Shadowed Instincts

by Wendi Wilson

  “There we go,” Chris said as he straightened and brushed his hands against his pant legs.

  Jeremy felt the hold on him ease slightly, and he was able to speak. “Why did you do that?”

  “He’s my scapegoat. When the poisoning didn’t go as planned and you didn’t die in the car accident, I knew I was going to need to set someone up to take the fall. Old Declan here is the perfect choice. He has a thing for your girl, and through her, he could become alpha of this pack.” He barked out a bitter laugh. “Imagine my surprise when I got here and realized that this wasn’t just some normal, backwoods community. I had no idea Melanie’s father was a shifter. Did you?”

  Jeremy ignored the question and asked, “What are you going to do, Chris?”

  “Well, I’m not going to do anything. At least, that’s the story I’ll tell when the cavalry comes looking. Declan decided to stop planning accidents and just kill you. You guys get into a dogfight, literally, and kill each other. I’m just the innocent bystander hiding in the bushes.”

  Jeremy’s eyes darted around as his nerves started to overtake him. He searched for some way to escape, but no answer came to him. He decided to keep Chris talking with the hope that someone, anyone would come to his aid.

  “Why wait until now to do it? I mean, I lived with you for three weeks. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just kill me then?”

  “And be the number one suspect? No way. It was not going to happen anywhere near my apartment.” He smiled cruelly and huffed a laugh. “I did try to get to you once, though. The night Melanie got attacked, I followed her from the party. I was going to grab her and wait for you to come to her rescue. I knew you would. You’re always trying to be the hero.” He sighed. “But Mr. Hughes got to her first. I was watching the whole thing go down when you showed up and knocked him off of her. I was so hoping he would stab you with that big knife he had. The coward ran away with his tail between his legs. Then people starting coming out to see what was happening and I had to slip away. Pity.”

  Jeremy listened intently for footsteps, but couldn’t hear much over the pounding of blood in his ears. He knew he had to keep Chris talking. That was the only way he was going to survive this.

  “Chris, you don’t have to kill me. I don’t want to be alpha. I am not a threat to you or your power. I promise.”

  “It doesn’t matter if you want the job or not. There are members of the pack who aren’t exactly…embracing my leadership. Even though I killed Grandfather-”

  “You did what?” Jeremy interrupted him with a growl.

  “How did you think I became the alpha, you idiot? As I was saying, even though I killed him and earned this position, some members of the pack are calling for your return. Lesser of two evils, I guess. Your mom, though disgraced by your father’s family, is a full blooded shifter and legitimate to boot. The son of a half-blood bastard daughter isn’t good enough to be their leader.”

  Chris spat on the ground in anger and Jeremy could see the muscles twitching under his skin. The situation was starting to escalate out of control and Jeremy knew he needed to act fast.

  “Chris, please. You’re my cousin and I love you. We can work this out. Nobody has to die.”

  “Yes…you do.”

  “No. I can run away. We’ve been running my whole life. I’ll go where no one can find me and there will be no threat to your position.”

  “As long as you live, my pack will be split in its loyalties. I need to prove that you are dead and that I am their only choice.”

  “There has to be some other way, Chris. Please.” Jeremy’s voice cracked, betraying his fear.

  “No, there’s not. This is the only way.” Chris said, as he stripped off his clothes. He shot Jeremy a cruel smile before shifting into a large black dog.

  Chapter 34

  Melanie skidded to a halt just before she entered the clearing. She saw Jeremy standing there, making no move to get away or help Declan, who was out cold on the ground nearby. She watched in disbelief as Chris slowly walked toward Jeremy, talking so nonchalantly about killing his own grandfather.

  Melanie experienced a tingly feeling in her scalp that it made its way down her spine. She tried shrugging her shoulders and cracking her neck, but nothing helped. It had started the second she had heard her father’s scouts tell him that Chris was the alpha of the Oklahoma pack. She took off because she knew, down to her soul, that Chris was the one responsible for trying to kill Jeremy. Not Declan.

