“Run with me, Cassie,” Gerard implored me. I had a moment of clarity and I couldn’t believe what I was doing. I back away, pulling from Gerard’s arms.
“No, stop it. I’m with Yeager,” I told him. Gerard laughed.
“Cassie, you’re not serious, are you? He’s been lying to you from the beginning. You’re not his mate and you never were. You’re a shifter and you’re not bound to one man. You’re free to choose as is he. How do you know he’s not with Sophia right now?” Gerard asked me.
“He would never do that. He’s not like that. I’ve failed him though,” I said as what I had done hit me. I let this man, this shifter, kiss me and for a moment I enjoyed it. I betrayed Yeager’s trust and I’d done it so easily. But Lady Violet’s words still swirled in my head. I didn’t want to believe what she had said but part of me was all too willing to accept what the woman told me.
“I’d be willing to bet you’re not the first woman he’s used that line on, Cassie,” Gerard said and I remembered what Yeager had told me. He had been with other woman but he told me they were just flings. A man has needs, he said. But I wondered now. Whispers of doubt chipped away at the edges of my resolve. I wanted to believe Yeager, I wanted to trust him, but what Violet and now Gerard said seeped in like a poison and clouded my judgment.
“You don’t know him,” I replied defiantly.
“And neither do you, Cassie,” Gerard told me. He was right. I’d known Yeager just over three months. He told me things that I believed without question. I relied on my instincts and intuition and they told me he was being truthful. I was so sure that I felt it too. But what if I was being manipulated by Yeager. What if I believed him simply because I wanted what he told me to be true? That I was special to him, that we were fated lovers and that he would always be there. What if I bought that because of my own past and my need to feel wanted?
I knew Violet and Gerard were playing me for their own ends but what if Yeager was as well? I shook my head, trying to find some path through the doubt and confusion. Finally, I gave up. My dress fell loose about me as I turned into the black wolf with the white patch of fur on my back and I ran off into the night. I ran away from my feelings and fears, away from what I had done and away from what might be.
I welcomed the quiet of my wolf’s mind, the lack of emotion and the cold, calculating instincts. Gerard did not pursue as I bound through the meadow and there I found peace. I remembered the feelings, the swirling confusion, the aching doubt but they no longer ruled me. If only I could find this kind of peace in my human form. I ran hard, running to forget, running to cleanse myself and running from my fears. It worked, as I knew it would and soon I was just a wolf with some odd memories that faded quickly.
A scent caught my attention. It was familiar but different at the same time. It was a rabbit I was sure but not the jackrabbits of the California desert. Then I saw it, frozen as it sensed me as well. A snowshoe hare, its soft brown fur already beginning to change to white for the winter. I needed to taste blood and death. I needed to indulge my animal instincts. I charged and as I approached, the hare dashed away. I would not be denied, however. I gave chase, letting my instincts take over. The hare changed direction with ease, trying to shake me, but I was unusually nimble this night.
The hare, its eyes wild and full of fear, finally broke into a flat out run. I lowered my head and gained ground, my heart pumping hard, my hot breath turning to steam. I was almost within reach and bared my gleaming teeth. Saliva dripped from my fangs. There was nothing but the hare and the grass and soft earth beneath my paws. Then the hare gambled and lost. It turned, dashing to the side but I was ready. I snatched it out of midair and shook the poor rodent violently, its life draining away between my powerful jaws.
I dropped the dead hare and tasted the intoxicating blood, scented the smell of death. I relished it for a moment before I placed a paw on its carcass, then tore a strip of fresh meat free and swallowed it. I ate my fill of the hare and when I was finished, I trotted off tired and sleepy. I stumbled upon a stand of trees, soft grass and pine needles that would make a perfect bed for a tired wolf. I lay down, curled up and tucked my nose under my front leg. Sleep overwhelmed me and I welcomed it.
~~O~~
I woke to find black leather boots walking my way in the pale light of dawn. My ears perked up and my body tensed but I was not afraid. Violet stopped ten paces from me, set a pair of shoes on the ground and held out a long wool coat. It was cold but I was warm and comfortable in wolf’s form. Violet waited a moment but I did not move. I was not afraid but I was wary.
