by Tamar Sloan
“No wonder I couldn’t feel you.”
I press my cheek more firmly onto his heated skin. “I also, ah, switched off for a while.”
“That explains it. I’ve never felt anything worse, and I’ve had the pleasure of changing from human to giganta-wolf without warning.”
I glance up, his handsome face all angles and planes in the gloom. “I think I was protecting myself. And then staying away seemed better for both of us.”
“You’ve been protecting me as much as I’ve been protecting you.”
I feel irony twist my lips. “With the same results.”
We sink into each other’s arms again, holding tightly, banishing the distance that’s been living between us for too long.
I feel his head tilt down as he leans back a little. “How are you doing?”
It’s almost redundant that he asked, but I give it voice anyway. “I’m pretty nervous, actually.”
“Me, too.”
I pull him in tighter, wishing there wasn’t something about to happen that’s going to test our bond. “To be completely honest, I’m bordering on terrified.”
Noah’s breath brushes my hair in a gust before he rests his cheek on my head. “Me, too.”
35
Noah
The Glade looks like any other time we’ve had a Council. The guardian pines stand straight and somber, silent sentries unruffled by what is about to happen. Mom and Dad greet each Were as they enter, me on their right, Tara and Mitch on their left, smiling and handshaking right along with them.
Who am I kidding? This looks like nothing any Were has seen before. There are Weres everywhere, far more than the Glade has ever housed before. Mostly Alphas and their heirs, they are tense and serious. This is the second Council in as many months. The knowledge that something significant is happening today is practically bannered across the trees.
They have no idea.
Tara takes her place by the Precept Rock, Mitch on her other side. The few Weres that were mumbling below the hushed atmosphere fall silent. Everyone looks around, wondering how we can be about to start.
But Tara squares her shoulders. She’s not going to let a little thing like the absence of the defendant hold up this trial. “We are here to judge the actions of Seth Channon. Seth has”—I almost hear Tara’s teeth grind, holding back the word ‘repeatedly’—“disobeyed his Alpha. He has exposed our secret.” Tara looks around the Glade. “And he has attacked a fellow Were.”
Just as Tara finishes her sentence, Seth enters the Glade. He walks, that arrogant swagger that has my teeth gritting, to center stage. He stands and waits, adjusting the cuffs on his jacket sleeves. Not only does it look incongruous that a Were is wearing a jacket, but the casual Wyoming State blazer is an obvious statement on how seriously he is taking this.
Tara ignores his insolence, his brazen contempt. Without waiting for him to reach the center of the Glade she continues. “Today we pass sentence on his disrespect and indifference for our laws.” Seth reaches the center and turns to Tara. I don’t know how she doesn’t banish his butt there and then. “Before you are judged for your actions, Seth, do you have anything you want to say in your defense?”
I would bet every last cheesecake on this planet he does.
Seth turns on the spot, a slow pirouette in the middle of the Glade. “Weres have done nothing but hide. We sit back and watch everything we love, that we should be protecting, be slowly destroyed.”
I feel the moment Eden arrives, the addition of the extra layer of nervousness gurgling in my gut. For some reason, as Seth continues to take in the crowd, it settles me.
“When wolves were removed from the reserve it degraded, trees were lost, some species almost went extinct. Sound familiar?”
The crowd of Alphas is silent, listening, making the connection.
“The appearance of the last Precept tells us what I already knew. It is time. Time to exert our place as the dominant species. We will no longer waste our strength. Our unique abilities. And we will use them to do what wolves do right here.”
There’s silence—no agreements, but no objections. Tara and Mitch stand by the rock that shows some of what Seth says is true. Except he’s wrong, I feel the anger start to simmer but I take in a breath. Seth can say his words. I get to see who believes this supremacy trollop, and, once Eden arrives, he will be silenced. Finally.
Seth’s voice continues to rise with his passion and conviction; he spins again, making sure none of his words miss the mark. “Wolves are the enforcers of nature, the ones responsible for balance.”
Suddenly I feel the nervousness start to fade, disappear. I want to frown; I can’t imagine Eden’s had an unexpected burst of confidence. Another breath, and I tell myself I’m not worried.
As one fist slams into his palm, Seth delivers his bottom line. “Humans are doing this. Weres will stop them.”
Some Weres shuffle, clearly uncomfortable with this concept. Others, the supporters, smile, shifting forward. One or two throw their fists up in the air. There are more of them than make me comfortable.
I look at Tara, who acknowledges me with the slightest incline of her head. With the signal sent I step forward; Seth has said enough.
As I step into the ring, Seth’s eyes light up. Hazel pools of satisfaction track my movements as I approach him then stand before him. Just as I suspected, Seth wants a fight.
Little does he realize the consequences if we did.
“Seth’s right, the world needs Weres.”
Stunned surprise starts with Seth then arcs around the Glade. That wiped the smug smile off his dial.
“As those that stand with half of our being in the human world, the other in the animal world, we have a responsibility.” I narrow my eyes at him, a sucker punch of my own winding up. “But Seth forgets we are living proof that the human world and the natural world is one and the same.”
