9. Dylan

Iwoke up that morning with a flutter of excitement in my chest. Today was the day of our trip.

It might not be a full-fledged road trip, but the thought of heading back to Greenfield, a place that held so many painful memories, had transformed into something else entirely when Whizz offered to come along.

I had been staying in the guest room at the MC clubhouse, the one I used to share with Travis.

I had less nightmares lately and sometimes, Whizz would let me sleep in his bed. It was an unexpectedly nice gesture.

As I stepped outside the clubhouse building, I half-expected to see Whizz on his Harley, but he surprised me.

Parked nearby was a pickup truck, and Whizz was waiting by it.

”I didn”t realize you had a truck,” I said to Whizz with some surprise.

Whizz gave me a wry grin as he replied, ”It”s not mine, actually. I borrowed it from Venom.”

My eyebrows shot up. ”Is that a good idea? Borrowing a truck from Venom?” I asked, concerned.

Whizz shrugged nonchalantly.

”As long as we return it in one piece, it should be fine. Besides,” he added with a grin, ”this truck can easily fit all your things.”

I couldn”t help but chuckle at his confidence. Whizz then walked over to the passenger door and opened it for me, just like a gentleman.

”Shall we?” Whizz asked.

My heart raced as I glanced at the open door and then back at Whizz. There was a playful spark in his eyes that sent a thrill down my spine.

”Well, with an offer like that,” I teased, stepping closer to the truck, ”how can I resist?”

I shot him a huge smile before climbing into the passenger seat.

Whizz closed the door and sauntered around to the driver”s side, giving me a wink.

”Glad to hear it,” he said with a grin, and then he hopped into the truck.

As I fiddled with the radio, the familiar twang of a country music station filled the truck”s cabin.

A smile crept onto my face as I recognized some of the older songs, and I couldn”t help but sing along.

Whizz glanced at me, an amused glint in his eyes.

”You”re in a good mood today,” he remarked.

I shrugged, still grinning.

”Yeah, well, it”s all thanks to your presence. If I were doing this alone, the vibe would be completely different,” I said.

He chuckled, and the warmth of his laughter filled the truck.

It was nice to see Whizz in a lighter mood, and I hoped our trip would continue to be filled with moments like this.

As we reached Greenfield hours later, my mood turned somber.

The memories of my time in captivity and the fear of returning to this place weighed on me.

I knew Whizz had noticed my growing silence, but he didn”t press the issue.

”Where to first?” Whizz asked gently.

I took a deep breath and gave him directions to the kindergarten where I used to work.

”Hey, Dylan, what made you decide to become a teacher?” Whizz asked.

I hesitated for a moment, contemplating how much to reveal, but then I decided to share.

”Well,” I began, ”I grew up in foster care, and one of my foster parents was a kindergarten teacher. They influenced me a lot, and I wanted to make a difference in kids” lives, just like they did.”

Whizz nodded, showing genuine interest.

”That”s cool. What was it like, being a kindergarten teacher?”

His questions about my old job put me at ease, and I started to open up more.

I told him stories about the kids, the challenges, and the joys of being an educator.

It was a world so different from the one I had experienced during my captivity.

As we approached the school, Whizz”s voice turned serious again.

”What are you planning to tell the school about your disappearance?”

I sighed, realizing this was a question I needed to answer carefully.

”I”m not sure yet. I might just say I had a personal emergency and had to leave abruptly. I hope they”ll understand,” I said.

Telling them the truth would definitely lead to police involvement and that was the last thing I wanted.

Walking into the school with Whizz by my side provided a strange sense of security.

He waited patiently outside the principal”s office while I had a conversation that I”d been dreading.

As I entered Principal Marshall”s office, my nerves started to get the best of me.

The meeting, however, turned out to be far smoother than I”d anticipated.

Principal Marshall, a middle-aged man with a friendly disposition, listened attentively as I explained my absence.

I didn”t delve into the specifics of my ordeal, but I gave a credible account of a family emergency.

Surprisingly, Principal Marshall was incredibly understanding.

He shared that he”d faced his own family crisis a few years back, which explained his empathy.

As if nothing had changed, he offered me my old teaching job back.

I considered the offer for a moment, appreciating the principal”s kindness.

”Thank you for the kind offer,” I said with a smile, ”but I think I”ll take a little break from teaching for now.”

We shook hands amicably, and I left his office with a sense of closure.

Exiting the school”s main office, I found Whizz standing there, engrossed in his phone.

When he saw me, he pocketed the device and rose to his feet.

”All good?” he asked, concern etched on his face.

I couldn”t help but smile, feeling a weight lifted off my shoulders.

”Yeah, surprisingly. Principal Marshall was understanding, even offered me my old job back.”

Whizz nodded, supportive as always.

”That”s great. But I guess you have other plans now?” he asked.

I met Whizz”s eyes and nodded.

”Yeah, I think I need a bit of a break.”

As we left the school grounds, my heart felt a little lighter, and I was grateful to have Whizz by my side.

Our next stop was my old apartment, and I couldn”t help but feel a bit apprehensive about it.

The whole ordeal with my landlord, Mr. Hill, could go either way. I knocked on his door, and to my surprise, he was home.

Mr. Hill, a stern-looking man in his fifties, regarded me with a mixture of surprise and curiosity as he opened the door.

I expected the worst, thinking that he might have disposed of my belongings to make room for a new tenant.

But then Mr. Hill said something that I never anticipated.

”I”ve kept your things,” he informed me, his tone softer than I remembered. ”They”re in the storage room, just in case you ever came back for them.”

