“Why didn’t you change the night of the attack? You could have turned into a wolf and defended yourself.”
She began squeezing her thumb again and thought about the question. After all, it would have made sense if she had transformed. Even at the risk of a non-Were seeing her, if it saved her life what did it matter?
“I was too afraid, I think. When I saw the blood, I just wanted to get away. I think I would have changed in the alley, but by then it was too late. Too late to think. I wouldn’t have thought the person chasing me would end up turning into a wolf before I did.”
He nodded and then took a deep breath. “Thomas thinks that someone in the pack is helping the killer.”
She opened her mouth, but no words would come out. Pack or no, it didn’t take a genius to know that pack went beyond friendship and family to a level you just didn’t betray.
“The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. How all the victims were Weres. How he knew where they lived and killed them in their homes. I’m starting to think the attack on you wasn’t a coincidence.”
A cold chill ran down her spine. She reached over and briefly squeezed his thigh. “I’m sure he’s is wrong. There’s another explanation.”
He pulled off the main road onto a dirt road – if it could be called a road – that wound between the trees, taking them up a steep incline. She held onto her seatbelt as the truck bumped and jostled until they came to a flat that had been cleared of trees and covered in gravel.
He parked and then got out of the truck, walking around to open her door. She looked at him, surprised, as he closed it after she got out. She followed him over to the edge of the gravel and almost jumped when he turned to look at her.
“This way,” he said, indicating a walking path she could barely see in the fading light. He looked at her shoes, not exactly practical for hiking, and offered her his hand. “Hold my hand. It can get slippery when it’s damp”
She stared at his outstretched hand, her heart in her throat. Taking a steadying breath, she put her hand in his and they began to walk.
“Do you know about packs?” he asked, looking back at her.
She shook her head, trying to think of anything but the feel of his hand in hers. “Not really. I got bit on a camping trip a little while after I graduated college. After I found out what I’d turned into, I moved up to the cabins my parents left me and my brother. When did you…?”
“I was born this way. Two Were parents. Being a werewolf made high school hell, I can tell you. But Thomas, Will and me somehow found each other. A few years ago, I became the alpha, the leader, of the Echo Falls werewolves. I take care of the pack. Settle fights. Keep an eye on lone wolves. I help new pack members who haven’t turned before. I lead when we hunt during the full moon.”
Aidan the alpha.
She smiled faintly. Somehow, out of everything, that made sense. The way he spoke as if he carefully weighed each statement before it came out of his mouth. How in his eyes you could see his mind constantly going.
No wonder he made her feel safe just by being around. No wonder the wolf in her wanted to press up against him, feeling his warmth and taking in his scent.
She cleared her throat and blushed.
They walked out onto another flat and stopped. Aidan loosened his grip on her hand so she could wander forward, but she pulled him forward with her.
Unlike the gravel area, this flat came purely made by nature and the occasional humans stomping around. The trees gave way to scrub, then dirt, then rock. They stood on a beautiful outcropping with nothing to disturb their view of the stars starting to sparkle above them and the forested valley below them.
Directly to their right, a gorgeous waterfall spilled over the edge of the mountain into a glittering lake below. She shivered with excitement at the roar of the water and the spray cooling her skin.
“It’s beautiful,” she said above the noise.
He took a deep breath and then released it with a satisfied ‘ah’. “The Echo Falls. I come here when I want to think.”
She finally tore her eyes away from the waterfall and looked at him. “I can’t imagine many places being more private. For thinking.”
He grinned at her. “Want to get closer?”
She smiled and nodded. Her heart did a little flip when he squeezed her hand. He led the way back a few steps before taking a different path steeply upward. After a couple minutes of climbing through rocks and scrub, they came to another large outcropping above but in view of the falls.
They sat down far enough away to watch the full glory of the falls but save themselves from most of the spray. The water glittered in the moonlight and the air around them seemed purified by its nearness to the falls. She pressed the tip of her thumb and then took a deep breath.
“You were right.”
“Hm?” He looked at her. “About what?”
“I don’t trust myself around you.” She sighed. “After everything that has happened in my life in the past few months, I should know better. But you say that I can trust you, and I want to believe you.”
He looked at her for a while, weighing what she said. His close scrutiny made her want to squirm, but she looked right back at him, determined to hold his gaze. Even in the poor light, she could see the corner of his mouth move up into a smile.
“Do you know the legend of Echo Falls?” he asked.
“No.”
“When native tribes still lived in this area a long time ago, there was once a chief from one tribe and a young woman from another tribe who were going to be married. Their marriage was going to make an alliance between the tribes, but they were lucky enough to be in love, too.
“A man from another tribe saw the alliance as a threat and he wanted the woman to marry him, but the woman turned him away. He wouldn’t accept her refusal. The night before the wedding, the night of the true full moon, he kidnapped her and brought her to these waterfalls. When she still refused to marry him, he hid her deep in the caves.
