The practice fighting over, Victoria stood and walked over to where Tyrone and Danero were removing the heavy metal armor they used when training those intended to be Trackers such as they. Although it was important for every beta to train using the super sensitive senses that came with being a werewolf, when basic training the less experienced werewolves, Tyrone and Danero hardly ever chose to shift forms unless their opponents were past stage one of their rigorous training.
As she approached both men, a limping beta passed by her, frowning when others offered to take him back to his cabin.
“Luke is hurt,” she pointed out.
“He let his guard down,” Danero replied. “That’s something he must never do.”
“You swiped at him before he could finish his transformation,” Victoria accused.
“When we’re out there,” he pointed to the woods, “our enemies won’t give us the opportunity to finish shifting before they attack.”
Realizing Danero had a valid point, she simply stated, “I see.”
“Not letting their guard down is one of the first lessons they must learn. If they fail at that, they will perish.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but Luke is still a boy.”
“Because he’s young he must pay closer attention to his surroundings. He must never allow himself to be distracted when he’s away from the protection the pack provides.”
Victoria nodded, silently agreeing with her best friend.
“And you, Victoria?” Tyrone glanced at her. “What did you learn today?”
“Not to practice with Danero when he’s in a foul mood,” she replied.
Tyrone laughed.
“I’m not in a foul mood,” Danero defended.
“Sure you are,” Victoria pushed. “Do you want to know how I can tell?”
He nodded, waiting in silence for her to provide an answer.
“Because whenever you’re moody you can’t avoid sounding more arrogant than usual.”
Tyrone laughed even harder.
Danero cocked his head to the side. “Luke had it coming.”
Victoria rolled her eyes at him. “Excuses, excuses. You’re one tough man wolf when you’re angry, and you take out your frustration on the less fortunate.”
He scoffed. “You’re just lucky you’re a girl. Otherwise, I would fight you so that when I win, I can shut you up.”
“The simple fact that I’m a girl never stopped you before.”
Bobbing his head up and down, Danero glared back, his green eyes glowing as he stared. “Girl Trackers are just as capable of fighting as us males, but you’re the princess. If I hurt you, I might as well forfeit both my legs.”
Victoria grinned in amusement. “Don’t worry, Danero. One day you’ll get your chance.”
“Oh, I most certainly hope so,” he challenged with a lift of his brow.
“You better be prepared, too. I might jump on you when you least expect it.”
“I doubt that.” He chuckled. “I’m always ready.”
“You should watch your back then.”
“I don’t think so,” he pushed
“I’ll be watching you.” She laughed when he shrugged his shoulders.
“With the upcoming nuptials I doubt you’ll have much time for me.”
Victoria’s smile faded. “What do you mean?”
“Once you’re mated, you’ll be out of reach for us completely.”
Victoria knew there was much truth in what Danero said. Once she became the matron of her own pack, her life was pretty much over. If Armando DeWitt was anything like her father, she wouldn’t have time for anything but to attend to her mate and the pups she would be birthing him. Nothing else would be expected of her, nothing else would be tolerated from her.
“Maybe things will be different with Armando.” She wanted to believe that perhaps Armando wasn’t as mean spirited as her father, but she wondered if she was hoping for too much.
“I heard he’s a mean SOB.”
“Did you have to say that to her?” Tyrone snapped at Danero.
A look of bewilderment cut across Danero’s features. “She’s going to find out, anyway.”
“Where did you hear that?” she asked, her heart sinking further into her stomach as she watched her best friend.
“I have my sources,” he assured her.
“I should expect him to be like my father then?” Victoria’s disappointment was audible.
“It wouldn’t be that bad if you stay here.” Danero tried cheering her up.
“But I won’t stay here, will I?” She glanced over to Tyrone, who shook his head in confirmation. “Will I be able to take you and Sasha along with me?”
“Your father has said nothing of this to me,” the tall man replied.
Desperate now, she redirected her gaze to Danero. “What about you, Danero?”
“I’ve heard nothing.” His gaze shied away from hers.
If she was to leave behind not only her lifelong home but her pack as well, she wanted to at least take one of her best friends with her. If not Tyrone and Sasha, her adoptive parents, then Danero would do.
“But I can ask if I’ll be permitted to accompany you when you leave.” Danero hoped his words would help ease the tension, but he could already see the growing fear in Victoria’s eyes slowly escalating.
“He’ll never agree to that.”
“He might agree if I ask to accompany you while you get used to your new home.”
“The pack will be left without one of its major Trackers,” she pointed out.
“The pack will do fine without me. I wasn’t always here to help.”
Turning back to Tyrone, she asked, “Do you think that’s possible?”
“We lose nothing by asking,” he replied, easing some hope into her heart.
For the first time in twenty-four hours Victoria felt a glimmer of hope. If Danero could convince her father to allow him to accompany her for a few weeks while she adjusted to her new surroundings, then perhaps all would not be as bad as she feared.
