I shiver.
An ancient truck rattles past me across the potholed road with hay strapped in the back. I pass a gnarled apple tree.
This small town in the haze of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sanctum, turned out to be the end of the line for the freight train.
It’s where I decided to make our final stand and stop running.
For two weeks now, I have been planning how the hunted will become the hunter.
I have been studying the past hits of the Hunter pack, as well as thinking about how I would put together this mission if it had been handed to me.
The only part I am not sure about is whether the Hunters intend to capture Bird and me alive or kill us.
Yet the reason that Fiorella wanted me to take the Hunter pack out was because they were disrupting the Omega auctions to rescue the Omegas.
They have been killing the heads of other mob packs.
But only Alphas.
If that is their pattern, then I am certain that they won’t kill Bird.
Perhaps, they believe that I am the villain here, the bad Alpha who has kidnapped the innocent Omega and dragged him along on my escape.
The dangerous Rogue Switch.
Once the same was believed about witches, the innocents who were burned because people feared false superstitions and demons, in the same way that they feared Rogues.
Witcheswere usually Omegas.
People fear those on the edges of society.
Why is it always the most vulnerable who are persecuted?
As long as I have assessed the Hunter pack correctly, thenmyplan will work.
A thrill rushes through me.
It’s almost time.
The Hunter pack won’t know what hit them.
I straighten my shoulders and confidently stroll closer to the side of the Betas ahead of me on the sidewalk, as if I’m their Alpha.
I keep my pheromones reined in.
The trick when you’re on the run and want to avoid being noticed is to fit in with the crowds around you. The more you look like just another person on the street, the more invisible you are.
If you act like you’re trying to go unnoticed, however, by wearing sunglasses, avoiding eye-contact, or scurrying around anxiously, then everybody will remember you.
Instead, I pretend to be a local by wearing jeans, a black shirt, and warm woolen coat. I didn’t buy brands, bright colors, or patterns. Instead, I blend in. I smile when Alphas greet me with nods.
I am wearing ear buds to make myself look busy but without listening to any music because I am on the alert.
The last thing I need is for anyone to start up a conversation with me.
My nose wrinkles at the scent of woodsmoke and damp earth. Birdsong trills through the air.
Sanctum is buried in the forested mountainside. It is perfect for my requirements because it is small and nondescript enough to hide in but large enough to go unnoticed. From careful listening in to typical small town gossip, the most excitement around here is about the infamous Champion pack, which lives out on a nearby ranch.
