Howl (Howl Book 1)

by Kalani Zoldyck

  "That's not answering my question." I pushed, even though I already knew the answer. I knew that Pavel hadn't told Nathaniel about his new tattoos… and he wouldn't until he absolutely had to.

  "It hasn't come up." Pavel ignored my gaze.

  "You'll have to tell him eventually." I told him, "The entire pack knows about them. Nathan will find out sooner or later."

  Pavel sighed angrily, "I know."

  "And it'd sound a lot better coming from you than any of us." I nudged Pavel's shoulder with mine and met his gaze pointedly.

  Then he surprised me by laughing.

  "What?" I was suddenly self-conscious.

  He shook his head, "You seem older than me sometimes." He dragged his feet and kicked a stone out of his way as he walked. I adjusted my hat so the sun wasn't in my eyes. "You're my voice of reason."

  "Don't be a suck up." I scolded him, "It doesn't matter how many compliments you throw my way, I'm not letting you off the hook. You have to tell your dad eventually."

  He growled through his teeth, but not in a real angry way, "You know how he is, El! He's impossible to talk to!"

  I huffed. I knew, more than most, how Nathaniel was.

  "He won't understand." Pavel ranted, "Talking to my dad is like talking to a brick wall. He only hears what he wants to."

  I nodded, "You have to present it in a way he'll hear it."

  "How the hell can I do that? Every time a subject other than work comes up, he gets defensive and we start screaming at each other!" Pavel kicked the ground and a wave of dust went spiraling out in front of us.

  I wasn't really sure how to help Pavel. Nathaniel was one of the oldest werewolves in the world and he was more stubborn than I was.

  "You just need to keep a level head; if you don't get angry, than he won't get as defensive." I supplied.

  Pavel shook his head at me, "I hate when you're like this."

  I scoffed, "Like what?"

  "All calm and rational." He was still shaking his head, "I'd rather you argue with me, like you do with Gabriel, than give me good advice."

  I laughed, I couldn't help it. "You want me to give you bad advice, then?"

  "I don't want you to give me any advice. Then I wouldn't have any way to tell my dad about the tattoos, and he'd never find out." Pavel pulled on his shirt in an annoyed fashion. His tone was amused.

  I laughed, "Nathan would find out eventually."

  "How? If I didn't tell him, and you didn't tell him," He gave me a look, "Then how would he find out?"

  "Alex knows. He'd tell him." I told him reasonably.

  Pavel let out an aggravated howl, "How does he know?"

  "Alex knows everything." I reminded him with a smirk.

  Pavel let out a strangled groan and jogged ahead of me. I had no choice but to follow.

  We went about a half a mile before a shrill laugh cut through the air.

  I froze in my steps, and Pavel did the same a few strides ahead of me.

  "Who was that?" I glanced over at Pavel. His eyes were hard as he concentrated, then a grin spread over his lips.

  "Let's go." He grabbed my hand and pulled me along side him as he ducked off the path and ran through the trees.

  "Where are we going?" I was panting in my attempt to keep up with him. His hand was tight around mine, but instead of being reassuring it was an obstacle. I had to split my attention between the ground below me and the trees around me. I didn't want to trip us both.

  Pavel's grip tightened as we rounded a corner and then he just stopped.

  I was more out of breath than he was and it took me a few seconds to recover. Once I did I realized he had brought me to the river.

  About nine members of the pack were there.

  It actually shocked me by the number of my packmates that had also been left behind. I guessed I had been too self-centered to remember all of them.

  "Hey guys," I greeted them with a smile as I walked into the cool shadows the trees around us made.

  Leah and her seven year old son, Steven, smiled at me as soon as I appeared.

  "I wondered where you two had run off to." Leah was obviously the adult in charge of this 'pool' party. The rest were around my age or younger.

  I sidestepped the edge of the river and sat down beside her. Leah's soft blond hair was in a loose ponytail. I could see a thin line of a still healing scar at the base of her neck. It had been about two years since Leah had been changed and she still held a few battle wounds from the experience.

