by Holly Hook
Her bravery's coming back. Upstairs, boards creak and clothing ruffles as the rest of the pack dresses and prepares to confront Karina for answers. "You have a spark. I'm glad to see that. What you have to understand is that Matt isn't normal, not among humans and not among Wolves. Most of the world isn't like that."
"But it is," Karina says. "Be strong to make it. That's just nature. There's plenty of dark magic in nature, and those witches who think otherwise are deluded. You're Wolves. You should know that more than anybody. Don't tell me you haven't killed to eat."
"Those were deer," I say.
"See?" She yanks again and I almost lose my grip on her arm.
"But that was to eat," I say.
"Nature is full of war and killing," Karina says. "At least the Savages admit this. And I know how to navigate it all better than you do. It's why the Savages will come out on top." She pauses like she's thinking. "It's a scary thought, but I think it's true."
"You can kill only when you have to or to defend yourself. You don't have to do it for sport. Geez, it will take you a while to realize that."
Karina sighs and shakes her head. Unlike Brett, she's not just mocking the Savages' philosophy. She's breathing it and living it. We must keep a close eye on her.
"I don't need protection."
Man, she's just like me in a lot of ways. I shake my head and let go of her arm, waiting for her to run. But she doesn't. "Turn out your pockets," I say. "I need to make sure you and Brett aren't pulling anything."
Karina reaches down and turns out her jeans pockets to reveal nothing. "See?"
"Now lift your pant legs. I have to make sure you're not wearing any secret weapons." I've seen plenty of scenes like that in the movies.
She does so, revealing pale, bare ankles. "Are you happy? You're leaving me down here with nothing like some captured princess. That's awesome."
I advance on her and sniff, but only pick up human smells. Meanwhile, the stairs creak as Cayden marches down.
"Stop there," I say, hating that I have to order him around. "Don't come down here in case another pain attack gets you." He can't protect me in any way.
"She's a dark witch," Cayden says. "And I don't trust that guy you went off with. Why did you do that, Brie?"
"Do I need to answer that question?" I ask. I know going off alone hurt Cayden on multiple levels. He, the alpha, needed help. Cayden can't do his job or fill his father's shoes. He's a failure.
"Just say it."
"Because you'll die if I don't," I say. "Poor Leonora doesn't know what she's doing and her parents refuse to step into our business even though we need them. They must not realize or care that the Savages will overtake this place if we don't stop them. Neither care about the safety of their daughter." I shouldn't say this in front of Karina, but I can't leave her alone quite yet.
"Yeah. They have a problem," Cayden says.
He knows I had no other choice. I didn't want to tread into Savage territory alone to hunt down Brett, who has a way of finding me every time with just his human senses and his dark spirits.
"So, are you going to handcuff me?" Karina asks. She's too calm for my liking.
"We should," I say. "But Cayden's not going to handle the cuffs. I think that falls under the 'protecting me' category. No risks."
"You're telling me to stand aside."
"I know how you are." I dare to take my gaze off Karina as I face him.
Cayden manages a grin that makes me furious. "I can't help it. I'll die before I watch you do the same."
"Selfish," I say. "Back off that let me do this. I'm sure the others are looking for some rope." Everly opens the front door and steps outside. She shuffles through the barrel on the porch, banging something against the sides. Remo and Aunt May talk in low voices upstairs, but they talk in such hushed tones that even I can't make out the words, at least in human form. "Sounds like your sister will handle it."
"You want me to relinquish my power to her?" He tries to joke, but the worry remains in his eyes.
"If you love me," I say, drawing close to him, "then you'll step aside until you're fixed. Let me and the others handle things."
"That's unheard of," Cayden says. "You don't know what it feels like to be the alpha. You protect and guide the others. It's an instinct that fills you the moment you take the position. Until you step into my shoes, you won't understand." He grabs my arms and rubs his thumbs over my biceps. My body fills with tingles as electric currents arc away from his touch. This is the Cayden I know. The broody, strong, alpha Cayden.
