Howl (Howl Book 1)

by Kalani Zoldyck

  "I'll take three." I glanced up at Sean's voice. He, Chris, Martin, and Odolf were sitting around the kitchen table with cards in their hands. When he met my gaze I waited for him to pull out his sarcastic comment cue cards.

  But he just turned back to his cards.

  I narrowed my eyes at him and tensed up. There wasn't a chance he was going to let the river thing go. I knew he had something up his sleeve.

  "Want a soda?" Cassiel's smooth voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I glanced back at him. The fridge door was open and his head was stuck inside it.

  "Sure." I took the Spite he handed me and sat at the island. Cassiel leaned against the counter beside me. He was rolling the can of Spite back and forth in his hands; avoiding my gaze.

  The poker game was pretty dull and after a while I tuned them out completely. I just ate and thought about what I could say to Cassie. I went over every line I overheard Alex use on some of the guys, but none of them seemed to work.

  I didn't know what he was going through, and it bothered me that he wasn't talking to me.

  "Cassie, can I talk to you for a second?" I pushed my empty plate away from me and slipped off the bar stool.

  Cassiel followed me into the living room and took a seat on the edge of the coffee table. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to go all Gabriel on you."

  I laughed, "You know, you have a point. You were kind of acting like Gabriel; all dry and sarcastic… and mean."

  He cracked a small grin, but I still saw the depressed glint in his eyes as he finally looked up at me. He obviously was still in the need of an anger management counselor.

  "Did something happen while I was on my run?" I quickly ran over all the times I'd ever seen Cassiel get like this in my mind. He normally had a melt down after the pack left, but it was always triggered by something. He never just started freaking out.

  Cassiel's smile wiped off his face and he fixed me with a blank look. He wasn't angry, but I didn't know what he was feeling.

  "Can't you just tell me?" I knew I was whining.

  "This is really bothering you, isn't it?" Cassiel asked me after a few seconds.

  I nodded hastily.

  Then, I was surprised when Cassiel busted into a grin. He closed in the space between us and kissed me on my temple, "Just leave it, El. Let me get through this by myself."

  I stood there, speechless, as Cassiel went back into the kitchen. I heard boisterous laughter and the common complaints from Chris who lost the hand… again.

  I spun around when I heard deep chuckles behind me. Pavel was closing the door behind him. His eyes landed on mine and I was instantly overwhelmed with the concern in his expression.

  "Listen to him, Elaine." Pavel came over to me. "You had to run away to get out your anger, don't push Cassie to do the same."

  I narrowed my eyes at him, "And you said I was calm and grown up." I fixed him a look when he walked past me. "And I didn't run away!" I heard Pavel laughing from the kitchen and I couldn't help but laugh, lightly, too. I couldn't believe how many times I had to repeat that sentence.

  The phone started to ring. I sighed and went to answer it, but Gabriel had already gotten the line from upstairs. I waited to see who it was, but Gabriel only said his name as a greeting before going back into his room.

  I didn't know what to do with myself. I didn't particularly want to hang with the guys, but I didn't want to spend the rest of the night sitting in the dark up in my room. So, I decided to go sit in the dark outside.

  I went on the front porch and sat on the steps. A few of the other houses were dark and lifeless and it was a sharp reminder of how many packmates weren't around. Then there were those who were lit up more than mine. Leah's house was like a Christmas tree and I fraternized with the idea of going over to check on her and Steven.

  The front door swung open and Gabriel, followed closely by Pavel, ran out of the house. The phone looked like it was permanently attached to Gabriel's ear, although he wasn't speaking into it.

  "Elaine, go inside." Gabriel ordered as he jogged down the stairs.

  Pavel gave me a light nudge towards the house before descending down the stairs himself, "We'll be back in a few minutes. Don't let the guys kill each other."

  I scoffed at the last order, but started going inside anyway. I watched the guys run across the yard towards the end houses. However, the night swallowed them before I could see where, exactly, they were headed.

  I hesitantly shut the door behind me and went into the kitchen. "Do you know where they went?" My eyes shot to Cassiel's.