  “Declan,” she mouthed, her eyes shooting back to his limp body on the ground. She saw his chest move and sighed with relief.

  Chris is too caught up in the heat of the moment to even realize I’m here, she thought. I’ll have to use that to my advantage.

  She heard Chris say the words “this is the only way” and her eyes shot back to him as he dropped his last piece of clothing to the ground. Melanie blushed and forced herself not to squeeze her eyes closed. She tried to keep her focus on his face. Her eyes widened as he dropped to his hands and knees, his body convulsing unnaturally. Chris shifted into an enormous black dog, even bigger than Ace. Melanie had never seen a shift in action and the strangeness of it made her stomach flip-flop.

  At the same time, she heard footsteps and a muffled squeal behind her. Her head whipped around and she saw Tara, eyes wide with fright, staring toward the clearing. Darren’s arms were wrapped around her from behind with one hand sealed tightly across her mouth. Melanie grimaced, realizing that Tara had seen Chris shift too.

  She looked back and watched as the dog version of Chris moved closer to Jeremy. He remained unmoving. Melanie was busy trying to figure out why he wasn’t running or protecting himself when the cramps hit. She fell forward onto the ground and landed on her hands and knees, panting.

  Chris reached Jeremy and snarled, pulling his dog lips back from his gums to show a row of sharp teeth. A long string of drool dripped from one side of Chris’s mouth, almost glowing in the moonlight. Jeremy still did not move.

  Melanie felt the pull on her muscles grow stronger. She endured the discomfort in silence, not wanting to alert Chris to her presence.

  The muscles in the giant dog’s body bunched as he prepared to attack. Melanie squeezed her eyes shut and all her muscles seemed to release and pop back into place. When she opened her eyes, she could see much more clearly, making out every detail of the scene in front of her. She could smell Jeremy, the sweat dripping down his temple as stood in the same spot.

  She could also smell Chris. His was a scent she’d never encountered before. It smelled like wet dog with a trace of vanilla.

  Time seemed to slow down as Chris’s body launched forward toward Jeremy. Melanie realized several things in that split second: she had shifted, Jeremy still wasn’t moving, and Chris was going to kill him. With that last thought, she jumped.

  She heard another muffled squeal behind her and Darren’s whispered, “Melanie!” but ignored them both. Racing into the clearing, she growled low in her throat, yanking Chris’s attention away from Jeremy. The black dog tried to brace himself, but it was too late. Melanie slammed into him headfirst, knocking him away from Jeremy and causing him to sprawl out on his side.

  Jeremy blinked and shook his head as he felt the supernatural grip imprisoning him disintegrate. He watched the medium sized brown dog stand up slowly and face off with Chris, who was also back on his four paws. Jeremy was thinking that it was about time one of the sentinels showed up when he heard a noise behind him and whipped his head around.

  He saw Darren, gripping Tara by the shoulders. She had tears in her eyes and he was trying to get her to sit down. Jeremy watched as her big brown eyes turned back toward him and she mouthed, “Melanie,” her eyes shooting past him to where the standoff was taking place.

  Jeremy whipped his head back around and before even thinking about it, burst out of his clothes and into his dog form. He charged toward the standoff. Melanie was backing up in a crouched position, growling and snapping at
Chris as he stalked closer and closer with his nose low to the ground. Jeremy increased his speed and let out a low growl as he closed in on them.

  Chris’s body reared back and using his powerful hind legs, leapt forward, his mouth open and ready to tear Melanie to shreds. Melanie squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact as he flew through the air toward her, teeth gleaming brightly. She heard a thump and a high pitched yelp as a gust of wind brushed against her face.

  Opening her eyes, she looked right and saw two large furry bodies rolling around in the dirt a few feet away from her. They separated and she stood abruptly, realizing it was Ace snapping his powerful jaws toward Chris’s neck. She slowly circled around them, trying to figure out how to help her boyfriend. She felt useless, not knowing the first thing about fighting as a dog.

