by Holly Hook
"So what if he's a gorilla?" Noah asks. "There's still time for me to change her mind." He's still emboldened.
"Noah, I know the dance gave you hope," I say. "Don't lose it, but wait. Matt and his buddies are the guys who might end up in prison someday. Or they'll get in trouble for raping girls at college parties, thinking their place on the football team will let them get away with it."
He goes silent on the other end.
Instead of deterring Noah, I might have lit a fire.
"I can't let Matt take advantage of her. Olivia doesn't deserve that. I know you don't like her, but I'm going to the dance, and I'll dance with her at least once and make sure she doesn't get in the car with Matt afterwards. I think she'll appreciate it."
My chest tightens as I think of the Savage Wolves.
I can't convince Noah otherwise now. He wants to save Olivia not just from Matthew and her shallow friends, but from her demons.
"Say, I'll see you in school tomorrow," Noah says.
"See you." I speak over the dryness in my throat. "Cayden and I will be at the dance with you. We'll make sure nothing's a problem."
I end the call.
The pack will have no choice but to fight on Sunday.
And Breckenridge High School will be the battleground.
* * * * *
There's no changing Noah's mind. He makes that clear when I meet him at school the next morning. Instead of waiting at my locker, Noah leans over the water fountain, watching Olivia, Alesha, and Tiffany from a distance. As if he knows I'll try to convince him to back down, Noah won't face me.
"Hey, Brie," Ellie says, stopping in the hall. "Where's Cayden?"
My fellow actress lifts an eyebrow, questioning. "I don't know," I say. "He gets his moods sometimes. And no, we didn't fight." Does taking the burden of this all on himself count? I imagine him patrolling the edge of our territory as a wolf, renewing his scent, and maybe even glimpsing the Savage Wolves waiting to get back inside.
Matthew walks past me, taking weight off an ankle wrapped in an Ace bandage. Football game last night. He must have taken a hard tackle. Good. I glare at him and our gazes meet. Matt's brown eyes sparkle with amusement.
"It's the drama crew," he says. "What a waste of time."
"Because football will get you far in life," I say. If he tries to grab my arm again, I can break away. Any fear I had of Matthew has vanished.
"I ran a forty-five yard touchdown last night and won the game," he boasts.
"Good for you and your ego."
"Hey, where's your eunuch boyfriend?"
"Are you still on that?" I square off, looking up at his stupid, grinning face. "Actors don't do that anymore. And eunuchs were mostly the singers."
"Plus other things," Matt says.
"How do you know about that?" I ask, stepping towards him.
"Whoa!" Ellie says, mouth falling open.
Matthew grins. "Oh, I can teach you lots."
Though my vision's not as enhanced as my smell, I pick up a glimmer in Matt's eyes, something predatory that has nothing to do with Wolves. It doesn't take one hunter to recognize another. And this time, Cayden isn't here.
"No, thanks," I say. "Planning to teach Olivia, then? Mandatory homework?"
The grin drops off Matthew's face. He pales. Metallic adrenaline fills the air. I've delivered a threat, and he knows. The last thing he wants is to get caught.
"What kind of guy do you think I am?"
"You know," I say, suppressing another growl in my throat. "I'm surprised you even get what I'm saying. That takes brains."
Matthew balls his fists. "You bitch," he says in a low voice before stalking in Olivia's direction.
Ellie stands there, shocked, watching Matt at first. Then she whirls on me and takes my arm. "Brie, you stood up to that jerk."
She's in awe.
And she's terrified. I smell that, too.
"He needs someone to put him in his place," I say.
Ellie frowns. "Watch out for him, okay? I'll walk with you to your car this afternoon."
"It's okay. Just stay back. You don't have to get involved."
"But you're five foot two and what? A hundred and ten pounds? Matt's like, five hundred."
"Two hundred," I say. "Cayden pushed him down. He's showing me some self-defense techniques."