  He shook his head, "They didn't even say anything."

  "Gabriel just grabbed Pavel by the arm and dragged him out of the kitchen; mid bite of pizza." Chris laughed while organizing his cards. He wasn't a very good player. I could see his entire hand from here, which meant the guys playing this round probably could too.

  "Maybe they went to have a romantic walk in the moonlight." I slowly turned to face Sean, who was leaning against the counter with a beer in his hands. I was sure Pavel hadn't seen that, otherwise it would have been in the trash.

  "Normally, I'd dare you to say that to Gabriel, but…" I trailed off. Gabriel would go berserk over that comment, "Then again, you should. I bet he'd get a kick out of it." My tone was dry and lifeless.

  Sean narrowed his eyes at me, "Trying to get rid of me, pup?"

  "Why would you ever think that?" I retorted with a more sarcastic tone. I saw movement beside me and glanced over to see Cassiel standing at my side.

  The silence was boring and I entertained the idea of putting in a movie, or at least I had been before Sean came over and leaned against the counter beside me.

  "What do you guys normally do while the pack's out?" He took a swig of his drink and I gave him, and the bottle in his hand, a hard look. I didn't like where he was going.

  Sean was still new to our ways. It took time for changed werewolves to get over their civilian lives and devote themselves to the pack. Sean was getting better, but I saw that he still craved things a human man did.

  "Normally we just hang around here." Odolf answered obediently.

  Sean grunted, "That's boring."

  "It's pretty much an order; to stay around here." I told him, "Alex doesn't like us roaming around the grounds when he's not here."

  "What does he think we're going to do?" Sean spat, "Set the town on fire?"

  I frowned deeply, but didn't say anything to provoke him. He was obviously thinking over something.

  "What about heading into London? Have you ever done that while Alex," He glanced at me, a smirk on his lips, as he used the casual form of our alpha's name. That bothered me right away. Not a lot of people called our alpha by his first name, let alone Alex. It didn't seem right that a guy like Sean, new to the pack and our ways, called him Alex with such little care. "was gone?"

  "Never." I told him instantly.

  "That's not true, El." Odolf was thinking. "You went to stay with Nathan about a year ago, before Sean came."

  Cassiel snorted at my side, "That's a little different than what Sean has in mind."

  Sean was still smirking when I glanced at him, "I think London is a good idea. We can get out, stretch our legs, and have a little fun."

  I couldn't believe this! Where the hell was Gabriel? He was supposed to be here so things like that didn't happen.

  "Gabriel's not going to go for that." I pushed myself off the counter and looked at Sean squarely in the eyes.

  A low growl rumbled in his chest, "That's why he's not going to find out, pup." I felt a shift in the room and growled right back at the male.

  "It's not that big of a deal, El. Michael and a lot of the guys go into the city all the time." Odolf told me near the back of the room.

  "Michael's the beta and doesn't need to get permission to go into the city." I wasn't talking to Odolf. Sean was the one who needed to hear this, "You, however, barely rank above the omega." I arched my right eyebrow at Sean as I wat
ched his anger flare in his eyes.

  He took a step forward, so we were barely an inch apart, and towered over me like a predator. I didn't back down. If anything I growled even more. There wasn't a chance in hell that I was letting this idiot push me around in my own house.

  "You talk real big for someone who isn't even in the ranks yet." Sean glowered.

  A few guys moved around somewhere behind me, "Back off Sean." It surprised me to hear Chris stand up for me.

  But I didn't need it, "I may not change with the pack on the full moons, but I've been in the ranks before you knew anything about them." I pushed him back a step using my knowledge of pressure points, which surprised him, "Which is something I think you should learn; fast."

  I heard the front door slam open and waited for Gabriel's wrath to take over the room. I had been sure he could hear us. It wasn't like it was hard. Werewolves were like phone tabs, except they didn't try to snoop on a conversation… most of the time.

  Gabriel stormed into the kitchen. He didn't look very happy, "Sean, you're with me." Gabriel gestured to him with the antenna of his cell phone. I stood there staring at him.

