"Well what do we have here?" said the smaller of the two men.
"She's probably one of those tree hugging activists who also saves wolves," said the taller man. "Awfully pretty too. I bet Abel would love her."
Her back was against the truck. The two men closed in. Hannah ran, hoping to get away, knowing if she could just make it back into the woods she'd be ok. But the taller man quickly grabbed her.
She kicked and flailed but it was useless. Still holding the knife, she plunged it into his bicep.
"Fuck!" he yelled as he let her go.
She ran again, but the smaller man tackled her, throwing her onto the ground where she hit her temple on one of her circle stones. The clearing went black.
Chapter Sixteen
Waking up, Hannah felt the cold, wet cement against her cheek. Slowly she opened her eyes and let them adjust to the dimly lit stucco room. As she sat up she realized she wasn't alone.
By a large, rusty iron gate stood several naked people. Each of them dirty and bruised. Werewolves.
Without any windows or furniture, the room looked like a crypt. The only entrance into the room was the gate. Walking over to it she pulled then pushed against it with all her might.
"It's locked. They might be ineffective, but they always remember to lock it."
The voice came from a man kneeling in the corner, as dirty and abused as the others. He had sandy blond hair with grey at his temples. He reminded her of Caleb, except this man was older and not as muscular.
Moving closer to him she felt an air of familiarity even though they had never met. She was sure this was Knox, her father.
"I'm sorry, have we met?" he asked. "You're awfully familiar, but its been a long time since I've interacted with humans."
"No, we haven't met. I just have one of those faces I guess," Hannah said, not wanting to introduce herself as his daughter while they were trapped.
"Well I'm Knox," he said, keeping himself covered.
"I'm Hannah. Any idea where we are?"
"No. I know we're near water, but that could be anywhere." He inhaled and tilted his head, looking confused. "You're hiding something. Something on you doesn't smell right."
Hannah looked at him with worry. If he was able to tell she didn't smell right, it was only a matter of time before the other shifters in the cell realized it too. As long as everyone thought she was human, she was safe, or at least safer. Not knowing how much longer the potion would mask her hair, she knew her time was limited.
"Please don't say anything," she whispered. "I'm going to try to get us out of here. There are people looking for you and once they realize I'm missing they'll be looking for me too."
"No offense, but how do you think you'll be able to get us out of here? You're just a human. I've been here for weeks."
"I'm not sure, but maybe I can call someone," she said.
"They're not going to let you use a phone."
"Can you keep an eye out? Make sure the others don't see what I'm doing and if anyone comes stall them."
"Sure, not like I'm doing anything else," he said. "Plus those shifters won't notice anything, their minds are gone from the torture. Now they're like dogs at a pound waiting for rescue."
She looked back at the door and saw the shifters were still looking out, waiting. Hoping they'd stay distracted and block the doorway from anyone who passed, she looked around for something she could make a circle out of, but didn't see anything. The room was completely bare.
She knew she could summon the dead to speak to her, she couldn't see why she couldn't summon the living the same way. Frustrated, she put her hands in her cloak and felt the stone Caleb handed her not so long ago. She removed her cloak and gave it to Knox.
"Here, I'm sure you could use something to wear," she said.
He slipped it on and smiled at her gratefully. "Do your thing and hurry. I don't know what's going on but your scent is changing quickly."
Hannah nodded and took a deep breath. Just what she needed, more pressure. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she bit her bottom lip as she wiped her moist palms on her jeans. This has to work, she thought.
Crouching down, she drew a circle around herself on the floor with the stone. With it still in her hand, she closed her eyes and thought about Caleb handing it to her. Then when he arrived on his motorcycle to pick her up for their first real date. Lastly she couldn't help but smile as she remembered them running out of the restaurant on their night together.
"Hannah? Where are you?" Caleb said.
She opened her eyes to find the room dark and empty except for the soft glow of Caleb. In his hands were the collar and her lock of hair.
