Finally, Dad sat down across from me and proceeded to drink his coffee. He stared off, lost in thought. I took the opportunity to think. What made him so sure I was Alpha material?
My surname?
Our shared genes?
Or could he see something inside me which reinforced his belief? I wanted to please him—always had—but if there was another, someone stronger or better qualified to run the pack, wouldn’t I be the better man to admit that?
Discovering Olivia was a hunter and must detest any type of Lycan, what hope did I have of a future with her? The caffeine must have stimulated the section of my brain which created questions. There was no short supply.
If she was infected, though, what did that mean?
Any future without her in it was something I didn’t want to consider. Not when she slept on my bed and the scents of her hormones and her obvious desire lingered in there.
The odor of antiseptic flooded our senses, along with blood and other unidentifiable smells. Wolf stirred as did the lower part of my body. Perhaps it would have been wiser to have taken her to the hotel.
The temptation increased.
The memory of her hand guiding mine up her thigh—I shot up to put my cup inside the sink. Some action to stop that line of thinking. The movement shook my dad from his own reverie.
“I’ve been told there was witness.”
I sat back down, rubbing the back of my head. “Who?”
“Gladys said a barn owl was in a tree.”
She was the only one of our pack who communicated with animals. “What did she say?”
Dad refilled his mug. From the windows behind him the sun had begun to disrobe across the sky. The birdsong I loved to hear every day began. It was Saturday morning.
“The Lycan intended to mate with the human but was interrupted by one of our kind.”
Wow, he dropped that bombshell quietly. I closed my eyes in defeat. Things didn’t make sense. They didn’t add up.
“What is it? You have that look that says you give up.”
I gritted my teeth before staring at him. “There were some smells there I couldn’t decipher. That’s never happened before. Even Wolf couldn’t tell that another werewolf had been there.”
He steepled his fingers in front of his mug and began to nod. “Those scents were masked. The owl said the wolf had emerald eyes. That is not the color of our pack. It’s also not common. He ripped the Lycan’s throat out, but somehow the beast healed and was able to damage his organs before tossing him into the pond. Jose thinks he found a sample of skin and fur. It’s being tested.”
“That type of healing power is unheard of.”
Dad twisted his bottom lip. A sign he had more to share but wasn’t sure if he should. “We may be dealing with magic-touched. The wolf and maybe that girl. Owl said she understood the Lycan. I know of no one who can do that.”
My mouth dropped open. “I saw her talking with the Lycan, her words sounded like responses, but all I heard from him were the typical clicking sounds they make.”
“There is certainly a lot to work through, my son, a lot. Autumn will be a busy time for us.”
I folded my arms and leaned back. “Did we find anything on Greg?”
“Greg Aldrich was twenty-four. His uncle, Larry, owns Pearson Motors. His wallet was in the car he drove. Aldrich…” Dad ran his hand through his dark brown hair. It settled back into place like it had never been disturbed. I had Mom’s wavy and thinner lighter brown hair and her eyes. Livy called them acorn colored.
“We went to high school with an Aldrich. Lawrence, I think his name was.” Dottie walked in, bags under her eyes and exhaustion tight in the slump of her shoulders.
“I’ll have Jose check the backgrounds of both names,” Dad said, waiting for the doc to join us. Instead she headed to the counter to refill her mug. While she stirred, her backpack slipped off her shoulder. He took it and her cup and escorted her to the table.
Dot grimaced when she spyied Livy’s exposed weaponry. “Nasty things.” She settled in the chair across from me. Immediately, she closed her eyes, cradled the cup in both hands, and took a deep drink. Dad rolled up the hoodie and placed it by the stove.
I stared outside until I heard her swallow. When I regarded her, I discovered her sharp gray-eyed gaze on me. Dad was silent.
“You had to fall for a troubled girl,” she admonished, her voice in control and tough. “Eagles flying above, I know she’s a pretty thing, but Rylan, she’s a killer. She’s surrounded by people who act like gods and expect others to bow. There is much coldness in her soul. The pack will not like her. And before our Alpha pipes in, we have made allowances for humans to join our ranks in the past.”
