by Ovidia Pike
I shifted when I got outside and was about to start toward the woods when I paused, glimpsing something standing just within the trees. It was a man, pale, and I couldn’t make out his features before he turned and started off into the trees. I paused for a second before trotting after him, keeping my steps quiet as I passed into the woods. He moved swiftly ahead of me, seeming to glide, like he wasn’t touching the ground at all. I felt fear shiver through me when he stopped and darted behind a tree, and peering at him, my heart stopping in my chest when I saw that he had no face, only a blank white mask where it should have been. He didn’t seem to see me, and I felt lucky as he turned and started moving again. I followed him for a long time, well away from the territory of the wolf village, until we arrived at the base of one of the foothills close to the mountain. The tall man slipped inside a crevice, a narrow entrance to a cave. I followed behind him, peering inside, a lump forming in my throat when I saw what was in there. There were dozens of people, some of them as rotted as the wolves that had surrounded me, all of them standing in rows, crowded together in the cave. They didn’t speak or move, only stared at the thin man with blank, obedient eyes.
“Hello, my children,” the man said. “I brought someone here to meet you.”
The feeling of coldness shivered through me as I tried to duck away, but it was too late—the faceless man gave me that blank look over his shoulder, gesturing to me with one finger.
“Come here, Samuel,” he said. “Come meet my friends.”
“No, thanks,” I said, but found myself drawn forward beyond my will.
“Samuel, you have killed many of my children,” the faceless man said. “Too many. I don’t like it.”
“They’re not children, they’re walking corpses,” I said to him, trying to keep my voice from shaking. The truth was, I had never felt so much fear as I did in that moment standing there, looking out at the murderous monsters I’d encountered so many times in the woods beyond the village.
“Wrong,” the faceless man replied, his voice stony and cold. “They’re more than that. They will cause the destruction of that entire village by the time I’m finished with it.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. The man put a hand on my shoulder and gripped it tightly, squeezing so hard that it was painful. I tore away from him, backing up.
“There’s not much you can do about it,” the man said. “You’re not going to make it out of this alive. You have to be punished, and I have no use for you unless you are dead.”
“Try me,” I warned him, standing up tall. He reached forward, tried to grab my throat with his hand but I parried it aside and quickly landed a sweeping kick to his knee, sending him collapsing to the ground. He let out a strange, strangled noise as he tried to climb to his feet, but I kicked him hard in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him. I noticed the dead drawing closer, so I turned to run through the crack of the cave, barely making it out before I was frozen to the spot just on the other side. I tried as hard as I could to move, struggling within my body, but I was held fast to the spot. I could feel the faceless man drawing up behind me.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said, circling me so that he could look at my face. “Now I’m going to use teeth.”
There was nothing I could do but watch in horror as the man’s face opened up, a massive black hole. His jaw seemed to unhinge as he drew closer to me, but as he started to lift me into the air to drop into his mouth, I caught a glimpse of someone drawing near. I saw that it was Camilla, and didn’t have time to breathe before she’d lunged forward and shoved the spear right into the center of the faceless man, who instantly burst into a hundred crows that took off cawing angrily. I suddenly jerked forward, the spell broken, but managed to catch myself. I heard movement behind me and realized that the dead were pouring through the crack and toward us.
“Let’s go,” I said to Camilla, grabbing her hand, beginning to run as fast as I could through the trees. She let go of me but was hot on my heels as we went, not slowing down, hearing the growling of wolves behind us. She started to gain on me, long legs carrying her so fast that she was flying through the trees ahead of me. I had to shift to keep up with her, the wolves growing even closer, until we passed the line into the wolf territory and they all froze, colliding into each other before they reached it, unable to pass. I stopped and shifted back, trying to catch my breath, and noticed that she had stopped and was staring at me with an unreadable expression.
“I didn’t know you were a wolf,” she said.
“Did you think I was human? I told you my brother lived in the village.”
“Yes, I thought you were human. I...didn’t make the connection.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint.”
She said nothing in response but turned away from me and started to head toward the village.
“Wait,” I said, jogging to her, touching her arm to turn her around. She shivered and pulled away from me, meeting my eye.
“That’s the second time you’ve saved my life,” I said to her. She shrugged.
“I saw you were in trouble and thought I should help.”
“Have you ever seen that thing before?” I asked her. “The man without a face?”
“No,” she replied. “No, I haven’t. What did he say?”
“The zombie things are his. I think he’s...building an army or something. He says he’s going to take over the village.”
“I see,” she said, not looking at all alarmed or afraid of what had just happened. I stared at her for a long moment, wondering who she was, what her history was like, what made her so quiet and reserved.
“What are you looking at?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet,” I responded. “I’m wondering that myself.”
“Well, stop wondering,” she stated, turning away again. I started to follow her, staying quiet, realizing that she obviously didn’t want to talk. I paused before we got to the village.
“Thank you,” I said. She didn’t say anything, but kept walking, and I watched her until she entered the village before turning away to find a place to camp for the night.