  "We just took off; not really going anywhere." I glanced back, looking for Pavel, and saw him pulling his shirt back on. I frowned at him. It wasn't like the pack didn't know about his tattoos. I didn't understand why he kept trying to hide them.

  When I turned back I saw Leah nodding. "Chris, is that really necessary?"

  I followed her gaze and saw Chris, a 15 year old with absolutely no werewolf features, standing in the middle of the river holding Martin's head under water.

  "Let him go!" I commanded.

  "Sometimes it scares me how much you sound like Alex." Pavel sat down beside me. Our legs dangled over the edge and slipped into the cool water.

  I frowned at him, but didn't pay him much mind.

  "Sorry!" Chris called back to us.

  Martin shook himself off. Compared to Martin, Chris looked like a scrawny chess geek. His bleach hair was short, without any curl, and his eyes were the color of dirt. Chris was tall, but had no muscle. I've told him to enjoy looking like a regular teenager, because once he reached 17 it would be gone forever.

  "So why are you the babysitter today?" I asked, splashing Steven as soon as he slipped into the water.

  He splashed me back and I held up my arms to shield me from most of the wave.

  I squealed as the cold water soaked into my clothes. It was freezing against my stomach!

  Leah was laughing beside me, "I volunteered actually."

  I laughed too, "Wow. I don't think that's ever happened before. These guys are at their worst when they come here."

  "Hey!" Martin and Odolf yelled at me; offended.

  I just shrugged at them; grinning.

  "I just needed something to do." Leah told me, "I had to get out of the house and away from everything."

  I understood completely!

  "Do you miss Johan?"

  "Do you miss your parents?" She countered.

  I cracked a sad smile, "Touché."

  We settled into a comfortable silence and played lifeguards to the pack. No one was that terrible, but there were a few times when we sent Pavel in to break a few of the guys apart.

  The day went by pretty fast and soon it was past four. We were still laying in the shade.

  I never wanted to leave. The river was the perfect place to forget about everything. The water was cool against my skin, the trees shielded me from the harsh sun, and my pack was surrounding me. It was perfect.

  I heard someone behind me and I spun around.

  "Ah," Gabriel sighed, "I wanted to scare you." He was only in his swimming trunks. He looked like he had already been in, even though I knew he hadn't been, because water was streaming down his bare chest.

  I didn't respond, I just smiled and turned back to the pack.

  "Hey Gabriel…" Sean's voice cut through the pack's laughter and I couldn't help but go tense. It wasn't that I didn't like Sean; I just thought there was something off about him.

  It was probably because I hadn't known him for that long. He had been changed about seven months ago and came to live with us after Michael and Nathaniel found him on the streets of London. His was from the streets. I could tell by the attitude he gave out. He definitely hadn't been brought up with old fashioned traditions and rules like most of us had.

  Sean had a harsh German accent and he often switched back and forth before his first language and English. That didn't bother me though. Part of the pack was German and we all understood it.

  "… I think your brother's seriousness is r
ubbing off on Elaine!" He was wading in the water. Even though he was talking to Gabriel his eyes were on me.

  There was something about his smirk, and the look in his eyes, that irked me.

  "What does that mean?" Gabriel was directly behind me. I felt the trim of his shorts graze against my bare shoulder.

  "She hasn't gotten in the water!" Odolf answered for him.

  I arched an eye brow at Sean, "What does that have to do with anything? I just went running. I don't feel like swimming." There was an edge to my voice.

  Sean caught my tone and I watched as his hazel eyes lightened.

  Sean always treated me like a child. That's what really bothered me about him. I didn't think he had any right to treat me differently. I was only a few months younger than him and had been part of his pack before he even knew werewolves existed. He made me feel small and was always acting like I was below him.

  "Maybe you just need a shower, then."

  My eyes went wide when I caught on to what Gabriel meant, and instantly tried to get away from him.

  I wasn't fast enough.