"The coyotes got me, Caleb. I don't know where we're at but there are a lot of shifters here. Even my...Knox."
"Your hair doesn't smell right. I can't find you if I can't smell your scent."
She was quiet for a moment. He couldn't help her if he couldn't find her scent, but if she had her scent she was in even greater danger. In the distance she heard a bell dinging insistently. It was a familiar sound but not something she heard everyday. Slowly it dawned on her that the ringing was the drawbridge. There was only one like it in the area.
"Caleb, the drawbridge. I can hear it! And we're in a cement room that's wet."
"I know where you're at, Hannah," Caleb said. "I'm on my way."
Hannah opened her eyes and found herself back in the cell. Knox blocked the door with the others while a man yelled from the hallway. His voice was familiar and turned Hannah's blood cold.
"Where's the human! I know its her, I recognize that cloak. Let me through!" Renfield demanded.
Chapter Seventeen
"Where is she?!" Caleb roared at the young girl who brought him a strange collar and a lock of hair he recognized as Hannah's. The hair didn't have her scent, but he'd recognize it anywhere. "Answer me!"
Caleb was in a back room at Night Shift. All Alphas had offices there. It was a central location they could use safely with the bar as a front. The office was stark with little furniture except for a desk and a couple of chairs. Caleb didn't see the need in splurging like some of the other Alphas. The office was for utility. If he wanted comfort, he'd go home to his den where he had privacy.
"I...I don't know! I told the human to run. We were so frightened, one else even stopped to thank her. She released us from the cages and removed those collars. I don't know what happened after I left. I came straight here to give you those things like she asked."
"Leave!" he growled.
She ran out the door and he paced the room, his boots thudding against the Formica floor. What happened to her scent? She couldn't have lost it so quickly. Something else had to be going on. Caleb wished he knew what and he blamed himself for not knowing.
Hawthorn was definitely behind this. Just from what little that girl was able to say, and the stench of coyote on her, it was enough to go after them. But with Hannah in their clutches, he had to be extra careful.
Caleb couldn't go full steam ahead to Abel when Hannah could be located somewhere else. The fact that shifters had been missing for all this time, without a trace meant that Abel was more conniving than he thought.
He'd have to head out to the clearing, where the girl said Hannah rescued them and see if he could find a traceable scent. Sending a quick text to Erich and Joaquin of the shifter council to join him, Caleb pulled on his black leather jacket and opened the door to leave, still holding the collar and Hannah's lock of hair.
Pain shot through his head. Clutching it, he leaned against the wall to steady himself unsure what happened. With the light of the room searing his eyes, he shut them for relief. When he opened them next, the room was dark with a single light that lit Hannah who sat crossed legged on a cement floor.
"Hannah? Where are you?" Caleb said.
"The coyotes got me, Caleb. I don't know where we're at but there are a lot of shifters here. Even my...Knox."
"Your hair doesn't smell right.
I can't find you if I can't smell your scent."
She was quiet for a moment before she spoke. "Caleb, the drawbridge, the bell! I can hear it! And we're in a cement room that's wet."
He knew exactly where she was. There weren't many drawbridges in the area that clanged a bell when they rose. And he knew from his youth of an area dubbed 'the catacombs' that was a defunct shelter during an early war.
"I know where you're at, Hannah," Caleb said. "I'm on my way."
Driving his motorcycle at top speed, Caleb arrived within minutes of speaking to her. He descended the pier near the drawbridge like he did in his youth, and entered the catacombs from the back. He knew Abel well enough to know exactly where he'd be–in the great hall.
The corridors were empty. He tried to find Hannah's scent, or even that of the other shifters, but they were masked by the strong the salt air. As Caleb entered the great hall, Renfield slipped out of the room. No matter, Caleb would deal with him later.
"Where are they, Abel?" he growled.
Abel Barlow was a small, balding man with hunched over shoulders. There was nothing Alpha about his appearance yet he had one of the longest tenures. What Abel lacked for physically, he more than made up for with his intellect and cunning.
