Echo Falls

by McDougall, Jaime

  With some nips from the males and some playful pouncing, the females then began to separate from the males. She paused and looked around, unsure of where to go until a female gently nipped at her until she went in the right direction.

  The males disappeared in almost the opposite direction and the females began to fan out, getting closer to the herd. The trees and brush provided them cover but did the same for the elk. But the elk sought the lush grasses of the valleys and would eventually come out in the open.

  Her human tickled in her mind, recognizing the plan for the females to drive the prey for the males who would have run ahead to wait below. She began to trot, relishing in her role to get the prey running. She liked to run. She needed to run.

  The sound of hooves pounding through the soil began like a soft, distant thunder and she rushed forward to be a part of the drive. Her instincts fed her constantly with a glimpse of elk through the trees, their scent surrounding her, their hoof beats seeming to pound all around her.

  The females fanned out further, their task now to separate the weak and the old. The herd burst out onto the valley like a living flood and found themselves facing yet another pack: the males. Some scattered back to the trees, while the bulk of the group split in two.

  Most of the females had already locked onto the target – an older elk, though still tall with broad antlers. He had only just begun to wear down in the face of the run and so many wolves. The alpha male eagerly leapt to the chase and they began to run the elk in circles as they surrounded him. A normal pack would have been half their number. Even so, this majestic beast needed to be approached with caution.

  They continued to wear him down, snapping at his legs while managing to avoid his dangerous antlers. One young wolf yelped as an antler scraped across her leg, but she was quickly replaced by another wolf eager to help in the kill.

  The alpha male leapt up and locked his jaws onto the elk’s thigh. The elk kicked back and jerked, but the alpha held strong, just narrowly missing the sharp hooves. Two other wolves joined in next, one seeking another leg and the other going for the vulnerable throat. Others joined in, still careful of the swinging antlers as the elk cried out.

  Slowly and still fighting as he dropped, the elk began to lose the battle as more wolves joined in. The others made a loose circle around the scene, all too excited to stay in one place and watch.

  When the elk had finally taken its last breath, the others let go. Raising their heads, they howled. She joined in for the pure pleasure, knowing her voice wasn’t needed for gathering stray pack members back to their prize.

  Alpha began to eat first, his position entitling him to the choicest part of the kill. His second stood at attention, ready to fend off any pack member who might decide to try to eat while the alpha ate.

  She licked her chops as she watched and panted, not quite clear on whether she would get any of the delicious meat or simply scraps. But she knew one thing: she certainly wouldn’t be challenging while the alpha and beta male were eating.

  The smell of the blood made her hungry but also gave her a sense of pride. Her human, just barely aware, marked this first hunt and felt as pleased as the wolf.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Phoebe took stretched and licked her lips. They tasted strange and wiped her fingertips around her mouth, opening her eyes. Seeing dried blood on her fingers, she gasped and sat up, looking around.

  How did I get in a cave?

  Elle had been sleeping back to back with Phoebe, and she shivered, pressing more against Will who slept facing her. Phoebe blushed and swallowed as she looked around the mass of sleeping people, trying not to stare too long at any particular naked body.

  She looked to her right and found Aidan lounging on his back, looking up at her. Her eyes widened and she looked away. He sat up and took her hand. When she looked at him, he put his finger to his lips and then jerked his head toward a shaft of sunlight not far away. She nodded and they both got up, carefully walking toward the cave entrance. He paused for a moment to grab a small duffle bag stashed behind a rock and then they walked outside.

  “Good morning,” he said, digging through the duffle bag. He got out a t-shirt, shorts and a pair of sandals. “Clothes? Not that you need them.”

  “Yes!” She ignored the dangerous part of what he’d said and grabbed the clothes. She could have kissed him right then and there had she not been so utterly aware of their nakedness. The clothes were his size rather than hers, but she certainly didn’t want to complain. She pulled the drawstring of the shorts tight and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You keep clothes in the cave?” she asked, keeping her gaze firmly fixed on a nearby tree trunk.

  “Beats walking back to the cars naked,” he said, grinning.

  “You don’t seem to mind.”

  She dared a glimpse at him. He didn’t sit in a particularly revealing position, but seeing his bare everything else and knowing better things were just out of view was enough to send her pulse racing. Especially his biceps and broad, touchable shoulders. Pack dynamics would have been thrown too askew if they’d done anything last night, but as humans they could do things out of the sight of others.

  She shook her head. “Oh, put some shorts on already.”

  He chuckled and obeyed. Smiling, she closed her eyes except for one or two quick peeks and turned her face up to take in all the sunshine she could. The cave had plenty of trees around it, but the morning light glittered onto the ground through the gaps in the branches, warming her.

  Morning… Saturday.

  Her eyes widened and she looked at him. He was instantly alert, moving closer to her and looking around for the danger.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “What time is it? What time is it!” She looked around and then up at the sun, wondering if she could make any sort of accurate guess about the time. ‘Morning’ was probably about as close as she was going to get.

  He looked up toward the sun. “Probably around ten.”

