by T. F. Walsh
“Freedom always comes at a cost,” he said.
Agreed. Father had made the final decision to take the lives of the few wulfkin who occupied Transylvania after Sandulf killed two of our scouts. It never sat right with me, but it was the way of the wulfkin. No pack would openly accept another onto their land.
An ache spread behind my rib cage. Too many emotions tugged me in different directions. I couldn’t deal with this now. Not with the worry in my stomach for Nicolai. It was as if my insides were a coliseum with warriors tearing each other to shreds.
I hugged my knees to my chest, focusing on the grunting engine of the bus and the crunch of the chains on our wheels against the snowy asphalt. The detention center would open at nine. I’d be there. My gaze focused on the trees we passed outside, their hypnotic sway in the breeze.
When the front doors squeaked open, I stirred awake, as did Enre and Mila. The lights inside the bus were off, and the first hints of orange streaks lit up the horizon outside the windows.
I tapped Mila on her back, and she bounced to her feet, snarling in protest. Enre stretched his arms and released a yawn.
I took the lead with Mila at my heels.
Outside, a blustery wind blew, and the snow fell as a thick covering through the dark, making it difficult to see. Perfect coverage if the police were nearby.
My boots sank in snow with each step, and I waved for Mila to follow. “Let’s go.”
Parking at the rear of the circus concealed us well. I tugged the hood over my head and hurried amid the trailers buried beneath the blanket of night. We soon reached Mila’s trailer. I hated locking her up too, but it was for her own good. I couldn’t put her in jeopardy at the hands of the humans. After unbolting the door, I knelt next to her.
“I’m sorry. It won’t be long until we move and you can be free. Maybe before that, you’ll change back.” I wrapped an arm around her neck and hugged her. Mila pressed against me, her warmth flowing in waves. “Nicolai should be home soon.”
Her head jerked up, her snout brushing my chin.
She missed Nicolai almost as much as I did. But I couldn’t leave her outside for long. Not with police snooping around.
Footfalls crunched behind me.
Enre. He moved closer and patted Mila on the head. “Come on.” He climbed the steps and pushed open the door to her trailer. “I’ll return and spend the day with you. How does that sound?”
Mila grunted at first, then leapt toward Enre and past him. Rushing inside, I led her into the cage, shut the door, and snapped the lock.
Soon enough, I trudged toward my home, figuring with the sun still lingering on the horizon it’d be too early to bug Father about Nicolai or to find out the results of the police and their search warrant. Enre remained by my side.
“Your place is in the opposite direction,” I said. Despite my intentions with Enre in the bus, now that I’d arrived at the circus … Reality had an odd way of zapping the fun out of life.
“Thought I’d walk you home.”
I hugged myself for heat. Enre wrapped an arm around my shoulders, drawing me close to his side.
“It’s promising to be a cold day,” he said. “Let me know if you need extra heat.”
I didn’t pull away but soaked in his fiery warmth.
The response yes please danced at the front of my mind, but that wasn’t going to happen. Today, I had to get Nicolai out of prison if Father hadn’t made progress. “My place has plenty of insulation and heating. Anyway, you promised to spend the day with Mila. I appreciate that, but you don’t have to.”
“I want to. She’s a nice kid who’s scared and lonely. I can relate.”
“Really? You, scared and lonely? Never. I picture you with girls hanging onto you. You’ve yet to show fear of anything.”
He chuckled. “No one is fearless. And the only girl hanging on me is you.”
We stopped near my trailer. The wind whistled between the RVs, and winter settled into my veins. Shadows from nearby trailers cast a heavy mood; except, with Enre by my side, I felt invincible. That was ludicrous, but the way our wolves connected eliminated my dread, my vulnerability. It was as if I sensed his emotions before he showed them, and they affected my wolf. His confidence poured through me. Earlier, in the woods, my arousal had been beyond control. I wouldn’t change that moment.
The lights to the mess tent lit up. Someone was awake.
Enre tightened his hold on my waist and pressed my back against the trailer, his mouth inches from mine. His muskiness and timber scent had my breath sprinting.
