On the Run Ch. 01

Hello all! I'm a longtime lit reader, first time author. This story actually originated as a dream I had a few nights ago. No sexy times yet, but they're coming!!

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Callie yawned and stretched her neck, hands gripping the steering wheel. Behind her, Noam and Mason dozed lightly. The siblings were accustomed to long nights in the car, as they had been on the run from debt collectors and Child Protective Services since their parents' death in a car accident 2 years prior. At 19, Callie had taken a protective role over her 15 and 16 year old brothers. Without any other family, the three refused to be separated and had opted to move around frequently rather than taking their chances in the family courts.

At the moment, the trio was driving through the emptiness of West Texas. Callie was starving and definitely needed some caffeine to carry on. Their goal was to settle into one of the tiny towns along their route, and because it was summer, Mason and Noah could get part-time jobs instead of needing to immediately enroll in school.

Slowing down, Callie noticed that they were entering a tiny town called Rockford. Her eyes were drawn to a small diner that appeared to still be open, and she reached into the back seat to wake her brothers. The three trudged into the restaurant and found one of the many empty booths. Soon, they were tearing into generous portions of greasy diner food. As they ate, a man watched the family with barely disguised interest.

He approached their table and extended his hand first to Mason, then Noah, and finally Callie. "Good evening folks, how is everything tonight? My name's Jonathon, the owner of this little joint." The three famished teens could only nod and smile, their mouths full of food. It was when Callie looked up at Jonathon that his breath caught in his throat and he paused, entranced by the sight of her amber-flecked eyes. He could swear he had seen those eyes before, but he was reluctant to believe that he had any connection to this random girl in his diner.

He lingered at their table and hesitated before asking, "You guys from around here?"

Callie instantly snorted and shook her head. "Definitely not," she added.

Jonathon appeared to think it over, before asking another question.

"Y'all related to Cassie Cooper by any chance?"

He watched as all three siblings stiffened in their seats before Callie answered for them. "No. Never heard of her."

Unfortunately, Jonathon read her and the slight tremor in her voice better than to take her words at face value. He shrugged and sauntered to his office, where he pulled out his phone and sent a text to his Alpha.

Callie knew something was off in their interaction with Jonathon. She urged her brothers to finish eating quickly so they could return to the road. The boys complained that they had been in the car all day, and that they needed a bit of a break. At the sound of the bell over the door, Callie was shocked to see a group of 5 or 6 large men filtering in to the artificial light of the diner. She had the intense feeling of being trapped as they openly stared at her small family.

Get yourself together, Callie chastised herself. Too much time spent bouncing between small towns has made you paranoid.

Callie stood up and excused herself to the restroom. In the mirror, she splashed water on her face and stared at her reflection, questioning whether what they were doing was truly best for her young brothers. The stress of constantly moving had taken its toll on all of them. Her formerly shiny auburn hair was looking dingy after too many washes with cheap shampoo, and dark circles ringed her striking eyes. All in all, the weight of their way of life had left Callie with a lingering exhaustion she couldn't seem to shake.

After a spell, she came back to her senses and pushed at the swinging door. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. Her two brothers were struggling wildly against some of the men who had entered the diner after them. Her beloved brothers' arms were drawn behind their backs and they were cursing and pulling against the strong men.

Callie let the bathroom door swing closed and shuddered in fear. She didn't know those men, but she sure knew she didn't want them to capture her like they had her brothers. Her best option was the small window near the sink. She threw it open and pushed out the screen. As she started her climb, the door flew open and two men rushed in. Stifling a scream, she leapt through the window and landed hard on the pavement below. Her mind raced as her feet pounded against the ground. When she turned the corner, she saw more men leaning against the hood of her truck and Callie realized that her chances were looking grim.

Skidding to a halt, Callie surveyed her surroundings. She noticed that between some of the buildings, she could see a sliver of a dimly lit park and playground. It looked like a good option, so she sprinted toward the green space. Twisting and turning between buildings, Callie felt confident that she was putting plenty of space between herself and those men.

