by Tamara White
Duncan and his family will be here any minute so we can make the drive to Ouachita National Forest. He and his family are driving his car, while Dad and I will be in our truck. We’re supposed to be meeting a couple of other hunters up there too.
“Yeah, just making sure to take some cash in case I need to stop at a hotel or something. I’ve got my phone, spare clips for the Glock, a dagger in my boot, and a rolled up bag so I can hide my clothes and keep them dry when I strip out of them.”
He nods in approval. “Good. Now remember, if we stick to the plan, we should be safe. I’ll have my phone on me if we need to deviate from the plan. If something happens, you call me. I don’t care what excuses I have to make to Duncan, I don’t want you hurt because of his vendettas.”
“Vendettas? I thought this was just a hunt for a possible rogue pack?”
Dad sighs sadly. “I thought so too, but I fear he’s going after the same pack that killed his parents again, possibly a smaller group of them, but I don’t really know. A few hunters I reached out to didn’t even know there was still a pack in this area.” Dad comes in and rests on the edge of my bed. “I think once he saw you were proficient, he figured he would have a better chance of trying again. The last I heard, the council had forbidden any attacks on the larger packs until we had the numbers to defeat them, but yet, he still got approval, which says something for the pull he has. Either that, or he’s lying.” Dad pauses, a contemplative look on his face. “My theory is that this hunt tonight might be his effort at proving he can thin them out. I think it’s also why he’s only invited a few lesser known hunters on this trip. Ones who haven’t yet learned of the council and their ways. He can get away with hunting them then because none of them know any better.”
So that’s why we’re going to Hot Springs? I thought it seemed weird that we were returning to the same place where Duncan’s parents and wife were supposedly killed.
“Makes sense, I guess.” I look myself over, going through my mental checklist. Rather than wearing something similar to my father, like jeans and a tight fitting shirt, my clothes are loose and pliable, the perfect ensemble should my wolf need the room to shift. Trying to shift when your human form is in tight clothes is one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced.
“Right, so go out there, find a reason to split off, hide until the morning, and pretend I got lost. Got it.”
“Yes, but most of all, be careful. If any of them catch sight of a wolf, or of you as a wolf, you won’t be safe. I won’t be able to protect you while I’m off with Duncan.”
“Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll be safe. But you need to watch your back too. If Duncan is taking you out there with younger hunters, then who’s to say he’s not trying to repeat history and get rid of you?”
“I can handle myself, Eliza.”
Of course he can, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying.
Once I’m ready to go, Dad and I head out front to wait for Duncan and his sons to arrive. In the meantime, I ask something that’s been bothering me since we talked about Shelly and Ash.
“Why did you save her?”
Dad immediately knows who I’m talking about. He’s kept me distracted with training when Ash, Jay, and Ty are over, stopping them from really discussing wolves, of which I’m thankful for, but it didn’t stop Ash from sequestering me at school whenever he could. Hell, he even tried to bring Tyler to lunch in an effort to convince him, which was a little bit of a shock for me. I assumed Tyler had graduated but just hadn’t turned eighteen yet, so he couldn’t get his tattoo. But he’s actually nineteen and taking a year off before college while he trains. Rather than spend most of his time at home, though, he volunteers at the school, helping a few teachers when needed.
“I saved her because I loved her.”
I figured that was what Dad was going to say, but it still surprises me. He’s had many relationships in the past, and I always thought I was the reason he never let things go further.
“When we were kids, we all knew one another, but Duncan was the better guy. The one that came from a reputable hunter family, the one who would be able to provide for Shelly. I was just trailer trash compared to Duncan, so I kept my feelings to myself. Shelly knew though. She confronted me about it the day before she was to get married. I admitted the truth to her, but I told her that nothing could ever come of it. Then she kissed me and I left.”
“You just gave up? That doesn’t sound like you.”
