Circle of Lies (Red Ridge Pack)

by Sara Dailey

  48.

  Teagan

  The sound of the slamming front door jostled me awake. Somehow, I’d managed to drown out all thoughts of Aiden and Becca and allowed sleep to take me away. Unfortunately Aiden had haunted my dreams, and when I woke I had to restrain myself from immediately digging out my phone from the hidden depths of my purse. If he’d called, I didn’t trust myself enough not to return it, and if he hadn’t, I wasn’t sure I could handle the disappointment. So instead I vowed to stay away from my phone for the next twenty-four hours.

  All the commotion going on in the kitchen made it clear that my father had a visitor, and an uneasy feeling washed over me when I heard the voice of his new friend, Peter. Something about that guy screamed creeper.

  Even though I was supposed to be at school, my car was in the driveway, so surely Dad knew I was home, but he didn’t come check on me to see why I was in my room instead of class. While that shouldn’t surprise me, it kind of did. Apparently he had more important things to attend.

  Tiptoeing out of my room and down the hall, I made my way toward the kitchen. There I peeked around the corner and watched as Dad and Peter laid a huge poster board with newspaper clippings, charts, graphs, and sticky notes across the kitchen table. Next they laid out 4” x 6” pictures as well as some note cards, the latter which they aligned neatly beside the pictures.

  It looked like a giant school research project, sans a laptop, but since my father had barely finished high school before enlisting in the military I couldn’t begin to imagine what these two were up to. They chatted quietly amongst themselves and examined their work. Then Peter carefully unfolded something he dug out of his pocket, a crinkled piece of notebook paper. Together they glanced over the information.

  My dad shuffled though a box and pulled out some blank note cards. He took the paper from Peter’s hand, sat down, and began taking more notes. Peter stood over his shoulder and watched.

  Of all the insane things I’d witnessed my father do, this topped the charts. It only took about five minutes before my curiosity got the best of me, so I wandered in leisurely as if I hadn’t been standing there spying. “What’s all this?” I asked.

  Immediately my dad tried to shield their little project. Peter stood back, though, and with a wicked grin he waved his hand across the table as though to proudly present the work.

  Dad reluctantly removed his body from the kitchen table, taking his cue from Peter. He stood up, but he wasn’t first to speak. Evidently, he was going to let Peter do the explaining.

  “Teagan, it’s good that you’re here. There are some things we should all discuss, and it does involve you, darling. Come on over and take a look,” my dad’s young friend announced.

  My stomach clinched. Darling? WTF.

  My gut was warning me to stay away, but I needed to see what this was all about. I didn’t know why, but I had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with Aiden.

  The suspicion was quickly confirmed, for I saw Aiden’s picture sitting there near the poster along with snapshots of Alli and Cade picking up Aiden’s car which appeared to have been left by the side of the road. Below that were pictures of Becca and Shari walking across a parking lot. But it was the bottom picture that set my cheeks aflame. That one had Aiden and I kissing outside my house.

  Instinctively, I backed away from the table. “What the hell is all of this? Why do you have pictures of me and Aiden and his family and his friends?” Had Peter actually been stalking us?

  He moved toward me and attempted to rest his hand on my shoulder, but I was faster and dodged his don’t-worry-I’m-friendly gesture. He dropped his hand to his side and explained, “It’s not what you think, Teagan. We—”

  I cut him off mid-sentence. “Not what I think? I have absolutely no idea what to think about all of this. This is crazy!”

  “Just come over here and look at the poster, Teagan. You need to know what you’ve gotten yourself into. Prepare yourself. This is no joke. These people, your boyfriend… They’re not human. You may not believe this now, but they are werewolves, Teagan. All of them, and I can prove it. Just take a look,” Peter explained.

  Werewolves? Oh my God. They were crazy. My father had officially become mad—as in deranged, off his rocker, insane in the membrane. Werewolves? I thought again. This was all too much.

  Incredulous, I glanced at Peter and then my dad. My eyes shot back and forth between the two of them, but they weren’t laughing. This wasn’t a joke. Holy shit, they were serious.

