Howl (Howl #1)

by Jody Morse

  Samara smiled at him and moved to the next werewolf, who also developed a blue cloud around him as he changed. Blushing, she turned away when she caught an eyeful of him as the cloud of smoke faded away.

  Not funny, Chris. Not funny at all. You know you were supposed to transform with your clothes on, the voice of her Alpha rang out through her thoughts.

  Cackling, Chris Priestley pulled on clothing, smiling at her. “It was more fun this way,” he replied.

  “Wait, we can do that?” Samara gasped. “Transform with our clothes?”

  “We can. You won’t be able to until you’re initiated,” Chris replied. Chris was a guy who came to all of Emma’s parties and who was in most of her classes at school. He was the captain of the basketball team and was well known as a class clown. She didn’t dislike him, but she also didn’t know him too well, either.

  “That’s not fair,” Samara said, trying to shrug it off. At least she knew that in the future, once she was initiated, she wouldn’t have to worry about bringing her clothes with her.

  Samara moved on with her introductions. Although she had never seen him in wolf form before, she immediately recognized Luke as the next wolf in line. It was his wagging tail that gave him away. His fur had a fluffier texture than all of the others in the pack, and she couldn’t help but notice that he had broader shoulders.

  You think I look better because I’m you’re mate. Physically, you’re more attracted to me, Luke told her. Somehow, she knew that the mental exchange had only been between the two of them, even though the wolves could all hear each other’s thoughts when they communicated.

  Samara nodded and moved on to the next wolf, who barked at her playfully. It’s me! Samara knew right away that she recognized his voice, but she wasn’t sure who it belonged to.

  When his blue smoky cloud was gone, Samara realized that it was her cousin, Kyle. “Oh, my God! You’re a werewolf?!” She hugged him. “But, I don’t get it. You’re related to me! Why aren’t you on the Vyka pack? We’re not supposed to be Ima.”

  “Werewolf blood runs on both sides of my family. Grandpa Joe was a Vyka, but my great-great-grandfather on my father’s side was an Ima. The werewolf gene skipped a few generations on that side. We all thought I’d be a Vyka if anything because Grandpa Joe was so strong, but it turns out that I’m an Ima.” He shrugged. “I guess I was just meant to be on this pack.”

  “Wait. Are you saying that your family knew that you were going to be a werewolf?” Samara asked.

  Kyle nodded. “Yeah, my mom knows. And my dad knew, too.”

  Samara felt the anger washing over her and her cheeks reddening. “I don’t understand why my family kept it from me. If Aunt Rae knew, my dad had to have known, too.”

  “I don’t know if he does or not,” Kyle said. “My mom’s never actually said either way.”

  Samara tried to give her dad the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he really didn’t know, but she was beginning to have her doubts about that. “How did you know which werewolf pack you belonged to after you changed?” Samara asked. She hadn’t really thought about what would have happened if she had become a werewolf naturally. Did the Alpha of each pack come to find all of their pups or had she been a special case?

  “Two ways,” Kyle replied. “You develop that particular pack’s scent so that when you come face-to-face with members from other packs, they know that you’re a foreigner, so to speak. Once you have that scent, you know how to find your way to your pack. The other way is this.” He rolled up his sleeve and showed her his arm. There was a blue tattoo in the shape of a paw. “We get a paw print tattoo that’s the same exact color and shape as the rest of the wolves in our pack. The color is also the same color as the smoky cloud that you see when we change.”

  Samara rolled up her own sleeve. “I don’t have a tattoo . . . and I’m pretty sure that I don’t have a cloud of smoke when I make the change. Why don’t I?”

  That’s because you have an important decision to make, her Alpha told her. You have to decide if you want to be an Ima or a Vyka. You won’t get your tattoo until you choose.

  “When do I have to make that decision by?” Samara asked.

  I’ll give you until the next full moon. That seems fair enough.

  Samara nodded and took a step closer to her Alpha. “Are you going to show me who you are, now that I’ve seen the rest?