He gives me a sly smile. “Okay, maybe I didn’t leave her completely alone. When I found you, I reached out for help. At first, I told her the same story as everyone else. But she had Jayden, and Tyler was a small toddler, so I figured who better to help me than a woman who already had children? She dropped everything to fly out and assist me with you even though she was pregnant with Ash, but you didn’t make it easy. She knew what you were within a day. You shifted to your pup form and scared the living daylights out of her.”
She knew me as a baby? Dad never mentioned her at all. I wonder why. I would have understood. It makes more sense now. I always pondered how he did it alone. Even if he said he researched how to raise me, he made it seem like it was a lot easier than I imagine it would have been. Hell, if I found a baby in the woods, I’d be clueless on how to raise it, let alone a wolf cub.
“Why didn’t she insist you kill me?”
“Because she believed that not all wolves were killers. And you were a baby. Not even she could kill an innocent child. But she did help me figure out what you would need. She went with me to buy clothes, a crib, a stroller, blankets, formula, diapers, and many other things you would need. Everything that was bought that weekend, she paid for from her private account. She knew I never would have been able to afford such things. If it wasn’t for her, you would have been living in rags for a while until I could scrape together enough to get you the necessary items. But that’s not the most important thing she did.”
He wraps me in his arms and kisses me on the head. “She gave me you. Without her help, I wouldn’t have been able to get a birth certificate making you mine.”
A car horn beeps, breaking us apart. Duncan has arrived in his white jeep, the guys all loaded up with him. Dad gives him a small wave and opens the passenger side door of our truck for me. “Let’s go do this.”
I climb in, my wolf growing more excited as the minutes pass. Regardless of everything transpiring, she’s excited, because tonight is the night she’s free to run.
Chapter Seventeen
We ended up somewhere in the forest near one of the trails. According to my research, this forest has a few cabins, which means humans. That could mean wolf dinner. My guess is we’re following the trails behind where said cabins would be situated.
The pack wouldn’t be too close to human civilization, but they would be close enough that they could scent the humans when the shift took over.
Dad was right about Duncan having new hunters meet us up here. A lot of them, while varied in age, reek of fear. Like this is only one of the first hunts they’ve been on.
Duncan clears his throat to gather our attention. I can already scent the wolves and know this is not going to be good. Dad and Duncan have been tracking the wolf prints along the trail where the last person was reported missing.
“There’s one wolf that seems to have broken off this way and went down this path, most likely to scout the humans still down at the cabins,” Duncan announces, pointing to a separate trail. “You kids will go that way and take care of the wolf, understood?” I meet Dad’s eyes across the little path, trying to convey my worry. Duncan thinks there’s only one wolf, but I scent more than that. I can’t exactly say that though.
“The more experienced hunters and I will continue to follow the trail and find the rest of the pack. We’ll take care of them then come back and make sure the rest of you have taken care of the lone wolf.”
Dad looks around at each of us. “Everyone stays together and watches each other’
s backs. I don’t want anyone being bitten because they got reckless.”
Everyone nods, the scent of fear heightening. Duncan smiles at the group. “Good, we’ll meet back at the vehicles once the wolves are dead.”
With that, Duncan turns and begins to follow the trail, the other newbie hunters following like dutiful little slaves. He didn’t even say goodbye to his sons.
My dad is the only one who remains behind, and he comes to my side, leading me a little ways from the guys. “What is it? What do you sense?” His voice is low, so low the others wouldn’t hear it.
“He’s wrong. There are at least four wolves down this path. Not one.”
Dad glances over at Ash, Jay, and Ty, each of them staring at us in confusion. Most likely they want to know what the big secret is, but I just smile over at them, trying to assuage their fears. I’ll just tell them Dad was giving me the ‘be safe’ lecture.
“Steer clear of them, Liza. Follow the path as best as you can, and keep close to the cabins to keep the humans safe, but don’t intervene with the wolves. You could handle one or two, but four is too much, especially if you can’t reveal yourself.”