“Are you certain you don’t want company?” His lips grazed mine ever so slightly, weakening my knees, but I pulled back.
“Tease,” I said.
“No teasing. I’m offering everything I have—me. We could run away and never return.”
His words offered a haunting appeal. I suspected if I agreed, he’d insist we leave that very second. But what, specifically, did he want to run away from? Was his life as a Varlac that bad? I imagined him living in Hungary with servants who probably filed his claws and provided him with the finest foods on a silver platter. No worries. How could that be difficult?
“Don’t people usually run away to join the circus?” I raised an eyebrow.
A scratching sound from inside my trailer jerked our attention to the door.
Enre sniffed the air. “What’s that?”
I reached for the handle. I’d forgotten about leaving the stray dog inside. He’d had plenty of water and snacks while we were gone.
The moment I opened the door, the doggy leapt out and turned to face us several paces away. My magenta leotard dangled from his mouth. Was that a rip?
“Bad boy.” I crept closer. “That’s my favorite outfit. Drop it. Now.”
He growled and bolted for the mess tent.
“I’ll get him.” Enre laughed and broke into a run, chasing the pooch.
I was hot on their heels. If Father saw the runaway, he’d make me take him to the pound.
The rascal raced under trailers, across the grounds, making it hard to keep up with him. The dog scrambled into the mess tent.
“Crap.”
Enre also vanished inside.
When I entered, a wall of tension smacked into me. I froze, my inhales bottlenecking in my chest.
Four wulfkin turned toward me: Enre, Father, Damir, and Lutia.
Lutia was one of our undercover spies and scouts who had obtained valuable information. She’d infiltrated the Transylvanian pack for over a year and gained Sandulf’s trust. Her reconnaissance party must have returned from searching for potential territories in case Romania didn’t work out.
Her expression morphed into a snarl, and her glare threw knives in Enre’s direction.
He stood close to the entrance, my dog locked in his embrace. His expression resembled someone who’d just witnessed his own death.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ENRE
Lutia’s lips twisted. A snarl rolled through her gullet, and her shoulders hunched forward.
I’d had no idea the bitch was from the Bulgarian pack this whole time.
For close to sixteen months, she’d lived as a member of our family in Transylvania, shared meat with us, and pretended to care, before attempting to kill Daciana, framing her for a human death, and leaving me to die in the cave with the dracwulf. If Lutia and I were alone, I would have snapped her neck. And that was me being nice.
The mutt in my arms whimpered, and I set him down. Three other wulfkin stared my way. Fog blurred my thoughts. I’d gotten myself wedged in this corner real tight.
After Daciana had taken over as my pack’s alpha, Lutia ran away. So, was she playing the same game with this pack, or had she been providing insider information to our enemy all along? The latter notion had my muscles knotted.
For those few seconds when no one said a word, only Lutia and I knew the severity of my situation. She held my life in her hands.
“Lutia,”
Maxim said, “what’s wrong?”
She flicked strands of blonde hair over her face, and movement behind Lutia’s narrow eyes showed panic.
“Why’s he here?” Her shrill voice irritated me as much as it had back in Romania.
Alena stared at me, the dog now in her arms.
If the earth were to ever open up and swallow me, this would have been the perfect moment. But I refused to give Lutia satisfaction. I stepped closer.
She recoiled toward Maxim. She had encouraged Sandulf to toss me to the dracwulf and even had the nerve to pay me a visit in the dracwulf’s cave, feigning care while she gave me food. My jawbone twitched with the expectancy of sinking my fangs into her jugular.
“How long has she been in your pack?” I addressed Maxim, who wore a slack expression.
“Lutia’s been with us since she was a child. Why?”
Lutia cocked her head in Blackie’s direction. “Take Enre to a cage, now.”
“Wait. What?” Alena approached, a grimace capturing her delicate face.
I hurried toward Lutia, eager to shut her up, but Blackie tackled me. Breaths gushed free, and my face hit the dirt floor with a thud. The size of a rhino, Blackie sat on my back, his muddy scent and perspiration choking me.