  Gabriel grabbed me around the waist and pulled me hard against him. "What do you think guys?"

  Every guy in that river cheered. I wanted to smack each and every one of them upside the head. I couldn't believe it!

  "You wouldn't dare." I hissed back to Gabriel.

  "You obviously forgot who first introduced you to the rush of breaking a rule. I dare to do everything." Gabriel's chest vibrated with laughter and then suddenly I wasn't against him anymore.

  I screamed, and I squeezed my eyes shut just as water consumed me.

  Chapter Five

  I shoved the low branches out of my face and broke through the tree line. About eight or so sets of footsteps pounded on the ground behind me. They sounded like the band of elephants in the animated Jungle Book movie.

  The air was thick and heavy as I trudged across the lawn. My clothes still clung to my skin. Instead of being cold like ice, like the water had first been, my clothes were warm and groggy. Sweat poured down my neck and my hat wasn't helping shield the sun now that I was out of the safety of the trees.

  A light breeze whipped around me and I shuddered as goose bumps ran up my skin.

  There wasn't much to do after that. I was dripping wet and even though I knew my parents wouldn't have minded, I didn't want to soak my house with water. So, that left me on the back deck. It was a lot smaller than the front porch, and only had a picnic bench on it.

  I stretched out across the bench style seat. I folded my left arm underneath my neck while the other fell over the side of the bench. I couldn't deny that laying there was comfortable, but I couldn't relax.

  My recent fights with Gabriel kept flashing through my mind. They reminded me of the times I had crossed Nathaniel… except the ones with Gabriel normally ended better.

  I squeezed my eyes shut as the sun grew brighter. My eyelids glowed orange, and I had to force myself not to open them.

  After about twenty minutes or so my clothes were dry. I felt sluggish as I stood and went into the house. Our air conditioner must have been on full blast. I was taken over with violent shivers as soon as I stepped inside the kitchen.

  "Cassie?" I called edgily. I ran my hands up my arms in a poor attempt at creating some warmth.

  There was no answer. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was about five. I knew that Cassiel liked to sleep in, but there was no way he'd gone all that time without getting off that couch.

  I rushed into the living room and found it empty.

  "Marco?" I called out hopefully. I waited, but was only met with silence. Then my gaze flickered to the door. There was a note taped to the window. I snatched it off the surface and read the one word that was written sloppily across is.

  Downstairs

  I kicked my shoes off in the foyer before jogging down to the basement. Unlike the day before, all of the lights were on. I heard the intense vibration of a bass pounding through the air and I followed it to the second anger management room.

  Cassiel was lying on his back with his feet propping on the back wall. His arms were folded neatly behind his back and he was staring blankly up at the ceiling.

  Metallica was blaring from the stereo. I shuddered inwardly. Metallica was my angry music, but Cassiel only listened to it when he was really upset. Normally it meant he needed to rant about something.

  I cautiously walked over to him. I didn't think he'd heard me come in and I didn't need him jumping out of his skin when I came up beside him.

  "How was your run?" Cassiel asked a little too calmly, with his eyes still closed, as I got down on the mat and mimicked his position.

  I yawned, "It was alright… until I got all wet."

  I watched Cassiel's brows furrow together in confusion, and was surprised when he didn't ask me about my comment. "I have two words for you," I stretched my words out dramatically, "Gabriel's mean."

  My bad attempt at getting him to crack a smile failed.

  I pursed my lips and waited for my friend to come to me. He wasn't usually hard to crack. For one thing, Cassiel never could keep a secret.

  The minutes ticked by and when the song changed, and Cassiel's mouth remained shut, I got worried.

  "What's up with you?" I peered expectantly over at him, as if I asking him to talk would immediately open his mouth.

  Cassiel just held his breath for a few seconds, and then let it out in one big huff. "This is an anger management room, isn't it? I'm managing my anger, El." He spoke to me like I was five years old and I immediately narrowed my eyes at his tone.

  "Well, if you're going to do that, you're going to need an anger management counselor." I sniped.

