by Bethany Shaw
“I’m kind of hungry,” she said, slowly scooting out of the car.
Her wide, amber eyes watched him intently as she stepped out of the vehicle. She edged away from him, taking deliberate care to walk around him to the driver’s side door.
“It’s okay,” he said his hand meeting hers on the handle. Heat shot through his fingers. She reeled back, wiggling her fingers, and he wondered if the same inferno had seared through her as it had him at their touch. “I’ll drive.”
“It’s my car,” she mumbled, taking a step back.
“You hit your head,” he reminded. He pointed to her forehead, hoping that would stop further protesting.
“It’s my car,” she repeated slowly enunciating every word.
“Nora,” he sighed, not entirely sure what to say.
“Where am I?” she questioned, her eyes darting around.
Her phone chimed, a soft melody rang out. The front of the car illuminated as her phone vibrated in the cup holder.
“It’s been going off all night,” Daniel said, following her gaze.
Nora ducked into the car, retrieving the device. She clutched it against her chest, eyes wide, watching him. After a moment, she slid her finger over the phone and held it to her ear.
“April?”
“Nora, thank god. I’ve been calling you for hours. Are you okay?” the feminine voice screeched into the phone.
“Um,” Nora frowned. Her hand gripped the open door, and her knuckles turned white. “I ran into a bit of trouble.”
“What happened?” April breathed.
Daniel folded his arms over his chest, his jaw clenched tightly. Please don’t say anything about wolves. Nora faltered under his gaze, and he grimaced, hating that he frightened her. Still, he needed to make sure she didn’t say anything incriminating.
“I had an accident. I hit a guy and...” she trailed off, dragging her foot through the dirt.
“You hit someone?” April gasped.
“He’s okay. I’m with him. I...I don’t really know what happened.”
“Nora? How close to my house were you? This guy...did he...”
Daniel’s ears perked up, realization settling in. The other woman’s name was April. There had been an April at the Bayou Pack. Nora was driving down one of the abandoned roads leading to the pack. The dots connected together in his head.
“Let me speak to her,” he said, holding his hand out.
“Who’s with you?” April asked her voice rose with each word.
Nora cringed and cleared her throat. “His name is Daniel. He’s the guy I hit with my car.”
April was quiet for a long moment, but Daniel could hear tiny puffs of air hitting the mouthpiece. “Let me talk to him.”
Nora blinked, her mouth popping open. Slowly, she moved the phone from her ear and handed it to Daniel. Her soft creamy fingers brushed against his as he accepted her phone. A rosy shade colored her cheeks, and she reached up tucking a matted strand of hair behind her ear.
“Hello,” he said, gruffly.
“Who are you? Are you one of Juarez’s men?” April bit out.
“Daniel McKinley,” he said after a long pause. “I was there right before...I opened the gate,” he replied, not wanting to go into too much detail.
Nora’s brow furrowed as her eyes followed him intently.
April sighed, causing the phone to crackle loudly. “Thank god. Is she okay? She said there was an accident.”
Daniel watched as Nora twisted a strand of copper hair around her finger and released it.
“Yeah, she hit me with her car. We had a little altercation with Juarez’s men, but she’ll be all right.”
“Oh God. This is all my fault,” April murmured, her voice breaking. “I told her to come. She’s my roommate at college—my best friend. I got a call from the police a little while ago, our apartment was broken into. I put her in the middle of this war, all because I wanted a normal life.”
Daniel ran a hand through his hair, wincing slightly as the action pulled at his tender ribs.
“I think she needs to come to Abilene,” April started. “We have to keep her safe. She fits their profile, Daniel. Her grandmother just passed away, and I hate to say it, but her parents wouldn’t notice if anything happened to her. Nothing can happen to Nora. I’ve already lost my parents and grandparents. I won’t lose my best friend too,” she said her voice getting quieter as she spoke. She sniffled as a raw sob tore through her throat.
