Oath Keeper

by Shelley Wilson

  We both giggled, and I wriggled forward in my seat so I could chat with my friend.

  ‘Do you think we’ll find the alpha in time?’

  I shook my head. ‘I’m not sure. I hope we can, but these Evermore doctors have been so convincing in their argument that no alpha, or parent for that matter, could resist putting their child forward for a lycanthropy cure.’

  ‘Would you take it if you could?’

  It was a valid question and one I’d contemplated several times when Sebastian locked me in the hospital wing all those months ago.

  ‘I don’t know. It’s not like I’m a full werewolf. I don’t have to experience the excruciating pain of every bone in my body breaking and re-setting. For me, it was easy, apart from my gum aching where the fangs slide out.’

  ‘What’s it like? Did anything else change for you?’

  ‘Everything changed. I can hear what people are saying when they’re far away, and all the smells are stronger too. It’s pretty neat apart from this thirst to rip people’s throats out.’

  Adam laughed. ‘By people you mean Felicity.’

  ‘Uh-huh, I only stopped because Zak turned up and did his alpha mojo on me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he stopped me, but up until that moment I would have happily sliced her throat open.’

  ‘Good to know, I’ll be sure to stay on your good side then.’

  I punched him on the arm and laughed.

  Elizabeth stirred in her seat and gave a little sigh. ‘Is it morning already?’

  Adam slipped his hand into hers. ‘Only just.’

  Sebastian yawned from behind me, and I sat back to take in the sight of my friends and family, fighting by my side to right a terrible wrong done to the werewolf community. It felt good to be doing something worthwhile.

  THE PACK LIVED in the woods near the Somerset Hunters Academy, and as we approached the turn for the alpha’s house, we saw the school from the road. It was nothing like Hood Academy. Instead of the grandiose setting of Hood’s majestic gardens and historical backdrop, this school occupied a modern building with tinted glass windows, and resembled an office block rather than an establishment for werewolf hunters.

  ‘Ugh, it’s ugly!’ Elizabeth agreed with my first impression.

  ‘The GA have spent large sums renovating this centre following a recent fire.’ Sebastian said. ‘They wanted it to be the flagship school for the UK.’

  I huffed. ‘Well it needs burning down again.’

  ‘Oh no! We’re not going to burn this place to the ground too, are we?’

  I laughed at the squeal in Elizabeth’s voice and the unintentional way she still scrubbed at her hands where it appeared the cleaning fluid had irritated her skin.

  ‘No, Lizzie. We’ll leave this one standing. We’re here to prevent the wolves from getting that serum and nothing else. If we can do what we need to without the hunters even knowing we were here then that’s even better.’

  Adam pulled off the main road opposite the academy and drove for a mile down a dirt track, which ended at a scenic wooded picnic area. As we all climbed out of the car to stretch our legs, I heard the roar of the sea in the distance.

  I turned my face up to catch the early morning sun. There was no real warmth in it yet, but it held the promise of a pleasant day ahead, which was a blessing as I realised I’d left my coat behind at Hood Academy. I tuned my senses in to listen to the surrounding wildlife noises and picked up something different, a commotion that wasn’t at home in this environment. It almost sounded like a playground chant, or a bully taunting their victim. Before I could mention anything to my friends, a shrill scream tore through the wind.

  I broke into a run, sprinting towards the sound, my senses switching on to full alert. I could hear Lizzie and Adam running after me, crashing through the trees in pursuit. There was a dull ache in my jaw, and I realised my fangs had slid forward, and the pounding in my head increased with every slap of my feet against the dry path.

  A second scream ricocheted off the trees, and I adjusted my route, breaking through the treeline and heading deeper into the woods. Nothing could have prepared me for what I found.

  Three young children, no more than twelve years old, thrashed around on the ground, their bodies twisting and convulsing as the pain shot through their tiny frames. One black-haired boy and three girls stood over them all dressed in the grey jumpsuits I recognised as the hunters’ uniform. Instead of helping the children, they watched the spectacle like it was paid entertainment.

