Olivia’s POV
“Olivia, you can’t be serious.”
Jaxon looked at me in disbelief, and I quickly had to find something to tell him to avert his suspicions.
“Jaxon, it is for a good reason…”
“So you aren’t joking. You actually want to run away from the pack.”
I sighed. He was making this harder than it had to be.
“Jaxon, listen to me. I assure you, I am leaving for very good reasons. Before my father died, he left the project for me to finish, but I wasn’t able to finish it because my mom brought me to this park. It was only recently that it dawned on me that I hadn’t fulfilled what my father had asked me to do when he died, and guilt was eating at me.”
Jaxon calmed down a little, but his eyes still looked quite sad.
“Was that why you were acting strange in school and not jumping and paranoid?” Jaxon asked after I gave him my explanation.
“Yes. I am sorry that I didn’t tell you earlier. I thought that maybe you wouldn’t understand, but it is really important that I go back and finish it. Only then can I be fully at peace with myself. My father died months ago, and it’s the greatest disrespect for me to leave his will unfinished.”
I watched as my little tale sunk into Jason’s brain. He was buying every word that I was saying.
“Does your mother or stepfather know about this? Did they approve of your leaving?”
I shook my head slowly.
“I tried to be blunt with them about it earlier. I told them that I needed to go back and complete my father’s projects, but my mother didn’t approve, and neither did my stepfather. But I am going to go anyway, and I think it’s best that my departure remains a secret. They will only complicate things. You saw how things were with my stepfather.”
Jaxon nodded and relaxed into his chair.
“So, how can I be of help in this?”
I took a deep breath and exhaled just as deeply.
“I am new to this pack, and I really don’t know much about the exits and entries into this place. I was hoping that you could help me get out of town, and I would find my way from there.”
Jaxon nodded, but he still looked very concerned.
“If you leave, how long are you going to be gone for?”
“A week. I will be gone for a week.”
“Olivia, you do know that you need to get formal permission from the college before you go away from school. If you don’t, you could actually be kicked out of the program.”
I knew that, but it was a risk that I was willing to take. I had to get out of this pack as soon as possible.
“I am well aware, but this is more important to me than anything else. I will think about the repercussions later, but first, I need to find a way to leave this place without drawing too much attention to myself. Everyone knows that I am Luna’s daughter, so it will be very suspicious if people see me leaving the pack without any supervision.”
“True. Well, there is something that I can do for you. My father is on the council, giving me a little freedom as I can leave the park without questions. He also has a car, and he lets me use it every now and then. I think it would be discreet if I drove you out of the park. That way, no one would ask questions, and no one would have to see you.”
I smiled at Jaxon, and he smiled back at me.
“I think that is a great idea. You know what? We will meet again in the evening, and I will be bringing small parts of my luggage to the cafe bathroom, and you can put them in your car.”
“But why are you taking so much stuff?”
“I am not. I am just taking two bags. And besides, girls like me need a lot of things. I wouldn’t want to be caught in public looking ugly.”
Jaxon chuckled.
“You couldn’t even be ugly even if you wanted to.”
I smirked at him.
“Is that a compliment?”
“Take it however you want to take it.”
Jaxon winked at me, and I smiled even wider.
“Olivia, I am here to help you if you need anything.”
********************************************
I got home and managed to enter my room undetected. I closed my room door softly behind me, headed to my closet, and began to pack my bags.
I carried only the essentials, and I was left with two whole bags at the end of the day. I hid them in my closet away from any suspecting eyes and quietly sat on my bed, rethinking my plan.
I was going to take out one bag tomorrow, leave it at the cafe, take out the second bag the day after, and do the same thing. If all went according to plan, I would be leaving this pack on the third day.
I took a deep breath, looked over my luggage, and remembered that I hadn’t packed my toiletries.
I headed to the bathroom and was about to pick up my makeup and a spare toothbrush when I saw another note stuck in my bathroom mirror.
I picked it up with trembling hands, and it felt like my palms had become sweaty almost instantly. Beads of sweat ran down my forehead, and my whole body shook in fear. I could feel my heart beating faster, almost wanting to explode out of my chest. If I ever doubted it before that I was being watched, this was an awful way to be jerked to realisation.
My eyes had read the words for the umpteenth time, and they still looked scary after each read.
The note was short, precise and straight to the point.
“You should run, Olivia.”