Ulrik released him and Joey changed quickly into a wolf.
“Oh my gods,” Cheryl said, her eyes wide as she stared into the trees.
Ulrik saw John Redleaf in his bear form, less than thirty yards away, standing on his hind legs. The massive bruin swatted away a leaping wolf, then let out another angry roar. His dark eyes found the trio at the edge of the forest and he dropped to all fours again and charged forward. A wolf clung to his back and another was trampled under his massive paws as he raced forward.
“Run!” Cheryl screamed.
Ulrik snapped at Joey. The young wolf leapt forward and ran full speed toward the house. Ulrik looked from the fleeing wolf to the charging bear.
“Go!” Cheryl screamed again. She melted back to her golden wolf shape and went to meet John Redleaf’s attack.
Ulrik ran, coming to within a few paces of Joey’s tail, but staying just behind the boy. He howled a warning as he ran, hoping Shara and Thomas would recognize it. Then he heard a new sound behind him.
Ulrik turned his head and saw an old red four-wheel-drive Ford pickup racing from the trees toward the house along the driveway. A man’s arm protruded from the passenger side, a black pistol in his hand. Three wolves ran behind the truck, staying out of the pistol’s line of fire.
The house was close. Shara and Thomas were in the yard. Shara saw them and ran toward them. Thomas came after her, keeping his eyes fixed on the approaching truck.
Joey stopped and changed shape, then ran to his mother, screaming in fear. He launched himself at her and she caught him in her arms, his momentum knocking her off her feet so that they rolled over on the ground.
The baby!
The red pickup left the driveway and came straight at them.
“Is it Fenris?” Shara asked.
“Shit! It’s Kiona,” Thomas called.
The pickup skidded to a stop. Ulrik positioned himself between the vehicle and Shara as Thomas came to stand beside him.
Chris Woodman stepped out of the truck first, his gun pointed at Ulrik.
I was not ready. I delayed, and now there will be death and sadness.
Ulrik growled and bared his fangs at the gun.
Joey
“Dad!” Joey pushed at his mom’s shoulders, trying to break free. “Let me go! Let me go!” he screamed, pushing and squirming.
“No, Joey, don’t.”
He bit her on the shoulder as hard as he could. She cried out in pain and he used the moment to push away. Joey ran past Ulrik and saw his dad squatting to receive him with open arms. “Dad!” He threw himself into the embrace, locking his arms round his father’s neck as the man stood up, his own arms encircling him. Joey felt safer than he’d felt in a long, long time.
“Joey,” Chris said, and Joey could tell he was about to cry. “I was afraid I’d never see you again, guy.”
“Mom said you were dead,” Joey sobbed, his face pressed against Chris’s collar. “She said you were dead and that Thomas would be my new dad.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Chris said. “I’m here now.”
“Joey, come here,” Shara called.
Joey didn’t look at her. He tightened his arms around Chris’s neck.
“I don’t think he wants to come back to you,” Chris said.
“I’m his mother.”
“And I’m his father. Maybe I’m not part of your werewolf prophecy, but that doesn’t change the fact that Joey is my son.”
Joey heard the bear approaching a moment before he smelled the animal. He peeked under his dad’s chin and saw the bear shambling toward them. He pulled at his dad’s neck. “Dad, it’s a bear.”
“I know, Joey. That’s John Redleaf,” Chris said. “You remember him?”
“Aunt Kiona!” Joey called, turning his head the other way to find the Indian woman standing next to him. She smiled at him and he smiled back.
“Joey! She’s not your aunt,” Shara said.
“Look at them, Chris,” Aunt Kiona said. “Standing side by side against you.”
“I see it,” Chris said.
Joey wasn’t sure what to make of the tone in his father’s voice. He sounded mad. Then his dad shifted him around so that Joey was supported on Chris’s left arm. Joey saw that his dad’s right arm held a black gun pointed at Ulrik.
“Don’t shoot Ulrik,” Joey said. “He’s the only one who’s been nice to me since Aunt Kiona left.”
“Joey, that’s not true,” Shara said. “Weren’t we just eating ice cream today?”
