Howl (Howl #1)

by Jody Morse

  Samara shrugged. “I really thought he was going to get suspended over it, but he didn’t. I only caught the very end of it. I assumed that Seth was just being Seth and that he was just angry, but maybe it’s something more.”

  “Maybe the kids at school are bullying him, and that’s why he’s been so angry lately,” Mrs. McKinley said quietly. “Not that we’ll ever know either way. He’s never going to open up to us about it. Does he have any friends? Maybe you could ask one of them what’s going on with him.”

  Samara thought about all of the times she had seen Seth at school. He’d always been alone. She shook her head. “No, I don’t think he has any friends.”

  “Figures,” Mrs. McKinley muttered. Glancing at her watch, she stood up. “I really need to get ready for work. We have a big case to work on today. I’ll see you after school, sweetie.”

  “Bye, mom,” Samara replied, wishing that there was something that she could do to fix her family.

  *

  Throughout the school day, Samara felt haunted by the words in her brother’s drawing. What could be so bad that he really wanted his own life to end (assuming that’s what the sketch was really symbolizing)?

  As she was eating lunch in the cafeteria, Steve sat down across from her. “Hey,” he said, flashing her a smile.

  “Hi,” Samara replied, putting her cheeseburger back on her tray. She and Steve Bryan had never really talked in school before unless it had to do with homework. It was obvious that he had come to talk to her for a reason right now, and she assumed that the reason had nothing to do with helping her get to know him better so that her decision would be an easier one to make.

  “I just want you to know that you shouldn’t be mad at Luke. It was going to happen either way. The good thing is at least he was there with you when it happened,” Steve said.

  Samara sighed. “I guess you’re right. I guess I was just really mad when he told me because I was shocked. That’s all.” In her head, she thought, I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you, Luke. Shh, though. I’m talking to Steve right now.

  “I also wanted to tell you something that you might not know about the Vyka.”

  “Lovely. More things to think about,” Samara muttered. “What is it?”

  “I know that you’ve been told how much our pack needs you, but I don’t think you realize how much we really do. The Vyka are trying to take over all of the other packs in the region. They’re the most powerful pack in the tri-state area right now, which is pretty big because there are a few really strong packs in the Catskills. Ours is the first pack that the Vyka is planning to conquer.

  “They might not try to fight us if they have you on their pack,” Steven continued, “because they won’t need our numbers to take over the other packs if they have your strength, but I think Colby would rather fight them and get it over with before this gets out of hand. I know that’s what I want.”

  Samara frowned. “I’m a little confused. If a pack is going to take over another pack, why would they need to conquer that pack? Doesn’t taking them over mean that they’re technically joining forces with all of the other packs?”

  “It means that their Alpha will become our Alpha once they take us over.”

  “What are they conquering, though? They’re not killing anyone, are they?”

  Steve looked at her. “Yes, they are going to kill someone. In order to take over a pack, they need to kill the Alpha of that pack. They will also need to kill the person who has been appointed to be next in line in the event of his death.”

  Just thinking about anyone in the pack dying gave her a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. What if the second in line to be Alpha was Luke? “Who’s been appointed?” Samara asked.

  Steve shrugged. “It’s fate – it’s impossible to predict or know. We’ll only ever find out who it is if it actually happens.”

  “Then, how do you find out who it is if Colby does . . . die?”

  “Remember what the Ima tattoo is? A blue paw? Well, Colby’s tattoo has a little more complex design. If Colby died, the next Alpha’s tattoo would change.”

  Steve seemed shaken up. Samara didn’t know him very well, but he would barely meet her eyes when talking about members of his pack dying. She wondered if he might think that he could be the replacement Alpha. For all she knew, he was.

  “Thanks for telling me all of this,” Samara said, smiling at him. “I will definitely keep it in mind when I make my decision.”

  “Great. Cool. Well, I guess I’ll see you around,” Steve replied, leaving the table.