  After a few seconds of dead silence I asked, “Have you two gone completely nuts? Werewolves? You really expect me to believe these people are werewolves? All of them? You expect me to believe that such creatures even exist? I mean, I like Jacob Black as much as the next girl, but really? What next? You going to tell me that you’re were-hunters?”

  Peter stared at me, and I could see a manic look in his eyes. “Teagan, this is no laughing matter. Yes, these people are werewolves. I know it’s hard to believe, but just take a look at our research. The proof is there in black and white. These people are killers, and your father and I plan to expose them for what they are. People in this town need to know that those crazies hiding out there in the woods, even their kids at your school, are vicious animals.”

  This rant was spoken with complete and utter seriousness. My father, on the other hand, just stood there looking as dumbfounded as I felt, so I turned my attention to him. “Dad? What do you have to say about all of this?”

  Peter shot him a look that seemed to say Well, go ahead and tell her.

  Suddenly, the man who was standing there with his mouth hanging open stood tall and spoke more eloquently than I could ever remembering him speaking. Usually he was a babbling idiot, but at this moment, he was calm and direct, two adjectives that I would never have dreamed of using to describe my father. Not in the past few years.

  “Teagan…like Peter said, I know this is a lot to take in, but it’s true. There are werewolves in this town, and if you just look at our work you will see them. I’m sorry, but Aiden is one. Peter saw him shift with this own two eyes. You need to stay away from these people. I mean it, Teagan. I don’t want you seeing that boy again. He could hurt you.”

  What? Was my bat-shit crazy father actually thinking I’d listen when he forbade me from being with Aiden? My first thought was Fat chance, but then I remembered that our relationship might not actually be a problem anymore. Becca had made her point, and as much as I hated to admit it, maybe she was right.

  Then again, this conspiracy nonsense was just that. Nonsense. There was something different about them, sure; they were cultish in their own bizarre little ways, and maybe they never would let me into their exclusive clan, but I refused to stand there and believe me that when the next full moon came around they’d be on all fours howling at the moon.

  I took one last glance at their poster board and said, “This shit doesn’t prove anything. So you have some silly profile and a few pics of the people that live in that wooded community, but that doesn’t mean they’re supernatural creatures. Sorry, guys, not buying it.”

  Peter’s wicked grin reappeared. “So, you know about their living situation? You don’t find it odd that they live like that? Away from the rest of us? You know, like they’re hiding something?”

  Backing away from the table, I admitted, “Well, that might be strange, but it doesn’t mean that they’re anything other than human. I mean, why not vampires or zombies? Oooh! They could totally be fairies. They are unnaturally attractive and all. I better not eat the fruit! I may never be heard from again!”

  I was about to make my grand escape when Peter replied. “It’s okay if you don’t believe us now, Teagan. You will soon enough. The truth will come out one way or another.”

  As I turned to leave, I could literally feel the hairs rising on the back of my neck. Peter really knew how to creep a girl out! And to make matters worse, he’d somehow managed to suck my father into his insa
nity. That was the last thing my father needed. He’d already killed off enough brain cells since becoming the town drunk. If he started talking about werewolves, people were going to haul him away to the loony bin.

  49.

  Aiden

  Teagan had been avoiding me for the past three days. I’d called her at least a dozen times and sent countless texts. I’d even gone over to her house, but no one answered the door. I’d worried briefly that she’d been hurt by her father, but I’d seen her at school, ducking into classrooms and doing her damnedest to avoid me at all costs.

  I didn’t get it. Becca had been horrible to her, and she had every right to be pissed, but I couldn’t imagine how that would make her question how I felt. And what she felt for me was stronger than that, I’d thought. Maybe I’d completely misread her. Everything had been so perfect our last night together. She’d said that she loved me. How could she just write me off because of something some crazy bitch said? How was I supposed to fix this when she won’t even talk to me?