“You only like him now,” Joey accused, pointing at Thomas.
“That’s not true!” Shara said.
“Tell me about it, Joey,” Chris said. “Who is that man?”
“Mom’s boyfriend. She kisses him and now she’s going to have a baby.”
There was a long moment of silence and Joey knew he’d said something that was going to start a fight. Behind and beside his father, John Redleaf sat on his haunches and huffed loudly. All around them, wolves had come to stand in a half-circle. Joey saw that several of them were badly wounded and bleeding. He knew that John Redleaf had done that. He wondered if they would die. Then he looked back to the gun in his father’s hand.
“Dad, are you going to kill Ulrik?” Joey asked. “And him?” He pointed to Thomas again.
“No, Joey,” Shara said. “You father isn’t going to kill anyone.”
“Shut up, Shara,” Chris said. “Just shut up. I can think and speak for myself. And I haven’t decided yet. Are you pregnant?”
“Don’t do this, Chris,” Shara said. “Don’t do it, not in front of Joey. Let’s go inside and talk.”
“Answer the fucking question, Shara.”
“Put Joey down.”
“Answer the fucking question!”
“Yes, Chris. Yes. I’m pregnant. I thought you were dead.”
Joey saw his mom crying again. Her face was all scrunched up and she wiped at her nose with a shaky hand. Her shirt was bright red with blood from where he’d bit her on the shoulder. “Please don’t fight,” he said.
“We’re leaving, Joey,” Chris said.
“What about Mom?”
“I don’t think she wants to come with us.”
“Mom? Are you coming with us?” Joey asked, looking from his father to his mother.
Between them, Ulrik growled, baring his fangs at Chris. Joey knew the tone of that growl. It meant Ulrik was ready to fight. Behind him, he heard the bear get to its feet. The wolves around them shifted and growled and snarled.
“This is all about me, isn’t it?” Joey asked. “Because I’m supposed to be the king of the werewolves.”
“Shh,” Chris said. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore. Let’s get in the truck.”
Ulrik stepped forward, snarling. Chris pointed the gun at him. Ulrik stopped, but glared at Chris.
“You started all this, Professor,” Chris said. “Keep the little slut you turned into a werewolf if you want, but my son is coming with me.”
“Mom?” Joey called.
“Joey, stay here,” Shara said.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Your father doesn’t want me to,” Shara said. “Listen to him. Do you hear how angry he is? You don’t want to be with him when he’s like that.”
“Shut up!” Chris yelled. “Shut the hell up! Don’t you dare try to turn my boy against me.”
“Mo-om?” Joey called again.
“Go with him, lass,” Thomas said quietly, bringing everyone’s attention to him. “You cannot leave your boy.”
“No,” Shara said.
As Joey watched, she reached down and took hold of Thomas’s hand. He felt his father’s arm tighten around him. “Please, Mom,” he begged. “Come with us.”
“Come on, Chris,” Aunt Kiona said. “She’s made up her mind. McGrath is more important to her than you or Joey.”
“Look at them,” Chris said, his voice a snarl. “Holding hands like school
kids.” He stepped backward, toward the open door of the truck. When he tried to put Joey inside, the boy clung to his neck, fighting him.
“Mom!” Joey yelled. “Come with us.”
“I want you to stay here, Joey,” Shara answered. “Stay here. Tell your father you want to stay here.”
“It’s not for the boy to decide!” someone yelled. Joey saw a naked man standing among the wolves. “He is the Alpha. His destiny is – ”
The man flopped to the ground seemingly at the same moment Joey heard the gunshot. His father had moved quickly, raising the gun and firing in one smooth motion. Joey looked from the gun to the human body laying among the wolves.
Then he heard Ulrik attack.
Ulrik
Ulrik made for Chris’s legs, planning to hamstring him and bring him down, but not kill him. But John Redleaf was too fast. The bear’s massive paw connected with one side of Ulrik’s head and slapped him hard enough the other side of his head was slammed into the fender of the pickup.
Then the yard erupted in chaos as other wolves rushed to his aid.
