by Holly Hook
"She hasn't come back," Leonora says. "And yes, they left before the winter storm started."
"Well, if you rode your bike, it would have had to be before the storm started," I say. "I smell Savage Wolf. If that's Matt, he deserves to smell like rot."
"I smell it, too," Cayden says. "You caught it before I did." He stares at me with wide hazel eyes. A question burns in them. Once again, I'm better at something werewolf-related than the rest of the pack. And no one, not even Leonora, knows the explanation.
"How close?" Leonora asks.
"I don't know." I roll down my window and sniff again. The wind has died for now. Only big flakes tumble down, forming shifting curtains. "The weather isn't in our favor."
"If we can smell the Savages, they can smell us," Cayden says. "Get out. That girl's life depends on it."
We all leave the SUV, Leonora first. She adjusts her belt with her silver dagger, a wicked-looking one she stole from her father's magical supplies. A leather bag hangs around her shoulder, stocked with whatever magical things she brought. I smell candle wax and a variety of incense.
"You ready?" I ask.
She nods. "Ready."
Darkness lingers under the trees. I expect a scream, but a snake of dread curls in my gut. I know what Matt would do to Alesha. Why did she go into the woods with him?
Then again, she's the one who pushed Olivia into dating him.
And after the scare we gave her, I feel like we owe it to her to save her friend.
"I tried to yell to her," Leonora says as we stand there, surveying the woods. "But she rolled her eyes at me."
"Does Matt know you're associated with us?" Everly asks, rough and all business.
"I don't think so. He's never been in the Grocery. And Brie and I don't hang out at school."
"It's safer that way," Cayden says. "If you want, stay here. Lock the doors and duck."
"Then what was the point of me coming?" she asks.
"Leonora might be able to help us afterwards," Remo says.
"So I'm the medic?"
Cayden nods at her. "Yes."
I hold back the eye roll. "It really is dangerous. Cayden's right." I walk a line between making them both feel better. It's not easy. "I mean, it's your decision, but we'd rather have you stay here."
"I'll stay close to her," Remo says.
"That works for me," Leonora says.
Cayden sniffs the air. "The scent's coming from behind the store. No blood. Hurry. We might get Alesha out of here alive."
"Should we go as wolves?" I ask.
"Not yet," Cayden says. "It's clear Leonora will follow us. We can't leave her."
We bolt behind the building. My heart races. If Alesha doesn't end up dead, she'll end up infected or traumatized from something else entirely. Matt was already vile before turning. Now maybe he wants a mate. Savage Wolves won't care about her say on it.
Cayden and I lead the way into the trees. Snow crunches under our feet and betrays our presence. I link my hand with Cayden's and pull my loose coat over me. It brushes my bare skin. If there's anything I've learned since turning, it's that clothes get ruined easily while shifting. But that's the only way to deal with the Savages.
Next to me, Cayden adjusts his long coat, too.
"We're twins," I joke.
He smiles. "That would be gross, wouldn't it?"
"Ew. Just a little," I say.
"Hey," Everly says. "Do not put disgusting thoughts in my head. And we need to focus on the rescue."
It's the first time she's joked with me. Maybe things are changing.
I stop when the new smell hits me.
"Brie?" Cayden asks.
"I smell fear. And look at the ground." The metallic smell hangs in the air as I point.
My vision isn't like an eagle's, but it's improved since turning, even at night. The soft grass at our feet makes the snow bumpy. But in some spots, the powder's flatter than others.
"I don't see it," Cayden says.
"Footprints." Keeping my voice at a whisper, I point at the ground. "Someone flattened the grass here before the snow fell."
"I see them," Remo says, appearing at my side.
"It's all snow," Leonora says.
A choked sob floats through the trees ahead. "Somebody untie me!"
"She's up here," I say, trudging ahead. "We need to shift."
"Not yet," Cayden says. "She's alive. We need to free her while in human form."
Cayden's influence sweeps over me like a wave of power. He has a point. But I can't stay back. Tree trunks and pine smells surround me as I charge ahead, Cayden at my side. None of us speak. Leonora makes enough noise with her footsteps I fear the Savages will hear her, but I don't smell them. Alesha might be alone and waiting.
