Oath Keeper

by Shelley Wilson

  ‘Run, all of you!’ I shouted. ‘Get to the hospital wing and find Miss Ross. She’ll tell you what to do. Go!’

  They didn’t need much persuasion as they sprinted off across the lawn towards the school building. The howls in the woods grew louder. Zak was heading this way.

  ‘You stupid bitch.’ Felicity jumped at me, punching me square in the face. I staggered backward almost losing my footing. I could feel the blood dripping down my face, but within seconds I felt my claws snap into place and my fangs appear.

  I swiped at my nemesis catching the top of her arm. She yelped and jumped clear. The sound of approaching wolves filled my head, the soft boom of their paws on the compacted earth, their breath a faint whisper on the wind.

  I only needed to stall these two long enough for the alpha to arrive.

  Felicity thrust her staff forward but I blocked it with ease. I was getting better and faster at anticipating her moves.

  ‘I’m going to kill you for what you did to Ethan,’ she hissed.

  ‘He’d still be alive today if you hadn’t involved him.’ I knew it was a low blow to turn Ethan’s death on her and from the flash of anger in her eyes I’d hit a nerve.

  She snarled, and I almost laughed. If she wanted to know what a real snarl was like I was only too happy to show her.

  I filled my lungs and roared, releasing my full hybrid power. The startled expression on Felicity’s face was worth it. I reached back ready to strike another blow when Parker assaulted me from the side. He wielded a long cane like something out of a Sherlock Holmes movie with a heavy brass ball on the end. My teeth shuddered as it connected with my head. Stars danced across my vision as I tried to keep Felicity in my view. They were tag teaming me now, circling me like vultures around a fresh kill.

  The cane landed on my shoulder blade, and I heard the loud crack as it fractured. Pain seared through me as I howled. Felicity flicked her staff up, catching my chin and sending me sprawling onto the ground. Parker stood over me his cane poised, ready to bring it down onto my skull. I tried to lift myself up but the pain shot through my arm and I slid back to the floor. Parker’s eyes clouded over as he lifted his cane.

  ‘Time to die, Miss Roberts.’

  I waited for the blow, but it never came; a blur of fur and fangs filled my vision as a huge brown wolf hooked its teeth into Parker and dragged him away, his screams filling the empty space he’d left behind.

  Felicity became hysterical, whirling her staff in all directions trying to cause damage but not hitting anything in the process. The gurgled sounds of her father’s demise distracted her. She screamed her fury and threw the staff at a golden wolf who guarded me where I lay, but the wood fell harmlessly under the claws of the pack. Wolves swarmed the grounds, and I caught the scent of everyone I knew and loved.

  Surrounded, Felicity still refused to give in. She lashed out at anything that came too close to her as she crept closer to her father’s body. Parker’s lifeless eyes stared into the star-filled sky, blood soaked the front of his shirt, and his torn throat glistened under the moonlight. I tried to push down the need to vomit. Sobbing and shaking, Felicity knelt over her father and the wolves seemed to hold their position as if giving her that split second to grieve.

  That split second was all she needed to unhook the gun from Parker’s belt, the gun I hadn’t spotted before, and wave it at the wolves. She settled the barrel on Zak, and I saw her finger twitch as she squeezed.

  The gunshot made me scream, the sound too loud for me to deal with. I struggled to my knees, my eyes darting all over for Zak, but he remained where he had been, as strong and powerful as ever. My brain couldn’t work it out until I spotted Sebastian, his arm outstretched with a smoking gun in his hand.

  Felicity was on the floor, blood pouring from a wound to her shoulder. She screamed and swore, and for a brief moment, I was relieved to hear it. He hadn’t killed her, but Sebastian had stopped her from killing my brother.

  MISS ROSS WAS in full control when we arrived at the hospital wing of Hood Academy. Students and pack members sat together, helping each other. My heart swelled with pride at the sight.

  Cody helped me through the main door where the young girl we’d met in the woods greeted me. Her face was tear-stained and her eyes ringed with bruises from crying, but she looked like she’d pulled herself together.

