by Holly Hook
“I'm fine,” I say. “And I mean it. Just because I went home doesn't mean it's because Matt did something and then threatened me.”
“Well, both of you vanished at lunch time,” Ellie said. “And it made us all think the worst.”
“Why didn't you tell me what he said this morning?” Noah asked.
“Because you don't want to go up against that guy,” I say.
Noah hikes his backpack up. The two walked all the way here, out of their way, to check on me. Worrying them only makes me feel worse. And so is seeing them. What if Cayden and I have to act at the party, and I harm one of them?
If the pull came when I faced down a crappy human, it will pay me a visit with a Savage Wolf.
And after that, the pack will have to leave Breck. Abandon the territory we won from the Savages and leave its people to them. Hasn't Cayden thought of this?
Or is he like Aunt May and doesn't want to tell me because he thinks I can't handle it?
“Can we come in?” Noah asks.
“Sure.” It's the correct answer.
They come inside and I pour water since it's all we have in the fridge. “Tell us what happened with Matthew,” Noah says.
“Nothing happened!” I'm digging myself into a deeper hole.
“It did,” Ellie says. “And you don't look sick. Brie, do you have to go to the hospital?”
I know what she means. Do I need them to collect evidence against Matthew?
“No,” I say. “I didn't even see Matt today. Well, I did, but he and his buddies were driving away.”
“We saw two of his friends talking in the halls,” Noah says. “They looked pretty freaked out.”
I know why. “Nothing happened.”
“We're just trying to help,” Noah says. “You don't have to push us away.”
“I'm just not feeling well.” He's right about me pushing them away. I've shut things away from them before, but this is different. I'm not like my friends anymore and now they'll never understand what I'm going through. Even collective gripes about Olivia are over.
“Matt's not a good guy,” Noah says.
“I know you're hoping he goes to prison,” I say. “Well, so am I. It would knock him out of the way, but I have no evidence to lock him up. Sorry.”
“That's not what I wanted,” Noah says. “What kind of friend would I be?”
“And I'm not accusing you of that,” I say. “My point is, Matt did nothing and I'm being careful. He won't bother me again. Remember when Cayden pushed him down? I'm wondering if that happened again at lunch. I didn't see him, either.”
But why in the park?
Noah sucks down his glass of water. “We'll get going, then.”
A knife of pain stabs through my chest. Noah's getting the drift, and I hate it. So is Ellie. She sticks beside him as they prepare to head back out into their world, leaving me alone. I don't want them to go, but they can't stay, either.
“I'll see you at school tomorrow? Everything's fine. Trust me. I needed time to think.”
The tension in the air thins, but it doesn't vanish. “Tomorrow,” Noah says.
Chapter Fourteen
Cayden, text me back.
Come on, Cayden. You never leave me hanging this long.
Don't start this crap again, okay?
With each text bubble I send, my anger grows. What is he doing and why won't he even talk?
Then again, I'm not much better, shoving my friends aside. I know how that treatment feels, which makes the thought of it so much worse.
I text every hour, on the hour, and as the light fades outside, it's clear that Cayden will not answer.
He has no excuse.
Seen at 3:01 PM. Seen at 4:01 PM.
Everly's given me her number, so I text her instead. Cayden's not answering my messages. Couldn't find him at lunch, but smelled him in the park.
He's not home. Remo's checking the woods.
I sigh. Remo might be with Leonora, hoping he can become a regular human again and failing to find the cure. Everly must wait at home for him to show. Where Cayden could be, I don't know.
I'll look for him again.
Aunt May remains at the store and she hasn't contacted me, either. It's as if she's giving me and Cayden room to figure this out on our own. And besides, she accepts the whole werewolf social order.
And what am I doing, sitting here and waiting on him? Waiting has never gotten me anywhere, especially with Cayden.
