Lyra “Thank you for the ride,” I whispered.
I didn’t expect him to hear me but from the small smile on his face, he did.
I climbed out of the car, shutting the door gently behind me as I walked towards the bus park, my ticket away from my past and everything that reminded me how much I had suffered.
Unlike Darius’ territory which was oftentimes quiet and serene, the border was much more noisy with several people going about their daily business.
I mixed into the crowd, taking in the different scent.
Some were wolves like me, others from different kinds but mostly humans.
By now, I was quite sure Darius had woken up and no doubt stormed every corner within his pack hoping to find me.
But he wouldn’t because I had left no clue or even a trace of where I might be.
The human world was very powerful and even people like Darius knew not to just venture into it without a solid reason.
For centuries, both kinds had never been at peace until a treaty several years ago made it bearable for both to live in peace even though there was still a cold war ongoing.
“Lost in thoughts?” I glanced behind me to see a young man with a small smile on his face, walking towards me with a duffel bag on his shoulder.
He had the kind of face one would hardly forget, a sharp jaw and stormy blue eyes that never seemed to miss a thing.
He was strikingly handsome, the kind of face usually seen in magazine covers and books.
“I…
no…” I said, turning away from him.
The last thing I wanted was to make any friends.
I wanted nothing more than to live a quiet life, away from everything that substly reminded me of who I used to be.
“Hey, come on.
I don’t bite.” he pressed, hurrying towards me.
He fell into step with me as we made our way towards the boarding gate, my bag tightly in my hands.
His scent was something akin to wood and peppermint but otherwise, he had a pleasant scent.
“I’m Felix.” I remained silent, instead, focusing on where I was headed.
Due to the crowd, we literally had to push our way towards the front desk where we could book our tickets to any part of the country.
This was one of the biggest bus terminali in all states so the crowd was something I knew to expect.
“Don’t be a stranger.
What’s your name?” “I’m sorry but I prefer to be alone.” I snapped.
I didn’t mean for my voice to come out that way but I was constantly tired of people wanting to talk to me.
Was there something on me I didn’t know about?
“Okay.” He walked faster, putting some distance between us.
I felt a sharp tug in my heart because deep down, I knew I shouldn’t have spoken to him that way.
I was taught better than that but the pressure from the past few days was something that deeply affected the way I saw people.
“You can’t even try,” I muttered.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, I got to the front desk just as bored receptionist glanced at me like he had all day to do this.
“Where to?” he drawled.
Standing there, staring at him, I realized I was faced with one major problem I realized I should have tackled long before now.
I didn’t know where I was going.
“Where to?” he asked again, this time impatient.
I wracked my head on what to say, anything at all but nothing was forthcoming.
I had enough cash in my bag to last me a very long time before I found myself something to do but I hadn’t stopped to think about where exactly I was going.
“Look…
you’re holding up the line, if you don’t know-” “New York.” A voice cut in and turning to look beside me was Felix, the same man i had been rude to only minutes ago.
Staring at him, I felt ashamed that I had acted that way to him.
He had literally saved me from embarrassment because the receptionist was the kind of person who would have a filled day talking to his colleagues about a girl who didn’t know where she was going.
Darius had a lot of connections, even in the human world.
That was how powerful he was and it wouldn’t take him time to realize where I was going to.
“New York, yes.” I added, hoping it sounded convincing.
“You could have said that minutes ago…” the receptionist mummured, stamping a bus ticket before handing it to me.
“Next person!” he called out.
Felix stood at the edge, a knowing look on his face.
I walked towards him, hoping he wasn’t in a sore mood.
“Thank you…
I mean, for back there.
I wouldn’t have-” “Oh its fine, figured you could use the help.
I get that you’re not from around here right?” I hesitated, still sceptical about how much I could tell him.
For all I know, he could even be working for Darius.
I wouldn’t put it past that man not to use anyone at all to bring me back.
“Yes…
i’m relocating…” I mummured.
“Then I was right.
New York is the best place for you if you’re trying to start up a new life.” he smiled.
“Are you going to…
New York as well?” “Yes.
My little girl is just graduating high school and I want to be there to cheer her up so that’s where i’m headed.” Somehow, the mention of his daughter seemed to quell whatever suspicions I had about him and made me trust him him some more.
“Oh wow…
that’s good.
Congratulations to her and…
to you as well.” “Thanks.
She’s realy worked hard for it you know.” I stared at him some more, not quite believing he had a child of that age.
“Well, let’s go and we can introduce ourselves properly on the bus.” Grabbing my bag from the floor, I turned around to look at where I was coming from.
I was going to miss it, bo doubt but at this point, a change was due and this was the moment to take it.
I had no idea if Darius would ever find me but if he never did, I was content enough to live on my own, embracing this new life I had just walked into.