Her words made me bristle. There were parts to Livy not many others saw.
Dad elbowed her. “Ha! See? He’s incensed by what you said. I know Olivia. Many of us do. She’s a good girl. Had a hard life. But she’s not bad. No, someone else is responsible for misguiding her. Rylan must undo the damage and help her heal. What you said is true as well, but only one was let into the pack. Allowed by my father. The other woman who asked for special consideration a few years later died in pregnancy. She could carry a pup.”
Dot nodded at his every word. Mom revealed years ago that they had grown up close friends. Their relationship sometimes reminds me of what I share with Livy.
“That poor soul had a weak body and weak soul.” Dot tsked. “This girl has something cloudy on hers. I suspect it has to do with magic.”
“What do you mean by magic? Was she cursed?” I blurted.
“The good news is there’s still time for the girl to change. To let go of the hate she carries,” Dot said. “Two of those five marks were deep. I treated and stitched them up. What happens next depends on her genes. Either she’ll start to exhibit the symptoms of an impending change, or she won’t. Give her three days for the blood to work its way through. Call if you have any concerns. I will need to refer with our witch and some elders to answer your question.”
“Thank you. Both of you.” Magic complicated everything. Since its role was unknown at this time, I wouldn’t bother worrying about it. All I wanted to do was sleep.
Dot had the ability to stare at a person and make them feel as if she’s peering at their soul. That’s what she began to do. Her heavy stare became uncomfortable. I remained still, wondering what she exactly did to unearth people’s secrets the way she did.
Dad studied the skin on his hand rather than disturb us.
I didn’t bother erecting walls inside my mind in case that’s how she operated. I had nothing to hide from an elder in the pack. The way she didn’t blink unnerved me.
Finally, she broke into a smile. A genuine one. I breathed easier. Had I passed?
“You have loved her for so long. Under every layer, she loves you just as much. She is afraid. Ugh! Too much saccharine.” Dot drank twice more and stood before yawning.
“Come,” Dad said, handing the backpack to her. “Jose has the car outside. We’ll drop you at home. Son, rest. Take these three days off. Watch her. I’ll handle things. Remain here. That way I won’t have to ever hear how I kept you from the love of your life. I know this because of your mother. She sends her love.”
It felt good to laugh. Taking their mugs, I escorted them to the front door. Jose waited at the wheel of Dad’s antique Cadillac from the ‘70s. The thing looked like it should be docked at the marina. “Give Mom my love.”
Once they’d gone, I locked up, set the mugs in the dishwasher, and trudged to my room. Livy slept on the side by the window, sunlight highlighted her brown hair. After closing the blinds, I settled in beside her.
How many times had I imagined being in bed with her? Every day we spent together this summer. Could she become something as hideous as Aldrich?
That wouldn’t happen. Not to her. I ran my index finger along the curve of her chin twice before stopping under her bottom lip. What does she taste like?
&
nbsp; I pulled my hand away. I was a monster too and had to tell her soon.
Just as my eyes turned heavy, her body nestled against mine. Her temperature seemed normal.
I turned to my other side, letting my back act as a barrier, and let sleep claim me.
Rylan
Eddie situated himself on the recliner until he was comfortable. This was the first time he was here that I had furniture inside my living room. When I ordered pieces for this space, I made sure to get one seat that would fit my best friend’s girth. We were werewolves, but Ed was built more like a bear. I was 6’1” and Ed towered over me by more than four more inches. Wide head, wide frame, and an equally big heart, I trusted him with my life. If I became Alpha, he would be my Omega.
It was just after twelve when Ed arrived and the dismal, cloud-filled sky had darkened even more. Thunder rumbled in the distance and Wolf begged for release. Something about storms—thunder or snow—excited him. After reminding him that I had a guest, he reluctantly quieted down, but before he did, he wanted me to eat four slices of the meat bonanza pie my friend had brought over. I complied by beginning with two.
