The Altering (Coywolf Series Book 1)

by Abby Tyson

Cringing at the thought that she'd driven home that night, Savi caught up with Pearl. She may not have expected an answer, but Savi felt obligated to give her one.

  "The weekend before senior year started I got drunk at a house party, and the most popular guy in school pulled me into an empty bedroom. I told him to stop, but he didn't until his girlfriend caught us. By Monday everyone had been told that I was the one who initiated it, and then the rumor and ostracization mill kicked in and never stopped."

  Pearl nodded slowly as she walked.

  "That's why it's so important for me to rescue Hettie," Savi continued. "She was the only one who stuck with me, the only one who didn't cave to Tara's threats." Savi smiled. "Hettie's too much of a naive genius to be affected by the machinations of high school drama."

  She stepped in front of Pearl, blocking her way and looking into her stony gray eyes. "So we're all on the same page here, right? Hettie's the most important thing in that barn as far as I'm concerned. If we get the silver wolf --"

  "Torra."

  "Whatever. If I help you get the torra, it's because I need it to save my best friend -- my only friend."

  Pearl returned Savi's stare, and matched its intensity. She was so hard to read, a trait that Savi normally admired, but right now she needed to know that Pearl understood how important this was before taking another step.

  With just a touch of reprimand, but mostly with kindness, Pearl said, "The torra is needed to save more than just your friend."

  "I know, but --"

  "Stick to the plan, and you'll be with your friend again." She moved past Savi.

  "Do you know what the hollowing is that Ebony talked about?" asked Savi. "Why I didn't change when I was bitten?"

  "No." She spoke too quickly for it to be true. Or perhaps it was just her clipped accent.

  Trying to keep her voice conversational, Savi asked, "Why does Ebony know and not you?"

  Pearl's voice was equally light. "I don't spend all my time with her. I'm just a keeper."

  "So you're not a were-- I mean, ona?"

  Pearl shook her head.

  "But you live in holes in the woods with Ebony and Amber and Pink and everyone?" As Savi asked the question, yet another presented itself. "And why are you all named after colors?"

  "Using colors as our pack names is a tradition, an added level of connection among members. And the dens are for the ona to use at night, but Ebony wanted privacy for your discussion. We gather here during the Eye, then return to our own homes. Some of us live and work together during the rest of the month too."

  "What do keepers do?"

  "I help ensure the health of the ona. Ebony requires more attention because of her condition, but I and the other keepers help with all sorts of tasks."

  The memory of the Beanie Beanie popped into Savi's mind. "Like threatening to murder people, and robbing them?" Her hand went to the scab on her neck. "Or are you referring to stabbing people into submission?"

  Pearl started to speak, but stopped herself, watching the ground she walked on.

  The longer the words hung between them, the more irritated Savi became. Since the robbery yesterday, she had been dragged deeper and deeper into a world of secrets and pain. Marcia and Ebony may have been on different sides, but their shared philosophy that violence was the quickest route to success spoke to how dark this world was, and how lost in it they were. Savi could see how someone like Pearl, an outcast, might be seduced by the isolation and power such a world promised.

  "People do bad things when they're desperate," Pearl said, a vulnerability in her voice that Savi hadn't heard before.

  "That's no excuse," Savi said.

  Pearl didn't respond.

  "Are you sure you don't know anything about me?" asked Savi. "About why I didn't alter?"

  "Ebony will tell you."

  "That's not --"

  "We should keep quiet," Pearl interrupted, taking longer strides. "Ona have excellent hearing, and they guard the barn during the day. Even our footsteps would give us away. We have to arrive at sunset to avoid being heard, but the ona aren't the only ones to worry about, as you know."

  Instead of trying to keep up, Savi stopped walking altogether, catching her breath. What did Pearl know? And why wouldn't she tell her?

  The trees creaked as they rubbed against themselves under a silver sky. They still had some time before sunset, but not much. Savi closed her eyes, wishing she was back up in her tree.

  "Savi," Pearl called from far ahead.

  Savi started walking again. Even if Pearl wouldn't talk, Ebony would. After this was all over, Savi would get answers to her questions. All of them.

