by K A Faul
Mina cleared her throat. “I, Mina Golden Claw, traveled into the forest lead by my alpha, Thomas. Rogue Hunters of the Church ambushed our pack, using golden traps and golden weapons. Three of my pack were injured.”
“And why didn’t you stay with your wounded back?” John asked, his voice tight.
A little off-script, huh?
The king frowned and glanced John’s way.
Mina locked gazes with her older cousin. “The pack asked me to continue on. I felt I would dishonor them and their sacrifice if I didn’t continue.”
John nodded. “What other dangers did you face?”
“I dealt with hallucinations caused by the mushrooms required for passage to Esper. Deadly shades infested the portal stairs, and I passed through with light as my guide. On Esper, I faced a mirage pixie in the Forest of the Cyclops.”
John’s face tightened, and he exchanged glances with the king. Mina’s father gave a curt nod.
“The Golden Claw has made a special arrangement with the cyclops rulers of the forest,” John said. “We limit the times of year that we travel into their territory and give them tribute, and they allow our packs to complete our ritual. But this other creature… What is a mirage pixie?”
“This annoying little blue piece of sh—little blue flying sprite-like thing. It’s not that tough, but it gets into your head, makes you see things that aren’t there, dangers.”
“I see. And you saw through these tricks?”
“Yes, Keeper.”
“Any other dangers?”
Mina took a deep breath, ready to mention the fae dreams, but instead slowly emptied her lungs. Even if she felt it meant something, she wasn’t planning on going back to Esper anytime soon, and there was no reason to spin up her father about phantom threats when they had the Hunter issue to resolve.
“No, Keeper,” she said. “No other dangers.”
“Do you have anything else to tell us, wolf?” There was a hint of accusation in John’s eyes.
“The Rite… helped bring out a power in me. The power to communicate with lesser animals.”
Her father and John exchanged quick glances before John turned his attention back to her. “What do you think this means?”
“I think the power is a blessing of Rogan.” Mina resisted the urge to grab her red streak. “That’s the only explanation I have.”
John tilted his head as if he was looking through her. “Perhaps it is. Can you control beasts with this power?”
Mina almost wanted to laugh. The idea of a werewolf calling something else a beast seemed absurd.
“No, Keeper. I can only communicate with them.”
Disappointment flashed across John’s face. “I see.” He reached into his robe to pull out a small clay jar. “Rise, Mina Golden Claw.”
She stood, and John stepped forward. He dipped his hand into the jar and painted a set of three red and golden claws on her forehead. “Your Keeper recognizes you as a full wolf of the Golden Claw.”
Her father smiled. “And your king recognizes you as a full wolf of the Golden Claw. Congratulations, Mina. You’ve completed your Rite of Passage.” He launched a surprise hug attack that brought out a smile from her and a frown from her cousin.
Mina relaxed into the hug. She could return to her town and her life.
Chapter 31
Mina inhaled deeply, enjoying the fragrant scent of the bouquet she’d bought for Anna. She smiled at the blonde girl lying in the hospital bed before placing the vase of flowers on the windowsill.
The sight of bandages peeking out from under her hospital gown tightened Mina’s stomach. A few inches lower and the gold would have ended Anna’s life.
They were werewolves and so used to not having to fear injury much, but the Hunters gave them an important reminder that unlike Rogan, they weren’t immortal.
“You don’t have to come and visit me every day, Mina,” Anna said, sitting up in her bed. “It’s been a week.”
“Yeah, but there’s only so much internet surfing you can do. Friends are better, and I want to make sure at least I see you the day you leave. Jorge and Ryan didn’t even let me know they were leaving yesterday.” Mina rubbed the back of her neck. “Wondered if they’re pissed at me.”
Anna blinked. “But you’ve hung out with them several times since the Rite.”
“Yeah, but…” Mina shook her head and shrugged. She sat down on the edge of Anna’s bed. “Look, you guys don’t get to go again for a year, and I passed. Not only that… I left you all and continued on.”
John’s question in the cave had lingered in Mina’s mind, and now she couldn’t figure out how much of what she’d done was because of their request and how much of it was her own selfish desire.
Anna frowned. “We insisted. What good would it have done for all of us to fail? When we were leaving the forest, we all talked about how much we wanted you to succeed. I think Thomas was worried about trouble, but it sounds like you handled it all okay.”
“Yeah, wasn’t like I had to deal with a manticore, just a fake kaiju housecat.” Mina shrugged and grinned. “Not a big deal.”
Anna smiled softly.
Mina sighed. “Look, I have to really apologize to you, Anna.”
“I told you already. We all wanted you to go ahead and complete your Rite.”
“No, not about that, about being kind of a snarky bitch about the whole powers thing. You were right about that. I wish… maybe if I’d pushed harder, maybe Thomas would have believed me sooner, and we could have avoided any of that, including you ending up with a gold blade stuck in you.”
“I didn’t die. I just have some scars. It’s not a big deal.” Anna sat up and stared at Mina. “I think you’re meant for something special. You should pay attention to the signs.”
