by Lou Grimes
The question continued to burn Louvette’s tongue until the words could no longer be held back.
“What do you think my Gift is?” she asked. Her thoughts were going a mile a minute at what she might be able to do.
“I don’t know, but I have been watching for signs. Sometimes, it’s generational, so that is the sign I’m looking for,” Arsen reassured her.
“What were my dad and grandfather’s Gifts?” Louvette grilled.
“Your father’s was fire, like mine. It is common among the Lupine. Your grandfather’s was water,” Arsen filled her in. Louvette nodded, taking that information in stride after everything that she had learned.
“No wonder they got along so well,” Louvette said sardonically. Arsen nodded. He knew her family history better than she did, after all. Before she could think of another question, Arsen spoke.
“All right, enough information overload. Let’s get a couple more rounds in.” Arsen changed the topic to lighten Louvette’s mood and, Louvette believed, to not overwhelm her.
After that, they both practiced together. The two of them traded tips on how to get better. Once training was over, it was time to head home. She’d promised she’d be back to have lunch with her mom. After a small makeout session, they packed up and drove their separate ways.
She got to their house in a hurry. A flurry of savory smells bombarded her as opened the door. She knew her mom was in the kitchen cooking.
“Hey, how was your date last night?” she quizzed her mother to keep the topic off herself. The question brought a quick smile from her mom.
“It was great. We went to this Italian place that played romantic music. We danced until they had to close. How was Cara’s?” her mom asked.
“It was just what I needed. We laughed, we cried, and we binged junk food,” she responded, pretending to busy herself in the fridge. Louvette pulled out a green tea and started to help her mother cook as best she could. Once the food was ready, Louvette’s dinner was finished in no time, but her mother hadn’t even started on hers.
It was such a highly uncommon occurrence that Louvette gave her mother her full attention.
Her mother caught her staring and did a small smile.
“You know when your dad was around, I never noticed Thomas before,” Sarah said.
Louvette stilled at this rare mention of Declan, her father.
“Declan must have been a real wildfire, Mom. I bet it was hard to notice anything else,” Louvette soothed her mom. The word Declan seemed odd on her tongue, but she wasn’t about to call him Father in front of her mother.
“He really was. Thomas is the complete opposite. He’s grounded and refined,” Sarah offered her thoughts.
Louvette couldn’t help but pause. Arsen had told her that Mr. Hollows had been tried for treason, but never found guilty. Her dream came to mind as well of the wolf, leaving the other behind after being saved from the pursing pack. Since she had no proof, she chose her mother’s possible happiness.
“Isn’t that just what you need? Maybe you should give him a chance.” Louvette said her mother, not really expecting an answer. Her mother gave her a smile like Louvette’s words were just the medicine she needed and Louvette was even more happy that she had said that.
***
The lunch was so satisfying, and she was happy that she and her mother had an actual conversation about Declan and Mr. Hollows. She went to her room to slip into a food coma, but a stroke of genius struck her as she lay in bed. She sat up and texted Arsen.
Louvette: Hey, do you think Garrett would go on a double date with us and Cara?
Arsen: I don’t know, let me ask him.
A couple minutes went past while she waited for two responses. She hoped she could do Cara a solid like she had done for herself.
Arsen: He said yes.
Louvette: Great. I want to surprise her.
Arsen: Does tomorrow night sound good? I know he will be back in time to go.
Louvette: I’ll ask Cara.
She flipped through her messages and found Cara’s name.
Louvette: Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow night as a thank you for covering for me?
Cara: Yes! Please save me from the horrible boredom that crushes my life.
Louvette: I’ll see you tomorrow.
Cara: I can’t wait!
Switching back to Arsen, she let him know that the plan was about to be implemented.
Louvette: She said she’d love too! This is going to be great. Thank you, Arsen.
Arsen: No problem, baby. I live to serve.
Louvette: Good night!
Arsen: Good night, Winter.