“Child, come with me. I’ve things to show you,” she said. I still didn’t move, simply watching the severe blonde woman. The clarity I’d gained as I ran had showed me that Violet was a manipulative bitch but her intentions, at least as she’d expressed them to me, were noble. She wanted to save our kind and she saw me as a means to that end. In the cold, calculating way of a wolf, I saw the logic in that. I sat up and then stood on all four paws before I shifted into my human form.
I stood up straight and walked to Violet, unashamed of my nakedness, took the coat she offered, slipped it on and then donned the slip-on shoes she had brought. “I don’t appreciate being manipulated, Violet. It is unnecessary. I’m a big girl. Tell me what you want and we can talk,” I said plainly. Violet nodded.
“Very well, child,” she replied and I already knew she was still plotting and planning in her head but I hoped I might find some shred of insight into all of this. Violet began walking and I followed her. We walked for a while, climbing a low rise and then peering over. There, below was a village of sorts hidden behind a small hill from the main house. Smoke rose from the chimneys of the rustic cabins.
“This is the heart of Wolfsbane. This is where those that I find come to live. Five hundred or so of our kind, their mates and children, some like you and I and some human, dwell there. We are relegated to this place save for a few like you and Yeager. We live, like you, in the shadows, hiding from humanity and hoping they do not discover what we are. Make no mistake, Cassie. If humans discovered us, that would be the end,” Violet said.
“I don’t believe that, Violet,” I replied. She was wrong about humans, about us. Why did we have to be separate? Why did she talk as if humans were the enemy?
“Don’t you? Well let me tell you about humans. Humans don’t tolerate those that are different from themselves. Even amongst their own kind, they seek to divide and cleanse. I’ve seen the brutality of humans. I’ve seen them kill our kind, men, women and children all. I’ve seen them slaughter entire packs simply because they didn’t understand, out of nothing but fear of the unknown,” Violet asserted. I didn’t question her as she continued.
“Even you and Yeager choose to live apart, to hide in plain sight. Why? Because you know deep inside that revealing what you are to them would bring nothing but sorrow. I do not profess to be better than them but I do say that we are at least honest about our true selves. While they deny they are animals, we embrace the animals within. I saw that hare you caught last evening, or what was left of it. You kill because it is in your nature and you do not shrink from that, do you, Cassie?” Violet asked.
“No, I do not,” I said. I was new to this life, to becoming a wolf, but I was fiercely proud of what I was.
“No, you embrace it, relish it, you look forward to being the wolf, to killing and the taste of death. We are like humans in that we are all animals but we are better because we do not seek to pretend otherwise. I believe our kind was created for a purpose. There is a destiny we are meant to fulfill, child,” the severe woman explained, her voice taking on a more dramatic tone.
“And what is that, Violet?” I asked, my curiosity piqued as well as my apprehensions.
“We are stronger than them. Not in numbers, obviously. However, our kind is stronger. I and those that live here at Wolfsbane hold a common belief. We believe that we are the dominant species and that we will one day take our pla
ce as such. We believe that one, the Wolf Mother, will come to us and give us that chance. You are that chance for us, Cassie. You hold the key to our destiny within you. You are precious to us and I will not allow you to leave us,” Lady Violet told me. I’d heard it before but not like this. Not in this context. I suppose I suspected it all along, that Violet wouldn’t take no for an answer. Still, I had questions.
“What can I do? I’m just one woman. How can I save an entire race of beings?” I asked.
“You are the seed. Your children will be able to produce both male and female shifters with human mates. So will their children and so on. You and I will likely not live to see that, however,” Violet said. To that point, what she told me seemed reasonable enough. Overwhelming and somewhat unbelievable but considering I could turn into a wolf at will, I couldn’t dispute her tale. I’d become used to the unbelievable.
“Then you needn’t be concerned, Violet. Yeager and I will bear children. We are mates,” I told her. Violet suddenly wore that disarming smile again.
