Gray Moon Rising: Seasons of the Moon

by S. M. Reine

  “Hey!” Yasir shouted, but the boy didn’t stop. He dropped to his knees to check on Stripes. “What happened? Where did it get you?”

  “My arm! My arm!”

  He checked his teammate’s arm. There was no sign of a bite, but there was a really big scrape on his elbow.

  “Get back on your feet, you idiot!” Yasir barked. “Jakob, with me!”

  They scrambled back to camp.

  The amount of damage two werewolves could do in ten seconds was incredible. Witches screamed and ran. The wolf with brown fur had a mouthful of wires from the generator and chewed them until the engine sputtered and died.

  But it was nothing compared to the gold wolf, which seemed to have gone crazy. It tore through tents, knocked over everything in its path, and snapped at witches. The women weren’t prepared for attack. All they could do was flee.

  In the middle of it all, Seth ran for the supply tent.

  Yasir chased him.

  He found the boy digging through the box of confiscated items. “What are you doing?” he demanded, seizing Seth by the shoulder.

  “I needed this.” He held up a cell phone. “And I needed to keep you guys from killing anyone else. That’s what the girls are doing. We’ll be out of here in a minute.”

  “Are you insane?”

  Seth shrugged. “Sorry.”

  Yasir was about ready to shoot the boy himself, but before he could decide what to do, the tent posts buckled. The canvas ripped. The gold werewolf stuck its head through the hole, slavering and wild-eyed.

  Maybe it was his imagination—werewolves didn’t think, not like humans did—but Yasir was almost certain that it looked at his hand on Seth’s arm and got angrier. It knocked the tent over to lunge for him.

  “Whoa!” Seth shouted, jumping in front of Yasir with his hands out. The werewolf stopped dead. “It’s okay! You don’t want to do that!”

  The werewolf twitched. A ripple spread through its fur. But it didn’t attack.

  Yasir grabbed a shotgun off the rack.

  He didn’t have time to load it and fire. Seth ran out of the tent, and the wolf followed him like a white-gold blur.

  They made a line straight for the forest.

  “Bekah!” Seth yelled, and the second wolf stopped mauling the generators to join them. The lights had already gone out in the RV and on all of the tents. The cables were totally destroyed.

  The brown wolf ran to him.

  At the same moment, Stripes and Jakob appeared. They dropped to their knees in front of their commander with shotguns and aimed.

  Everything moved in slow motion for Yasir. He processed the way they were aiming—with Seth in the line of fire—and the bounding motion of the werewolf as it jumped over a tent. Someone was about to get seriously hurt, and he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be the werewolves.

  “Stop!” Yasir yelled. “Stop!”

  Stripes shot him a disbelieving look. “Seriously?”

  Jakob got to his feet and took a step forward before Yasir grabbed his shoulder. “Leave them alone.”

  Seth met Yasir’s gaze over the back of the gold werewolf. “Thanks.”

  They rushed out of the camp. A sick feeling eased its way into Yasir’s gut as he watched them leave. “You let them go,” Stripes said. “What were you thinking?”

  “Seth’s not our enemy.”

  His teammates exchanged looks, and something subtle shifted in the unit’s dynamic in that moment.

  It reminded Yasir of the time he was on a special mission in Afghanistan. His commander at the time had snapped from the stress of fighting and had started to make bad decisions. Yasir and his brothers ended up taking charge, and the instant they agreed to do it had felt very much like what was happening between Stripes and Jakob.

  It was what happened when the men lost faith in the authority. But he wasn’t one of the soldiers anymore. He was the commander.

  “Check the damage to the generator,” Yasir said. Neither of them moved. “You heard me, Stripes. I won’t tell you again.”

  The other man moved, but it was slow. Jakob put a hand to his earpiece and switched channels so that Yasir wouldn’t hear his conversation. He walked away muttering to the commander of another unit.

  When both of them were gone, he let himself sag against a tree trunk and scrubbed a hand over his face. He usually didn’t dare show weakness in front of the men.

