by Lou Grimes
“No, and we can’t find any evidence. We have DNA in the neck, but if they aren’t in the system, we won’t catch them. Hey, I’ll be there in a second. I got to go.” He hung up in response to someone asking him things on his end of the phone.
The phone beeped as the line went dead, but Louvette still held it to her ear for a second as if she could tell him more, but it was too late. It was probably better to break the news in person than over the phone so she could see his reactions to what happened, what was going to happen, and what was not going to happen. Luckily, he didn’t catch on to her odd interest in the crime scene. She lowered the phone to the table and stared at it for a few moments.
“Good job,” she whispered to herself, wondering if she should just run. However, the rationale that Lupine were based off of wolves, so tracking would be a piece of cake, stopped her from fleeing. She was going to face this head on, but she needed some caffeine to give her enough energy to complete the mission. A suicide mission at that.
She went inside and ordered herself a cup of coffee. She abstained from crepes because she wasn’t in the mood for them. Louvette was in the mood for something bitter. It was one of her favorite characteristics of flavors. Once she received her coffee, she drowned it in creamer. She inhaled the bitter aroma, her stress lessened from the promise of the temporary high. She had consumed half of it before Arsen showed up. The door opened as he entered, and he found her at once.
Louvette tried to not admire him so openly, but it was hard to ignore the white long sleeved shirt and jeans that were cut with his muscles. The wind tousled his hair. He had on a necklace that was tucked in his shirt.
She sat up straighter. Arsen sat down across from her warily. He probably thought that she was about to assault him with questions again.
“Want some coffee?” Louvette asked politely. He smiled and grabbed her drink. He inspected the contents. His eyebrow arched at the sight and he handed it back to her. She snagged it back, confused. Louvette checked it for grounds or any sign of something bad.
“That looks more like creamer with coffee, don’t you think? No thank you, it makes me moody when the caffeine wears off,” he teased. She shook her head at that. She didn’t have any idea how people who didn’t drink coffee or some form of it survived. It was a heavenly nectar. Louvette rolled her eyes out of amusement. However, the amusement quickly fled, leaving anxiety.
“Can you tell me more about rogue Lupine?” she asked carefully once she had finished a silent sip of her warm coffee.
His eyes narrowed slightly, but he answered anyway. “A rogue is a Lupine who has lost complete control of his wolf. There are a couple tips to suss out a rogue. One is that the basic need to survive is what drives them. They usually are stuck in mid form as well. Blood red irises are the other one” He responded easily, probably remembering the fact that she had mentioned it on the phone.
“So, if you met one of these things, they’d attempt to kill you?” she asked him, leading deeper into the conversation about rogue Lupine. She wanted insight to where she stood before telling him. If her standing wasn’t detrimental, she would tell him. Otherwise, she’d take that information to the grave, especially if there was no evidence.
“Definitely. There is also no attempt. They would kill you. A rogue Lupine is a baseless monster that uses its strength, speed, and mind to the max to satisfy its needs, like food. Not many can go up against something like that alone and come out alive. The people that survive are usually alphas or the strongest betas,” As he expanded upon the question, he leaned forward to prevent outside ears from hearing.
“What would happen to someone if they did kill one?” she proposed, looking into his eyes. She leaned toward him, waiting for his answer. She couldn’t stop the slight waver in her voice. Light dawned in his eyes as he came to the correct conclusion.
“You should be dead. You can’t even shift. Are you okay?” he whispered hoarsely. Wide eyes scrutinized her, checking her for wounds. He found none on the surface.
“I’m not dead. But I don’t think I’m okay, either. Now what’s going to happen to me?” Louvette begged to be told. Her hands twisted her coffee out of panic at his coming answer. The urge to throw up was strong.
“Nothing. If you were a boy, they’d probably throw a party in your honor for keeping the streets safe. Once they are gone, there’s no turning back,” he reassured her. A breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding released. A strangled laugh left her. It was more on the crazy scale as far as laughs went.
“I was over here thinking I’m going to be on death row. I even had a nightmare about it,” she confessed. The horrible feeling of impending doom lifted off her shoulders. Her day was seeming to be marginally better than before. She still didn’t want to go home and deal with the drama.
“No. You’re fine. They have no idea who did it. They are looking into all the local guys to see if they noticed anything. But, none of them have. Only we know it. It’s going to stay between us. I promise,” he said. A familiar Cadillac parked as he finished the pact. Both of their eyes darted to it. Louvette groaned.
“Oh, great. They are here. I should have parked down the road, so they couldn’t find me,” she admitted at her carelessness. She preferred not having to be reminded of her past transgressions.
He became amused as her mother and Thomas exited the car. His lips were tilted in a half smile. His eyes zeroed in on Thomas. For a moment, they seemed untrusting, but the look was fleeting. It was so fleeting that Louvette wasn’t positive that she’d seen it.
“A word of advice, be careful of Thomas Hollows. Don’t let him see anything Lupine about you,” he warned as his eyes followed them into the coffee shop. His minty breath moved her hair. Louvette sat back once she realized exactly how close they were. No reason to give her mother more of a conniption fit than she’d already had today.