“The chief went to meet his bride in secret that same night and found her missing, but she managed to leave a trail for him. He went to the caves to search for her, hearing her echoing cries. When he couldn’t find her, he pleaded with the gods to help him and they turned the lovers into wolves so they would have the strength and senses to find each other. But they were still lost to each other. The chief begged for more time, but the gods wouldn’t let him abandon his people so he had to return to human form in the morning.
“He returned to search for his mate every night as a wolf and had to turn back into a human every morning. He became the first werewolf. That’s why we can only transform at night. We have to return to our humanity during the day. And we have to turn into a wolf at every full moon as a symbol of the first night the chief turned into a wolf and searched for his lover, his other half.
“They say you can still hear the their lonely howls if you’re near the falls during a full moon as they still search for each other.”
She took a shaky breath and then looked away, wrapping her arms around herself.
He studied her for a few moments before moving closer. “You’re not alone, Phoebe. I don’t know what happened to you or what it was like where you came from, but when you came to Echo Falls, you became one of us. You’re under my protection now. Under the pack’s protection. If you need anything and I’m not around, you can go to Will. He’s my second in command and -”
Her eyes widened. “Will?”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“But Elle…”
He nodded. “Elle, too.”
Her mouth opened before she managed to get her mind going enough to remember to close it. Elle? A werewolf? Was everyone in Echo Falls a wolf and she didn’t know it? She hadn’t just had one bad night; she’d gotten herself firmly mixed up in the very center of the pack. Elle, her first client here who happened to be married to the alpha’s second in command. The alpha who had just so happened to be in t
he right place at the right time to save her life.
Her heart began to pound. Echo Falls could really be the werewolf paradise that she’d been envisioning in the back of her mind. So many werewolves living in safety. A chill ran down her spine. Safety until now. Her breathing started becoming more difficult as the dark realization she’d dismissed so easily before it came slamming back to her mind with stark clarity.
“Huh.”
He smirked. “Welcome to Echo Falls.”
“Are you all…?”
“All? No. Echo Falls is just a good place for us. It’s a big enough town with plenty of hills, mountains, forests and lakes around it. Plenty of space to run. The pack is family. We don’t have a lot of big problems come up.” He frowned. “We didn’t.”
“Until the murders.” She swallowed hard, gasping as tears began to fill her eyes. “All of you.”
“Are you so scared of us?” he asked, placing his hand on her thigh.
She sniffed, the first tears falling onto her cheeks and glistening into the moonlight.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Scared for you.”
He didn’t appear to understand at all, but he drew her close and held her. Though she still kept her arms wrapped around herself, she leaned into him, pressing her face against his chest. Slowly he pulled her legs up and over his thighs so he could hug her fully.
She gasped and sobbed, her human mind retreating and letting her wolf forward to accept the comfort of a bigger, stronger wolf. He wasn’t in his wolf form, but he didn’t need to be. Her wolf knew him in almost every way – had known him from the night he saved her – as a leader and source of strength. As much as her human side feared her wolf, the wolf now saved her from drowning in the darkness. Her wolf knew how to accept Aidan into her life in basic ways she needed and wanted. For now, at least, she could finally rest.
He rocked her slowly and ran his hands through her hair. She finally cried herself out and calmed. They both let the pull of the moon and their wolves soothe them away from the worries of the human world. For those long, wonderful moments, they took in the glow of the moon like full humans would stop and bathe in the sunlight. Their senses began to dominate, the sound of the falls nearby and their combined scents coming into sharp focus.
A wolf and his new pack mate. Two wolves who, in this moment, could believe they were alone in the world.
She didn’t want to leave this. For once, she and the wolf were in complete agreement. The world didn’t get better than this. But it still had to end.
She sensed him shift firmly back to the human side and resigned herself to the fact that she would have to as well.
“What do you mean ‘afraid for us’?” he asked.
She stiffened.
“Not a good topic.” He kissed the top of her head. “You don’t need to be afraid anymore. As long as you live in Echo falls, whether or not you choose to be a part of our pack, I will keep you safe.”
She opened her eyes, letting her head rest against his chest. She had no doubt he would keep his word and try to protect her as long as she lived here. Whether he could depended on whether or not her personal demon continued to stalk her all the way to Echo Falls. And the question of whether she was willing to endanger his life, Will’s, Elle’s, Charlotte’s life… Could she live with herself if something happened to any of them because of her? Hadn’t enough happened already?
She pushed the questions from her mind for the moment. Her brother had always told her that the only thing negative thinking led to was more negative thinking. She wanted to embrace Echo Falls as a new, safe home. Now she had Aidan promising her that and a new family as well if she decided to become part of the pack. If there ever was a time to start thinking positively, this had to be it.
He leaned back and she sat up, realizing that she still had her legs over his lap. With one finger, he tipped her chin up. She could see nearly all of his face in the moonlight. So here he was: the man she trusted enough to reveal herself. The first person she had really talked to for a long time. The only man and wolf who would ever be able to convince her to stop running.