I nod, knowing how true that is. I could take care of them in wolf form, but maybe not all four of them. I can’t guarantee that the others wouldn’t be able to see me or that one wouldn’t get past me and kill them while I was otherwise occupied.
“I’ll keep them safe, Dad. You better go catch up,” I tell him, noticing the tail end of the hunting group.
“Right, be safe.” He gives me a quick hug then quickly runs off to catch up to the rest of the hunters.
I glance around at the guys, noticing they all seem a little more relaxed. “Sorry, guys, Dad just wanted to remind me to watch my back. We’ve had a few wolves sneak up on us in the past.” I let out a low whistle, looking at the barely there path we’re supposed to follow. “So how would you like to do this?”
Jayden looks around at his brothers. “I think Ash and Ty should be in the middle. You and I should be in the front and rear since we’re more experienced.”
“I agree. What do you want, front or back?”
“What, that’s it? You just lump us two in the middle because you guys have been on more hunts than us?” Tyler looks pissed by the implication he’s not as capable as the rest of us.
“Have you ever tracked a wolf? Have you ever killed one?” I ask, pointing out the obvious.
Tyler just glares at me, his annoyance clear. Jayden grins over at his brother. “She’s right. She’s been on plenty of hunts with her father, so I assume Eliza has had experience in tracking wolves. I know for a fact she’s already got a number of kills under her belt from what her father has told us in training. Me, I could handle myself if need be, but I’m not an excellent tracker. You two haven’t had any real-world experiences, so it makes sense if you both stay between us.” He turns to me. “I’m happy for you to lead so you can follow the tracks. I’ll take up the rear and keep an eye out for any potential wolves sneaking up behind us.”
I’m more than okay with that. At least if I’m following the tracks, I can lie about the direction of the wolves.
“Right, then we better get a move on. We have a couple of hours before the moon is at its highest, and I would like to be back at the cars by then.” Realistically, it’s about getting all of the brothers back before then so I can take off and shift without worrying about their safety.
Each of the guys pull out a handgun, making sure their safeties are off. I leave my pistol at my back, knowing I’m fast enough to reach for it if a wolf comes across our path. I’d smell them long before as well.
I start down the trail, annoyed when Tyler begins speaking. “So what should we expect? A wolf wanders across the path and we just shoot it in the head?”
“No,” Ash replies, “don’t shoot it unless it attacks us. Maybe it’s friendly.”
“Really, Ash? You’re still on about this? How many times do we have to tell you wolves are dangerous? They’re killers. We hesitate, and they’ll murder us!” Jayden’s voice echoes enough that any wolf nearby would hear us and come running.
“Eliza thinks some are friendly.”
Son of a motherfucking cunt bucket.
“Eliza, is that true?” Jayden questions. I glance over my shoulder to see that all three of them have stopped to stare at me. Ash with expectant eyes. Tyler and Jayden with distrust.
Tyler is glaring at me, like I’ve just killed his pet. “We can’t hunt with someone who believes these creatures are nothing but harmless dogs.”
“Look, we don’t have time for this. My opinions don’t matter. Neither do yours. So long as none of us get killed, then we call that a fucking win. Now you all need to shut your traps before a wolf hears us and sneaks up on us.”
“We’re not going anywhere with you until you tell us the truth.” Jayden has his weapon in front of him, pointed subtly my way.
Ash finally seems to understand he fucked up when he noticed his brothers have their weapons aimed toward me. They aren’t quite raised, but still, I don’t like guns pointed even slightly in my direction.
“Forget I said anything, guys.” Ash steps between me and his brothers, which is the wrong thing to do. The scent reaches me a second too late.
A wolf suddenly leaps from the trees, taking down Ash. My gun is drawn a millisecond later, firing at the wolf.
