The bell rang. People gathered up their stuff.
Alicia waited for me by the door. “You’re going to try for editor, right?”
“I don’t know.”
“But Mr. Collins probably would have chosen you.” She followed me out into the hall.
“Maybe. I’m not sure.”
“She seems cool, don’t you think?” she said, nodding toward Ms. Wilson, who was at her desk, talking to Tom.
“Yeah, she’s fine.”
“Then you can’t let her pick some doofus who wants to write about blood and guts to be editor,” Alicia said, nudging me before heading off to her next class.
It made sense, but Alicia didn’t know the secret I was hiding, or how the town was crawling with a rival werewolf pack, or how I hoped the guy I liked wouldn’t be outright rejected by my overprotective father. It would’ve been so nice to have the newspaper be the only drama in my life.
***
That night, the doorbell rang just as I finished setting the table. I went to answer and found Dad already there, extending a hand to Morgan in the entryway. He was giving Morgan the once-over, checking him out from his rain jacket, cashmere sweater, and jeans to his motorcycle boots. Studying him the way a cop would.
“Hey,” I said, my heartbeat ratcheting up a notch. “Well, I see you guys have met.”
“Indeed.” Morgan held out a small bunch of wildflowers tied with purple ribbon. “Thanks for having me over. I couldn’t resist these from the shop on Main Street.”
I took the bouquet and inhaled the sweetness of lavender and daisies. “Thoughtful, as always.” I shot a sideways smile at my father. Morgan took off his coat and I handed it to Dad before I waved Morgan into the living room. “Come on, I think dinner’s almost ready.”
Dad remained in the entry a few seconds, making me a bit nervous. Was he sniffing Morgan’s jacket? I shuddered, trying to shake off my rising embarrassment.
“You quite sure this isn’t a mistake?” Morgan whispered as he slipped his hand into mine.
“Hey, nice to see you again.” Rose closed her math book and got up from the couch. She’d thrown on a dress and cardigan instead of the pink sweater and jeans she’d worn to school and added a sweep of sparkly gray eyeshadow, which for Rose was a big deal. Unlike Fawn, she didn’t spend a ton of time on makeup. “These are pretty. I’ll get a vase,” she said, taking the flowers from me.
“Okay, thanks.” I turned to Morgan. “Did you get a lot of work done today?”
Morgan nodded. “I sorted out Maggie’s shelves. The brackets needed to be replaced. It was surprisingly simple.”
“Doing some repairs at the coffee shop?” Dad chimed in, joining us in the living room.
“Oh, I thought I mentioned it to you. He’s helping Maggie with some home improvement projects.” I floated a smile toward Morgan.
Dad scratched at his sideburns, giving him a thoughtful look. “You’re a licensed contractor?”
“Far from it. Just helping a friend.” Morgan perched on the arm of the couch. I stood next to him, mostly for moral support, since I guessed the grilling was going to continue.
“What line of work are you in then?” Dad asked.
“Dinner’s ready!” In the formal dining room, Fawn set a large casserole dish onto a trivet. An apron decorated with daisies covered her black shirt and skirt, which she’d paired with patterned tights and boots. I smiled, noting her entire outfit was from her own wardrobe for once. “I hope you’re hungry as wolves,” she said over her shoulder as she headed back to the kitchen.
Frowning at Fawn’s comment, Rose placed a vase with the wildflower bouquet on the table. “Just so you know, we never eat in here,” she said, pulling out a chair for Morgan.
“I’m honored, then.” Morgan shot me a look of uncertainty, but after my encouraging nod, sat down at the other end of the table, opposite my dad. “Thank you for the enthusiastic welcome.”
“Yes, it was very enthusiastic.” I hoped my cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. I fiddled with the mismatched silverware, nervous now that we were all together. I could see Morgan was a bit uneasy, too.
“It’s not often we have a guest over. Being a single dad, I haven’t entertained as often as perhaps I should’ve. You probably come from a pack with more gregarious members.”