“Get off him!” Alena called out.
“Hey, Lutia told me to take him, and I’ve wanted to do that since I met this bastard.” Blackie sniggered and climbed off me, but not before his boot sharply connected with my ribs.
A gush of air caught in my lungs.
“Enough,” Maxim said.
I winced and took a few deep inhales. He’d get his chance to feel my fists. I climbed to my feet.
“What is going on?” Maxim’s voice pitched several decibels too high.
“Lutia killed a human, and for that I will gladly issue her punishment now.” I shook myself, my legs tense.
Lutia huffed and glared my way, her posture rigid. I wouldn’t be surprised if she burst into her wolf form, and perhaps that would make her keep her trap shut.
She brushed a blonde strand behind her ear. “Who are you to dish out anything? You’re—”
“He’s a Varlac,” Alena interrupted, her eyes fixed on me, packed with uncertainty. “How can you be sure she killed anyone? Was she reported to the Varlac? Is that why you visited us? For Lutia?”
“No,” Lutia butted in. “He’s from the Transylvanian pack. He followed Sandulf’s orders.”
The hairs on the back of my neck bristled, and cement filled my stomach. I stepped toward the exit. The lies were tightening around my throat. With her accusations and Maxim already suspecting me, continuing to live would be pushing my luck. Fuck.
“Did you even love Sandulf?” I asked. “Or were the tears and anger fake too?”
Lutia’s left eye twitched.
I continued, ready to take her down with me. “You were ready to leave Maxim’s pack for Sandulf’s, weren’t you? I overheard you and Sandulf conspiring. You butchered a human to frame Daciana. You insisted Sandulf let the dracwulf kill me. And you told Sandulf you’d personally sneak him into this pack so he could murder Maxim.”
“Shut your mouth!” A snarl followed, and her fists knotted by her sides.
“You’d do anything for your opportunity at female alpha.”
“Quiet,” Lutia spat. “You chased Daciana, but she didn’t want you. I bet that stung. Then she took a human lover. She’s the one who revealed us to humans, and then she killed my Sandulf. The Varlac should come for her.”
Maxim placed a hand on Lutia’s shoulder, and she retreated, her gaze locked on the ground. Her fingers were twisted against her gut, and silent words dribbled from her mouth.
“What’s going on?” Alena stared at me as if seeing me for the first time.
“Who are you really?” Maxim asked.
Blackie lunged toward me, and my muddled mind made me slow to react. He shoved me into the center of the mess tent.
I stumbled forward. The wolf rippled beneath my skin, demanding release. There was no doubt which reaction was required here. Flight was out of the question. This was fight time. Except the odds weren’t in my favor. I doubted Alena would attack, but I didn’t put it past the other three wulfkin to have a go at me.
Maxim’s brow creased. The word die might as well have been inked on Lutia’s forehead. Blackie was still a meathead. And then there was Alena. Her cheeks paled, and the way her body stiffened, waiting for a response, sent a spasm of guilt through me. She held her breath. Her pain was the hardest to swallow. I’d let her down.
“What are you waiting for?” Lutia growled. “Get him before he runs.”
I’d never realized I could hate Lutia even more. Fucking bitch.
Facing the alpha, I knew any further secrets would kill me quicker. “Maxim, you’ve only been fair to me since I arrived, and I respect you for that. Give me a moment to explain this to you. Varlac to wulfkin.”
“So you admit you’re from the Transylvanian pack?” Maxim asked.
My spine hardened. “I am a Varlac. Lutia did slaughter a human to frame Daciana, and it will bring the Varlac ruler to your pack. And yes, I am from Romania, but—”
Maxim waved a hand and shot a glare to Blackie. “Get him out of here. Lock him up.” He turned to Lutia. “You,” he shouted, “tell me what you’ve been up to!”
The air in the tent thickened, and my wolf clawed harder for release.
Blackie stomped near, his lips peeling back over glistening teeth.
Fuck if I’d allow him to lay another hand on me. He charged again. I jumped out of his path at the last moment, spun, and kicked his backside, propelling him headfirst into a table. He crashed to the ground.
