by Holly Hook
Lawrence plays with more fervor when we get back into the house. If he's heard our conversation, he doesn't show it. Abigail nods to me. I read her expression. I'm to explain myself to the new pack and why the heck the Noble Royals are still alive. That's a job she won't do for me.
Nor should she.
I swallow as I weave past a middle-aged couple, who study me with wide eyes, and past a strawberry blond woman about Lawrence's age. Everly and Remo stand on the other side of the room. An older guy steps out of the kitchen with a mug of coffee. We're an assortment of regular people and with the piano going, it almost feels like a party atmosphere. I'm responsible for these people now.
I step away from Lawrence. He's holding his sanity and emotions in check by playing, and I'm glad to see that. It's not as if I wanted to unseat the guy. I stand in front of the couch. Aunt May waves to me and then smiles at Abigail. I survey the whole room. Twin women, both blonds, step out of the closet together. They're both well-built like they've used Lawrence's gym. Abigail unfolds a metal chair and sits.
"I've never seen such an old Wolf," Cayden whispers.
She snaps her gaze to us, but instead of frowning, Abigail grins, as if surviving this long is an accomplishment. And it is. Most Wolves, I've noticed, don't make it past middle age.
"It's a good sign. This pack is tough," I say. But a sinking feeling fills me at the thought. I'm planning to bring this pack into war. Against Romulus. That means some Wolves could die...
Pressure fills my chest.
You'll kill them.
You are too weak.
Romulus's vile whispers fill my head and I close my eyes, sucking in a sharp breath, trying to get air into my lungs. My ears ring. The cult didn't finish the rite that would let him possess me. The Russells and Cayden stopped them. He shouldn't be in my head...
But I am.
I tighten my grip on Cayden's hand and force my eyes open, focusing on him, hoping he can't see that reddish darkness in my eyes. As I do, the pressure fades, but he winces.
"What was that?" he asks. "I felt strange."
I take a normal breath. The air is fresh and clean. "I don't know," I say.
What if I am possessed, and Romulus is waiting for the right moment to attack everyone around me?
But I can't be. I felt him flee. I've had zero blackouts or memory lapses, unlike Mr. Saffron.
Abigail's looking right at me. I have to do this. Running isn't an option now, even if Romulus is toying with me.
The pack ranges in age from the grandmother in her eighties down to a boy who must be in the seventh or eighth grade. He's the last to emerge from the dressing room, and though he's built well enough to compete in wrestling, his face is young. Too young, but also too eager. A deadly combination that I've seen before.
Cayden grabs my hand at the sight of him and I know why. Wyatt will forever burn in his memory.
"I won't make him fight," I promise.
"He might not listen."
"I'm afraid of that." What have I done? But I swallow down nerves and over the lump in my throat. Maybe I should ask for a glass of water. "Attention," I say.
Lawrence stops playing, and every eye in the room locks on me. Everly makes me nervous all by herself, but Aunt May smiles. Cayden releases my hand. I study the assembled pack members—our new members—as they stare back. I count six men, seven women, and the boy. A few of the men look at me like I'm crazy. Nothing I don't expect.
"I'm Brie. A Noble Royal," I choke out. But nobody reacts. "Me and Aunt May are the last two known Noble Royals in the world. It is us who keep the entire Noble species going. Without us, the Nobles would eventually fade away and become like regular humans, and the Savage Wolves would take over and spread terror. It's our job to protect humanity and keep them back. You probably thought all the Nobles were dead."
Two of the men nod. Eyes widen with shock.
But so far, Romulus stays away.
Lawrence, behind me, spins on his stool. His quiet, angry breaths follow. Without the distraction of his music, he can't hold his fury down. Some of his family died protecting mine. I can't blame him.
Cayden moves to stand between me and him. I wait for the pain curse to hit him, but it stays away. For now. The protective spirits must still be with him, and now I know so long Cayden's around, they extend to me, too.