“Why? What did Thomas do?” Louvette asked.
“Thomas was charged with pack treason when he was in his twenties. Declan, your dad, got him off. They never found any proof,” Arsen said.
“Do you think he did it?” Louvette wondered.
“I have no clue. I wouldn’t put it pass him if it’s messing with what he wants,” Arsen said. He opened his mouth to continue, but time had run out. Her mother and the suspect had arrived.
“Louvette, there you are. We’ve been looking all over for you,” she announced before turning to Arsen. She peered at him expectantly for a few seconds. Louvette hid a grin.
“Who’s this young man?” she asked. She discreetly checked him out. Louvette knew her mother would never tell her she didn’t approve. She didn’t have the right to after some of her own boyfriends.
“He’s Arsen Whitecreek. His family has always been close to your ex-husband and ex-father in law. Nice to see you again, Arsen,” Mr. Hollows said to Sarah. Thomas beat Louvette to the punch. They shook hands in a sense. It was more like tried to grip each other down.
“Really, Thomas? We were just going to have some dinner if you’d like to join us. Both of you,” her mother said, annoyed after watching the guys handshake duel. They released their hold on each other after her mother’s offer. Louvette questioned whether she could stand that much testosterone in the room. She wished her mother hadn’t invited them both. The stress of the forest fight and the secret of being a Lupine was too much to handle.
Arsen then proceeded to shake Louvette’s mother’s hand politely. As he took her hand, Louvette flinched, thinking he was going to shake with the same force as before. However, his touch was appropriate for a young gentleman.
“I’d love to but, I can’t. I’ve got to get back to work. Are you going to join me? It’s about the Valleys’ land,” Arsen hinted to Thomas. Louvette knew better. She believed it was code that something was going on and they all needed to drop in to discuss it. She met Arsen’s comforting eyes and knew that it wasn’t her that was the something.
“I’ll meet you there. Again, I�
�m sorry to both of you,” Thomas apologized. Louvette could tell he was sincere in his apology. She almost was sorry for him, but she knew her mother couldn’t hold a grudge to save her life. His suffering was short lived.
“You’re forgiven,” her mother reluctantly caved. That earned her a slight smile, but Mr. Hollows eyes glanced toward Louvette, still seeking redemption. She met his eyes, willing her wolf not to come up, but her wolf never did.
“I wasn’t really mad at you, just the situation, so it’s okay,” Louvette admitted, letting him off the hook. She bore no ill will for following the rule over the will, and the statement about her being lucky to get into another school was so true it was ridiculous. She suppressed a shudder. If her grandfather hadn’t left her anything in his will, she might be in a reform school or detention center because someone’s parents decided to sue her for breaking their princess’s pretty nose.
“Bye, y’all,” Louvette and her mother said.
The men left. The Lynskey girls watched after them, starry eyed. Both of them were oblivious to the others. After they were gone and the spell was broken, her mother faced her.
“He was right about the name change giving you a second chance. But it still doesn’t make up for not giving us a say in it,” her mother admitted candidly. She gazed at her daughter out of concern, as if wanting validation for that statement.
Louvette’s grin faded as she realized that her mother wasn’t one hundred percent sure that this was going to be different. Her heart hurt at that fact. But, she gave her mother what she wanted. She comforted and assured her that it was a second chance.
“More than a second chance. It’s giving me another life,” she agreed. Deep down, she wasn’t sure if it was going to be better than before or worse. Sarah sent her a look that Louvette knew meant her mother thought she was referring to Arsen. However, her words actually referred to being a Lupine.
Her mother gestured to the Gran Torino. “Let’s go get some food and talk about some rules for the death trap.” It sat in the parking lot innocently. It was painfully beautiful.
A laugh busted out of Louvette. That laugh saved her from her dark thoughts. She nodded in agreement.
“Okay,” she settled, realizing that she’d be lucky to drive it a couple of times.
***
The rule ended up being no unsupervised joy rides until her mother was sure Louvette could handle it and it wasn’t going to break down. Those were rules she could live with if it meant she’d be able to drive it anywhere she wanted. Louvette had had a license since she was sixteen, but they couldn’t afford the extra car. Plus with the traveling that they had been forced to do in the past, one car made it easy to up and leave. It was easy on the gas money, too.
However, now that her commute was so long it made having the extra ride easy on her mother. Her mother wouldn’t have to do late night shifts, then wake up the early the next morning to take her to school.
Later that night, Louvette’s phone dinged from a text message. She was finishing a report for her history class. She crawled across her papers and took her phone off the charger to find a text from Arsen.
Arsen: How did you kill it? I was going to ask before your mom showed up.
Louvette: My fingers turned to claws and I waited for it to make the first move. Then, I sliced his neck open. For some reason, I knew he was going to be sloppy in his attacks.
Arsen: That’s a partial shift….. Though, most can’t do it until after they fully transform. I can barely do it now and I’ve been activated since I was fifteen years old.
Louvette: So, what does that mean?
Arsen: I don’t know. I’m sorry. Those are some insane control skills for someone who almost went furry at school. It’s pretty odd.
She rolled her eyes. A random thought came to her as she lay in bed.