  ‘I’m Jenny,’ she said stretching out her hand and helping me into a nearby seat. ‘I wanted to thank you for not killing me earlier.’

  I huffed and instantly recognised the family trait.

  ‘Mia,’ I said with a wave of my hand. ‘I never had any intention of killing you. I only wanted to stop Parker from starting a war between the hunters and the wolves.’

  ‘I know, Miss Ross filled me in on everything on the way back here. She’s a wonderful tutor. I hope she stays.’

  ‘Oh, don’t you worry about that. Miss Ross will be around for a long time.’

  ‘Do you need anything? Bandages, pain relief, water?’

  ‘No, thanks, I’ve got it covered.’ I knew that my bones were already healing and knitting back together as I could feel it like a burning sensation beneath my skin. ‘How’s Terry? Did Elizabeth make it here okay?’

  Jenny shook her head. ‘I haven’t seen anyone called Terry, and if Elizabeth is the blonde girl you were with in the woods, then she hasn’t been here either.’

  Panic bubbled up in my chest. Terry was in a bad way and needed help. Yes, he would heal eventually but not if there were bullets lodged in his body or crossbow bolts still wedged in his side.

  Cody scanned the assembled group but finally he glanced at me and shook his head.

  ‘We’ve got to find them,’ I said to him.

  ‘I know. We’ll head back out into the woods, and hopefully we can pick up their scent.’

  Jenny left us at the door as we hurried out into the car park. Zak was still in his wolf form refusing to return to being human in case he needed to protect his pack from further attack, which was fortunate for us.

  His immense head swivelled in our direction as we tore across the gravel car park. The other pack members who stood with him melted away to give us privacy.

  ‘Terry was hurt, badly, and hasn’t made it to the hospital wing. I think him and Lizzie are still out there somewhere.’

  Zak bobbed his head to let me know he understood and then lifted his head to howl into the sky. From within the trees, I heard the returning cries of the wolves still patrolling the area. My brother approached and nudged my elbow with his large snout, pushing me towards the forest. He wanted me to run with him, brother and sister.

  I stared up at the full moon still visible in the sky. I’d passed my own test to see if a hybrid could control its shift, but now I was about to see if a hybrid could turn when the need arose.

  Cody’s warm fingers intertwined with mine and I gazed up into his sparkling blue eyes.

  ‘Together,’ he whispered.

  I leaned in and kissed him.

  ‘Together,’ I agreed.

  Taking a deep breath I concentrated on my body, feeling for the bones and muscles, picturing the tendons and ligaments that joined it all together, and then the heat washed over me like an explosion. The pain was instant as my bones began to break and my skin rippled.

  I was aware that some Hood Academy students were standing outside the nurse’s office door watching as Cody and I turned, but I didn’t mind. I was proud of who I was, and I wanted everyone to know it.

  WE RAN THROUGH the woods as one pack, sniffing out injured wolves and startling any stray students. Zak ordered some to stay behind and help guide everyone home. As we ripped up the earth with our paws, we found pockets of hunters and wolves huddled together.

  Ari’s father stood as we entered the clearing where he and another pack member sat with a young girl from the academy. The two men were draped in blankets but were unharmed.

  ‘I heard your cry, but I didn’t want to scare the young l
ass by returning to my wolf form,’ he told us. I could understand his words perfectly even though it was his scent I recognised rather than his physical looks. ‘I saw young Elizabeth with Terry. They were heading back to the Mills Farm. He didn’t look good, but the lass was looking after him well.’

  A deep rumble erupted from the back of Zak’s throat causing the student to flinch and shy away from the wolves surrounding her.

  ‘I will,’ Mr Fletcher said in response to Zak’s request. ‘We’ll take her back to the academy straight away.’

  It was a relief to hear that Lizzie and Terry were making their way to the farm. I knew Terry was injured, and they were both probably shattered from the exertion of manoeuvring through the woods, but if they made it to the farm I knew someone would be there to tend to Terry’s wounds.

