by Mia Rose
Noelle’s grandmother put her hand into a fist and showed the family, everyone was completely captivated by the story.
“She called out for help at the top of her lungs, but she knew that no one could hear her from where she was, so she ran to the village and went to the doctor’s house. She banged on the door until he awoke and through her tears she managed to tell him that her lover was in the woods injured by some animal and needed his help right away. The man rushed inside to get some supplies and followed her into the woods where she led him to the spot where her lover had been lying. Only he was no longer there.”
“The doctor told her that it was probably just nerves for the big day tomorrow and so he gave her a calming potion that sent her to sleep. The next day came and she felt that the entire night before had been a dream. She put on her wedding dress and she waited and waited, but he never came.”
Noelle didn’t realize it, but she had tears in her eyes. “A wolf bit him,” she said, “isn’t that right?”
“Yes, Noelle. Noelise cried for weeks on end, she felt that her heart was slowly being dragged out of her body. Until one night, she heard rocks being thrown at her window. She looked outside, and who did she find other than her lover standing there with a huge smile on his face.”
The room was deadly silent as the story unfolded.
“She raced downstairs and into his arms. She cried into his shirt and explained that everyone in the village thought that he had run away, but she knew that he would never do that to her. He asked her to follow her into the woods, to the spot where they were supposed to do their secret ceremony and Noelise did as he asked. Once they reached the place, he told her that he wanted to show her something but that she did not need to be afraid. Noelise agreed, overcome with joy that he had returned for her. What happened next terrified her beyond words. She watched as the skin shredded from his body and the beautiful man before her turned into a ferocious beast. Noelise let out a shrill cry!”
“He transformed in front of her?” Noelle asked incredulously. Her grandmother nodded and continued.
“Noelise was so afraid that she could not even move from her spot. Her lover’s voice came from the wolf and he explained that she should not be afraid at all, that it was still him and he had stayed away from her until he felt confident that he would be able to control himself around her. He told her that although he could transform into this animal, that he was still human on the inside and the he was still the man that loved her. Noelise walked over to the animal and touched his fur, then his face. She would not have been able to believe that it was truly him had he not changed right in front of her eyes. But the new wolf did not notice the knife that Noelise had brought with her out of fear. She’d brought it in case they might meet whatever had bitten her lover. She leaned down into his ear and whispered ‘You are not human. You are nothing to me.’ And she plunged the knife into his back and he let out a horrific cry of pain. She had not known it at the time, but the knife she used was made of pure silver and that killed the beast before he had a chance to run away.”
“She killed him?” Noelle choked out.
“Of course, she did,” Megan spoke out, “why wouldn’t she?”
“Because she loved him.”
Her grandmother nodded and said, “She did love him. With all of heart, but that is why she chose to kill him. Although the wolf believed he was still human, Noelise knew better and she knew that the man she loved was no longer with her, not really. And she could not stand the fact of this horrible beast parading around in his body.”
“So, this is why we kill them? She is the one who started it all?” Noelle asked.
“Yes,” her grandmother replied, “Noelise made it her mission to destroy the beasts that had taken her only chance at true love and happiness. A tradition that she passed down not only to her own descendants but to others who she entrusted with the mission. Our family, however, we are the true descendants of Noelise. This is why it is so important for you to understand how this all started, so that you can appreciate the importance of keeping the tradition alive and staying true to our purpose.”
“Nana,” Megan called out, “why did they stop telling us this story during training?”
“One reason, Megan. They did not want anyone to think that it would ever be possible to love a werewolf.”
“Our family, however, we are the true descendants.”
Chapter 7
Game
“Sometimes a good hunt is all you need.”
After the fight with Gabriel, Declan went out to the woods to hunt for more game. Although he went alone again, he had no intention of being distracted this time. His fight with Gabriel made him even more determined to prove that he could be the alpha of this group, and he did not want any more members doubting that.
He quietly stalked a small doe in the distance and felt the drool dripping from his lips as he watched, waiting for the right moment. They decided that drawing family names was the fairest approach to the food situation for right now, so Declan felt the pressure to bring home enough game to feed at least three or four groups at a time. Especially now that were kicking up their training schedules. In truth, everyone desperately needed their energy.
The doe’s mother walked away a few feet and Declan appeared from behind the tree where he was hiding. The doe did not hear him approaching and he was able to pounce on her and rip out her throat before she was able to make a sound. As soon as the mother turned around and saw the bloody scene, she let out a cry of pain as Declan pounced on her and sliced her throat open as well. Quick kills, he thought to himself, there’s no sense in dragging it out.
He heard the buck galloping toward the sound of the scream before he saw him. The buck entered into the small clearing and reared his head preparing to charge at Declan, but Declan had the advantage as the adrenaline coursed through him. He brought his body down on top of the buck and listened to the bones within the buck’s leg snapping underneath his weight. The buck laid there, gasping in anguish, and Declan took his paw and slashed open his throat. A gush of blood poured out of his neck, drenching the floor beneath them.