  She let out a low whine and Ace’s head swiveled around to look at her. In that instant, Chris took advantage of his distraction and jumped forward, locking his sharp teeth around Ace’s throat and jerking wildly. Melanie’s vision went red and, without thinking, she leapt forward and jumped on Chris’s back and snapped her jaws toward his head. She felt flesh between her teeth and jerked her head back, feeling it tear as a coppery taste filled her mouth.

  Chris yelped in pain and released Ace, who slumped to the ground. He bucked wildly, dislodging Melanie and throwing her several feet away. She was back on her feet in an instant, nose low to the ground and growling viciously. Chris slowly stalked toward her, his teeth glinting in the moonlight as he started to circle her.

  Melanie turned slowly, keeping him in front of her. Her animal instincts had completely taken over- the need to protect her mate, the will to survive- nothing else mattered. She was vaguely aware of soft sounds coming from the area around her. She heard Ace’s labored breathing, a feral growl from Darren and a soft sob escaping Tara’s lips. She blocked it all out and zeroed in on the large beast in front of her. Blood dripped to the ground from his torn ear.

  Chris bunched his hind legs beneath him and lunged toward her with his jaws open. Melanie quickly dodged to the side and Chris’s momentum led him right past her. She turned to face him just as a large dark blur flew by and landed on Chris with a snarl. Melanie watched the writhing dogfight for a few seconds in confusion. She looked to her right and saw Jeremy still laying on the ground, barely conscious. She looked back to where her dad and Tara had been standing and saw only Tara there, her fists in front of her mouth and tears pouring from her eyes.

  She realized it was Darren who was now battling Chris. Melanie swiveled her head back toward them just as a loud yelp echoed through the clearing. Chris was shaking violently and Melanie experienced a moment of elation, thinking Darren was victorious. A twist of their bodies showed her that Chris had one of Darren’s front legs in his mouth. A loud snap reached her ears followed by a keening cry.

  Melanie sprang forward, landing on top of Chris once more. She chomped her jaws down, this time feeling something more substantial locked between her teeth. On instinct, she violently shook her head from left to right and back again with all of her strength. Chris tried to buck her off as he did before, but she only squeezed her jaws tighter as a wave of bloodlust hit her violently. She jerked her head again, this time hearing a loud crack and Chris went still beneath her.

  She slowly and carefully opened her mouth and Chris’s neck fell from her jaws. She backed up a few paces, keeping her nose to the ground, ready for him to bound back to his feet and attack her again. When he didn’t move, she let out a low whine and a chuff, looking from him to Jeremy’s prone form, then back to Chris again. Her eyes rounded and she took a quick step back. Chris had reverted back to his human form and lay there naked, his head turned at an odd angle.

  Darren walked into the clearing, fully dressed and cradling his right arm, with Tara trailing slowly behind him. Her eyes were wide and vacant as she observed the scene.

  Melanie’s father stopped when he reached Chris. He lowered himself and put his left hand on the young man’s neck. Darren took a deep breath and let it out slowly, standing back up and shaking his head.

  “He’s dead,” he said quietly.

  Tara let out a keening cry from behind him and fell to her knees, sobbing. Jeremy stirred and rolled to his belly, a low howl escaping his lips and echoing quietly through the woods around them. Melanie walked to his side and licked his face, then laid down on the ground next to him. Exhaustion caught up to her as her eyes dropped shut and she fell asleep.

  Chapter 35

  Morning light flooded in through the windows as Melanie’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times, then let out a deep sigh. She snuggled further under the covers, shaking the lingering images of the bad dream out of her mind. She smiled contentedly and curled onto her side.

  She absentmindedly rubbed her hand against her side and frowned. She pulled the covers up away from her body to confirm the odd feeling. She was naked. Dropping the covers back into place, she rolled onto her back and tugged at her bottom lip.

  Pulling her hand away, she looked at it and gasped. She pulled the other hand out from under the blanket and held them both in front of her face. They were both brown with grime. Her fingernails had dirt caked underneath them. She shivered and sat straight up.

  “Tara?” she called out.

  When she heard no answer, she jumped out of bed and threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt before running to Jeremy’s room. His door was open and his bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in. She raced down the stairs, calling out his name.

