The Wolfs Maine - By Jinni James Page 0,68

but wait.

Suddenly, I see John. He slips his head underneath the wood and lifts it up just enough for me to squeeze my leg out. He sinks his teeth into my neck and with a thrust I am flying out of the house. I barely hit the ground when the house completely falls into a pile of rubble. JOHN! NO! I scramble to get up, but Jaci is next to me. "It is okay, Ava. Stop. John is right over there." I look over, and there he is! Oh my John! He is safe! I could tell he was hurt but he was safe. That was all I cared about at the moment. John limps over to where I am lying then plops down beside me. Our heads touch as we lay there together. Thank the heavens my John is okay. Everyone is around us now with their arms wrapped around us both. All I could feel was contentment and a sore leg. Daniel sits up first and places his hand on John's back.

"How about the rest of us run back to the vehicles, the wolves can shift back into humans, get dressed, and we will drive the vehicles back here to get you and Avalon? I do not see how either of you will be able to walk the distance right now." John nodded, and then they all took off into the woods.

It is over. All of it is finally over. I have this amazing man who actually loves me, who would risk his life for me, and I know would never hurt me. I have all of my friends and a few new ones as well. I could feel a family forming between us all, and while that would not replace my parents and my aunt Melanie, it made me feel content.

Once we all made it back to Millinocket, I begged John for us to go back to his house in Cape Elizabeth. I missed his house, I missed Portland, and I missed feeling normal. I knew we all probably needed to sleep given how it was the middle of the night, but I just did not want to wait. We all packed up, loaded back into the vehicles, and began to head back to beautiful Portland.

The sun was beginning to come up as we were driving through downtown. It was amazing how beautiful everything looks now that I am free. I look over at John driving and I cannot help but smile. Yes, I am free. Free from the horrible man I was with, free from the stress, free from that prison I used to call home, and free to be with the man I love. I could barely hold in my excitement as we drove over Casco Bay Bridge. I think John could tell because he reached over and squeezed my hand, reassuring me we were almost home.

Finally, we were on Ocean Street and I could see the two luminous lighthouses in the distance, which told me we were on Two Lights Road. The morning sun in the sky that was lighting up the ocean was truly breathtaking. We started to drive down his long driveway and his gorgeous house comes into view. I have no idea why I feel such a pull to this house. It just felt like home. This is where I belong, and I belong here with John. The house looked even better than I remember it. Maybe it is because I can really appreciate it now.

Once we walk in the house, I felt at peace. Nothing was new about the house; yet, it felt different. John was kind enough to invite everyone to stay there since it was early morning and after everything we have been through he knew they all needed to rest. Luckily, Jaci, Daniel, Lena, and Andrew agreed to stay, but Victor and Michael decided it was time for them to head back home. I couldn’t blame them. I knew how eager I was to leave Millinocket and come back home. Michael gave John a big bear hug then stepped back.

"What about JR?" Everyone stood completely still. We had all forgotten about JR. John just gave my hand a squeeze that I had not realized he was holding and patted Michael on the back with his free hand.

"I’m not worried about JR. We will take care of that eventually. He is too much of a worm to try anything now. With Nicholas gone, he has no one. He