  Chapter Twenty

  The breaking clouds revealed a rosy orange sky above the unpainted barn. The picturesque scene, complete with sprawling gardens and surrounding wild forest, was antithetical to the brutality Savi associated with it. From this vantage point, she could see the dirt road that had been hidden from her the night before. It led away from the grass parking lot and ran past the windowless side of the smaller barn where they had been held. Between her and the large barn was a cluster of six small cabins.

  Savi ducked behind a tree when the door to one of the cabins opened. Top stepped out, carrying his leather vest, and stretched his body to the sky as if greeting the morning sun rather than the rising moon. He walked the short distance to the large barn, and entered through a door in the wall facing Savi.

  Pulling George's phone out of her pack, she saw that George had a missed call from "Mom." Careful not to click on the voicemails and invade his privacy -- she wouldn't stoop so low as to spy on him -- she checked the time. 7:16 PM. Sunset should be any minute now.

  Pearl and the other keepers were far back in the woods, waiting until the sky was completely dark to move closer and watch for Savi's signal. Savi sat with her back against the tree, wrestling with the plan she had technically never agreed to.

  It was too late to get Hettie in human form. Savi could just hide and wait until morning when Hettie and Colby became human again, and bring them to Marley and Ren's house then, leaving it to the brothers to get the silver wolf, just like they'd wanted.

  But if she did that, she'd be condemning Ebony and the other werewolves to the same fate she was trying to save Hettie and Colby from. To her father's fate. And what if Marcia was taking out her anger at having lost Savi on Hettie? Savi couldn't leave her there all night, enduring who knew what unspeakable torments.

  Savi peered around the tree at the sound of another cabin door opening. The two Gabes, their identical appearances accentuated by similar blue plaid flannel shirts and jeans, were walking past the cabins and went through the same door Top had gone in. The thought of going in there, willingly, made her so nervous she couldn't sit still. She stood and jumped in place a few times. They'd never believe she wanted to be there. They'd never buy it.

  Baxter emerged from another cabin. Marley must have been mistaken, she thought as she watched Baxter walk effortlessly, with no sign of an injury. Maybe he just thought he'd shot him.

  Savi's hand went to her side, picturing the scar she had watched all but disappear during their hike over here. Maybe Baxter was healed the same miraculous way Savi had been healed. Either way, Marley's hope that they'd only have four Alters to deal with was dashed.

  The thought of Marley made her scan the forest edge. Were they there, watching, like she was? If so, they'd probably see her approach. Would they think she was betraying them? Giving away their plan?

  She looked back at Baxter's cabin. Was Nissa in there? Savi considered peeking in and trying to talk to her. She was so young. She didn't deserve to be raised in such a traumatizing environment.

  Maybe she'd even help me, Savi thought.

  In the end she decided against it. As dysfunctional as it was, Nissa probably still perceived this world as her home. The likelihood of her helping Savi disrupt it was minimal. Baxter was her father, after all.

  Two people burst out of the tree
line and ran toward the barn. For a split second she thought it was Marley and Ren, but the strides were unnaturally long, clearing the distance between the woods and the barn in seconds. Then she saw the orange hair.

  "Hettie!" she hissed, running behind one of the cabins and waving them over.

  "Savi!" Hettie cried. They were beside her in moments.

  The two best friends hugged. Unlike the delicate hugs Savi was used to, Hettie pressed against Savi's back with such force she instantly started trying to break free.

  "Too tight! Let go!" Savi cried.

  "Oh," Hettie said with a giggle as she let go and stepped back. "Sorry. I don't know my own strength, ha, ha." Hettie beamed as she held up her arms and twirled. Still without her glasses, she was wearing a man's t-shirt and gym shorts, both far too baggy for Hettie's tiny frame. Savi thought she recognized them as Baxter's. "Can you believe it? Werewolves are real, and I'm one of them!"

  After a day of picturing Hettie being subjected to the sadistic whim of the Alters, seeing her friend giddy left Savi speechless.

  Hettie hugged her again, lightly this time. "Oh, Savi, we were so afraid for you."