"Noble Royals descend from Remus, the first Noble Wolf," I explain. "Some of you might think it's a myth, but it's true. All of it. Remus died a long time ago and no one knows what happened to his spirit. Well, Romulus died a long time ago, too, but he has a cult who worships him and feeds his spirit. They also help him possess people—"
"This is crazy," Lawrence says.
"Lawrence, hon," one of the blond twins says. She weaves through the assembled people and joins him at the piano. "We should listen to what Brie has to say. She's the alpha now."
"Or is she?" Lawrence asks.
Everly's jaw drops. I tense.
"She is, hon," the woman says. She must be his mate, and probably the former beta.
"Kaylie, you're supposed to side with me," Lawrence says, forcing a smile.
I think of the cult, the dark spirits, and Romulus himself. We need all the help we can get to defeat them. I have to take charge. "The Nobles need to gather and stop the threat. Romulus is very close to destroying our kind. He possessed a teacher at my school and attacked us."
Instead of sounding sure and confident, I let fear slip into my words. One of the men, a middle-aged guy with gray-brown hair, lifts an eyebrow. I'm screwing this up. No one argues, but the rug is about to fly out from under me. An alpha has to be strong. And maybe I am.
But I'm also descended from Romulus through the human half of my family. The weak spot can destroy me. I won't tell them that. Heck, I won't even tell them about the tainted Hunter side of my family, just in case they can make the connection. These new pack members have enough doubt.
"We need to stop him in any way we can," I continue. "Romulus can alter the form of anyone he possesses, but when you kill him, he just jumps bodies. He can also sneak into Noble territory that way. He violated ours, but he needs his cult to stay strong. If we knock them out, we start weakening him. And we can't stop him or his cult with a small pack. Any questions?"
"Attacking humans? That's your plan for Romulus?" the middle-aged man asks with a glare.
At least they know I'm speaking the truth. This pack doesn't dismiss Romulus as a myth. "That's not all. We have witches and warlocks who are helping us. They're trying to find the spirit of Remus, but even they're not sure if he's still in this world. If we can do that, maybe he'll help us fight his twin. Right now, we can fight Romulus, but since he possesses innocent people, that causes more problems than it solves."
The man shakes his head. "What is our role?"
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Vernon."
"Your role is to help fight the cult," I say, mouth dry. "Once we find where they meet. We take them out, we deal a blow to Romulus."
"And I'm Cayden, her mate," Cayden says. With a nod to me, he steps forward. "We also need more Wolves because our neighboring pack are Savages and working with Romulus's cult. They've put a curse on me that makes it painful to protect my mate or anyone else. Romulus needs the cult to possess people, and if we can fight them and the Savages, we can keep Romulus back."
I want to blow Cayden a kiss. He's a lifesaver and a reminder that I do have someone to fall back on.
"That's exactly it," I say.
Lawrence rises. He can't hold back anymore. "I've worked for years to keep this pack alive. My grandmother and I have done nothing but secure our borders. So far, we've kept all the Savages out. That's all we Nobles can do."
Though his voice is strong, I feel no power sweeping over me. I'm still the alpha. "Sit down," I order, whirling on him. "This is your business. If we don't fight, we're all going to be in trouble. Your borders won't matter if you lose your powers. And you wil
l, if the Noble Royals die."
Or worse, I think.
I can't bear to tell them that if Romulus possesses me, his influence could spread to the other Nobles over time, turning them Savage.
The others look at me, calculating. I don't blame them. We came and took over, and they only have my word. Even the boy looks at me with suppressed hatred. And I don't blame him, either. Only Abigail, the oldest, looks at me with understanding.
I have to talk to Cayden alone.
"This is a lot to take in," I say. I can't trust anyone not to follow me and eavesdrop. “Maybe we should all have some breakfast and think about it?”
“Maybe,” Lawrence agrees, working his jaw.
“So, we came a long way for your help, and you can start here. Where do we get some breakfast?”
It's a smooth exit. Lawrence tells me there's a small restaurant called Maggie's in town. He leaves it at that.
