by Meg Ripley
After six hours of no news and no response to her texts, she couldn’t take it anymore. She called Stephanie, her fingers shaking, her voice trembling.
“Have you heard from Seth?” she asked by way of greeting.
“No. Have you?”
“No. I think there’s something wrong.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Stephanie promised.
Sera paced through the cabin as she waited, her imagination unhelpfully supplying bloody scenario after scenario. In each one, Dwight was faster, stronger, meaner, deadlier, and Seth didn’t have a chance. Considering how close he’d come to killing Seth already, and considering that he’d likely murdered Aiza, Sera found very little to comfort herself with. What reassurances did she have that he would be okay? What wellspring of hope could she draw on to sustain herself and their child?
“Do you know where he is?” Sera demanded as soon as Stephanie arrived. “He wouldn’t tell me the exact location, but I figure you must have it.”
“I have it. But he made it very clear that we were not to follow him.”
“He should be home by now. He hasn’t texted. He hasn’t called. It’s been six hours; we’re not waiting here any longer,” Sera announced.
“He forbade it.”
“Forbade? Are you kidding me? I know he’s the alpha but so are you! What if he needs us, Stephanie? What if he’s waiting for us right now?” What if he’s already dead? Sera forced that question out of her mind. She wasn’t going to think like that. She couldn’t. Not if she wanted to keep her wits about her.
“It’s dangerous. This Dwight guy is very dangerous.”
“So are you. Hell, so am I. Let’s show that jerk what happens when he messes with a couple of dangerous bitches, yeah?”
Stephanie hesitated and for a moment, Sera thought she would have to do this alone. But then her thoughtful frown disappeared and she nodded in agreement. “Let’s go get him. And then we’ll wring the bastard’s neck.”
“You hold him down, I’ll do the neck-wringing,” Sera said.
“Deal.”
There was an awkward silence as they both realized they had absolutely no idea how to stage a rescue mission. “So...what do we need?” Sera asked.
“A way to get in.”
Sera nodded. “Weapons for once we get in.”
“Weapons?”
“Well, you don’t need one, but I do. A gun or a knife or something.”
“I don’t have a gun. Seth has some really sharp kitchen knives,” Stephanie said.
“Okay, I’ll grab one of those. You go get the car.”
Stephanie nodded and then they were both in motion, and Sera realized they were actually going to do this insane, dangerous thing. She wasn’t ignorant of the danger. Aiza had already lost her life and Seth’s could very well hang in the balance. Could be hanging by a very thread. Her child would never know her aunt, but Sera would be damned if she allowed the same fate to befall Seth.
“Have you tried calling Seth again?” Stephanie asked as Sera slid into the passenger seat.
“Called and texted. No response.”
“I tried, too.” Stephanie put the car into gear with a look of such grim determination, Sera almost laughed. Not because it was funny, but because she felt the same way on the inside.
“Tell me what you know about the place.”
“It’s a lake house just on the other side of the border. Just on the edge of the Brotherhood territory. My source didn’t mention if there were guards, but Seth and I both think there’s likely a few patrolling the property. She said it’s not big. There’s only one floor with two exits.”
“So there’s a back door and a front door. I guess we’ll go in through the back door.”
“It might be better to use the front. The back door opens into the kitchen and that’s where my source always made her food deliveries. She said he was always waiting for her in there, watching TV and smoking.”
“Then the front door. Or maybe a window?”
“Do you think Dwight would recognize you if he saw you?” Stephanie asked.
“Probably? He might have taken a good luck at me at the funeral.”
“The funeral?”
“Aiza’s funeral.”
Stephanie looked at her from the corner of her eye. “He was there?”
“Yes.”
“Why would he go to the funeral if he—if he had something to do with it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe that’s how he gets off.”
“Well, maybe if we get a hat and some glasses he won’t recognize you. You can knock on the kitchen door.”
“And pretend to be his food delivery?”
“Precisely.”
A plan began to form and Sera quickly opened up her notepad to make a list of what they would need. Mainly because it gave her an excuse to stare at her phone as she prayed for Seth to text her and put an end to their wild scheme. But the miles fell away and the minutes wore on—and a text did not come.
They made only one brief stop, to gather the supplies, and reached the cabin in just over an hour. Stephanie pulled off the road and parked in the woods about a half-mile from Dwight’s driveway and killed the engine. “I think you should stay here while I do some recon. Maybe I can pick up Seth’s scent or find his car.”
“Be careful.”
Stephanie nodded and began to undress. Sera averted her eyes while Stephanie disrobed and shifted, turning into a sleek, golden wolf. Sera reached over without thinking, her fingers seeking the thick, soft fur. Stephanie whined and pawed at the door, prompting Sera to lean over and push it open. The wolf disappeared into the trees, swallowed by the shadows.
Sera didn’t waste a second. She put together the decoy box and slipped on an apron she lifted from the grocery store. She wasn’t sure if that’s what a delivery girl normally wore, but she thought it lent the entire enterprise an air of authenticity. And certainly, every little bit of authenticity could only help.