She ignored the winter reference knowing he was teasing her about her coat. She was blindingly white. Louvette’s wolf stuck out like a sore thumb at the moment, but come the snow, she’d have the best camouflage ever.
Regardless of the name calling, she couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
Chapter 11
The girls met in the parking lot at the movies the following day. The boys had planned to arrive in a separate car so Cara didn’t realize what was going on. Louvette planned it so that they could have enough time to tell Cara about her date.
Cara’s heels clicked the floor on their way to the entrance of the theaters. During the walk, Louvette revealed that she had used Cara as an excuse to be around Arsen. She didn’t tell her about the furry part. She did confess that they had spent the night together and shared a few hot kisses. Cara’s squeals took a second to subside.
“So, did you two do the deed yesterday?” Cara asked. Louvette’s jaw hit the floor at Cara’s words. She couldn’t believe that she had asked that.
“What? No!” Louvette denied, completely outraged after sputtering from irk for a few seconds.
“Don’t get mad. I haven’t known you long enough to know whether you were easy or not,” Cara teased, realizing full well that Louvette had never given an inkling to that.
“Well, thanks for assuming that I’m friendly,” Louvette mocked back, making fake quotation marks in the air as she enunciated the word.
“You’re welcome! So, what chick flick do you want to see?” Cara asked brightly, glancing at the handful of movie titles that came from being in a small town.
“No one mentioned chick flicks. I’m vetoing that right now,” a gruff voice called from behind them.
Arsen and Garrett were walking toward them. Both were dressed up handsomely. Louvette blasted a million-watt smile at Cara.
Cara leaned over and punched Louvette with everything she had. The punch seemed like it went bone deep. Much to her surprise after shifting, Louvette’s pain level had remained the same.
“Ow. What was that for?” Louvette punched back, equally as strong.
“That was for not warning me,” Cara said, but Louvette could see the truth in her eyes that she was secretly pleased. Her mouth was attempting to not tilt up.
“No sense of gratitude whatsoever. Besides, you would have changed clothes a billion times. You look like a 10, as always,” Louvette said.
“Thank you,” Cara mouthed, so Garrett wouldn’t see it. Louvette smiled back at the display of gratitude.
They settled for an action movie to appease the guys and secretly Louvette. Thankfully, the guys were here, because Louvette hated chick flicks, and she doubted that she would tell Cara that because she wanted her friend to have a good time.
Once the movie was over, all of them went to the restroom. Unfortunately for the guys, the line was long. Thanks to the action movie, the moviegoer population was mostly male. Louvette was the first one out because she didn’t have to fix her makeup like Cara needed to.
The smell of hot popcorn was a delectable one, but Louvette still sensed the need to be somewhere else. She half wondered if it was her wolf desiring to stretch its legs. So, she strolled outside for some fresh air.
“Hey, Blackwood,” someone shouted in a voice that made her neck crawl. She knew who it was befor
e she ever laid eyes on him as he walked toward her.
“How do you know that name? Aren’t you some big-time investigator? Don’t you have anything better than to stalk teenage girls at movies?” Louvette demanded.
“I asked around. Not really much of an investigation when all you have are two sets of women’s shoes to go off of. I was actually looking for your little boyfriend,” he said while baring his teeth like a shark at her.
Louvette stilled herself from revealing anything through body language that she shouldn’t.
“What do you need him for?” she asked, blankly.
“To answer a few of my questions. But I think I’ve caught on to another theory, one that makes more sense,” he leered.
Louvette opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the door slammed shut as Cara, Arsen, and Garrett came out. Garrett snagged Cara’s arm as she attempted to move to Louvette’s side. He probably didn’t want Cara over hearing something she shouldn’t. Cara looked concerned, hanging back just out of earshot. Arsen just looked pissed as he marched toward them.
“What are you doing here? Isn’t this too low profile for you?” Arsen asked loudly.