“Signs? Not everyone who carries the blood of Rogan is meant for something more. I have a power, and now I know I can refine it and use it to make sure next time that our pack doesn’t get ambushed. But it doesn’t mean I’m part of any prophecies.”
“Maybe. Pay close attention to your dreams, though. Just in case.”
“My dreams?” Mina squeaked.
Anna tilted her head, the corners of her mouth turning up like she could see right into Mina’s thoughts. “You’ve had prophetic dreams, haven’t you?”
Mina scoffed. “I’ve had weird dreams, not prophetic dreams. Sure, I had a vision of Megasnuffly under the influence and then ran into him, but that’s only because that stupid pixie got in my head.”
No one could know about the fae dreams, not yet. Not until Mina had a better understanding of what they might mean. She didn’t believe she was part of any prophecy or special destiny, but she needed to figure out if the threat was just to her or the Golden Claw.
I need to do what I can to protect my friends and clan.
“I’m not going back home, Mina,” Anna said softly.
“What? You aren’t?”
“I’m going to live in Golden Oaks. I’ll pass my Rite of Passage next year, and then I’ll join your pack.”
Mina laughed. “I don’t have a pack. Though I guess I’ll have to pick one soon.”
“No. You’ll be your own alpha soon. And I’ll be there for you.”
A couple hours later, Mina strode up the street toward town hall. She glanced down at the text message from Thomas, who was the reason for this trip.
The King and Sheriff want to speak with you. Come as soon as possible.
Mina’s father had been busy in the aftermath of the Rite. So much so, she’d barely seen him.
A few minutes of walking brought her to town hall just as Garett stepped out of the door. The man took a few steps down the stairs leading to the front door before narrowing his eyes at Mina.
Mina sighed. “I’ve been summoned by my father and the sheriff, Garett. If you’ve got something to say, make it quick.”
“I don’t like you, and I don’t care what they say about the blood of Rogan giving you
powers. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a freak.”
“And you’re an asshole. We done?”
“A lot of crap’s coming our way,” Garett said, his voice low. “Make sure your freak powers protect your clan, and watch your back.” With a grunt, he continued past her.
“I’m glad to see your personality is vibrant and friendly as ever.”
Mina shook her head and stepped inside, giving the receptionist a friendly nod before turning to head down the hall leading to her father’s office.
On paper, he was the mayor of Golden Oaks, but everyone in town knew the truth, and so he was almost never referred to that way, except in documents that needed to be sent outside of town and the nameplate on his door.
His office door was already open when Mina arrived. Her father sat behind a massive oak desk. Sheriff Storm and Thomas sat on chairs on the opposite side.
Mina noticed there wasn’t a third chair and resisted making a crack. The stern looks on the faces of the three men suggested to her she close the door. That task finished, she turned back toward them.
“What did you need, Dad?”
Her father frowned. “We’ve been discussing the situation. We’re deeply disturbed by the attack. Everything that Thomas, the Initiate pack, and you have told us suggests these Hunters knew where you might be going and didn’t just follow you.”
“It’s my fault,” Thomas said. “I screwed up.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, son,” Sheriff Storm said. “I can’t say whether I would have believed Mina about those powers either at first, but the important thing is the Hunters are dead, and none of our wolves are dead. I’ve got some shit for you to do in the meantime to make up for it. For now, why don’t you let us talk to Mina alone?”
Thomas rose, and Mina resisted the urge to make a joke about the open seat. Her trainer looked at her for a moment.
“I’m sorry, Mina.”
“I agree with your alpha. We took out the Hunters. And it’s a good thing I got lucky on the second one.” Mina gave him a meaningful glance, hoping he’d not admitted Linh’s involvement.
“Next time, I’ll listen,” Thomas said. He opened the door, stepped into the hallway, and closed the door behind him.
Mina took the opportunity to take a seat and folded her hands in her lap. Tension lined the faces and bodies of her father and Sheriff, but no real anger. She didn’t think they were about to launch into a tirade about seeking non-wolf help during a Rite.
“Is there anything else you can tell us, Mina?” her father asked. “Anything about the attacks?”
Mina shook her head. “Just everything I told you already. Ranting and raving. Hellhounds, all that crap.”
Her father sighed and leaned back. “We’ve made backchannel contact with the Church. They admitted, grudgingly, that they were aware of two Hunters matching the descriptions that you gave us, along with the name of the one, but they insisted they didn’t know where they were or that they were coming into our territory.”
Mina swallowed once. The next words out of her father’s mouth might mean a lot of death was coming their way. “Do you believe them?”
“Yes.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Good news. No war at least.”
“Yes. We’ll have to sweep the woods for more golden spikes and be more careful. I think your help could be useful with that.”
“Sure. I’ll grab some gloves and thick boots and head out whenever you need me.”
Her father shook his head. “We want you to ask the animals in the forest.”
“Oh, yeah, that.” Her father had only asked a few questions about her power over the week.
He grinned. “I’m not surprised. It’s rare that even those with the blood of Rogan have powers, but it’s not unheard of… particularly in our family.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Your Grandad Fred had special abilities, too. He could control water a little.”
