by Lily Graison
"Look who decided to come home." Caleb walked closer, lifting his head to sniff the air. "You still smell like a coward to me, Garrett. Let her go and I'll let you live."
Garrett crouched low ready for an attack. "Not likely, Caleb. You can't do this."
"We can and we will."
Caleb's voice was distorted in wolf form and Garrett wondered if Rayna could understand what was being said. She moved behind him, his shirt clutched in her fist. He could smell her tears, taste her fear on the back of his tongue, thick and sweet. His beast roared at her distress and he followed with a growl that vibrated in his chest. The bones in his face started to shift and he clenched his teeth to hold the wolf back. When he spoke, his voice was harsh and rough. "You can't have her. She's mine!"
Caleb laughed, the sound grating and coarse. He stood, rising to his full height and stared down at him. "I don't smell a claim on her, Garrett. Crawl back to that pathetic life you've made for yourself and leave pack business to the real wolves. You're not wanted here." He lowered his voice and said, "You're only alive because some of us wish it."
It was then Carmen took a step forward. He would recognize her wolf anywhere. He locked gazes with her, watched as she lowered her head and growled. She snapped her teeth at him before taking a few steps to the side, her gaze locked on Rayna at his back.
Garrett glanced over at Malcolm. He was standing over Mitch, looking down at him. The man was still on the ground, blood pooling around his neck. The sight made him sick. Two seconds longer and that would have been Rayna.
Jacob was standing near them, a look of horror on his face. When he lifted his head and turned to look at him, Garrett tilted his head, gesturing for him to come and hoped the boy was still loyal to him. He knew the answer to that as he watched him edge his way to the tree line and disappear into the forest. He turned his attention back to Caleb and Carmen. "You'll have to come through me to get her, Caleb, and I can promise you, it'll be the last mistake you ever make."
The tone of his voice left no room for arguments. The soft whimpering of the others drew his gaze to them. They were watching him while backing away with ears and tails tucked in, their bodies low to the ground. The submissive behavior pleased his wolf. They were beta wolves and whether they knew it or not, they'd just submitted to him, telling him in actions he was stronger. They feared him. Good. They should be.
He looked back at Caleb. He wasn't backing down. His hair was bristled, standing on end with his ears erect. He met his gaze without fear.
A loud howl split the night air. It was Malcolm. The others turned and looked at him. Their leader was still standing in the middle of the circle. His plan was falling apart in front of him and he knew it. It showed on his face. When the others turned back to him, some started advancing, still trying to keep their distance, and circled around to the side.
Garrett lifted his head, looking at Malcolm. "I'll destroy them all, old man. Call them off!" Malcolm didn't answer. He just stood there staring at him but Garrett could see the uncertainty of the situation cross his face.
Sensing movement to his left, he glanced to the forest and saw Jacob. He stepped into the light and stopped beside him. "You know them better than I do, Jacob. Will they attack on Malcolm's order?"
"Caleb will regardless," he said, quietly. "He's always spoiling for a fight but the others I'm not so sure about. They fear you but they don't want to displease Malcolm either. Depends on who they fear more. You or Malcolm."
Garrett locked gazes with Caleb. He could see excitement flare in his eyes. Jacob was right. He was spoiling for a fight. "Can you outrun the others?"
"If I have to."
"You do," he said, pulling Rayna from behind him and placing her hand in Jacob's. "Take her to the hill where I found you. I'll come when I can."
"What are you going to do?"
Garrett straightened to his full height and inhaled deeply. He smiled and called his beast. "I'm going to show these puppies what a pissed off Alpha male looks like." He lunged for Caleb mid-shift. He didn't wait to see if Jacob had taken Rayna.
The impact with Caleb rolled them both. He was the first to his feet. As the last bone shifted, he straightened and looked at the others. They were circling him.
Without looking behind him he said, "Malcolm, if you want your pack to live, call them off. It doesn't have to end like this."
"I need her, Garrett. We'll do what we must."
"Then so will I." With teeth bared and claws extended, he howled, the sound echoing through the tress before he lowered his gaze on the wolves looking back at him and attacked.
* * * *
"Slow down," Rayna said, panting for breath. Jacob had her by one hand and was dragging her through the forest. She couldn't see anything but the blur of trees as they ran.
The fear she'd felt back at the clearing was nothing compared to her fear for Garrett. What the hell was he even doing here! The fact they'd left him there, that Jacob had grabbed her and ran, leaving him to face those... creatures, alone, caused her already nervous stomach to heave.
"We can't slow down," Jacob yelled over his shoulder. "They're coming."
The minute the words were out of his mouth, Rayna heard them. The loud yelps and howls, the rustle and snapping of branches and the heavy footfalls of running. Her eyes widened and she quickened her steps, running at full speed.
She jerked her hand free from Jacob's grasp, pumping her fists at her sides and barreled through the trees. Jacob slowed until she passed him and put himself at her back.
"Take a straight path," he yelled. "The river isn't far ahead. We can lose them there."
Panting, she ran. Ran like her life depended on it and judging the noise coming from behind her, it did. When the trees opened and revealed a grassy field, she slowed.
