Oath Keeper

by Shelley Wilson

  ‘Will you stay with us, Lizzie?’

  My friend walked over and sat beside me on the bed taking my hand in hers and squeezing my fingers.

  ‘I’m not going anywhere. No matter what happens I’ll stay beside you and Ari until morning.’

  THE HOWLS OF the wolves started as soon as the moon reached its apex. I kept the lights off in my bedroom so no one could see us from the woods. Ari and I stood holding hands in the middle of the room, sweat pouring down both of our faces. Lizzie waited by the door, ready to escape if we did turn and Ari’s youth and inability to control her actions caused her to attack our friend.

  My skin tingled like I was connected to a mild electrical current, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I could feel the same tremors running through Ari’s fingers and felt immense respect for the youngster who had paid careful attention to my instructions.

  Not once did she moan, question, or argue with me. When Mrs Fletcher dropped her off at my room, Ari’s eyes were puffy but she seemed okay with herself. It wasn’t my place to get involved in their family discussions, but I’d wanted the little wolf to know she had a friend if she needed one.

  ‘I’m okay, Mia,’ she said once her mother had left. ‘Daddy is still my daddy.’

  I was overwhelmed with love and loyalty for this youngster who was one of the strongest people I’d had the honour to meet.

  She happily listened to my story of the hybrid ancestry and the information I’d found in Dr Neale’s notebook and this helped her to piece it together with her mother’s revelation.

  Mrs Fletcher joined her husband, Zak, Cody, and the rest of the pack in the woods, telling them that Ari felt a responsibility to look after her friend Mia. They all thought it was cute that the little wolf was looking after the newbie and they left us to it.

  As we both fought the power of the moon, I believed that statement was partly true. We fought it together, hand in hand. The little hybrid wolf and her hybrid mentor. I hoped that this worked and we both stayed human. There was going to be a tough road ahead for the Fletcher family as the truth would inevitably come out now, but if Ari was saved the horrific pain of turning every four weeks, then it was worth it.

  Miss Ross entered the room, and I heard her whispered exchange with Elizabeth.

  ‘That’s it, they’ve all turned and are in the woods. The moon’s at its peak.’

  ‘What do we do now?’

  ‘We wait and see if they can hold on a little while longer.’

  I squeezed Ari’s fingers a bit tighter and smiled down into her beautiful, shining face. There was a determination in her eyes, and I could feel her power shuddering through our connection.

  My limbs were visibly trembling now but the pain I’d experienced at Hood Academy that night hadn’t manifested. Tremors, the sweats, and a thumping headache were all that plagued me at that moment.

  Like a wave washing over the pair of us our pulses slowed down, our heart rate settled, and we dropped to sit on the floor together, exhausted.

  ‘We did it,’ Ari whispered, her clammy face illuminated in the light of the moon shining through the window.

  ‘We did,’ I agreed, circling my arm around the little hybrid. ‘I’m so proud of you.’

  ‘Well done, girls.’ Miss Ross sat next to us as the moonlight bathed us in its glow. ‘You’ve achieved the impossible tonight, and I think this is going to help many of the children who survived the serum.’

  ‘Surely not all of their parents were unfaithful,’ Elizabeth said, joining us on the floor.

  ‘No, the DNA has travelled through generations. It might be that many years ago a hunter and wolf married in secret and brought children into the world and their descendants eventually wound up back in segregated communities believing that wolves and hunters shouldn’t mix.’

  ‘The hunter gene would remain in their DNA even if they married another hunter and had a baby. There’s every possibility that two hunters could have a hybrid baby without ever knowing.’

  ‘A lot of children survived the serum.’

  ‘It’s a good thing, Lizzie. With that evidence and Sebastian’s new oath we’ve got a chance of living in harmony.’

  We all sat in silence for a few moments taking in the enormity of the situation. History was being made, and we were key players. It felt good.

  The companionable quiet was shattered by the sound of gunfire in the woods. We jumped to our feet, and I ran to the window, looking out at the forest bathed in the eerie glow of the moon.

