by Wilde, Rhea
“That’s right, Mr. Gold. I see everything. I am the hunter known as Ariel Everhart.”
Irvine burst into a laughter that echoed through the trees. Even I couldn’t fight the smile on my face. Despite how obnoxious I probably looked, the sword didn’t feel as uncomfortable in my hands as I thought it would.
“Almost,” he smiled. “Let me show you.”
He walked behind me.
“Hold it up.”
I picked the sword up and pointed it out in front of me. My body jerked as Irvine suddenly pressed himself up against my back. He wrapped his arms around mine and gripped my hands. I squeezed tighter on the handle and we held the sword together.
“Just as the dagger is an extension of you, so is the sword,” he whispered into my ear. “But a sword is much longer. Think of your hands as an additional elbow. Bend your elbow and manipulate it. Point it in the direction they are coming from.”
Irvine guided my arms from one side to the other. The sword moved around in a smooth and controlled motion in his arms. The way he moved it made it feel natural. It was poetry in motion.
“Don’t force it,” he whispered. “Just as you would let your enemy fall upon the blade, let the sword move where it goes. Don’t fight the natural tendencies of where it will go.”
“If I’m to let it go where it will, how do I control it?”
“That’s the key, Ms. Everhart. You don’t control it. You only guide it. Then you let it take its own course.”
I closed my eyes and got used to the motions Irvine put me through. His body was close to mine, his arms wrapped around me. I could feel his breath upon my skin as he whispered into my ear and continued to instruct me. His face was beginning to move closer to mine. It was such an odd contrast to the way Vaughn’s face felt. Even though a beard was beginning to grow from being away from civilization for so long, Irvine’s face was noticeably smoother and clean-cut. I felt comfortable in his arms, no longer thinking about anything but the two of us. His lips gently touched my ear as he whispered.
“Just like that, Ms. Everhart. Let it flow through you…”
“You look like a professional.”
I jerked my eyes open at the sound of the voice. Irvine pulled away from me and my arms fell, the blade crashing against the ground.
“Vaughn! Y-you scared me.”
“It’s a good thing you aren’t any better with that weapon,” he joked. “You would’ve cut right through me.”
“I’m afraid she isn’t that proficient yet, Vaughn,” Irvine laughed. “But if she puts in enough time, I’m sure she’ll get to that point.”
“Let’s hope that Ariel won’t need to learn how to wield such dangerous weapons.”
“Indeed.”
Irvine took the sword and sheathed it. He then picked the dagger up from the ground and held it to me.
“Practice,” he said. “But don’t practice too hard. How well you wield it doesn’t matter if you don’t have the strength to hold it.”
He nodded to me then did the same to Vaughn. He disappeared back into the den of the Capes and left me alone with Vaughn. I stood there with the dagger unintentionally pointed at Vaughn.
“So, are you going to use that thing on me?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t think of it.”
“Don’t be so sure, Ariel. There’s a monster inside of me. It might come out and do things that you would protest.”
He took a few steps toward me. I playfully pointed the dagger at him with a smile on my face.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Regardless of what form you took, I would never use this on you.”
“Are you sure? What if I asked you to?”
“I wouldn’t. Not even if you asked.”
“I don’t know, Ariel… I might be really kinky. I’m into some things that you’re not aware of yet.”
He stared at me and I looked at him confused. For a second, I almost thought he was being serious. But he couldn’t hold it back any longer, the smile coming upon his face.
“Kinky I can handle,” I grinned. “Murder, on the other hand…”
“Ariel,” he sighed as he got closer to me. “You don’t need a dagger to carve my heart out of my chest. The worst pain you could cause me would no longer allowing me to be in your presence.”
I lowered the knife and he wrapped his arms around me. I sunk my head into his chest and dropped the dagger onto the ground.
“This is all so different to me,” I whispered to him. “I don’t—”
“Ariel, you don’t have to say anything. I understand what this must be like for you. What you’ve done is more than anybody could ever ask of you. I’m amazed that you’re still by my side. And I will do anything to show you that I am grateful.”
“Vaughn… I’m scared, Vaughn. I’m afraid of what might happen to you… to us.”
He squeezed me tighter and I did the same to him. I had never felt more comfortable than in Vaughn’s arms. Just being with him made me feel like I was on another planet. But something was waiting for us. I didn’t know what it was but it was a threat to everything I loved and cared for.
He pulled away from me and looked down at me. I looked up and stared at him. There was a wolf inside of him. But the peace I felt from looking into his blue eyes made me forget about what he really was.
“I don’t know what will happen, Ariel. I can’t predict the future. But I promise you that I won’t let any harm come to you. I will do everything I can to stay with you. An entire city of wolves will not be enough to stop me from being by your side.”
I looked away from him as I started to blush. I slowly lowered my arms from him and pulled away from his embrace. In an attempt to hide the emotions I was feeling, I coughed and pretended to clear my throat. Vaughn bent down and picked the dagger up.
“Don’t forget this,” he said as he held it out to me. “Come on. Let’s get some rest. We have some work to do.”
