Cursed

by Brent Miller

  Aldric flew backward, lying on the floor for so long that Garrick began to worry for him. When he stood again, the snarl was gone, as if Garrick had finally proven himself as a member of the pack. Garrick didn’t want to keep fighting, especially not to try to prove anything to Aldric. Despite what Aldric’s wolf though, Garrick wasn’t interested in fighting for the role of alpha – he just wanted to protect the innocent people around them.

  Once more, Garrick checked over his shoulder to make sure the child had made it inside. There was no sign of the boy, and the door was shut. Listening closely, though, he could hear the boy’s cries and his mother’s attempts to comfort him.

  Aldric’s wounds had closed, and he looked back at Garrick, ready to charge again. As much as he’d wanted the fight to be over, Garrick stood his ground. Still, he didn’t know how much longer he could keep going. It was becoming impossible to fight Aldric while still holding off the beast which was tearing at him from inside, pleading for the chance to protect itself. Garrick could feel himself fading, and soon he’d lose both battles.

  Garrick stood shakily on two legs, barely able to hold himself up. Aldric had yet to charge again, and Garrick hoped he could just win by staring down his opponent. The wolf seemed to be taking another chance to size him up. Although he hoped it wasn’t the case, it almost seemed to Garrick as if the wolf was planning an attack – consciously thinking. With the two current opponents, Garrick was already struggling, so he didn’t need Aldric’s human side offering strategy to the wolf.

  The wolf looked like it was about to charge again, and Garrick could feel his hope slipping away. Garrick felt his knees collapsing under him, but he fought to stay standing, giving everything he had to appear powerful. Calling his bluff, Aldric rushed forward, and Garrick knew he had nothing left to give. Then, he saw a flash of brown fur as another wolf intercepted Aldric, tackling him to the ground. Hayden had come to his rescue again. Using all the energy left in his muscles, Garrick maintained his posture, refusing to give Aldric a reason to think he was weak. His shoulders rolled forward and his breathing was labored, but he refused to fall.

  Garrick could hear the growling and scratching in front of him as Hayden defended him. He wanted to help, but he knew there was nothing he could do. The fight in front of him broke up, and the two wolves stared at each other. Though his head was downcast, Garrick kept his eyes forward.

  Aldric growled at Hayden, warning her to back down. By choosing to protect Garrick, Hayden only served to make Aldric angrier – and he probably took it as another threat. In this animalistic state, she should have sided with the stronger wolf, so Garrick wasn’t sure why she was defending him.

  Maybe it was like the day she saved him from Cailean. Somewhere, deep down, this wolf was still Hayden, and she wasn’t going to let anything happen to Garrick. Standing between them, she made it clear that Aldric was going to have to go through her to get to Garrick. Maybe her love for him was giving her the strength to stand against her alpha.

  Aldric charged forward, and the other wolf rushed in to meet him. The two of them viciously bit and scratched at each other again, locked in close combat.

  “Hayden!” Garrick coughed. He didn’t know what he wanted her to do, but he couldn’t let her get killed for him. A soft brush of fur rubbed against his right leg, and he looked down to see another wolf standing by his side. Blue eyes looked up at him with nothing but love.

  “Hayden?” he asked. As he looked back up, he saw Brooke walk toward him, standing at his left side. The wolf fighting Aldric bit his neck, spinning him around and throwing him to the ground. Garrick saw Cailean’s golden eyes flash as he pinned his father down, clamping his jaw around his throat in an attempt to force him to surrender. No words managed to force their way through Garrick’s lips, but he tried to express his gratitude as he sighed with relief.

  Aldric broke free by scratching Cailean’s leg. Cailean fell to the ground and Aldric climbed back up, biting Cailean’s neck. He threw Cailean, who landed a few feet away with a whimper. Turning his attention back to Garrick, Aldric growled angrily. Hayden and Brooke inched closer. Placing a hand on Hayden’s head for support, Garrick was still able to stand.