“All right, I’m not sure how well that is going to go over though. I don’t think she trusts me,” he said, casting a glance at the weary woman. If he didn’t have the keys and her phone at the moment, she would probably bolt.
“How much did she see?”
“Too much,” he sighed.
“Let me talk to her,” April insisted.
“Sure. Can you tell Vincent I’m okay?” Daniel asked after a long moment.
“Of course. Thank you, by the way, for what you did back there,” April said, graciously.
“Yeah, sure,” he mumbled, turning back to Nora. He offered the phone to her. “She wants to speak to you again.”
Nora snatched the phone away from him. Her heart hammered in her chest as she fought back nausea. Daniel and April somehow knew each other. She couldn’t help but wonder if April knew what he was. Hell, for all she knew, April could be one of them too. A wolf. It was crazy—insane, but she knew what she’d seen.
“April. What is going on?” Nora demanded.
“I’m on my way to Texas.”
“Texas?” Nora shrieked. Her eyes darted around her surroundings, and she took a step back. Where am I?
“Abilene, Texas. Someplace where it is safe.”
“Safe? Safe from what, April?” her voice rose with each word she spoke, and she swallowed trying to fight back the hysteria. “From giant wolves? From men who are chasing you?” She gripped the phone tighter with her trembling hands and forced calm, deep breaths into her mouth.
“Nora, calm down,” April pleaded.
The small ounce of sanity she’d been clinging to snapped. “Men attacked me, April! The man I hit—who should be dead—got up and turned into a wolf. Don’t tell me to calm down!”
Nora closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten. She had to keep it together—needed to figure out what was happening. “Did you know that these things—animals existed?”
April was quiet for a long moment. “Yes. I’m one of them—a werewolf.”
“Werewolves,” she cackled. Her phone wobbled against her ear, and it took her a moment to realize that her hand was shaking uncontrollably.
“It’s true. I know you’re freaked out right now, but-“
“Freaked out?” she shrilled loudly. “My best friend just told me she’s a werewolf, I hit a guy with my car, he turned into a wolf, men tried to abduct me, and the wolf-man killed a guy in front of me.” She wasn’t sure what the right word was, but she was beyond freaked out.
“My family and Daniel’s family are at war with another pack. We are allies. He’s going to keep you safe, and when we get to Abilene, I promise I’ll explain everything.”
Nora squeezed her eyes shut; fighting back the angry tears that were threatening to spill over.
“Nora, listen. I know what I am saying sounds crazy. But Daniel is a friend, and I think you might be in trouble. We’ve been roommates and best friends since freshman year of college. I love you and I want to keep you safe. Please, please, just go to Abilene with him. I promise I’ll explain everything to you, and answer all your questions when we get there,” April begged.
“You’re asking me to drive to Texas, with a man I don’t know? A man who killed someone?” Nora asked, incredulously. Chills shot down her spine at the mere memory of what had transpired a few hours earlier.
“Yes! I know it sounds crazy, but please just trust me,” April paused. “I know things have happened tonight, and I haven’t been entirely honest with you, but I would n
ever let anything happen to you, Nora. How long have we known each other?”
“Four years,” Nora replied. The panic began to slip away, and she tightened her grip on her phone.
“And you trust me, right?”
“Yeah,” Nora hesitated. April was her best friend, and she did trust her. Nora kept her eyes locked on Daniel. He stood, arms crossed over his chest, back against the car. He didn’t look dangerous—at least not to her.
“Then please listen to me on this, Nora,” April pleaded. “Please, please just do this for me. You’ll be safe with him. I promise you.”
“Fine,” Nora sighed leaning back into the door. “But when I see you, you owe me one hell of an explanation.”
“I know, Nora. I know.” April was quiet for a long moment before continuing, “I’ll see you in Texas. Be safe, Nora.”
“You too.”
***
“Can I get a number four with a vanilla milk shake, two quarter pounders with cheese, and a large fry,” Daniel spoke into the intercom, before turning to her. “What did you want?”