  Samara glanced around to make sure that no one in the cafeteria had heard them. Luckily, no one had. She breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t really sure how much she should be talking about wolves and packs at school. If someone heard her mention that she was a werewolf, they would think she was insane.

  Thank you for forgiving me, Luke said. It means a lot to me. I don’t like when you’re angry.

  You’re welcome, Samara replied. Let’s go on a real date. How about tonight?

  Sounds great. I’ll pick you up around six.

  *

  “So, what are you wearing?” Emma asked cheerfully into the phone. “I think you should go with that sexy low-cut black sweater and skinny jeans. Oh, and you should wear your Victoria’s Secret bra. The hot pink one. It makes your boobs look awesome!”

  “Yeah, I guess I’ll wear that,” Samara sighed into the phone. She had let it slip to Emma during their English class that she was planning to go on a date with Luke tonight. Samara hadn’t been expecting her best friend (even though she felt more like an acquaintance lately, even after they had made up) to call and check up on her after school to see what she was going to wear.

  Samara wanted to scream into the phone that there were more important things in this world than clothes and awesome-looking boobs. But, if she did that, she was going to have to tell Emma everything. Samara wasn’t ready for that, though. She wasn’t sure if she ever would be.

  The doorbell rang. “Look, I have to go. Luke’s here. I’ll call you sometime over the weekend,” Samara said before hitting the end button on her cell phone without even listening to her friend’s response. She tugged the black sweater over her head and grabbed her purse from her bed before heading to the front door.

  When she opened it, Luke was standing on the front stoop, holding a single red rose. “For you, my lady,” he said sweetly.

  As Samara took the rose, she leaned into him and gave him a peck on the lips. She grabbed her jacket from the coat hanger.

  “Samara?” Mrs. McKinley asked, glancing at Luke standing in the doorway. She raised her eyebrows in question.

  Samara felt like a butterfly that was trapped in a net with no way out. She had gotten so caught up in everything happening with the two packs that she had totally forgotten that her mom didn’t want her to date until she was eighteen. What her mom didn’t realize was that this wasn’t just any ordinary guy; this was her (possible) life mate.

  “Mom, this is my friend Luke,” Samara said warmly. “We’re just going to go out for a bite to eat. Is that okay?”

  “Hello, Mrs. McKinley,” Luke spoke up. “I promise I’ll have her home by nine.”

  “I – uh, I guess,” Mrs. McKinley replied hesitantly. Samara knew that her mom wasn’t happy that she was going out with a boy, but she also knew her mom hated confrontation. Her mom probably wouldn’t really question it until Samara got home because she didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Luke. Samara was just glad that her dad wasn’t around because he wouldn’t have been so civil about it.

  Hurrying out the door, Samara followed Luke to his car.

  “What was that all about?” Luke asked.

  Samara glanced at him. “My parents don’t want me dating. I’m sorry, I totally forgot about it. Next time, we’ll meet somewhere.”

  Luke laughed. “Let me get this straight. Your parents don’t want their werewolf daughter dating?”

 
; Samara shrugged. “I’m not even sure if they know I’m a werewolf, to be honest with you. My parents have never mentioned it to me before. That’s why this whole thing was a complete surprise to me, and that’s why I was shocked that Kyle said my aunt knows.”

  “Huh,” Luke said, the confusion obvious in his voice. “I’d be really shocked if your dad doesn’t know.”

  “Why?”

  Luke turned off her street, staring ahead. “Well, rumor has it that Joe McKinley left a few things behind for the next female werewolf descendent. No one really knows what it is. Some of us think that one of the items is his legendary talisman, though. Anyway, I would be surprised if your dad doesn’t know because, well, how else are you going to get what he left for you?”

  Samara shook her head. “I have no idea. Maybe they’re just waiting until my sixteenth birthday before they tell me. I mean, that would make sense. They probably just don’t want me to worry about it until it’s closer to happening . . . maybe they’re waiting to see if I even change. If I don’t change, maybe they’re not planning to tell me at all.”

