“What can we do?” Beck asked and Becca smiled.
“You can help me pack,” she said. Imogen groaned and rolled her eyes.
“Packing duty,” she complained. “Surely we can do more than that.” I bit back a smile as I glanced at Marshall who was also trying to keep a straight face.
“Do as your mother says,” Trenton said, a warning in his tone. Imogen rolled her eyes again and stood up with a huff.
“It sucks being a human,” she muttered to herself as she stormed out of the room.
Later that night Trenton, Marshall and I surrounded the battered wooden table. There was a map spread across it and a circle where Trenton had said was the potential location.
"Alright," I began, my voice low and steady. "We need to plan this move carefully. Our enemies are relentless, and we can't afford any mistakes." My fingers traced the contours of the map, marking the path to our new sanctuary.
"Erica's right," Trenton chimed in, his voice commanding and firm. "We'll need to split into groups for transportation, taking different routes to avoid detection."
"Imogen and Beck can go with me in the van," Becca offered, her eyes filled with maternal concern. "We can take the coastal route, less populated areas."
"Good idea, I will take the motorcycle," Trenton said, his jaw set in determination. "It's faster and more manoeuvrable in case I need a quick escape."
"Then I'll go in the car with Erica and Amy," Marshall said with a nod. "We can take the forest route, it'll give us more cover."
“Maybe I should travel with Becca and the twins,” I said. Before they had died my father was the pack Gamma, and his job was to protect our Luna and Alpha’s children. With him gone, that duty fell to me. I saw Trenton and Marshall glance at each other before Trenton smiled at me.
“No, we need more space for our belongings in the van,” he said. “You are best in the car with Marshall.”
“But then Becca is left with no protection,” I argued.
“Becca can look after herself,” Becca said from the doorway with a smile. “Do as Trenton says sweet girl, it’s for the best.” I saw a look cross her face and looked around at Trenton and Marshall. I could tell that there was something being left unspoken, and I didn’t like it. How was I meant to protect our family if I didn’t have all the information?
"Perfect," Trenton said after I grudgingly nodded. "Now, let's discuss supplies."
"Imogen and I will pack food and water for the journey," Becca volunteered. "Enough for everyone, just in case we get separated."
"Beck and Amy can continue to pack our belongings," Marshall added.
“And I suppose there is no point even going to work tonight,” I said. I felt surprised that I was kinda disappointed about that. But between my job at Red Bank, a supernatural only bar and my growing little graphic design side hustle, I was starting to actually feel like I could actually maybe have something like a normal life. At least the design stuff was online so I could continue that wherever we were, as long as I had the internet.
“No,” Trenton said. “Keep everything as normal, at least until I get back. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.” Marshall and Becca nodded, and I smiled.
“How long will you be gone?” Marshall asked Trenton.
“I’m not sure,” Trenton replied as he reached over to Becca to give her a hug. “A week at the most.”
“I don’t like you going on your own,” Becca said, and I nodded to echo her concern.
“I’ll be fine,” Trenton said as he forced an attempt of a reassuring smile to his face. He hugged Becca tighter and nodded briefly to Marshall.
“Well, I suppose I should get ready for work then,” I said. I started to make my way out of the room when Trenton stopped me.
“Erica,” he called, and I turned to face him again. I caught another strange exchange between him and Marshall.
“Yeah?” I asked, suddenly feeling anxious.
“When I get back…” he trailed off and then looked at Becca and Marshall again. Becca patted his arm and Marshall nodded. He turned back to look at me. “When I get back, I think we should sit down and have a conversation. There are some things that I think it is time you should know.” I looked between the three people but no one spoke any further.
“Like what?” I asked.
“Not now,” Trenton said. “I really must be going. But I promise, when I am home, that we will talk.” He walked over and kissed my forehead before pulling on a jacket and heading to the door. Becca followed him and they hugged in the doorway. I felt Marshall’s hand on my shoulder as I watched the couple saying goodbye.