  There weren't many times when Cassiel didn't laugh at my jokes, but this was one of them. He sent me a blank stare, and I could only frown. I wasn't sure what to do.

  "I'm alright, El. I just want some time by myself."

  Even though I understood that, I didn't want to leave him. "Won't you just tell me what's wrong?" I tensed up and rolled over so my stomach wasn't exposed, out of habit, and saw Gabriel sticking his head inside the room.

  "It's almost the full moon, El, maybe it's just his time of the month." Gabriel snickered.

  I glared at him, "Can't you give us a minute?"

  "Can't you give me a minute?" Cassiel asked with attitude.

  I scoffed, but got to my feet. "We're not finished here, Cassiel. I'll get you to talk to me somehow." I wasn't exactly threatening him, just warning him.

  I saw Cassiel crack a grin before Gabriel shut the door behind me.

  "I'm heading into town, you want to come?" He asked. The first thing I noticed was that Gabriel had changed. He was now in a pair of dark blue jeans and a suede brown jacket.

  "You're sending me mixed signals, Gabriel." I mocked him as we headed up the stairs. "You were the one who told me I wasn't allowed to go out during a battle." Then I mimicked his tone, with a smirk tugging at my lips as his scowl deepened, "What if the battle moved? I could get killed in seconds."

  I pushed open the door and laughed when I heard Gabriel growl behind me.

  "Does that mean you don't want to come?"

  I shook my head, "Really, all I want to do is change out of these clothes." Then I fixed him with a glare, "Thanks to you."

  Then Gabriel grinned.

  My eyes widened in shock. Gabriel didn't smile very often… especially when I was around.

  "We're bringing back pizza." Gabriel nudged my shoulder as he walked past me. I laughed, and I followed him with my gaze.

  Once he was out the front door I headed upstairs.

  CL

  Water drops fell from the ends of my long dark hair and soaked the shoulders of my robe as I opened the door. The steam from the bathroom followed me out into the hall.

  I heard the familiar noise of poker night down in the kitchen. The guys didn't seem to be having any trouble situating to the change of having no adults ar
ound.

  With a sigh I slipped into my room. My room was incredibly simple. I wasn't one to have knickknacks around in my space. I really only have three decorations. There were three picture frames around my room.

  The first and largest was above my bed. It was a blown up picture of the clearing with the entire pack in the center of it. My favorite part of the picture was the pair of bunny ears that Alex had stuck behind Gabriel's head.

  I had a picture frame on my tall dresser. It was collage style with pictures of me and the Durand brothers during our weekend trip to London three years before. I swore, it was the only pictures I had of all four brothers together.

  The last was my favorite. It was on my desk and was of Josh and I. He was in his wolf form with a Frisbee in his mouth. It had taken about an hour to convince him to let me take a picture of him like that. He still flinched whenever he saw it, but I loved it.

  I sighed and turned my back on the picture. I didn't particularly want to think about him at that moment. But, in the back of my mind, I started wondering where he was and whether or not he was alright.

  Then I changed into a pair of knee length running shorts and a gray tee. My hair was wavy and still wet as I jogged down the stairs.

  The smell of warm and cheesy pizza filled my senses and my mouth watered out of hunger. "You guys had better saved me some." I gave them a playful glare before heading over to the stack of large pizza boxes.

  "The plain pizza is by the sink." Chris told me.

  I glanced over my shoulder, ready to thank him, when I saw the basement door open. Cassiel walked up with headphones in his ears and his CD player in his hands.

  I didn't have to guess what he was playing. It was turned up so loud I could hear it from where I was. He had switched from Metallica to Bush. That was a small comfort. Bush was metal, but not as angry as Metallica was.

  "Thanks, Chris." I nodded towards the younger boy before turning back to my dinner. I loaded my paper plate with three slices before turning back to the guys.

  I didn't eat as much as the guys, but I could out eat every human girl I had ever met. It wasn't a werewolf thing, because I wasn't a full werewolf yet, but it was an athletic thing.