Her attention returned to the phone again and again, afraid she would miss a call from Seth or a text from Stephanie. Each second felt like a minute and every minute like an hour while she waited for Stephanie’s return, her nerves multiplying on themselves until she thought she would scream, and still, there was no sign of either wolf.
A sudden knock on the window made her nearly jump from her skin, and it was so dark outside she couldn’t tell right away that it wasn’t Stephanie trying to get her attention. The second she unlocked the door, it was ripped open and a strong hand grabbed her by the shoulder and hauled her from the seat.
“What are you doing here?” Seth demanded in a furious whisper.
“I...I’m looking for you. Where have you been?”
“I’ve been in the top of a tree, scoping out the asshole. What are you doing?”
“I...you never replied or sent me a text or anything.”
He looked over her shoulder. “This is Stephanie’s car. Where is she?”
Sera nodded towards the shadows. “She went that way. She said she’d be right back.”
Seth closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He caught the scent he was looking for and his whole body turned in that direction. “Stay here. I’m going to get her and we’re going to get the hell out of here.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Just stay here. Get in the car. Don’t unlock the door for anyone but me.”
She nodded numbly and slipped into the car, locking the door as instructed. She was relieved to see him yet felt sick with guilt and worry. She’d panicked and potentially put them all at risk. It felt like the right thing to do at the time, but maybe that was why the road to hell was paved with good intentions. She unconsciously held her stomach, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth until she tasted a hint of copper.
It felt like an eternity passed before Seth and Stephanie returned, both of them running on two legs. Sera unlocked the doors just as they reached for the handles, and Seth dove
behind the wheel, keys already in hand. He peeled out without a word, his jaw clenched, his eyes narrow as he navigated his way along the dark, winding road.
“I don’t think anyone saw us,” he checked the rearview mirror as he spoke, “but we may have tripped a motion sensor.”
“Motion sensor?”
“Yeah, he’s got motion sensors, silent alarms, cameras, floodlights. And guards. Lots of guards. All of them wolves. About what I expected.”
But nothing like Sera expected. She’d actually thought they would be able to drive right up to the cabin and walk right up to the front door. She opened her mouth, but was unable to find her voice. She wanted to apologize, to explain, to try to make him understand that she was only doing what she thought was right. Only doing what she had to do to keep him safe.
Stephanie remained silent in the backseat. Perhaps she was feeling the same shame over taking a foolhardy risk.
“There was something I wasn’t expecting, though.” Seth looked at her from the corner of his eye. “I saw Dwight. He wasn’t alone in there.”
“Who was he with?”
“Aiza.”
“What? What? What are you talking about? Did you just say you saw him with my sister?”
“I saw Aiza with him,” Seth confirmed.
“You saw somebody who looked like Aiza. We...we dug up her body, Seth. How could she be in that cabin?”
“We dug up a body,” Seth corrected grimly. “It wasn’t her.”
“You saw somebody that looks like her,” Sera said again, feeling faint. How could that possibly true? How could her sister have faked her own death? Why would she go to such great lengths? And even if she had the perfect reason, how could this possibly be true? Confusion and anger hit her in matching waves and then fell away as she realized she could see her sister again. She could touch her and embrace her and tell her that she loved her still, had never stopped loving her.
“We have to go back.”
Seth shook his head. “No, we don’t want to do that.”
“We have to! If she’s there, like you said, we have to go back. I have to see her.”
“Sera, you don’t understand. She doesn’t want to be found out.”
“He doesn’t want to be found out. She’s probably his prisoner. She’s probably waiting for somebody to figure it out and come for her. We can’t just leave her there.”
“Sera, listen—”
The sudden flood of bright headlights filled the car and cut off whatever Seth wanted to say. He pressed on the accelerator, but the truck behind them sped up as well.
“What the—”
Stephanie screamed and a second later, the truck slammed into the rear of the car. Seth fought to keep control, but the truck hit them a second time and sent them flying off the side of the road. Everything went bright—brighter than the sun—and then everything was black.
****
Sera came to slowly, her head spinning as she tried to focus. Gradually, the blobs started to take shape, and she blinked the moisture from her eyes until she finally recognized the form standing in front of her.
“Aiza?”
“Oh, little sis, why couldn’t you just leave well enough alone?”
“You’re alive?”
“Yes, but you’re going to get us both killed if you keep this up.”
Sera wanted to reach out to her, but her hands were stuck at her sides, held in place by the rope tying her to the chair. She pulled against the rope, straining to break free, but the knots wouldn’t budge. She collapsed back against the chair, the throbbing in her head making it difficult to concentrate. She recognized her sister’s face, her sister’s voice, but there was something off about her. Something wrong that Sera couldn’t quite grasp.
“Why am I tied up?”
“So you can’t run away, silly.”
“I’m not going to run away. I came here to find you.” Which wasn’t quite right, but it was true. “Aiza, please tell me what’s going on.”
“The perfect crime. Well, it was, until you started sniffing around. Why did you have to care so much? You didn’t care for years and years, and now suddenly, I’m the most important person in your life?”
Sera blinked. “You were always important. I always cared. You’re the one who stopped calling me. You’re the one who started a new life and cut everybody out.”
“So why didn’t you take the hint? Why didn’t you just go home, like everybody else?” Aiza asked harshly.