  “I don’t think so,” Luke said. “Even if you weren’t the next girl in line, it could have been one of your children. They should have given you a forewarning. I’d give them until your sixteenth birthday, but if they don’t say anything by then . . . you’re probably right, and they really don’t know. Or they’re choosing to keep it a secret from you.”

  Samara thought about it. If her parents did know about her grandfather being a werewolf, it made no sense why they wouldn’t have told her. “I want to ask them, but what if they don’t know? How hard is it going to be for them to accept that their only daughter is a werewolf? How shocked will my dad be to find out that his father was a werewolf . . . that his whole life was basically a lie? I’m afraid to tell them.”

  Luke pulled into the movie theater parking lot. “It would be difficult, but what if they find out on their own, anyway? Wouldn’t it be easier for you to just tell them so that it won’t hurt even more if they find out?”

  “I guess you’re right. But if they don’t already know, they’re just going to think I’m nuts.”

  Leaning over to her side of the car, Luke tilted her chin. “I don’t think you’re nuts, and that’s all that really matters right now.”

  When their lips connected, Samara realized how right he was; Luke was the only one who mattered at that moment in time.

  *

  When Luke dropped her off at her house, all of the lights were turned off. Realizing that her parents must have gone to bed early, Samara breathed a sigh of relief. She had just had one of the best nights of her life. She really didn’t want an argument with her mom to ruin it for her.

  As she tiptoed down the hallway that led to her bedroom, Samara noticed that her brother’s light was on and the door was wide open. She stuck her head in his room. It was empty, but his bedroom window was open and the blue curtains were gently swaying in the October breeze.

  Samara looked out the window. She saw Seth walking towards the lake. Realizing that this might be her one and only chance to find out where he had been going, Samara climbed out his window and followed after him.

  Crouching down in hopes that he wouldn’t see her, Samara ran across the yard after him so that she wouldn’t fall too far behind and lose track of where he was going.

  Seth turned up one of the paths in the forest and continued walking until he brought her to the same clearing of woods that Samara had gone with the werewolf who had told her to call him E the night he took her to see the Vyka Alpha.

  Glancing at the grassy circle, Samara noticed that although there were no werewolves in sight, the fire was blazing; its flames were higher than it had been the night that she’d been there. Samara guessed that someone had just recently lit the fire.

  Looking back at her brother, she noticed a red cloud of smoke encircling him. When it was gone, he looked identical to the white wolf that she saw when she looked at her own reflection. Samara gasped loudly. Seth was a werewolf, too.

  As Samara turned to run back towards the house, she stopped herself. All five of the werewolves in the Vyka pack were walking in her direction.

  I see you’ve decided to join us, the black wolf said, taking a step towards her. Samara noted a tone of surprise in his voice.

  The wolf began circling around her. She glanced down at her hands, realizing that she could not defend herself against a pack of wolves even if she wanted to while she was in human form. “Well . . . yes, but it was on accident.”

  Accident, you say? There are no accidents, the black wolf replied, giving her a hard stare through his golden eyes. Everything we do is for a purpose.

  “Well, I followed my brother out into the woods. I just wanted to see where he was going. I didn’t realize he was going to lead me to your pack.”

  From a few feet away, Seth growled at her, pinning his ears back and staring at her coldly through his dark brown eyes. You followed me? Why?

  “I wanted to know where you were going, Seth. I’m sorry. I’ve just been trying to find out why you’ve been acting so angry.”

  Well, you got your answer then, didn’t you? the black wolf asked. So, you can go now.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Samara replied. “He hasn’t told me why he’s angry, so no.”

  That much is obvious, unless you’re a moron, the black wolf barked. Your brother’s so angry because he’s making the transition from human to werewolf. The change only recently began for him. It started just before his seventeenth birthday.