Seth’s eyes flare and metal stings my nose. “All the more reason to take our place. Were’s are not cowards. We do not hide.” He steps forward, finding my personal space and invading it. “It’s time we fought for what we believe in.”
I stand there, voice dropping. "You're not only suggesting that we risk our identity and all the consequences of exposure, but that we put our lives on the line for this?"
Seth's hands bunch, two balls of anger at the end of his sleeves. "I would lose my life for this."
Just like his mother did. I turn from Seth, knowing Weres need to hear the alternative to this violent, bloody path.
"We are not purely predators. Seth’s words speak of a desire for domination and blood. Unnecessary exposure and pain."
I look around the Glade, like I’m making sure they all get this. But what I’m really doing is searching. Where the heck is Eden? With a frown, I realize I almost can't feel her.
When I feel a shove; when the force has me stumbling forward a step, a handful of gasps sprinkle from the crowd. Fury has me spinning, turning to face him.
Seth straightens, I-want-Prime-Alpha stamped all over his face. “A war has already begun.”
36
Eden
Where is Dana?
I pace the dusty parking lot beside the Glade. Fifteen steps from Noah’s truck that I arrived in a short while ago to the trees on the opposite side. Nervous energy has my legs stretching and pacing. It only takes fourteen to get back.
The sound of an aging truck heralds a giant, blue metal nose entering the clearing. Dana parks the truck and clambers out. I walk over, arms crossing, uncrossing, then crossing again.
She smiles brightly, “Soz I'm late.” She sounds so much like Tara that my heart rate calms a little. “You have to look your best if you're going to be center stage.”
I look at Dana. She's wearing a pale green blouse over a cute denim skirt. I tighten my arms, fingers gripping the material of my top. I didn't even think of what I was wearing. Jeans had been sensible, my blue top comfortable. I tell myself it’s too late now, wishing it would
n’t be riding high on my mind when I enter the Glade.
Dana links her arm through mine, pulling me away from the Glade entry. “Come on, Noah wanted us to wait back here.”
What? I stop, only to find myself propelled forward again by the arm chained around mine. “But we’re going the wrong way.”
Dana flaps a hand over my forearm. “Didn’t Noah tell you? There’s another clearing back here. This way we’re out of sight, and we come in the back way.”
I suppose that makes sense.
Although it seems logical, I can’t help but bite my lip. “He never mentioned it.”
“He has had a lot on his mind.”
“That's true.”
“Come one, we don’t have much time.”
Dana doesn't seem to notice I continue to be a weight on her arm. She pulls me toward the little track I noticed the first time Noah brought me to the Glade. The one that heads away from the Glade. Within seconds we're swallowed by the forest, walking side by side down the pine-littered track.
I rub my arm like it’s much cooler than it really is. “Do you have your phone?”
Dana pats her back pocket.
“Have you checked it?”
Dana rolls her eyes. “We’ll hear it. It’s got this cool ringtone that sounds like a crazy donkey.” She looks at me from the corner of her eye. “Tara said you were a worry worm.”
She said that? To Dana?
When the path turns, heading back in the direction of the Glade, the nervousness releases its grip on my chest. I need to get myself under control, being like this doesn’t help anyone.
“It’s just up ahead.” Dana giggles, even covering her mouth to do it. “Actually, it’s a bit of a Were make out spot. Mitch and Tara would have spent heaps of time here.”
I wonder why I've never heard of it. When the path bends again, this time in the opposite direction, I no longer feel nervous. This feels wrong. I turn to Dana, tension pulling my brows down.
Dana clasps my hand, an excited smile keeping her forward momentum. “This is so amazing. Do you think you’re ready?”
I shrug, trying to shake the feeling of foreboding this walk has spawned. “Not really. But I won’t be alone.”
“That’s true.” The change in tone has me glancing back at Dana, but she skips ahead, red hair bouncing, bare legs skipping over the pine-needle path. “It’s just around this corner.”
With that, she disappears around the bend.
The trees begin to thin, for some reason making me feel exposed. “I think we should turn back.” There’s no response from up ahead. “Dana?”
Silence is my answer.
I run the last few steps, reaching the edge of a clearing. When I hear a rustle, I spin one way then the other, to find nothing behind me. Dana is gone. What is going on? I turn to face the clearing, only to discover there is definitely something in front of me.
On the other side of the clearing, a wolf materializes from shadowy trunks. Not a wild wolf, but a massive Were. My eyes widen enough to see two more separate from the forest, one on my left, one on my right.
When an ominous rumble, an angry growling, vibrates behind me I have no choice but step forward into the clearing.
Into the space where four predatory Weres begin to close in.
37
Noah
Seth takes off his jacket. That slow, deliberate movement is all for show—if we shift, our clothes come with us. My eyes track his movements. They don’t need to scan the Glade to know Eden is not where she’s supposed to be. Fury fights with fear in my chest, neither an emotion I can do anything about. Seth, with his plan for a new world order, thinks he wants a fight, thinks he can claim Prime Alpha.
Eden has just dropped off my radar. Again.
“Now I show the world what Weres will become.” Seth kicks the jacket aside; it tumbles once before splaying out, the Wyoming State logo staring up at the sky.
