“I was told I could rely on you,” she huffed good naturedly.
“Oh, you can rely on me,” said Daniel, who she’d learned was Cory’s fraternal twin. “You can rely on me to be the first back at camp if we meet that bear. I’ll take my chances with wolves over bears any day.”
“Wise guy. You’ve been hanging around Bull too much. He’s a bad influence and I’m telling your mother.”
“Don’t worry,” said the third boy, whose name she didn’t catch, mostly because everyone called them ‘the cubs’ as if they were one unit. “We’ll each grab a pup before we go. Not this one, though,” he said of the little boy he carried. “I’m leaving Binky with you. He sleeps with me and he wets the bed. I’m tired of rolling over in the wet spot.”
Binky looked like he was going to cry and Tommie felt a spark of panic.
She’d never had much to do with babies and toddlers other than smiling and saying how cute they were, or handing them a piece of candy to keep them busy while she spoke with their mother. She’d lived like a recluse in the company of her parents and later alone. She had no friends or relatives with whom to share their bouncing bundles of joy. She’d never changed a diaper in her life and she wasn’t sure she could comfort and quiet a crying child, which would be essential on a night like this. If she’d never cared for a single toddler, how could she care for five?
A partial solution presented itself in the form of another concern. During the whispered conversation, Macey walked silently behind them. While she wasn’t joining in with the nervous whispers, she wasn’t glowering or curling her lip, either.
Falling on your neighbor’s mercy was as good a way as any to mend fences. Tommie was willing to fall, but she wasn’t willing to skewer herself on the fencepost.
“I’m sorry I pulled you hair,” she began, but stopped when Sammy tugged on her hand.
“You pulled her hair?” he cried in pint sized outrage and at the top of his giant sized lungs.
“Sammy!” Macey hissed. She grabbed his hand from Tommie’s and bent to put her face in his. “What did Mommy say about whispering?”
“If you can’t whisper, you can’t talk,” the little parrot answered.
“So now you can’t talk.” She put his hand back in Tommie’s and when Sammy looked like he might have something to say about the matter, she raised her finger along with her eyebrows and her little brother’s mouth snapped shut.
“Damn, you’re good, Macey. I was hoping you would be. I stink with kids. Don’t have a clue.”
“Is that why you’re apologizing for what you said? You want my help?”
“No, that’s why I’m apologizing for pulling your hair. I meant every word I said.”
Macey didn’t answer, though Tommie thought she detected a ghost of a smile.
They walked in silence after that and Tommie never realized that a little over a mile was so long.
Chapter 23
With the departure of their young, the atmosphere of the camp changed. The beer was put away. The coolers were closed. The dancing and singing stopped. The light went out of their eyes. Women wept. Men consoled them while looking like they could cry, too. Someone turned off the radio and the silence that followed was the silence of death.
This silence, too, Bull remembered from the past.
But these wolvers were from the present. They were aware of the danger that stalked them. They could fight back. They had to fight back. He marked the sky and stepped forward.
“Wolvers.” He called their eyes to him as his power swelled. “Why did you invite death to the party? Why did you say your last goodbyes? You want them to remember that last kiss, that last hug and of course, they will. Even the pups will remember in their own way. We wolvers have long memories.”
He was using one of those memories now. The voice he spoke with was formed by the Alpha he remembered, the one who’d brought him over for the first time. It was what that Alpha would have told his pack if given the chance. He walked to the fire pit, to the center of the half circle they’d formed.
“They will also remember it as the night you died. Someone has to be there to tell the tale or they will always question that kiss. Was it a kiss goodnight or one of resignation? Samuel,” he called and the old man jumped at the sound of his name. “You said you had nothing to lose. You’re wrong. You have everything to lose. You have the future of your young to lose. There is nothing more important than that. They are pack and pack comes first.”
Bull turned to the tall man who had his mouth open and ready to speak. “Don’t say it Stretch. Don’t you dare. There are no omegas here. I see your courage. I see your strength. I see your loyalty to each other. There are no omegas here,” he repeated with conviction. “I say it because I know.”
They had to believe it or the plan would fail. Looking at their faces, they did. Bull began to hope his lie was true.
“Get that radio on,” Samuel ordered. “Start the laughter and the singing ladies and everybody take their places. The moon’s about to rise and we’re supposed to be having a party.”
Now all Bull had to do was uphold his end of the deal. He’d forced the change on men before. It was a power that belonged to a pack leader, an Alpha, and God knew he wasn’t one of them. Eugene Begley claimed that all alpha males had the power within them, but few could tap into it without the mantle that gave a leader his power. It was Begley’s theory that Bull tapped into his when he brought himself home the first time he went over the moon. Bull didn’t think it was anything to write home about. It took him two fucking years to do it. But the trick helped with the work he did.
It sucked the life out of him to do it, and the fight that usually followed sapped his strength further. Tonight, he would bring the five females over and fight a battle at their side. He wasn’t sure he could do it.
“Come on, boss,” Samuel tugged at his sleeve. “Don’t stand there gawpin’. We got us a battle to win.” He gave Bull his gap-toothed grin. “Yes, sir, we got a battle to win and you got to get that big body of yours hid if we’re going to do it.”