  You must promise that you will continue to respect me as your Alpha, even after you know who I am. I deserve the same level of respect as a human that you’d give me in wolf form.

  “Fine, fine,” Samara replied hastily. “You’ve said that already.”

  There was a strong gust of wind and the blue smoky cloud whirled around her Alpha like a tornado. Samara gasped at how much more powerful it was than the other wolves’ clouds.

  Once the cloud disappeared, her Alpha pushed a lock of his blonde curly hair behind his ear.

  Samara stared back into Colby’s face. “You’re my Alpha?!” she shrieked in shock.

  Colby nodded and looked down at the ground bashfully. “I told you that knowing who I am might make you think differently of me.”

  “I don’t . . . I’m just surprised, that’s all. You’re such a confident wolf, but that doesn’t seem to carry over into your human form.” As a wolf, he stood tall and strong, but as a human, he was always awkward. Samara never, in a thousand years, would have guessed that Colby was her Alpha.

  Colby shrugged. “I might not be as confident as you think I am. That’s why I need you to be on this pack, Samara.”

  “We all need you on this pack,” Kyle chimed in. “There’s no way we’ll ever be able to fight the Vyka without your help.”

  “It’s true,” Steve agreed. “Without you, we don’t stand a chance. The Vyka . . . I don’t know what they’re doing at the gym or what they’re eating, but they’re getting stronger more quickly than they should for their age. It’s like they’re on werewolf steroids. You’re our only hope if we want even a shot at defeating them.”

  Samara sighed. She felt so conflicted about all of this. She felt comfortable with this pack. Even though they didn’t know each other well, Luke seemed like the right mate for her, and Kyle was her cousin. He was family.

  If she chose the Vyka, she would be turning her back on her own flesh and blood. Samara also had a newfound respect for Colby. She really couldn’t ask for a better Alpha than him. She’d only met the black wolf for a minute, but he had seemed really cold-hearted and bossy. Samara got the feeling that Colby would never try to control her; he would only try to steer her to do the right thing, but she didn’t know how the Vyka Alpha handled his pack. She had a feeling that he was more demanding, more manipulative.

  “If I choose to stay on this pack, I’m going to need to learn how to fight really fast,” Samara told the wolves. She was going to have to learn how to defend herself against the Vyka. They had made it crystal clear that she was one of the first werewolves that they wanted to get rid of if she didn’t choose to join their pack. Samara wasn’t going to let them win that easily; she was going to fight until the end.

  Colby waved his hand in the air. “Don’t worry! Your Alpha’s got it covered. I’ve come up with an intense training program that I’m going to put you through right away so that you can learn to fight quicker than the rest of us did. I’m convinced that due to your bloodline, you’ll also pick up on everything much quicker than the rest of us, too.”

  “I’m a little confused about something,” Samara said. “If werewolves live hundreds or thousands of years, why is it that there are only people our age in this pack? I was sort of expecting there to be some adults.”

  “We have adult packs and youth packs. We’re a youth pack, and one day, we will be an adult pack. Our children and grandchildren will be the next youth pack. Basically, there are three packs. There is another Ima pack which is made up of many of our own parents, aunts, and uncles, as well as one that is made up of our grandparents, great-grandpa
rents, great-great-grandparents, and so on. If there were ever an emergency situation, they will come to defend us, but we try to keep our packs separate as much as we can. Plus, we haven’t really had a reason to call in other packs lately.”

  “I see,” Samara replied, coming to a realization. All of the wolves on the Ima pack were gray. It made her wonder why all of the wolves on the Vyka pack weren’t; some were gray, the Alpha was black, and Samara, who was technically supposed to be on their pack, was white. “Why are certain werewolves different colors? Why am I white? Does it have to do with our packs?”

  “I had a feeling that one was coming,” Luke said, laughing. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Your white fur is beautiful. I don’t know why you’re complaining.”

