Freeing Starr
Chapter 23 ~ The Motel

The star field motel was on the edge of Bridgetown, a small town in the middle of nowhere that was inhabited by humans. That's the town that most werewolves who wanted to avoid the war and slip under the humans' radar would go.

It was a somewhat safe place for werewolves who were on the run.

As we pulled into the scarce parking lot, I looked up at the neon purple blinking sign that read 'Star Field Motel' with pursed lips.

Nadia, who had woken up for a while now, peered over me to look out at the motel in fascination.

"Would it surprise you if I said I've never been outside of pack territory before? This is my first time in human territory... I'm kinda nervous."

I waved a dismissive hand and opened the car door, holding it open for her, "You'll be fine. Just remember what I tell you and everything will go perfectly fine."

I turned to Alex and Michael and nodded towards the entrance, "Let's go bodyguards, we'll be in and out in no time."

I started walking towards the door but paused when Nadia tugged at my shirt sleeve. I looked back curiously.

She stared at me nervously as she hesitantly said, "Can you stay a night with me?"

"What?" I asked in surprise.

"It's just for one night. I don't wanna be by myself. After I settle down you can leave. You said it yourself that Z- Alpha Zion won't be back for a few days. There's no problem, right?"

I hesitated as I glanced at Michael and Alex, not knowing what to say. I didn't plan to stay outside of the pack for more than a day. It was dangerous to have both leaders missing from a pack. You never know what could happen.

Nadia turned her pleading eyes to the two males, "you guys don't mind, do you? It's just one overnight stay. Please," she clutched her stomach anxiously, "I'm scared of being by myself."

All three of us visibly weakened at that and I sighed, running a hand down my face, "you guys don't mind, do you?"

Alex shrugged while Michael pulled out his phone, "I'll call my mate and let her know I'll be back tomorrow."

I nodded, "Alright, but just for today. I'll help you get settled in and we'll go over what I told you before. Let's go."

Nadia brightened and hooked our arms as we entered the motel.

The minute I stepped through the doorway, my heart chilled over and this scent that completely melted my insides caressed my nose. The imagery of a vibrant green forest right after it's just finished raining entered my mind as the enticing scent enveloped me.

"It smells nice," I muttered to myself.

"What?" Michael asked.

I shook my head, "nothing."

We approached the receptionist who sat behind her desk with eyes focused on the computer screen before her. I rang the little bell that was on the counter and watched as the lady turned her bright hazel eyes towards our group.

Instinctively, I knew she was a werewolf.

Though, what werewolf would want to work in a place like this unless they were hiding from something?

I didn't question it any further. I smiled lightly and greeted her, "Hi, you have rooms available right? It's four adults so we'll need two rooms with two beds in each. Do you have any available?"

The lady turned her eyes back to her screen and nodded, "yeah, we do. How long are you staying?"

"It'll just be one night. We're leaving tomorrow."

"That'll be one hundred and eighty dollars."

I gave her the card I stole from Zion and watched nervously as she rang it up.

I relaxed when the transaction went through and smiled when she handed the card back. She gave us our keys and directed us to where our rooms were before focusing her attention back on her screen.

I passed one of the keys to Michael, "we're going to get settled in. Call me if anything happens."

Michael nodded and teased, "so we're off bodyguard duty?"

"For now."

We parted ways as we entered our rooms.

The room assigned to us wasn't bad. It was clean, neat and simple. There were two beds sitting in the middle of the room about six feet away from each other.

I helped Nadia with her bags and threw them down on a random bed, dusting my hands off afterwards.

"You remember what I told you right?" I asked her as I sat on the edge of the bed.

She sat on the bed opposite me with a solemn look on her face, nodding, "yeah. I can't stay here for more than five days. After you leave, I should make my way to one of the human settlements that you listed."

"Exactly. Since you were kept hidden, I don't think Zion would want anyone to know you exist. Meaning he'll have to spend time to look for you himself, which will slow down the search and allow you to slip away without any problems. Remember though, you can't stay here for more than necessary. This is the first place he'd look."

Nadia hesitated as she contemplated something then asked, "Will I.... will I ever be able to see you again?"

I shook my head firmly, "impossible. You shouldn't try to make contact either. You have to move on. Forget about everything that has happened to you and focus only on your child."

A strange look flashed across her eyes as she contemplated something then asked, "what will I do when all the money runs out? I don't know how to get a job. The pack usually provides for everybody."

I frowned as I mused to myself. She wasn't wrong. As a werewolf who grew up in a pack and received support and shelter without having to work for it, it would be hard for her to adapt to a human society where you have to work for everything you've got. Even I would've been lost at what to do if our roles were reversed.