  More shots were fired followed by a keening sound that filled me with dread. Howls carried on the breeze, and I tried to distinguish between the sounds. Would I recognise Zak’s cry if I wasn’t in my wolf form?

  ‘What the hell’s happening?’ Elizabeth grabbed her wooden staff and headed for the door before I’d even pulled on my shoes.

  ‘I’m not sure, but it doesn’t sound good.’

  Another shot, another wail. My gut rolled, and I fought the nausea that threatened to overwhelm me.

  ‘Ari, I need you to stay here. Lock the kitchen door behind us and don’t come out no matter what you hear.’ I grabbed the girl’s shoulders and held her tightly. ‘We’re going to go help the pack, but I need someone here to look after anyone who makes it back home.

  She puffed out her chest and tapped her forehead with her tiny hand. ‘Aye, aye, Captain.’

  We left her behind, her small face the last thing I saw before she slammed the door and the bolt slid home. She was safe at least. Now we had to find her family and make sure they were safe too.

  ‘We stick together until we work out what we’re up against,’ Miss Ross said, her authoritarian teacher’s voice calm and steady.

  As one we melted into the forest unsure of what we might find but ready to take on any danger that faced us.

  NOTHING COULD HAVE prepared any of us for what we found as we moved deeper into the forest. Elizabeth fell over the first body, and I found the second. No longer in their wolf form, the two pack members lay sprawled across the floor, their naked bodies smeared with blood and grime.

  Lizzie threw up behind a holly bush, but by some miracle I kept control of the bile rising up my throat.

  ‘Are they dead?’ Elizabeth’s voice was barely audible.

  ‘Yes.’ Miss Ross felt for the pulse in their neck. ‘There’s nothing we can do for them. We can return later to recover their bodies, but for now we need to press on.’

  More shots echoed through the trees, further ahead of us nearer to the academy.

  ‘Have the GA changed their mind and come back to finish off the pack?’ It was the only logical explanation I could come up with.

  ‘The GA doesn’t use guns. A hunter uses natural weapons to defend themselves, like the wooden staff. This is something else.’

  By the gleam in Miss Ross’s eye, I believed she had her own thoughts on who, or what, we were about to find but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know in advance.

  A series of snarls and cries to our immediate left had us running in that direction. We burst through the trees to find a small brown wolf pinned down by two students, one holding a gun in shaky hands and the other a small crossbow. Shock reverberated through me at the sight.

  Hood Academy students, kitted out in their grey school jumpsuits, were attacking the wolves in the forest at gunpoint. My mind tried to make sense of it, but before I could fathom an answer, Miss Ross had struck the nearest girl with the butt of her staff and was rounding on the other.

  ‘Who sent you here tonight?’ she snapped, circling the girl.

  ‘The headmaster,’ she said, her voice shaking almost as much as her hand. ‘He said we were under attack, rounded us all up, and gave us a weapon. I’ve never killed anyone…anything before.’

  The brown wolf hadn’t run away, and I realised it had a bullet wound in its back leg.

  With Miss Ross dealing with the student it gave me time to tend to the wolf. I dragged my scarf from my neck and wrapped it around the
leg. Before my eyes, the wolf disappeared, and Mrs Fletcher lay before me. I’d never seen the wolves return to their human form before and I had been in no fit state to remember my own return. It was like the fur melted away exposing broken bones which shifted back into position as one.

  Ari’s mum moaned as she collapsed to the forest floor.

  ‘Oh my God.’ The student dropped to her knees, throwing the gun away to the side in disgust. Elizabeth scooped it up and slid it into her waistband.

  ‘The headmaster you’re talking about, is he called Sebastian?’ Miss Ross continued her interrogation.

  ‘No, the head is Mr Parker. He’s been head for a few months now.’

  I sat back on my heels and stared at Miss Ross, a message passing between us. The girls didn’t know Parker was no longer head.

  Parker had armed the students and sent them into the woods even though most of them weren’t fully trained. He’d used young girls as a weapon and didn’t care if they were slaughtered in the process. We’d found dead wolves, but I was under no misconception that somewhere in these woods we’d find dead students too, young girls who faced the wrong wolves and never lived long enough to see the yellow of their eyes.

