Aspen County

I stay away from the Pack that night; this is my first Full Moon since I've become a werewolf without Louve here, and I just can't stand being in this body. It doesn't help that everyone got to the area too late yesterday so that Nox and Rudi were unable to tell us about Tim. The moon seems to be laughing at me as I sit in the snow, staring at my paws. I simply can't make myself excited enough to enjoy the freedom of being a wolf. The others don't bother trying to lift my spirits—they know that their attempts would be futile.

As soon as we're all human and dressed, we meet by where Eyulf and I waited yesterday. "Alright, what happened?" I demand, trying not to get too exited so that Zeeva doesn't scold me.

Rudi looks very pleased, and I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Well when we got there, nothing was really happening until around three like how you said. We didn't talk to him—just like you said Zeeva." She doesn't look pleased to be addressing Zeeva as the Alpha, but even I have to agree that as a temporary, she's the best choice; I have no idea what this Pack would look like if Rudi was in charge. "He walked a little funny, but he went into the building. We came back here right after."

"Alright. I'm going down there. Nyx, take the others to the motel and sneak them in through the window we found. I want all of you to get some sleep." She kisses Eyulf briefly, and I avert my gaze. "I'll be back as soon as I can. There's food in one of the mini fridges at the motel." With that, she turns and sprints away from us all.

"Come on, it's not too far from here so that we can get plenty of sleep during the day and not be in danger of getting here too late," Nyx mutters, leading us away as she talks. She almost sounds like she's trying to sell us on this motel, but I find myself continuing to stare after Zeeva until after she disappears.

We might find Louve yet. 'We may have found your cabby, Louve. That means we might find you. My fingers are crossed; I have to find you. I really hope to see you soon.'
* * * * *
Zeeva gets back a few hours later, her cheeks flushed from running through the cold. Being the only one who couldn't sleep, I'm the first one to greet her. "What's going on?" I ask quietly, trying not to wake anyone up.

She sighs and ushers me outside, knowing I won't rest—or let her rest—until she spills every detail of her trip. "It took a little bit to get him to believe that while we are friends, I wasn't helping you—there was a different secretary there today. Once he believed that, I had to convince him to take me there to find our friends. After a while, he confessed that he still has the coordinates to where he took Louve and Lovett and that he'll take me there—as long as I'm alone, that is. The only thing is that it's a little too far to get there and get back on foot to you guys by evening—it'll be too suspicious if I ask him to bring me back without the others. He also has the day off the day after the next Full Moon, so we agreed to meet the day right after. We'll have to steal one more car; I know, it sucks, but this will be the last time. I swear. You guys will just have to follow us since all of you except Nyx are still wanted criminals. We're gonna find her, Ryder; we just have to wait a few days. This is going to work though."

I nod, and she turns towards her room. "Zeeva," I whisper. She looks at me, her hand on the doorknob. "Thank you. I really appreciate this."

She smiles at me before unlocking the door and walking inside. I breathe in the fresh air, hardly believing that we really will find the others. 'I'm coming for you, Louve. You wait and see.'
* * * * *
In the middle of the night before Zeeva is to meet up with Tim, we sneak onto a used car lot and snag a van, parking in an empty lot near a 24-hour convenience store. Zeeva enters and buys a wig and large sunglasses. We spend the night in an alley near the cab company. In the morning, Zeeva runs to a nearby McDonald's and picks everyone up breakfast and then we spend the day in the van. Finally, 2:50 rolls around, and Zeeva gets out of the van and waits for Tim to arrive. At last, he strolls towards the establishment, and she cuts him off. We watch them converse through the windshield from across the street, and then she waits on the curb while Tim gets his cab. Rudi busies herself with hot wiring the van in the meantime while we wait.

Rudi dons the wig and glasses as I slip into the cargo section with the others, and we're soon in pursuit. Thanks to the Bond, we're able to keep a good distance between us while knowing exactly where they are. Zeeva sends us the directions that Tim's GPS rattles off, and we find it very easy to follow along. After several hours, Zeeva tells us that she and Tim are stopping. We pass by them, and they're on the edge of a forest. A little bit down the road, we abandon the van and double back to meet up with Zeeva again. Tim is already gone, so the rest of us are safe to show our faces. There's a sign reading 'Aspen County: Home of the Wolves.'

"How clever," I mutter sarcastically, glaring at the sign as if it's the sign's fault that Louve had a place to go.

"This is definitely the place," Eyulf murmurs, taking Zeeva's hand and looking through the trees at the path that's there. I shrug and start walking, my heart heavy. What if she shuns me and sends me away? What will I do then? I can't go on without her. As it is there's been a pressure on my mind and in my throat for the past few weeks since she's been away from me.

I try not to think about that as we continue down the path for a couple of hours. We hear voices, and we hurry through where bright light streams through the bushes. We're spit out at the edge of a valley. A bunch of huts are built all over the place with people weaving between them and talking together in the back. There's two huge buildings in the back corners, one of which has children milling around it and playing.

We stand there for a while, just staring in shock at what we never imagined could possibly exist: a place where werewolves can come and never have to face another human again. We watch everyone, not sure what to do now that we've found this place. Suddenly, three figures catch my eye, one of them running towards us with wild auburn hair blazing behind her. We descend the hill, and I open my arms wide.