Page 24 of Eclipse of the Pack

Until the semi started to roll. It happened to fast. They were not sure how or when it started, but, now the Semi was flipping sideways. It’s momentum carrying the the massive object towards them.

Ivy’s laugher turned to genuine screams of terror first. Jon was silent. He made a split second decision. It was stupid. It was mad, but they had no other choice.

He barreled through the guard rail that lined the side of the freeway. He miscalculated. The drop was not a slight downward slope like he had expected, it was a steep drop. Jon and Ivy’s screams met as the car barreled through underbrush, rocks, and young trees.

Jon saw the tree only moments before they slammed into it. He threw his arm out to try to protect Ivy from the impact, but he was not quick enough. She flew forward. Her head hit the dash with a crack that made his stomach churn.

The crash was brutal. Everything hurt. Everything was wrong. His muscles screamed in protest as he forced himself to move. He rounded the broken car, slipping on the plant life until he got to the door and threw it open, and dragged her out onto the forest floor below.

She was unconscious. He could not tell if she was breathing or not. They had to get out of here. Now.

29

IVY

Jon had dragged Ivy deeper into the forest. She woke up a couple hours later, curled up in his arms. It took a while to get her bearings, her head pounding. The last thing she remembered was being in the car with Jon, and they were driving away from the PEACE agents and wolves on their tail.

Ivy jerked around in Jon’s hold. She didn’t know why they weren’t moving. If the agents or wolves were anywhere nearby, they’d find them.

“Ivy! Ivy! Calm down.” Jon held onto her tighter. Usually, he wouldn’t be able to restrain her, but Ivy’s injuries slowed her down.

Ivy struggled for a few more seconds before stopping. While her instincts were telling her she needed to run, Ivy trusted Jon’s judgement. She took a few deep breaths to calm down and relaxed into Jon’s body.

“What happened?”

“I didn’t have a lo of time, and that truck was rolling towards us. Maybe it was stupid, but…” Jon took a long pause. Ivy stayed quiet, not wanting to push him. She could tell he felt bad aboutwhatever happened but based on how they were when she woke up, Jon must have saved after whatever happened.

Jon took a couple minutes before continuing.

“I drove us off a cliff, and we crashed. It was… really bad. We hit a tree, the car caught on fire…” As Jon told Ivy what had happened, it came back to her in bits and pieces. She rubbed her head, her head still sore. In fact, her whole body was sore.

Jon massaged her body which helped. Ivy was grateful that he was there. She didn’t blame him for what happened. He made a split-second decision, and in the end, they were alive. That was all the mattered.

“Why didn’t the wolves sniff us out?”

“It looks like we died in the crash. It was really bad. I’m honestly surprised we did survive. I’m still shocked that I even did that.” Because she was passed out, Ivy didn’t have a clue what the crash had looked like, but her body was evidence that it wasn’t pretty.

“Well, thank you for saving my life.” Ivy held Jon’s hand. “So, they think we’re dead, huh?”

“Maybe,” Jon shrugged. “No one came after us, and it’s been a couple hours. I can’t say we’re totally safe, but I think for the time being we’re okay.” Ivy liked the sound of that. It was a chance to not have to worry, even if it was for a short amount of time.

“So, this could be it?”

“It for what?”

“A chance to get free.” Ivy had been so hellbent on getting revenge on Malcolm and setting things right, but as she got deeper and deeper, everything got harder and harder. She wanted to kill Malcolm and get to Griffen, but almost dying made her reflect on their mission.

“Is that what you want? To be free?”

“I don’t know. Everything is just so complicated. What of it could be simpler?” Ivy shrugged.

“Yeah, maybe,” Jon commented. Having leaving as an option changed things for them. They both needed to sit on the idea. Thankfully, the dense thicket gave them the cover they needed to lay low for a while.

30

JONATHEN

Jon was happy that Ivy had finally woken up, but their troubles were far from over. The crash really did a number on her. Werewolves were meant to heal faster, but Ivy had sustained much more serious wounds than Jon. If she was human, she might not have survived.

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