“Arsen, you’d save us all the time in the world if you just tell me why you did it. But I think I have an idea why,” he revealed. His eyes flicked to Louvette.
“Go or I’ll report you for failure to focus on your assignment,” Arsen snapped.
“Going to tell Daddy on me?” Mr. Campbell mocked.
“No, I’m going to kick your ass. I just need proof that you deserve it, so your team doesn’t conveniently put me on their hit list as a rogue,” Arsen said.
“See you soon, Ms. Blackwood,” Mr. Campbell called as he slowly stepped back. He never turned his back toward them
“What a creep! Are you okay?” Cara asked, coming to Louvette’s aid and throwing an arm around her.
“Yes, I am.” Louvette answered for her benefit. However, she was far from okay and from Arsen’s expression as he looked at her, he knew.
“Are you sure?Because will stay if I need to, but if you’re okay, I have to get home. I had fun.” Cara said goodbye, giving Garrett a sultry look and sending Louvette a concerned one.
“We did, too. Bye, Cara,” Louvette said. As Cara left, Garrett looked between Arsen and Louvette, who were trying but failing to have a silent discussion.
“I’m going to the car so you two can sort out whatever this is,” Garrett remarked, motioning his hand between them.
“Good idea,” Arsen said briskly. Garrett nodded at his words and strode off into the dimly lit parking lot. They waited for a second to be sure they wouldn’t be overheard for added insurance.
Once he was gone, Arsen leaned closer toward Louvette.
“Before you yell at me, I didn’t know I was a suspect. He never said anything,” Arsen said, as if to satisfy her desire to not be left in the dark.
“How could he tell that the shoes were mine?” she asked, hoping Arsen had an idea. Louvette was coming up blank.
“They aren’t exactly normal hiking shoes. That points to you. The new kid that just moved to Montana. The other thing that I think made him suspicious was when I made him quit talking to you at Latitude 48. Tonight, I did the same thing. But relax, he doesn’t think it’s you. He thinks I did it. I’m going to take credit for it before it gets out of hand,” he said, looking anywhere but Louvette’s face.
“What will you say when they question why you waited so long to come forward?” Louvette asked.
“I’ll say I was watching you play in the stream. I saw him before you did and attacked. The sounds made you two run. The private investigators will be called back to more important matters. Blaise will be gone,” Arsen said.
“What will happen to you?” Louvette asked.
“I don’t have any idea, Winter,” he answered honestly, his jaw clenching.
“What is Campbell’s gift?” Louvette queried.
“His gift is why no one trusts him. He can create illusions. It isn’t that common for wolves,” Arsen said.
“Will you take me to the shifter with foresight? I want to know mine,” Louvette asked softly.
“It might not do any good because he sees future gifts. Yours should already be here. It just hasn’t manifested itself, but we can try,” Arsen stated.
“Do you think he will tell anyone?” Louvette asked.
“No, he won’t even tell other pack members what the gift of the child is. Some don’t wish others to hear, usually in a case of an unusual gift. I’ll call and see if he is up for a visit,” Arsen said while stepping away and pulling out his phone.
The moon was already starting to peek out since night was coming, much to Louvette’s surprise. It was captivating.
“Please, give me some answers” she whispered, not even sure who or what she was asking for help, but still, she’d take any assistance at this point. She might as well be shaking an eight ball for answers instead of begging the moon for help.
Arsen returned to her. “We are going to meet him tomorrow after school,” he informed her, putting a comforting hand on her forearm, lightly squeezing.
“Thank you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Louvette murmured as she hugged him as tightly as possible.
“Probably get attacked by Bartholomew the Beaver,” he laughed squeezing her back. She felt like she might pop from the pressure.
They headed home before the moon got too high in the sky.
***
The next day, the two of them stood before a tiny cottage on the end of town. To Louvette, it looked like no one had lived there in years. Her thoughts must have been evident on her face.