With a smug look on his face, Abel sat back on his mock throne, an oversized chair with a tall back. "Took you long enough to get here. What was it? The human? Did you not care enough about your own people to try to find them until now?"
Caleb kept his head knowing Abel was trying to manipulate his anger. As he circled Abel, Caleb counted the number of coyote shifters in the room. Five. He could count on that number at least doubling once he attacked. He could take them.
"Release them all now and I promise not to kill you," Caleb growled, his teeth clenched.
Abel chuckled. "Such a sense of humor! I know you're alone, Caleb. And I have my entire pack here. What is that? One versus one hundred?"
"I like those odds."
Hannah's scent suddenly came over Caleb. Glancing to his left he saw Renfield leading her and a small group of shifters down the corridor. Hannah saw him, her face filled with relief then fear as her large green eyes scanned the room. She grabbed Renfield and spoke hurriedly, but before Caleb could tune in to hear her, the first coyote attacked.
Caleb quickly let his wolf spirit take control. As a wolf, he dwarfed the coyotes and smacked the smaller animal out of the way with his large paw. The coyotes attacked at once. One by one he eliminated them, teeth sinking into fur or a swift shake to break a neck, bodies tossed like garbage at the wall. Keeping an eye on Abel, he made his way closer to his throne as the coyotes slowed their attack out of fear.
"I saw how you looked at her, Caleb. She's the witch isn't she? I had all along, but she tricked me. What a powerful charmer she must be to control the likes of you."
Filled with rage, Caleb charged towards Abel. He didn't care if Abel chose to remain in human form, he'd take his life anyway. Suddenly he felt something pinch his shoulder, then a sharp pain began to spread.
He fell to the ground before reaching Abel who jumped out of the way and ran to a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, and bright emerald eyes, holding a bow with another arrow cocked. Baring his teeth, Caleb stood, his adrenalin holding back the pain from his injury.
A group of shifters entered the room as they changed into their different animal forms. Hannah was behind them. Caleb recognized some of his missing pack members. They fought the rest of the coyotes while Caleb kept his eyes on Abel and his witch.
Hannah ran over and touched Caleb's shoulder where the arrow remained. Her eyes glowed amber, and Caleb knew this was too much for her. She could change at any minute.
Caleb charged, easily avoiding the second arrow, he looked beside him as he was joined by a bear and a panther. His friends had arrived.
Abel shifted into coyote and ran. Leaving the woman behind. Erich roared and Caleb let the bear chase after the coyote Alpha while Joaquin cornered the blonde, his teeth bared.
"Hmm a panther," she said seductively. "I haven't tried charming one of those yet."
She stared at the large cat and slowly Joaquin lowered his head. Caleb shifted back to human form, sat at Abel's throne and yanked the arrow out of his shoulder. Stunned to see his friend being charmed by the witch, he almost didn't realize Hannah kneeled beside him to look at his wound.
"It'll be fine, it's hardly even bleeding," she said.
"I heal quickly. Hannah...the panther."
She looked in that direction, her eyes narrowing. "I've had enough of this!" she said angrily as she got up.
Hannah, her eyes glowing yellow, stormed over to the blonde witch. The panther laid at her feet, purring contently.
"Charm this, bitch!" Hannah said as her fangs sprang forth.
Hannah jumped on top of the other woman and snapped at her neck, scaring her. The blonde screamed, cutting her charm over Joaquin who shifted back to human and sat confused with his head in his hands.
Caleb smiled, recognizing the strut of the werewolf when Hannah stood up and smiled. The blonde reached up to grab Hannah's hair but she spun around and punched her in the chin, knocking her out cold.
Hannah closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them, they were the green eyes Caleb fell in love with. He was wrong to think staying away from her would protect her. Letting her wolf spirit come forward was the best protection Hannah could ever have.