“Okay.”
“I’ll ask tonight, after the meeting,” Danero said as he started to move away. “I will see you both later on.”
Meeting? There was a meeting set up? When? And for what?
“I’ll see you there.” Tyrone nodded.
“Tyrone, what’s the meeting about?”
“Mostly about the upcoming visit of the DeWitt pack and the mating.”
“Oh.”
“Your father wants to assure himself that all will go smoothly.”
“In other words, he wants to make sure that Armando and his crew doesn’t slaughter every nearby human while they stop by our territory,” she bit back sarcastically.
“Don’t let your father hear you talking like that.”
Victoria raised both hands up in a mocked sign of defeat. “Sorry, I forgot I’m not allowed to sully my intended’s name,” she said snidely.
“You really ask for it sometimes, you know that?” Tyrone chuckled as he stared at her bemused expression.
“This whole situation irks me,” she admitted.
“It’ll get better with time, Victoria.”
“There’re no guarantees that it will be so. Just because it worked out for you doesn’t mean that it will for me.”
“Once the bonding takes place it gets easier.”
Bonding was what she dreaded the most. Sharing such an intimate act with someone she knew nothing about was not only unappealing to her but it felt wrong. She held no love for Armando, and thinking about having to share her body with him was driving her to the breaking point.
“I don’t even want to think about that,” she replied. “How long is the meeting going to take?” Perhaps she could use the meeting to her advantage.
“Why? What are you planning?”
“I…well…” How was she going to explain to him that she wanted to visit the location from the night before because she wanted to see if she coul
d encounter the mysterious being again? “Two weeks pass by quickly and I will be mated by the end of that time. It’s only right that I get a chance to shift and run around as much as possible. The pull in me is strong and I don’t want to be confined to the house and those watching me for fourteen long days.” She shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze. “And since father will not allow me such liberties—it will only be for a short while. I promise to be back before he has time to notice my absence.”
Tyrone couldn’t help but chuckle at the expression on her face.
“What’s out there that entices you so much?”
What was out there? That is exactly what she intended to find out.
“Nothing, I just like the illusion of being free. I can’t get that here with so many eyes watching my every move.” She shook her head. “I can’t help the pull of the change any more than you can. I need this…”
“I know how strong the pull is, Victoria.”
“Then will you turn your head away and let me walk out of here tonight?”
“I will not turn my head away,” he said decisively.
Victoria’s shoulders slumped.
“However, I can guarantee to keep your father busy for a while.”
Her heart skipped with excitement.
“The meeting will last a couple of hours at least; maybe even more than that, but don’t push your luck. Don’t linger out there longer than necessary. Unleash the beast and let her satisfy the urge to run free and return promptly, or not even I will be able to sway your father away from locking you in the cellar.”
“It will be quick, I promise.” Quicker, if she didn’t find what she was looking for.
“Very well then. Tonight, as soon as your father heads for the hall, take your leave. Be back in a maximum of two hours. Keep count and don’t forget.”
“I won’t. Thank you, Tyrone.” Victoria embraced her would-be father and ran back to the house.
***
The afternoon and early evening hours passed by with a nervous and slightly impatient Victoria lingering around the first floor of the main house. In order for her to know the exact hour of the beginning of the meeting she had to creep around her father and watch his every move. Once he entered the hall, accompanied by the pack elders, Tyrone and Danero, she would have but mere seconds to make her escape.
Thankfully, she learned how to play it cool and remain inconspicuous while she bided her time. The hardest part however, was the wait. All she wanted was to run out the door and get to woods. But unless she wanted to be stopped before she even crossed half the living room floor, she needed to be patient, otherwise, she would never get to investigate the lands where she encountered it.
Curiosity was getting the best of her. No matter how much she tried not to, she couldn’t stop thinking about what had paid her a visit the night before. Was it a flesh and blood creature or a ghostly apparition? Would she find out tonight? Or risk being locked in the cellar for nothing?
Seated on the leather couch, pretending to watch the news, Victoria silently counted the minutes, hoping the blasted meeting would finally begin. It was getting close to 10 p.m. and there was still no sign the meeting was going to take place. For a brief moment she began to panic, what if the meeting was cancelled? She would be stuck in the house for several more days without being able to go out. Certainly her father wouldn’t call for a meeting and then cancel at the very last minute. That wasn’t like him, he always followed proper protocol.
She just needed to be patient and continue to wait. Surely it wouldn’t be much longer. At least, she hoped not, anyway.
After waiting for what seemed like ages, the time finally came when her father, the elders, and the Trackers walked in and swaggered past the living room on their way to Victor’s study. Victoria looked on, staring at the progression as the men continued forward without bothering to toss a glance in her direction, with the exception of Tyrone, who acknowledged her with a brief nod of the head, before stepping out of sight. With the most influential members of the pack locked away, she realized it was now or never. The timing was perfect.