  Bursting into the small clearing, I growled at the hunters, startling them into action. By the surprised looks on their faces they’d never seen a hybrid, or at the very least they’d never seen a wolf in the daylight. Their wooden staffs lifted in unison as they circled towards me. From the nervous glances they gave each other, they were unsure how to deal with me. One last look at the children pushed any rational thoughts I had aside and angered me enough to snarl at the foursome. My claws flicked out as I shook my hands and flexed them, clicking the nails together. Beads of sweat covered each of the students’ foreheads and the sound of their hearts pounding filled me with surprising joy. I wanted them to fear me, I wanted them to panic and forget their training, and part of me wanted them to run so I could hunt each of them down.

  Adam burst through the trees causing one of the hunters to cry out.

  ‘Help us!’ she yelled, her eyes imploring my friend to assist them.

  Adam ignored her pleas and moved towards the children, kneeling beside them to check their pulse and try to calm the convulsions. Lizzie arrived soon after and skirted around the edge of the clearing to Adam’s side. After checking on the children and her boyfriend, she moved to stand next to me.

  ‘Who are you?’ It was the boy who spoke, taking a step forward in a bid to assert his authority. I growled, and he jumped back.

  Elizabeth ignored him. ‘You’re students at the academy.’ It wasn’t a question. ‘How many children have been injected with that serum?’

  ‘How do you know about the serum?’

  ‘Because I’m the one who created it.’ Sebastian walked into the clearing and stalked over to where the children writhed on the floor in agony. He flipped open a bag and took out a small flask. ‘Here, get them to drink this, it might help with the pain.’ He handed Adam the container and leaned in closer as my friend whispered something in Sebastian’s ear. He nodded and squared his shoulders before moving to my side.

  ‘I’m Dr Roberts from Hood Academy in Nottingham, and the serum you are using on these innocents is defective. I’m here to recall all vials.’

  His voice boomed with authority, and I shifted my stance so I could study him. He looked like he did the night he first walked into my life: dignified, strong, and someone to be respected. Adam had no doubt instructed Sebastian on what to say but he had played his part well. A bubbling of pride lit up my chest.

  ‘We weren’t told about any recall. Headmaster Gregory sent us out to do a job, and we’ve done it.’ The boy gestured towards the children. ‘Killing werewolves is what the hunters’ oath is all about after all.’ He slid his predatory gaze upon me, and I felt the corners of my mouth curl into a snarl.

  ‘Bring it on,’ I whispered flexing my claws once more.

  Elizabeth stepped in front of me sensing my need to lunge forward and tear the kid’s face off.

  ‘Our friend is a hybrid, she is part wolf, and part hunter so she understands our oath perfectly well. We don’t want to fight you; we just want to stop the killing of innocent children.’

  ‘Well, sweetheart, that’s too bad because we came out here for a fight and so that’s what you’re gonna get.’

  For a moment I wondered if we’d found the male version of Felicity before snapping into action and leaping forward to knock the closest girl to the ground. She screamed and dropped her staff, which rolled harmlessly away. Her eyes sparked with fear as I traced a claw down the side of her face.

  ‘Leave this place be
fore I rip you apart piece by piece.’ I growled.

  She was on her feet and running before her friends could help. Another girl joined her and disappeared into the treeline.

  The boy rounded his staff on me and stood his ground. If I wasn’t so overcome with rage, I might have been impressed. Lizzie approached the remaining girl, her fists held high as she prepared to fight alongside me.

  ‘Come on then, sweetheart; let’s see what a hybrid’s made of.’

  I heard Sebastian’s audible tut as he stepped aside to give me room to manoeuvre. I didn’t need the extra space, I only needed enough room to reach across and cut the idiot’s cheek. He cried out, and it felt good.

  ‘Nobody calls me sweetheart apart from my boyfriend.’ He’d picked the wrong person if it was a fight he was after. Felicity nearly lost her life for calling me wolf girl, so this smarmy kid was in serious trouble. I knew I needed to rein it in this time, as Zak wasn’t around to use his alpha connection.