  “This is bad,” he said to the empty, destroyed camp.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Jealousy

  Rylie and Bekah ran without stopping for almost an hour. Seth struggled to keep up with them.

  He was afraid that he would have to fight Rylie to get her back to her human form, but when they finally stopped in a clearing well off the beaten path, she was the first to turn back. It only took a few seconds. She collapsed to her knees with a groan.

  “Are you okay?” Seth asked, grabbing her hand.

  She leaned her head into his shoulder. “I think so. Did I kill anyone?”

  “No. You did great.”

  Bekah shook herself out. “Did they follow us? Are we alive?”

  “I think we made it. I don’t feel dead, at least,” he said. He wrapped his arm around Rylie and helped her to her feet, but she didn’t need the support. “Now we just have to find our way back to the group.”

  “That won’t be a problem,” Bekah said, pointing.

  Seth looked up to see his brother rush through the forest to them, nose to the wind and a gun in his hand.

  “What is wrong with you?” Abel hissed, searching Rylie and Bekah with his eyes. Finding them both alive and unhurt didn’t seem to mollify him in the slightest.

  “What’s wrong with me?” Seth laughed. “Come on, man. I have Stephanie’s phone, and the Union won’t be able to use their equipment to find us now. We destroyed their generator. Mission successful.”

  “You left without telling me!”

  “You wouldn’t have let us go if you knew what we had planned. What else was I supposed to do?”

  “Not run off on a stupid suicide mission! That’s what!”

  “Don’t you think we should keep moving?” Rylie asked. “We’re not that far from the Union camp, and it’s kind of cold.”

  The guys fell into a tense, uncomfortable silence, and it followed them all the way up the mountain.

  They didn’t catch up until nightfall. The wolves had camped a mile away from the peak of Gray Mountain. There weren’t many trees to shield them at that elevation, and the wind was harsh and biting.

  Stephanie hurried over to meet them. “Did you get it?” she asked Seth, and he gave her the cell phone.

  Abel rolled his eyes. “Of course. This was your idea.”

  They ignored him.

  Stephanie turned on her cell phone. As soon as the screen loaded, she turned it off again. “No reception. I suppose that’s not a surprise. I’m sure I could get a signal on the highway.”

  “I’ll take you,” Seth said. “Now that the hunters don’t have sensors, two people should slip past them with no problem.”

  Abel puffed up his chest. “I’ll go, too.”

  “Very well. We should leave immediately.”

  Stephanie gathered her things. When Rylie moved to get up, too, Abel loomed over her. “Stay here and watch your kittens,” he said. He jerked his chin toward Bekah. “Especially that one.”

  Rylie rolled her eyes. “I didn’t find Bekah in a dumpster.”

  “You get the idea.”

  “Don’t listen to him. You can come if you want,” Seth said.

  “No, it’s fine with me,” Rylie said. She was pale and trembling. “I don’t mind keeping an eye on everything here. Just come back as fast as you can.”

  Seth kissed her goodbye, and then he left with Abel and Stephanie.

  The trip down the mountain took the better part of the day, even using the main trails. Traveling with a human doctor was completely different than traveling with two werewolves. Step
hanie had to take frequent breaks, and she refused to let Abel carry her.

  She turned her phone on periodically to see if she could find reception, but she didn’t get a single bar until they had passed the girls’ camp and had the highway in sight again. They didn’t run into a single hunter on the way—or any other werewolves, for that matter. The forest was eerily silent.

  “Where is everyone? You couldn’t go a half mile without tripping on another werewolf a couple of days ago,” Abel asked as Stephanie held the phone over her head in search of the best reception.

  “We haven’t seen anyone new in a couple of days,” she said. “I think our group is all that remains. It will make the Union’s job much easier to wipe everyone out when the full moon rises tomorrow night.”

  Seth gazed up at the mountain, wishing he could see where Rylie was camped at that moment. There were only about twenty wolves up there, although he hadn’t gotten a good count lately, and he didn’t know any names.

  Were those all the werewolves left in the entire world?