Declan piled the young doe and deer into his car and strapped the buck to his roof. He smiled in victory knowing that this would be enough meat to serve at least five families tonight. As he drove back to the apartments, he felt the energy of the fight and the hunt slowly leaving his veins and his thoughts drifted to Cassidy.
“Cass,” he said out loud although no one was there to listen, “you were my only family. I have no one now.”
At the last thought, his mind conjured up the image of the naked Noelle riding him. He felt sick at the combination of thoughts —his dead mate quickly followed by the memory of him fucking the one who killed her.
“Maybe we can use her, Cass. She can give us the information we need to figure out how to cure the silver.”
Declan pulled into the parking lot of the apartments and saw a few members of the pack standing outside. They rushed over to him when they saw him pull in and they all offered to help him inside with the kills. Declan smiled to himself, apparently that fight with Gabriel did more than just boost my confidence.
“Hey Declan,” one of the younger guys called out carrying the doe on his back.
“Yeah, Brady. What’s up?”
“Well, since Gabriel challenged you and all, you’re probably looking for a new beta, right?”
Suddenly Declan realized the true source of all of his helpful members. “Is that what Gabriel said?”
“No, we just all figured that’s what was going to happen.”
“I’ll let you know, Brady.” The young guy nodded and walked down the stairs followed by the other men who were carrying the kills.
He made his way up the stairs to his office and sat down behind the desk. He pressed his palms to his eyes hard enough so that when he opened his eyes, he could see stars. He closed them again to bring his vision into focus and when he reopened them, he saw
Gabriel standing before him.
“Fancy seeing you here, Gabe.” Declan leaned back in his chair, not really interested in getting into any sort of confrontation with Gabriel right in that moment.
“Why didn’t you kill me?” Gabriel asked.
“I told you,” Declan sighed, “as alpha you have to decide who is a liability and who is an asset. You’re still an asset, Gabriel.”
Gabriel gave a small nod and then asked, “So everyone’s talking about who will be your new beta now.”
Declan looked at Gabriel steadily, trying to read his expression. “I haven’t given it too much thought, honestly.”
“Why is that?” asked Gabriel.
“Well, to be honest. I didn’t know there was an opening for the position.” Gabriel studied Declan’s expression and he finally released a breath that he hadn’t even known he was holding. “Gabe, you were upset, man, I get it. You really cared for Cass and I led us into the woods and she —well, you already know. And you called me out on my choice to do that, and my ability to lead this pack. But none of that means that you shouldn’t be my beta. If anything, it just shows that I made the right choice in making you my second-hand man.”
“So, you’re not replacing me?”
“Not unless you want to be replaced,” Declan responded. Gabriel shook his head and Declan gave a small nod. “Okay then. Good. Go to the basement and pull the names of the families who will be eating the meat tonight.”
Gabriel nodded and opened the door to the office but before he left he turned back and said, “Thank you.”
Declan watched Gabriel climb down the stairs before turning his attention to the piles of paper on his desk. He felt like he had just gone through this and yet, it seemed to have doubled in size. He sighed and decided that instead of going through the paperwork, he would go upstairs to his apartment and try to get some much-needed sleep.
He turned the knob, and noticed that it was still difficult for him to open the door and hear the deafening silence as his welcome. He sat on the sofa and took a moment to really look at the apartment around him. He had been in and out so much over the past few weeks, that he hadn’t noticed the space around him changing.
Cassidy had fixed the cabinet doors in the kitchen that were hanging crooked, and she had even replaced the hardware which made it look newer. The entertainment center had been replaced with this cool, new glass one, and the television hung from the wall. She had even refinished the coffee table so it was now painted a metallic black, giving it a shiny modern look. There was also a new, red, throw blanket on the leather arm chair and he noticed that the small tears that used to be in the seat were patched up.
“Wow, Cass,” Declan said, “you were keeping busy. And my sorry ass never even noticed or thanked you.” Declan grabbed the throw blanket and laid down on the couch determined to get some sleep before their first round of training later that day.
He closed his eyes and dreamed fitfully of covering Cass with her new red blanket, only to find that she was actually covered in blood.
Noelle could not sleep that night; her stomach hurt so bad and it had nothing to do with the stuffed shells. Her nana’s words kept playing over in her mind and when she did manage to fall asleep, she dreamed of a young woman dressed in white plunging a knife into Declan. Then as she looked closer at the assailant’s face, she saw that it was her.
She reached for her phone and saw that it was just after three in the morning. She wanted to call him and see what he was doing. She wanted to meet with him and tell him what she’d just learned. But that would be like betraying her family. Every bone in her body ached for her to accept her destiny and embrace it, but her heart said, “no,” and that it needed more than this.
