“I’m going to keep you safe by getting you far away from here,” he answered, taking my arm again and trying to lead me to the car. I yanked it back again.
“What?” I asked, “No!” I couldn’t leave him at a time like this!
“Do not fight me on this, Sophia Rose!” He shouted, “You are going to get in that car and you are going to drive until you are a thousand miles away!”
“You can’t tell me what to do!” I yelled back, “Where the hell am I even supposed to go?” His eyes moved back and forth as he contemplated this.
“You can stay with Milo’s family in Mexico,” he said definitively, trying to tug me forward again. I tried to hold my ground and dug my heels in. I knew he wouldn’t pull to the point of hurting me, and I used that to my advantage. With a frustrated grunt he moved behind me, placing his hands on my lower back and pushing me forward slowly.
“Sophia Rose, I am warning you,” he growled in my ear when I went limp. It was a maneuver I learned from him, and it was successfully keeping me from going very far.
“I am not going to Mexico!” I snarled back. I rolled off of his chest and broke into a run towards the house. Seconds later my legs were in the air as he wrapped his arms around my stomach. He started walking us towards the car as I kicked and jerked as hard as I could.
“Noah Mactire if you don’t put me down this instant I will pull out every precious hair on your chin and blow them into your eyes!”
He froze, slowly putting me down.
“What did you just say?” he asked, breathily, turning me to face him.
“You heard me,” I asserted, putting my hands on my hips in defiance. Before I knew what was happening, he took my mouth on a groan and kissed me passionately. My hands flew into his hair as his energy rocked into me, dipping me backwards. I curled my fingers around his curly locks and tugged angrily as his arms wrapped around my waist and me up against him.
“You’re going to blow my facial hair in my eyes? That’s your threat?” he asked, his mouth against mine. I realized he was laughing and I broke into a sheepish smile of my own. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“You make me crazy,” I declared, tugging again on his hair to accentuate my point. He rested his forehead against mine and looked down, panting heavily.
“You have to go, Sophie,” he said softly.
“I don’t want to,” I whined with a pout.
“It’s not safe here, and I’ll go crazy with worry if you’re around,” he pleaded, “I need to be one hundred percent sure you are safe so that I can focus on saving the pack.”
“I’m not going to Mexico, Noah.”
“Sophie, please-“
“You didn’t let me finish,” I scolded, “I was saying I’m not going to Mexico…because I’m going to go to Cape May instead.”
He pulled back and searched my eyes. It was clear that taking Mollie up on her vacation offer was the best solution.
“Okay,” he said, letting out a sigh of relief, “Good.” He kissed me softly and my gut stirred with emotion.
“What am I supposed to do, though?” I asked, my eyes welling up, “How am I not going to go crazy with worry?”
“I’ll be okay as long as you’re safe,” he assured me, “We’ll get through this.”
“Okay,” I murmured, not feeling convinced. He wiped my tears away and kissed the places where they had been.
“Go home,” he instructed, “Call Mollie and tell her the good news.” I scrunched up my nose at the word ‘good’ and he pulled me into a hug. “I have to stay here with my family right now, but I’ll come by to see you later, if you want. I should warn you, it might be pretty late by the time I’m able to come.”
“I’ll keep my window unlocked. Bring a Boombox to hold over your head,” I joked, unable to believe I was attempting humor at a time like this. He pulled me into another hug and opened my car door.
I drove away slowly, looking around to take in as much as possible. Wolfsblood Ranch had become home to me. I couldn’t imagine a single bad thing happening to any building, person, or animal that resided here. As I drove out of the property and headed back onto the road, I sent prayers up to my mother to watch over the people that I had grown to love so much.
➹➹➹
Noah
By the time I had gotten back into the house, Chloe and Phoenix were already situated in front of the fireplace in the living room, explaining everything to the rest of the gang. When they were finished filling them in, everyone was on their feet.
“I have to call a pack meeting,” Ma announced, leaving the room.
“You should leave,” I instructed the two witches. Phoenix nodded to me and promptly left the room, but Chloe held back. There was nothing she could say to me, I didn’t know why she was going to try.
“We will help you,” Chloe insisted, “What my mother is doing is Dark magic, and that is not our way. My coven and I will help you in any way we can.”
“Thank you,” I said, my expression of gratitude not convincing.
“I know you don’t trust me anymore,” she said as her eyes moistened, “But I’m going to prove to you that you can. I’ll speak to you soon.” She leaned forward and kissed my cheek as I went absolutely still. Without another word, she left and I turned around to see the wide eyes of my family and friends.
Connall’s arms were wrapped around Frankie, who usually fought to look so tough but in this moment looked so scared. Benji’s eyes were unfocused on the floor and Milo had an arm around him in comfort. Even Milo, the eternally calm and collected, was chewing on his lip in consternation.
“We’re going to be okay, guys,” I insisted. Frankie looked up at me and rolled her eyes angrily.
“He’s taken control of a pack of Ripped wolves, Noah,” she snapped, “And our numbers are lower than ever.”
“They say the Ripped wolves are the strongest of any,” Milo said, his eyes glazed over, “There’s no humanity, no hesitation when it comes to killing.”