  I hoped Ari was okay too. The young wolf had been left alone and in charge of the farmhouse. I knew she could handle it, but I hoped hearing the cries from the woods hadn’t worried her too much. Strong or not, she was still only a little girl.

  We left Mr Fletcher and adjusted our route to take us back home. I was eager to see Elizabeth and check she was okay.

  Running through the woods, I marvelled at the sensation of my powerful frame. Long ago I’d run through these same woods as a tearful teenager hiding from my problems. I’d come such a long way, and now I was free. That freedom felt incredible as the wind tore through my fur and my paws pounded the fallen leaves. The moon illuminated everything that was beautiful about the forest. The colours that changed with the shadows, the textures of the moss and bark, and the crunch of the leaves as the seasons turned. I’d never felt more alive.

  Zak and Cody growled at the same time, and it took me a few seconds to sense the problem. The stars in the sky disappeared behind a haze, and the scents of the forest changed, becoming harsh and toxic. Something was burning.

  My eyes caught sight of the flames above the treetops in the distance, and my stomach knotted. There was only one thing that would burn so fiercely out here, and that was the Mills farmhouse.

  Panic clenched my insides as I understood the connection. Parker had been dusting ash off his coat and wiping soot from his hands when I saw him on the lawn. He had found the house, discovered where the wolves lived, and destroyed it. We had brought Ethan here and in our naivety we’d trusted that he’d keep the location a secret. His deceit ran deeper than we had realised and suddenly I wasn’t so upset that I’d ripped his throat out.

  The wolves darted in all directions unable to comprehend what was happening. I broke through the trees into the back garden of the house and came to an abrupt stop. Flames engulfed the entire building, licking up the sides of the walls, and blistering the paint on the wooden window frames. Smoke poured out of the kitchen door, which stood wide open. A sob caught in my throat and came out as a growl. The flames fanned out, leaving nothing untouched.

  A strangled cry bubbled up from my throat, and I realised I was back in my human form. I hadn’t even felt the shift or registered any pain. Looking around me I saw only wolves, all of them staring at the house, the flames dancing in the reflection of their eyes. I snatched a pair of joggers and T-shirt off the washing line and hurried to dress.

  There was no way I could get close to the house; the flames were too fierce. Crumpling to the ground, I broke down. Ari, Elizabeth, and Terry were in there. Had they realised what was happening? Were they trapped? Or did the smoke kill them before the flames? Even after his death, Parker was still able to inflict pain and misery.

  I tilted my head back and screamed into the night.

  A soft shout caught my attention as if someone had heard my screams and was answering from the heavens. I opened my eyes and looked around. The wolves moved off as one towards the back of the house, and I scrambled to my bare feet and followed.

  The white picket fence was blistering from the heat of the fire as we trailed around the edge of the property. Zak led the way, his deep brown fur glistening in the firelight. There was movement up ahead, and as the thick smoke parted briefly, I saw a blonde head of hair shining like a beacon.

  ‘Lizzie!’ I shouted as I launched into a sprint, barging past the wolves who stood between my friend and me.

  She barrelled her way towards me, and we flew into each other’s arms. Her hair smelt of smoke and her face was covered in soot and grime, but she was very much alive.

  ‘This way, come quickly.’ She herded me to the side and urged the wolves to follow. We headed for the garage adjacent to the farm, still untouched by the flames that decimated the farmhouse.

  ‘Mia! You’re here.’ Ari shot out of the doorway, and I dropped to my knees to hug the little wolf. Relief flooded through me, and I sobbed once more.

  One by one the wolves’ masks dissolved until everyone was in their human form. Blankets and random pieces of clothing were distributed from the laundry that backed onto the garage block. Elizabeth tugged me through the door and there, lying on the flatbed of the Mills family truck, was Terry, languishing among the sacks of potatoes, his wolfish grin shining out from his sooty face.

  ‘I don’t know about being a wolf, you should be a bloody cat with all those lives you have.’ I leaned across the side of the truck to kiss Terry’s cheek.