"Anybody!" she shouts.
The flat, white expanse of a big clearing peeks through the trees ahead. I pass an ancient, broken-down car sitting just off the trail. Its rusted-out headlights stare as if warning us back. We must have left the gas station at least a mile behind.
The metallic smell—and another sob—hit me again. Alesha's losing hope. I want to shout to her but that might alert Savages in the area. A deer darts through the trees, crunching sticks. To my left, a group of rabbits dart into the snow. They're making it hard to focus.
"Don't go into the clearing yet," Cayden says. "I don't like this."
But he darts ahead, towards the edge of the trees.
"Not again," Everly says.
Despite his scars, Cayden's still impulsive. Still wanting to act on his own. I follow, pumping my legs to keep up, but Cayden, the alpha, still moves quicker than I do. He has to save someone. And he will so long as the thought of Wyatt and Remo torment him.
Cayden stops and ducks under some thick shrubs, peering into the clearing.
I follow and duck down beside him. "Stop it," I hiss. "We need to stay—"
But Cayden holds out a hand and stops me. Wiping away the powdery cold, I blink water from my eyes. We peer into the huge clearing. A blanket of snow covers the ground, white against darkness, though the almost-hidden footsteps lead to the center. And a large wooden post rises from the ground.
And tied to that post is Alesha, hands above her head. Long, platinum blond hair hangs in her face. She stomps her feet and faces the ground. Salt meets my nostrils, carrying the essence of terror and despair.
But no one else lingers in the clearing.
"Already," Cayden says.
"What do you mean?" I scan the trees as the others burst into the clearing, Leonora last.
"He'll do the mating ritual. If he hasn't already."
"The what?"
"Thought it was just a rumor until now. It only works on other werewolves or the infected. The Savages tie someone up. First, he'll infect her. Then the rite will start. And then, well, I don't want to say it."
"That's—"
"Disgusting," Cayden says.
I rise. "What are we waiting for?" Her clothes are intact and I smell no blood or rotten wood. She's not infected yet. My instincts would fill me with rage if she were.
Cayden grabs my arm and pulls me back down. "We can't act without—here they come."
But then a new scent hits me. Branches part on the other side of the clearing, and three men step out. One of them is the hulking form of Matt. He walks with a long coat on. I glimpse bare shins between the coat and his boots. Following him is a guy in a hoodie who I recognize as one of the Savage Wolves who tried to take our territory before I got turned. He's a young guy, maybe college aged, and walks beside Matt.
The third man has neat, dark brown hair and a beard. Middle-aged, he wears a black robe decorated with red lines on the sleeves and at the base. He carries a leather sack that reminds me of Leonora's.
"A warlock," Leonora hisses.
My head spins. "Then they're ready to do the rite." I pull against Cayden, but he keeps me in place.
"Rub these on you. Mask your scents," Cayden hisses, ripping pine
needles off the shrub. "Now!"
He's right. If we attack now, Matt will see us coming. He's a challenge even with the whole pack on him. I rub the needles on myself. Leonora does the same while Everly and Remo do likewise. I can no longer smell them.
Even from a hundred feet away, I spot his mean gait and the greedy way his fingers grasp a leather-bound book.
"It's the mating ritual, all right," Cayden says.
Alesha continues to face the ground. She doesn't see the three guys coming up behind her. But I smell them now. Rotten wood and other decay disperse through the air, filling the surrounding space. And another smell, a human one, joins them. The warlock. He smells like a mixture of money, sawed wood, and some of that incense Leonora carries.
"What now?" I ask. Cayden might know even if he's impulsive.
"We have to wait until Matthew's distracted. Then we attack."
"I don't want to wait that long," I whisper. But I know it's our best chance.
Matt, the other Savage, and the warlock all circle around Alesha, facing her. She looks at Matt first and then at the warlock. After taking a sharp breath, Alesha bursts into uncontrolled sobs. She probably thinks she's in some Satanic ritual.
