Sitting in front of the bon fire, the flames danced about, reminding her of the burning pain that emanated from her wound the night she was bitten. The flame before her warmed her hands in a comforting way, much tamer than the fire that burned her from the inside out just four months prior.
“Geoff?”
“Yeah?”
“Why did it burn? When I was bitten, the bite burned. I felt like I was dying in a big ball of fire.”
“I’ve only heard about the burn, but as far as I know, it’s the Werewolf DNA penetrating your blood stream. It’s the first step in the transformation. What made you think of that now?”
“No reason.”
Mackenzie went back to watching the fire reliving her most powerful memories in her mind. Joy and sadness, anger and love. Love for her mother and grandmother, and love for Geoff and Liam. How was it possible to feel so strongly for two people? Could she be in love with two people at once? She never believed that was possible before, why now? She could have love for them both, care about them tremendously, but she still honestly believed that when she was in love with one, there would be no question as to whom she should be with.
“Two minutes, everyone! Get ready to allow the moon to guide you!” Margret yelled out joyously. She ran over to stand next to Mackenzie and smiled at her. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Mackenzie nodded as she removed her clothing and began running through her memories again and again. Watching the clouds shift away from the moon, it reached its peak and bathed the pack in its light. Within moments, the humans no longer existed, in their place large wolves running off into the night.
~*~
The trees blurred as she ran. The howls and heartbeats of so many other wolves resonated in her ears. Bounding between bare trees and launching herself over ravines and boulders, her paws thudded against the frozen earth beneath her.
“RUN MORE!” a voice echoed into the wolf’s mind, so it did. It ran and ran until the scent of something delicious wafted on the air. Whipping its head in the direction the delectable smell came from, she sprinted toward the aroma.
A crack of a branch behind her alerted her to the presence of another. Looking back, while still pushing forward, a large gray wolf and a smaller brown one followed behind. Growling loudly, she bared her teeth at the intruders. The gray wolf slowed and nipped at the brown one with it, giving her room. That was all she needed to complete her hunt.
“DON’T!” The voice tried to convince her to stop, to leave the magnificent meal untouched. Hesitating for just a second, the wolf shook her whole body violently, her head more than the rest of her. Standing completely still for a moment more, the growling returned and the large buck never stood a chance.
With her meal complete, the wolf meandered about. Only when the water came into view did she show any signs of excitement. Bounding toward the giant boulder that acted like a dock, extending from the land and out half way into the lake, she jumped off the edge and into the water. The fish swam by, completely unaware of the danger lurking around them. One-by-one they were caught between her sharp teeth. Swimming to the surface, the wolf would gobble them down and return to the depths of the water yet again to repeat the process.
“ENOUGH!” The voice boomed into her head. She couldn’t ignore the command. Dropping the fish from her jaws, she resurfaced. Swimming back toward land, the wolf calmed. When she reached the shore, her body shook, ridding it of excess water before padding out onto the rock and falling asleep under the lightening sky.
~*~
The bright sunlight penetrated Mackenzie’s eyelids, forcing her to wake. Taking in her surroundings, she found that once again she ended up at the lake, on the rock. At least her wolf was becoming predictable. Glancing around her, she realized that she was alone. Either she had lost Margret in the night at some point, or the pack’s leader had already left her.
Climbing down from her perch, she tried to remember everything from the night before, but she was disappointed. It was a giant black hole in her mind. Trying to think of a different way to jog her memory, something her father had said to her once, long ago, popped into her mind. Strange really, that he would have given her any kind of advice worth remembering, but she was willing to try anything.
“Trace your steps, Mackenzie. If you can’t remember where you put it, start with the last time you remember having it.” She spoke the words out loud, but even the fact that her father had said those to her on a good day, where they weren’t running or fighting with one another, didn’t make her smile. Not one memory of her father made her smile.
Thinking back to the night before, she remembered speaking with Geoff about the fire and Margret announcing the impending change. The rest was fuzzy. Like watching a VHS tape that hadn’t been played in a long time and having to press the tracking buttons until pictures slowly were discernible from the static.
She could see the trees and remember feeling anxious over someone telling her to run, the anger and annoyance when they tried to tell her not to hunt that poor deer, and how she couldn’t refuse the voice telling her to stop fishing. Had that been her? Had she had any kind of control over the wolf?
And who had the wolves been that were following her? She knew Margret was supposed to be following her, but the other one. He was so familiar.
Breaking through the trees to the clearing, Mackenzie found her bag and began to dress. She didn’t need to wash off as her wolf had gone swimming the night before. Her mind began furiously trying to place the brown wolf. She had thought she knew what most of her pack brothers and sisters looked like when they turned, but the more she thought about it, the more unease she felt.
When she spotted Margret across the way with the park ranger, everything clicked into place. The confusing conversation with the park ranger who never was after her to begin with, the damn cloak and dagger Margret wanted Donald to pull, and the oh-so-familiar brown wolf. Mackenzie instinctively reached up and rubbed along her arm where it had been torn apart and changed her life forever.