Relief washed over me. Maybe not everything in my past was tainted with bad memories.

I thanked Mr. Hill profusely for his kindness, and we headed to the storage room together.

We spent the next hour moving furniture and the rest of my belongings downstairs.

I was genuinely touched by Mr. Hill”s organization; everything was boxed up neatly, making the process smoother.

However, as I hefted a box of clothes into the truck bed, exhaustion began to take its toll. I started panting, my muscles aching.

Whizz, ever perceptive, noticed my tiredness.

”I”ll get the rest of the stuff,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Whizz didn’t even look the least bit tired, which was a little unfair.

”But I can”t let you do all this alone,” I protested.

He shook his head.

”You”ve already done plenty, Dylan. Just relax for a moment,” Whizz said, his voice firm.

I nodded, giving in, and wiped the sweat from my brow. Whizz glanced across the street to a convenient store.

”Why don”t you get us both something to drink?” Whizz suggested.

A cold drink sounded perfect, and I realized I was parched.

”Yeah, that sounds good,” I replied, grateful for the brief respite.

I headed to the convenience store and gathered some essentials: chocolate bars, chips, and two sodas.

As I approached the cashier to pay, I couldn”t help but notice that he looked vaguely familiar. He squinted at me for a moment.

”Haven”t seen you around lately,” he remarked casually.

I didn”t want to reveal too much, so I offered a simple explanation. ”Yeah, I”ve been on vacation,” I said.

After paying, I left the store with my purchases, but as I stepped outside, an uneasy feeling washed over me.

It was as if my animal instincts were going haywire. I couldn”t shake the sensation that I was being watched.

My heart raced as I hurriedly crossed the road, my footsteps echoing loudly in my ears.

I scanned the surroundings, looking for any sign of Whizz, but he was probably still inside the apartment building.

I couldn”t shake the feeling of being watched, and I wondered if my paranoia was getting the best of me.

Suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

Panic surged through me, and my grip on the brown paper bag containing my purchases tightened.

Without thinking, I broke into a run, my thoughts a jumble of fear and confusion.

Part of me wondered if this was all in my mind, if there was no one actually following me.

I turned into an alleyway, hoping to lose my pursuer, but to my horror, I found myself at a dead end.

Memories of my kidnapping came flooding back, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.

With a deep breath, I turned around to face my pursuer.

It was a large, muscled red-haired shifter, and a chill ran down my spine.

I had seen this guy before - he used to be one of the guards at that hellish place.

I desperately hoped I was hallucinating, that it was some horrible trick my mind was playing on me.

But then I saw that familiar red claw tattoo on his neck, and the reality hit me like a ton of bricks.

”How did you break out of your cage, little rabbit?” he sneered, his voice dripping with menace.

Fear knotted my stomach, but I had to gather my courage.

”How did you find me? Were you just waiting for me to return to Greenfield?” I asked.

I hated how my voice trembled a little.

Whizz had explained to me how Gregory Hicks had targeted his victims, and I couldn”t help but wonder if that was what had happened to me.

I had no family, save for a distant and uncaring sibling, and very few friends. Well, had, in the plural sense. Now I had Whizz.

The wolf shifter chuckled darkly, his eyes locked onto mine.

”Look at you, asking all sorts of questions. Where did you find all the courage?”

His words sent a shiver down my spine, but I couldn”t let fear paralyze me.

Hope surged in my chest as I spotted a familiar figure behind the menacing red-haired wolf shifter.

It was Whizz. This time, it wouldn”t be a repeat of the horrors I had endured before.

”Make this easier on yourself and come with me,” the wolf shifter growled, his voice dripping with malice.

”He”s not going anywhere,” Whizz”s calm voice cut through the tension.

The wolf shifter”s eyes narrowed as he spun around, likely to confront Whizz.

But before he could react, Whizz”s fist connected with his jaw in a solid punch. The wolf shifter stumbled back, clearly caught off guard.

”Whizz,” I exclaimed in relief.

”Sorry I”m late, that dining table of yours is heavy,” Whizz replied.

The wolf shifter, in contrast, was visibly enraged. He lunged back to his feet, but it was clear that he was no match for Whizz.

I watched in awe as Whizz faced off against the wolf shifter.

The red-haired wolf growled menacingly and lunged at Whizz, his claws bared.

Whizz sidestepped with an agility that surprised me. His movements were fluid and precise, like a seasoned fighter.

Whizz struck back with a swift punch to the wolf shifter”s midsection.

The impact was like thunder, causing the shifter to stumble back. His lips curled into a snarl, revealing sharp teeth.

But Whizz wasn”t done. He followed up with a quick jab to the shifter”s jaw, snapping his head to the side.

I winced at the sickening sound of the impact. The wolf shifter fell to the ground, dazed.

Whizz didn”t hesitate. He leaped onto the fallen shifter, pinning him to the ground.

With one hand on the shifter”s throat, Whizz growled, ”You”re not going to hurt him again.”

The wolf shifter”s struggles grew weaker as Whizz maintained his grip. It was clear who was in control of the situation.

Whizz partially shifted his left hand to claws and without hesitation, cut the wolf shifter’s throat.

Whizz stood up, avoiding the blood spray, then he looked at me, expression grave and unreadable.

Then I realized he didn’t want me to see him killing that wolf shifter.

“Let’s get out of here,” Whizz suggested.

“What about the body?” I asked.

“I’ll get someone from the MC to take care of it,” Whizz said.