  "What's going on?" The words flew out of my mouth.

  Gabriel ignored me, "Let's go." He made a winding gesture with his hand. "Pavel, you're in charge. If anyone comes within a mile of this house that isn't part of the pack, page me immediately."

  A silent warning reflected in Sean's eyes as he passed me, "Don't go swimming while we're gone." I recognized the double meaning instantly. He was telling me not to spill the beans to Pavel.

  I glared right back at him and grudgingly folded my arms over my chest. I watched him and Gabriel leave, and waited till the door closed before turning to Pavel, "He's such an ass."

  CL

  That night I lay awake on my bed. All the lights were out, but I could still make out every shape of my furniture. The moon shone through my curtain-less windows and into the room.

  I closed my eyes and listened to the silence of the night. Most of the pack had gone home, except Pavel and Cassie. I knew Cassiel had taken over the living room as him room and was most likely sprawled out across the couch with the television on. I had no idea where Pavel was. He had sent me to my room shortly after Gabriel left. He could feel the tension that had built in the kitchen, and didn't like it.

  It was around three in the morning when I heard the back door slide open. I slipped off my bed and crawled silently over to my door.

  "I caught a scent near the bridge." I heard Gabriel's muffled voice through the door and frowned.

  Had the enemy really come into our territory? I hated the idea immediately. It meant Alex had been wrong, and that was something I'd never willingly accept.

  "But it vanished in the water." Gabriel added. I heard the screeching sound of a chair sliding on the floor. "I don't want anyone leaving this clearing from now on. If they're traveling in the water I don't know what we can do. There isn't a way to track them that way."

  I laid flat on my stomach and rested my chin on my folded arms.

  "Do you think the battle in the outskirts was a distraction?" Pavel asked after a few seconds.

  "Hope for that pack, that it's not." That was all Gabriel said. Then I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I quickly pushed myself away from the door. I tried to calm my panicked heart, but it wouldn't slow.

  The footsteps slowed to a stop in front of my door. I waited for the door to open, because Gabriel wasn't one to knock and ask for permission.

  But it didn't. The footsteps started up again until they reached the guest room. Only when the door opened and shut did I start to relax.

  Gabriel's accusation and Pavel's assumption haunted my thoughts and my dreams that night.

  CL

  I waited like a hunter trapping its prey as the day turned to night. My clothes reflected the sky and I blended in perfectly. My place in the tree masked my scent and I wasn't worrying about getting caught. My mind was only on one thing. And he was opening my living room window.

  With the clumsiness of a teenager Cassiel climbed out onto the front deck. His sneakers padded softly against the porch and I mentally screamed at him.

  I had wished so hard that I was going to be wrong. Normally I hated being wrong, but this time I didn't want to believe Cassiel could be this foolish.

  He was in a dark hoodie and jeans. The look on his face when he thought he got away with his plot sent a growl up my chest. I knew what it was like to get away with something like this. It was nothing I'd ever forget.

  The first time I had snuck out of the house, I was meeting up with Sebastian. He didn't want the pack to know he was in town and asked me to keep it on the down low. I was eleven years old and didn't even tell Cassiel about Seb's surprise visit.

  The night went smoothly. Seb took me into the city and we went to dinner. We got pizza and slushies and he told me all about what he was doing. He walked with me back until we got to the edge of the tree line. From there on I was on my own. I climbed on my roof and slipped through my open window… only to find Michael sitting at my desk. I had, not only, been crushed at being caught on my first high stakes adventure, but panicked because I thought Michael was going to ground me for the rest of my life.

  However, Michael kept it between us. I don't even think, now, my parents knew about that. I was sure, however, that Alex knew. Like I told Pavel a few days before, Alex knew everything.

  Cassiel bolted off the porch and I watched him run across the lawn towards the tree line.

  I gritted my teeth and dropped from the tree. I landed in a crouch and ran in his direction. I moved swift and silently, and made sure that no one was following me.