I smiled at him as I took the dagger. With my other hand, I took one of Vaughn’s hands and together we walked back into the den to prepare for what lied ahead.
Chapter 22
We spent the next few days within Capes territory. I had been away from civilization for so long that I was beginning to grow accustomed to being in the presence of non-humans. Some of the other wolves that lived on the edge of the city managed to get news back to us about what was going on. More people were being murdered and the police were baffled as to who was responsible. The body count was beginning to rise and I grew more fearful that there would be nothing we could do to stop it.
We were safe here though. There were reports of small skirmishes between the Nakas and the Shidos but nothing on a larger scale. It was becoming more and more apparent that this conflict wouldn’t be settled without violence.
With two of the larger clans joining our side, we were able to convince the smaller groups to follow our lead. Our union grew larger and even though our numbers were still dwarfed by the Nakas, there were now thousands of wolves that understood the threat.
There were more than enough provisions to go around. Because Irvine and I were the only humans, we didn’t have to worry about running out of food or water. And even if it did get to that point, there was still plenty of sweets and junk food leftover from our trip into the city.
The day finally came. All of the clans had chosen our side. Everybody was able to see reason in one way or another. The Nakas were alone in their attempt to spread fear and terror across the city. Now it was just a matter of figuring out how to get them to listen to us.
We all gathered inside Sosa’s den. Cyrus stood there with Shiva by his side to represent the Doras. I could see Yung not far away from him, peeking his head over his shoulder to listen in on what was going on. Sosa was here as well even though his arms and attention were occupied by Jynx and Avina. Rio stood next to them attentively, waiting for everything to begin. Despite protesting at first, even Daric came here with Inez. Though I wasn’t complet
ely happy to see them—Inez’s eyes always lingering upon Vaughn—I couldn’t deny how impressive it was. We had accomplished the impossible. The Doras, Capes and Shidos were all under one roof with representatives from the smaller clans here as well.
Everybody circled around Irvine, who began to explain the situation to everybody.
“Okay, listen up,” he said. “The Nakas have wolves all over the city. They won’t be hard to find. But we don’t want just any of them. We need to speak to their leader. In order to do that, every Alpha needs to come out and show yourself.”
“And that’s when we attack,” Daric said, his slanted eyes full of rage.
“No!” Irvine protested. “We are drawing them out because we need to speak to them. The Nakas you brutally beat said that they were being influenced. We need answers. If you attack, we won’t get those answers. You are just as vulnerable to whatever is controlling them as they are.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
Daric sarcastically agreed with Irvine. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, half-paying attention to everything else Irvine was saying.
“We get them to talk,” Irvine explained.
“But what if they don’t want to talk?” Rio asked.
“That’s where the rest of your clan comes in. Every Alpha will be gathered in the center. Tell your brothers and sisters to create a perimeter. If they’re not interested in talking, we can’t allow them to surround us. If we must fight… then we will fight.”
“Good,” Cyrus said. “I will enjoy the opportunity to get my hands on the people who would violate our laws.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Irvine said.
“Irvine, where will all of this be happening?” I asked.
“We need to be out in the open. Somewhere they will be able to spot us easily. We’re heading to Manhattan. Right in the middle of Central Park.”
“Is that such a wise idea?” Yung asked.
“They won’t start a war out in the open. People are going to see. The city is already on edge. Patrol cars are looking for any reason to pull their guns out and shoot. They’ll have to deal with more than us if they decide they want to fight.”
“How do we know it will be just them?” I asked. “I mean, there’s a sniper out there who’s firing upon us. I know it isn’t just the Nakas we’re dealing with.”
“We’ll have support on every building in the city. Make sure everybody keeps their eyes open. This guy is dangerous but he’s not invisible.”
Everything seemed to be in order. The plan seemed so simple. I didn’t question Irvine’s competence. But I knew that things wouldn’t be that easy. I had this horrible feeling in my stomach that the Nakas were not going to see the reason that Irvine was so optimistic about.
“Okay, everybody, that’s it,” Irvine said. “Are there any more questions?”
“Yeah, I got one,” Sosa said.
“What is it?”
“Can we stop by a hot dog stand before we head out there? I don’t remember the last time I’ve been out to the city.”
He chuckled along with Jynx and Avina. But everybody else was silent. We all stared at him and his moment of amusement quickly ended.
“All right,” Irvine said as he shook his head. “You know what the plan is. This is it. Let’s move out.”
The Alphas all headed toward the exit. Before they left, the rest of their clans shifted into wolves and quickly ran out. Our destination was several miles away but it wouldn’t take them long to get there.
I was one of the last few to leave the cave. I walked alongside Irvine and Vaughn, my nerves beginning to get the best of me. I could feel myself starting to shake with fear. When I did, Vaughn took my hand and held it firmly.
“Nothing will happen to you,” he said.
“I-I know. I just don’t know what’s going to happen to everybody else, that’s all.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Irvine said to me. “Let’s go.”
We got into the van and quickly headed toward our destination. It was well past midnight. The streets weren’t as alive as I remembered them but there were still cars in the streets and people walking alongside them. It seemed like only a few moments had passed when we arrived in Manhattan.