  Well, this couldn’t go on. If I had to go to her house again and sit on her front porch all night, Teagan was going to come out and talk to me. We were going to work this out. We had to. Becca and her petty mean-girl bullshit were not going to ruin our lives. It just wasn’t going to happen.

  The only thing keeping me halfway sane these days was learning to manage the change from man to wolf. Ever since I’d heard my grandfather say the pack would never consider me as alpha material unless I could control myself, it had become priority number two. Teagan, of course, was still number one.

  At first I went out in the trees behind our house to practice. Mom practically begged to go with me, but I flat out told her no; she had to settle on giving me tips instead. Soon, however, I moved the practice to my bedroom. It was harder inside, without the elements and the cool night air, but at least I wouldn’t get caught without any pants again. I had two separate encounters that ended with me without the sweatpants I started with, and a good deal of embarrassment for all parties involved.

  Being able to change at will was not as hard as I’d once thought; at least, it wasn’t after I figured out a trick. All I had to do was think about my grandfather’s words and that smug look on Cade’s face. Apparently for me, all I needed was to be pissed off. That’s all it took for the change to come seamlessly. The hard part was figuring out how to stop a shift when someone pissed me off beyond control.

  Did I have this shit under control yet? No, not so much.

  *****

  “Hey, Aiden, I just made some brownies. Want some?” Alli asked as I came downstairs after practicing for about an hour on Thursday evening.

  I’d been feeling a bit weak lately, probably from putting too much stress on my body with all the shifting. When I walked into the kitchen, the rich smell of chocolate hit me like a truck. I ran for the front door and barely made it off the porch before I lost it. I threw up so much that my entire body cramped from the convulsions. With the entire contents of my stomach on the front lawn, I staggered back into the house.

  “Jeez, Ad, what the hell was that?” Alli asked as I came back inside. She looked about fifty percent concerned and fifty percent repulsed. Not that I could blame her. I’d never vomited before; werewolves didn’t get sick like humans. Not usually. How did humans just throw up and go back to business as usual? I felt like I might die.

  Alli handed me a bottle of water. I took it and went over to the kitchen sink. After washing the nasty taste out of my mouth, I went to sit in the living room.

  “Did you really just throw up?” she asked.

  Wow. Dumbest question ever. “Yes, Alli, I did. Thanks for noticing.”

  Now she looked about ninety percent repulsed.

  I sat there on the couch for a few minutes with my eyes closed, willing my stomach to settle. When I felt like I could stand without toppling over, I made a decision. “I’m going to bed. Thanks for the water.”

  I had to pause a moment when I stood. My vision blurred, leaving me dizzy. Taking a deep breath, I hurried back to bed before I could pass out. I checked my phone as I lay down, a habit over the past several days. Still nothing from Teagan. I sent her a quick text telling her goodnight, but I knew that she wouldn’t reply. I wondered if she’d ever talk to me again.

  Two very familiar, very noisy female voices sounded outside my room. Great, I thought. Apparently it was time for an intervention. Damn it. Why couldn’t Alli keep her big mouth shut?

  “Aiden,” Mom called as she knocked. “I’m coming in.”

  The door swung open, and both my mother and Alli bolted over to my bed to stand over me.

  “I told her,” my sister admitted.

  “I see that,” I said.

  Before making any other comment, Mom put her hand on my forehead.

  “Mom, please. You don’t even know what you’re feeling for,” I grumbled. She had to be the worst nurse ever.

  She smiled and said, “I know, but I’ve always wanted to do that.”

  That made me chuckle. Immediately, I wished I hadn’t. My insides squirmed, and I worried I might vomit again. Not that there was anything left to purge.

  Mom could be pretty funny when she wanted to, but it was clear that she was genuinely worried about my health. She sat down next to me and took a deep breath. “Okay…” She clearly didn’t know how to say what she wanted. “Teagan and you… Are y’all… Did y’all… Oh God, of course you did.”

  Alli’s hand flew to her mouth. “You don’t think that they are…”

  “Mated? Yeah, well, I mean, it could happen. Right? I don’t see why not. It happened to you,” Mom said. It was weird, the two of them talking like I wasn’t in the room.