  Samara stared at him blankly. “Well, I just changed into a werewolf, too. I haven’t been angry.”

  It’s because you’re a girl, Sam, Seth said, walking closer to her. Male werewolves get angrier quicker. Especially when they’re just making the first change.

  Samara stared back at him in complete shock. She had suspected so many things that could have been the cause of his anger issues – bipolar disorder, drugs, alcoholism, depression, and even being bullied. Why hadn’t she considered, at least once, that he could be a werewolf, too? Especially after she had found out that it ran in the McKinley bloodline.

  Well, gender is only part of the reason Seth is angrier than you, the black wolf corrected him, interrupting her thoughts. The other part is the way you become a wolf. Seth went through the change the natural way, like most of us do. This causes a great deal of physical pain. It can also be more difficult to cope with emotionally because some of us go through it alone if we don’t know that it’s coming, like in Seth’s case.

  “It was painful for me.”

  The change wasn’t nearly as painful for you as it should have been. You were saved from a great deal of pain because you were bitten. This goes back to ancient werewolf history. Traditionally, the only time we were supposed to bite someone was when we absolutely needed to expand our packs or if our mate was a human. For this reason, the change happens more quickly and painlessly for people who are bitten by werewolves. Colby actually saved you from the whole painful ordeal by choosing the unnatural route for your existence.

  Samara groaned. She was getting a little tired of hearing that her existence was unnatural. Even if the black wolf didn’t agree with it, she knew that Colby’s intentions were good. As much as she was trying to be open-minded about this Alpha, she couldn’t help but think that he was completely biased and also a jerk.

  “Look, if you want me to consider being on your pack, I need to know who all of you are. So, I would appreciate it if you would all turn back into humans right now,” Samara told them, as she continued to stare at their Alpha.

  I suppose we can do that, the Alpha said. E, you go first.

  The first gray wolf in line was enveloped by a red cloud of smoke. Samara realized that red must be the Vyka’s cloud and tattoo color, since it was the color that she had also just seen when her brother had transformed.

  Moments later, Ethan Miller stared back at her. Samara raised an eyebrow.
“I thought that you said that you never saw a gray wolf before,” she said, remembering what he had said in biology class.

  “I didn’t,” Ethan said, looking her in the eye. It was clear that he remembered what she was referring to. “The wolf I saw was someone from our pack, coming to let me know what was happening to me. I just didn’t know that yet. I started making the change in early October.”

  “I see,” Samara replied. She moved on to the next wolf in the pack.

  A red smoky cloud danced and twirled around him. Samara gasped when she saw the dark brown slicked back hair when he had changed. She clamped her hand over her mouth. “Josh!”

  Josh nodded, looking down at the ground. “Yup, it’s me.”

  Samara felt relieved that at least one person who she knew and liked was on this pack. She was surprised, though. Josh and Kyle were best friends, but they were on opposing packs? Samara wondered if it had anything to do with why she hadn’t seen Josh and Kyle hanging out together at school recently – although they had gone to Emma’s party together. She was really going to have to learn a lot more about werewolf pack etiquette and culture so that things would be less confusing for her.

  The next werewolf in the pack took a step forward. The red cloud of smoke formed around him and moments later, Samara found herself staring into the face of Mark Stevens, one of her neighbors. She didn’t know him that well, but she didn’t really have a problem with him.

  “Hey, Sam,” Mark said, smiling at her.

  “Hi,” she said, smiling back at him before moving on to the next wolf.

  I’m not changing. I want to go last, the gray wolf said. Samara wasn’t sure whose voice she was hearing, but she got the feeling that it was someone she knew . . . someone familiar.

  I guess I’ll go next then, the black wolf said. The gust of wind that seemed to carry the red cloud of smoke around him was more powerful for the Alpha, though not as powerful as the smoke that had forcefully engulfed Colby when he had changed. When the smoke began to fade away, Samara’s jaw dropped.