Oath Keeper

by Shelley Wilson

  ‘Hey, Mia.’

  He gave me that lopsided grin that melted my heart but all I could do was huff. I didn’t have a clue how I’d partly changed into whatever the hell I was so I was clueless as to how I changed back to me; to Mia, the human girl.

  A tear slid down my cheek. Cody caught it on his thumb and brushed it away. He pulled me into a tight embrace and allowed me to sob into his chest. His scent was safe and comforting, and I melted into him. I reached up to cling to his shirt and noticed my hands were normal, no claws and no deep wounds. I broke out of Cody’s embrace and touched my face. No fangs. I was me again.

  ‘You okay?’

  I was shaking so much that my voice wobbled when I spoke.

  ‘Yeah, I think so.’

  ‘Want to tell me what happened?’

  ‘I found Sebastian; he’s in a storage facility in the woods. I followed Lizzie’s scent but found him instead. I lost it. I felt so angry with him, with the academy, and with myself.’

  He pulled me close again and whispered into my hair.

  ‘Why are you so angry with yourself?’

  ‘Because I haven’t turned, or hadn’t, and I didn’t think I ever would. Where does that leave me, or us, or me and Zak?’

  ‘You know what I think?’

  I shrugged and snuggled into his arms.

  ‘I think you worry too much.’

  I laughed and leaned back to look up at him. His blonde hair flopped into his eyes, and I brushed it away with my fingertips. His smile lit up his face, and I felt the ice in my heart begin to melt again. He dipped his head to mine and kissed me gently. All the worry over Sebastian, the academy, my abnormal transformation evaporated as his lips moved over mine.

  A small cough behind us broke the magic spell, and we wrenched ourselves apart.

  Zak was watching my exchange with Cody with sad eyes. I knew he’d be mad at me for running off and being reckless, and he was probably as confused about my half turn as I was, but part of me didn’t have the energy to care. He might be my flesh and blood, but I was still getting to know him. Elizabeth was my family, and I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

  ‘The GA are holding Lizzie for questioning. I’m going to get her back as soon as it’s dark.’

  I was expecting an argument, or at the very least some resistance from him, but instead, Zak dragged his big hands through his hair and said, ‘Okay, but you take Terry and Cody with you.’

  He turned to address the assembled pack members. ‘If they want a fight, then we’re going to give them one.’

  He looked every inch the alpha as he took charge and I felt a surge of pride as I watched the assembled group nod their approval.

  Cody threaded his fingers into mine, and I relaxed, relishing the warmth of his touch. The heaviness in my chest lifted, and I smiled, feeling calmer and happier than I had in a long while. Finally, I was going to get the opportunity to be a proud member of my brother’s pack.

  ZAK PULLED MY collar up around my neck in an affectionate gesture.

  ‘Watch your back, stay sharp, and let Terry take the lead.’

  I nodded, stopping myself from pointing out it was Elizabeth and me who rescued Terry from Hood Academy when Felicity and her goons captured him several months earlier. In Zak’s warped world anything I’d done before living under his roof didn’t count. I was his little sister, and he wasn’t going to let me forget it.

  ‘Ready?’ Cody poked his head around the doorframe, a black hat encasing his head camouflaging his brassy blonde hair.

  Smiling up at my brother I spun on my heel and followed Cody out into the night.

  Terry was waiting for us beyond the garden gate, and several of the pack had gathered to watch us leave. Having them there disturbed me, and part of me wanted to question their reason for congregating. Their furtive glances to one another told me there was something going on that I wasn’t a part of.

  Before I could ask the question, Cody had herded me out of the gate and off towards the treeline. As we stepped into the dark forest, any worries I had evaporated.

  CREEPING AROUND THE grounds of Hood Academy at night brought back a tsunami of thoughts and emotions. It wasn’t that long ago that sneaking out after dark was a highlight because it meant a rendezvous with Cody.

