Kellan goes to speak but not before I say, ‘I can stick up for myself you know Silver but thanks for the vote of confidence.’
Her eyes shoot to mine, ‘As if I’d ever stick up for you! You’re a pathetic excuse for a wolf!’
‘I said enough Silver! If you don't want to cooperate then I’d rather you leave.’
Silver frowns at Ryder, ‘Are you asking me to leave?’
Ryder doesn't hesitate, ‘Yes.’
She sneers at me before she runs away into the clearing with the sound of clothes ripping just before she disappears. Bane watches Silver’s every footstep until he nods at Ryder, ‘She’s gone.’
Ryder moves to put his hands in his pockets, stares at me and sighs, ‘Take off your clothes.’
Excuse me…?
'I'm sorry what?’ I look at the three of them in confusion.
‘You heard me. Strip.’ Ryder bites his lip in anticipation.
‘Why would I do that?’
Ryder grins, ‘To shift….’
‘You’re crazy if you think I‘d actually strip in front of you three.’
Kellan chuckles, ‘We've seen it all before Alice.’
I cross my arms against my chest, ‘No, I won’t do it.’
Ryder rolls his eyes, ‘Do you want to let your wolf out today or not?’
‘Well yeah but…’ And in that moment Ryder starts to undo the button of his trousers with Kellan and Bane do the same. Wow...okay
I put both of my hands up to halt their movements, ‘Wait! How do I actually shift if all of you shift before me?’
‘My only advice for you is to not think too much about it, just relax, calm your breathing, steady your heartbeat and just let her come to you, she’ll know what to do.’
No pressure...
‘You know, I think what would be better if I shift on my own without having anyone around. I want to be able to shift without having an audience and I think she’ll attack you guys if you surround her, she might think it’s a threat and I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.’
‘Fine. We’ll do it your way but as part of teaching your new abilities, I want you to come and find me.’ Ryder winks at me just before he slides down his blue jeans along with his briefs.
Maybe I should have turned away when I had the chance because that image will forever be inside my head.
When I try to gather my thoughts after seeing Ryder’s naked body, I turn to see that Kellan and Bane have shifted already and started running into the woods. I look back at Ryder when I find that I can’t contain my breathing. The view right in front of me suddenly feels unrealistic. He stands twice the size he was just now and I’d need to stretch my whole arm upwards to be able to touch his snout. He lowers his head as if he’s studying me very carefully and he probably recognizes my scent from before when I attacked him in Sam’s house. I don’t move a single muscle in case any kind of movement will aggravate the Alpha standing fearless in front of me. A few minutes go by with him just staring intensely at me, a part of me is scared of what this beast might do to me but I know Ryder wouldn't hurt me on purpose. Ryder takes one more look at me, turns around and follows the same footprints as Bane and Kellan.
I let out a breath of relief when Ryder’s form disappears but I'm left feeling lost with what to do next. I was told to keep calm but how can I when my heart is racing?
I hastily take off my white sandals, my white tank top and throw it to the floor followed by my ripped jeans. I look around consciously hoping that nobody can see me but relax when I realize that nobody would be out here other than the occupants that live here. I undo the straps of my bra followed by my underwear and stand alone in the wolves’ yard. I close my eyes to focus on slowing my heart rate and take deep breaths, I repeat this until my breathing and heartbeat is slow and steady.
I take one last breath and lower my posture to be on my hands and knees when suddenly I feel as if I'm shrinking on the inside. I don’t know how I brought this feeling onto myself but knowing that I'm about to shift into a beautiful wolf excites me. I shake off the feeling of stopping everything and just try to relax when suddenly the feeling of needing to shiver comes unexpectedly, and without realizing what could happen next, the shiver takes over my whole body.
And the shift happens every so effortlessly.
I don’t feel any different other than having the feeling that I'm in a bubble. She stands to her full height that feels to be around seven foot - making me feel like a giant. I try to make her move but she seems reluctant.
Move! I try to communicate with her from inside my mind but she seems to be ignoring me or she doesn't understand.
Forward!
Again, she doesn't listen to me. Instead she moves towards the discarded clothes and stands in front of Ryder’s pile. She lowers her head and starts to inhale the scent. I expect her to start growling from what happened when she was in his presence the last time, but what I don’t expect her to do is lie on top of his clothes and start rubbing her scent over them.
What are you doing!?
She does it for awhile when she suddenly stops and stares into the woods like she’s trying to figure something out.
Did she hear something or can she sense danger nearby?
She slowly starts towards the clearing where all the wolves disappeared through and stops just outside it. The view before me is utterly breathtaking.
Tightly knit trees stare at me as though they seek permission from me to enter the forest. The scent of foliage mixed with decay and dampness tickle my senses, and the bright sun above playing hide and seek in between the leaves of the trees. I don’t realize that we've moved deeper into the forest until I hear a spine tingling howl coming from the other side of the forest. When I think that she’ll turn around, afraid of what she might come across, she instead decides to run towards the source.
We continue running until we come across the end of the path. She looks around at her surroundings - probably wondering where the howl came from. She inhales the ground when suddenly a noise of a twig breaks nearby. Her head shoots up in alert - waiting for a clear sign that she’s safe.