Morgan blinked at him. “I, uh—”
“And here we go!” Fawn proclaimed, returning with a bowl of green salad and a side dish of butternut squash cubes and brussel sprouts, roasted and topped with bacon tidbits. She set them on the table next to a basket of dinner rolls I’d brought home from the coffee shop. “I made pork loin for the main course,” she said, rolling back the foil on her roast, which was nestled in a bed of sauteed apples and onions. Mouthwatering aromas wafted up from everything.
“Wow,” I said, gaping at the spread.
“Brilliant,” Morgan said. “That’s about the loveliest-looking meal I’ve seen in weeks.”
“Really great job, honey.” Dad beckoned her to sit.
Fawn beamed as she removed her apron and then joined us at the table.
“We don’t have a lot of traditions,” Dad said. “Does the—ah, sorry, Morgan, what’s your surname?”
“McAllister,” he replied.
Dad held his gaze for a moment. “Does the McAllister clan have any sayings to begin a meal?”
“No sir. I’ll simply say thank you for inviting me into your home. I know the last few weeks have been difficult, but I’m so grateful to have met Lily and your family.”
I glanced between them, trying to understand the source of the distrust showing on Dad’s face. Something was brewing between him and Morgan.
When all the food was passed around the table, I relaxed a bit. The twins talked about their days at school—Fawn related drama on the cheer squad, Rose described an experiment the Science Club was working on.
“How about you, Lily?” Dad asked.
I shot a semi-embarrassed look at Morgan. The last thing I wanted to remind him of was that I was still in high school. “Um, nothing unusual.” I cut into my slice of pork with the edge of my fork.
“That’s hard to believe. Pioneer Falls High is always unusual,” Dad said. “How was Cooper yesterday?”
“Did he like the pie?” asked Fawn, her green eyes sparkling.
“I’m sure he did.”
“You know Cooper, I gather?” Dad asked Morgan, who nodded.
“He’s not doing so well,” I said. “I think if he saw Ezra, he’d shoot him.”
Dad set down his fork. “You’re not serious.”
“He’s sure they’re to blame for Ivan’s death,” I said. “And I saw Rick Bowman leaving their homestead as I got there. Supposedly paying his respects, but not really.”
Rose frowned but didn’t say anything. She’d been Alex Bowman’s crush before everything happened. Now that Alex knew the Turner family’s secret, he’d been avoiding all of us at school. It wasn’t as if the son of a werewolf hunter could hang around any of us anymore.
Dad swallowed a bite of dinner and then said, “I don’t like Bowman visiting Cooper. Not good for any of us wolves. Even Ezra’s pack, even if they are killers.”
The memory of seeing Ivan’s mauled body made my stomach queasy. I set down my fork.
Morgan cleared his throat. “It doesn’t seem like their typical style.”
“What would you know about that?” Dad asked around a bite of veggies.
“In the short time I’ve interacted with them, they seem more calculated. A mauling seems sloppy, uncoordinated,” Morgan said.
Dad arched an eyebrow. “Wolves can’t be sloppy?”
Fawn and Rose shared a worried look. They could tell things were escalating.
“Anyone need more salad?” Fawn offered.
I drew in a deep breath and shook my head. “Everything’s really delicious, Fawn. I can’t believe you went to all this effort.” I helped myself to a roll and slathered on some bu
tter. Dad ate his slice of pork roast with determination, cutting precise bites and lifting them to his mouth while staring at Morgan. That didn’t seem aggressive or anything. This dinner was not going well.
I was about to change the subject when Morgan said, “Forgive me, but about Mr. North. From my understanding Ivan seems to have been a trove of information and local wolf history.”
“Of course he was,” Dad said, pausing in his eating.
“Wouldn’t Ezra’s pack have questioned him? Elicited answers? Found him valuable? That’s not someone you’d chase down and tear apart if you were new to the territory.”
Dad tilted his head, considering Morgan’s comment. “Ezra’s not new to this territory. He’s from the pack that tore through this town in the 1870s. They’re a vicious gang. You should have seen them in that alley. They were out for blood.”
“Territory dispute, though, wasn’t that?” Morgan ran a hand over his jaw. “Two alphas fighting for control can easily turn deadly. At least, in my experience.”