Ellie doesn't believe me. She bites her lip and watches Matthew stride past Noah to join Olivia. Olivia cringes as he puts his arm around her.
"I know those self-defense videos and manuals show petite ladies in high heels throwing guys twice their size, but we have to be realistic," Ellie says. "What are you going to do? Bite him?"
Her suggestion draws a laugh from me.
"What's so funny?"
The warning bell rings. "Nothing," I say.
I can defend myself against the creep. Even without shifting, strength sings in my muscles and I have to hold back my graceful gait, speed, and lifting power around my friends to make it seem like nothing's changed.
Cayden walks into class late and takes his seat on the other side of Olivia.
And she still doesn't wear her silver pendant.
Until now, I've been trying to keep Noah away, but with Matthew in the picture, blocking the road for him, she has no chance of putting it on until after the dance, and after the full moon.
By then, it will be too late for her.
Cayden waves. I return it. He's not angry. Just distant. Careful. Maybe even caring. I want to tell him about Remo and Leonora, and how Leonora's family has helped the Hunters and Noble Wolves in the past. She must be part of whatever Cayden's parents never told him. But Remo doesn't want the secret spilled, and Leonora doesn't have a way to help us yet, anyway.
And what's Cayden's plan for dealing with the dance? What is he trying to do in the background and why won't he tell me what it is?
Noah continues to glance at Olivia throughout Mrs. Connor's lessons about supply and demand. He's not showing signs of giving up. But Olivia will only put on the silver pendant back on if Matthew gets out of the picture.
And after this morning, I have no problems with taking matters into my own hands. I'll guard Noah the whole way, with or without Cayden.
But before then, I must hunt.
Chapter Twelve
Cayden fails to show up at lunch, but Everly and Remo sit at the usual table by themselves. Everly waves me over to sit with them, but when my thoughts turn to Remo and his secret relationship, I can't. While I can hide lies from others pretty well thanks to my involvement with the drama club, other werewolves might be a different story. Emotions pop and body language betrays all.
And Remo tried to tell Cayden to avoid me. Ironic. But Everly was the leader of that.
I walk up to the table. "I promised Noah I'd sit with them today," I lie.
But Everly glares and motions to an empty chair. She needs to talk with me. Now.
So I sit, searching the cafeteria for Cayden. Still absent. Olivia and her girlfriends aren't here today, either. Since Tiffany's a senior, she must have driven them off campus for lunch.
Remo spears his carrots, showing no sign I spied on him yesterday. If he knows, he's saying nothing and hoping I do the same.
"So," Everly says. "What's up with Cayden? He never came home last night."
"He never went home?" I ask.
"It's not like him to do that," Everly says. "Our father didn't use to stay out all night, even when packs of Savage Wolves came into our territory. My brother's up to something. And knowing Cayden, it's not safe."
I hate to tell the others about our conversation, but I must. "Cayden told me he wants to handle the Olivia situation himself and not burden me—or us—with it. He said he was sorry I got pulled into this life. But he's overreacting. I like being able to defend myself." Or do I? I still might kill someone I know come the dance, and then, when I return to human form, deal with the fallout.
But it feels good to tell someone, anyone, about yesterd
ay, even if Everly is still cold. I'm the invader, having taken Cayden from his siblings and helped to start this mess. Everly's gaze narrows whenever I'm around.
"Figures," she says, rolling her hazel eyes. "Always going off alone and getting in trouble. We need to work as a pack on this."
I say nothing because I'm thinking of the same. Across the room, Matthew sits with his football buddies. He searches the cafeteria for Olivia. He and Noah stare each other down from three tables away. The tension in the room rises as Ellie grabs Noah's hand and drops him back to reality.
"You know how Cayden is," Remo says. "He doesn't think before he acts."
"Brie, find him and talk sense into him," Everly says. "I know he's the alpha, but he isn't acting like one. He's supposed to decide for the pack. Not just for himself. He'll listen to you." Her last sentence drips with resentment.
Remo looks right at me, but stays silent. A flash of pain fills his eyes before he looks down at his food.