  He suddenly felt sad, but he wasn’t sure why. Seth had spent his entire life trying to destroy the werewolf population. But being on the verge of success wasn’t satisfying at all. After seeing his brother and his girlfriend go through the change, he wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but it didn’t seem fair to let them die out, either.

  Abel and Seth hung back to watch for attacks while Stephanie stood in the road to call.

  Her conversation with Scott didn’t last long. When she returned to them, her face was grim. “Levi’s heading up the mountain to be with Bekah. He already left. But Scott said he can’t get the van to us; they’ve destroyed part of the highway.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Abel said. “Scott’s van wouldn’t fit everyone. It’s only got ten seats. We could barely cram a dozen really friendly people in there.” He rolled his eyes. “And I know Rylie wouldn’t leave without everyone else.”

  “It seems that the wolves are trapped.” The doctor looked grim. “Well, I told Scott I would meet him down the road. It’s not safe for me to be with the pack anymore—I’m not interested in growing that much facial hair. If either of you would like to escape, this would be the time to do it.”

  The brothers exchanged looks.

  “Thanks, but we’ve got to finish this,” Seth said.

  Stephanie looked at them like she thought they were both crazy, but she shook Seth’s hand when she gave him the cell phone. “Good luck. Scott and I will see what we can do about getting another van. If you make it until tomorrow morning—and if the hunters don’t have you—then call me. We’ll rendezvous with the survivors and return to the sanctuary.”

  With that cheerful sentiment, she headed down the road. Abel pulled a face at her back. “Jeez. I can barely handle all the optimism.”

  They headed back up the mountain without talking. Abel completely ignored him. Seth had thought a lot about getting to see his brother again, but despite imagining their reunion a dozen different ways, he hadn’t expected such overt unfriendliness.

  He didn’t want to be the first to talk, but when they finally drew close to Camp Silver Brook, he got sick of the quiet.

  “Okay. What’s the problem, man?” Seth asked.

  Abel gave him a flat look and didn’t speak.

  “Do you still think I’m with the hunters, even after what we did at the outpost? Is that why you’ve been such a jerk to me for the last few hours?” he asked. After a moment, Abel shook his head stiffly. “Then what’s eating you?”

  His eyes were shadowed with thought. It took him a full minute to respond. “How’s this? If you hurt Rylie, I’ll break your head.”

  Seth’s eyes went wide. He couldn’t help it. His shock was shortly followed by a creeping suspicion, which he tried to suppress with a laugh. “Okay. What have you done with my brother?”

  But his brother didn’t laugh back. “I mean it.”

  Seth crossed his arms and stared down Abel. The older brother was a lot taller, a lot broader, and a lot stronger. And he had straightened his spine to show off every inch of that advantage he had. He was actually trying to be intimidating.

  Seth felt a little bit like he was going crazy. The last time he saw Abel, he had still been in denial about being a werewolf, and he blamed Rylie for what happened. A lot had apparently changed in the months since then.

  “What are you getting at?” Seth asked.

  “I know what you two did, and I’m saying, I’ll break your head if you hurt her,” Abel said.

  “That’s not your business, man.”

  “Like hell. She’s my pack.”

  “Your pack? Do you know what that sounds like?”

  “It sounds like I’m a werewolf, that’s what. And you know what else? I am a werewolf. We both are, me and Rylie.” He thumped his fist on his chest. “There’s no cure for this. It’s a life sentence. But we’ve been getting by okay on our own, getting through this together. What have you been doing? Going to school? Studying for college? Rylie could have used you these last few months.” His jaw tightened. “I could have used you.”

  “Gwyn needed me,” Seth said.

  “More than your brother and your girlfriend?”

  “Well, yeah. Neither of you are dying.” He stepped up, invading Abel’s space. “But this isn’t about that, is it? You’re jealous.”

  Abel barked a laugh. “Jealous?”

  “I’m not stupid, bro.”

  “And I don’t know what you’re getting at. Bro.”

  “You’ve got a thing for Rylie now. That’s what I’m getting at,” Seth said.