“Don’t think like that!” I shouted, “You’re acting like he’s already won. This is our territory, and we are going to protect it. So he has a witch working for him! You heard Chloe, we have a whole coven on our side!”
They didn’t look too convinced but before I could go on we all felt the Alpha call to join the pack. Without saying a word we made our way out of the backyard and into the woods to shift.
Every time a pack member shifted into wolf form, their head was filled with the news. As everyone gathered around the clearing, our minds were filled with a cacophony of expressions of anger, fear, or determination.
Enough! Ma’s Alpha’s voice rang out once we were all accounted for. Immediately, silence filled our heads allowing Ma’s solitary voice to be heard:
I feel your fears and worries and I hear your concerns, she began, I know what’s at stake. When we first heard Beau had been Ripping wolves we didn’t take the threat seriously, because Ripped wolves have always been known to be wild and uncontrollable. We didn’t believe Beau could properly command a pack of Ripped wolves because we didn’t think it possible. We were naïve. Beau has been a formidable opponent for years longer than we perceived, cursing us years ago with an end to the Arrows to weaken us. He has misjudged us as well, however. Our numbers may be smaller but we are not weak. In fact, we are stronger and more connected than ever!
Some wolves howled in support of this statement and we all joined in, our tones echoing through the trees.
I don’t know why Beau has such hatred against us, she continued when we were once again enveloped in silence, but the reason is unimportant. We will prove to him and everyone that we are not a family to be messed with. We have a coven of witches on our side already, but I think we are not above asking for the help of some other friends too. Beau has not come for our clan, he has attacked the packs he’s Ripped from as well. His actions have not only threatened this family, but they have threatened our entire species. We will spread word of his malevolence until
we fill every bed on this property with a wolf prepared to fight for us. If it’s a war Beau wants, it’s a war he will get.”
Howls filled the air once again.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Noah
By the time I was able to make it to Sophie’s it was well past midnight. I contemplated not going at all, but I had told her I would and I felt an anxious need to see her. The night was dark, but the stars in the sky were bright as I looked up at her window. The lights in her room were off and I worried that she might have fallen asleep. Deciding to test it before climbing the tree, I searched the grass for a small rock.
Feeling like I was in an eighties movie, I lightly lobbed it at her window. Suddenly, her light turned on and not a second later her window flew open.
“Noah?” she whispered, her eyes squinted as she searched the tree.
“Down here!” I whispered back. She looked down at me and broke into a smile. “Can I come up?” I asked. She rolled her eyes.
“No. Especially when I’ve only been impatiently waiting on you for hours. What do you think?” she asked sarcastically with a wink. Anxiously, I quickly worked my way up the tree and into her window. “Wow,” she whispered as I enveloped her in my arms, “That was kind of amazing.”
“Shh,” I hushed her, pressing my lips to hers, “Let’s not talk for a minute.”
“Okay,” she said, kissing me back with a happy hum.
I didn’t allow myself to get carried away or frenzied with desire. Instead, I took my time, trying to memorize every detail of the moment. When I was finally satiated (at least temporarily), I pulled back and looked into her beautiful cinnamon eyes. She had a dreamy smile on her face.
“That was nice,” she murmured, still looking dazed. I laughed as quietly as I could.
“I agree,” I said, turning to close the window. I took her hand and led her to the bed. We proceeded to lie down on top of the comforter, wrapped in each other’s arms. I found I was finally able to breathe easily, as if it had been labored for hours.
“How is everyone taking it?” she asked after a moment.
“Some are scared. Most are angry.”
“What does Adeline think you should do?”
“She wants to call in other shifters. As many as we can get. Beau thinks our pack is small and easily defeated, so the best option we have is to surprise him with our strength in numbers.”
“I was thinking that same thing actually,” she said.
“Really?” I looked down at her and she nodded.
“Yup, I even wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget it. Should I get the list?” She looked up at me and I shook my head. I didn’t want her moving anywhere. “Well, I was thinking about what Milo said about emergency meetings of Alphas and it occurred to me that this Ripping business has to be illegal. I’m sure the packs it’s happened to aren’t too happy about it, either. You should call all the other Alphas and let them know what this jerk-face is doing! Band together against him!”
My heart swelled at her rant, and I rolled myself over her, kissing her with deep emotion. When I pulled back she had a big smile on her face.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“You,” I emphasized, “are the most amazing girl ever. I love that you’re trying to help, especially to the extent where you make a list.”
“I should probably rip it up before my dad sees it and thinks I’m crazy,” she contemplated out loud. She shook herself from the thought and looked back at me with a shrug. “I just had a lot of time to think while I was waiting for you.”
“I’m sorry. The pack meeting ran kind of long.”
“It’s okay,” she reassured me.
“Did you call Mollie?” I asked. She nodded with a frown. “Was she happy?”
“Unbelievably so,” she answered with a sigh, “I had to force myself to sound half as excited.” I looked down at her with grief.
“You should be excited,” I encouraged, “You’re going to the beach with friends!”