Anger boiled inside of her and when she could no longer hold it in, she screamed out, attracting the attention of everyone around her. Liam had just made it to the clearing, running directly to her side. Her rage so prevalent in her mind that she could do nothing but focus on the man in front of her who had destroyed any chance she ever had at a normal life. She could hear Liam dressing quickly, but she wasn’t going to wait for him. This was her fight and she was damn well going to have it.
Her feet felt like lead as she tried to walk toward them. She could see they were arguing with one another in hushed tones and she knew she would be interrupting but who gave a fuck. She would be heard and she would not be dismissed. Margret may be the pack leader, but that did not make her all powerful.
“WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?” Mackenzie screamed when she got close. Both Margret and the ranger looked up with wild eyes.
“Mackenzie! How dare you speak to a fellow member that way?” Margret stood tall, and took a step forward, placing herself in front of him.
“A member? He is a fucking member? Are you fucking kidding me?” Mackenzie tried to side step Margret but had been blocked each and every time. The ranger stood behind her and coward silently.
She had drawn quite a crowd at that point. Everyone had come close, circling them. Dressing silently and never taking their eyes off the group.
“Yes, he belongs to another house and has been traveling.”
“Yeah, I know. He was in Massachusetts!” Gasps abound from the group, but the ones who truly mattered stepped forward with questioning eyes. For the first time since Liam and she had begun spending time together, he and Geoff didn’t give each other dirty looks, but what seemed to be a silent conversation as they stepped forward and stood on either side of her.
“I told you, I have eyes and ears all over the place. He had a suspicion you had been bitten and called.”
“Bullshit! I SAW HIM LAST NIGHT WITH YOU! He is a fucking brown wolf.�
�� She spat the words out through gritted teeth. Her fists clenched and unclenched, nails digging into her palms so forcefully they cut open and healed just in time to do it again.
The group around didn’t understand the implications of what she had said, all they could focus on was the fact that young pup Mackenzie could remember what had happened the night before.
“You remember what happened last night? Mackenzie that is wonderful! Tell me what you remember and we can figure this whole thing out. Don’t worry about the rest. We can talk about it later. What matters is how fast you are progressing.”
“Do not try and change the subject. You already knew about my memory and you wanted to dismiss it. He was the wolf. God damn it, he was the one!” With that statement, Mackenzie lunged forward, trying to get to him. She would tear him limb from limb. She wanted to kill him for killing her human life.
Margret completely caught off guard fell to the ground as Mackenzie shoved past her. Donald’s eyes were wide as he tried help her up, but was tackled by Mackenzie. She punched and kneed and scratched at any surface of the man she could reach. Much too soon for her liking, Geoff had her around the waist, lifting her off him.
Continuing her tirade, her legs kicked out wildly, hoping to make contact with Donald. A group of members had all circled around Margret to help her up, even though she didn’t need it. Mackenzie only sort of felt bad for her.
“You’ve got to calm down. Shh, I’ve got you, it’s okay.” Geoff whispered in her ear. But it wasn’t okay. He didn’t just tell Margret about her, he turned her. No one understood. Not one of them! Was she the one they had been talking about in the office? If so, what didn’t she want her to know about? What had she asked of him?
“No. It’s not. Let me go.”
“Are you going to attack him again or are you calm now?”
“I am far from calm. I need answers. God damn it. I deserve them.”
Geoff let go of her as soon as her feet were planted on the ground. He nodded his head to Liam who moved closer and took her hand in his as Geoff held onto her other one. She wished she could relish in the moment that the two men who held her heart were both holding her, trying to help her, but she couldn’t. Not then.
“The brown wolf. He bit me! If he was local, why didn’t he stick around?” Gasps filled the area. Followed by hushed voices and whispers of disgust and shock.
“It could have been a number of brown wolves. There are only so many colors a wolf can be.” Margret spoke in a slow calm voice. Mackenzie knew what she was trying to do, but it wouldn’t work. Margret wasn’t going to control this conversation.
“Bullshit. He did it. We heard you talking in your office. Why wasn’t he supposed to come back? Which she in our pack were you referring to about him not being seen by?” Mackenzie seethed through gritted teeth.
“All of you, go back to the house now!” When no one moved, Margret finally turned visibly angry. “GO!”
They all scurried away, banished by their mother. All that was left was Margret, Donald, Geoff, Liam, and Mackenzie. Margret eyed Liam, most likely wondering why he hadn’t left, but his tight grip on her hand told her that no matter how angry Margret got, Liam was going to stand by her side.
“You’re right. Donald did change you. He hadn’t added to our pack in many years. It was time.”
“What are you talking about? What time was it? Time to bite someone new on purpose? And why did he call you your majesty?” Mackenzie looked between Margret and Geoff. She wasn’t sure what to do. He had to have known, right? He was in a position of power in the pack.
Pulling her hand from his and moving toward Liam, she could see the daggers that Geoff was sending to Margret. Liam’s hand stayed firmly in hers as she watched those she had thought were her family despite their flaws. But how many flaws could she forgive?