I ate and drank beer while voraciously reading the materials on the iPad Ed had given me. I might not like technology but others in the pack loved it. Livy was sleeping when he arrived, and I had closed the bedroom door to keep our voices out.
The topic of today’s meeting was Olivia. I hoped she’d continue to rest. If not, we’d smell her upon approach.
As the storm grew closer, I grew restless. “Thank you for coming over, the food, and the tablet.” Satisfied by the provided information, I now had a sense of the type of men Greg and Larry were. I left the tablet on the table and rose from the sofa to pace in front of the fireplace. “Pearson Motors is his wife’s family’s business. There’s no record of Larry employed by or being detained by any company in Montauk.”
Shoving a chunk of crust into his mouth, Ed grumbled agreement. This was the way I liked to work things. Reading up, doing research, thinking and planning, followed by talking it out with another person. When it came to hotel stuff, Mom had been my listener, until I began sharing things with Livy. “Then the alleged conspiracy and experiments were all a ruse.”
He polished off his beer. “Could be. A means to cover up his cursed condition.”
I paused by the mantle covered with photos of my immediate and pack families. The largest frame held a print of Livy and me at a college friend’s wedding last May. Livy had on this pink floral dress that showcased her curves. I knew I was in trouble. For the entire night I could only form one cohesive thought—I was in love with her. To see if we have a future together, I needed to make sure she was safe.
I tore my eyes away from that picture and continued to pace. “Can you clarify the folder on his victims? I’m not sure I get why there’s page after page of names, but no explanations to create a connection between them.”
Lightning flashed outside. An electrical charge hung in the air. Instead of relaxing from the food and drink, the weather had interfered, providing a distraction. Somewhere a wolf howled in reaction, except since we’d adapted to life inland, our cries were disguised to sound more like a dog. Many of us hated that. It was lame. Insulting. Disgusting. It also kept the peace.
Ed went over to the sliding glass doors and slid one open. The breeze which stole in brought my favorite scents of pine, moss, and a hint of rain. We both stood there, inhaling it, as the first drops hit. My friend’s eyes began to change from light brown to golden.
“Ed, control yourself.” I glanced back at the my bedroom doorway. It remained empty. She still slept.
He blinked before scrubbing his face. “Sorry, dude. Rain always brings my wolf forward. Just once I’d love to give in and run free in it.”
I headbutted his shoulder in our typical form of canis lupus camaraderie. “You and me both. We need island time.”
We returned to our seats.
Clearing his throat, Ed peered at his laptop. Back to our discussion. He knew how important this was to me. “As for Larry’s victims, neither me nor my staff could compose a true compilation from the missing person’s lists. The data we have doesn’t make sense. There had to have been victims, that’s how these Lycans are. They enjoy the hunt as well as the kill, but no bodies have been found.”
“There’s no victim unless there’s evidence. Without that, no one knows there’s a problem. The monsters don’t exist. Damn it! They must dispose of them.” Everything on the wood coffee table jumped when I slammed my fist down. Nothing broke or fell.
Lycans need humans for the life energy of their blood and to procreate. We learn that as pups. Throughout childhood, our parents and caregivers instill in us the knowledge of all our enemies.
Ed twisted open another beer and slid it towards me. “Drink up. We’ll sort it out, Ry.”
I chugged half of it. Rain pelleted the roof as flashes of bright light seemed to accentuate our words. What an appropriate backdrop.
“Penelope scoured so much info for me,” Ed continued, mentioning his girlfriend with a grin. “What’s weird is Olivia’s cousin’s death is listed as ‘mauling by a wild animal.’ Her mother as ‘accidental death’ due to a fall. Neither was reported by any media.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “There was nothing out of the ordinary to report.” When my family moved us back to Lavender Cove, all I heard for months from the local kids was about the deaths by the pond. “But I’d heard someone with tremendous pull and power had paid to keep the media away. That would be a special case. I don’t think we could say about all of the others.”