Chapter Eighteen
In the month since the Hawthorn pack had been captured, Hannah and Caleb had spent every moment together. Busy enjoying life in the present, she hadn't even gone to the clearing to speak with Pea or Rebekah.
Caleb said he needed to take care of some business, so she went home to visit her mother, Eliza. While doing some of her laundry, Eliza came out of her bedroom humming happily. Hannah had never seen her mother so happy and knew it was because of Knox.
"Its a beautiful night, Hannah," Eliza said before she walked over and kissed her daughter on the cheek.
"You seem even happier than usual."
"I asked Knox to move in and he said yes! I'm so excited, I feel like a kid again."
"That's great, Mom! I'm happy for you," Hannah said. "But I guess if Knox is going to move in, then maybe I should move out and give you two some privacy."
"You're barely home anymore as it is. Not that I don't understand of course. I'm just saying that you don't need to move out. Besides, he's your dad. Don't you want to get to know him?"
"I have plenty of time to get to know him, but I'm an adult. I don't need a dad I've never had. Right now I think its more important that you two have some alone time together. You know, make up for lost time. Besides with my job and Caleb, maybe I should look for something closer to town."
"How is that going? I'm sure the kids love you."
Hannah had been working for the Rowan pack as a child counselor for the past couple of weeks. After growing up feeling awkward and insecure for being a witch, and recently going through the transformation into werewolf herself, Caleb told her she would be perfect to talk to the kids and help them deal with bullies and learning how to accept themselves. He was right.
"And I love them. Its really great! I never thought my growing up differently would help in any way, but the kids and I can really relate to each other."
"That's great, hon. I'm so proud of you. Are you staying over tonight?"
"Actually I want to see if I can summon Rebekah by her grave."
"You're not going to the clearing?" Eliza asked.
"No, I feel like Pea is waiting to see me and I'm just not ready yet," Hannah said. "I know she was just trying to protect us, but I'm really having a hard time dealing with her keeping Knox from us for all those years. I grew up without a father because of her. Ok, I didn't need one, but what about you? You lost the love of your life for all those years. Pea was always so sweet and loving to me, I'm having a hard time reconciling it. I'll talk to her eventually. I have t
o. And I do miss her. I have to see what she'll say for herself. But right now, I just need some space."
"That's fine, whatever you feel is best."
Hannah pulled on a heavy sweatshirt and stepped out into the backyard. The moon was high in the clear winter sky and as she breathed in the cold air, she could taste snow in the air and wondered how many inches they would get later. Snaking through Pea's old gardens, she yanked the wrought iron door to the small graveyard open.
Picking up a long stick, she drew a circle in the dirt around her and focused on Rebekah's gravestone until appeared smiling and clasping her hands together happily.
"I've been waiting for you!" Rebekah said. "I didn't want to leave without thanking you."
"Leave? Where are you going?"
"You did it! Just like I knew you would. You freed me!"
"But I didn't do anything," Hannah said.
Rebekah sighed. "I couldn't tell you exactly or the curse wouldn't lift. When Jacob cursed me to be earthbound and alone, he said only when the thirteenth witch of my clan charmed a wolf of her own could I be freed. He was sure it would never happen and he chose thirteenth to remind me of my lost child with Luke."
"But you're wrong, I didn't charm Caleb at all. I wouldn't even know how to if I wanted to."
"You don't need to, my dear. The strongest of all magic is love. No one can teach you how to love, it just happens. When you and Caleb finally accepted that you were made for each other, and that nothing should keep you apart, my curse was lifted."
"Then what about Luke? Have you been able see him?" Hannah asked.
"Everyday. He's been waiting for me for all this time. And for you too," Rebekah said as she smiled at something in the distance.
A dark haired man appeared next to Rebekah and slipped his arm around her waist. His body was strong like a werewolf's, but he glowed like the halo around a full moon. Hannah had never seen anything like it. Slowly Luke took his eyes off Rebekah and faced Hannah. She was surprised to see emerald green eyes exactly like her own staring back at her.
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