And the only man she would stop running for.
“Hey.” She smiled at the stupidity of it, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Hey,” he said and smiled back.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” he said, using his thumb to wipe away some of her tears. “I don’t know what you’ve been running from or how long you’ve been running, but you can stop now. I promise.”
She wanted to protest, but words failed her when she looked into his eyes. They were so close. She could feel his warm breath on her collarbone and suddenly became incredibly aware of every part of him that touched her. Fortunately or unfortunately – she wasn’t quite sure which – a lot more of her body came in contact with his than the other way around. He still had one arm around her, his hand resting on her hip.
His other hand lingered on her face. He leaned forward and all logical thoughts in her brain melted.
The phone rang and he sighed. Neither of them moved for a while, but the phone continued to ring. She licked her lips and moved her legs off his so he could reach into his pocket.
“O’Bryan. Will? What’s wrong?”
She stared out at the falls, her thoughts drifting as her pulse calmed. Things used to be this peaceful in her life. She used to have secret thinking places to go to, people she could trust and a place to call home. Had her past come to destroy this, too?
Not if I can stop him.
“That’s not possible.”
She looked at Aidan.
As the conversation continued on the other end, he grew more intense with each moment. She could just see his jaw clench and lips purse as he listened. A muscle began ticking along his jaw. Her wolf, still strong in her mind, wanted to whine and press her belly to the ground. Not exactly practical for a human, so she sat and waited.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He hung up the phone and made a motion to throw it, making her gasp. He stopped, looking at her, and then shoved it in his pocket.
“We have to go.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, dreading the answer. His voice had gone dark, his body practically vibrating with his need to stay in control. She could see unshed tears glistening in his almost completely yellow eyes when he looked up at the moon.
He ran his hand through his hair, and then shook his head. Her stomach clenched.
This is bad. This is bad.
He cleared his throat, his voice ragged when he finally spoke the words. “Thomas is dead.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lights flashed on two police cars parked outside a small brick veneer house on the outskirts of Echo Falls. With its red brick fence, clean and neatly trimmed lawn still smelling of fresh cut grass, it didn’t seem possible that a murder had happened inside.
“Thomas,” Phoebe whispered.
She watched Aidan, Will and a few officers in uniform talk. She stood behind the invisible line that had been established by the crowd of onlookers. Considering the time of night, the chaos had drawn a large crowd. Most were crying or otherwise visibly upset. Pack members, she guessed. She spotted Elle moving through the crowd, comforting where she could while a young woman followed behind, gently bouncing Charlotte; River.
Aidan had none of his usual grace or smooth stride as he looked around, occasionally sending an officer scurrying with a barked order. He kept his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze darting back to the house dozens of times. The ambulance had long since taken away the body, but officers kept shaking their heads as if they couldn’t quite believe it was all over.
Thomas. I wish… Wish what? She didn’t know him. She only knew, knew now, what he meant to the pack. She didn’t belong here.
Her phone rang and she shut it off. She couldn’t think of anyone she could face talking to. Her stomach threatened to reb
el as she looked around, knowing she should leave. But she couldn’t. She’d left her car back at the shops when she’d gone with Aidan and she had no idea which direction to walk in to go home.
Maybe that way? she thought, trying to read a street sign half cast in shadows. She continued to look around. If she could identify something familiar… Unfortunately, she identified Mia, who spotted her and didn’t look at all happy to see her. Mia walked over to her for a close range scowl.
“Bebe, was it?” She cocked out one hip and placed her hand on it.
“Phoebe,” she said. “Mia.”
“Nice trick you pulled earlier,” she said. She cocked her head to one side and looked at Phoebe in a way that could only be described as sizing her up.
Phoebe crossed her arms and looked back at the police. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Mia tsked and shook her head. “Making friends with Elle. Having Elle help you get close to Aidan. Very nice trick.”
So that’s how it’s going to be. Phoebe thought. She stared ahead, hoping Mia would get the hint and just go away.
No such luck.
“Did he take you to Echo Falls? His favorite ‘thinking spot’? It’s lovely, isn’t it? He took me there once, too. A few times, actually.”
Phoebe tried not to react. She had no reason to, after all. No reason to react to the threat in Mia’s tone or feel the tinge of jealousy flow through her. She didn’t need the kind of trouble that people like Mia always brought with them. Or simply created out of boredom or spite. Yet she had to dig her short fingernails into the flesh of her palms so she wouldn’t speak.
“You see,” Mia continued in a silky voice, “you’re just the new entertainment. You might even have some value after what you saw at the last crime scene. But when it comes right to it, you’re not one of us. You never will be. We don’t have room for weak women who can’t take care of themselves. Weak women who run and cry and need other people to rescue them.” She stepped in close enough for her breath to tickle Phoebe’s cheek. “There is no room in this group of friends for people who can’t protect each other.”
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