[Preview] Chapter 3: Gabriel
I walked aimlessly through the woods for a long time, glancing at the path where Sophie would be pulling up at any moment. I didn’t know what I would do when she got there—if I would hide in the trees just to catch a glimpse of her pulling up in the Jeep or if I’d actually speak to her this time. I had other things to do and deal with, but I’d been passing them off to Jackson and Harley, and instead wandering through the woods, waiting for the right time to approach her. We hadn’t spoken since I’d promised not to touch her or make my feelings known; I knew she was avoiding me, and the thought gave me an ache in the pit of my stomach.
I kept walking until I heard a noise behind me, a soft curse. I pivoted to see a man standing there, eyes wide, pausing for only an instant before he shifted and started to run through the trees. I shifted as well, starting to chase him, running as quickly as I could until I caught up with him several yards away, jumping on his back, shifting back into human form and wrapping my arms around his body. I lifted him into the air and slammed him hard against a tree, so hard that his head bounced against it and he was immediately knocked out cold. He slumped in my arms as his body turned back to human. I grumbled and lifted him up, slinging him over my shoulder as I started back to the village. I didn’t recognize him at all, which meant that he was intruding on territory that had long belonged to my family.
I started to walk when I heard the Jeep pull up behind me, and I looked over my shoulder to see Sophie coming toward me, hands on her hips.
“Who is that?” she asked.
“An intruder,” I said, turning away, starting to walk into the village again. I could hear Sophie jogging to catch up until she was right beside me.
“Did you knock that man out, Gabriel?” she asked.
“Yes, I did. Now I’m going to lock him up. Tomorrow, I will decide wheth
er or not to have him executed.”
“I’m sorry?” Sophie said, stepping in front of me, abruptly cutting me off. “Executed?”
“Men are not allowed on my land, not in this village.”
“So you want to kill him?” she asked incredulously as I sidestepped her and began to walk again.
“Yes,” I replied simply.
“Gabriel, you don’t even know him.”
“Neither do you,” I countered. “What’s the issue?”
“You’re not a monster. You can’t just go around killing people for being on your land. That’s not who you are.”
I let out a dry laugh.
“Yes, it is, Sophie,” I said. She glared at me, stepped in my way again, chin tilted upward in defiance.
“Let him go. Take him to the medical hut; his head is bleeding.”
“No,” I said flatly, but found that I couldn’t move with her standing in front of me. I could only stare at her face, screwed up in irritation.
“Let me pass,” I said in a low voice.
“Not unless you promise to take him to the medical hut instead of the outhouse.”
“I will not do that,” I growled at her. “He will be locked up until tomorrow when he will answer my questions. I’ll decide what to do with him then.”
“You cannot be serious,” she said, cutting me off again. This time, I put my hand on her shoulder and moved her firmly aside, brushing past her. I heard a clicking noise behind me and looked over my shoulder to see Sophie pointing her handgun at my leg, a serious look on her face.
“You don’t seriously think that I believe you’re going to shoot me, do you?”
“Do I look like I’m joking around?” she asked, staring at me with heat in her eyes. “I will shoot you in the leg and bring Alicia out here to take care of you both. I’m not kidding.”
I stared at her for a long moment, giving her a dry look before turning around. I heard the gun go off behind me and felt the bullet graze the top of my foot, missing me by less than an inch. I froze and Sophie caught up with me, grabbing my hand, leading me like a child to the medical hut. I grumbled on the way but something inside of me lit up when she touched my skin, and the only reason I went along with her was because my mind seemed to go blank due to the contact, overwhelmed by the electricity that flowed through me. I walked behind her, unable to keep myself from brushing her wrist with my thumb. She glared at me over her shoulder even as our fingers linked, fitting so naturally together that I almost forgot the man I was carrying altogether.
When we reached the medical hut, Sophie knocked, and Alicia answered looking half-asleep.
“See, we woke her up,” I said. Sophie shot me an annoyed look, then turned back to Alicia.
“I’m so sorry, Alicia, but this man needs to be looked at. His head is bleeding. Gabriel knocked him out.”
“It’s fine,” Alicia said with a yawn, gesturing for us to follow her inside. She flipped the light on as I laid the man down on the exam table, and a look of recognition passed over her face.
“Where did you find this man?” she asked, looking up at me.
“Trespassing in the woods,” I said. “Why? Do you know him?”
“His name is Sam. He...saved Jackson’s life. After he was bitten by the zombie wolf. I—I couldn’t do it. I was so pregnant and stressed. Sam carried Jackson in here and took care of the wound, said he had been a medic in the army.”
“He’s in the army,” I said in a cold voice. “That makes him dangerous. That means he’s trained.”
“No, no,” Alicia said hurriedly. “He’s a good man. He saved Jackson. He would have died if this one hadn’t come out of the woods to help him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” I asked her in irritation.
“Because she knew you’d overreact,” Sophie said.
“Did you know about this?”