With the speed that only a werewolf possessed, Victoria hurried out the front mansion doors, ran to her car, and climbed inside. Thinking to practice caution, Victoria inserted the key into the ignition, placed the gear in neutral, and took off the emergency brakes. She allowed the car to slowly roll down the ramp to the main road before turning the key in the ignition, shifting to drive, and stepping on the gas pedal. Not wanting to alert her father, she drove slowly out of the property and headed to the patch of solitary woods she had visited the night before.
Visiting unfamiliar territory was risky, she had no idea whether or not it was taken, and stepping into someone else’s lands could initiate trouble, but since she had not sensed any werewolves nearby, nor had she picked up the pheromones that would indicate an alpha had marked his territory, she decided to go back. There was one mystery there still to be solved, and although she realized that she was taking a huge risk, she had to chance it.
Knowing that there was something out there she was unfamiliar with intrigued her more than it should have. The world she lived in was mostly a mystery to her, mainly because her parents had taken it upon themselves to keep her locked up in their territory without allowing her to explore what other places had to offer. The knowledge she did have on other countries and cities was due to the schooling she received, the television she watched, and from her perusal of the ever convenient internet. Through modern day technology she saw the world that existed beyond the acres of lands in which she resided. And yes, she craved to explore what the world had to offer more than anything else.
Victoria had spent ninety percent of her twenty years prisoner in the Bonvalet mansion and the territory surrounding it. As a tiny child, she didn’t complain because she believed her sanctuary to be the world, and she couldn’t understand that there was more to see beyond the walls of her mansion. It wasn’t until she reached her teen years that she began to take an interest in other things. Unfortunately, it was also during these times when her father began to dominate and control every aspect of her life.
As Victor Bonvalet began to make her life miserable, Victoria rebelled the only way she knew how, by disobeying as much as she could. So the constant arguing and defying had become a battle of wills between father and daughter. Perhaps her behavior was rather childish but it was the only way she could actually make a stand. Even though she shared a territory with about fifty other werewolves, it felt as if she was alone. Years of living in a hostile environment had taught Victoria to pick and choose the battles she could win, which wasn’t very often.
The mating was a battle she most certainly could not win. Victoria knew her father would never allow her to back down no matter what. However, if she had the opportunity to change her destiny, she would. Unfortunately, she knew that running on hope would get her nowhere fast.
Finally at the location she sought, Victoria opted for driving to a place where she could park the car so it wouldn’t be seen from the main road. She didn’t plan to stay long, but she didn’t want to risk someone recognizing the car. It took her several minutes to find the perfect site to hide her car.
Several feet ahead, a path broke away from the main road and turned into a worn down pathway that apparently hadn’t been used much. Trees bordered each side of the road and their low hanging branches provided the perfect cover. She drove the car carefully to avoid damaging it in any way and parked in a clearing to the right side of the path.
Satisfied that both she and the car were hidden from view, Victoria exited the vehicle, then shut and locked the door before starting for the woods. Having explored this territory the day before, she knew the distance between where she had chosen to leave the car and the area where she had encountered the mysterious presence was great, but she didn’t mind. It wasn’t very often she had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery and as she hiked through the woods, she r
elished the ambience around her.
Determined to locate the area that was now deeply imprinted in her memory box, Victoria sprinted through the mentally marked path she mapped out from the prior night and continued forward until she finally reached the point where she had first encountered the strange being. Like the night before, there was no indication that she was accompanied by another being—human, animal, or anything in between. As usual, the woods were dark and quiet. No animals disturbed the stillness of the otherwise silent forest.
She wasn’t easily discouraged by the eerie silence she was met with, however. The night before she had been caught off guard, and although she still had no clue what the mysterious newcomer had been, if it showed up once, there was a chance it would again, and she was counting on this supposition to get her through the next few minutes.
For what seemed like hours she waited and listened. Every time a nearby animal moved or even exhaled loudly, she tensed, thinking it was due to sensing a creature aside from her. But as she remained still, senses alert, she detected nothing. Disappointment washed over her, she had risked her neck and Tyrone’s as well in order to go there, and whatever being had made brief contact with her the night before was nowhere to be found.
Furious, Victoria began to chide herself for not stopping to think about the possibility that whatever happened the night before was probably a onetime thing. Perhaps the event had been a product of her imagination. However, even as her mind tried to make sense of what exactly had happened, whether or not it had been a figment of her imagination, she knew that for a very brief moment she had sensed something powerful. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to see it, not even from a distance.
Angry, irritated, and disappointed, Victoria started the long trek back to the car, every step taking her further away from the mystery hiding in the woods. Sensing the potentially dangerous predator that passed by them, the animals around her hid, waiting for her to pass before they resumed their nocturnal activities.
Fierce Awakenings Page 4