The tug hits me, begging me to cast off my coat and shift. I grip the tree to stop it, focusing on the texture of the bark. The snow falls harder, coating Alesha's hood. Matt grips his coat. But he hesitates. That's not like him. The warlock waits as well. So far, they've showed no signs of hearing us. We're undetected.
"What are they waiting for?" Remo asks.
Maybe Matt's human side hasn't completely switched to Savage mode yet. But I doubt that. Even as a normal human he was Savage.
At last, Matt pulls off his coat, revealing his bare backside and giving Alesha a view. She stops crying, stunned as he stands in the cold in nothing but his skin and a pair of boots. Matt tosses his coat to the snow. I can imagine his grin.
I want to kill him.
We can't wait any longer. He's distracted. If we hurry, we can kill him before he shifts.
Cayden shakes his coat off and reveals his bare chest.
Letting go of the tree, I cast mine aside as the freezing air wraps around me. The explosions of pain and the cracking of joints follows as if my wolf side wants to hide behind a layer of fur. The world spins and I glimpse Cayden's bare form, all perfect, chiseled, and beautiful, as he crouches to vanish behind black fur and red highlights. The sounds of popping and shifting flesh fill the air. One last wave of agony sweeps over me and threatens darkness, but the trees stabilize and I stand on all fours, covered in blond fur.
Alesha screams as more popping and snapping sounds in the clearing.
We have seconds to act. Matt or no, we can't wait. Protecting Alesha is our mission.
I'll rip out Matt's throat. And with four of us, we might.
Cayden growls beside me in the form of a black wolf. Remo, the large blond, does likewise while Everly, a smaller version of Cayden, bolts into the clearing.
I follow.
Matt stands in the form of a huge wolf, bigger than any of us. Alesha focuses on him, pulling against the ropes that bind her wrists while the warlock opens the leather book. She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out.
I charge the huge wolf while the other Savage, still in his hoodie, backs away and pulls at his clothes.
Leaping over Matt's long coat, I sink teeth into the back of the huge wolf's neck. His flesh is thick and his muscles thicker. I dig as I draw a growl from Matt, but he's annoyed, not pained. He bucks me off with one thrust and I fly into the snow, rolling toward the warlock.
Not far away, the other Savage pops and snaps, changing shape. I roll away from him in the snow, breathing in icy powder. A book snaps shut. Wolf growls fill the air. Blood. I roll to a stop and pick myself up, tensing and ready to leap on Matt. I bolt past Alesha's stomping feet and across red-spotted snow to where Remo, the big blond wolf, leaps on Matt.
The other Savage, a light gray wolf with sharp brown eyes, leaps between me and them. I skid to a stop. He's not as big as Matt, but bigger than me. Curling skin back, he reveals two rows of sharp teeth.
He wanted to help do the rite on Alesha. He would have watched it with glee. Rage fills my heart and I circle the Savage, keeping eye contact as the warlock's steps back away. Cayden leaps on Matt, too, but he's far away. The Savage circles, too, and growls. I return it as the warlock comes back into view.
Everly snaps at his legs, but he holds up a burning cloth bag of herbs.
The Savage stops and sniffs, wrinkling his nose. I snap at him, but then the smell hits me. Acrid and revolting, like burning garbage, it invades my lungs and sucks the strength from my limbs. The Savage does the same. The world tilts and I struggle to stay on my feet. I can't even attack.
"Back!" the warlock shouts. "Back, all of you!"
I lift my head. He stares at me. Though human, his acid green eyes bore into me.
I retreat from the sickness. The others do the same. Breathing the fresher air, I struggle to maintain my footing on the snow. But I can't stop now.
I turn to Matthew. Cayden and Remo circle our prey. Matthew's hackles rise. Blood runs down his mouth. He's bitten Remo, who bleeds from his shoulder and growls in pain. The sight of Matt explodes rage in me. I charge as he faces Cayden, struggling to keep my quivering legs working, as Everly joins me with the Savage snapping at her tail.
I leap onto Matt's back, digging claws into tough hide. Cayden locks his jaws on the bigger wolf's neck. Remo pulls at Matt's back leg. We'll rip him apart. Matt growls, this time in pain, and with a heave, shoves Cayden off his neck. It barely bleeds. As I watch, the wound starts to close.