Ed started in on another slice and then took a quick sip to wash it down. “There are no reported cases of strange deaths in the area. All are accounted for. For decades.”
A soft voice joined in. “The organization covers them up. It’s always been that way.”
Rylan
Both of us swiveled in our seats towards the archway where Olivia stood. One of the pack teens had gone to her house while her family was out and packed an overnight bag. She now wore her own sweats and a dark long-sleeved tee which concealed those marks. One less thing to worry about if Ed had seen them. Dot had suggested we not tell anyone.
Her hair was captured back in a low tail. She seemed to be refreshed with no visible signs of illness.
From the way she nibbled her lip and toyed with her shirt hem, she still worried. So did I.
“Hey, Olivia. I brought pizza.”
Most of my friends and some of the pack knew her. Those that hadn’t met her certainly knew of her, mainly because some of the guys liked to tease me about my ‘obsession’ with the pretty human girl. Wolf growled at the thought of anyone hassling me about Olivia.
She smiled timidly. “Hi, Ed.”
He held out a paper plate which she hurried over to take before she chose a meat-laden slice. There was also bottled water on ice in a bowl. She grabbed one and sat across from me on the smaller sofa. Eddie was to my left.
We waited until she settled. Ed kept sending quizzical looks my way. I shrugged and sat back.
Livy put the plate down and faced us. Again, she started with the lip biting until she must have caught us staring and stopped. “I know what you are,” she whispered.
Of course, our hearing picked up her words.
“My mom raised me with fairy tales and taught me to like people, to not dislike someone because of someone else’s opinion. She said to give others a chance and that forgiveness was free. Hate came at a price since it locked the one believing it in a place of negativity.” She didn’t look at us, she grabbed the water bottle and toyed with the label.
“When I saw a monster that night, I began to hate. Then I had to join a group and the dislike which filled me helped me excel in the programs. All those years, while I was consumed with vengeance and created this quest to destroy monsters because I had lost two people I loved, I received your letters, Ry. When I read them, I made sure I was some
place bright. Like outside, or in a mall or coffee shop where there were windows and people.”
Ed glanced over at me. “Livy was my friend. I wrote to her.”
“I was your friend too,” he said. “I received nothing.”
Livy regarded me. “Did you write them only to me?”
“Yes.” My right foot started to shake, an old nervous habit. Ed would never let me live this down. I’ll have to hear until I pass away about how I wrote love letters to a human girl.
“That’s, um,” he cleared his throat. “That’s sweet. Penelope has a pen pal from China she’s been communicating with since she was ten. I get it.”
Did he really? I’ll wait until later to find out.
“Thank you, Rylan. Those letters became my lifeline to Lavender Cove, to home. To my mom. I always think about the bubble blowing and my telling you about it. You never made fun of me.” She placed the bottle across her lap. “Dot told me about the pack. That they won’t like me. That’s all right. Sometimes I don’t like me. I need to change some things. But I won’t, I mean I can’t change how I feel about you, Ry. You’re a good guy. Definitely not a monster.”
The bottle rolled off her legs and slammed onto the floor with a whack. Ed quickly downed half his bottle, as though he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I remained in place, stoked that Livy knew about me, about us.
Livy leaned down and picked up the water, clutching it. “I will teach myself to stop the hate and differentiate between cool creatures like you guys and nasty things like Greg. I might need help at times, so if you see or hear me do something, tell me. Okay?”
“Oh, sure,” Ed said, in his sweetest voice.
“Anything, Livy. You got it,” I reassured her. “Why don’t you eat something? I have fruit in the fridge and cereals. I can always run out and get you whatever you want or call in an order.”
She shook her head. “Nah, this is fine.” She picked up the slice and bit the end of it before placing it back. After making a face, Livy caught hold of my grin. She giggled, holding her hand up by her mouth. “I’m all right. There’s just so much meat on this.”
Falling for Shifters: A Limited Edition Autumn Shifters Collection Page 122