Nora blanched, she’d thought for a second he’d been ordering for the both of them, apparently not. Her eyes inadvertently drifted to what she was sure were washboard abs beneath his form-fitting tee. Where in the world does he intend to put all that?
“Will that be all?” a broken voice spoke through the speaker.
Stop staring and order, she chastised herself. “Um, I’ll have a number five with a Coke, please.”
Daniel lifted his bottom off the seat and pulled a wallet from his back jeans pocket. He opened it and thumbed through the contents for a moment. Then shifted the car and drove toward the window. After paying the woman, the werewolf took out a carton of fries, and then handed her the bags.
Daniel picked up a handful of fries and shoveled them into his mouth as he maneuvered them back onto the road. Nora gaped a moment longer before handing him one of his sandwiches and taking out her sole hamburger and fries.
She took a few bites and a sip of her drink, watching as the wolf finished off the first batch of fries and opened a burger. The silence was deafening between them. She shifted in her seat, watching as they passed a mile marker.
“Where are we?” Nora asked breaking the silence.
“We passed the Texas border just before we stopped for gas.”
“How long to Abilene?”
“A few hours still. You should try to get some rest after you’ve eaten,” Daniel said.
“I’m not tired. I don’t think I could sleep even if I wanted to,” she commented. “No offense, but I’m in a car with a man I don’t know on my way to Abilene. And I just found out my friend has been lying to me and turns into a wolf,” she rambled in one breath. “I thought that was only on full moons?” she questioned as an afterthought.
“We can transition to our wolf form as we please,” Daniel said around another mouthful of food.
“And you could do it right now?” Nora asked turning to him.
“Yeah, I don’t think I ought to while I’m driving, though.”
If his face hadn’t remained stoic, she might have thought he’d been attempting a joke. “And what about me, if I got bitten, would I become a werewolf?” she asked, curiously.
“No, you’d just bleed. Wolves are born, not made.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Nora sighed, picking at her fries. If by some chance Daniel turned into a rabid dog, she wouldn’t have to worry about being converted into one too. No, you’ll just bleed to death, she surmised. That’s even worse!
“You weren’t bitten,” Daniel said.
Nora nibbled at her burger. She needed to know more, now! He wasn’t evasive to her questioning, but he wasn’t friendly either. Though, she didn’t think he was rude. Perhaps he just has one of those standoffish personalities, she mused. There was only one way to find out. “So your whole family, they are wolves too? April’s family?”
“Yes.”
Nora let out a long breath. “I lived with April for years. How did I not know? I mean, she changes into a giant wolf. How could I miss that?” Really, how had she missed that? If April had kept that from her, was she keeping other things too? Nora shook her head not wanting to think about that. She loved April like a sister.
Daniel shrugged.
“Your family is in Abilene too?” Nora asked.
“My mom and sister. My brother Vincent is with your friend. And my half-brother Devon, he’s uh, one of the alpha’s there,” Daniel said, picking up his shake.
“Alpha? Does that mean he’s the leader then?” Nora inquired, relaxing into the cloth seat.
“Yeah. There are two alphas there. Devon has his pack and his cousin, Gene, runs the other. I belong to Gene’s pack.”
Nora chewed on a fry, processing what he’d just said. She wanted to ask why he didn’t belong to his brother’s pack, but didn’t want to be rude. Besides, she had a whole arsenal of questions. “Are there any other humans there? Or am I going to be the only one?” Nora bit her lip as she waited for his answer.
“Devon’s mate, Lark, is human, her sister, Sarah, lives there as well.”
Nora let out a long sigh. At least she wouldn’t be the only non-wolf there. “Mate?”
“Wife, lover, girlfriend, whatever you want to call it. Lark’s nice, you two should get along.”
“So you don’t mind having humans around?”
Daniel sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry,” Nora apologized, taking a sip of her coke. “I talk a lot, and I’m kind of a control freak. Not knowing what is going on is killing me.”