  “Ten is good,” she said and nodded. She paced, trying unsuccessfully to keep her voice quiet. “Ten is good. I have time. I have to go.”

  “You mean we have to go.” He looked in the cave at the pack members, who were beginning to wake up because of all the noise, and then back at her.

  She stopped. “What?”

  “The wedding. Don’t worry. We have time to go back to your place for showers and your camera equipment.”

  “Back to my place for…” She swallowed, her eyes travelling down his chest to his tight abdomen, left bare by his choice to not put on a shirt.

  “We even have time for separate showers, if you insist.”

  He grinned wickedly at her and she backed up to a tree to support herself. His tone implied way too many fun possibilities. No, no. I have a photo shoot coming up.

  He finally took mercy on her and his wicked smile melted into the familiar goofy one. He walked over to her and brushed some of her hair away from her face.

  “Don’t worry. We have plenty of time.”

  They made it to his truck much faster than she thought they would, thanks in large part to his foresight to pack sandals. She hadn’t spared a thought to what she’d be wearing back to the truck when she’d stripped down the night before.

  Frankly, she hadn’t been thinking about much at all.

  Once she’d collected her clothes from the ground and they got in the truck, he turned up the fans to cool them down. The morning sun already packed a lot of heat in it, signaling a hot day ahead. As they drove, she turned the fans on her side of the truck to blast directly in her face and sighed with pleasure.

  The next thing she knew, she woke up as Aidan pulled into a parking spot in front of her building. He turned the truck off and reached into the back seat, pulling out a suit bag before he got out. She took a moment to admire his foresight before the panic began to rise all over again.

  She had shut up her apartment the
day before, leaving it nice and cool when they walked inside. She turned on the lights and practically ran around gathering everything she’d need for the wedding. She ran a list of everything through her mind again and again.

  She stopped and stared at the bathroom door when she heard the shower turn on.

  Aidan.

  Her eyes widened at the thought of him in her shower. Naked. She swallowed hard, her pulse racing as her wolf awakened. The wolf knew the feelings all too well and felt more confident than ever after the run with the pack last night.

  She shook her head and focused on her list. The cameras and their various parts and bags became a mantra that quelled her wolf. At least for the time being.

  One run out with a pack doesn’t instantly make me part of the pack. She looked back to the bathroom door. Even if I want to be.

  Truth be told, she wanted to skip the wedding and see what came of her walking into the shower to be with him. But for the moment, she had more dedication to her business than to her… cravings.

  She heard the water turn off and breathed a sigh of relief she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in.

  Thankfully Aidan walked out of the bathroom fully clothed a little while later. ‘Thankfully’, she told herself, to avoid any further distraction. ‘Unfortunately’ would have been more accurate, considering she couldn’t stop staring at him.

  He wore a casual cut suit with classic black material. His crisp, white shirt underneath stood out against the black, accented by a simple metallic blue tie.

  “Wow,” she said quietly.

  He smiled and she blushed. Grabbing her clothes and a fresh towel, she practically dove into the bathroom and shut the door.

  The shower brought her back to her senses, a few of the wounds still stinging despite the rapid healing provided by the wolf transformation. Her mind cleared as all the dirt and sweat washed off her body. She scrubbed herself as quickly as she could, wondering if they were going to be late.

  She towel dried her hair and then pulled it back, twisting it up before putting it into a clip. She then slipped on the only wedding appropriate piece of clothing she owned, bought only a few days ago: a sleeveless sapphire blue dress. The straps were as thin as the small blue satin ribbon that wrapped around her waist to tie above her left hip. The hem landed just below her knees and the ample soft material glided around her legs as she walked.

  When she walked out of the bathroom, slipped her feet into black ballet flats she’d bought with the dress – much more practical for a day of running around than heels – and saw Aidan’s expression, she knew she’d made the right choice.

  “You look amazing.” He stared at her for a moment longer before clearing his throat. He picked up her camera bags, slung the straps on his shoulders and then offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

  Her eyes widened and she took her camera bags from him and handed him the tripods and laptop instead.

  He arched his eyebrow.

  She grinned and said, “We shall.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Aidan liked weddings. He wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone save himself, but he genuinely liked down to earth weddings. Most of them could take their fancy dinners and extravagant everything and put it where the sun didn’t shine, but every now and then he’d been invited to one that was more about celebrating two people in love instead of pomp and circumstance.

  And apparently Phoebe had found a bride who wanted a genuine, down to earth wedding.

  Far from being a bride monster, Daisy had repeatedly expressed her gratitude to Phoebe for coming on so last minute. As Phoebe’s date, Aidan had been made more than welcome with drinks and introductions to the groom’s party. After a moment’s hesitation and multiple promises to take the best care of her equipment, Phoebe left Aidan with a backup camera to take pictures of the groom’s party preparations while she covered the bride and her party. He smiled at that, liking her thinking of them as a team.

  For a dark moment, he thought of how he’d been a team with Thomas and Will and how that had been ripped away. Thomas would have had no end of fun at Aidan’s expense for going to a wedding with Phoebe.