Ulrik shook his head to clear it. His ears rang and blood flowed from deep wounds in his head where the bear’s claws had sunk into the flesh. He saw John Redleaf’s bear body covered in wolves. Some wolves were flung away, others slapped down, but they came back, dripping blood, fangs bared. Ulrik looked for Joey and found that Chris was in the truck and had the boy with him. He was aiming his gun through the open window.
Ulrik sprang for the exposed arm, but his aim was off because of the pain in his head. His jaws missed Chris’s forearm. His head, however, hit Chris’s arm and sent his shot over the melee taking place beside the truck. Ulrik fell to the ground and rolled. He got to his feet and saw Chris aiming the gun at him. Ulrik darted under the truck as a slug kicked up dirt where he’d been standing.
He came out the other side of the truck to find Thomas and Shara battling with Kiona. Thomas had Kiona’s left arm and Shara had her right. Kiona’s form shifted to the in-between stage. She shook her right arm, disengaging Shara, then she slapped Shara across the side of her head. Shara staggered away and fell, distracting Thomas. Kiona pounded him in the face twice with her free hand and he went down.
“Bitch!” Kiona shrieked. She started for Shara.
Ulrik pounced at her, slashing her left calf with his fangs. Kiona screamed and turned on him. Ulrik heard Chris yelling at her to get in the truck between pops from his gun. Wolves and humans cried out in pain as his silver slugs found marks.
I was unprepared. Despite years of planning, I was unprepared for this attack.
Ulrik stepped away from the truck, giving Kiona a clear path to her open driver’s door. She gave him a final look, then jumped into the cab.
“No!” Shara screamed, scrambling to her feet as the truck’s engine roared to life. She jumped at the hood as Kiona put the truck in reverse. For a moment, Ulrik was sure Kiona would come back to run Shara down, but she kept the truck backing away. Joey’s small face stared through the windshield, his expression a mask of horror as his mother fell to the ground again, screaming his name over and over.
The bear roared in anger and Ulrik felt his rational thoughts snap. John Redleaf rose on his hind legs, the broken bodies of Ulrik’s friends around him. Ulrik let out his own roar and lunged at the bear’s throat. This time he didn’t miss. His jaws snapped shut and he tasted the gout of blood that filled his mouth and washed down his throat. The bear roared again, but this time it was a cry of pain. He dropped to all fours and shook himself, but Ulrik kept his grip. John stood again, tearing at Ulrik’s body with his long, razor sharp claws. Ulrik closed his eyes against the pain, focusing instead on the slowing pace of the blood pumping from the bear’s throat. John lowered himself again, then fell over on his side, pinning Ulrik beneath him. His roar now was only an animal moan.
Ulrik released the grip he had on the bear’s throat and tried to push himself from beneath John Redleaf’s weight. He couldn’t do it.
Then Ulrik heard a human battle cry. He was able to see Thomas McGrath’s feet approaching, then there was a wet thunk and something struck the body of the bear on top of Ulrik. The bear groaned. Thomas roared again. Ulrik pushed with all his strength and was able to get away from John in time to see Thomas strike the bear with the axe he’d retrieved from the stump where they chopped firewood. The axe bit into John Redleaf’s spine and broke it.
The bear gave one final cry, then melted into the form of the naked Cherokee Indian, his head clinging to his torso by a thread of flesh. The remaining wolves backed away.
Ulrik’s vision was turning dark. He was aware of streamers of blood running from his body.
“Come back, you bastard!” Shara screamed.
Ulrik turned his head and found Shara. He followed her gaze and saw that the truck was still in the yard.
The gun. Woodman is pointing the gun at me again.
He saw the gun jerk in Chris’s hand at the same time his own strength gave out and he fell forward. There was a burning sensation just behind his shoulders. The impact caused him to stagger. He knew the bullet had just grazed him and was not embedded in his flesh, but the pain was incredible. A burning sensation raced through his blood. His muscles tightened and he fell over.
Silver! Silver bullets.
Saliva flowed from his mouth and he couldn’t close it. He tried, and numbly felt the pressure of his teeth biting into his tongue.