Panting heavily, Callie dove underneath a small play structure and nestled into the wood chips around her. Confident that she wouldn't be easily spotted, Callie let her mind turn to her brothers and what she needed to do. She had to figure out where they were and figure out a way to get them out. They'd hit the road and put this bizarre town far behind them. She refused to think about why Jonathon would have known her mother's name. As her thoughts wandered back to her family, Callie heard footsteps approaching. She bit her knuckles to prevent herself from screaming and waited silently. Callie knew she must have been imagining things when the person started to draw deep breaths, seemingly sniffing the air.

Callie couldn't smother her scream when the person bent down and she suddenly saw bright eyes staring at her. In her terror, Callie began to slide out from under the playground in an attempt to keep running from her mysterious pursuers. Strong hands grabbed her ankles and yanked her out from her shelter and another set of large arms wrapped around her. She struggled against them for a few long moments, but the arms held fast. A flash of pure panic rushed through her, and Callie slumped against her captor in weariness. At least she would be with her brothers, and together they could work out a plan of action.

The man holding onto Callie looked to his partners in surprise, as the feisty girl appeared to have wilted against him. They shrugged and he hoisted her up into his arms, noticing that despite her height, she felt light as a feather. The group took off toward the town's main street in a brisk walk and Callie sighed in resignation, letting her head come to rest against her captor's shoulder.

The further they walked, the more frustrated Callie felt. What gave these jerks the right to grab her and her brothers like they were their property? They were drawing nearer to the diner and Callie saw an opportunity. She lifted her head from the man's chest and caught his eye.

"I'm ready to walk now," she whispered, feigning obedience. The brute put her down with surprisingly gentleness and Callie began trudging along slightly behind him. When she was confident that the group trusted her to behave, she took off running again. If she could just reach her truck, she could buy herself some time to regroup and figure out what the hell she was going to do. Sprinting with all of her might, she dug in her pocket and grabbed her car keys.

Just as she reached the car door, an enormous force knocked Callie to the ground and forced the wind from her. Above her, a young man grinned down at her. Initially, Callie was taken with his deep green eyes and the dark hair he had haphazardly drawn into a ponytail behind him. When the shock faded, she began to struggle against him. Unfazed, the young man hauled her to her feet and extended his hand.

"You must be Callie. I'm Aiden. I know you're frightened but you don't need to be afraid of my family. We're just excited to see you after so long."

As Aiden's words washed over her, the fear, adrenaline, and surprise took over and Callie finally fainted dead away.

"What the hell, man?" Jordan practically shouted as he helped catch Callie on her way down. "You didn't need to scare her like that. You should've waited to say anything to her."

Aiden grinned again. "I know I should've waited but my excitement got the best of me. I mean look at her, she's gorgeous. Besides, y'all scared her way worse when you yanked her out of the playground."

Jordan rolled his eyes at Aiden and used Callie's keys to open her truck. After carefully arranging her in the passenger seat, he slid into the driver's seat and turned the ignition. "I'll meet y'all back at the compound."

The men around him, including Aiden, shed their clothes and went loping into the forest.

Callie moaned and stretched against the soft surface below her. For a second, she forgot where she was and what had happened. She shot up in her resting spot and frantically glanced around. Across from her, a handsome man sat calmly in a comfortable-looking armchair. "Hello Callie. I'm so glad you're awake. We've been waiting for you and your family to return to Rockford for years. It's time you understood who you are and where you come from."

Callie gaped at the man in front of her. How could he possibly know her name, and why did he say that they were waiting for her family to return?

"You must be bursting with questions. Let me begin to explain. My name is James Rockford. My family founded this town to be a safe haven for our pack. You and your family belong here with us, but your parents ran away from us many years ago. Because you were away, you have never been able to realize your full potential."

"Wait a second," Callie interjected, "did you say pack? Where are my brothers? Why will you not just let us be on our way? We won't tell anyone what happened here, even though you guys have been nothing but assholes so far."

James chuckled. "You remind me so much of your mother. I said pack because we are werewolves. This will come as a shock to you, but so are you and your brothers. How old are you now, Callie?"

As James continued talking to her in his smooth, even voice, Callie's heart began to race. She and her brothers had been captured by lunatics, she was sure of it. Every horror movie she had ever seen flashed through her mind, and Callie was certain that if she didn't find a way to escape, she and her family would not survive the night. Her thoughts were punctuated by a series of feverish howls from outside of the window. The howls and James' concerned face were the last things she took in before she felt herself slipping into a faint again.