“Because I am royalty. Have you ever heard of the Royal Were Myth, Mackenzie? You were a mythology major, surely you read of her wondrous reign over all the werewolves in the world before my human father murdered her in cold blood right in front of me as a young girl. It is my time to regain our family throne. And yes, the older the wolves, the more I expect of them and recruiting new members is part of that. Without a strong pack how will I ever take my rightful place as Royal Were?”
Mackenzie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her stomach revolted and her head spun with the new information. Her mother’s portrait in front of the castle, her large pack that spread across the United States, her utter delight with being able to train wolves sooner. It all made sense.
“The attack in California? We attacked them, didn’t we?” she whispered, afraid to hear the answer.
“Yes, we did. And we won. We are stronger now and one step closer. This isn’t a journey for the light-hearted, Mackenzie. You were specifically chosen. There was something in you that we knew would benefit our pack. Same with Liam, do you honestly think it was all coincidental?”
Mackenzie could hear the growl rumbling within Liam’s chest and his grip on her hand was bone crushing. Literally, but she knew if she released him he would attack just as she had. Looking back to Geoff, she couldn’t believe he had yet to say anything. Had he been playing her the whole time? Why hadn’t he told her about the quota of humans he had to bite or about Margret’s plan of global domination?
“Geoff?” She whispered his name, knowing he would hear her. When his eyes met hers, they were steely and red-rimmed. Had that been because he was caught or because he didn’t know?
“Why? Why did you pick me?”
Geoff wouldn’t answer her. He reached out for her, but she pulled further away. A single tear slipped down his cheek. Mackenzie wouldn’t feel bad for him. She wouldn’t allow herself to want to help him when he had kept so much from her.
“For reasons you wouldn’t understand so I won’t waste the time explaining them. You have it good here, Mackenzie. You are strong and capable of a great many things. As soon as you have complete control there is a spot on council for you, you can help the others gain control faster and when we finally take our place as the royal court, you will be by my side. You will have anything you want. Come now, I know you are angry, but we must move past this. It is a time to celebrate, not fight. You now know our true path and you are that much closer to having full control.”
“Celebrate? Celebrate the idea of being part of something that wants power so badly they are willing to ruin lives, and kill others for it? No, that is nothing to celebrate.”
“You will be happy to know that as a council member, you will have access to any mate you wish, including Geoff. He can create offspring with a willing born, but he would be yours in heart and soul. Geoff, does that sound acceptable?”
Geoff still stayed silent. It was becoming eerie and Mackenzie could not believe the audacity of Margret to suggest that having Geoff would fix everything else.
“No. I would rather wander the world alone then to put any more people in danger. Screw you.”
Margret was livid. She shook and her face turned red, her eyes glazed over before turning the yellowy-green that signaled her impending shift.
“Let’s go, Mackenzie. We need to pack our things.” Liam finally spoke. His voice was rough and his stance firm. She wouldn’t be alone. Liam was going with her.
“Geoff? Please tell me you didn’t know? That somehow she kept this from you.”
“I knew about the quota. I told you I had done my share of mistakes. I just didn’t elaborate. I swear, I didn’t know she planned your turn.”
“And the rest?” Her eyes were pleading with him.
“I’ll see you at the house.” It was a dismissal. He wouldn’t even look at her. He watched Margret with an intensity she hadn’t seen before. Shaking her head at her own stupidity, she walked away, hand in hand with Liam.
Chapter 28
When the front door opened, Mackenzie and Liam came face to face with the entire pack. None looked pleased to see them, with the exce
ption of Natalie and Teresa, but even they weren’t pleased, more worried than anything.
“What the hell, Mackenzie? We do not attack our family!” Someone from the back called out.
“He is not my family. He turned me and left me! Would any of you have turned your back on someone you bit?” The group erupted in disbelief. Liam tried to help guide her through the room to the stairs so the two could go and pack their belongings. “I don’t care what you all think. But maybe you should ask those that have been around for a while how their turn quotas are coming.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Natalie asked, eyeing Teresa with caution. Teresa’s eyes had gone wide as saucers when she looked between Mackenzie and Natalie.
“Margret told me I was chosen, and that Liam was chosen. I don’t know about the rest, but apparently, our older members have a certain number they have to change to be in Margret’s good graces. Nothing is a coincidence in her plan to gain complete control of every pack. I won’t be a part of it.”
“Come on, we need to get moving.” Liam said and tugged on her hand. The two left the group behind as they forged ahead to their rooms.
The bedroom door opened and Mackenzie looked at what she once thought was the best way possible to live her new and unexpected life. The stunning room, with the amazing window and two roommates who became her sisters, all of it just the pretty tape used to cover up the ugly tear in the world of Werewolves.
Tears slipped down her face as she pulled out her old ratty backpack and began shoving clothing into it. The door creaked and Mackenzie whipped around to see Natalie standing there with tears of her own in her eyes.
The Tempering (The Mackenzie Duncan Series) Page 20