  ‘Go, find Zak and the others,’ said Miss Ross. ‘I’ll take this girl with me, and we’ll help Mrs Fletcher. It’s probably nearer to the academy than the farm so I’ll get her to the hospital wing. If you find any more wounded send them there.’

  I nodded and left Mrs Fletcher moaning on the ground. Elizabeth joined me as we sprinted off into the night.

  We found other pack members wandering the woods, dazed at the sudden attack. Fortunately, my scent was familiar to all of them, and I was able to guide them in the direction of home or the school and Miss Ross.

  ‘I wish we could find Zak and Cody,’ I said pushing the branches out of my way.

  ‘I know. There haven’t been any shots for a while. Do you think the wolves have killed all the students?’

  ‘God, I hope not. Parker’s used them to try and start a war, and it’s up to us to make sure that he doesn’t manage it.’

  ‘How the hell are we supposed to stop him, Mia? The man’s dangerous. He’s prepared to sacrifice teenagers.’

  I couldn’t answer her. I had no idea how to stop someone like Parker. I’d spent so long fighting his daughter that the prospect of coming face to face with her dad never dawned on me. I knew that he probably wasn’t in these woods though; he wouldn’t want to get his hands dirty. I shivered as I remembered his conversation with Felicity about framing Sebastian for everything. Parker had turned getting away with murder into an art form.

  The trees ahead rustled and we both braced ourselves ready to fight. Together we gasped as Terry staggered into view, his naked body covered in blood. Elizabeth shrugged off her coat and wrapped it around his waist, nestling herself in the crook of his arm to help support him. He’d been shot before, but it was a clean wound and healed quickly thanks to his werewolf healing abilities. This was an altogether different situation.

  From this angle I could see two bullet wounds, both in his leg; he had a crossbow bolt sticking out from his shoulder and another in his abdomen. He coughed, and a cloud of blood spurted across the floor.

  Pitching to his knees, he crumpled to the ground taking Elizabeth with him.

  ‘Where’s Zak?’ Panic laced my voice as I watched my friend bleed all over the earth. ‘Where’s my brother?’

  ‘We got separated,’ he wheezed. ‘Near the school.’

  He was spent, that small piece of information enough to wear him out beyond exhaustion. Blood poured down his chest from the injured shoulder and mingled with the fresh blood seeping from the hole in his gut.

  ‘I don’t know what to do,’ I said to no one in particular.

  ‘Look for Zak. I’ll try and get Terry to the school. Miss Ross will patch him up. He’s tough, Mia, don’t worry.’

  I nodded at my friend and taking one last look at Terry I shot off into the trees.

  The forest was silent, not even the nocturnal animals dared to move. The moon had begun its descent but still lit up the area like the floodlights on a football field.

  I was close to the school now and crept silently to the edge of the treeline to see if I could spot Parker or the wolves. Soft cries filled the air, and I felt a tug on my heartstrings as I saw the huddles of young girls clinging to one another. They hadn’t asked to be put in this position. They’d arrived at school ready to start their training in the safe environment of the academy building. At no point were they expecting to be sent out into the woods during a full moon armed with guns and told to kill on sight.

  Should I speak to them? Could I convince them that Parker wasn’t the headmaster anymore and they didn’t have to follow his orders? I doubted they would believe me after everything that had happened. It was common knowledge that Mia Roberts had followed the pack and rejected the oath. If only they knew about the changes Sebastian would make.

  My skin crawled as Parker emerged from the back of the school building, Felicity at his side. How the hell did he get her away from the GA? That didn’t matter now. I had the two of them together in one place, and all I needed to do was find a way to stop them.

  I watched Parker move around the girls appraising them with predatory eyes as I contemplated various ridiculous acts of bravery. He flicked at something on his jacket, dusting the sleeve and rubbing his blackened hands on a handkerchief from his pocket. I didn’t want to think about the stains on his hands or the blackish smudge that now coated the cloth. No doubt he’d tortured some unfortunate soul. His stance reeked of authority as if he’d already won when I knew he’d lost everything. Perhaps this was his plan all along; return to the scene of the crime and kill everyone in a blaze of glory.