  My heart soared as I glanced across at my werewolf boyfriend. I had never imagined it would be possible for me to have anyone to share my thoughts with. My home life had resembled a prison, and my brief stay with Sebastian at school had been turbulent at best. Cody was like a solid anchor keeping me safe. After Zak’s brotherly outburst I’d worried that my time with Cody was coming to an end. It was my intention, after this night, that Zak would be able to trust in my abilities and understand that Cody and I being together wouldn’t affect his precious pack.

  ‘Do you have any idea where they would keep her?’ Terry whispered as we reached the black expanse of lawn that backed onto the property.

  I had visions of her chained to the same gurney they’d used for Terry down in the bowels of the academy, but a shadow caught my eye and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  ‘She’s there.’ I pointed at the patio doors that led to Adam’s old room. It was apt that they would lock Elizabeth in that room surrounded by memories of her lost love. It was also the same place Terry and I had escaped from before Sebastian chased after us. A shiver skittered down my spine.

  ‘Well, that’s handy.’ Terry’s wide grin made me giggle as I realised he was remembering the same thing. ‘Let’s hope your dad hasn’t been left in charge of the key to the gun cupboard.’

  I rolled my eyes and thumped him on the arm, and his warm laugh rumbled from deep in the back of his throat. Sebastian had shot Terry that night but he recovered quickly thanks to his werewolf healing. I didn’t know if I had that ability to heal. I was half a wolf, or a wannabe werewolf as Lizzie liked to call me. If I got shot, I’d probably bleed out and die.

  ‘We’ll circle the lawn using the trees for cover. Cody, I want you to keep watch on the perimeter and warn us if anyone approaches.’

  Cody nodded and melted into the forest. A warmth spread through my chest at Terry’s decision. It would have been much easier to leave me behind in the trees as a lookout, but instead he trusted me to work with him. If only my brother felt the same.

  As we approached the back of the academy, I saw Elizabeth through the partially closed curtains. She was sitting on the end of Adam’s bed with her head bent forward and her hands bound in her lap. Her slumped posture worried me. Elizabeth had grown over the months we’d known each other. She’d been a sweet and innocent girl who flourished into an accomplished hunter. The girl in that room looked broken and terrified.

  I half stood ready to rush towards the patio doors, but Terry was quick to pull me down to my knees.

  ‘Wait! Not yet.’ He nodded at the gap in the curtains once more as two men in black trousers and matching jumpers walked in front of the window. The GA. I tuned into my wolf senses and heard the faint rumbling of an authoritative voice.

  ‘It’s imperative that you cooperate, miss. This establishment has become a laughing stock and I, for one, will not allow its reputation to remain in ruins. A displaced headmaster, a student running off with the local werewolf pack. Surely you understand why we need to carry out this review.’

  Elizabeth nodded, her long blonde hair shielding her face.

  ‘Where did Miss Roberts go? Does Dr Roberts still have contact with her? Why did Mr Parker dismiss Miss Ross? Was she somehow involved? Answer me!’

  I could see Elizabeth’s shoulders shake as she cried and when she lifted her head my heart almost broke in two. Her eye and cheek were bruised, and she bore a long split across her lip. Eyes puffy from crying, and an ashen face completed the look.

  Anger raged through me and it was almost unbearable. I wanted to break down the doors and rip those men apart. As if sensing my rising fury Terry held on to my arm, his warmth seeping through me and calming the roa
r in my head.

  ‘Be patient, Mia. We’re going to get her out of there.’

  I believed him. Terry and Elizabeth had bonded when they rescued me from my delusional father, and I knew he cared for her as a true friend does.

  ‘I don’t know anything,’ Elizabeth was saying. ‘I haven’t seen Mia since the night she left, or Dr Roberts. I only found out Miss Ross had been sacked when I saw Mr Parker escorting her off the premises. You have to believe me. I don’t know anything.’ Her voice broke as she sobbed her words.

  ‘Well, we don’t believe you. Miss Parker found you snooping in her father’s office. Why were you in there? What were you looking for?’

  ‘Felicity is wrong! I wasn’t snooping; I was waiting for Mr Parker as I had an appointment with him.’