Why is he so strong? Even I'm not much good against him.
I slip back as Matt charges Cayden, jaws open and ready to tear out his organs. I land as snow takes up my vision. Black fur and red highlights roll towards me and stops. Cayden lies on his back, stunned.
I growl a warning and spring to my feet. Get up.
Matt closes in on Cayden, eyeing his exposed belly and determined to rip out his organs. Everly and I charge, sinking teeth into each of Matt's sides. The huge wolf lowers to the ground, protecting himself, as Everly and I dig into flesh, drawing blood. I claw at his side, determined to roll him over and tear out his heart. But he refuses to move. It's almost as if he's waiting.
Watch out. Remo's thoughts explode in my head, distracting me.
The warlock's footsteps approach.
"Et Partitus!"
He has a deep, terrifying voice. I lift my head. He stands feet away. Something flies, giving off smoke, and descends on us. I back away from Matt, expecting more toxic herbs, and Everly and Matt separate, too, dodging the incoming cloth bag. It lands where we fought a second before, smoking and fizzling. A gunpowder scent fills the air.
Brie! Cayden springs up and rushes me, jumping over the bag. The black wolf, my mate, slams into me with enough force to throw me back into the deepening snow.
And then the bag explodes, tossing Cayden to the side.
Cayden's dark form flies over me, doing side flips. Time slows. A ripple of sadness and terror sweeps through me.
In that moment, I'm almost sure he's dead.
But Cayden yelps when he reaches the ground and rolls, absorbing the impact. He stirs, pushing himself up, but I feel no relief. Something feels wrong.
I face the warlock. He still holds the first smoking bag of herbs before him, keeping every Wolf away, and I know I can't reach him without getting poisoned. He backs to the trees, not missing a step as his black robe swishes around him.
What has he done to Cayden?
Why am I full of sadness when he's still alive?
Cayden whirls and charges the warlock. He wants blood. But he veers as he approaches.
Matt rises from the snow. Alesha screams as he passes her, leaving her alone, and snaps at Remo one last time before bolting toward the trees.
I watch him go as he bounds
with incredible speed. The other Savage follows and they both disappear into the pines, leaving quaking branches in their wake. The warlock is the last to go, backing into the gloom and leaving Alesha behind.
This whole thing was a trap.
And now the warlock has done something terrible to the pack.
Chapter Two
Alesha screams again, now surrounded by wolves. Like the people at the dance in October, she doesn't realize we're here to help. I've gotten used to that reaction.
She sounds a million miles away. I look to Cayden, who's stopped near the tree line. He's all that matters right now. I run to him as his scent fills my lungs. It's still alive and vibrant, full of the wilds. Stopping before him, I sniff his coat for any sign of blood. None. The impact didn't cause any open wounds.
He looks back at me with deep hazel eyes. I'm okay, Brie. His voice echoes in my mind. Cayden shakes. He sniffs the air, searching for any sign of Matt and the warlock. The look he gives me tells me we're good to shift back, dress, and free Alesha.
Are you sure? I think. But he doesn't answer. I sniff, too. The revolting Savage scent has faded to an echo. The three have fled, including the warlock. And I know without pursuing them we can't catch up to Matt.
This was a trap for sure.
Cayden bolts back to our original hiding spot. His woodsy scent remains, though the sad feeling, not unlike the time his father died, lingers inside me like a heavy, unpleasant meal. Though thrown by the exploding bag of herbs, he shows no ill effects. But I can't let my guard down.
"Alesha!" Leonora shouts, running into the clearing at last. Why didn't she help fight the warlock? "I'll untie you. Stop screaming. Yeah. The wolves are fine. Just stop screaming for a min—"
I run after Cayden. Everly and Remo do the same.
"What is going on here?" The disgust in Alesha's voice rolls over us. First Matthew, naked, and then a ritual, and then wolves, and now the weird girl at school will untie her. Leonora's in for a fight.
Cayden vanishes into the trees.