Black Magic (Howl #4)

by Morse, Jayme

  Chris rose to his feet and took a step towards Steve, his hands clenched into fists. “Don’t talk about my mate like that.”

  “Dude, I was just kidding,” Steve replied, holding his hands up in the air apologetically. “Calm the hell down.”

  “Nah, man, I’m just getting sick of you making comments over it,” Chris replied, an annoyed look in his eyes. “The next time you make a comment like that I’m gonna kick your ass.”

  “There will be no ass kicking,” Samara snapped at him. “Sit back down, Chris. Steve, shut your mouth. There’s no time for the two of you to fight right now. We have some big issues to deal with. I would say that you’re both out of the pack if you continue to act like morons, but we don’t have time to replace you.”

  They both glanced over at her, shocked expressions on their faces. They both sauntered off in the other direction, shooting dirty looks over their shoulders. It was obvious that they were no longer angry with each other; it was Samara who they were mad at now.

  “What was that all about?” Samara asked, turning back to Kyana.

  She shrugged. “I guess Chris told Steve that I won’t have sex with him until we’re married.”

  “You won’t?” Emma raised her eyebrows, as though it was the most surprising thing she’d ever heard of.

  Kyana shook her head, hair silky black hair falling over her shoulders. “No, I won’t. The Koto pack expected us to have babies at a young age. That’s why I wanted to come here, to be an Ima. I didn’t want to dedicate myself to that life. But before we have babies or premarital sex, we must mark first. It’s what our Alphas expect of us. Losing my virginity before marriage would mean dishonoring my pack and humiliating my father.”

  “But you’re an Ima now, and your new Alpha doesn’t care if you lose your virginity. Do you, Sam?” Luke grinned at Samara, and she knew that he was referencing the fact that she was no longer a virgin, either. They’d had sex for the first—and only—time on the day they'd returned home from Alaska.

  She glanced over at Kyana. “You should do what feels right to you. If you want to wait until marriage, then you should wait. Is Chris okay with it?”

  “Not that it matters,” Colby added. “You shouldn’t have sex with him just because he wants to. You should make the decision together, but he should be respectful of what you want, too.”

  Kyana laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll be the one who decides when I’m ready. I don’t know why Chris told Steve, but he seems to be okay with it otherwise. He said as long as we’re together, it doesn’t bother him that much.”

  “Good.” Samara smiled. When she glanced over at Emma, she noticed that she was looking down at the ground. “Is everything okay, Em?”

  Emma looked up. “Do werewolves usually lose their virginity to their mates?”

  Samara realized right away why her best friend was asking this question. To make her feel better, she quickly said, “Luke didn’t.”

  “Why? How many people have you already been with?” Colby asked, glancing over at Emma and releasing a low, territorial growl.

  Samara laughed at how jealous he had gotten by just thinking about how many other guys Emma had been with, and the embarrassed expression on his face told her that he hadn’t even realized that he was growling over it.

  Luckily, Emma didn’t have time to answer him. At that moment, Linda came into the backyard, followed by the werewolves from the adult Ima pack: Ted, Valerie, Duncan, Alex, Barry, Allison, and a dark woman who Samara didn’t recognize.

  “Samara, this is Melody,” Colby’s mom said, introducing them. “She’s Alex’s mate.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Samara said, shaking her hand.

  “Likewise,” Melody replied with a smile. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a real honor to meet Joe McKinley’s granddaughter.”

  Samara didn’t say anything; she was still getting used to everyone knowing who she was before she met them. She didn’t even want to think about what it was like for celebrity children who grew up with this sort of attention.

  A mocha-skinned man and woman also came into the backyard. When she saw Steve wave at them, she realized they were his parents; he looked just like his father. Behind them, a dark-haired woman, who shot a smile at Chris, followed. It was obviously his mother. Without saying a word to her, they all took seats.

  “So, Samara, do you want to begin?” Linda asked, glancing over at her. Samara noticed a pleading look in her eyes.