“No,” she said. “But I wouldn’t have told you, either.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “After she sees to him, he goes to the outhouse.”
“He should spend the night here,” Alicia said as she peered more closely at the man’s skull. “He’s probably got a concussion, at the very least.”
“No,” I said firmly. “There’s no way I’m letting him free. He’ll disappear before I get to question him.”
“Gabriel,” Sophie said stiffly. “Can I see you outside?”
“Okay,” I acquiesced, leaving Alicia alone and following her out. She turned to look at me with her hands on her hips.
“What is wrong with you?” she asked. “Alicia says he’s safe. He’s fine to stay here.”
“No,” I said again. She straightened herself up, but still had to tilt her face to look defiantly into my eyes.
“You will let him stay here,” she said slowly. “Got it?”
“You’re not the boss here, Sophie. I am the Alpha.”
“You’re acting like a gross alpha male right now,” she said. “You’re right. Just because you feel threatened by him doesn’t mean he deserves to die.”
“Stop,” I growled at her, taking a step toward her. She backed into the wall, still glaring at me through narrowed lids.
“Or else what?” she asked.
“Or else I’m going to shut you up myself,” I said.
“Is that a threat?” she asked as I leaned into her, brushing my lips over her cheek and her jaw, making her tremble in front of me.
“Yes,” I answered, taking her mouth in a rough kiss, unable to stop myself. I tasted her feverishly, arms going to her hips, pulling her against me as she parted her lips to slip her tongue against mine, tasting me back. Her fingers went to my hair, curling in it, holding my face close as she breathed heavily against my lips. I tried to pull away from her, but she shook her head, pulled me to her again, and the kiss went on and on as I slipped my hands up her shirt to touch her bare waist, the soft, warm skin there. Despite what was happening around me, I had never felt more alive than I did in that moment, touching her skin, tasting her perfect mouth. My cock grew when her body started to rub against mine as if she was desperate to remove the fabric between our skin, just as desperate as I was.
“You have no idea how good and long I would fuck you if I could,” I said against her lips. “No fucking clue.”
“Too bad you’re too chickenshit,” she said, challenging me. “Isn’t that right?”
I pulled back to look her in the eye, the corner of my lips twitching into a smile.
“You talk so tough, Sophie. You always have something to say. But when it comes right down to it, you want it even worse than I do. I can see it all over your face.”
“Shut up,” she mumbled, pulling her eyes away from me. I took her jaw in my hand and pulled her to me, kissing her again. I held her against me for a long time, feeling her heart race against my chest. We broke apart only when the door opened and Alicia cleared her throat.
“I see you’ve worked things out,” she said with a smirk when I turned my eyes from Sophie to her.
“We haven’t,” Sophie said, pulling away from me, that determined and angry look on her face again as if the kiss hadn’t happened or affected her at all.
“He’s awake,” Alicia said. “He just woke up.”
“Good,” I said, sweeping past her back into the medical hut. Sophie hurried behind me, catching up so that she could stand beside his bed as if guarding him. The man gave her a charming smile and a nod.
“Evening, ma’am,” he said to her.
“Hi,” she said. “You’re Sam.”
“I am,” he said, turning his eyes to me. “And you are the Alpha.”
“Gabriel Alarick,” I said to him. “What are you doing on my land?”
“I came to find my brother,” Sam said. “He went missing. I haven’t heard from him in months.”
“Who is your brother?” Sophie asked. I let her ask the questions, studying the man as he answered. There was still a smile on his face as he lo
oked at her, and I found myself stepping forward and closer to her, slipping between her and Sam. Sam lifted an eyebrow at me.
“She’s gorgeous, friend. But not my type.”
“I’m not your friend,” I said to him. He nodded.
“Fair enough, sir,” he said. “Like I said, I’m just here to find my brother.”
“What’s his name?” Sophie asked.
“Stan Wolf. Stanley. I—his wife and I called him Stanley.”
I exchanged a glance with Alicia, who gave Sam a sympathetic look.
“Your brother is dead,” I said to him coldly. “He has been for months.”
For a moment, Sam didn’t speak. He put his hand to his chest as if he’d been punched there, as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He swallowed hard and gave another nod.
“Did he die like the others? Become one of those...things?” he asked.
“How do you know about those?” I asked him.
“I’ve been out past your woods for months, back and forth. They’re everywhere just outside your borders.”
“How are you not dead?” Alicia asked. “Jackson almost died after one bite.”
“I can fight them. I know how to fight them,” he said. “Gotta get them in the brain.”
“Of course you do,” I said, feeling my temper rising. “Have you also been lurking in my woods?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “I’m sorry, I know I’m not welcome here, but—”
“Did your brother tell you anything about me, Sam?” I asked him.
“He said you were one mean bastard,” Sam said. Sophie laughed.
“That’s him, alright,” she said.
“Sophie—”
“Did my brother die like the others?” Sam asked, cutting me off.
“No,” I said. “Your brother was mauled by a lion shifter.”