This is death.
Blackness, like a thick veil, blocked his vision of the outside world.
Ulrik
“Noooooooo!” Shara screamed. She watched Ulrik fall, saw the bullet tear a bloody trail across his back, and then her mentor toppled over and stopped moving.
The remaining wolves froze in their tracks, all eyes fixed on their fallen leader.
The truck’s engine roared. The rear tires threw dirt and grass behind it and the vehicle sped away. Shara pulled her gaze from Ulrik and watched as her husband and son left with the Indian woman. She slowly sank to her knees. Then Thomas was at her side.
“I can’t breathe,” she gasped. “I can’t breathe. Ulrik?”
“I don’t know,” Thomas said as he squatted beside her. He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently, then harder. “Look at me,” he demanded.
Shara forced her eyes to focus on his face.
“Come back, Shara. We need you. Don’t panic,” Thomas said. “We can regroup and get Joey back.”
“Get him back,” Shara repeated, nodding dumbly. Thomas shook her again and Shara’s head flopped on her shoulders, then she stiffened her neck and nodded again. “Okay, okay,” she said.
“Are you all right?” Thomas asked.
“Yes. What about Ulrik?”
“Let’s see.”
Most of the surviving werewolves had returned to human form and were huddled around Ulrik. “He’s dying,” someone said.
“Those were silver bullets,” another added.
Shara pushed her way through. “Go after that truck,” she ordered. “Some as humans, some as wolves. I want to know where they go. Stay with them. Call back here and report every fucking move they make.”
They all stared at her, then the woman named Cheryl spoke. She bore deep scratches from the bear’s claws across her chest and one thigh. “The Mother has spoken,” she said. “She will lead us now. Let’s go!” Cheryl returned to her wolf form and raced after the truck.
“Half a dozen of you stay here and guard the road,” Shara called as others began to follow Cheryl. “You,” she said, grabbing the arm of a muscular man. “Help us get Ulrik inside.”
As the rest of the werewolves retreated, Thomas and the other man lifted Ulrik’s body and carried him toward the house. Shara opened doors and gave instructions, helping as she could. They carried the wolf upstairs and lay him on his bed.
“What’s your name?” Shara asked the man as they stepped away from the bed.
“Gunther,” t
he man answered. He had a thick German accent.
“Gunther, I want you to take charge of security around the house,” Shara said. She looked at Thomas. He nodded. “Find whoever stayed behind and organize them. We’re going to be short-handed and won’t be able to watch the entire area like we were. We have to focus on the road. Report back to me when you know how many are left. I want to know who is badly wounded. Understand?”
“Ya,” Gunther said, nodding.
Shara put a hand on his arm and squeezed lightly. “Thank you. Go on, now. Be careful.”
Gunther hurried out of the room and Shara heard him flying down the stairs.
“The Mother has assumed her role as a leader of the Pack,” Thomas remarked quietly.
Shara burst into tears. “Ulrik can’t die,” she wailed. Then Thomas had her in his arms, squeezing her tight against him. He started to say something, then stopped.
“We’re not alone,” he said.
Shara followed his gaze and found a massive gray wolf standing in the doorway of the bedroom.
Chris
“Stop it!” Chris yelled. “Sit down, Joey.” He strained to hold the boy in the front seat between himself and Kiona. The Indian woman shot him a withering look.
“I want Mom!” Joey wailed.
“Joey!” Kiona shouted to be heard. “Your mother doesn’t love you. Your father and I are taking you somewhere you’ll always be loved.”
“Shut up!” Chris yelled. “Don’t say that shit to him.”
“Mooo-oom!” Joey screamed.
Kiona brought the truck to a skidding halt on the dirt track, throwing Chris and Joey against the dashboard. Chris bumped his head on the windshield before falling back into his seat. “What are you doing?” he asked, rubbing the bump. For the moment, Joey was quiet.
“I need you to be paying attention when we go through Las Sombras,” Kiona said. “They may know what happened at Ulrik’s and they may try to stop us. We’re not stopping.”
Ulrik Page 31