"Don't stop," Jacob said. "Come on. It's just a little further."
Her heart felt ready to burst as he grabbed her arm and kept running. Muscles she wasn't aware she had burned and ached. Her head throbbed, the blood pulsing through her veins rushed past her ears and each beat of her heart was felt as it vibrated in her body.
The sound of rushing water gave way to the smell of wet earth. She saw it then, the river, glistening in the moonlight.
They jumped in without pausing and swam to the other side.
When they reached the far bank, Jacob stopped and turned to her. "Go under," he said, a moment before putting a hand on her head and dunking her beneath the waters surface.
She sputtered and coughed when he let her up. "What the hell are you doing!" she yelled.
"Trying to mask your scent." Dragging her to the bank, he reached down, scooping up a large handful of mud and rubbed it on her arms. "Cover what you can."
Rayna hesitated until he started covering his own body with the mud. She looked back over her shoulder at the opposite side of the river and froze. Dozens of wolves stood by the bank, watching them. "Jacob..."
He turned and looked before grabbing handfuls of mud and splattering her with it. "They won't cross the river," he said. "But hurry. They'll find a way across eventually."
She did as he asked, smearing the mud onto her body as fast as she could. A bitter laugh escaped her as she rubbed mud onto her clothes. When exactly had her life turned into a horror movie? She was being chased through the darkened woods by creatures that weren't supposed to exist. Werewolves! Honest to God, shape-shifting humans. It was too fantastic to believe. Too damn scary not to believe. When they both looked like they'd rolled in it, Jacob looked up at her.
"The hair too," he said.
Her eyes widened. "I have to rub that gunk in my hair?"
He smiled. "I can still smell your perfume. Jasmine, right? The others will smell it too. Cover everything."
She groaned and bent at the waist, scooping up more of the nasty, wet slick mud and coated her hair with it. It hung in wet clumps over her shoulders. When she was covered head to toe, Jacob grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her from t
he riverbank and into the forest.
"Where are we going?"
"There's an old abandoned cabin not far from here. No one knows its there. You can barely see it for the overgrowth."
She followed him quietly for what seemed like miles. When the old cabin came into view, she stopped. "I'm not going in there."
Jacob turned to her, tilting his head to one side. "Why not?"
She laughed. "For one thing the roof is sagging. What's to keep it from falling on our heads?"
"It won't. It's sturdier than it looks." He turned and crossed to the door. It scraped the floor as he opened it. When he vanished into the dark interior she huffed out a breath and followed.
"It's dark," he said. "But it'll keep us hidden. I can leave the door open. The light from the moon will brighten it enough for you to see."
"Thanks," she said, walking in and looking around the room. It was barren. Nothing but four walls and a crumbling fireplace. She walked around the small space, feeling the tiny jolts her muscles released as they tried to cool. She was out of breath and would have killed for a drop of water. Finally turning, she watched Jacob edge closer to the door and stare out. "How long do we have to stay here?"
"Just until Garrett comes."
Garrett. Regardless of how hateful he had been to her over the last eight months, Rayna had never been so happy to see him. Her heart had nearly stopped when she saw him dart from the trees. When he grabbed her and lifted her off her feet, placing her behind him and away from the others, she'd sobbed in relief. She'd clung to him and hadn't cared how he'd treated her in the past. Her fear of what was happening prevented any thought other than protecting herself. Luckily for her, she hadn't needed to. He'd done that for her. What he was even doing here was another question all together. He'd talked to Jacob like he knew him and that thought gave her pause. She looked back over at the boy. "How do you know him?" she asked. "Garrett, I mean."
Jacob shrugged. "He used to live here."
"He did?" Garrett lived in a community of werewolves?
"Yeah," Jacob said. "Before he moved to the city."
Rayna stared at him with a score of questions racing through her mind. "Why?" she said.
"Why what?"
"Why did he live here? I mean, why would he live in a town full of werewolves?"
"Why wouldn't he?"
She gaped at him and raised an eyebrow. "Because it's populated with werewolves, maybe?"
Jacob laughed. "Maybe because he is one."
Rayna's heart skipped a beat moments before her entire body went cold. She heard the words whisper through her head until she couldn't hear anything else. Her throat grew tight at the thought of Garrett turning into one of those... things. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before saying, "Garrett's a..." She couldn't even say it. She stared at Jacob and held her breath, waiting for him to say what she couldn't.
"A werewolf? You didn't know?" He glanced over his shoulder at her. "We all are. Everyone in Wolf's Creek is a shifter."
Her body went numb as her pulse started racing out of control. Visions of the wolves flashed before her minds eye. The horrifying shift she'd witnessed, wolf amber eyes that seemed to penetrate and devour, the razor sharp teeth, snarls and yelps, unearthly screams, howls and growls. Garrett was one of those... things? Her Garrett? The man she'd spent months giving herself to? She felt sick all of a sudden and sat down, putting her head between her knees. Garret is a werewolf? She almost laughed. It was absurd! How...? No. It wasn't possible. She'd spent six months with him. Six months with him in her life... in her bed. If he'd been one of those... No. Jacob was wrong. She would have known.
How would you have known? Did Bryce look anything less than human? Does Judith? Jacob?