Central Park was sprawling. It was significantly larger than I imagined. The grass spread for more than a mile. I wondered if it would still be able to house all of the wolves that would soon occupy it if anything went wrong. Underneath the moon and the stars, the park was peaceful. There were still some people who were awake at this ungodly hour but for the most part, it was relatively empty.
“This is nice,” I said. “Maybe when this is all over we can spend some time here. Relax, you know?”
“Yeah,” Vaughn said to me. “It is nice. Is this where you want to go, Ariel?”
“Yeah.”
“Then it’s a date.”
He took my hand into his and we walked toward the largest opening in the park. I could see all of the wolves that were lurking at the edge of the park. There were even some standing on the buildings in the distance. It wasn’t until now that I realized how many wolves we had recruited. All of them were waiting to occupy the grass that stretched all the way across Central Park.
I looked over at Vaughn as we stood and waited. His clothes were in tatters. His bandages had been torn off and exposed the wounds that were still healing. Even though Sosa was gracious enough to let us use his spring, he was still in desperate need of a real shower. His body was covered in dirt and grime. I was sure that I didn’t look any better. But through it all, I was there with him. We just had one last hurdle to get through.
Vaughn stood there with the rest of the Alphas. Cyrus puffed his chest out and stood proudly. Sosa looked aloof while Rio remained on guard next to him. Daric had his arms crossed, an indifferent look upon his face. Irvine and Vaughn stood close to me but Yung was there as well. He made it a point to be close to me and protect me. I found no reason to protest.
I exhaled a deep breath and hot air came out of my mouth like smoke. I was cold but my body was shaking and shivering from my nerves.
Where are they? They had to have seen us…
I had no interest in confronting the Nakas. Every second that passed made me more and more anxious. I turned my head and saw a man at the edge of the park with a group of men trailing behind him. As they got closer to us, I was able to get a better look at the man.
His hair was brown and long, cascading over his shoulders and down his back. His face was shaved but looked like it had been covered in dirt. He wore a long brown coat that extended down to his feet, which were covered in boots. Underneath the coat, he wore a pendant around his bare chest and a ripped pair of blue jeans. The rest of the men walking behind him were dressed similarly.
They walked with a stuttered cadence. The sound of their boots crushing against the grass was loud. It was as if they were digging their heels into the soil. As they stomped toward us, I could feel the tension beginning to twist my stomach. The man leading all of them got closer to us. I could see the sinister smile upon his face. His eyes were narrowed, eyebrows arched in a way that made it apparent he wasn’t interested in talking.
When he got in front of us, he stood there and paused, the smile on his face growing wider. He glanced at me for a moment then turned to Irvine and Vaughn.
“The pesky little thorns,” he said. “So unwilling to die. Now you come out here. Thank you for making it easier for us.”
“Who wants us dead?” Irvine said.
“I do not answer to you. You do not give us what we need.”
“What you need?” Vaughn asked him. “What are you talking about?”
The man sighed and began to pace back and forth in front of us. He looked at the other Alphas positioned next to us, his eyes looking them up and down.
“My name is Zorn,” he said. “I am the Alpha of the Nakas. We are the clan that controls New York City. We were alwa
ys in control. But it wasn’t until he opened our eyes did we realize we were in control. This is our destiny.”
“What are you talking about?” Rio said to him. “This isn’t right. You’re murdering innocent people.”
“They are not innocent people. For too long we have held ourselves back. We are wolves. We are free to give and take what we want. If we mutilate a female or two along the way, then so be it.”
“That’s it?” I said to him. “You’re just murdering women because you feel like it?”
Zorn stopped pacing then turned to look at me. I locked my eyes upon him, furious as I thought about all the innocents that had been killed. There was no rhyme or reason to these murders.
“That’s right,” he said to me. “And since you’ve made it so convenient for us, you will be next.”
“Don’t threaten her!” Vaughn growled at him.
“Shut up, Rucai! You are also on the agenda. I’ll make sure that you join her, slowly and painfully, if you raise your voice to me again.”
Vaughn snarled at him but Irvine raised his arm up to stop him.
“You must stop,” Irvine said to him. “You are a peaceful clan. There is no need for you to bring this violence upon humans.”
“I don’t care. I am Zorn, Alpha of the Nakas. I have the strength and power to control this city.”
“You will not as long as I still breathe,” Cyrus shouted at him.
Cyrus shifted and barked at him.
“No! Wait!” Irvine tried to calm him down.
But it was too late. Zorn shifted and the group of men behind him did the same. Dozens of silver wolves appeared before us and growled. The Alphas I stood with turned into their wolf counterparts. And just like that, they attacked. The loud sound of the wolves attacking one another was something that would haunt me for the rest of my life.
Irvine grabbed me and pulled me out of the way. He raised his crossbow and started to fire at all of the wolves in front of us. I stood close to Irvine. I raised the dagger up and held it in front of me. I felt so strong and powerful when I was practicing with it. As the wolves began to pour into Central Park, the weapon had suddenly become inadequate.