Dad’s jaw clenched. He clearly didn’t like Morgan challenging his conclusions. But Morgan seemed to have a point. The rival pack would’ve benefited more from having Ivan alive if they’d wanted to control the valley.
I could almost hear the growl building inside Dad. “Hey, guys,” I said. “The fact is whether they did it or not, Cooper believes Ezra’s pack killed his dad. Do you think Cooper is capable of that level of violence—taking revenge?”
“He’s ex-Army, he knows his way around weapons,” Dad said, nodding. “His emotions could get the better of him. He might be suggestible from outside pressure from Rick Bowman.”
“So then, we can’t let him go after that pack,” I replied. “Cooper could get himself killed in the process.”
Dad put his knife and fork on his empty plate. “I’m on leave for a few more days, but I could ask the sheriff to keep an eye on him.”
“And we should warn Ezra’s pack.” I folded my arms.
“Why would we do that? We owe them nothing,” Dad said, his tone steely.
“Perhaps I could get a message to them,” Morgan offered.
“Or get them to meet. That would be a way to build trust, right, Dad? Maybe we could even convince them to give the two stolen lupine stones back.”
“No!” Dad slammed his hand on the table, rattling the dishes. “I saw the viciousness in them, do you not understand? They would have killed me to get to you.”
Rose and Fawn blanched and rose from their chairs to start clearing the table. I sipped my water, just for something to do to break the awkwardness. Morgan set his napkin on the table, stealing a look at me for some kind of guidance.
But there wasn’t anything to do but let Dad cool off.
Once the table was cleared and the twins were in the kitchen prepping dessert, Dad finally continued. “What you have to understand is that even my sitting here is a miracle. Those miserable creatures aren’t capable of any kind of a conversation.”
“They aren’t entirely unreasonable,” Morgan said, getting up from the table and moving into Fawn’s chair closest to Dad. I gaped at him, scared that he was taking a risk invading Dad’s space. I didn’t know much about wolf stuff, but the thing about respecting alphas, pack leaders, seemed to be true. Morgan was violating that.
“They were able to bargain with me. I helped them recover Ezra after his accident in the forest. That was my tradeoff for getting them to back off from Lily and the twins. Ezra would’ve bled to death had I not led them to him.”
“Son, a bargain under duress is no bargain,” Dad said, leaning closer to Morgan.
Morgan maintained eye contact with Dad, something that impressed me. “Lily has a good idea,” he said. “A peaceful meeting to discuss our shared threat. I know exactly where they are. I could arrange a parley.”
“What’s in this for you?” Dad said, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair.
“I’d do anything for Lily.” Morgan cast me a glance and my heart fluttered.
“They seem to be hanging around and they’re only going to make things worse. Isn’t it worth a try?” I said.
Dad let out a grunt. “I don’t like this. A parley. I haven’t heard that word since—”
“You captained a pirate ship?” Fawn entered the room, carrying a tray. “Planning a mutiny?” she asked, passing out small bowls of blueberry cobbler dolloped with whipped cream.
“No—that’s not what I was going to say.” Dad gave Fawn an exasperated smile. “I haven’t heard the word ‘parley’ since I was in a pack, a long time ago.”
“You’ve been a lone wolf for decades,” I said, giving him a look.
“It’s still quite common to use diplomacy to solve territory issues. Much less carnage. Blood attracts attention,” Morgan said.
Dad picked up his spoon. “McAllister. That’s a Highland name, isn’t it?” he asked, cocking his head at Morgan.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I didn’t like the tone of Dad’s question, or the accusatory expression in his eyes.
“More common than you’d think,” Morgan said, digging his spoon into the cobbler and then taking a bite.
“You’re from the U.K., though. What brings you to Pioneer Falls? That’s a pretty specific destination for a holiday.”
“He likes astronomy,” Rose said quickly, sliding me a look. “We’re one of the best viewing places for Jupiter in North America right now.”
Dad got up from the table, muttering about making a cup of coffee.
I followed him into the kitchen. “Why are you giving him such a hard time?”