No.
Garrett is a werewolf? Tears burnt her eyes and she stared at the dark floor between her feet and let them fall. Is that why he'd stopped seeing her? She raised her head and wiped her face. "How long?" she asked.
"How long what?"
"How long has Garrett been..."
He turned to look at her. "That's not my story to tell."
"How long?" she said again, almost growling the words.
He sighed and looked back out the door. "Twenty-six years."
Rayna gaped at him, stunned. "Twenty-six years?" she said, before running the numbers in her head. Her eyes widened. "He's been a werewolf since he was ten!"
Jacob laughed and turned to face her. "No. He was infected when he was twenty-four."
Now she was completely confused.
"We don't age like humans, remember?" Jacob said. "The aging process slows down. Its why we remain hidden."
"Twenty-six years?" She did the math inside her head again and laughed. "So, you're telling me that Garret is-"
"Close to fifty?" he said, grinning. "Give or take a few years. I can't remember his exact age but that's probably pretty damn close."
Rayna laughed louder and the tears were back. She blinked them away and shook her head. "You're crazy," she said. "You're all crazy." She stood and paced the length of the cabin, the entire night replaying inside her head. She still couldn't believe half of it but she'd seen it with her own eyes. Werewolves really existed. They shifted shape under a full moon and were ten times scarier than any movie she'd ever seen. Monsters were real and Garrett was one of them. Her chest hurt with that bit of knowledge. Garrett was one of those... monsters. The reality of it was mind numbing. The attack she'd witnessed was even scarier. The moment she thought of it, and of Mitch, tears bit at the back of her eyes. Looking up she asked, "Did they kill him?"
"Who?" Jacob asked.
"Mitch."
He shook his head. "No. He was still breathing when I saw him. I don't think their intention was to kill him. You either for that matter."
"Did you know?"
"Know what?"
"What Malcolm had planned?"
"No."
She wasn't sure she believed him but something in his eyes told her she could trust him. When he turned and slid down the wall by the door and sat down, he leaned his head back and looked at her.
"I don't agree with Malcolm's method but what he's trying to do is for the benefit of us all."
"And what exactly does he hope to accomplish?"
"The majority of us just want to live normal lives," he said. "To be able to do normal things. Go to McDonalds for a hamburger or go to the movies. We don't have any of that here. We have to travel over thirty miles just for the supplies we need. There's nothing here."
"What about the town?"
He grinned. "It's just for show in case anyone stumbles on us. There's nothing there, not really."
"Then why bother erecting buildings if nothing is there?"
"We didn't. The town was abandoned when the old ones found it. They pooled their resources and bought the land. Most of the mountain is owned by the pack. No one bothers us here and we don't venture out unless we have to."
"Why not," she asked, stopping by the crumbling fireplace. "Other than the whole shifting thing, you all look perfectly normal. You can blend in as well as I do." Garrett did, she added silently to herself.
"We still have to shift once a month, regardless of where we are. Imagine living next door to one of us. How do you think the average person will handle that if they ever found out? If people knew we existed, they would be more likely to shoot first and ask questions later."
He shrugged his shoulders and looked back out the door. "A rogue wolf is what got most of the pack into this mess. In Atlanta, thirty years ago. He, the wolf, was living outside the city and someone saw him when he shifted. When they came after him, he snapped. He went on a killing spree and infected most of everyone you saw here. Those that didn't die immediately were quarantined. When the first one shifted, they killed him and locked the others up. When they started experimenting on them, Malcolm is the one who got them all out."
"So you think that would happen again?"
"Malcolm thi
nks so. If word got out about what we were, we'd be hunted down and killed on sight. If people knew about us, and accepted us, then we'd have a chance. Thirty years is a long time to live in fear of being found. The men who initially captured Malcolm and the others know we exist. I'm surprised we haven't been found yet. I'm sure it's only a matter of time though. It's why we live so isolated up here on the mountain."
"Well, what about you," she said. "You haven't been here as long as the others. You're not old enough. You're just a child."
His eyes burned fierce the minute the words were out of her mouth and his cheeks turned red. "I'm twenty-six years old."
Rayna's eyes widened. "You're twenty-six?"
"I told you we don't age as humans do and I'm not a child." He got to his feet and looked back out the door.
"I'm sorry," Rayna said. "I didn't mean to offend you."
He shrugged a shoulder but didn't say anything for long minutes. "I don't have any family," he said. "I was living in the next town over the first time I realized there were others like me. I scented them when they were getting supplies and followed them back. Found this place," he said, looking through the cabin, "and this is where Garrett found me. He took me in and gave me his place when he left."
"Were you born a shifter?"
"No. I was attacked right after my sixteenth birthday. No one is born a werewolf. You have to be made into one."
"How?"
"A bite most of the time. A scratch if it's deep enough."
She remembered the scar on Garrett's side. The wide, deep scar that started just below his ribcage and ended at his hip. He'd told her it was from a dog attack when he was a child. Now she had to wonder if that wasn't how he'd ended up one of those things. A chill ran up her spine just thinking about it. She focused her eyes on Jacob and said, "And you? How did you end up a werewolf?"