  Blimey, I needed to stop watching Cody’s action films.

  I surveyed the students. They clung together wearing matching jumpsuits and school regulation pumps, but that was all. A large crate of guns lay open on the lawn a few feet away from them but they eyed it nervously. I couldn’t see a weapon of any kind on their person apart from the wooden staff Felicity was twirling. Even Parker appeared unarmed.

  He really believed he was safe. Safe from attack, safe from discovery. This was my chance. Taking a deep breath, I stood up, strolled out of the treeline, and headed across the lawn towards the assembled group.

  Felicity was the first to spot me and screamed with fury. She sprinted to meet me, but her father grabbed at her arm stopping her in her tracks.

  ‘No need, pumpkin, she’ll be dead soon enough.’

  I came to a stop a few feet away and held my arms out to the side readying myself to release my claws. I didn’t want to freak the students out, so if I could keep them hidden for as long as possible it would be for the best. It was tough to ignore the itch just beneath my skin as I watched Parker and his red-headed daughter snarl at me.

  ‘You’re a tiresome creature, Miss Roberts,’ Parker barked across the lawn. ‘You’ve managed to unravel my carefully crafted plans and bring about the destruction of my entire business empire. If I didn’t have to kill you, I’d be of a mind to offer you a job. You’ve got a certain way with manipulation that I admire.’

  ‘I’m flattered. First I beat your daughter at the assessments, then I impress you with my handiwork. Perhaps I’m the daughter you wish you’d had.’

  Parker was way ahead of me and kept a tight grip on Felicity’s arm. Goading her was a cheap trick, but it felt great. Divide and conquer them was my only plan.

  ‘Perhaps you should have left her to the GA where she couldn’t show you up.’

  Felicity’s face matched her hair colour as she tugged at her father’s grip, but Mr Parker held firm.

  ‘The GA are a bunch of fools, my dear, and can’t see the corruption in their ranks. Did you know there are a dozen GA agents loyal to me? No, I don’t suppose you would.’

  That explained the kidnappings. The children from the lab had
spoken about men in black taking them from their homes. Parker clearly hadn’t heard about Sebastian’s reinstatement or his new role at the GA. I smiled to myself as I thought about Parker’s men getting their comeuppance.

  ‘Do you find something funny, Miss Roberts?’

  ‘You’ve broken Felicity out of the GA using their own men. Don’t you think someone will notice and come looking for you both?’

  ‘Oh, I think the GA will have enough to deal with clearing up all the dead vermin from the woods.’

  I flinched. He wanted the wolves dead. All of them. I had to stop him.

  ‘You don’t belong here anymore,’ I said, loud enough for the gathered students to hear me. ‘The GA dismissed you, arrested her, and reinstated Sebastian as head of the academy. What you’re forcing these girls to do is against the oath.’

  Murmured whispers rippled through the assembled students.

  ‘That’s right,’ I shouted. ‘You’ve all broken the hunters’ oath and could be punished. If I were you, I’d make your way back to your dormitories and wait for Dr Roberts.’

  ‘Stay where you are!’ Parker snapped. His words echoed through the night air and startled the group who began crying again.

  I needed to get the girls to safety before engaging with Felicity and her father. I had no idea if Parker could fight. I’d never seen him in action even though he was a hunter. I’d seen him intimidate, bully, and embarrass, but I’d never seen him swing a staff.

  The low howl of a wolf in the distance followed by the response of others answered my prayers. Zak’s call. I did recognise it after all. I breathed a sigh of relief on hearing the sound. He was calling the pack, and that could only mean he was rounding them up for an attack. As he wasn’t too close, I could only assume he’d found more students in the woods.

  The sound briefly distracted Parker and his daughter, and without giving it too much thought, I burst into a run and barrelled straight into Felicity knocking her to the ground. Parker snatched at me grazing my arm with his fingertips but missing out on a firm grip. I kept running until I reached the girls, who shuffled backward in fright and surprise.