“You don’t know who this guy is. Or his endgame. Bringing us to meet with Ezra’s pack?” Dad awkwardly filled the carafe at the sink with one hand. “A parley. Really?”
“That was my idea.” I took the carafe from him to finish the job.
“The best conmen make you believe the con is your idea.”
“I can’t believe you don’t trust Morgan. He helped save me. That night, if he hadn’t been in the forest, I’d be part of Ezra’s pack by now. Maybe all of us would be.” I dumped the water in the coffeemaker and then got the canister of coffee down from the cupboard. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if maybe I should switch Dad to decaf since he was so wound up.
“Trust is earned,” Dad said. “I know you like this guy a lot, but we don’t know a lot about him. Has he mentioned his pack much?”
“No. Just that he’s got a strict father,” I said, glowering at him. “I know the feeling.” I decided decaf was the right choice and dumped some into the filter in the machine.
“And the stone around Fawn’s neck? I noticed the other day the pattern was slightly different than I’d remembered. The lines of the moon design are wider. Is it his?”
I hit the brew switch, letting a few tense seconds pass before I turned and said, “Yes, it’s his.”
Dad shook his head slowly at me, the look of disappointment deepening in his eyes. “Should’ve known. And now it’s clear why he wants this parley. He wants his stone back and for that to happen we need ours back.”
“No, he could just ask for his back right now and leave!” I said, my voice almost a snarl. “But he cares about me! He cares about all of us.”
“And ask yourself why that is. What is his angle?”
“Me, Dad. Maybe this is crazy to believe, but I think he might love me.”
Dad’s smile was sweet and sad at the same time. “I—oh…dear.”
“Don’t laugh.” I turned to get cups so I wouldn’t have to look at his expression anymore.
“I’m not. Of course you’re lovable, you’re worth caring about. It’s not crazy to think that.” He put his good arm around me in a hug. “You just trust too easily sometimes. It worries me.”
“Everything okay in here?” Morgan asked, walking into the kitchen.
“Yes,” Dad said as he released me from the hug. “But you can forget about setting up any kind of meeti
ng.”
Morgan lowered his gaze. “I understand your hesitation. Perfectly sensible.”
But I wasn’t convinced my father was right. There had to be a way to reason with the other wolves. My father didn’t see it that way, but he’d never taken the direct route when it came to conflict. He’d kept our family curse secret from us for years, thinking we’d be safe as long as we never found out.
But if I’d learned anything in recent weeks, it was that when you knew what you were up against, at least you stood a chance of surviving it.
***
Wolves have haunted my nightmares since childhood. They’ve skirted the edges of dreamscape woods, hid in imaginary alleys and loitered in the corners of unexpected places, from malls to churches to schoolyard playgrounds. My father had always told me the nightmares were caused by growing pains, but I’d never believed him. There’d been something darker, scarier about these dreams.
Since I’d learned the family secret, the wolves in my dreams mostly vanished and the moon was my phantom, drifting just out of my periphery, shining in windows, illuminating every street or field my mind conjured up. It was as if the moon was reminding me of its power, of its ability to expose my true nature, release the creature within me. The moon knew our secret.
That night in my dream, my toes crunched on dry grass in Town Square Park. The ruffled hem of my white nightgown fluttered in the breeze as I wandered toward a tire swing swaying from its chains in the playground ahead. I took a seat and let the swing twist a few times, winding up and winding down.
Figures approached in the distance. Ezra’s pack. Three men, one woman, ditching their clothes as they got closer. Then, in a fluid motion that was nothing like the actual transformation, they became wolves. I heard Dad’s call in the distance—his wolf voice rose in a long, pained howl. A warning. I froze, not sure what to do with the pack approaching, but as I turned to run, a dark gray wolf with big gold eyes appeared at the side of the gazebo. Morgan. He lifted his nose to the wind and then let out a gruff bark. Figures dressed in camouflage rushed Ezra’s pack, rifles out. Hunters, Rick in the lead of several others.
A Forest So Deadly (Pioneer Falls Book 2) Page 4