After checking out the schedule Aunt May has on the fridge and realizing she won't be home until nine—a few hours from now—I pull my jacket over my body and head outside, locking up behind me. No one waits at the end of my driveway. Though it's almost dark and cold, I break into a jog and then run down the street and into the night. The cold air blows against my face, pushing my hair back as I up my pace down the road and pass the Lowe's cabin. A single light's on inside, inviting Cayden back, but nothing but Everly's scent surrounds the place.
Even the traces of Cayden are fading. He hasn't been home since yesterday.
Everly appears in the window and watches me as I slow, cross the yard, and head into the trees. I face her one last time and she nods, giving her approval. As if I need it.
Though it's dark under the trees, my vision adjusts, turning everything from pitch black to deep dusk. I break into a run again, down the trail that leads back to the school. But I stop when I reach the boulder where I spotted Cayden in wolf form for the first time. The moon peeks through the trees here, bright and waxing. I squint. It's only a few days from filling out and a few days from dooming Olivia and anyone else infected.
But for a moment, I feel close to Cayden. His scent lingers here. This is his favorite spot to shift and begin his journey through the wilderness. I sit, but even here, his scent has faded, taking on a stale overtone.
It's almost as if he's left the forest.
“Cayden,” I mutter. Anger and hurt fill me. I throw my jacket on the boulder. Doesn't he realize that by leaving us like this, he's throwing all his responsibility on the pack? Cayden's as broken as Wyatt. Only his scent from earlier tells me he's not hurt. Physically, anyway.
But how do I fix him?
The deep pull returns, begging me to run through the night. Maybe it's the moon drawing near. Maybe it's something else. But instead of the vicious fight instinct, this is different. It's about Cayden.
I remove the rest of my clothes, leaving them in a pile near the boulder, and stand for a moment in the middle of the woods. My phone remains silent as the pull comes again and this time I give in. I have a second to fear the pain before the wave overtakes me and the world spins. Trees grow. Everything stretches and blurs for a moment, and true darkness dances at the corners of my vision before retreating and leaving me in my other form, with strength flowing through my limbs. Senses pop. My vision improves further, and every smell takes on a color of its own. A few hardy bugs buzz. In the distance, twigs snap as a squirrel scrambles up a tree.
I burst into a run.
I'm better able to find Cayden this way.
Scents pop and fade. Animals. Pine needles. Even a few dogs, with just a trace of wild, who have taken these trails. I approach the school, detecting no Cayden, though Remo lingers in the air along with traces of cafeteria food. Turning to avoid the parking lot, I head away from town, deeper into the trees, as a few terrified rabbits dart into burrows. I ignore them though a part of me wants to snap my jaws around their necks to see what they taste like. Somewhere far to my right, the musky smell of a moose turns to metallic fear as the creature crashes through underbrush, trying to avoid me.
Still no Cayden.
All trails vanish. I'm heading towards the north end of town now, and at last, I inhale Cayden's scent. It's fresh here, and I stop at a tree, picking up his essence. The godly wilderness. It's all over this tree trunk, as if he's rubbed his form all over it, warning out the Savages. Cayden was out here not too long ago.
Traces o
f rotting wood and swampland ride in on the wind as the branches creak far above.
The Savage Wolves. The Baltic Wolves or another pack, I don't know. Perhaps they all smell the same. The wind changes, taking the scent away, and then it returns. I can't tell which direction it's coming from, but I judge the scent can't come from more than a few miles off.
I'm at the edge of our territory.
Any farther, and the Savage Wolves can attack. I'll be in the true wilderness.
Sniffing again, I realize Cayden's scent extends no farther than this. He must not have ventured past this tree. Perhaps he's still renewing the border, but why avoid telling anybody what he's doing? He doesn't need to hide this.
So I follow his scent trail.
The moon rises, providing light, and I run from tree to tree, following where Cayden has been last. He seems to have marked a large circle around Breck. Few people live out here.
A dirt trail cuts through the woods.
I stop in the underbrush, a drying leaf tickling my nose, as my gaze lands on a wide trail complete with dirt bike tracks. Fresh ones, too. Traces of gasoline linger in the soil, and the trail snakes over the territory line, vanishing into the gloom. Someone rides a dirtbike way out here, and if I look far enough, I spot a wooden jumping ramp held up by a pile of rocks.