“Don’t you dare say that,” she warned me, “As if while I’m away you and so many others that I love aren’t facing life-threatening danger.” I was filled with joy at her declaration of affection for my family. “I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to a single one of you while I’m gone. I’ll never forgive myself for not being here.”
“Going to Cape May gives us our best chance of making sure nothing happens,” I insisted, “If I know you’re safe, I’ll be able to better focus on keeping everyone else safe as well.”
“Don’t forget to focus on yourself!” she admonished. Suddenly, she was crying and I sat her up, trying to console her. “I just-“ she said, pausing to sniff, “I really want to say that if you get yourself killed I’ll kill you but that seems kind of redundant.”
“You and your threats.” I laughed, pulling her into a hug. “Don’t talk like that. Nothing is going to happen to me. I’m too selfish to leave you.” She pulled back with an eye roll and I forced her to look at me. “I’m serious, Sophie. I won’t ever allow myself to lose you. I’m going to be right by your side until the moment you no longer want me.”
“That’ll never happen,” she promised me, pulling me back in for a kiss. She probably didn’t think much of saying this, but her assertion filled me with immense relief.
➹➹➹
Sophia
“Noah,” I asked, unable to hold this question back any longer. I had written it at the very top of my list. “Who were those people that came into the living room today? What do they have to do with this?”
“They were witches,” he replied, his tone wary.
“Seriously?” My eyes widened in excitement. I saw two real life witches and I hadn’t even realized it. The idea thrilled and scared me.
“One of them, the shorter one, I had never met before.” I had hoped for a moment it would have been the tall beautiful woman that he didn’t know, but she had said his name so I knew that wasn’t likely.
“And the other one?” I pressed, trying to keep my tone even.
“Her name is Chloe. She’s the High Priestess of the local coven. We were good friends once, and when all of this started I asked for her help.”
“So she was the one who discovered he was coming,” I guessed. I felt a sense of jealousy. She was able to help him in ways that I could not.
“Yes.” He nodded, “Because it’s her mother who’s helping him.”
“What? Why?”
“We don’t know. Chloe thinks he has some sort of power over her, but she can’t be sure. She’s assured us that she and her coven are going to help us in any way.”
“And you believe that?”
“For now,” he said with a shrug, “She seems very determined to prove herself.”
“Why?” A jealous theory popped into my mind. “Did you two ever…?”
“What?” he asked, his face unrevealing. I decided I didn’t want to know.
“Never mind,” I retreated, “So Wolfsblood is going to host a bunch of shifters. Wow. How are you going to balance that and the locals? It won’t be easy to maintain discretion with that many wolves running around the property.”
“We’re closing down,” he replied, “summer is our busiest time, so it’s going to be bad for business. It’s our only option though.”
“What are you going to tell everyone?”
“We aren’t sure yet, but it’ll have to be a really good excuse.”
“What if I stay,” I offered, “and keep an eye on the tourists on the property. I’ll make sure you guys are given your space! Of course I won’t be able to handle every event on the calendar on my own, but I’m a trained life guard so you could at least keep the lake running!”
“Sophie.” He let out a long tired sigh, “I just told you that a pack of feral wolves is coming to the ranch to destroy us and the only way I will be able to handle that is if you are far away and safe, and your solution is to not only stay in Montana but work on the ranc
h?”
“You don’t have to pay me,” I sang, trying to hide my feeling of hopelessness. He looked at me and I threw my hands up. “Okay fine, bad idea. New plan-“
“Cape May,” he interrupted.
“But-“
“Sophie,” he warned, “We’ve been through this already.”
“But why am I the only one who has to leave?” I asked, a panicked thought occurring to me, “What about my dad? Or Mark? Who’s going to save Akemi and Dhruv from the Ripped wolves?”
“They’re not coming to attack the town, Sophie, just us.”
“So why can’t I just stay home, then?”
He got up off the bed, pacing the floor and running a hand through his hair in frustration. I could tell my incessant questions were bothering him, and I felt bad given his already stressed state, but I wasn’t just going to comply and desert him in this crucial time without a damn good reason.
“Because, Sophie, Beau is the reason the Arrows stopped happening!” he blurted, “What do you think he’s going to do when he discovers the son of the Alpha has broken that spell and Arrowed on a human? What do you think he’s going to want to do with you?”
“Noah,” I sat up on the mattress as I tried to process this, “What on Earth are you talking about? What spell? And what the hell is an ‘Arrow’?”
His eyes widened and his mouth shut quickly with an audible snap. He swallowed loudly and avoided my eyes, clearly fighting to find the right words.
My heartrate quickened. Whatever he was about to reveal, it was clearly going to have a drastic impact on my life. I folded my hands nervously as I waited for him to shake my world. Again.
➹➹➹
Noah and Sophia’s story will continue in Love-struck: An Arrowed Novel
Coming Soon
➹➹➹
Acknowledgements
Arrowed is a work that only exists because in 2009 a surprisingly large number of people on the Internet told a 16-year-old girl that they loved her writing, and continued to express encouragement throughout the consequent years despite the fact that she would leave them with cliffhangers for months on end. Therefore, first and foremost, this book is dedicated to those beautiful people, who read this story in its original form and told me it was worth reading (I still don’t really believe you, but okay).
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