  “I’m not complaining,” Samara snapped at him, looking at him over her shoulder. “I’m just curious about why I look different from all of you and the Vyka pack.”

  Colby held his hands in the air. “Let’s not argue, pups.” Glancing at Luke, he said, “Samara has every reason to wonder why her fur is white instead of gray.”

  “See,” Samara said sweetly to Luke. He shrugged and kissed her forehead.

  “It has to do with origins,” Colby went on. “Most of us are gray wolves. You’re an arctic werewolf, though. That’s because your great-grandfather, Alexander McKinley, was from Alaska, where arctic werewolves are common. We can only assume that arctic werewolves must run in your bloodline.

  “Members of the same pack tend to be the same type of wolf, but there are times when a member from another pack chooses a new pack. That’s why the Vyka’s Alpha has black fur. His werewolf ancestors originated from Florida, where there is a small population of black wolves.”

  “How do you know so much about my great-grandfather?” Samara asked. “I didn’t even know where he was from.”

  “Let’s just say that just about every werewolf in the country knows a lot about your family’s history. You’re pretty much a celebrity to the werewolf world.”

  “Wow,” Samara whispered. She was surprised that her grandfather had been so strong and powerful that he was so well-known. The truth was that she hadn’t really known him all that well herself. He had died when she was only eight years old. Her parents sometimes talked about him, but neither of them had ever mentioned his supposed strength and power. Maybe they really hadn’t known that he was a werewolf. If her dad had no idea, where did he think Grandpa Joe was when he was off conquering villains and saving the werewolf world, though?

  “It’s getting late. Do you have any other questions?” Colby asked, rubbing his hands together. Samara assumed that he must be cold; it was November in Pennsylvania, and he was naked from the waist up.

  “No questions that you can answer for me,” Samara replied. “Not right now, anyway. But I do have a lot that I need to figure out on my own.”

  “Before you go, I just want you to know that we really do want you on our pack,” Colby said. “If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have gone to the extent of changing your destiny. We would have let nature run its own course.”

  What the Vyka Alpha had said flashed through her mind: “It’s not that he wants you, he just wants your power.” But as she gazed into his hazel eyes, she could tell that Colby wasn’t lying to her. He really did want her to be on his pack. He didn’t just want her for her power; he needed her. There was a difference.

  “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” Samara replied. “I’ll see you all later.”

  As she turned to walk away, Luke ran to her side. “I’ll walk you home.”

  Samara led him through the woods that divided the backyard of the McKinley’s house from the lake. “So, I guess this is why you go to Starlight Lake in the summer. To be with the pack?”

  Luke nodded. “Yeah, we hang out here a lot all year long.”

  “Why did you move here? I mean, I know it has to do with you changing,” Samara said. “How come you just didn’t stay wherever you lived before, though?”

  “My birthday is in February, and I started changing in April. My parents brought me to Grandview immediately because they knew that I was going to be an Ima. If I stayed in Maine, there would have been a lot of problems. There were a lot of packs there already. My scent would have smelled ‘off’ to them, and they would have tried to attack me because I would be a threat to their territory. And a wolf needs to be with the pack that it belongs to. I belong to the Ima.”

  “How did you know that you were supposed to be an Ima? Are either of your parents werewolves?” Samara asked.

  “Yeah, my mom’s a werewolf. And my dad was,” Luke replied. When he noticed the confused expression on her face, he explained, “He died when I was thirteen. When I talk about my dad, I’m usually talking about my stepdad. He’s not a werewolf, but he’s pretty cool about it.”

  “I’m sorry,” Samara said, realizing at that moment just how little she actually knew about Luke. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did it happen?”

  “He was killed by the Alpha of the Vyka. That’s why it’s so important to me that you to join our pack. I need to get revenge, Samara,” Luke said, turning to look at her. “I need to do it for my dad. If you don’t join the Ima, the Vyka are going to take us down.”