Louvette: Hey, why do y’all have a different set of electives? This is a private school, so I’m sure variety matters.
Arsen: They are Lupine tailored. We learn about other supernatural in one of the classes. History of the Lupine in the other. The last is combat training. That’s what the new gym is for. It’s finished. There’s a hallway that only Lupine are allowed down. You probably haven’t seen it because Cara shows you around.
Louvette: Cara Rivers?
Arsen: She’s part of another founding family. Both Whitecreek and the Rivers are on good terms. Her parents decided not to let her in on the secret for safety reasons.
Louvette: I can understand that. I don’t think I’m going to tell my mom.
Arsen: That’s probably a good choice.
Louvette: So, what happened between the pack and the rogue?
Arsen: They are leaning toward believing that two rogues came into the territory and then fought it out. The one standing moved on. But they called us in because the family of the dead rogue called in a private investigator and his team to dispatch the killer rogue.
Louvette: Great. There’s a sobbing widow out there somewhere because of me. Who are these investigators that they hired?
Arsen: They aren’t just investigators, though. They are more mercs than anything. The men obtain vital information through unsavory means, dispatch those who they are told are rogues even if they are not, and kill enemies under the guise of justice.
Louvette: They seem more like instigators than anything. Are they going to come after me?
Arsen: No. There was nothing tying you there. Me and my father investigated the crime scene. Even he didn’t find anything. I expect they will be gone at the end of the week since the case will be cold.
Louvette: I think that’s enough horror stories for tonight. When I shift, will it hurt?
Arsen: Only hurts if you fight it.
Louvette: Why did you really get called away?
Arsen: The investigators were questioning some of the pack members. They should be returning soon. The investigators went out to dinner. The rest of the pack stayed in and cooked out rather than to be around them.
Louvette: They don’t exactly have the best image, do they?
Arsen: No, the whole system is corrupt and will take assignments for personal gain. They will lie and say someone is rogue to clean up their messes. The packs have to humor them, or they cause all kinds of trouble.
He sent another reply a second later.
Arsen: I’ve got to go. The mercs are here. Night.
Louvette: Good night.
She knew she’d have bad dreams once she closed her eyes. She was correct in that assumption. Hunters chased her in her dreams. The men shot at her with wolfsbane-filled bullets. Her body burned from the poison.
***
Louvette blinked to get rid of her blurry vision. She tried to find what woke her because it wasn’t her alarm. Her phone screen was a bright contrast in the dark. She looked at it to find that Arsen had messaged her. She opened it.
Arsen: Check your front porch before your mother wakes up. I dropped off some stuff.
Louvette dashed downstairs as quietly as she could. She slid the large front door slowly open to avoid creaking. On the ground was a box full of papers. Snatching them up, she returned to her room. Louvette switched on a lamp before dropping the box on her bed.
She flipped through them like a fan, catching glimpses of what looked like coloring sheets, homework, and tests. Louvette couldn’t help but whip out her phone and tease him.
Louvette: Is there some stuff from first grade in there?
Arsen: My mom’s a bit of a hoarder remember? Try not to destroy that. I figured it was as good a method as any to teach you stuff about Lupine when I’m not there.
Louvette: Thank you so much. I think I’ll start going through the easy stuff before my mom wakes up.
Arsen: See you at school.
Louvette peered around her room to find a spot her mom might not notice. Her mom had never been nosey, but she’d never had a reason to be before. As she moved, the wood flooring creaked oddly under the rug. Her eyes narrowed. S
he threw the rug off and discovered a floor compartment.
She opened it easily enough. The boards were spaced apart more than the hardwood flooring in her room. It revealed a dusty nook that was perfect for hiding things. A sharp knock caused Louvette to briskly put the papers that Arsen had given her in there. She then closed it. She threw the rug back over the spot.
Louvette had managed to pose in front of her mirror like she was applying makeup before she got her outfit for the day. She tried not to breathe too loudly from the sudden sprint across her room. The door to her room opened, revealing her stunned mother.
“Oh, you’re awake. Get dressed,” her mother said. She left after throwing Louvette another look like she was seconding guessing that she was truly Louvette. Louvette never woke up earlier than her mother, if it was her own choice.
Louvette exhaled audibly and got ready. Her clothes consisted of skinny jeans, a yellow tunic with white embroidery, and pair of brown suede short boots. She would wait until later to open the box from Arsen rather than risk her mother walking in on her.
Chapter 7
That morning Louvette stepped outside to a heavy foot of snow on the ground. More was continuing to powder the earth. Everything was blindingly white.
“Mom, when did it start snowing?” Louvette asked.
“Sometime late in the night. It wasn’t snowing when I went to sleep,” her mother said after popping her head through the door to confirm her daughter’s words.
“I love it. I can’t believe it snowed at the beginning of September,” Louvette told her, taking in what Mother Nature had done overnight. She walked to the end of the porch and scooped some into her hands. It was the softest snow she had ever felt. Living in the southern states had made her snow interactions few and far between. It was usually hard as well due to the consistency of more ice than snow.
She couldn’t believe that Labor Day was right around the corner. It would be a snowy celebration instead of the usual grilling out that Louvette and her mother did at the local park.