The jacket.
“Nice jacket.”
Dana all smiles and sincerity. “I totally forgot I had this on. A friend lent it to me…”
Seth smiles. “We always knew a Channon would be Prime Alpha.”
We...
I shift, Seth changing, too, thinking he's about to get the fight he wants.
I turn.
Then run.
Because I’ve just left Eden with Kurt’s daughter.
38
Eden
The four wolves spread out, evenly spaced around me. They begin to circle, becoming a whirlpool inexorably drawing inwards. I spin, trying to keep them all in sight. Although they are moving slowly, I get dizzy trying to divide my frightened brain amongst their stealthy bodies.
Heads low, they keep up the deadly dance; saliva spills from one, hatred from another. Telling me what they are hungry for.
I stop, a trembling pivot point to the intent that is completely single minded. My fear scores off the Richter scale. It shakes entire hemispheres of my brain, making it hard to think.
I need Orin to tell me what to do. They are too angry, aggressive, goal driven. Frantically, I scan the tree line. This would be a good time for my father to appear.
Someone does appear from the trees, and even though it’s Dana, a small bubble of hope rises. She moves forward into the clearing then stops, the circling wolves a protective line between her and me.
Dana watches me, a snarl on her lips, her hazel eyes hard.
I look away, the sliver of hope killed by that gaze. I focus on the massive beasts surrounding me, dredging up the melody. I see one’s eyes widen, only to have his head drop lower, the snarl deepen.
“I know what you’re trying to do. He told me.”
He?
Dana’s lip pulls up in a twisted smile. “These are not wild animals for you to pull their puppet strings. They're human minds in animal bodies.”
A sinking feeling shows me she's right. Two wolves pad past in that slow focused dance inwards, teeth glinting as they smile. The other two never lose their determined focus.
I try a different tact. “Dana, you can turn this around. Call them off.”
“They were so happy when you returned. The prodigal daughter.”
What is she talking about?
“I was getting kinda tired of you stuffing up my plans. I had Seth at the movies, doing what we agreed, making this Council happen.” She flicks her red hair in agitation. “All you had to do was stay away, and this could have been avoided.”
“Dana, call this off.” I hear the hint of pleading, the note of desperation in my voice. “You don't know what you're starting.”
I can feel Noah drawing nearer, and he’s angry and scared. Actually, Noah is heart-wrenchingly furious and desperately frightened, and when he arrives blood will be shed. Except no one here knows that if Noah draws blood Weres will become human.
Dana snorts. “Right now, Seth is claiming Prime Alpha.”
Seth was a part of this? Although we were never friends, there was something about his sad soul that I could relate to. For some reason, it feels more of a betrayal than calculating Dana standing on the other side of four deadly Werewolves.
Dana sees my crushed face and smiles. “Yes, he had a soft spot for you, too. The fool was a nothing but a puppet. A zealous mind is easy to predict and manipulate.” She shrugs. “With you gone, Noah can never claim Prime Alpha. Seth will eventually be dispatched”—Dana’s arms spread out wide, like she’s welcoming victory—“and the rightful Channon Alpha will take his place.”
Kurt.
How did we not consider that he was behind all of this? He would be the one with the power to convince four young wolves searching for purpose to attack a human. To expose their secret. To kill.
I step forward, but the snarling and growling has me stepping right back. “You’ll start a war.”
“You took my place. You took him.” Her face clouds, hands clenching. “And you're not even one of us!”
Behind me, a deep growl reverbera
tes through me, spiking my shivering pulse. I don’t need to turn around to know the wolves are getting impatient.
Dana takes a step back. “We get our revenge, and once my father is Prime Alpha, the Phelans will need us. Noah will need me.”
This is no time to be shocked at the ridiculousness of her plan. “Kurt told you this?”
“I know this.” Dana raises her voice, anger now apparent in her tone and tight pose.
“Dana, think about it. Noah would never choose being an Alpha without me.”
As I say it, I know it’s true. It’s as a pair that we have strength.
But it’s the truth that finally snaps Dana. It’s the power of denial that has her screaming, “Do it!”
It’s the wolf on my left that finally breaks rank. It vaults toward me, snarling teeth and growling grey. I can feel his intent, and it gives me a split second to step to the side. Seeing my deflection, his head twists, those glistening teeth snapping at me, tearing my shirt. I stumble, hands and knees hitting the ground hard. I push myself upright as fast as I can, wiping my hair from my face, leaving a sticky smear across my cheek. I look down to see crimson blood seeping from my palm. I look up to see satisfaction gleaming in the wolf's eyes.
With Dana gone, I try again. You can make a different choice.
I only have a second to think when two decide to jump together. I see the one to my left glance behind me, feel the moment the decision is made. I stand still until the last second.
I wait until the two projectiles are about to intersect at the point where I'm standing then vault to the right. I jolt when one muscled missile brushes my shoulder. I pull away, knowing it only takes one tooth or claw for pain and damage to be inflicted.
One Were lands on his feet, feet grappling with the ground in an attempt to stop. The other hits the ground, one leg collapsing, gouging the soil on his side for the last few feet. He slows to a stop at the feet of his pack members.