  He laughed out loud, and the sound melted something in my chest. I had thought they were gone, all of them, and for the briefest of moments, I was utterly broken.

  Cody snaked his arm around my waist and slapped his brother on the shoulder, which made him wince, and all of us laugh. Zak stood on the other side of the truck and smiled at his friend, the relief clear on his face as much as on my own. Ari swung herself up onto the truck and nestled in next to Terry, a beaming smile on her beautiful young face.

  I glanced around me as if seeing my friends and family for the first time. We were all hot and sweaty, covered in twigs, soot, and blood, and wearing mismatched clothing, but we were together. This was my pack, and I would follow them to the ends of the earth.

  THE CAR PULLED through the tall, wrought-iron gates and into the winding driveway of Hood Academy. It seemed a lifetime ago that Sebastian first brought me here as a new student.

  The massive wooden doors of the school stood open as we pulled up outside and I saw the throng of people congregating in the entrance hall. Miss Ross stood on the top step greeting everyone as they arrived and I had to smile at her choice of wardrobe.

  ‘I thought headmistresses had to wear stuffy suits and billowing cloaks,’ I teased as I joined her.

  ‘Then you’re at the wrong school.’ She winked, her bright blue tracksuit perfectly complementing her dark skin and reflecting in the twinkle of her eye.

  I left her shaking hands with another group of students and wandered inside to see what other changes the new headmistress had made. At first glance everything looked the same. The comfortable sofas, the wood panelling, and the chandeliers were still there, but there was a new sign on the glazed office door. Miss Ross was in charge of Hood Academy now, and the wording on the plaque told everyone that fact. To the right of the head’s office had been the small store cupboard, which housed the secret entrance to the basement laboratories. The cupboard was gone now, and with a bit of remodelling the space had been developed into a respectable entrance to the science labs.

  It had been Sebastian’s idea to continue working on natural remedies that could help both wolf and hunter. He’d abandoned his cure for lycanthropy and had instead begun to work on salves for dressing wounds, tonics for fever, and a serum to reduce the pain of turning at the full moon. The GA had agreed to fund the venture and were hoping it would create a pioneering science-based diploma for future students.

  The excited chatter of the girls who came and went down the stairs to the labs told me the corridor of rooms, which had housed such barbaric activities below, had also received a remodel.

  ‘Mia!’ I spun around to see Elizabeth and Adam making their way through the masses of students.

 
; ‘The place looks great, doesn’t it?’ I said as we hugged and exchanged cheery hellos. Adam had arrived back at the Mills farm as the fire brigade were damping it down. The sheer terror on his face evaporated when he spotted Lizzie safe and well.

  We’d all suffered scary moments over the past few months, some more terrifying than others, but we’d come through it and were much stronger for it.

  ‘When’s Zak getting here?’ Elizabeth asked, her voice betraying the excitement I also felt at my brother being invited to the grand opening of a new Hood Academy.

  ‘They should be here soon. Cody dropped me off and went to park the car.’

  I never thought I’d be talking about the local werewolf pack’s arrival at a hunters’ academy, but a new head, and a new oath were only a few of the changes being made this year.

  Miss Ross and Sebastian had approached the GA with their proposal to work with the local wolf community to build a better understanding of each other’s roles in society. It was groundbreaking stuff, and we were all eager to be a part of it.

  I spotted Sebastian through the crowd and waved him over to where we’d found a small space to stand at the side of the room.

  ‘Welcome back to Hood Academy,’ Sebastian said beaming at us in turn. ‘Let’s hope this academic year is a bit quieter than the last.’ He winked at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh. It certainly had been a whirlwind year with many transformations.

  I pulled him to one side so that we could talk privately. So much had happened recently and I hadn’t had a chance to tell him that Parker was guilty of my mother’s death. Sebastian had held himself accountable for too long.

  ‘I owe you an apology,’ I said, suddenly feeling nervous. ‘I blamed you for Mum’s death and now I know that wasn’t the truth. It was Parker.’

  Sebastian leaned forward and took my hands in his. ‘I know it was. I read his notes in the file you took from his office.’