Steady.
I don’t know why I'm telling her to keep steady but with fur as white as snow and this height, there’s no explaining to anyone about what they can see.
A few seconds go by, when suddenly a fierce growl comes from behind us. In a second she turns around and faces whoever dared to approach her and the first thing I see are the blood red eyes of an Alpha and black mass of fur. Ryder walks towards us with integrity, clearly showing who the strongest Alpha is. He circles around us, drawing closer and closer until the two bodies start to touch each other. All through this, she does not growl once, instead she lets the Alpha does what he needs to do.
After the close inspection, Ryder then starts to inhale her scent for a long time. Will he attack when he realizes that she was the one who fought him or is it all forgotten?
He lifts up his head, moves to stand nose to nose with her and gently nudges his face against hers. I'm taking this as a sign of truce.
Both Alphas seem to be happy in the company of each other when suddenly a gut wrenching howl comes from the wolves house. Ryder looks down at the path and runs at a dead fast speed. I take it as a sign to follow him but for some reason, seeing Ryder run off like that stirs an unwelcome feeling inside me.
Can Ryder sense something that I can’t?
I reach the clearing just after Ryder when I notice the three wolves standing in a half circle, looking down at something in the middle of them. The wolves turn around as if sensing that their Alpha is in their company but when Kellan spots me he growls at me as if warning me away. I ignore it and follow behind Ryder when he stops and stares at the scene in front of him. My heart stops when I see that a body lies unmoving on the ground, a bloodied body of a man lies on his front in the wolves’ yard, but with the face hidden from view, I have no idea who the dead body belongs too.
Kellan r
ushes to stand next to me, still urging me to leave with no idea why. There must be a reason otherwise he wouldn't be doing this, and for some reason all the wolves have gone quiet, but when I turn over the lifeless body, I can fully understand why.
Terry….!?
Chapter 17
I’m standing underneath a spray of hot water in the wolves’ bathroom - feeling like a knife has been shoved into my chest. The second we saw Terry’s body, we all shifted back and changed into our clothes and took in the mess in front of us.
There were no words to express how I felt in that moment when I looked at Terry’s dead body - his throat slashed, body mutilated with blood spattered everywhere on the ground. Numb would a reasonable answer, but the realisation that I knew this man, and who's been somewhat of a father figure to me for all these years, makes the pain inside my chest a lot worse.
The question I keep asking myself is why target someone like Terry? He was a man who kept to himself and worked extremely hard at the diner to earn his way in life. There were days where he’d shout at the customers who would insult his cooking, but nothing to result him getting killed.
Another dead body found yet it’s the same month as Mr. Daniel’s death, could it be a different killer or has the motive changed? But what could’ve changed to make the killer target two innocent men who were kind and forgiving?
It’s still hard for me to process the fact that Terry is now gone and that there won’t be someone there who was like a father to me.
I’m engrossed at the scene in front of me but when I realise that Kellan’s moved from his position to grab something in Terry's hand, it takes my attention away from the lifeless body. Kellan picks up what appears to be a piece of crinkled paper and hands it Ryder. He looks at the paper handed to him, takes it from Kellan and opens it in silence. I watch Ryder’s face changing a split second from having no emotion at all to anger.
‘Ryder, you alright?’Kellan looks worryingly at Ryder.
Ryder looks away where I can see him tensing his jaw.
‘What’s wrong?’ I look at the piece of paper.
He puts the crinkled paper in the back pocket of his jeans, ‘Nothing’s wrong, let’s just do something about the body.’
I frown, ‘What does it say?’
‘I said it’s nothing.’
‘Ryder, It’s obviously something to do with me otherwise you’d show it,’ I snap.
Ryder turns his back on us, ‘Alice just leave it okay.’
I scoff, ‘ What do you mean ‘just leave it,’ another body has been found, and this time it’s on your property. You’re standing there like it’s no big deal!’
He swings back around, ‘No big deal? You think that I don’t care that there’s a dead body here? You’re wrong to think that I don’t give a damn about this! And not only do we have a murderer to look out for but someone who wants to definitely pursue you.’ Ryder takes the crinkled paper from his pocket, grabs my hand and puts the paper in my palm.
I turn over the paper and feel nausea creeping up on me. In black handwriting are the words ‘Over the clothes you’re definitely an 8 but without the clothes you’re a 10 but I hope you don’t mind that I took a few pictures’ ending with a smiley face. The tears start falling as I look repeatedly at the message personally written to me just minutes after I shifted, but another realisation hits me when not only has someone caught me changing but that person has undoubtedly watched me shift in pure daylight putting me and the wolves in danger. I look around to try and gather some sense from where that person could’ve been hiding.
‘I thought I was alone.’ I wipe my eyes, ‘Obviously not.’
Bane speaks up for the very first time, ‘This property goes on for miles, the fucker could’ve been hiding anywhere.’
‘What if they’re watching us right now? Making it look like we did this to Terry.’ I point at the body.
‘They’ve got no evidence to prove that we had anything to do with this.’ Ryder frowns down at the body, ‘But why here? Of all places why place the body here?’