Daniel took another bite of his hamburger, his eyes focused on the road. Nora frowned thinking he intended to ignore her, but after a long moment, he continued. “Humans aren’t supposed to know about us. Lark, Sarah, and yourself are rare exceptions. We go to great lengths to keep our kind out of the human world. You can imagine what they would do if they found out we existed. Our population is already on the brink of extinction.”
“So, no one minds that Lark and Sarah are there?”
“I can’t speak for all the guys there. Everyone views things differently. I don’t really know much about Sarah, but I have met Lark. Lark is a good person. She possesses alpha traits, and anyone would be a fool not to show her the respect she deserves,” Daniel said, nodding his head.
Nora focused her attention out the window. “You know I’d never left Mississippi until last night. Not exactly how I pictured my first venture into the world,” she smiled, looking off into the horizon. The sun was just coming up; it’s pink and yellow hues barely peeking over the trees. “Am I going to get to go back?”
Nora heard the seat creak as Daniel twisted in it. “I don’t know, Nora. You’re not a prisoner; you can leave if you want. However, there is a very real possibility that you are in danger.”
“I’m not going to tell anybody about your pack. No one would believe me anyway,” Nora laughed, blinking back tears.
“It’s not that. The pack we are at war with could come after you. They could hurt you,” Daniel explained.
“I don’t know anything.”
“It wouldn’t matter. They wouldn’t want you for that,” Daniel murmured, clearing his throat.
“Then what would they want me for?” Nora asked turning to face him. He flinched and Nora braced herself, not entirely sure she wanted an answer.
Daniel flexed his hands on the steering wheel, eyes staring intently at the road. “Our species is on the verge of extinction,” he repeated. “The amount of female wolves born each generation has declined substantially. The Gulf Pack is abducting young women to use for breeding.”
“What?” Nora whispered.
“Conception is rare between humans and wolves, but it does, and can happen. The werewolf gene is dominant,” Daniel explained.
“That’s...” Nora paused, shaking her head in disbelief. Her stomach twisted, knotting at the thought. “That
’s disgusting.”
“My pack feels the same way. That’s why we’re at war with them.”
“That’s why April left Ole Miss, because of this war. They were coming after her,” Nora realized.
“Her pack fell last night. Most of the men are probably dead or wish they were. My brother and I along with a few of their men helped make sure the women and children escaped safely.”
“By pack you mean her family?” Nora asked hoarsely.
“I’m not sure if she was a native to the pack or a refugee from one of the packs that were taken in, but being a member of the pack is a family to us. So, yeah, she lost a lot of brother’s last night. The Gulf Packs will regroup and then they’ll be on their way to Texas.”
Nora swallowed watching as the tree line zipped past them. She used her thumb to dab at the corner of her eyes. April had lost members of her family last night. Her family was at war, and now Nora was a part of it. She shivered and drew in a shaky breath. What had she gotten herself into?
Chapter Three
Daniel pulled the car into a parking spot and shut off the ignition. He turned to look at the sleeping woman next to him. She looked peaceful in her sleep. Her red hair shone in the bright sunlight, and light freckles sprinkled across her cheeks—she was beautiful. Daniel averted his gaze, focusing on the tall trees at the rest stop instead.
Raising his hand, he hesitantly reached out and gave her a gentle shake. Her milky skin was smooth and soft. The touch, though, innocent, singed his fingers. Daniel gritted his teeth, lifting his hand.
“Nora,” he bit out, his voice coming out more gruff than he intended.
Nora stirred, sitting up. Her eyes blinked open, and she took a minute to look around as she stretched. “Where are we?”
“A rest stop. I wanted to grab a drink and a snack. We’ve got about an hour left,” Daniel said stifling a yawn. He opened the car door. His muscles tensed, body stiffening with his movements. He grumbled under his breath as he moved the throbbing limbs. He needed to transition again to help work out the kinks. Between the car accident and the fight, his body had taken a beating. He’d be home in an hour or so. Then he could fall into his bed and sleep.