“You got it. Remind the others to guard their throats and watch their hamstrings.” Bull lifted his hand up over his head as he jogged out into the trees. “Good hunting.”
Bull found the place that he had chosen that morning, a rise high enough for him to clearly observe the territory below, but low enough that anyone looking up wouldn’t see its advantage. There were few campers at this time of year. Monday and the forecast of bad weather had sent those few off in search of drier pastures and more comfortable beds. His little band was alone except for the wolvers milling around the two SUVs below.
As expected, there were six, and Bull took in each one as he watched. He marked how they moved and how they were built, who were the strongest among the strong. Their attributes as humans would translate to their wolves.
The one with long legs and slender torso would take advantage of his leaping heights. The one who was short and slender and moved with a cat like grace would fight like the tip of a bullwhip. He would slash, slice, and be gone. The one with the broad chest and stout legs would use his weight and power to knock his opponent off his feet. All of these men were built for fighting. He was surprised they didn’t wear matching tee shirts with Pack Enforcer written in bold letters across their chests.
Only one showed any of the tenseness that should come before a fight. He kept himself separate from the others and by the way he paced back and forth alongside the vehicle, Bull suspected this was his first real fight. It made sense to allow a young male to cut his warrior teeth on the flesh of a sure victory. Bull vaguely wondered how the young male would survive the test.
They were all too young and too confident in their power. They casually scanned the trees around them and watched the road looking up into the further reaches of the campground. They expected no scout, but if they’d seen one, they would run him to ground for the sport of it and not for what he might report. Not once did they l
ook behind them to where Bull crouched. They were not as formidable as they seemed. Such enemies could be beaten if you used their cockiness against them.
One thing about the group bothered him more than their strength. None of them fit the description Samuel had given of the Alpha. He should be here, not because his prowess was necessary for the defeat of a lowly band of omegas, but because he would enjoy watching as they were torn to bits.
Would he come from the opposite direction as Bull planned to do? He was the one Bull needed to find, to attack and bring low, so that the others could move in for the kill. They had no Alpha to stand for them. They had to do it for themselves. They were cutting their warrior teeth, too.
There was no time to worry about the Alpha’s whereabouts. The moon was rising and calling him to go over. His wolf snarled and snapped as Bull fought the shift, stored the power of it and called on the moon for more. He watched the bright flashes of light burst below him as the enemy turned to wolf and trotted in formation up into the campground where their victims awaited. It was another mistake. They should have waited until the camp was in sight before they shifted.
Knuckles braced against the damp ground, chest hovering over the knee of his solidly anchored leg, free leg braced behind him ready to push off, Bull was a runner awaiting the starting shot.
It came with four faint flashes of light that came from the camp. They appeared weak only because the wolvers in the camp had shifted in the shelter of the bus where the blocked windows hid the truth. The attacking wolvers broke into a run as they rounded the bend and disappeared. The race was on.
Bull sprinted down from his hideout, covered the grassy area around the showers with long and powerful strides, and cut through the trees, flying with the crow instead of the road.
A high pitched, earsplitting sound soared up over the trees. It was more wail than scream, more howl than wail. It wasn’t the fearful scream they planned, but there was something in it that made Bull smile. Helen had argued loudly against the plan and conceded only when outvoted by the others. The big woman had done her job, but was still angry, and God help the wolver who stepped in her path.
Bull pulled in more of the full moon’s power as he ran. He focused it in the part of his mind where he needed it most. He threw out his arms, the racer breaking the finish line tape and let the power go. He sent it soaring out over the wolver camp, a shock wave of energy that sent the women over the moon and stunned the enemy with its force.
He pulled the power back into himself and with a burst of blue-white light, Bull shifted to wolf and charged into the center of the fight.
~*~
The shack was just that; a shack. The low growth of brush and trees around it said it hadn’t been used in years. The roof was solid. The walls were vertical boards that had gaps wide enough to slide your hand through. After the boys made sure the place was clear of four-legged vermin, they moved in and settled down.
It was already past the pup’s bedtime and at Macey’s quiet suggestion, they made the little ones walk for the last leg of the journey. They were exhausted and curled into their blankets without complaint.
“What do we do now?” one of the cubs whispered.
“We wait for Bull to bring us home. Now settle down and get some sleep. I’ll keep watch and wake you if I need you?”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
The cubs settled in, but Tommie knew they wouldn’t sleep. They were old enough to know what was happening back at camp and smart enough to be afraid. It wasn’t long before all three were propping their heads up on their elbows and waiting, too. Finally, the question came that Tommie was dreading.
“What’s going to happen to us if...” The cub let the question hang.
“Will they make us go back?”
“I’ll run away. I’m not going back.”
“No one’s going back. If the worst happens, we head northeast. As soon as we get to a road or a town, we call the number in this little backpack. Bull gave it to me. He said they’d help us. There’s a little money in there, too. We’ll be wounded, but we’ll be all right.”
“But what will happen to us once this friend of Bull’s gets us?”