  Cailean, still limping as blood seeped and covered the fur on his leg and throat, closed the distance and stood directly in front of Garrick, blocking his father’s advance. He growled, shaking the earth beneath him.

  Garrick still felt the wolf clawing at him – tearing him apart inside. Though it had subsided somewhat during the fight, it was back in full force, and with a vengeance. The beast was infuriated that Garrick wouldn’t let it fight its own battles. The internal struggle was becoming so painful that it was nearing a physical feeling of being ripped to shreds. Although he did everything he could to muster the strength to fight through it, he could feel himself wavering.

  Finally, Aldric looked down. Garrick started to back away, and the four wolves walked closer to him. In his breaking mind, he formulated the closest thing to a plan that he could. Garrick mustered the last of his strength to move, limping as he inched his way back to Aldric’s house. Hayden stood at his side, supporting him as they walked. Along the way, he carefully listened for the footsteps of the others as they kept at his heels. Aldric had warned him that they wouldn’t follow him to a basement, but he didn’t have many options. They followed him all the way up to the door. Garrick didn’t know if it was loyalty that kept them following him – because they were willing to protect their own and they could see his pain – or respect – because even in their animalistic states, they recognized the strength it took to fight. However, none of the wolves, even Hayden, followed him as he crossed the threshold. Aldric had been right; none of them wanted to enter the small space. It felt like a cage.

  “Linda! Hide upstairs!” Garrick yelled as he collapsed forward, pushing the door open. He saw her looking over the banister at him, probably in complete disbelief of what she was seeing and hearing. Garrick couldn’t tell anymore, but his voice was probably monstrous enough to induce fear into the bravest of people. It had been at least twenty minutes since he was supposed to change, and any semblance of humanity was quickly fading.

  She didn’t argue, though; she just watched as Garrick limped to the basement stairs. Unable to muster the strength to walk down them, he reluctantly accepted the only alternative. The fall couldn’t cause more pain than he was already in, anyway. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, covered his face, and threw himself down the stairs and into the basement. Upon landing at the bottom, he struggled to all fours. Taking a deep breath, Garrick tried to control the wolf for one more minute. He opened his mouth and tried to let out a powerful howl.

  He didn’t. It was a very human sound; weak and full of pain. His howl sounded more like a sick child pretending to be a dog. On his second attempt, he could feel the wolf lending its strength. The sound radiated around him, pushing its way through the air, and it was enough to entice the other wolves to run down to meet him. With the last bit of energy he could muster, he forced himself to his feet.

  “Please,” he begged, “just let me do this.”

  He didn’t know if the wolf could understand him. He didn’t know if it was really a separate being. He didn’t know anything. The only thing he did know was that he didn’t have another choice. Everything was blurry and his thoughts were covered in a haze, and he couldn’t think straight, so he just spoke.

  “You can have control,” he tried to offer. The words may not have even made it past his lips – he couldn’t tell past the deafening ringing in his ears – but the wolf was in his mind anyway. “Just let me do this.”

  The pain didn’t subside, but he felt determination and strength coursing through his veins. Refusing to surrender or to put anyone else at risk, Garrick crawled up the stairs and slammed himself into the door, thrusting it closed. Using the frame as support, he inched his way up until he could reach the doorknob. Then, pulling himself up the last stretch, he locked the deadbolt and
chain, locking himself in the basement with them. Satisfied that he’d done all he could, he finally stopped fighting; giving in to the completely unbearable agony. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he fell backward and tumbled down the stairs. Compared to what he was already feeling, the pain of tumbling down the stairs was almost a comfort.

  Resting on his back, all of the pain subsided. The wolf was content, and Garrick was no longer fighting. Garrick climbed on to his hands and knees as he prepared to feel the bones in his legs shatter as they reformed to those that would help him run as a wolf. He prepared himself for the muscles in his arms to rip and tear, allowing the form to change. He was even ready for what always hurt him the most, the expansion and reforming of his spinal cord, which would allow his movement as a werewolf.

