Page 10 of Eclipse of the Pack

While the idea of havingthebig bad wolf hunting them was highly unnerving, it was even more nerve-wracking to watch Ivy constantly assess their surroundings.

Jon hadn’t known her for long, and really didn’t know much about Ivy that wasn’t a product of their circumstances, but it made his heart ache to see her so obviously anxious.

All they had was the bag Ivy grabbed from her apartment, and he wasn’t sure what the plan was since Ivy wasn’t in a particularly talkative mood, but he knew without question that he’d follow her anywhere.

As long as she could pay for his plane ticket, that is.

“Pretty weird first date, and even weirder that it’s ending in a mystery trip,” Jon grumbled under his breath as they approached the airport. Ivy’s eyebrows shot up in amusement.

“I’m sorry, this is your idea of a date?” She teased.

Jon’s eyes widened in mock hurt as he put a hand over his heart.

“Milady, youwoundme!” He cried as Ivy rolled her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. Jon was sure that smile would be the death of him; he’d make a fool of himself any day of the week to let her keep that rare gentleness about her.

The airport loomed up ahead as Ivy began to slow down. Jon slowed alongside her, feeling another swell of concern as he watched her eyes begin to dart from place to place.

“Something’s wrong,” Ivy said before Jon could ask. “Stay close to me.”

He had no objections, although he’d prefer to be close to her in an entirely different set of circumstances. They approached the airport cautiously, staying with the throngs of pedestrians that moved down the street, using the civilians as urban camoflauge.

It was strange for Jon to think of others as civilians as if he were anything different, but on the other hand, he’d practically earned a bronze star staying with Ivy through this madness.

The closer they got to the airport, the more alert Ivy became, her nose twitching as she surveyed their surroundings, edging ever-closer to Jon.

They stopped short as they came into full view of the airport. The place was crawling with uniformed PEACE agents, which guaranteed there were even more in plainclothes. Ivy laced her fingers with Jon’s.

“We need to go,” Ivy whispered. “Now.”

Turning around inconspicuously was challenging given the flow of foot-traffic towards the airport, but somehow they managed to fight against the stream of people and ducked into a cafe.

They slid into a corner table, Ivy facing the wall of windows that looked out onto the street adjacent to the airport.

“There’s no way in hell we’re gonna get through there,” Jon said. He knew he was stating the obvious, but he wasn’t sure what else he could add to the situation.

“PEACE agents aren’t the only thing we have to worry about,” Ivy added in a low voice. “I can smell other wolves, two dozen, maybe more.” Jon felt himself pale, but tried not to let too much unease slip into his face.

“It’s impossible to tell shifters from humans with so many people around,” she went on as she surveyed the street over his shoulder. “We’d be lucky to make it inside the airport without being torn to ribbons or riddled with bullet holes.”

There is no way this could be worse, Jon thought to himself, taking a steadying breath and trying to think of something comforting to say. His eyes floated to the television playing over Ivy’s shoulder, and he immediately regretted issuing that challenge to the universe.

“Uh, Ivy?” He asked, trying to keep his voice even.

“What?” She replied, clearly perturbed at his tone. Jon nodded in the direction of the TV, which now had both of their faces plastered across the screen.

“I think we should leave.”

15

IVY

It was one thing to see her face with ‘wanted’ beneath it, but seeing Jon’s face was worse. Having his lopsided grin and playful eyes plastered across the screen was a violation.

Everything felt miles away. Ivy never wanted war- she’d done everything in her power to prevent it.

She’d sacrificed friends, family, romance; she’d killed parts of herself to play her role because she believed everyone could live in peace.

The realization that she’d been on the wrong side of this fight nearly broke her. Malcolm had played her.

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