  Nodding, Samara realized for the first time that the reason Colby’s mother wanted her to lead the discussion so badly was because the situation was too difficult for her to talk about in front of a crowd of people. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like for Luke to do something like this to her; she would feel hurt and betrayed, and she would wonder what she had done to deserve it.

  Standing up, she centered herself in front of the group of people that crowded around the fire. Nervously, she began, “I trust that whatever I say tonight stays between these two groups of people. I don’t want anything that I say tonight to be repeated. Also, I ask that all of you try not to think about this too much or that you at least block Darren out of your minds if you do feel the need to think about it.”

  Everyone stared back at her intently, curious to see where she was going with this.

  “We recently discovered that Darren Jackson lied. He lied to his family, and he lied to the rest of us,” Samara went on. She felt the anger building up inside of her as she spoke. “We all thought that Colby was an only child, but as it turns out, he has two half-siblings—Jason and Josh Masterson.”

  She noticed Valerie and Ted’s jaws drop; Duncan and Barry just looked stunned by what they’d heard.

  “Darren is their father?” Allison asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

  Samara nodded. “Yes, he is their father. As I’m sure you all know, Josh is now an Ima, but his brother, Jason, is a Vyka. He’s the Alpha of the Vyka, and we have wanted to stop him from this path of destruction that he’s been on for a long time. It’s obvious that his mission is to conquer all of the packs in the area and then, eventually, the packs in the rest of the country, too.”

  “Yeah, we’ve been trying to figure out where he is for the past few weeks,” Ted spoke up. “We haven’t smelled him anywhere in the nearby area.”

  “That’s because wherever he is, he’s probably with Darren,” Samara replied. “Darren hasn’t come back here since we were in Alaska, and we’re not sure when he will. What we do know is that while we were there, he set us up. He tried to make us stay there longer so that Jason could get to us. We were able to escape the attack that they were planning, but next time we might not be so lucky.”

  Valerie raised her hand nervously. “I have a question. Shouldn’t you try to plan a fight with the Vyka? It seems to me like you’ve been avoiding the confrontation with them that you’re bound to have, but isn’t it better to just get it over with so we can all move on from this? It seems like a lot of anticipation is being built up, and so far, it’s been for nothing.”

  Samara shook her head. “The problem is that the Vyka have two advantages over us. The first is pretty obvious. They have Darren’s support. But we also know that they’ve been using black magic. Does anyone here know anything about it that we don’t know already?”

  No one said anything; they all glanced around at each other.

  “Until we can learn how to fight a werewolf using black magic, I’m not sure how we can win against the Vyka,” Samara explained.

  “Yeah, we’re toast next to them. Burnt toast,” Colby commented out loud.

  “Well, what do you want us to do about it?” Alex asked, a note of defensiveness in his voice. “We know nothing more about black magic than any of you do. I’m not sure how we can help.”

  “We need to figure out what to do about Darren,” Linda spoke up. “He’s going to come back, eventually, and once he does, we need to decide if he’s still a part o
f this pack.”

  “Of course he is,” Melody replied. “Why wouldn’t he be?”

  “Yeah, why wouldn’t he be?” Steve’s dad questioned. Chris’s mom nodded in agreement.

  “Do you not understand the severity of the situation? He intentionally put his own son and the rest of our pack in danger,” Samara said, knowing that she sounded nasty, but she didn’t care. Darren deserved everything that was coming to him. “That should exclude him from the Ima pack.”

  “It’s not that easy to overthrow an Alpha,” Alex said, meeting her eyes with his own brown eyes, which had taken on a dark look in the moonlight. “And to be honest, I’m not sure that I really want to overthrow Darren. Not yet, at least. Not until I hear his side of the story. Maybe he fathered two kids no one ever knew about. That doesn’t make him a bad person.”

  “He’s a traitor,” Colby growled. “He deserves to be overthrown. None of us can trust him, not after all the lies he’s told.”