Does he know I saw him?
"Sure. I'll look for Cayden," I say, getting up from the table. "I need to find him, anyway. He's just overwhelmed with everything." The chance hasn't come for me to tell him the Leonora plan fell through.
"Aren't we all," Everly says. "If we will ever stop running and keep our territory, we have to stick together."
She's right. We're on the same side in one department. Not bothering to pick anything off my tray, I rise and head across the cafeteria to the doors. Matthew mutters another insult, not at all creative, as I pass.
Outside, the sun shines and a few people brave the chill to sit at the picnic tables. But Cayden's not among them. I walk around the side of the school, taking in the air, hoping to find a trace of his scent. Only the dirt of the baseball diamond and the faint smell of wooden planks rides on the breeze. What's his deal?
And why can't I know what he's planning? Cayden made it clear he won't have much to do with me until the night of the dance. I can hope for a pleasant surprise, but knowing Cayden, more chaos will follow. By trying to fix his past mistakes, he's digging himself into a pit, and soon he won't get out again.
A faint forest scent waves from the left before vanishing again. I freeze on the baseball diamond, whirling to face the concrete path that leads from the diamond to the nearby park.
Cayden.
He's that way, but why? What does the park have to do with him trying to stop the coming disaster at the dance?
I could get in trouble for leaving campus before next year without a senior with me, but it's not like I can grab Noah and ask him to come along. So I check the school, making sure no one's watching. A guy at the picnic tables scrolls through his phone and two girls get up from the tables, wrapping jackets around themselves. One of them looks at me before heading into the school.
My shoes make a little noise as I dart through an archway of trees and over the threshold to the park. I dodge fallen, dry leaves as the trees turn into a blur. This is the first time I've tested my run, and the rush of freedom overtakes me, propelling me forward. Though I don't catch Cayden's scent anymore, right then, it doesn't matter. All the conflict inside me vanishes. Why did Aunt May want to suppress my true nature? In times of peace, I'm very, very alive.
When I emerge into the park, I stop and look at the empty expanse of grass and the ancient pines that stand guard over swing sets and jungle gyms. Mothers haven't dared to bring their kids out in the cold that now wraps around the bare skin of my arms. But instead of freezing me, the air's invigorating.
And I'm not even out of breath. The path's a half mile back to the high school, but I ran it in maybe thirty seconds. It looks as if few people make it out here and back during lunch.
"Cayden?" I shout. I smell him again, stronger this time, straight ahead. He's not in the park, or if he is, he's way at the front where the pavilions and the bathrooms are. I stand in the back where people often walk their dogs.
Across from the park, there's a smaller playground with rubber bits surrounding slides and swings so children don't get scratches and bruises. Judging from the scent, Cayden's over there, behind a line of thick trees, so I walk to the front of the park, keeping my pace normal in case someone pulls into the parking lot. Already, a car motor purrs as it approaches.
And then I spot the vehicle pulling into the dirt lot. Dark blue reflects the sun as a BMW squeals brakes, kicks up gravel, and spins into a parking spot.
I freeze.
Matthew. And his stupid car. All this time, Matthew's been waiting to get me alone. Someone at the picnic table must have told him where I went.
With my mission to find Cayden and bring him back, I don't want to deal with him but I itch for a fight. If I can hold my own against a much bigger Savage alpha, I can do much worse to a regular human, so I'll have to hold back. Matt won't be a problem. I can shove him down and walk away if I need to. Maybe I can even convince him to leave Olivia alone so she can put on the pendant again.
The door flies open and Matthew gets out of the car, ducking to get his big frame through. He grins at me with a nasty glimmer in his eyes. Ted does too, and he stands there, surveying me. I wait for the rest of his buddies to get out, but they don't.
Instead, faint footsteps echo off tree trunks far behind me, and I know where Matt's friends are. Two of them are coming up the trail, thinking I'll run back to the school. They won't get here for minutes.
