The Transfer novel Chapter 33

I woke in the morning to a painful burning sensation on my arm. I shot upright in my bed and looked down at my bicep. There was a mark on my arm, and my gut twisted in pain as I realised what it was. I wasn't stupid.

Veronica was with Liam again.

I looked next to me, where Liam had slept last night. He wasn't there anymore, but his scent was. I was covered in it and so was my bed. I felt more than relieved to have his scent around me. It was comforting.

I sighed and got up. I got ready and then sat down on my bed to pull on shoes and socks. On my nightstand, I noticed a folded piece of paper.

My beast purred as I reached for it. It had 'SUGAR' written on the front. It was from Liam. He was the only one who called me that. I didn't understand the nickname, but clearly it made sense to him. I kind of liked it too.

I opened the note and read over it with eager eyes. Liam's handwriting with messy but easily readable. He was left handed, judging by the smudges on some of the words on the paper.

Had to leave early for Beta business... hope you have a good training. I'll catch up with you later - L

I smiled to myself and the disappointment from the burn on my arm disappeared. I slipped on shoes and socks before I bounded out my room, too excited for the day ahead.

"Morning," I greeted Jenny and Ezra as I walked into the kitchen. They both immediately gave me strange looks.

Ezra raised his eyebrows at me and rolled his eyes as he sniffed the air. But a smirk grew on his lips quickly. "I hope you didn't mind that I let Liam stay last night. He told me that you asked him to stay anyway."

I nodded slowly, only slightly remembering the conversation that Liam and I had when he first brought me to bed. He placed me in my bed and tucked me in, kissed my forehead and turned to leave. I remembered reaching out to him and grabbing the sleeve of his hoodie before he could leave.

I must've asked him to stay after that. It would explain how I woke up with him in my bed.

"Nope. It's all fine. I'm going on a run now... are you joining?" I shrugged at them both and then looked to Ezra who was dressed in what he called his 'sexy vampire gear'. He only wore it when he worked out.

Ezra grinned at me and motioned to his outfit. "I've got my sexy outfit on. Of course I'm coming."

Jenny rolled her eyes and scoffed at Ezra as I laughed. He was such a tease. But I loved him anyway. Ezra looked back at Jenny and winked before we made our way to the front door.

I expected Brayleigh and Lila to be waiting outside for me, but they weren't. I figured that they both decided it was too cold in the morning for running. It was beginning to get almost too cold for even me to run.

"Let's take this trail. It leads right into the forest. Long but easy," Ezra said as he pointed at a trail that was next to Brayleigh's cabin. I had taken it only once before. The trail gave me an odd feeling.

It made my beast on edge. I had no idea why. The trail was perfectly fine. There wasn't anything wrong with it. But it gave me the chills.

"Alright. I think we'll need to be careful on this mud though. It's starting to get slippery around here now," I told him cautiously. He laughed and nodded at me as we started to jog.

The first part of the track was fine. My beast was cautious but neither of us were uncomfortable. That was until we reached a quarter of the way.

The air seemed to shift. It felt different, less comfortable. It wasn't welcoming in a way and I for some reason felt somewhat threatened. I didn't like it whatsoever.

I almost slipped on the mud. Ezra grabbed my arm to steady me and then we kept running. He released me as we veered left on the track. The mud was slippery and I found myself sticking more to the side of the track rather than in the middle.

"This trail gives me the creeps," I told Ezra honestly. I screwed up my nose as I sniffed the air. It didn't smell any different, but it felt different. It made my beast anxious.

"Me too. I just wanted to see if you felt the same. I don't know what it is. You got any ideas?" Ezra confessed. I felt better almost instantly, knowing that he felt the same. I wasn't just being weird.

"Maybe someone died around here and their energy still lingers? It happens," I suggested. Ezra shook his head but kept his eyes on the trail.

"We haven't had any deaths in Takiani in about two months. The last one was killed in a hunt a little while out," Ezra replied. I wanted to stop and investigate. But there was nothing to even investigate.

I thought hard as Ezra and I ran. Eventually, we came to a fork in the trail. Ezra and I stopped as the air shifted again. I felt threatened, a gut feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"You feel that too?" I asked Ezra with a quiet voice. It felt bad to speak loudly. There was something weird going on in this spot.

"Unfortunately. Let's go this way. Maybe someone has accidentally crossed over into our territory. Sometimes people get a little lost and wander into the wrong places. The border is just up here," Ezra told me. I nodded at him as we took the right that lead away from the pack.

We didn't run fast. We were steady and careful. I kept a sharp eye out. There was something odd going on and I wanted to spot it straight away. But nothing came up.

Not until the wind changed direction and I caught the scent.

I wanted to gag. My stomach twisted and churned in pain. I felt incredibly sick. I bit my lip as Ezra and I both stopped.

"Rogues," Ezra mumbled. I didn't want to breathe in. I remembered the scent too well. I had smelt it enough times to know exactly when a rogue was near. This time, the scent was so strong that I knew they were close.

I turned my head and froze when I caught a glimpse of grey in the trees. I turned my head again and began to see numerous different things. There were people, rogues, some in their fur and others in their skin.

Ezra and I were surrounded. They were in every direction. We were trapped in a circle of rogues.

"We're surrounded, Ezra," I mumbled out. I saw the grin on his face and frowned. Why was he smiling?

"Excellent! We can attack in any direction we please, Ali girl," Ezra said as the rogues came out the trees and made themselves properly visible to us.

Most of them were dangerously skinny and looked like they were seriously sick. They weren't big wolves. None of them looked like a challenge, but strength always came in numbers. They could overpower Ezra and I if they were good enough.

"I called for help. They'll be on their way now. But they won't get here on time. We can take them together. Watch your back and don't get yourself killed," Ezra told me. I looked at him with wide eyes.