  But what he got was peace. The pain waned until it just faded out completely. Garrick waited a few minutes, allowing time for the rush of the transformation to bring him into his wolf state. When nothing happened, he stood and took a few deep breaths. His arms were twice their size and he towered over his normal height, but he was not a wolf.

  Garrick tried to steady his heartbeat – which wasn’t a simple task given the current events, but he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. Muscles in his arms tore and reformed, but they took a smaller, more compact form as they wrapped tightly around his arm, returning to their normal size. Garrick felt a sickening movement in his eyes as they shifted in color.

  He could feel his ribs reforming, creating a barrier around his human heart, which was beating at an almost reasonable pace. He felt his elbows pop back into place, allowing for their standard range of motion. His legs twitched as the bones changed back to their normal shape and size, allowing him to climb to his feet and stand normally.

  His fangs shrank back as he opened his eyes. Garrick held his breath for a moment, unsure of whether or not to believe what he was feeling. Looking down at his hands, he watched the claws condense into fingernails.

  Breathing deeply, he saw the confusion on the faces of the other wolves. While they couldn’t have had the processing ability of a human being, they were cognizant of what was supposed to be happening, and they knew that Garrick had defied all possibility.

  Still, he tried not to let himself get his hopes up. It could still happen at any moment; he tried to convince himself it was a fluke. Garrick climbed the stairs and leaned against the door, resting his head on it. After an hour, he still didn’t feel any pain. There was nothing – as if the moon weren’t full outside. Slowly, he began to let himself hope. Another half hour later, he stood on legs shaking not with pain, but with excitement.

  Garrick faced the door, exhaling deeply as he placed his hand on the knob. Stepping outside, he locked it behind him and left the house in a trance. For the first time in over a year, he looked up at a full moon and thought. Overwhelmed with emotions, he fell to his knees, beaming. Tears welled up in his eyes as he started laughing.

  It was eleven o’clock at night, and the full moon illuminated the sky.

  Garrick’s pack – Aldric, Cailean, Brooke, and Hayden – were monsters, unable to control themselves, locked up in the basement of their alpha.

  They were werewolves. And Garrick Elliott was a human.

  Chapter 25

  Eight months ago

  Garrick ducked, avoiding Cailean’s fist. He swung his elbow into Cailean’s ribs, and then landed an uppercut on Cailean’s jaw. Cailean took a few steps back, and Garrick tracked him, falling into his trap. Always one for theatrics, Cailean turned and ran a few steps up the wall, flipped and spun around to kick Garrick in the face.

  Using his dramatic move against him, Garrick caught his leg and slammed him to the floor. Staying low, Cailean swept Garrick’s legs out from under him, and Garrick plunged to the floor. Standing up, Cailean kicked Garrick in the ribs – sending him flying across the room and slamming into the wall on the other side.

  Garrick struggled to regain the breath which had been knocked from him as Cailean closed the distance. Leaning against the wall, Garrick weaved as he dodged a few punches and countered with a side kick to Cailean’s gut. As Cailean lurched forward, Garrick slammed his elbow down on the back of his head. Collapsing to the ground, Cailean landed on his forearms to protect his face. He rolled onto his back to prepare to stand, but Garrick fell on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

  Cailean was able to get a leg free, and he placed the foot squarely on Garrick’s chest. Before Garrick could respond, he was sent flying into the ceiling. On his way back down, Cailean punched up, landing a rising uppercut to his stomach.

  Garrick stood, dizzily shaking off the attack. Catching his breath, he staggered back a few feet. Once he’d recovered, he stepped in and punched at Cailean’s face. Cailean easily parried the blow and countered with a hit to Garrick’s stomach. Garrick stepped back, covering as Cailean threw a flurry of attacks.

  The second an opening appeared, Garrick kneed Cailean in the stomach, threw a hook punch at his jaw, and then launched him backward with a kick. Cailean stumbled, losing his balance, but didn’t fall. Wiping a drop of blood from his nose, Cailean smiled.