“I couldn’t do that. Not when I thought you needed me.”
“Well, I didn’t need you. I don’t need you. You’re just getting in the way of everything.”
“Okay, well, let me go home and I won’t get in your way anymore. I’ll just...I’ll just act like everything’s the same.”
Aiza laughed—a cold sound—and shook her head. “What do you think? It’s up to me? I couldn’t let you go, even if I wanted to.”
“Even if you wanted to? Aiza, look at me. Why can’t you let me go?”
“Because we have to tie up all the loose ends. And you’re a loose end.”
“I’m not a loose end, I’m your sister! And I don’t even know anything. All I know is that you’re not in the ground and that’s enough for me. Please, just let me go home.”
Aiza’s face softened, and for the first time, Sera didn’t feel like she was staring into the eyes of a stranger. She held Aiza’s gaze, hoping she would see what Sera meant every single word. It truly was enough for her to know that Aiza was not in that cold grave. She wouldn’t press for more details or bring this meeting up to anybody.
“Sera,” Aiza sighed. “I wish you had just gone home.”
A crash outside the door stopped Sera’s response. Another crash was followed by a howl of pain, quickly cut off with a wet, crunchy sound. Sera began struggling against the ropes again as Aiza went to the door, her hand going to the holster under her arm. Sera didn’t know enough about guns to recognize the caliber, but the caliber didn’t matter. She was armed and clearly prepared to use the weapon against whoever was on the other side of the door.
Who could it be but Seth?
The thought of Aiza putting a bullet in Seth’s unsuspecting head drove Sera to her feet, despite the chair attached to her. She launched herself at her older sister, slamming her into the wall with enough force to put a dent in the plaster. At that moment, the door burst open, and both Sera and Aiza froze, their own skirmish forgotten.
Seth was still on two legs, but he was completely naked, covered in scratches, bites, bruises, and blood. Sera tried to say his name, but two wolves jumped on him in that moment, claws extended and teeth bared. Seth turned at the same moment they jumped and knocked one against the head with a closed fist. It hit the ground with a low whimper, but the other wolf was undeterred; it managed to seek its teeth into Seth’s arm, ripping a chunk of flesh from his bicep.
“Seth!”
The sound of her voice may have broken Aiza from her trance. She sprung forward, the gun dropped and forgotten, her body morphing into that of a sleek, gray wolf, her mouth gaping open. Seth shifted just as she reached him, dropping low to the ground and allowing her to sail overhead. She couldn’t stop her momentum before slamming into the wall, but that barely stunned her. She shook her head and jumped back to her feet, wheeling to face Seth again.
Sera had seen dog fights before, but she’d never seen anything like the brawl before her. The wolf that had attacked Seth first quickly fell away, a vicious bite to the ribs taking most of the fight out of him. But Aiza was brutal and she was fast. She moved like a gray blur, her lips curled all the way up to show her long, gleaming teeth. Seth was bigger, though, and he managed to stay out of her reach.
“Stop!” Sera shouted. “Stop, stop, stop. Please.”
They may have heard her, but they were the past the point of understanding her. Blood had been drawn, and they were both wild with it, vicious and hungry for more. Still bound and tied, Sera began slamming t
he chair against the wall, doing her best to break it apart. She felt each blow all the way to her bones, but that didn’t stop her from slamming her full weight into the chair again and again. Before long it cracked, and then it splintered, and the ropes holding her to the back began to loosen.
“Come on, come on,” Sera muttered, slamming the chair into the wall again. Only feet away, her sister and her lover were tearing each other apart. Neither of them gave any sign of backing down, but both of them were dripping blood all over the floor. Their growls were loud enough to split her skull, and each chomp of their jaws sent a shiver down her spine.
Finally, the chair cracked and fell apart and she allowed the rope and wood to fall to her feet. Once she was free, she dove for the forgotten gun and fired it directly into the ceiling, hoping the unexpected explosion would shock the two wolves apart. The shot drew Aiza’s attention long enough to give Seth the opening he needed, and he snapped forward as quickly as a snake, closing around her throat.
Sera fired again. “Stop! Let her go! Seth, let her go.”
Sera had no idea how much Seth understood her when he was a wolf, or if he’d choose to listen to her even if he did understand. But she still had to try.
“Seth, please, she’s my sister.”
Seth relaxed his jaw and allowed Aiza’s body to drop to the ground at his feet. Sera bent at the knees, reaching forward to touch the blood-matted fur. She felt her sister’s pulse and she could only hope that she stopped Seth in time. She didn’t care what her sister got herself into, or even that Aiza might have intended to kill her.
“Sera!” Stephanie’s voice seemed to come from a great distance. “Sera, come on. We have to keep moving.”
“Seth…”
“I got him. Come on. The front door is just through there.”
The gun felt hot and heavy against her palm, but she clutched it like a lifeline. She could see the front door, maybe thirty or forty feet ahead of her. It felt like thirty or forty miles. There were bodies on the floor. Some of them were clearly only injured, but a few were not moving at all, and Sera had a flash of understanding—Seth had done that. To get to her. He’d torn through all of them like they were made of nothing more than tissue.