  He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrated on enjoying the day.

  He and Phoebe met up again at the formal ceremony, both standing at the back of the church taking photos, and Aidan’s eyes again trailing back over to look at her.

  He looked at the scars on her arms and right leg snaking out from under the blue material of her dress. He admired her courage for being willing to show them – he had no doubt she knew people could see them – but he also felt an ache in his stomach for her going through what had caused them. The urge to protect her surged through him, he wished he could hold her right then.

  He felt closer to her than he had felt to another person, another werewolf, for a long time. He never had time for serious relationships with women before, yet with Phoebe he made the time. He wondered if she felt the same or whether she would run away if he questioned her past. It had taken him long enough just to get her to talk about the attack. Whatever had caused the older scars would no doubt be a lot more traumatic for her to recall.

  Again, something niggled at the back of his mind. She somehow had a link to everything that had been happening in Echo Falls for the past month. Could Mia be right? Did Phoebe have a Hunter tracking her?

  The ceremony ended with the kiss, and he smiled. She appeared not to notice, snapping away picture after picture of the couple. But a glance from the corner of her eye and a faint pink blush across her cheek gave her away.

  As the wedding party marched out and then gathered in a garden in front of the church, she finally lowered her camera and looked at him.

  “I’ll catch up with you at the reception,” she said, catching his hand and then squeezing it briefly. She smiled and then caught up with the wedding party, shooting pictures all the way.

  He nodded. Maybe she felt something and just didn’t know it yet.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Phoebe sipped her champagne, looking out at the diminishing wedding crowd. The lights in the tent had been dimmed and the music relaxed with the bride and groom now gone. She sighed, slipping her tired feet out of her shoes and silently thanking herself for having the foresight to buy flats instead of heels. She’d have had to abandon them and go barefoot a few hours into the ceremony if she’d chosen the latter.

  “This makes us even,” she said, leaning toward Aidan.

  He leaned toward her. “Even for what?”

  She smirked. “I owed you a meal for cooking me breakfast. You didn’t say I had to cook it.”

  He laughed, thinking about the delicious three course dinner he’d just consumed, and patted his stomach. “Alright, debt paid. But next time I’ll make sure to set some rules.”

  She looked at him and arched her eyebrow. “Who says there will be a next time?”

  “An optimist.” A slow, sexy smile spread across his lips, holding promises that made warmth spread through her chest.

  She laughed, making him smile all the more. She had to admit that she liked his smile. Sweet and genuine, it lit up his face and gave him a mischievous look that made butterflies dance in her stomach. When he laughed, a lock of hair fell down to the center of his forehead and she rubbed her fingers together, wanting to push it away.

  “Thank you,” she said, finally.

  “For?”

  “Taking me out on the run. I’ve never done anything like it.”

  “I’m glad.”

  She looked away and licked her lips. “Will Charlotte… Does Charlotte…?”

  He nodded as if he had expected the question, however many words she’d happened to leave out. “Yes, Charlotte will become one of us. With both Will and Elle being who they are, there’s no way she could have missed out on her ‘inheritance’. Thankfully she doesn’t have to deal with it until she’s a teenager.”

  She nodded. Having been turned later in life and wi
th only her brother to talk to, she had no idea how these things worked. But she needed to know – and not just to sate her curiosity. Not that she thought she would be having children anytime soon. The butterflies in her stomach began to turn into an empty pit.

  “I’d worry about her, but I think she’ll do as well as she possibly can with the pack there for her.”

  He cocked his head to one side. “You care a lot about her.”

  “Of course. Who wouldn’t? She’s adorable. You see a baby like her, always happy and laughing, and you hold her just once… You’ll do anything you can do to protect her. Anything.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, to lessen the drama of her statement, but no words came to mind. She looked down at her champagne and pushed it away. No more alcohol for me tonight. Aidan didn’t seem to mind her outburst. He smiled at her, something in his expression that she couldn’t quite pick. But she knew she liked it.

  When the song ended, she put on her shoes and packed most of her equipment away, save for one camera she used for a last round of photos while people were leaving. Many people wanted small group shots and silly faces – much helped by the champagne – before they left. After just a few of those, Phoebe’s energy waned and she walked out of the tent.

  The last photo she took, a shot out into the dimly lit car park where people gathered for smokes and last goodbyes, sent chills down her spine.

  She stared at the screen on the back of her camera. Not possible. Not possible.

  The solar powered ‘torches’ couldn’t have possibly provided enough light to distinguish a specific face. And yet, she lowered her camera with shaking hands, looking to the figure leaning against a black car at the far end of the dirt car park. She couldn’t possibly see to that level of detail, but somehow she knew he had a smirk on his face.

  The true full moon night had passed, but its fullness still empowered the wolf. The wolf felt conflicted, both with the human’s fear and with her own experiences at the hand of the enemy. The wolf asserted herself enough to try to catch a definitive scent, but the enemy stood too far away. She whined softly, not sure whether to try to chase him down or to run for whatever safety she could find.