“Child, I know you will but I can’t leave that up to chance,” Violet replied.
“So, you want us to come to live here, under your protection?” I asked. The manipulation seemed over the top if that was her only goal. Why not just tell us the truth? Like I smelled that snowshoe hare the night before, here I smelled a rat.
“That’s not what I meant. I am not a patient woman, as you might have guessed, child. I will see our kind take our rightful place in the hierarchy of this world. I will see our kind rule the humans in my lifetime,” she explained. I recoiled a bit at that. Rule them? What did that mean? But even so, the numbers and logistics were not in her favor. We were few, outnumbered a million to one.
“How is that even possible? I’m not even pregnant and even if I were, it would take many generations to accomplish what you seek,” I told her, naively. I knew there was more but I couldn’t see it.
“I am not a patient woman, Cassie. Some must be sacrificed to serve the greater good. Philip is a shifter but he is also scientist of sorts. You’re correct. Breeding you in the conventional way would take far longer than I could tolerate,” she told me, her words taking a moment to sink in. When they did, I took a step backwards but Violet seemed unconcerned. She simply smiled at me as I realized what she intended. I had to get away. I had to get to Yeager. I began to shift but nothing happened. Then half a dozen wolves appeared and surrounded me, teeth bared and fur bristling.
“I’ve taken care of that possibility, child. You won’t be changing when it’s not convenient,” she told me. I tried again but nothing. I still had the sense I was a shifter. I could smell the wolves about me and Violet, but I couldn’t change.
“You bitch!” I shrieked but Violet didn’t react. She just smiled but this time it wasn’t the phony smile she wore so often. This smile was full of satisfaction.
“Child, we can do this the hard way if you want but I’d prefer it to be easy. You really don’t have a choice. You’re alone here,” Violet said and then glanced over her shoulder towards the main house. I followed her gaze and a moment later I realized the motorhome was gone. I gasped in horror. “I told you he didn’t love you, child. He used you and when things didn’t go his way, he left you,” Lady Violet told me.
“No! That’s not true!” I said but the motorhome was gone.
“You know he’s gone, Cassie. You can feel it, can’t you? Nevertheless, this is for the best. He wasn’t good enough for the Wolf Mother. You deserve better. You will be revered among our kind, a wolf of distinction. If, that is, you cooperate. Don’t think I won’t do whatever is necessary to fulfill our kind’s destiny. I will. However, the choice is yours,” Violet told me, turned and began walking towards the big house but as she did, she ordered the wolves that surrounded me, “Bring her to Phillip.”
The wolves closed and one growled to get me moving. I didn’t have a choice and I followed Violet as the wolves surrounded me. Where was Yeager? What about Edie? Did they really leave me? Could Violet be right? It didn’t make sense. I suppose Yeager could have been lying to me but Edie? We’d been friends for years. Maybe she was still here but I found myself hoping she had gone. I worried what Violet might do to her if she chose to stay.
I wanted to run. As a wolf, I would have tried. I was at least the equal of any wolf but even with six wolves, seven counting Lady Violet, I would have tried to escape. As a woman, however, I was vulnerable, especially surrounded by wolves. I was at Lady Violet’s mercy and that’s just how she wanted it. I wondered what would make Yeager leave. I had to believe it wasn’t because he didn’t love me. I had to believe it was because of Lady Violet’s manipulation, which I knew now had a precise purpose all along.
We approached the house and now some of the residents that lived here had gathered to watch as I was led past. I found it curious that there were so many women and so few men but I had more important things on my mind. I was led inside, the wolves becoming men on the porch who donned their clothes and rifles. They hadn’t been there as we arrived but now I was sure they stood guard to protect me, or rather protect Violet’s prize. I followed the blonde woman up the stairs and past the rooms we had been provided. I hoped to find Edie waiting but she was gone. I was truly alone. Agnes stood waiting at the stairs leading to the third floor and when she saw me, surprise registered in her eyes. She fell in behind me as I followed Violet up the staircase.