  He guessed Abel’s motion a heartbeat before he made it—the way his arms flexed, the shift in his weight. Seth ducked, and the punch swung harmlessly over his head. He drove his shoulder into Abel’s gut and knocked them both into a tree.

  A rock caught his foot. He lost his balance and tumbled, dragging Abel down with him.

  They slid a few feet down the hill, swinging useless kicks and punches at each other that couldn’t seem to land.

  The brothers splashed into a shallow part of the brook. Seth rose up and socked Abel squarely in the jaw. He had always been good at taking a hit, and he was even better since becoming a werewolf. It didn’t even faze him.

  Abel kicked Seth’s feet out from under him. Seth fell, and his head cracked on a rock.

  “Ouch! Hey, that hurt!” Seth sat up and touched the back of his neck. A little blood came away on his fingers.

  “You sissy. That wasn’t even a big rock.”

  Abel didn’t try to attack him again. He pulled Seth to his feet. They stood on separate parts of the bank to inspect their various scrapes in silence, which was a lot more comfortable than it had been before the fight.

  Once Seth decided he wasn’t concussed, he looked up at his brother, who had already healed completely. “Feel better now?”

  “No. I’m going to steal your girl.” Abel made an evil demon face with his eyes crossed and his tongue sticking out. Seth snorted.

  “You’re so full of it.”

  “I told you I would break your head, didn’t I?”

  Seth shoved him. Abel shoved him back. It wasn’t serious anymore. “Come on. Tell me what’s wrong. I won’t pick on you for being a big wimp and sharing your feelings. Scout’s honor.”

  Abel muttered a curse. “You know Rylie’s been thinking about killing herself?”

  “She mentioned it.”

  “So you get here, and it’s all better? She’s all smiles and sunshine again? You get to ride in with other hunters—with Mom—after being away for months, but you’ve still got the magical hero touch. And then you don’t listen to me. You argue with me, and disrespect me. But it’s all fine, because you’re the hero. I don’t get it. It’s bull.”

  “Seriously?”

  He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I was worried about you guys.”

  “Sorry,” Seth said.

  “So… yeah.” Abel th
rew a punch into Seth’s arm that didn’t hurt. “Me and Rylie are just pack. You know I wouldn’t do that to you anyway.”

  “Yep. I know.”

  “Great. Now come here, you stupid kid,” he said, holding out an arm.

  It was a short hug. Seth slammed his hand on Abel’s back, and his brother did the same for him. And then they took big steps back and didn’t look at each other.

  “You’re still ugly as sin,” Seth said. “And your goatee is stupid.”

  “And you’re still scrawny.”

  Which was pretty much brother speak for, “I missed you.” That was the best Seth thought he would ever get out of him. “Thanks for looking out for Rylie.”

  Abel snorted. “Whatever.” They trudged up the hill they had just fallen down, trying to shake themselves dry. Seth’s boots made a wet squelching noise with every step. “I’ll still break your head if you hurt Rylie.”

  “And what if I do the hurting?”

  The voice came from above.

  They looked up at the same time, but it wasn’t fast enough. A dark shape dropped from the branches.

  Eleanor landed on Abel, bringing her connected fists down on his skull with a crack. Even for a werewolf, the impact was too much. His eyes blanked immediately. He slumped, unconscious.

  Seth moved to draw his gun, but her pistol was already in her hand.

  “Forget about it,” she said, aiming it steadily toward his forehead. She drew a silver-bladed knife from her belt and pressed it to Abel’s throat. “Throw your gun down or I’ll end his life right now.”

  “You would kill your son?”

  She didn’t even falter. “I don’t have a werewolf son.”

  Seth dropped his gun. She picked it up and put it over her shoulder, then gestured. He realized that her thigh was bandaged. His shot the other night had hit its target, but it didn’t seem to have stopped her.

  “Link your hands behind your head and turn around. Walk that way. You’re coming with me,” she said.

  Pulse jackhammering in his throat, he did as she ordered.

  He heard a wet crunch as soon as he turned around. Seth spun.

  Eleanor had driven the knife into Abel’s stomach. He was unconscious and didn’t react.