“You’re stuck with me, I’m afraid. I promised your parents I would stand by you, protect you, and love you. Now, I’m making that promise to you. You’d be my family. We’d be a pack.”
“Not without an Alpha, we wouldn’t.”
Tommie gave a soft and whispery laugh. “Then we’ll have to find one of those, but if he won’t take all of us just as we are, then we won’t go.”
While the boys asked all the questions, Macey was silent, and Tommie couldn’t tell what she was thinking. The boys, however, were nodding their heads, satisfied that there was a plan in place. Their minds were on the future, which in their current circumstances was better than the present.
The moon rose and Tommie didn’t need to see the sky. She felt it in her heart. Her wolf howled with it and she heard it as a cry for Bull. Macey’s hand crept into hers as, in the distance, a long and fearsome howl sounded in seeming reply.
It was a moment before Tommie realized the girl beside her was crying.
“It’s really happening, isn’t it,” Macey whispered. “Bull was telling the truth. They’re going to attack aren’t they? They’re going to take the boys and pups and make them into examples for the others. You wouldn’t have made plans if it wasn’t really going to happen.” She stood and began gathering the bags. “Get the pups. Hurry. We have to go.”
“Macey, honey, it’s all right. We’re safe here.”
“No. No! You don’t understand. They’re coming to get me. I told them where we’d be.”
Chapter 24
As planned, the camp males were attacked first. Bull tore through the camp, snapping and tearing at random enemy targets, throwing off the rhythm of their assaults. He assessed each conflict, lending aid where needed. Some fared better than others. Stretch, longer and leaner than his long legged opponent, was unaffected by the heights the wolver could reach. He wasn’t doing much more than ducking and dodging, but if points were scored for being a pain in the ass, he would win hands down. Twice in the few seconds Bull watched, the thief nipped his opponent’s hind quarters. If he survived this battle, Stretch would have to learn that bite and tear were more effective than nip.
Samuel was having a harder time. While he could run on three legs, he lacked the balance needed to fight. The bulky wolf broadsided him repeatedly, but the old wolf didn’t give up. He righted, rolled and dove. He was badly slashed and bleeding while his opponent had one small tear in his ear.
It was Bull’s first intervention. He barreled into the heavy wolf, turning at the last moment, sinking his teeth into the heavy wolf’s ruff. The fur was too thick for his fangs to cause damage, but he rolled and dragged the wolf with him. His hind claws raked the wolf’s back and drew blood. Bull continued the roll, twisted free and slashed at the face. His fang left a streak of red over one eye. The wolf cried out, snarled and turned away and into the silent and slow thinking Sarah who sank her teeth into the underside of his jaw and came away with a hank of bloodied fur. The wounded wolf lashed out, catching Sarah’s side. She screamed with the pain. Bull tore into the throat exposed by the move and it was done. The assailants now numbered five.
And suddenly, they were four. Boris was under attack by the much smaller wolf who darted and dove and bit with a ferocity that was twice its size. Speed was its advantage and it pressed that advantage to the limit, quickly catching on to Boris’s blind side and concentrating its efforts there. Boris’s size worked against him. He couldn’t turn fast enough to avoid the slicing of the smaller wolf’s fangs. He was bleeding badly and weakening. He fell and the smaller wolf leapt, but he never connected. He was torn from the air by a set of lethal looking teeth and tossed to the side. The grey who owned those teeth, slashed once at the smaller wolf, snarled, and finished it with bone crunching finality.
>
The grey was not one of theirs, but one of their attackers. When he moved toward Boris, Bull was ready to attack, but the grey stood over the cook and dared Bull to try. His display of protection was surprising.
Molly, Cora, and Helen, had another wolver surrounded. The three women worked together, taking all their pent up resentment out on their victim. Cora dove for the face. Helen swung her heavy hip into the beast’s and it was the male who lost his footing and went down. Molly tore viciously at the ham string and the wolver was doomed.
Shorty screamed and went down and the sound tore through Bull. His wolf’s rage burned through him and he drove the attacker back in silent fury. His fangs lashed out. Teeth and claws raked. The attacker defended itself, but Bull could smell the creature’s fear and his wolf was incensed by it. It tried to get away by crawling under the bus, but Bull sank his teeth into the animal’s hind quarters and dragged him out into the open.
He showed no mercy, because he had no mercy. This beast had dared to attack what was his and now it would pay the price.
The remaining wolf tore off into the woods with four of the little band after it.
The Alpha’s cadre of six had expected a quick slaughter of five useless omegas. What they got was a band of eleven who had serious issues with the pack that had treated them so badly. Paybacks really were hell.
A scream from the woods said the battle was over.
~*~
Tommie saw it in her mind; how Macey wasn’t surprised to see the wolver at the showers, how the girl spent all her time there or reading in the tree, how exciting it would seem for a lonely girl to live the kind of romantic adventure she read about in books.
She slapped the bags from Macey’s hands, grabbed the sobbing girl’s shoulders, and shook her. Hard.
“You left the messages in the tree. Didn’t you?” she asked, not caring that her voice sounded more like a snarl. “How much did you tell them?” When Macey only bobbed her head, Tommie shook the girl again. “How much, damn it?”
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