“I don’t need an escort,” I said.
Maxim was at my side. I hadn’t sensed him move. “You lied about which pack you were allied with and why you were here, giving me the right to punish you as I see fit. It’s a Varlac rule, which I’m sure you’re well familiar with. It seems your family has a knack for breaking them.” His low, scratchy voice reminded me of Sandulf when he had admitted I was dead to him.
Blackie collided with my back. My head whacked against the ground, and my vision danced for those few seconds. He grabbed my ankles and dragged me out of the tent and onto the ground, now snow mixed with mud.
My last vision was of Alena, a hand plastered to her mouth, her head shaking.
I never should have come to the circus. Falling in love with the enemy always got you in trouble—or killed.
• • •
Blackie thumped his palm into my shoulder blade and pushed me into the second empty cage, alongside Mila’s. He slammed the bars closed behind me.
Mila eyed Blackie. The tiny slits high on the wall threw shards of light across her flattened ears and creased nose.
“Enjoy the few hours you have left, traitor.”
I easily could have taken him on the way to the cage, but then what? Return to Transylvania and wait for the forty or so wulfkin to attack? That would be if my father didn’t get to me first. We didn’t stand a chance. Somehow I had to turn the predicament in my favor and avoid dying in the process. Until then, I’d play prisoner.
My wolf thrashed inside, eager to give this wulfkin the beating he deserved. I turned to face Blackie, who stood outside the cage, his arms crossed.
“When I get out, you’re the first person I’m coming for,” I said.
The wulfkin huffed, thrust out his chin, and burst into a wail of hyena-like chuckles.
“Can’t wait. You may have tricked Alena into believing you were someone else, but I saw through you from the start. Right through your shifty eyes.”
“Shifty eyes? Didn’t realize you were checking me out, but you’re not my type. Try the local zoo, I believe they have a gorilla that might interest you.”
A scowl crossed the wulfkin’s face. He marched out of the trailer and slammed the door.
Mila grumbled.
“Agree, he’s a dim
wit. Good to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t like him.”
Shadows filled the enclosure. The wind whistled outside, some of it finding a way indoors through slivers of cracks in the walls.
I paced in circles around the enclosure, straw crunching beneath my boots. Every hindsight in the world wouldn’t help me. My situation had derailed fast. All I had was the minuscule hope that Maxim wasn’t the alpha Sandulf had portrayed him to be.
It might explain why Maxim hadn’t delivered his punishment the moment he found out I was from Transylvania. I was a traitor, like Blackie put it. If that had been Sandulf, he would have killed me on the spot, no hesitation. But considering how Sandulf turned out, perhaps his methods weren’t a great example.
I sat on the floor, near Mila’s cage, and she joined me. Her fur poked through the bars and against me, along with her radiating warmth.
“You’re probably wondering the same thing.” I scratched her head. “How did we end up in here?”
She whimpered at a low pitch. I took that as agreement.
“Wish I could work out how to set you free from your wolf form.” I rubbed her ear, and she slid onto her side, giving me easier access. “Looks like we’re both stuck for now.”
We sat for who knows how long. When I’d lost feeling in my toes, I contemplated stripping and changing into wolf form. Up on my feet, I unbuttoned my coat. The creak of the door unlatching stopped me.
Mila jumped to her feet, sniffing the air, and released a throaty growl.
I shook my legs and arms to boost the blood’s circulation, ready for the unwanted visitor.
Lutia entered. The faint light from outside highlighted her face. A fresh bruise on her cheek, a dash of purple under her eye, and a cut on her lower lip said it all.
“Is that all you got for betraying this pack? Perhaps Sandulf was wrong about Maxim, after all.”
“Why did you come to the circus?” She fiddled with her blonde hair, wrapping a strand around a finger. “I might get kicked out because of you, and only if I’m lucky will they not report me to the Varlac. If I go down, I’m dragging you into hell with me.”
“You’re not going anywhere until I make you pay for the shit you caused in Transylvania. You seem to forget I am actually a Varlac.”