  “Well, I’m not making any promises yet,” Samara replied, trying to keep the emotions she was feeling out of her voice. Didn’t Luke want her to be on his pack so that they could be together – so that she could be his mate? “I have a feeling that I am going to join the Ima, though. I feel less comfortable around the Vyka, even though I don’t know who they are yet.”

  Luke looked into her eyes. “I originally felt bad when we changed things . . . you know, by Colby biting you and all. But the truth is, I’m really glad that we did because I’m falling for you and –”

  “Wait a minute,” Samara interrupted, throwing her hands up in the air to halt the conversations. “You knew that this was going to happen the whole entire time?”

  Luke looked down at the ground and nodded. “Yeah, I knew.”

  “Did you go on a date with me just to lure me to a spot where Colby could bite me?” Samara asked, recalling the secluded location he had chosen for them to stargaze.

  Luke paused. “No, not exactly. I knew that he was going to bite you, but I didn’t know when. I had no idea it was going to be that night.”

  “Yeah, right,” Samara scoffed. “You knew this was going to happen to me, and you just let it. You allowed my life to become more complicated than it was already going to be. And for what reason? To seek revenge for your dad?”

  Luke shook his head. “No, it’s not like that. I had no say in this. Colby was going to do it, no matter what. His mind was made up long before I even moved to Grandview.”

  Samara took one final look at him and whirled around. She ran towards her house, climbed inside her bedroom, and slammed the window behind her.

  Chapter 16

  ****

  On Friday morning, Samara woke up groggily. She had a really hard time sleeping the night before. After Luke left, he kept apologizing to her, over and over again, but she was in no mood to speak to him, in person or in her head. The worst part was she could turn off her cell phone, but there was no way to stop him from talking to her in her head.

  Samara hadn’t considered that Luke might have a role in all of this. It made perfect sense, though. Even if he didn’t know that she was going to be bitten that night, he must have known that it was going to be a possibility. He hadn’t done anything to stop it or to warn her. Samara felt anger and resentment towards him.

  As she got dressed for school, Samara tried to put on a happy face. She wasn’t about to walk around like a zombie all day just because she was upset with Luke. If she bumped into him, she wanted to look happy. She didn’t want him to know that fighting with him made her miserable.

  Feeling her stomach growl, Samara went into the kitchen to raid the fridge. She found her mom sitting at the kitchen table, her head in h
er hands.

  “Mom, what’s wrong?” Samara asked, concerned.

  Mrs. McKinley looked up at her. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. “Seth is gone.”

  “Did he say where he was going?”

  Her mom shook her head. “No. Your father and he got into a big argument last night. When I checked in his room before I went to bed, he was gone. I looked in again this morning, and he still isn’t back yet.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be back soon,” Samara said sympathetically, pulling some lox out of the refrigerator and grabbing a bagel from a bag on the counter. “He always does. It just might take him a few days.”

  “I know that,” Mrs. McKinley replied. “It’s just becoming more and more difficult to deal with as time goes on. I just keep asking myself all of these questions. How long is he going to keep doing this? Does he hate us? Am I a bad mother?”

  Samara sat down in the chair next to her mom. “Of course you’re not a bad mother. This isn’t your fault. Seth is just obviously having some problems dealing with his anger lately. He might have a mental illness or addiction problem for all we know. I really think that the most important thing is for us to get him counseling.”

  Mrs. McKinley nodded. “You’re right. He’s always so angry. And he never brings his friends around anymore. I’m not just afraid that he’s going to hurt us any longer. I’m afraid that he might hurt himself, too.”

  “Why are you afraid of that?” Samara asked.

  Her mom pulled a small notebook out of her bathrobe pocket. “I found this drawing in his bedroom. Look at this.”

  Samara took the sketchbook that her mom had handed her. It was opened to a picture of a guy with a heart that was ripped out of his chest. There was blood on the floor that spelled out “The End.”

  Samara looked up at her mom. “He’s obviously really depressed. I just wish I knew why. He did get into a fight at school the other day. I wonder if it’s related.”

  “A fight? Why didn’t we hear about it?”