  "You were afraid for me?"

  "You weren't in the barn this morning, and Marcia said you ran off." Hettie's eyes travelled down Savi's outfit. "What happened to you? And where did you get that shirt?"

  Half-heartedly wiping at her dirt-stained clothes and tugging at the tight top, Savi said, "It's a long story. And I didn't just run off, I escaped. Top tried to kill me."

  "What? Marcia wouldn't let that happen," Hettie said.

  "Are we talking about the same Marcia who threatened us at gunpoint to be bitten by werewolves?"

  "The guns weren't even loaded," Hettie said, waving away last night as if it were all a simple misunderstanding. "Marcia told us this morning. But she still apologized a bunch of times."

  "The guns were loaded."

  "How do you know?" asked Colby.

  Savi thought about how to answer while giving Colby a sideways glare. "Marley said he got ahold of one of them and shot something."

  "Who's Marley?" Hettie asked.

  A slow heat crept up Savi's neck, and she shook her head. "Just someone else who was kidnapped last night and escaped with me. But listen --"

  "You like him!" Hettie said with more surprise than smile.

  The heat reached Savi's cheeks. "What? No. He's an ass. Why would you say that?"

  The smile grew into a wide, knowing grin. "I can hear your heart beating quicker. And you're blushing." Hettie poked Savi's shoulder too hard. "I knew this day would come, Savannah Claudie. You can't make fun of me about guys anymore."

  "Sure I can," Savi said, pointedly eyeing Colby.

  "So what happened last night?" Colby asked, putting an arm around Hettie's waist.

  After a pause, Savi said, "I didn't alter and was able to escape. Top --"

  "You didn't alter?" Hettie asked. "You were bitten and you didn't alter into a werewolf?"

  Savi bristled at what felt like judgment coming from Hettie. "No. I don't know why, but I met --"

  "I wonder why Marcia didn't tell us?" Hettie asked Colby. She turned to Savi with open faced curiosity.

  "Because she's a psychopath?"

  Hettie's brow furrowed at Savi's remark, but she continued staring with the keen but distant intensity Savi had seen in her best friend's eyes hundreds of times, although never from the receiving end.

  "Stop looking at me like that," Savi said. "I'm not in a test tube."

  Hettie's eyes refocused on her. "Marcia asked me to help her with a project, and understanding why you didn't change could be helpful."

  "Well we don't have time for that." Savi took Hettie's hand and tried to tug her to the woods. Hettie, normally as light as a leaf, was now immovable as a tree. Savi stumbled backward from the unexpected resistance, landing at Hettie's feet.

  "Oh, sorry," Hettie giggled, lifting Savi off her feet and placing her on the ground like a toddler.

  "We have to get out of here, Hettie," Savi said. "I met some people who can turn you both back. If we run we can reach them before sunset."

  "We don't need anyone to turn us back. That happens naturally at sunset," Colby said.

  "I don't mean into wolves," Savi said with a groan, "and that's anything but natural. I mean humans! Turn you back into humans! Now stop being dense and come with me."

  The look of wordless communication that passed between Hettie and Colby made Savi jealous of the bond that had clearly formed overnight. She and Hettie used to talk like that.

  Colby spoke first, his patronizing tone feeding the flames of Savi's irritation. "We've actually been talking about this all day, and we're thankful for what happened to us."

  "Thankful? For being forcibly changed into a werewolf?" Savi couldn't believe what she was hearing.

  "It's true," Hettie said. "You've already felt how strong I am, and how well I can hear, and that's only a taste. I uprooted a tree today!" Hettie's smile drooped when she saw Savi's unchanged frown. "We can smell everything, see everything -- even better than with my glasses. Everything around us is clearer and more beautiful than I could have imagined. We're connected to our surroundings more than we've ever been before. And everyone's been so nice! Colby and I got a special orientation where everyone cheered, and some of the other saviors showed us around and gave us tips on how to deal with questions about where we go every full moon."