Cayden, Everly, Remo, Aunt May and I leave the cabin while Lawrence stays with the others. No one speaks, but I listen to the cabin as we walk down a trail Lawrence says leads to town. The Wolves in the cabin stay silent, waiting for us to leave hearing range. Maybe they don't know I have better hearing than the rest of the pack. I'm counting on that.
Once we're about a quarter mile away, Lawrence speaks. He's very muffled from here, but I can make out his words.
“She's going to ruin everything,” Lawrence says.
I stop and hold up my hand. We all stop. Everly and Remo stare at me, waiting. Lawrence must not detect it, because he continues to speak.
“If she's in fact a Noble Royal, she may not. This may be a good thing,” Abigail says. “The strongest Wolf must lead the pack. We all know that. It's the best chance we have of survival. Perhaps it's time for the Noble Order to reunite.”
Someone's on our side. That helps.
“I am the strongest Wolf. I only lost because that tree branch fell on me. What if she had her witches or whatever help her win? That would pull the whole thing into doubt. And all the Order did was get Wolves killed.”
Cayden gives me a questioning look—he can't hear as well as I—and I shake my head, telling him I'll let him know later.
“Even the Savages adhere to tradition,” Abigail says. “We all felt the power shift. You can't deny that, either.”
“Well, tradition states no one can aid in a victory. Not Wolf or human.”
“She won fairly. Brie is the alpha now, and if she is a Royal, she will make a good alpha. Noble Royals are the purest Nobles there are.”
Lawrence mutters and says no more.
I wave to the others, sick inside. I might be less pure than she says. I didn't tell the new Wolves about my messed-up heritage. If they find out, everything's over. Everything.
Chapter Four
Colling is a small town, probably with only a couple hundred people. Houses are scattered in the trees, and only a small trailer park stands beside the actual town. I eye a tiny motel with a couple beat-up cars outside it. I smell normal people, and the people here carry woodsy scents, almost like the Noble Wolves. Somewhere in the distance, a quad revs. These are outdoorsy people, aligned with nature. I can't blame Lawrence's pack for settling here.
Well, our pack, now. I now manage two territories, something Cayden says is rare.
Maggie's is a small restaurant that cooks game, because I pick up the faint scent of deer as I walk inside. It's the only place to eat in town. We take up a booth in the back while a waitress in a pink apron walks up and takes our orders. I read her name tag. Callie. "What brings you to Colling?" she asks with a smile. Her eyes are dull. Bored.
"Just passing through," I say. After walking so far in Wolf form, I'm hungry, since we didn't take the time to hunt on the way over.
Callie hands us menus and returns to the kitchen. Two state police officers sit in the corner, but otherwise, the place is empty.
“How is this all going to work?” I ask Cayden. At least I don't feel stupid about asking the beta for advice anymore.
“Well, according to tradition, Colling's now our main territory,” Cayden says. “It's always based where there are the most Wolves. We might have to relocate. Lawrence has a good place we can use. It sure beats that cabin the Russells have.”
“Relocate?” I ask, thinking of Noah and Leonora and my other friends. Selfish thought, but with Noah now out of the hospital and going through painful therapy sessions for his still-busted shoulder, I want to be there for him. And Ellie, too. She's still a bit torn up about Jansen's leaving, even if he accepted my apology and she knows this would have happened anyway.
“Yes. It might be a good idea,” Everly says. “Relocating might throw Romulus off. Breck is still our territory, too, but it might be too much watching over two areas. Though in towns like this, people wonder when a bunch of new people show up at once. We can still go to school in Breck and see our friends.”
“What about the coven? We need them nearby,” I say. Then my jaw drops as I realize what Everly is saying. “You're telling us we can still socialize with friends back home?”
“Well, we need to keep our sanity somehow, don't we?” she asks.
Cayden grins and pokes her across the table. “You and Leonora are friends now. Admit it. I'm not a girl, but I know shopping in the Grand Closet is something friends do together.”
“I've educated you well,” I tell Cayden. The Grand Closet is a small clothing store in town.
“Oh, they're friends,” Remo adds with a smile.
“I know the two of you are dating,” Everly says to him. “So there.”