A few minutes go by without anyone talking.
Kellan speaks with a gentle voice, ‘I think I need to call my dad. A dead body placed on your property Ryder is something we can’t handle ourselves. This person really wants us to get caught for this murder. My dad would say a murder like this is definitely personal.’
Each and every one of us looks a the body in silence.
Silver growls, ‘Why are we just standing here looking at a dead body like it’s gonna come back alive? We should be out there looking for this psycho right now because for all we know they could still be out there.’ Silver points out into the forest.
More silence.
Ryder doesn’t say anything for awhile, ‘Kellan call your dad but make sure he doesn’t bring any reporters here. The last thing I need is people pointing their fingers at me making me out to be the murderer.’ He dismisses Kellan and looks at both of his Betas, ‘I want you two to stay clear when Kellan’s dad gets here, do whatever you feel the need to do, search the area, look for footprints but for god's sakes don’t shift. We don’t want to add more fuel to the fire.’
Both Silver and Bane leave without a word.
Ryder comes over to me and rests his hands gently on my shoulders, ‘The cops will be here soon, searching the area for a few hours but you can stay and get yourself cleaned up or I can take you home.’
My mother won’t be home for a few hours and the thought of being alone especially with someone out there watching me sickens me, ‘I’ll stay if it’s okay with you, I don’t want to be alone after…’ I look over at Terry to feel my eyes welling up with tears again. Ryder immediately pulls me into his arms in an embracing hug and holds me for a few minutes, ‘You can stay with me as long as you want. It’s easier for me to protect you if you’re with me.’
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him deeply to me. It’s the first contact I’ve had with another person since finding Terry and it’s all become overwhelming.
Shortly after the moment with Ryder, I leave to go into the house and into the en suite bathroom in Ryder’s room. I spend a good amount of time in the shower to gather my thoughts and think about what will happen when word gets out that Terry has become a victim of the murderer. Something tells me that after this death, citizens are going to start noticing that people are going missing but will the people of Small Town realise the danger they are in, or will they completely ignore the fact that there’s a killer out there on a murdering spree?
I’m lost in thought that I don’t realize the door to the bathroom opening. The steam from the water covers the shower door hiding whoever it is that’s entered unannounced. My heart starts beating when I think the worst is going to happen.
‘Who’s there?’ I try to sound confident but my voice trembles instead.
‘Relax, it’s just me.’ I relax the moment I hear Ryder’s soothing voice. ‘I did knock but I didn’t hear you answer, so I thought I’d check on you just to make sure you’re doing okay.’
I sigh and try to cover myself from Ryder even though he can’t see me, ‘I’m sorry, I was just thinking about Terry and how people are going to react when they start realizing that him and Mr. Daniels are gone.’
Ryder stands in front of the shower door where I can see his silhouette, ‘We will find whoever’s killing these people. They’ll make a mistake, they’ll get caught and we’ll be there when they do.’
Why do I not feel reassured?
I turn off the water and sit myself down on the tile floor, ‘I just can't believe he’s gone. I mean, what am I supposed to do when I show up at the diner tomorrow? Do I act like nothing’s happened or what?’
‘Going to the diner tomorrow if this gets out might not be a great idea. The killer might be there looking for its next victim, and for some reason they targeted Terry and all I can think about is what if it results in you getting hurt.’
‘Why would I get hurt? I’ve done
absolutely nothing, they’ve already hurt me by killing two people that I considered a friend.’
Ryder sighs, ‘Just stay away from the diner at least until the questions stop.’
‘And how long will that be?’
Ryder shrugs, ‘I don’t know but from now on we’re gonna watch ourselves because for all we know the person who took those photos of you could be the same person killing these people.’
I sigh, ‘Ryder they have photos of me shifting, I’m so sorry to put you in this position.’
Ryder says nothing other than opens the shower door.
I bring my knees closer to my chest. He’s seen me in this state more than once, but I can’t bring myself to ask him to leave.
Ryder comes to sit next to me with his legs stretched in front of him, ‘Don’t ever apologise when it’s not your fault.’
I look at him, ‘But it is my fault, I should’ve been more careful or at least hid somewhere in the forest, out of sight.’
Ryder shakes his head, ‘It’s their fault for trespassing on private property so stop blaming yourself Alice. They shouldn’t have been there in the first place.’
A moment of silence passes.
‘Ryder I have to tell you something.’
‘What is it?’
'It's about Max.'
Ryder tenses his jaw and nods.
I clear my throat, ‘When Max came to school on his first day, we talked about stuff, and he told me something about his mum that I found out was a lie.’
He indicates me to go on.
‘He told me that his mum works at the hospital and last night I asked my mum if she works with someone with the surname Fields, but the thing is, she told me that she’s never come across that name before, and my mother’s worked there for over twenty years. Why would he lie about something like that?’
Ryder shows no expression other than a slight frown on his face, ‘I don’t know.’
‘Look, I think you’re right about staying away from him because ever since he came to Small Town, it’s like everything’s fallen apart or something’s gone wrong, the lies and that mysterious recovery he had after being in a fight. And I’m sure after last night's fight he’s probably recovered by now.’
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