  "It may be all magic and rainbows right now," Savi said, "but I've seen the other side of this. Marley's dad is a werewolf, and changing into a wolf and back again for a couple decades has made him so weak, they don't think he'll make it through another full moon. And apparently..." Savi paused, deciding whether she should disclose her newly acquired piece of autobiographical information in front of Colby. "...apparently my dad was a werewolf."

  "What?" Hettie exclaimed. "Monty? A werewolf?"

  Savi nodded. "And he died at 31, because werewolves don't usually live past their forties. Did your wonderful Marcia tell you that?"

  "Forties?" Colby clearly had not heard this news already.

  "As a matter of fact," Hettie said, placing a hand on Colby's arm, "Marcia did tell me that."

  "When? What do you know?" Colby demanded.

  "When we were having our one-on-one, I told her I'm going to MIT to study microbiology. That's when she asked me to help her with a project she's working on, trying to solve that problem. She asked me to keep it a secret. You can't say anything to Marcia, or tell anyone else. She trusted me with this, and not everyone would take it well."

  "You think?" said Colby, shrugging off Hettie's hand.

  "Solving the problem is easy," said Savi, "don't turn people into werewolves."

  Hettie ignored Savi, keeping her attention on Colby. "We have over ten years before it starts affecting us like that -- even longer for me, since I alter without any pain. I can do it. I know I can solve it."

  A reluctant smile crept into Colby's face as he stared into Hettie's determined eyes. "If anyone can do it, it's you."

  They kissed. Savi looked away.

  Hettie turned back to Savi, holding Colby's hand. "Please come back with us." Looking up at the dark gray spreading across the sky, Hettie added, "I might be able to get a blood sample before sunset."

  "Have you guys been brainwashed or something?" Savi cried. "This place is not the heaven on earth you think it is. I met some people -- werewolves -- who fell under Marcia's spell, but when they got sick of the pain and impossible lifestyle they asked to be changed back. You know what your precious Marcia did? She kicked them out. Now they're desperate to be turned back before they're too weak to survive the altering. No matter what Marcia said or did to make you think that last night was okay, it wasn't. They're violent and crazy. One of her goons tried to kill me, and you need to get out of here."

  Their expressions of pity made Savi's blood boil. "Are you not hearing my words?" Searching her best friend's face, Savi saw
something that was more lethal to their friendship than even Colby. Doubt. "You don't believe me."

  "This isn't about whether I believe you," Hettie said, getting agitated. "This actually isn't about you at all, for once. You're the one who's not listening. You never listen. Yesterday I was a lonely geek whose greatest achievement was winning every science fair I've entered. Now I'm a superhero werewolf, who has a chance to do some real good in the world, and all you can talk about is how you were almost killed and your father was a werewolf. Don't you realize how you sound?"

  "Like someone trying to save your life?" Savi caught herself shouting and lowered her voice. "And what do you mean this isn't about me 'for once'? You're the genius going to MIT. You're the one with her dream boyfriend."

  "You're the one who got all the attention when you lost a ton of weight," Hettie shot back. She also kept her voice low, although she got louder with every word, and more sarcastic. "You're the only one brave enough not to go to college like all of us lemmings. You're the one who's too good to want a boyfriend, and you're the one Eric Striker wanted to make out with." For a moment Hettie looked as shocked as Savi at what she had said, but then her face hardened again.

  "He tried to rape me," Savi spat. "Then he and Tara spread lies about me. I wouldn't put that in the plus column."

  "You think you were the only one made fun of? People taunted me every day for months, saying mean things -- all because I was your friend."

  "At least you had other friends. And you never noticed anyway. You were always too wrapped up in homework or the latest TED Talk. And whenever I tried to talk about it you just brushed it off."

  "Of course I noticed! I'm not an idiot, although I know you think I am. I never wanted to talk about it because I was trying to be strong, like you. I thought, if Savi has to deal with Tara and all those rumors, I can deal with the dumb soulless ginger taunts."

  Savi opened her mouth but no words came out. She had no idea what to say.

  "And like you've ever talked to me about anything real anyway," Hettie continued. "Whenever I did bring up my feelings you acted like I'm weak and basically said that I should get over it. Well just because you're incapable of showing emotion doesn't mean you're stronger than me."