At the top, we entered a room with walls of rich wood, cases full of books and a large oak desk. Phillip waited behind the desk in a red leather chair. A leather sofa sat against the opposite wall and next to it was a table and on top of that, a metal tray covered with a white cloth. “Please, sit down,” Phillip offered pleasantly. I glanced around but without any other choice I did as I was asked. Violet and Agnes remained standing as I took a seat on the leather sofa.
“I’ll post two guards outside,” Lady Violet announced.
“Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary,” Phillip said as he stood and came around his desk. The middle-aged man leaned against the table gazing down at me.
“I hope not. I hope Cassie will come to see the need of this and cooperate,” Violet said but her words were a subtle warning to me. She nodded to Agnes and then marched from the room. Agnes looked my way, her eyes almost apologetic, and then followed her mistress from the room closing the door behind her.
“Alone at last,” Philip said trying to lighten the mood but it failed to work.
“If I could change, I’d rip your fucking throat out, Phillip,” I said calmly.
“Well, then I’m glad you can’t shift because I’m sure you could, Cassie. I’m not your enemy. You want what we want. Survival. You can ensure that for all of us. If it were up to me, we’d do this and I’d let you go free,” he told me. He was trying to be nice, to be my friend, but at this point, I assumed it was all an act.
“But it’s not up to you, is it?” I replied.
“Sadly, no. I defer to Lady Violet,” he told me. I knew what he meant. She was the alpha and he submitted to her dominance, even in his human form. He probably believed what he did served some worthy end.
“So, you’re just a whimpering pup, a submissive dog. You let Cruella dominate you,” I accused and Phillip smiled gently.
“I am what I am. I am no alpha, Cassie. I follow and do what I’m told. I’m not ashamed of that,” he said.
“You should be. You’re a tool, Phillip,” I told the older man hoping to get a rise out of him, to shame him into helping me.
“But I’m a tool that will survive, Cassie. Now I have work to do,” he said calmly.
“Well, seeing as I don’t have a choice, let’s get this over with,” I said. Philip smiled warmly, reassuringly, like a doctor might to a terminally ill patient. Even though he was a passive man and an even more passive wolf, I was sure he could easily overpower me in my human form. Even if I did manage to get the best of him, guards waited outside. I was out of options.
/> “You’ll come to see this is best, Cassie,” Phillip said and then pulled the white cloth from the tray that sat on the table next to him. I stared at its contents and then glanced up at Phillip. He picked up the syringe from among the other frightening implements and smiled. “You’ll hardly feel a thing,” he told me.
~~O~~
“Why would she leave like that?” Edie asked Yeager as the pair rumbled down the highway towards Utah.
“I don’t know, kiddo. This whole thing is fucked up. I knew that bitch was bad news and I should have said as much,” Yeager replied, his regret evident. Edie frowned. She had woken up and found Agnes gone. They had spent the night together, though neither got much sleep. Edie still buzzed from the night of passion she shared with the ebony shifter. It was magical as far as Edie was concerned, the sexy black girl’s kisses intoxicating beyond anything Edie had ever experienced.
Minutes after Edie awoke, however, Agnes came back. She told Edie that Cassie had left the ranch during the night. The girl didn’t know why or where Cassie had gone, only that she had left. Of course, Edie immediately went next door to see for herself. She found Yeager pacing in only his jeans. Edie informed the biker of the news and minutes later, they were headed downstairs to find Cassie. They found no sign of Cassie and Yeager revealed what he had seen the previous evening.
They went upstairs, grabbed their things and loaded all of it into the motorhome. Edie had a hard time believing that Cassie would kiss Gerard. Cassie wasn’t like that, she wouldn’t betray Yeager. Edie assured Yeager that it was a mistake. “I’ve been up all night waiting. I’ve done a lot of soul searching, Edie. I can’t believe she would do that either. It’s that bitch, Violet. She’s exercising some kind of influence over Cassie. She’s manipulating all of us,” Yeager replied as he started up the motorhome.
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