I can feel the fear and anxiety that radiated out of her and found myself at a loss of how to comfort her. What could I possibly do? I've done all that I could. I freed her and I gave her enough money to last a few months. Was this not enough?

I hesitated as I thought carefully before asking, "can you pass me a pen and a piece of paper? There should be some in the bag beside you."

She quickly nodded and took them out, handing them to me, "what are they for?"

I wrote down a cellphone number that I remembered hearing from Zion on the paper and folded it, passing it back to her, "put this away and keep it safe. If you ever find yourself struggling to find a home or you're low on funds, call that number. The man who answers, he's known as the dealer. He works well on the black market and each and every one of his clients are confidential so you don't have to worry about getting caught or snitched on. Tell him you're my cousin and ask him for whatever supplies or accommodations you may need, then give him my number and tell him to call me directly for payment."

Her eyes brightened as she nodded, "thank you so much!"

I smiled, "don't mention it... As a matter of fact, I'm gonna go see if this place has an atm and draw off a bit more money for you to survive on."

I got up and left her alone in the room, heading back towards the front desk to ask the lady if they had an atm.

As I approached the front desk, there was already a man standing there speaking with the receptionist so I patiently stood behind him to wait for my turn.

A delicious scent wafted off of the male in front of me and caressed my nose, causing my eyes to almost roll back in ecstasy. Why did he smell so good? Like a fresh forest after it's just finished raining. The scent I smelled when I first entered the motel.

My wolf fidgeted anxiously at the back of my mind as she paced and whimpered lowly. Her sudden behavior had me confused yet she refused to voice what made her this anxious.

My body grew tense as an uneasy feeling washed over me and my heart began to pound. My face suddenly flushed hot as my body heated and I suddenly had the urge to shift and go for a run to sooth this sudden dose of anxiety.

My nose flared as the male turned and walked away and I found myself staring intensely at his back as he entered a hallway and made a sharp left, disappearing from sight. I could feel a faint glow in my eyes as my wolf pushed herself forward slightly.

What was going on with me?

The receptionist cleared her throat to catch my attention, "what can I help you with, ma'am?"

I hesitantly brought my gaze back from the empty hallway and looked at the receptionist blankly, "what?"

Her face flashed with surprise as she gestured towards her eyes, "Ma'am... your eyes..."

I quickly snapped out of my daze and slapped a hand over my eyes and closed them, "right, I'm sorry about that." I muttered, not at all feeling threatened since I already knew that she herself was a werewolf.

I took a deep breath and forced my wolf away, shaking the strange feeling away and focusing at my task at hand. I opened my eyes and smiled kindly at the receptionist, "do you guys have an atm around here?"

The lady nodded and pointed down the same hallway that the man before went and said, "it's down that hallway, to your left. Right before you enter the elevator, you'll see it on the side."

I nodded gratefully, "thanks... and also, what time does your kitchen close?"

"Our kitchen closes at 8pm so it's better to head there now and pre-order your dinners so they can be delivered to your rooms later tonight. If it's helpful, there's also a grocery store next door to us that closes at 10pm if you're in need of some snacks."

I smiled, "thank you!" Then left to go draw money from the atm.

I followed her directions and turned left down the hall, spotting the elevator at the end of the hallway and the atm machine sitting on the right side.

My heart grew antsy as I could still faintly smell the addictive scent from before. Was it perfume or something? It was driving my wolf crazy.

I got to the atm and took out my card, swiping it in the machine. After taking out the money, I prepared to turn off again when the elevator doors suddenly pinged open.

Everything in me froze up as the scent suddenly slammed into me full blast, causing a gasp to escape my lips.

My wolf suddenly howled in my mind and pushed herself forward as if drunk on this new scent that we were introduced to. My eyes probably glowed brightly right now as my heart pounded.

A loud, guttural growl rocked my system and caused me to shudder as it sounded out from behind me.

I don't know why but my heart fell at that moment as a feeling of foreshadowing washed over me and I slowly turned around to meet the source of this mind reeling scent.

Both our glowing eyes clashed at that moment and it was like a collision of shooting stars that traveled through the entire galaxy before finally finding that one star that intercepted and slowed them down to prepare to land at their final destination.

Time stood still and my heart trembled in surprise, fear and so many other emotions that I couldn't quite pinpoint. I got lost in those eyes as a majestic wolf stood there proudly, gazing at me with the power to swallow me whole if he so willed it.

Immediately, I knew who this man was. I felt it in every bone, cell and drop of blood in my body.

Soulmate.

My mate.

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