Ash is rolling down the slope of a hill, the wolf on him. I leap into the trees, pausing only a few seconds or so to fire at the wolf, but it’s still attacking Ash who’s screaming out in terror. There’s no way I can get a clear head shot without hitting Ash too.
Jayden and Tyler have quickly jumped into action, each of them shooting at the wolf and doing their best not to hit their brother.
“We need to get it off him,” I call to the others as I holster my weapon. “When Ash is free, fire at the creature until it’s dead.” I start running and dive at the wolf, using my momentum to lunge at it and force it to roll away. As soon as it’s on its feet, away from Ash and me, the guys start shooting, aiming for its head. Suddenly, the wolf drops, and I know it’s dead.
I quickly scramble to Ash who’s prone. He’s covered in blood, that much I can smell even if I can’t see it yet.
When I reach him, Ty and Jayden do too. Both of them holster their weapons and rush to check on their brother. He’s got a lot of cuts and scrapes on him. Tyler slaps his brother across the face to wake him up while Jayden keeps looking Ash over for wounds.
“Ugh, what happened?” Ash groans, his eyes fluttering open. “Who hit me?”
He struggles to sit up, only for Jayden to put a hand on his chest. “He’s been bitten.”
My head snaps down to where Jayden’s gaze is fixed. Sure enough, a wolf bite is on his calf.
“I was bitten?” Ash is filled with fear, and he throws Jayden’s hand off his chest to look at the bite with terror in his eyes.
“We have to end him.”
Jayden is watching his brother with a mix of sadness and determination. I don’t think I’ve ever been more disgusted.
Tyler rises to his feet, pulling his gun on Jayden. “You want to kill Ash? What’s wrong with you? He’s our brother!”
“Our brother who was bitten by a wolf. We both know what that means.”
“So what? I’m not going to kill our brother, and neither are you.”
Jayden stands. This shit is about to escalate to supernova levels. Ash is staring at me, panic radiating through his whole body.
The wind shifts slightly, the trees swaying softly. I stiffen, the scent of wolves converging so close I know we have no choice but to run. “Sorry to break up this little fight, but we’ve gotta go.” I lean down and scoop Ash up into my arms and start to run downhill toward the cabins.
Over my shoulder, I call, “Wolves are coming, boys, better get your asses moving.”
They have already started following after me, but when they hear why I’m running, their
footfalls get louder and faster.
We clear the tree line, near a bunch of picnic tables, but the cabins are still far away. The wolf scent is too strong for us to make it to the cabins for safety, so I have no goddamn choice. I sit Ash on the table, pull out my gun, and give it to him along with my dagger.
Tyler and Jayden catch up just as I rip off my shirt.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Jayden demands, his eyes perusing my body. A slight edge of lust enters his gaze before being replaced with confusion. “Why are you getting undressed? We should be running for safety.”
“We won’t make it,” I tell them simply. I begin to take down my pants. The bra and underwear will rip easily enough when I shift because they’re made of old cotton. “This is the only chance we have. There are too many for us to outrun them.”
“How could you possibly know that? We haven’t seen them yet. In fact, how do you even know they are after us?” Tyler’s skepticism is clear. He pauses, his face scrunched as he thinks, then adds, “And how the hell did you carry Ash down that slope so fucking effortlessly?”
I ignore him, instead turning to Ash with a wink as I take off my boots. His eyes widen in understanding, and his mouth drops in shock. It opens and closes while he tries to come up with words to express the little bombshell he just pieced together.
I direct my gaze back to Tyler and Jayden. “When shit gets real, don’t shoot me. Protect your brother and kill any wolves that get close to you three. If you get a chance, get Ash out of here. Do you understand?”
“No, I don’t think I understand, mainly because you’re spouting a bunch of shit and not giving us any real answers. So how about you explain it.”
Almost a dozen wolves appear from the trees, and I move away from the table to stand between them and the brothers.
“This should explain everything,” I mutter to myself, as I call my wolf and let her take control.
Chapter Eighteen