  “But she’s human,” Alli said.

  “Well, so is your father.”

  “Well, yeah, but unless you forgot to mention it, y’all aren’t true mates,” Alli responded.

  “I know! I’m just trying to figure out why he threw up,” Mom said.

  I couldn’t think straight. First I’d felt like my body was trying to eat itself from the inside out and then my mom was asking me about my sex life? Jeez. What a night.

  “So? What’s been going on between you and Teagan?” Mom asked, noticeably avoiding eye contact.

  I looked back and forth between my mother and my little sister. I did not want to have this conversation. Teagan and I hadn’t been together long, but what we had was special. I didn’t want anyone to think less of us—less of her, really—because we’d spent the night together. Girls were like that. But I had a feeling they’d know if I lied.

  “I love her,” I finally replied.

  Alli smiled, but Mom… Mom looked worried.

  After a moment she gave a long sigh. “I’ve been talking to some of the elders and doing a little research. With Alli finding her true mate and being so young and all, I wanted to find out why that happened. I mean, after so many years without a recorded mating… Well, anyway, this is what I came up with. I think that the recent increase in ‘matings’ has happened because of the decrease in our population over the last few decades. There were matings in other packs this month, too. One in Colorado and one in Northern California.”

  True mates? Seriously? And I was having this conversation with my mother? This couldn’t really be happening, could it? And, Teagan didn’t even know I was a werewolf. How was I supposed to explain what we’d gotten ourselves into? If we really were mates, it would mean that we couldn’t be apart. Ever. Which would explain me being sick. Would I just keep getting worse if she didn’t come back to me? I guess I needed some answers.

  Mom and Alli both stared at me.

  “But, why are you sick, Aiden? I thought things were good between the two of you,” Mom said.

  I looked down at my hands. “She won’t talk to me since Becca told her off. I’ve called, sent texts, gone to her house… She’s hiding from me. I don’t know what to do.”

  Mom and Alli’s eyes drifted to the floor. For
a moment neither spoke.

  “You need to go to her house tomorrow and make her talk to you,” Alli said. “You need to at least find out if what Mom suspects is true. If you’ve really mated, you’ll feel better almost instantly. If you haven’t…well, we need to figure out why you are sick. We don’t get sick.”

  The whole room felt sad. I wanted to leave, but I felt so awful that all I could do was lie there. I nodded, though. I managed that.

  “If it is true and you are mates, you need to let me know right away. I’ll have to tell the elders,” Mom said.

  “Why?” I asked.

  She placed her hand on top of mine. I must have had some sort of fever, because her hand felt cool. “You love her. If you are mated, we will have to make them accept her. If they refuse…well, I don’t know what we’ll do. You won’t be able to live without her, and she won’t be able to live here. I don’t want to lose you, Aiden, but we can’t hide this. A human. A human true mate.” Her voice cracked, and it looked as if she might vomit, herself.

  This couldn’t be happening. I’d always known that there was a chance Teagan might not accept me once she knew the truth, but now she had to. If we were truly mated, I couldn’t live without her. Literally. What would happen to me if she left? Being human, she could just walk away with no repercussions, but me…? I’d be left longing for her for the rest of my life—which wouldn’t be very long because the separation would kill me.

  Mom saw the panic wash across my face. “Let’s worry about this when we know for sure.”

  She and Alli left and I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t stop thinking about tomorrow. My life would change forever. My future was riding on Teagan Rhodes.

  50.

  Teagan

  Great. Walking in the door after school, I heard my dad and his friend talking in the kitchen.

  Creepy Peter had been spending an increasing amount of time at our house, and it was obvious he and my dad were still up to their plan, which freaked me out more each day. Could they really be plotting against a “secret werewolf pack”? Freaking loons. Every time I was in earshot they’d stop whatever they were doing and resort to small talk. After I’d refused to believe in “the werewolves among us,” they’d blown me off completely—which was just fine with me, but at the same time I couldn’t help but wonder what crazy thing they were planning. It was beginning to make me worry.