  The boy’s staff flew through the air and connected with my shoulder. I flinched but shook off the pain, swinging my arm out to smash the wood from his grasp. It hit the floor, breaking into two pieces. The hunter wasn’t finished though and pushed forward punching me first in the face and then in the stomach. My cheek stung from the blow, and the ache in my jaw intensified, but I didn’t go down. He advanced again, but I swung my leg out high in a roundhouse kick connecting with the side of his head. He dropped like a stone, blood pouring from his ear.

  ‘Enough!’ I screamed, the sound echoing off the surrounding trees.

  Lizzie held on to the girl’s arms as she squirmed and tried to flee, clearly eager to leave the boy to fend for himself.

  ‘I don’t think much of your hunter friends,’ I said standing over him. ‘Two have deserted you and she looks seconds away from ditching your ass. So much for looking after each other and uniting against the common enemy.’

  He spat at my feet. ‘They are the common enemy.’ He pointed at the children.

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘They’re kids who happen to have been born to werewolf families; they didn’t ask for this.’

  I realised my voice sounded normal again and a quick check of my hands proved my claws had retracted and the fangs had disappeared. I was Mia again.

  ‘What’s your name?’

  The boy looked up at me, his green eyes filled with loathing. ‘Ethan,’ he replied.

  I held out my hand to help him up and his brow creased as he contemplated slapping it away or accepting it. ‘I’m Mia, and this is Lizzie, Adam, and Sebastian.’

  He wrinkled his nose as he took my hand, acting as if I might infect him with some deadly disease. I pulled him to standing where he began dusting off his jumpsuit. I was half expecting him to run, but he didn’t.

  ‘I won’t say it’s a pleasure to meet you,’ he mumbled.

  ‘We’re not the enemy, Ethan. We’re trying to help save these children. Evermore Pharmaceuticals have misled the packs by offering to administer a cure for lycanthropy that doesn’t exist. There’s a Mr Parker at our academy who’s determined to wipe out the werewolf gene for good by killing the innocent.’

  ‘Well, this Mr Parker of yours has probably succeeded,’ he said. ‘These three were the last of the Somerset packs to receive the serum. We were tasked with escorting them back to their parents after the injections.’

  ‘Instead, you brought them here, and you would have happily watched them die.’ Elizabeth was angry, and her eyes flared with unspoken words. She’d released her grip on Ethan’s companion, who now took a step back before speaking up.

  ‘We were told that some of the kids might react badly to the injection and if that was the case we should—’

  ‘Kill them!’ Elizabeth finished the sentence for her, disgust written all over her face.

  ‘Yes,’ the girl mumbled. ‘But he forced us to do it. Told us he’d get us kicked out if we disobeyed.’

  ‘Who did?’

  Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and sneered.

  ‘She’s talking about me.’

  ‘What gives you the right to condemn these kids?’ I could feel my pulse quickening as I eyed the arrogant boy in front of me.

  ‘Our job is a pretty easy one, sweetheart. We destroy the wolves who threaten our town. Simple as that.’

  I bristled at his words. It appeared he’d chosen to disregard my earlier threat about calling me sweetheart. I’d never wanted to slap someone so much in my life.

  ‘No, it’s not that simple. These children never asked to be wolves, their parents never asked for it either. They are what they are, and we are what we are.’

  Ethan laughed. ‘I don’t think anyone knows what you are.’

  I ignored his attempts to goad me and turned my attention to the girl.

  ‘I doubt your headmaster knows the truth about what’s going on here,’ I said. She was shrivelling up on herself under Ethan’s glare. She shook her head.

  ‘I suggest you go back and tell him what’s happened. Make sure he knows that the serum is flawed.’

  The girl nodded and sprinted off in the direction of the academy.

  Sebastian cleared his throat. ‘It’s obvious that we arrived too late, but hopefully, we can get these youngsters back to their families and help save their lives.’

  ‘Agreed. Ethan will lead us to the packs.’

  ‘What? No, are you crazy? I’m not going to any wolf den and I’m certainly not helping you.’