And then, the angry motor of a dirt bike in the distance.
Someone's out here riding. At night. And close to where the Savage Wolves can roam.
A light stabs through the trees, and I back away from the trail as the sound grows. Ducking in the foliage, I watch as a speeding dirt bike cuts down the trail, complete with a driver in a helmet and a yellow and black suit. Though I make out no facial features, the rider has his shoulders hunched in distress. He cranks the throttle, gaining speed. Dirt kicks up. He dodges the ramp by inches, slowing and speeding up again.
The noise of the bike masks that of the Savage Wolves.
But the scent that hits me tells the truth.
Two Savages, a sandy and a light gray wolf, bolt after the bike, canines bared. The light gray one growls. I recognize them. The sandy wolf I fought first back in the clearing, and the light gray one helped to kill Cayden's parents. They're the source of his pain and now they want another victim.
I charge the light gray wolf.
Crossing over the edge of our territory, I dart out behind the dirt bike so close bits of dirt strike my face. Shaking my head, I regain my composure and leap at the gray wolf, crashing all my body weight into the creature and snapping my jaws. Shocked, the wolf lands on his side, growls, and bucks me off. I fly back, hitting a tree as the dirt bike and the headlight vanishes around a curve.
I'm several feet outside our territory.
It's a free-for-all out here.
The sandy wolf keeps chasing the dirt bike for a moment but stops at the scent border, panting. Rising the gray one turns his ruthless gaze on me and advances. The other wolf does, too.
I could back into our territory. Running would get me out alive and unhurt. But I hate these Savage Wolves for what they did to Cayden and to his family. So I pick myself up, turn to the side, and growl back. Our stares meet. The light gray wolf does the same, and the two of us circle while the sandy one, a female, backs off. He's bigger than me. I can fight, but this will be to the death. Cayden's scent lingers behind me, but he's miles away.
And my rage won't let me back down.
I fake charge the gray wolf, making him back into his partner. He surveys me with hard, brown eyes. Then I take the distraction and lunge, clawing the wolf's side and closing my jaws on his muzzle. He whimpers, hitting me with huge paws as the sandy wolf charges me from the side. She rams me, throwing me back from the gray wolf as teeth sink into my back leg.
Pain explodes. She digs in deeper, refusing to let go. But I thrash and slash her across the eyes, digging a claw into one and drawing blood. My fighting ability remains even as my leg screams in burning agony. She backs off, but I refuse to let her go. I won't let her live. I lunge again, this time sinking teeth into the nape. Blood flows, vile just like her.
Teeth rip the flesh of my back and I growl, releasing the sandy wolf and bucking off the gray one. Fear pumps into my veins, making my heart race. I might die here. The air smells of iron, of blood—all our blood. The world is rotten and full of pain.
I rake the gray wolf the snout, drawing a line of blood. Droplets fly as I turn my aggression on him, closing teeth around an ear. I rip. It detaches. The light gray wolf backs away, vanishing into the woods and whimpering with his tail between his legs. Submission.
Bloodied, the sandy wolf leaps at me. I roll out of the way, spitting out the ear and drawing new, raw pain from my back leg. Dizziness overtakes me and weakness shakes my limbs. I'm losing blood. My senses dull. I no longer have the energy. The sandy wolf lands beside me, two rows of sharp, jagged teeth ready to gore my stomach.
A black wolf rams into the light gray one.
The two tumble and become a ball of flying fur, growling, and snapping. I rise and back away. Cayden. He's out here, but I can't smell him. Maybe I'm close to death.
Brie, get home.
His voice explodes in my mind as I watch the fight, but every instinct tells me to leap in and finish this wolf. Cayden's hazel eyes lock on the monster's throat, the monster who helped kill his parents. This might be the wolf who murdered Wyatt. Who plunged Cayden into this state.
I can't let him live.