"It's not something you can resist?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "It's not something I can ever step out of. An alpha doesn't just quit his post. It's part of him for the rest of his life." He gulps. "The alpha only goes away if someone were to challenge me, win, and push me out of my position."
"What are you saying?" I ask.
Cayden faces the floor. "If someone challenged me and knocked me down, I might survive this curse." He pushes out the words. He would have had better ease telling me someone had died, or he was breaking up with me.
"We're not doing that to you," I say. It would hurt Cayden beyond measure.
He turns his gaze up. The hazel in his eyes fills with a forest of pain and want. Wyatt and his parents still burn in his mind and always will. All time has done is dull the pain, but it's woven into his fabric and will never go away. Cayden has to do better. It's all he can do to make the stain fade.
And if I or anyone else takes that away—
"We'll remove the curse," I say. "The Savages want you unseated from alpha. And I have something else to tell you. Brett said there was a Savage King."
Cayden nods, unsurprised by the news. Meanwhile, Everly and the others shuffle around upstairs while Karina waits. We're talking right in front of her, but I can't wait to give him this information. He's the alpha and needs it.
"And Matthew's reporting to him and the Divine Pack, whoever they are," I say.
Then Cayden's eyes widen. "Nobody's seen or heard of the Divine Pack in ages. Most Nobles think they're just a legend nowadays."
"You know about them? Brett said they were the purest Savage Wolves. Descended from the first Savage Wolf or something. All the others were descended from infected people or got infected at some point."
"That's what the legend says." Cayden releases my arms. "No one really believes it, though. It's a creation myth. Everyone has those, don't they?"
"Brett says the immortal Savage King is seeking Breck now. That he was sending packs of Savages here to eliminate the Nobles."
"I hope Brett's not right," Cayden says. "I won't let some immortal King find you."
I gulp. Maybe I shouldn't have told him this. "What do you know about this creation myth?"
"It was some Greek or Roman myth," Cayden says. "Roman, I think, even though I think it's older than that. Two brothers got abandoned by their royal family and got raised by a wolf or something. One was evil, one good. They became the first werewolves and started the Noble and Savage lines."
His words tickle a memory in my mind I can't quite grasp. "Is it the one with the two brothers whose names start with R?"
"I think so."
"What if this Savage King really is the first Savage Wolf?" I ask. "And Matt somehow really is his descendant? Explains a lot of things." Another thought swirls through my head, but I won't say it out loud. Not yet. Not with Karina here.
"Do you think your family is some kind of powerful line?" Cayden asks. "From the other brother?"
He just said it for me. "It would explain this King and why he wants to invade this place. Why my family and the Russells want to hide everything. And why I have more power than I should. The Savages have always wanted to take out the Nobles. Taking me and Aunt May out would deliver a huge blow." It would have to. Why else would the Savage King send pack after pack here?
"Do you think you're the pure Noble line?" Cayden asks, eyes widening.
"Maybe."<
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"And you call me full of myself," Karina says.
"Shut up," I tell her, whirling. "We're just trying to figure things out. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm just trying to help Cayden, because altruism and love exist, too. It's not all war and killing."
Karina backs into the cot and sits. She's becoming submissive now. "Fine," she says. deflating.
I feel kind of sorry for her.
"Brie, I don't want this to be true for you," Cayden says.
"I don't want it to be true, either," I say to dispel Karina's accusation. "It means the Savages won't stop until I'm dead."
"We don't have time to discuss mythology," Everly says from the top of the stairs. She marches down the stairs with a coiled rope in her hands. I smell the cold air it gives off, the residue from the barrel it's spent years inside. "Karina. Your hands. I don't trust you."
"You don't," she says. "You're paranoid."
Everly pauses for a split second on the steps before pushing past Cayden and I.