  “He’s never lied to me before,” Alex replied, shaking his head. “I say we take a vote, our pack only. Linda, your vote doesn’t count because you’re too involved in this anti-Darren campaign, so don’t even bother. Right now, I hardly consider you one of us. All in favor of overthrowing Darren, raise your hands.”

  Valerie and Ted both cautiously raised their hands, glancing around to see if anyone else was. No one did, so they slowly put theirs back down.

  “All in favor of keeping Darren as our Alpha, at least until we hear his side of the story?”

  All of the hands, aside from Valerie’s and Ted’s, shot up at the same time. Steve’s mom rose her hand, but she glanced around hesitantly, as though she were unsure about her vote, but she kept her arm in the air.

  “There, I think you have your answer,” Alex said, matter-of-factly. “We’re on Darren’s side in this. He’s our Alpha, and our loyalty lies with him.” He stood up and walked away from all of them.

  Melody stood up next, meeting Linda’s gaze. “We hope you’ll come around once you come to your senses, but you should know that, as of right now, you’re not welcome to any of our pack meetings. We should overthrow you for this stunt you’ve pulled.”

  Glancing over at Samara, Melody added, “As for you, don’t think that we’re not going to get in touch with Darren about this discussion tonight. He’ll hear about it and once he does, he’ll be back here. Don’t think that he’ll just let this slide. You may be Joe McKinley’s granddaughter, but that doesn’t give you the right to do and say whatever you want.” With a huff, she followed her mate out of the backyard.

  Duncan, Barry, and Allison all stood up and walked away, shooting glares in Linda’s direction over their shoulders as they left the backyard. Chris’s mom and Steve’s parents walked away without looking over at everyone; they whispered to each other as they left the backyard.

  “We’re so sorry, Linda,” Valerie whispered. “We wish we could take your side in this.”

  “We have to follow them, though. It’s what’s best for us,” Ted added, as they both rose to their feet and scampered out of the backyard.

  Samara glanced around at her own pack; everyone looked just as disappointed—and as angry—as she felt.

  “I’m moving into the new house, too,” Steve said. “I can’t live at home no more. Not knowing that my parents support that asshole.”

  “That’s fine, Steve,” Linda replied. “You’re all welcome to live here if you’re uncomfortable living at home.”

  “Well, there’s good news,” Colby said out loud.

  Everyone turned to him and asked, “What?”

  “We didn’t tell them that we’re moving into the new house, so they won’t know where to find us.”

  Chapter 5

  Luke waited in the car as Samara went with Emma into her house to talk to her mother, Dana. Her mom was waiting for her, pacing back and forth anxiously, when they went inside.

  “Emma! Where have you been? I’ve tried calling your cell phone like fifteen times since you left this morning!”

  Emma looked down at the floor. “I’ve just been in low cell phone receptions areas, I guess. Sorry. Mom, Samara has something to tell you.”

  Dana turned to look at Samara, realizing for the first time that she was there. “What is it?” she asked impatiently.

  “Emma was telling you the truth,” Samara said quietly. “She wasn’t lying. She’s really a werewolf.”

  Dana’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding me. This is what you had to tell me? Please don’t tell me she has you convinced that she’s really a werewolf.” Scoffing, she added, “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of.”

  Samara shook her head. “It’s the truth. She really is. I know because I am, too.” She turned to Emma and said, “Show her you really are a wolf, Emma. Change into one in front of her.”

  “What? I can’t do that!” Emma protested.

  “Yes, you can,” Samara insisted. “Once you do that, she has no other choice but to believe you.”

  “No, no, that’s not what I mean! I would do that if I could, but I can’t. I don’t know how.”

  Samara realized that she had forgotten how young Emma still was; she wasn’t in control of her inner wolf yet. There was only one way she knew of to help Emma make the change right now in front of her mother. She had to make her best friend angry enough to transform.

  “Emma, isn’t it funny how of all the werewolves in our pack and in the world, for that matter, destiny would choose for Colby to be your mate?” Samara asked. “I mean, it’s the weirdest match ever. You have nothing in common.”

  “No, it’s not that weird,” Emma replied quietly.