  ‘Don’t lie to me,’ the man roared causing Elizabeth to flinch. ‘Mr Parker denies that he asked you to his office. He is a respected member of the GA and the new headmaster of this school, and you are nothing. Who do you think we’ll believe?’

  Elizabeth dropped her head and curled into herself as the man raged on. My mind flashed back to the many times Frank had stood over me like that, his menacing voice the only sound to echo around the small house.

  ‘I’ve had enough of this idiot,’ Terry said with a hard edge to his usually warm voice. ‘Stay here.’

  I watched as he crept along the building, sticking to the shadows. He skirted past Elizabeth’s room and kept going. I wondered what he had planned until I heard the smash of glass from the far end of the school, the rock he had thrown breaking the second story window with ease.

  Leaving Elizabeth bound in the chair, the two men left the room as they went to investigate the noise. I heard their heavy breathing mingled with that of others as they all ran through the corridors towards the main staircase.

  I rushed forward and kicked at the patio door with all my strength. It smashed open making Elizabeth scream and jump off the bed. The fear on her face evaporated when she saw it was me.

  ‘What have they done to you?’ I asked striding to her side and studying the bruises on her face.

  ‘It was Felicity. She tried to get information out of me before handing me over to the GA. Never mind that now, what are you doing here?’

  ‘Rescuing you, come on.’ I grabbed her elbow, and we fled the room crunching over the broken door and running straight into Terry. Elizabeth screamed again until she spotted Terry’s muscular frame. He unravelled her binding and we each grabbed her hands, half running, and half dragging her into the safety of the trees.

  Cody was waiting for us as we barrelled through the overhanging boughs and scratched our faces on the tiny branches in our path.

  ‘Four students left the building by the front door and have split up to circle the school,’ he told Terry. ‘We need to draw them off the girls.’

  Terry grunted his agreement and grabbed my shoulder with his big hand.

  ‘Mia, I need you to head back towards the farm as fast as you can. Me and Cody will split up and confuse the hunters so they don’t know what direction to go in.’

  I gave a short nod of my head and grabbed Elizabeth’s clammy hand. She squeezed my fingers, and I smiled at her. It was up to me to get my friend to safety.

  We turned and ran, leaving the boys to do what they needed to. We sprinted hand in hand in the direction of the farmhouse, making no sound, until our lungs threatened to burst.

  I SLOWED DOWN when I realised Elizabeth was struggling to keep up. I didn’t want to ask her what she’d been through. She’d tell me in time.

  I closed my eyes and sniffed the air sorting through the scents in my mind: moss, pine, earth, and something else, something that was out of place in this part of the forest. A bittersweet perfume wafted through the trees masking the natural aromas, and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. I knew that smell; I remembered how it used to make me gag whenever it clawed at my throat in the academy classrooms or the gym changing room. Only one person I knew wore such an overpowering perfume.

  My eyes snapped open. Felicity stood in front of us with her staff held out to the side like a broadsword. Her fiery red hair was scraped back into a high ponytail emphasising her sharp cheekbones. She was smirking in that infuriating manner that suggested she’d beaten you already.

  ‘Finally,’ she said. ‘I’ve been looking for you all over these woods, Mia. I really wanted to thank you for running away.’

  I knew she was goading me to get a reaction, but I couldn’t help the rush of anger that swept over me.

  ‘I didn’t run, Felicity, I was driven away by you and your maniac father.’

  She laughed; it was a short, humourless sound.

  ‘The academy is no place for a wolf girl, I told you that.’

  A red fog began to descend and settle in my vision, and I took a deep breath to try to control it. The change seemed to be powered by my anger, and I couldn’t let Felicity force my shift. I needed to learn to manage my emotions, or the werewolf gene would dominate my entire personality.

  ‘What’s the matter, wolf girl? You afraid you’ll break a claw or ruffle your fur?’

  The blood pumped faster around my system, and I tried in vain to slow the rhythm down.

  ‘I owe you a beating,’ Felicity continued. ‘It wasn’t the same using dear old Elizabeth as a punching bag.’