Noelle climbed out of bed and opened up her laptop, she was not even sure what to search or where to start. It wasn’t exactly like you could just Google, “Can a human and werewolf love each other.” She shut her computer in frustration and walked into the living room where her aunt Marjorie and Megan were asleep on the air mattress. She went into the kitchen and reached into the refrigerator for a water bottle.
As she closed it, her grandmother stood there and Noelle nearly choked on her water. “Nana!” she exclaimed, then realizing how loud she was, she whispered, “what in the world are you doing awake? You scared the crap out of me!”
“Watch your language, young lady,” but her grandmother smiled as she said it, “I’m glad you’re up. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Geez, Nana, you’re suddenly very chatty today.” Noelle laughed and her grandmother elbowed her playfully in the ribs. Noelle walked her grandmother back to her room and they sat down on the bed together.
“Noelle,” her nana started, “you were very emotional during the story today. Why is that?”
“Oh, well, Nana, you know, I’m just all over the place lately. After dad’s attack and everything…” Noelle trailed off when she noticed how her grandmother was looking at her, as if she did not believe one word of what Noelle was saying. “Okay, the story just struck a chord with me, that’s all. I promise.”
Her grandmother nodded slowly and then looked out the window wearing her usual vacant expression.
“Nana?”
“Noelle, sometimes in this life we reach a crossroads where a decision must be made. No matter which road you go down, there will be people who will get hurt. It will seem as though it is a losing situation, but you must trust your instincts and go with your gut. I am not long for this world and I long to be back with your grandfather. He stayed by my side through everything and he understood me in every single way that a person is meant to be understood. You need to find someone who understands you in every single way, including this… your family’s destiny.”
“Nana? I’m not sure I understand.”
“I wasn’t born yesterday, young lady. When a beautiful woman such as yourself turns to mush over a sad ending to a love story, it’s because they are in love with someone and they are afraid of things ending badly. Now, I don’t know who this young man is, but I do know that if he is the person that will end up understanding and accepting you, then there is no need to cry for a sad ending. And because you’ll know in your heart that your story will end differently.” Noelle’s nana reached over and squeezed her hand tightly before standing up and leaving Noelle alone with her thoughts.
She began making a list to help organize her thoughts. These were the things of which she was certain: Firstly, she was certain that she could never turn her back on her family’s destiny. Secondly, she was certain that hers and Declan’s story would not have a happy ending. And thirdly, it was true that she was at a crossroads, and that she was going to have to make a decision soon… between loving Declan and loving herself.
Her mind continued hunting for answers to no avail. She needed to get some sleep and let her body rest. She definitely needed a break to let herself heal; mind, body, and spirit…
Declan woke to the sound of somebody knocking on his door. He got up from the couch and stretched out his muscles, feeling better than ever from his hunt. He tried to straighten out his crumpled shirt to give the appearance that he had his shit together, but failed miserably. He walked to the door and pulled on the knob.
Aria stood before him, wearing a mysterious grin, “Hello, Declan,” she purred. “How are you this morning?”
He raised his eyebrows at her tone and felt a bit taken aback by her brazenly seductive attitude. Aria had been one of Cassidy’s closer friends, so he wasn’t quite sure what her end goal was here. All he knew was that he was definitely not playing this game with her today, or ever.
“Aria, what is it?”
“So short with me, but where’s the sweet part?” She took her finger and dragged it slowly down his chest.
“What the hell are you doing right now? Is there something you need?”
“There is, now that you ask.” She leaned in closer to Declan’s ear and purred, “There is something I despera
tely need.”
Declan took a few steps back away from where she stood in the door frame. He shook his head violently trying to be sure that he wasn’t still dreaming. The last thing he remembered from his dream was Noelle, naked and walking toward him. Right when they were about to kiss, she pulled out a gun and pointed it straight behind him. The sound of the gunshot still rang in his ears.
“You need to leave, Aria. Now.”
He was not in the mood to deal with this craziness this early in the morning. He hadn’t even had his coffee yet!
How long had it been since he had even had a delicious coffee?
He looked at the woman standing across from him who seemed completely unperturbed by his disinterest.
“I’ll leave,” she said, finally, “but I think you should consider taking me on your hunts from now on. You could use an extra set of, well, teeth. Honestly, you never know what you could run into out there all by yourself.”
“Are you still doubting my ability to be Alpha of this pack?” he growled.
“Not at all, Declan. I’ve seen what a real beast you can be.” Declan followed her with his eyes as she walked out of the room without shutting the door behind her.
He mulled over what she said and thought about his fight with Gabriel. Had he been too forceful? Gabriel seemed okay and everyone else responded the way he had hoped. He shrugged off her comment and decided to jump into the shower.
He stood there for a long time as the hot water fell around his body, the steam fogging the small mirror so he could not see his face anymore. He recalled his dream with Noelle, but instead of holding a gun, this time she held handcuffs in her hand. He rubbed the soap on his body and found the way to his dick which was hard. He had thoughts of her racing through his mind.