“He is pretty old. His wife died several years ago. We take care of our own, but he doesn’t like to accept help, so we just make sure he has food, firewood, and running water,” Arsen said, taking in the lack of snow shoveling, flowerpots that showcased dead stems, and broken porch steps.
Piles of snow covered the cement path that led to the steps. The monumental nature of these steps was not lost on Louvette. Almost every wolf from the pack had been or would go up these steps, she realized.
Arsen knocked lightly three times. A voice mummed indistinctly from inside. Arsen pushed the door open gently like he knew the whole place was moments from falling apart.
They came into a small house that had tons of pictures of a woman, some kids, and various other groups of people. The furniture was sparse. A small wrinkly old man sat at a table with a cigarette burning in his hand. The man had on an old robe thrown over a white shirt and a pair of wrinkly jeans.He looked at Arsen for a second and then his eyes focused on her in a calculating manner.
“Sit down,” he instructed, waving his hand to the other seats near the table.
“You’ve met me, and this is Louvette Blackwood,” Arsen greeted, motioning to Louvette. “Louvette, this is Onain.”
The old man barked a laugh at Arsen’s words. “It would be a Blackwood. It’s always nice to be in on the joke before it drops.”
“Why would it be a Blackwood?” Arsen mused.
“They are usually too wild to control. I’m enjoying the thought of her running circles around the pack and the rest of the Lupine world,” he hinted, mirth glinting in his eyes.
Louvette was intrigued by his words. She got the impression that the Blackwoods didn’t typically follow the rules. Her mother would fall for someone like that. She knew her grandfather was pretty much a rebel. He ignored the words of his alpha and went off searching for his only son.
“Thank you for seeing us, Onain,” Arsen said to his host. As Onain continued to stare at her, Louvette met his eyes full on. She didn’t want to be seen as cowering behind Arsen, and she didn’t care if his wolf was challenged. Louvette’s throat was extremely dry when she tried to talk.
“It’s a bit early in the relationship to knock her up, don’t you think?” Onain asked.
“I’m not pregnant. I’d like you
to read my gift if you can,” Louvette said before Arsen could.
“I only see the future, kid. Not the present,” Onain pointed out bluntly, not giving her hope where there was none.
“Can’t you at least try?” she begged. Onain sighed and stared into her eyes, searching for answers as much as she was.
“I’ll try, Blackwood,” he caved. He extended his hand across the table and set his cigarette in an ash tray. She reached out her hand as well, thinking he was going to whip out a crystal ball at any time or start reading tea leaves.
With his coarse hand on the bottom and hers in the middle, he laid his remaining hand on top. His eyes slowly slid closed. From the corner of her eye, she could see Arsen watching Onain’s face intently, so she fixated on Onain’s reaction, too.
Please see something normal. Please be normal, Louvette’s mind begged with everything she had in her.
For a moment she could hear his rough voice repeating focus, but then realized his mouth was not moving when she heard those words.
His heavily wrinkled face twitched lightly at first, but then began to crinkle more tightly. His hands tightened around hers like a vise grip. His chin jutted forward sharply and then slowly his hands relaxed. His glazed eyes opened. They had changed to wolf’s eyes from the once brown ones. Now, they were an eerie gold that surrounded a giant black pupil that seemed like it would swallow someone whole if they got too close the edge. Louvette breathed as the color turned back to normal before her eyes.
“What did you see, Onain?” Arsen questioned quietly in an effort to remind him why they had come here. The old man cleared his throat and grabbed for the glass of water. His hand shook.
“I didn’t see your gift,” he informed them in an odd tone that Arsen quickly caught on to. Louvette’s hopeful heart fell.
“What did you see?” Arsen demanded again, leaning forward as if he could see it himself.
“That’s the thing, I didn’t see anything. I started to and then everything went blank,” Onain revealed shakily, sitting back heavily.His hand went to his head like it pained him. The silence was unbearable.