  I pushed Elizabeth behind me to safety as I felt the turn snap into place in my mind. The rage overcame every molecule of my body, and the feral growl rushed up and out startling Felicity with the ferocity of the sound.

  Any initial shock at my snarling was quickly pushed aside as a calculated grin spread across Felicity’s face. This was what she wanted. For so long she’d only been able to prod and poke at my ancestry, but she’d never had proof that I was indeed a wolf girl. Until now.

  ‘There’s my girl,’ she hissed.

  I was beyond controlling anything now. Felicity had always been able to bring out the wolf in me, even before I knew that was a possibility. I’d flipped during a class training session once and beat her until her nose bled and her eyes were swollen. She believed she owed me a beating in return, but instead of feeling disorientated with my transition I felt powerful, strong, and focused. Felicity was the enemy, and I hunted the enemy.

  I squared my shoulders and moved my stance so my feet were shoulder width apart, just as Miss Ross had taught me in my training sessions. Felicity moved her staff in front of her and gripped it in both hands, her eyes never leaving mine.

  I flicked my right hand out to the side as if shaking something off it and watched Felicity’s eyes shift to scrutinise the sharp claws that snapped into place. I stretched my fingers, curling and uncurling them to test the power in my claws.

  My top lip ached as I felt the fangs slide into view cracking my jaw as they manoeuvred into place.

  It all happened in a matter of seconds, but it felt like the process was drawn out. Felicity was mesmerised by my shift, her eyes blinking rapidly as she inched back a step and part of me wished that I too could see what I had become. The roar of adrenaline in my head threatened to overwhelm my senses, but I managed to retain a thread of my human self and cling to it. I couldn’t risk losing myself totally.

  Felicity jabbed forward with her staff and struck me in the chest. I stumbled backward with a grunt but quickly recovered.

  ‘You’re pathetic, wolf girl. You’re not even a proper werewolf.’ She laughed at me as she moved across my path. ‘You can’t even get that right.’

  I shook off the goading and concentrated on my prey. I couldn’t let her distract me into doing something stupid.

  We moved around each other, looking for breaks in defence or a weak spot that could be manipulated. Felicity systematically swung her staff at me like a child would antagonise an ant’s nest with a long stick. There was no sense of urgency about her movements. She planned to enjoy hurting me, but I wasn’t prepared to give her the satisfaction. I was a member of the pack,
and this was my chance to prove how powerful we were by sending Parker a message.

  I swiped a clawed hand across the air between us and my nails grazed Felicity’s cheek. It was so fast that she didn’t see it coming and she yelped, jumping backward, with a trickle of blood running down her face.

  ‘You bitch,’ she hissed. ‘You’ll pay for that.’

  In a flurry of movement, she advanced on me whirling her staff around like a cheerleader’s baton. It hit me hard on the shoulder, thigh, and side of the head, and my ears rang from the impact.

  I retaliated with two fast swipes of my claws, slicing left and right until I felt the softness of her flesh. She screamed out in pain, and I grinned at the sound. Any part of me that was human faded away as I was overtaken by the primal instinct to hunt and kill.

  Felicity must have felt the change in me too as she backed away clutching a hand across her stomach to stem the flow of blood.

  ‘My father was right,’ she heaved. ‘You all deserve to die!’

  With a warrior’s cry she launched herself at me swinging her staff from high above to knock me off balance. I skidded to the floor and winced at the sudden impact. She didn’t waste any time and was above me in seconds, wielding her staff and bringing it down repeatedly on my crumpled form.

  I felt the pain of each blow although I could also feel my body begin the instantaneous action of healing itself. I marvelled at the capability of my partial werewolf form as the beating rained down on me from above.

  Felicity began to tire. Her strikes weren’t as brutal yet the blood that clouded my vision and poured down the side of my face told another story.

  In the distance I heard Terry and Cody approaching, their huge paws pounding on the compacted earth as they tore through the forest.

  I needed to end this before they arrived. I wanted to prove to Zak what a valuable member of the pack I could be. Felicity had to understand that the wolves weren’t going to give up their lives without a fight.