my tights. Peeking out for the corner of my eyes I saw him working his jaw as he picked over the words carefully, his mustache wiggling at the same time. "I just came back from a run to San Diego with a haul of PVC piping. If there's anything you could know about hauling stuff it's that it's darn right exhausting. I wanted to hurry up and get home before the storm hit so I started to speed over here but managed to blow out a tire." He turned to me grinning comically. "Thank goodness I loaded up the spare or else I'd be stuck out there on the turnpike. Anyways I just pulled over in the motel to change the tire and when I got out you're scent just popped. It's not different to smell a visiting wolf-a lot come through hoping on meeting Adam or getting some sort of help from him. Mostly check-ins while they vacation up here but you-you were different. A she wolf wandering all out on her own kind of makes me a bit nervous for her safety and sanity. But you smelled very new so I figured that you didn't know any of the laws around here. I checked in of course hoping to catch sight of you and possibly send a message out to the pack.
If you were out here on your own then chances were it was for a purpose. I've heard a lot over my years of she wolves leaving packs to travel to better ones. I thought that was your reason for coming to Washington. Then I followed you into the laundry room only to catch your scent again." He honked as a Yukon cut off in front of him. The driver slowed down a bit before sticking his hand out of the window to flip us off. Chuckling Robert muttered, "Classic," before making a right into the parking lot of a Waffle House. He shut the engine off before leaning back into his seat to take a look at me. Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out a pistol before handing it to me with the point faced down. I gripped the embroidered butt of the gun feeling my arms shake just a bit at the tang of steel. I never held any type of gun before in my hands so this was a new potentially fatal experience for me. "Keep the muzzle down for now. I'd prefer you get me in the thigh if you want to." He pulled out a small flip phone as well placing it on the arm rest between us.
"Well I'm gonna leave you here in town. This is a really cheap place for you to eat and if you work hard enough you can hitch a ride out of town from someone. I just have to let you know I need to tell my alpha about you. If I didn't and you managed to get hurt or worse killed but I never told anyone about you I could get in trouble. I can take you with me to meet the pack-which would honestly be a lot easier-or I can leave you here with a two hour head start to get out of here. If you do I'm giving you the gun for protection. I don't feel comfortable leaving someone in your condition without any means of keeping yourself."
I ran my thumb over the curvy RSP lettering again. A grim smile made its way to my lips as I looked back at him. "Who will they send out if you call them?" Flicking the safety back on I placed the gun carefully inside my backpack. Robert gave a low whistle when he saw all of the things that had been stuffed inside of it. I quickly zipped it shut before undoing the seatbelt to open up the door. It had started to snow again slightly and as the wind blew into the cabin a few flecks landed on the foot rest only to melt slightly from the warm inside.
"More than likely Warren, the packs third, in hopes that he won't scare you. If not then you may just see Mercy Adam's wife. Probably her since she's another woman you could hopefully connect with." I nodded my head before pushing the door open to step out.
"Thank you Robert. If I ever see you again I'll be sure to give you your gun back it looks like it means a lot to you." I brushed the flakes of mud from the passenger seat of his car before meeting his eyes. He was gnawing on his lip while nodding his head at me. "You remind me of someone I once knew in a past life. I may not know your full story honey but I do know that whatever path you choose you will go far. Please be safe and here," he tossed a money clip to me as he flipped the cell phone open to dial someone from the pack.
I grabbed the clip then shut the door quietly as I made my way to the restraint. I kicked the tiny flakes of accumulating snow away from me as I walked across the parking lot. I felt Robert's eyes on my back before I heard his truck pull out of the lot. Two hours to get the hell out of here, I thought to myself once I was inside of the restraunt. There were only two people seated inside both who looked like they would rather saw their arm off then help me out from the way they looked at me. I sat at one of the small booths in the corner as I waited for my mind to clear. Two hours was a lot of time to escape if you had a car or someone willing to give you a ride. I could walk somewhere but I doubted I'd make it far enough away to not get stopped. If I was stopped by the cops then there was no way for me to explain the gun.
"Hello there, can I get you something to drink? Coffee or hot chocolate? We do have a special on out pancakes for today." The waitress that appeared at my side flipped open her note pad as she scribbled down on it to test for ink.
"Hot chocolate please. Can I look at the menu just a little bit longer?"
"Sure. Just let me know when you're ready. I'll be over with that hot chocolate in no time." She walked away leaving me to skin over the laminated paper. I looked back out of the window watching as the snow had now turned to sleet with the rain. Two hours was a lot of time to be sitting here in a dinner within nothing to think about but what had happened and what was going to happen now. I was terrified, yes, but I was also eager to start over again.