Leaping into the fight, I claw at the gray wolf as my blood flows, puncturing another eye. Cayden rolls him onto his stomach. The gray wolf struggles, claws flying and hitting Cayden on the stomach. His throat's exposed. I dive at the Savage Wolf, closing my jaws around the soft flesh of his throat.
And with one bite, a final crunch follows.
The wolf whimpers one last time and goes still.
Cayden and I back away. I sway on my legs as a sticky sensation covers my back leg. Cayden sniffs, and his hazel eyes open in shock.
Get back to my house, he orders. On four legs. As fast as you can.
But he's not angry. Instead, terror fills his voice.
I'm hurt.
Perhaps very hurt.
And despite feeling my flesh tingle as it tries to pull back together, the dizziness and fatigue remains.
Move, Brie. Now. Or you might die. Cayden nudges me, urging me to hurry.
And together, we bound back into our territory, crossing the scent border and leaving the dead Savage Wolf behind.
Chapter Fifteen
Cayden leads the way.
I'm so glad he's back—and alive—that all thoughts of Matt and my injuries fade into the background as we run under the light of the waxing moon. The burning in my leg first intensifies as flesh swells to block off the blood flow, then throbs. Instinct tells me it's part of the healing process, and I no longer feel the flow of blood down my hind leg, but my back also throbs and screams. The dizziness remains. I've lost blood. My stomach roars in hunger and I think of those rabbits, or maybe even a deer, but it takes all my effort to follow Cayden over tree roots and through drying underbrush.
I stumble.
This is bad.
Cayden nudges me. Keep going.
Animal instinct tells me to stop and close my eyes. But I force myself up and continue to walk alongside Cayden. He's the alpha. His influence sweeps over me in this state and I don't question it.
At last, after a stumble again, the back of the Lowes' cabin comes into view. As I stagger into the backyard and into the weeds, a curtain of darkness lowers, pulling me into the ground as if it's made of lead. I land, limbs shaking as convulsions seize my body. I growl in pain as my form shifts from wolf to human. Darkness remains. It must mean I'm dying. Unable to keep this form.
But I can't scream.
I open my mouth, but my strength fails me.
So I fall into a void in pained silence. Soon, even my cracking limbs and muscle spasms die.
* * * * *
Cayden's words stab into the void. The pit is so deep I hadn't realized I've been floating in it.
"Huh?"
"You're still with us. You lost a lot of blood. How are you feeling?"
"Like I'm just now coming back online?" I ask. I feel nothing at first, but then I realize a blanket rests under me, and a hard floor under that. The air smells of pine, old logs, blood, and Cayden.
"We need to get her food," Remo says. "Anything with plenty of iron is a plus."
"Red meat," Everly says. I can't read her tone.
"Well, the hospital's out," Cayden says. "We can't let them see our fast healing."
I force my eyelids open. They ache and the room still spins, but I take a breath and stay awake. My back still burns and my thigh does the same, but the pain has dropped to a bearable level. And yes, I'm in human form, bare, with a second blanket over me.
"Don't move," Cayden says, holding my shoulder. "You're healing well, but I bet you're dizzy and weak."
"Two points for you," I say, a question on my lips.
He rests his head on my shoulder. His body comes into view, and he's wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. Right after I collapsed, Cayden must have changed back, picked me up, and brought me into the house. Remo must have gotten back before we did, or Everly found him herself. Then they rested me here and prayed I'd recover.
"Brie, why did you do that?"
His tone breaks my heart. Not only does he sound exasperated, like I'm a lost cause, but his words carry anger. At himself, most of all.
I lift my head, making the room tilt and nausea sweep over me. Everly's gone into the kitchen. The gas stove ticks as she fires up a burner. I catch a whiff of the fumes and hear the hissing of the flames. Remo's left, too, and gone into another room.
"I had to save that guy," I say.
"I was chasing those wolves," Cayden says. He sounds froggy and full of emotion. "I would have done it."
"Why didn't I smell you out there?"