"Sis," Cayden says. "You need to ask my opinion first, you know." It's a save.
Everly glares at him for a second before softening. "Well? Do you agree we should tie her up?"
"Yes. I do."
Karina gets off the cot and extends her hands, calm. Maybe she's coming around. Everly binds them and ties a double knot. "You checked her for weapons, right?"
"You should have heard me," I said.
"I did, but I wanted to make sure. We've had too many bad things happen. We can't be too careful. She has no magical equipment?"
"No. No candles or daggers or incense."
Karina stays silent. She sits back down on the old cot where I struggled months before. Cayden stays quiet, too. His idea swirls in my head. I can't challenge him for alpha. Fighting Cayden would destroy me. Wouldn't I have to kill or injure him to take the position?
And it would destroy him to see me have to take the lead.
But I could.
And then I would have everyone's lives in my hands.
"Well," Cayden says. "Why don't we head upstairs and cook breakfast?"
Chapter Fifteen
Cayden walks up the stairs first. He's trying his best not to put himself between Karina and me. He's trying to stop himself from protecting me. Cayden's turning against his deepest instincts to stay alive. But he clenches his fists as he does so and bites his lip. And his arms shake with the effort.
"Karina won't help us get rid of his curse," Remo says the moment I reach the main floor. He stands in the kitchen beside Aunt May, who is readying pots and pans for breakfast. "She's too invested in the Savage way of life."
Down below, Karina shifts on her cot. The young witch has nothing down there she can use to do magic. Unless she can do spells with dust bunnies and spiders, we're safe for now.
"I know she won't," I say. "We're too full of ourselves and too weak. She thinks we can't protect her. And she must have seen how Matt is."
"She has," Remo says. "I guess when you live in an all-male world that puts you at the bottom of the totem pole, you compensate. Be tough to fit in and stay alive. That poor girl lost her mother to the Savages. I bet she thinks if she doesn't please them, she'll suffer the same fate."
"What are you? A psychologist?" Cayden asks.
"I've studied it. Interesting subject," Remo says with a grin.
"No need to discuss what this girl might feel," Everly says. "We need to talk about how we'll keep her from the Savages long enough for her brother—I'm assuming that guy was her brother—to come back and tell us how to fix Cayden."
"I'm all for that," Cayden says.
"Watch for any mundane things that might reveal us to the warlock," I say, looking out the window. "He can cross our borders without causing a war. He'll be looking for his missing daughter." What's the father like? He still works with the Savages after they killed his children's mother, so he can't be too nice of a soul.
"Like what?" Aunt May asks.
"Leonora was talking about magic when we were in the store," I say. "She says when someone does a spell, everyday things line up to give a result. It's kind of hard to put into words, but you know what? Let me get her so we can have her input on this. If her parents will let her leave the cabin."
"That might be a good idea," Aunt May says.
"I'll go alone," I say. "Since I have the best senses, I can smell for Brett and see if he's coming back. Right now he should be leading the Savages in another direction. He didn't say what he would do after that. I hope he'll take himself and his sister far away from here."
"She's still on their side," Everly says. "Even when she's out of here, she might go back to them. And then she'll blow our location."
"There has to be a part of her who hates the Savages," I say. "They killed her mother. She should be on our side. If we could get her to help us, maybe she can help remove Cayden's curse, too."
"No way," Cayden says, lifting his hands. "I'm not letting her do any voodoo on me. For all we know she can make things worse. Maybe Leonora's wrong and magic can turn people into frogs."
I laugh. Cayden's getting better at dispelling tension. It's good to see. But he's still vulnerable, and no amount of laughter will change that. "After we eat, let me see if I can get her to our side," I say. "It'll make us safer. Then I'll go get Leonora."
"Good luck," Everly says with a glare.
Aunt May makes three packs of bacon. I take a plate down to Karina, who's busy picking at the cot. There's nothing else to do down here. She doesn't even look up at me as I descend the steps.