  I stood millimetres from his face and growled at him.

  ‘You are going to help me and my friends, and you are going to help save these kids, or we’ll let your headmaster know how you twisted his orders for your own sick benefit. I’m fairly sure you’ll be expelled and I dread to think what happens to rogue hunters. It’s not up for debate.’

  His shoulders slumped and I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down in time to his heartbeat.

  ‘Hand over your weapons and phone.’

  The muscle in his jaw flinched as he turned out his pockets. Adam confiscated his knives and I pocketed his mobile.

  ‘You’ll get them back when you’ve earned it,’ I said.

  Turning away from the reckless hunter, I spoke to my friends. ‘Once the kids are returned we need to get a message to Zak, so he knows what’s going on. The packs need to know the danger they’re in and unite before Evermore wipes everyone out.’

  IT FELT A little bit like going home as we arrived at the tiny house on the beach. Although the building was painted white and looked nothing like the Mills farm, it had a similar vibe to it. A warmth seeped out of every crack in the plaster and the curls of paint at the window frames. A low fence ran around the property bordering a small patch of land with a bench seat facing the sea. I longed to sit and stare at the ocean but the three children we’d rescued needed help.

  ‘The infusion I gave them should help with the convulsions and hopefully counteract the effects of the poison.’ Sebastian filled in the anxious parents as they crowded around the children in a spare bedroom. I watched from the doorway and felt a sense of pride as he handled them with care and consideration.

  He hadn’t even managed that with me on our first meeting, in fact, he’d been so cold and calculating that I half suspected he regretted having a hormonal teenager dumped into his life. I watched as he scooped up the young girl and fluffed the pillow beneath her head, settling her more comfortably. He checked their pulse points, replenished the moist flannels on their foreheads, and cautiously engaged with their werewolf parents on the health of their offspring.

  ‘Can’t believe it’s the same man from a few months ago, can you?’ Adam folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the doorframe. His dark skin still glistened from the exertion of carrying the children through the forest to safety.

  ‘Mmm, he’s made a remarkable turnaround.’

  Adam raised an eyebrow as he glanced across at me and I rolled away from the doorframe and walked further along the
corridor to a small window overlooking the beach.

  ‘You don’t sound convinced,’ he said catching up to me. I knew there’d been a hint of scepticism in my tone and I also knew Adam would pick up on that as I was fairly certain both he and Elizabeth felt the same.

  ‘I don’t know what to think,’ I said. ‘Sebastian locked me in a hospital room with the intention of experimenting on me! He even shot Terry! Yes, he’s helped us, and yes, he seems to be committed to stopping Evermore, but am I supposed to accept that he’s a good guy now?’

  ‘What’s your gut telling you?’

  ‘My gut?’

  ‘Yeah, you’ve always been powered by your intuition, Mia. You’ve got determination and strength, but you’re also smart. Both Lizzie and I trust that you’ll always do the right thing because, well, that’s how you roll.’

  I smiled up at my friend. It was nice to receive such a compliment. I’d tried so hard to fit in with the academy students and then with the pack, but that feeling of being an outsider hadn’t gone away, so to be complimented on my qualities felt good.

  ‘Honestly, I want to believe that he’s changed. I want Sebastian to step up and help us defeat Parker and Felicity, Evermore, and the GA. I want him to understand why this is so important to me.’

  ‘And you want him to be the dad you never had.’

  Adam’s words stopped me short. He was right. Sebastian was my biological father, and I longed to have that father-daughter relationship.

  ‘Yes, I want him to be everything and more. It’s not too much to ask, is it?’

  We laughed, and Adam threw his muscular arm around my shoulder and squeezed.

  ‘I’m sure he’ll manage it, and if not, we can always set the werewolves on him.’

  WE WERE STILL giggling as we joined Lizzie in the garden.

  ‘What are you two plotting?’ She was sitting on the garden bench with her long legs stretched out in front of her.

  ‘Sebastian’s downfall if he doesn’t behave himself.’ Adam dropped onto the seat next to her and nuzzled her neck.