Mina bolted out of her chair. “What the hell? How come I never heard about this?”
Her father and Sheriff Storm both stared at her until she sat.
“It was a difficult time in the clan,” her father said. “He kept it to himself to avoid trouble but used it to help when he could.”
“It seems like it’s always a difficult time in this clan,” Mina muttered
Sheriff Storm chuckled. “Ain’t that the truth.” He looked over at Mina’s father. The king nodded back. “Look, Mina, we’ve talked about it. Your father and I, even the Keeper. We all agree that whatever power you have, you need to strengthen it. The clan needs every advantage it can muster.”
“Not everyone likes people who are different.”
Sheriff Storm shrugged. “Of course not. We’re werewolves. We’re not that great at individualism. But it doesn’t matter. Remember that little errand I sent Garrett on?”
“Yeah. Is that why he was coming out of the building earlier?”
The Sheriff nodded. “We were going over some of the information he found out.”
“You sent Garett to collect information?”
“He’s reliable in his own way.”
Mina chuckled. “Okay, your call.”
The Sheriff grunted. “The True Breed are on the move in a big way. We know they’ve even been helping out some other supernaturals.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would they help out non-wolves?”
“Access to power, magic, that sort of thing.” The Sheriff frowned. “The True Breed have gotten smarter than they used to be. They know how to hide some of their crap, so they won’t have to deal with people like me or your father.”
Mina looked between the two grim-faced men. “I don’t understand. What are you getting at?”
“We believe a Golden Claw werewolf gave those Hunters the information they needed to ambush you, maybe one that sympathizes with the True Breed.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would the Hunters not kill the wolf then?”
Sheriff Storm shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe they wanted the chance at a whole pack. Maybe the rogue wolf lied about being a werewolf. We don’t know.”
Her father leaned forward. “We don’t want you spreading this around. Right now, only a small number of wolves know about this.”
Mina frowned. “Why are you even telling me, then?”
“You survived a hunter attack, bear the Mark of Rogan, and display a power. You’re known to be close with a non-wolf.” Her father’s face twitched into anger.
Sheriff Storm took a deep breath. “Just tell her everything. She deserves to know.”
Mina narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on, Dad?”
Her father let out a long sigh. “Garett was ambushed by a pair of wolves in Spokane when he was asking around about True Breed. That’s one of the reasons the Sheriff sent him. We worried about an attack. One of the wolves escaped, but Garett managed to capture the other one. He wouldn’t admit to anything, but Garett found pictures on his phone. Pictures of you.”
Mina shuddered. “Creepy much?”
“You’re my daughter, and I’m known among the clans for not tolerating True Breed. I don’t believe this was just rogue Hunters picking targets of opportunity. I believe this was a targeted assassination attempt orchestrated by the True Breed.”
Mina stared down at her lap, her stomach churning and bile rising in the back of her throat. “Then it’s my fault.”
“Your fault?”
“Jorge, Ryan, Anna.” Mina’s head snapped up. “They got hurt because of me. They could have been killed because of me! Those True Breed or whoever sent those Hunters at me, and other people got hurt.” Her hands curled into fists, and she took deep breaths.
Tears threatened the corners of her eyes. She’d been so convinced it was bad luck.
Anger washed through her father like a wave. His hands tightened into fists, and his face reddened.
“It’s not your fault,” her father growled. Th
e force of his words stunned Mina, and she blinked. “It’s not your fault. It’s those Hunters and whoever helped them. I’m telling you this because I want you to be careful, Mina, until we can find the wolves that we believe sold you out and tear them to shreds for their betrayal. If you’re upset about your fellow wolves being hurt, don’t blame yourself. Blame the traitors. Understand?”
Mina managed a nod. “I understand.”
Her father wasn’t the only person who wanted to tear some traitors apart.
“That’s all for now. Relax and enjoy being a Golden Claw wolf. Start thinking about packs. The Sheriff and I have some other things to discuss.”
Mina rose and headed toward the door.
“Mina,” Sheriff Storm called.
She turned around, her pulse pounding in her ears. “Yeah?”
“You did well. You also did everything you could. Keep that in mind.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’ll help Anna heal faster.” Mina stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her.
You want me, True Breed? Come at me, then, assholes. Next time, don’t hide behind Hunters.
Mina sat in her room, thinking over everything that happened. Werewolves wanted her dead, and some faerie bitch wanted her dead, too.
Yay, Mina Golden Claw, bringing species together in hatred.
She let out a dark chuckle at the thought, and the responsibility weighed on her heart. At least her brother wasn’t around to see her self-pity.
“Whatever. I should stop being a baby. My dad has had to deal with a lot more than this for a lot longer. I’ll deal. Fae bitch wants a piece of me. She can get in line. If those wolves are too weak to come at me directly, they can’t be that scary. Hell, Garett beat their asses. How tough can they be?”
Mina’s stomach rumbled, and she stood. Self-pity apparently burned off a lot of calories. She opened her door and started toward the kitchen when she heard some rustling and squeaking from the living room.