Remo flushes. “Wait. You're not wedging yourself between us? Are you sick?” He feels her forehead.
“Enough,” Everly says. She looks to Aunt May for backup. But my aunt says nothing. Instead, she grins. We have Everly outnumbered.
“I have to tell you what I heard Lawrence saying. Everly was right about the branch. He thinks I cheated, but his grandmother is on my side.”
“Lawrence was top dog for a while, it seems,” Cayden says. “He's got the Batman psyche. He can't let them down. I'd know, because I have the same thing.”
“Really?” I ask, thinking back to how he acted before the Spooktacular Dance. “I think we all have that mentality. Comes from having Savages trying to kill you all the time. Could you imagine a world without them? Just Nobles?”
Silence falls over the table. All socializing is over and we're back to business.
“That'll never happen,” Everly says.
“And now we're back to form,” Cayden says.
The waitress returns with our water and orange juice. I slurp mine down, but my stomach isn't happy yet. “We have to break that cult up for good. It's the only way Romulus will stop being fed.”
“But you can't,” Cayden says, leaning close to me. Our bodies touch. Electricity flies, even through our borrowed coats. “We know what happens if you try to attack...people. And if I try to go after them, too. Getting rid of the cult will mean making the pack do things no Noble wants to do. Who knows what that will do to them?”
He's voicing my concerns for me. “I don't want to put them in danger, either,” I say, letting my forehead fall to my open palm. “Why did I have to come from two opposites?”
“To be fair,” Aunt May says, “your mother's Hunter family didn't know they came from Romulus's human descendants.”
“But they must have known, sometime long ago. Why else would they have taken up Hunting? Going after Savage Wolves?” I stop when the waitress walks up again, holding a plate of toast. I haven't been paying attention. Great.
“Is everything okay?” she asks. A bit of light enters her eyes. Curiosity. She probably doesn't hear much news in this town.
“We're fine,” I say. “We're just discussing a plot for our school play.” The lie slips off my lips.
“Are you sure?” she asks with a grin.
I sniff, but she doesn't smell of Wolf or anything out of the ordinary. My nerve
s calm as I lean on Cayden. “We're sure.” I grin. “Thank you. How much longer on our food?”
“Twenty minutes.”
Aunt May shakes her head at me. We're drawing attention just by being from out of town. We should eat our food in silence.
While we wait, I listen to the kitchen. There's one guy inside doing all the cooking, and the waitress helps to chop onions. Then she picks up a corded phone and says something about pancakes with real maple syrup. We're fine.
“Brie, we might have to have the other Wolves fight the cult,” Cayden says. “While you stand back. That's what we came here for. I know that's bothering you.”
“It's Lawrence,” I say. “And that boy. I hate to see them go into danger. I mean, we both saw what happened to Wyatt.” Until now, I've held back these thoughts.
Cayden sighs. While his wounds have scabbed, they haven't healed and never will. No one speaks. Even Remo and Aunt May look down at the table grains.
“Brie,” Aunt May says. “You have to be the alpha. We got to where we are today because Remus and his descendants didn't want to fight. Even the Savages admit that. All Wolves know that life is rough. These new Wolves are no stranger to it.”
“Well, I laid the case down,” I say, forcing a smile. “With the cult gone, Romulus can't possess people, right? He needs a ritual to do that.”
“I talked to Leonora about it. She's learning a lot more,” Remo says. “She says the cult probably uses a binding ritual to 'bind' Romulus to a certain person. A lot of magic is involved.”
I shudder. They started to do the ritual on me. Did they get Romulus sort of stuck to me, and just have to complete it? The orange juice tastes bitter. “Then taking out the cult will really help."
Cayden slips his hand over mine. “You're going to have to stand back and let the pack do the work. Don't attack humans."
“I don't know if I can do that, and that scares me,” I say.
Our food arrives, and we stuff our faces full of breakfast. Our plates are heaping, with bigger servings than I've seen at any other restaurant. At least there's one good thing about Colling. Strength flows back into my limbs as I eat, and my mood improves as I feel the life return to my muscles. The trip back will be easier than the trip here.