"You want backup?" Cayden asks from the kitchen.
"Stay up there," I say as if I'm challenging him for alpha. "Don't protect me. I can do this on my own."
Karina continues to eye the cot as I approach and put the plate on the chair Aunt May once used. The plate rests on the old padding. "I brought breakfast. I figured you were hungry."
"Thanks," she mumbles.
"What happened to the Karina you were a few minutes ago?" I ask. "Why so sullen now?"
"Don't act like my brother," she snaps, glaring at me with deep, merciless brown eyes. "He knows nothing but pretends he does. He's proud. And I bet you're the same."
"That's more like it," I say, standing against the wall with my arms folded. "What happened to your mother? Did she really try to fight the Savages?"
"They killed her. Didn't you hear us back in the woods?" she asks as if I'm the dumbest person in the world. "She crossed them and they killed her. That's not what you do if you want to stay alive around Savage Wolves. Or any Wolves. My mother was stupid. She tried to curse the old alpha to get him to leave our area. And they killed her as she tried it. I'm glad I was too young to remember her."
Something flashes in Karina's eyes. Pain. She's hiding it with attitude.
"It sucks to have no parents," I say.
For a second, her gaze softens. "You too, huh?"
"Yes. And all because of the Savages. They were supposed to have died in a car accident, but I know the truth. Happened thirteen years ago when the last Savages got driven out. It was probably the same pack who killed your mother." Maybe we can connect over something. Even if that thing is ugly and painful. "Look. I'm sorry. It sounds like you had a rough time you don't deserve."
Karina stays silent and looks at me for a moment. "Just a little?"
"Your mother didn't deserve to die. Those Savages will hurt anybody," I say. "They even hurt each other. Don't they?"
"A lot of challenges for alpha happen. They do. The fights result in death. But with Matthew now leading the Baltic Wolves, there haven't been any fights. They're all too scared to challenge him."
"That's because he's too terrifying," I say.
Karina looks at the floor and sighs. "He's like no Savage alpha I've ever seen."
"How many have you known?"
"Our family worked with Savages for centuries, staying alive through magic." Karina puts on another mask and grins at me, showing
a trace of her brother's attitude. And she accuses me of being full of myself. "The Savages aren't very intelligent."
"Then you should outsmart them and take them out. Right?"
"Maybe. But you know nothing about your history," Karina says. "They make up for their lack of intelligence with strength. Savages won't back down without violence."
The war is returning—the war that took my family.
"Are you close with your father?" I ask.
"Not really. He's always out dealing with the Wolves. Tells me to stay in the house while Brett gets to work magic. I just sit there." Karina faces the cot as she speaks.
"Do you know any more about what the Savages plan on doing? Why they want me?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because don't you want to contribute to something for once? Because we can protect you? That's what Nobles do. If the myth is true, then we came from the first good Wolf. Every story needs a hero. It's in every play ever. I'd know. I'm an actress."
"But the world isn't made of stories."
"Well, there are tragedies, too, but only when the main character doesn't learn anything or fix their flaws," I tell her, leaning forward. Maybe I'm almost there. "Stories have happy endings if people change."
Karina's glare softens. "Even my family? My father's been around the Savages so much he's become like them. And Brett's a complete ass."
"I agree. Even witches can change. It's not your fault you were born into the Hayde family, just as it isn't my fault I was born into my situation. Help us fight the Savages and you wouldn't have defend yourself against the people you work beside. And your brother's right. Even if the Savages win, they'll turn on you in the end. You don't want anything to happen to Brett, do you?"
Karina says nothing. I sense victory. She glances at her bound hands, twiddling her fingers. She moves a hair between them as if it's the most fascinating thing ever.
"Don't vanish into another world now," I say.
"What if I get caught?" Karina asks. "The Savages might win. You don't realize how powerful they are. What they can do. They have no problems about spreading, either. They're not like you Nobles, who rarely infect others."