  “Melanie. In here,” she heard Darren call out as she neared his office.

  She ran in, her chest heaving until she saw Jeremy slumped down in the chair to her right. Walking over to him, she dropped to her knees and took his hand. He gave her a small smile and squeezed her palm.

  “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

  “Yeah, I guess. Are you okay?”

  She shook her head quickly. “What happened out there? How did I end up in my bed? I can’t remember.”

  “Chris used his alpha power over Jeremy to keep him from moving,” Darren said. “He knocked out Declan, who was on patrol, intending it to look like he and Jeremy were fighting over you and killed each other.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Melanie said.

  Jeremy squeezed her hand again and said, “That’s when you showed up and knocked him off of me. Twice. You saved my life, Melanie.”

  “Now we’re even,” she said with a half-smile, remembering how he had saved her from Mr. Hughes, more than once.

  “Yeah,” Jeremy said, his head falling forward. “Right.”

  Melanie looked over at Darren and quietly said, “Chris?”

  Darren shook his head sadly, and suddenly everything came rushing back to Melanie at once. The fight, the taste of blood in her mouth, Chris body falling limply to the ground in front of her. She fell backwards onto her butt with a gasp. Tears filled her eyes as she looked from Darren back to Jeremy.

  “I…k-killed him?” she asked weakly.

  “Melanie,” Darren said firmly as he stood and walked around the desk toward her. One arm was in a sling, wrapped tightly with bandages. Using his other arm, he pulled her up from the floor and wrapped her in a tight hug. “It’s not your fault. Chris was going to kill all three of us if he had the chance. You saved us all.”

  “But-”

  “Shush now,” Darren whispered as he squeezed her even tighter then pushed her back to arm’s length so he could look into her eyes. “Everything is going to be fine. I promise.”

  Nodding his head at her, he released her and walked back to his desk, leaned against it and changed the subject. “Jeremy’s parents are on their way. They’ll be here this afternoon.”

  Sucking in a gasp of air, Melanie asked, “Where’s Tara?”

  “She’s at the Brown’s house, sitting with Declan. He has a pretty bad concussion and honestly, I don’t think she’s quite ready to talk about everything she witnessed last
night.”

  “Well…do you blame her?” Melanie said with a self-deprecating laugh. “She saw her boyfriend shift into a dog and try to kill one of her best friends. Then, she saw me turn into a dog, followed by Jeremy. She saw her boyfriend die. Just one of those things would be too much for anyone to handle.”

  “She’s a strong one. She’ll figure out how to deal with this, trust me.”

  “I have to go talk to her.”

  “I’m not sure if this is the right time,” Darren said sadly. “She’s had quite the shock-”

  “Of course she has! She needs her best friend, if she even still considers me that. I’ll be back soon.” She stood and paused, glancing at Jeremy. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah,” he said giving her a tired smile. “Go. Call me if you need backup. Darren, I’m going to go lie down for a while.”

  “Okay, but when you’re ready, the three of us need to talk.”

  Melanie and Jeremy walked out together and parted at the bottom of the stairs. With a hug and a light kiss, he headed up to his room and she walked out the front door. Pausing on the porch, she inhaled deeply and enjoyed the feel of the morning sun on her skin.

  “Time to face the music,” she whispered sadly, then headed down the steps and down the path to the Brown’s residence.

  Melanie knocked on the door and shifted her weight nervously as she waited. She heard footsteps leading to the door. It swung open to reveal Chad looking haggard from a long night of no sleep. Melanie flinched as she thought of how she accused Declan and tried to make his own father doubt him.

  “Melanie,” he said wearily.

  “Chad…I’m so sorry.”

  He held up a hand to stop her. “It’s over. I understand why you suspected him. Even though I knew my son couldn’t possibly be the one responsible, I can see your point of view. Let’s just forget about it and move on.”

  “How is he?”

  “He’ll be fine. He has a slight concussion and one hell of a headache, but he’s alive thanks to you. Your friend has been taking good care of him.” His words were followed by a small, thoughtful smile.