"Well, hey," Matt says. "What is Miss Little Actress doing out here in the park alone?" He walks towards me, leering. Matt's enjoying this. How many girls has he harassed before?
He knows I'm onto him and wants to wield power over me to shut me up. As he approaches, he opens and closes his fists like he wants to grab me. His jaw tightens. Ted hangs behind him, searching the periphery for anyone else. And far back, the other two guys continue their approach.
"I didn't realize there was a group requirement," I say. "And I didn't see a sign."
The wind blows from the direction of the playground.
Cayden's scent is gone.
I'm not sure how to feel about that. He doesn't want me to have to deal with this. I can outrun these guys, no problem. Better yet, I can humiliate them. Matthew and his friends won't pose much of a threat.
But Matthew will bother the next girl, and the next.
Matthew continues his leer as he steps closer, just waiting for me to run. "Where's your eunuch boyfriend? That has to be how he got that singing voice."
"Oh, now you're going to talk crap about him, now that he's not here. How brave."
Matthew turns his leer down into a snarl when I say that. "He can't protect all your other friends. Talk, and Ellie and Sarah and those other theater girls are up next, if you know what I mean."
He wants revenge. His power back. And now he's willing to get it right here in this empty, wooded park.
A growl rises in my throat.
"Whoa!" Matt says, raising his hands. "Hormonal, are we?" Then he lowers them and charges me.
I back against a huge tree without thinking. It's just a reaction from seeing someone twice my size run at me. Matt reaches me, putting his hand against the trunk just inches from my head and pinning some of my hair to the bark. He narrows his eyes in hatred.
"Back off."
Ted peeks around him. "Dude, is this a good idea in a public park?"
"No one's here." He grins and grabs a handful of my hair, pulling me away from the tree. His breath is disgusting as he reaches down to unzip his pants. "I can give you what your eunuch boyfriend can't."
I can push Matt away. Maybe even kick him. But instead, pain and wildness waits on the horizon like a storm ready to dump rain. I tremble, holding it back. Noble Wolves aren't supposed to attack people. But every instinct tells me to fight, to hurt, to rip...
He releases my hair only slam my shoulder against the tree. He presses his body against me.
"Get out of here," I say. "Now. Now!" My last word rises into a plea. Matthew grins now that he's back in familiar
territory.
The tug returns and I curl my fingers as if they're claws. My instinct wants blood. In a few seconds, I'll become something worse than Matt can ever be.
"Matt?" Ted asks.
No one will believe his story.
And he'll never admit a small, blond girl bested him.
I meet his hateful stare as I cross the point of no return. "Never go after any girls again. And leave Olivia alone. Or I'll find you."
Pain explodes and stirs the world. Matt cusses, backs off, and lets go of me, but it blends with bony explosions and ligament firecrackers. My shirt drops off as I back out, blond paws clawing park dirt. The agony snaps away, leaving the world clear and the trees taller. The metallic scent of Matt's fear fills the air, building by the second. He and Ted stand frozen, arms by their sides, mouths gaping as they stare at the spot where a harmless girl stood two seconds before. Only fifty feet separates Matt from death.
I growl.
A dark spot appears on the front of Matt's pants. He's wet himself. The stench fills the air. He trembles. "What...she's..."
"Run, dude," Ted rasps, slapping his arm.
I'll tear out Matt's throat.
The guys bolt for the BMW. Matt rips open the door and dives inside.
I bolt across the grass on four legs, closing the distance in two seconds. Ted scrambles into the car, but I ignore him. Ted screams and closes his door. I leap, catching air and landing on the roof of the car with a thud.
"Go, man!" Ted yells inside.
Matt fumbles with keys. They jingle. Hit the floor. Matt cusses. My hearing reveals everything going on in the car.
Claws scraping metal, I jump down on the other side of the car, strength flowing through my limbs. Matt's inside, leaning over, and I whirl and leap at the window, clawing with high-pitched scrapes.
Matt jumps. Yells another curse.