  “Um, yeah it is! It’s like Beauty and the Geek! Why would fate want to put someone as popular as you with a geek like Colby?” she asked, grateful that Colby wasn’t nearby to hear her talking about him in this way. It would ruin the self-esteem that she was going to work so hard to help him build.

  “Samara, shut up!” Emma screamed at her defensively. “Colby’s not a geek. He’s a dork, yes, but he’s not that bad—” Her words were interrupted by a loud cracking sound, as a blue cloud of smoke enveloped around her, and she was transformed into a gray wolf with the silkiest, shiniest coat Samara had ever seen.

  Once her best friend was on all fours, she seemed to forget that her mom was in the room and took a step towards Samara, snarling at her.

  “Whoa . . . Emma! Calm down! I was just trying to make you angry so you could change on your own!” Samara insisted, throwing her hands up in the air defeatedly, forfeiting the argument. She was glad to see that her words had the desired effect, but it wasn’t for the reason she was expecting. She thought that Emma would get annoyed by being reminded that Colby was her mate; instead, she had gotten defensive over Samara talking badly about him.

  “She really is a werewolf,” Dana whispered, turning to Samara. “And you are, too?”

  Samara nodded. “Yes, I am. It’s genetic for me. Not for Emma, though, obviously. Troy bit her on the night of the Homecoming dance.”

  “So, it’s true,” Dana mumbled, glancing back over at her daughter, who was now sitting on the floor, her tail curled under her. She cocked her head to the side, and her ear flopped over.

  Samara couldn’t help but think that her best friend looked like a puppy at the shelter, waiting to see if it was being adopted or not. She knew that Emma desperately wanted her mom’s approval, but Dana’s face was unreadable. She was probably having a hard time absorbing what she was learning; it’s not every day a mother has to accept that her daughter is a werewolf.

  “Get out of my house,” Dana said under her breath. Then, more loudly, she repeated herself. “Get out of my house. Now! Both of you!”

  Emma let out a tiny whimper, a sad look filling her icy blue wolf eyes.

  Samara turned to Dana. When she saw the terrified expression that Emma’s mom’s face twisted into, she knew right away why she wanted them out.

&nbs
p; Dana thought they were monsters.

  *

  When Luke and Samara pulled into the house where Colby, his mom, Chris, Kyana, and Steve were now situated, Emma was still in her wolf form. She hadn’t been able to turn back because she was so angry at her mom, so they’d covered her with a blanket in the backseat so that no one would see her, but they hoped that they could pass her off as a dog if they did get pulled over for some reason.

  Samara opened the car door and, pulling the blanket off of her, let Emma out of the backseat. Then, she willed herself to transform to her wolf form, too.

  Once the blue smoke had faded away, Samara turned to Emma, who was staring back at her, a wondrous look in her eyes.

  Is everything okay? Samara asked her.

  Emma shrugged her furry shoulders and huffed. I don’t want to move in with Colby.

  Samara let out a loud sigh, which sounded more like a snort in her wolf form. I’m sorry, Emma. I would let you stay at my house, but my parents don’t feel that right now is the time for you to move in. Maybe in a few more weeks or something, but for now, you’re just going to have to live here.

  I just feel weird about moving in here, Emma replied. Are you positive there’s a spare bedroom for me? I’m so not living in a room with Colby. It would be super awkward for us.

  Samara wanted to roll her eyes. Her best friend had just been ready to attack her for trash talking Colby, and now she was being difficult about having to live under the same roof as him. Emma really needed to make up her mind about him.

  I’m positive that there’s a bedroom for you. It’s a big house. Stop worrying about this, okay, Emma? Everything’s going to be fine. Colby and his mom will both make sure that you’re well taken care of.

  Emma wrinkled her wolf nose. I don’t want them to take care of me.

  Fine, then they won’t take care of you. But you have someplace to live where you’ll be safe. That’s the most important thing, Samara explained. Now, change yourself back into a human.

  Emma stared back at her blankly, unsure of how to do that.