  I slowed to a walk when I heard Odolf's excited voice. He, and about four others, was huddled beside the river.

  "Where's Sean?" Cassiel asked.

  "He's pulling the jeep around." Odolf said.

  I knew I probably resembled a Luperco with my deadly glare and serious features, so I wasn't surprised when the guys who were facing me, Odolf and Martin, backed away when I came out of my hiding place.

  "You guys are stupid if you think Gabriel doesn't know about this trip." I snapped at them, making Cassiel and Chris spin around in shock.

  "What are you doing here, El?" Chris's voice was high with panic.

  I glared at him, "I'm doing what Gabriel's about to do." I growled at them, "You guys know absolutely nothing about sneaking out of the house! Never leave before he does his rounds at 10:25. He's about to check on you, Cassie, and when he sees you're not there he's going to be here like someone lit the house on fire."

  I was so angry that I just started ranting. I yelled at them a few minutes more before I heard someone behind me.

  Sean narrowed his eyes at me when he saw me, "Change your mind, pup?"

  I scoffed, "Like I'd ever trust my life to you." I wouldn't get in the car with Sean if I could help it. I'd never been a passenger to his driver, and I didn't really want to try it on for size.

  "Guys, don't do this. If we go back now, and go to the pack house, Gabriel will never hear about this from me." I swore to them.

  I could see Chris mulling this over, but the others were stuck in their decision.

  "For once in your life, Cassiel don't be a follower." I whirled around to face him.

  Then someone's hand wrapped around my mouth. "You scream once and I'll snap your neck." Sean hissed dangerously in my ear.

  Cassiel's eyes flashed with panic and anger and he took a step towards us.

  I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Sean's cliché line. He wouldn't dare do something like that to me. If I got home with one bruise on my skin Gabriel would throw Sean through the first wall he saw.

  So I slammed my heel on Sean's instep and jabbed him in the stomach with my elbow.

  He threw me to the ground.

  A rock dug into my side and I let out a scream of pain. Cassiel stalked past me and punched Sean across the jaw before the changed werewo
lf even saw him coming.

  Sean made a sound in the back of his throat, but I wasn't really paying attention. I wasn't going to let Cassiel have all the fun. Alexander hand rules made, that were mainly for me. In those rules it states that I'm not allowed to fight unless it's for self defense. That meant now.

  I stood in a loose fighting stance and waited for Sean to stand upright again.

  However, I didn't get my chance to throw a punch. In the blink of an eye he had my arms wrapped behind my back with my chest shoved into the trunk of a tree.

  "Alright, I see I'm going to have to use force," Sean seemed more annoyed than anything else, "Odolf, get the back door. I'm going to London and I'm not letting you," He pushed me further into the bark. I felt bruises already starting to form, "stop me."

  Then I was shoved through the forest. Cassiel stayed beside me. I could tell he was upset by the change of events, and I was so angry that he wasn't doing anything about it!

  When we reached the end of the path I saw the pack jeep parked in the moonlight. I faintly wondered how he got the keys, but didn't dwell on it.

  I was shoved into the back, between Martin and Cassie, and watched helplessly as Sean started the jeep and whipped us out onto the road.

  Even though I wasn't officially a werewolf I had taken lots of anger management sessions. Alex thought it would be good for me to start early, so when my anger grew twice its size after I changed, I wouldn't let it take control. The first thing I learned was to hold in my anger. Alex often told me to put my anger in a box, and lock it until he or one of the counselors could help me let it out.

  Right now my box was pulsing. I felt my hands trembling in my lap, but I didn't really notice. My attention was on the road. I watched as we drove through town and got on the main highway.

  Very slowly, I unleashed some of my anger.

  I directed it at Cassiel, "This is all your fault."

  He sighed, and for the first time that day he laughed, "This is the first time that Gabriel's going to be after us for something I did."

  I glared openly at him as he laughed.

  Chapter Six

  My eyes darted back and forth from the road, to Sean, and to the window. I knew my way to London pretty well and knew that we'd be approaching the city in about a half an hour… or faster if I counted on Sean's driving.