  Garrick ran forward to attack again, but Cailean deflected blow after blow. He finally caught one of Garrick’s arms and spun him around, slamming him against the wall. Garrick tried to struggle, so Cailean turned and dropped Garrick to the ground, landing on him with his full weight. As Cailean landed, he drove a knee into Garrick’s spine

  Knowing he’d lost, Garrick tapped the ground.

  Returning to his feet, Cailean reached down and offered Garrick a hand. As he accepted Cailean’s help, he pondered the reasoning behind combat training. Maybe it was just because Cailean liked fighting. It didn’t matter, though, because he was having fun – and if it ever came in handy, he’d be grateful.

  “I’m impressed,” Cailean offered. “You had me going for a minute there.”

  “Yeah, right,” Garrick sighed. “Thanks for the confidence boost, though.”

  “Well, I figured you needed it after I beat you down so badly.”

  Garrick leaned back against the wall to recuperate as Cailean walked back to the center of the room to fight Chase. Chase would be able to hold his own much better than Garrick could, so at the very least, Garrick was going to watch an interesting fight.

  “My turn?” Chase smirked.

  “If you’re desperate for a beating,” Cailean taunted.

  “It has been a while since I’ve given one of those,” Chase replied, jokingly pensive. “I guess now’s a good place to start.”

  “Keep that confidence,” Cailean laughed before rushing in and landing a quick combination, catching Chase off guard. Garrick didn’t want to admit it, but Cailean’s arrogance was well- deserved. Even in their human forms, Cailean was a very skilled fighter. Since Aldric didn’t train with them much, Cailean typically led their practices, and he hadn’t lost a match to any of them yet. When Aldric did join them, though, he always won. No one beat Aldric.

  Present

  Night of the full moon

  Garrick walked. Not away from, and not toward, anything at all. Entranced by the full moon, he just walked and admired the scenery. For the fifth time, he pinched himself, still trying to convince himself that he wasn’t in the middle of a dream.

  Although he was getting tired, Garrick didn’t want to let the night end, so he avoided returning home and sleeping. The only negative thought he could conjure about that night was that he couldn’t share it with Hayden. No one would understand what this meant to him more than her, so he couldn’t wait to talk to her about it.

  Absentmindedly, he pulled out his phone to call her. Of course, she was otherwise occupied at the moment. Shaking his head, he dropped his arms and held his phone at his side.

  When he looked up, he realized he had wandered to the front lawn of a house he recognized. The house was two stories high, with a well-tended garden that he had somehow avoided trampling. The driveway was occup
ied by two cars, and the path to the door was decorated with colorful stones and plants. Garrick stood on the edge of the lush green grass of the lawn, directly beneath a window on the second story.

  His subconscious had led him to his best friend’s lawn. Without processing the time of night, or the fact that most people would be asleep – given the fact that there was school the next day – Garrick lifted his phone back up and called Tyler.

  The full moon was the biggest hassle on a school night, because they typically had to wake up and rush to change and get to school, trying their best to look presentable. Especially on those days, though, they had to go in order to keep up appearances. There was no more obvious sign than all four of them missing school every morning after a full moon.

  The phone rang a few times, and Garrick waited impatiently. The ringer was loud enough to awaken Tyler, and Garrick heard shuffling as his friend tried to grab the phone. There was a clattering as it fell to the ground, and he muttered something under his breath. Finally, Tyler opened the phone and stopped the ringing.

  “Garrick Elliott,” a voice answered groggily on the phone. Garrick tried to respond, but his voice caught in his throat. What was he going to say?

  “Do you have any idea what time it is?” Tyler asked, whispering into his phone. The concern in his voice was so strong Garrick would almost call it fear. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” Garrick managed to say. He kept his excitement buried as well as he could, but he was sure there was a twinge of it detectable in his response. “Yeah I’m fine.”

  “Then what’s going on?” Tyler asked, keeping his voice low. “It’s after midnight. Hank is asleep, and I… I don’t want to wake him.” Garrick had forgotten that Tyler’s step-father worked early in the morning.