by Holly Hook
Noah and Olivia must know, too, because Olivia glances over to them and back to me. At least her fear of Noble Wolves seems to be vanishing.
"How come?" Noah asks.
"Well, do you remember how my mother's family were Hunters?"
"Well, yeah. Still kind of weird, even if they didn't hunt the good werewolves," Noah says.
"They're here now," I say with a gulp. I sniff again, but I pick up nothing but the usual scents of the cafeteria. "You didn't see the guy earlier. I know he's going to meet me after school and I got serious bad vibes from him."
"How did you know he was a Hunter?" Noah asks.
"His belt. The way he nodded at me. But I learned this weekend from Callie that I'm not supposed to be here. Noble Wolves and Hunters aren't supposed to marry. I'm some kind of freak. If the new Wolves or the other Hunters know, things could get bad. I don't know if they still know it today, but the Sterlings came from Romulus and didn't want those bloodlines mixing."
"Man, Brie." Noah frowns and his eyes widen. "That's no pressure at all."
"I don't smell the guy now," I say.
"We'll walk with you," Olivia says, though she's pushing out the words. "A Hunter might not do anything in front of normal people."
"Thanks. I'll let you know when I'm good." I take out my phone to look for any of Cayden's texts, but it seems he's busy wherever he is. And I haven't felt any signs he's in danger.
But once I finish lunch, I sneak off to the bathroom and text him the deal. Even though I'm still alpha, a part of me feels I need to tell him rather than just deal with it on my own.
Cayden texts me one bold message back:
DON'T LET THEM SEE ROMULUS.
* * * * *
I endure my final class by grasping the edge of my desk and looking at the clock like any nervous person. The Hunters will meet me outside. I know it, even if they haven't told me exactly where. I just hope Callie shows up.
But under all the worry they'll find me out, I wonder if they can keep any Wolves from having to fight Romulus's little cult. Will Hunters fight other humans?
And most of all, help to keep me out of it?
I don't dare get out my phone as I walk towards the most obscure exit doors students are allowed to use in the school: the Science wing doors. I push through them with no one else watching to find no one on the other side. But the Hunter is here. I can smell him lurking in the woods Cayden and I have taken so many times from school. Leather and sharp metal. Now he's armed.
That's what his nod meant. I'm to meet him out here. Hiking my backpack up, I nod to myself. I'll keep my thoughts on Cayden. Happy things. Love. The Savage King doesn't know anything about that. It's not compatible with him possessing me.
No shadows dance at the sides of my vision, not Mr. Hayde's and not the dark veil. I wait by the door for Noah and Olivia to catch up. A Noble Wolf, needing a guy in a sling and his former-bitch girlfriend. It looks stupid.
But I wait just outside the doors. And Noah and Olivia step out to join me, as promised.
"The woods," I say. "He's waiting out there."
"Is this a good idea?" Olivia asks.
"The Noble Order doesn't attack regular people," I tell her with a nod. But as we lock gazes, I see the memory of Romulus's attempted attack on Olivia's car that night. She's not getting over that any time soon.
I sniff again to confirm Everly and Remo have positioned themselves on the trail that leads to the park. That's upwind from the Hunter, so their reassuring scents wash over me.
"Brie," someone whispers from inside the school.
I turn my head, though Noah and Olivia don't hear at first.
Mr. Saffron stands on the other side of the double doors, peeking through the crack with one gray eye. Since turning, he's been able to walk a lot more quietly, and even I didn't hear him sneaking up on us.
Noah whirls. "Is that someone—"
I don't need this right now, but another sense of responsibility washes over me. Mr. Saffron hasn't wanted to take part in pack business, so why approach me now? I have to go back in for a second.
"Be back," I whisper to my friends, knowing Mr. Saffron can hear me.
I re-enter the school, knowing Noah and Olivia have a Hunter watching over them. Mr. Saffron waves me down the hall, which is just about empty at this point. I can't read his expression.
"Brie, how long is this going to last?" He looks at me with worry and veiled anger. I did this to him, even if he wasn't Mr. Saffron when I bit him. But at least Romulus abandons his bodies for good if it looks like they're dying.
"For the rest of your life?" I ask. Happy thoughts. Cayden. I'll see him tonight if I can drive my fixed car to Colling. It's not far. "It's not so bad. Have you noticed your better senses? Or that you heal faster?"
"Well, I had a hernia that's resolved, so—"
"There you go," I say.
"But...the full moon is in two weeks again. Is that going to cause—"
"Yes. Every time. That's the only time you won't be able to fight shifting." No one's here and I can say this out loud. Wild power sweeps through me. Mr. Saffron is technically part of the pack. He smells like us, like an open field of grass, but during the last full moon, he became a terrified gray wolf running around the woods outside of town. And he refused to let us near him. If I want, I can order him to the pack and he'll have a hard time resisting. His wide eyes tell me he senses my power, though he doesn't know pack law yet.
But I won't.
If I tell myself I brought him into a bad situation...
If I let myself go to a negative place...
"Then what do I do?" he asks.
I need to leave before I tell myself I ruined his life, or something. My teacher has no clue what he's doing to me. Balling one fist and focusing on my fingernails digging into flesh, I speak. "Change your schedule once a month to deal with it. Shouldn't be hard. And if you want help, come to the Lowe cabin and ask for it. We'll all be happy to help you."
He pulls at the knot of his tie. "I don't know if I can do that, Brie." It was hard for him to muster the bravery to talk to me. It's not like I've apologized, even if I've given him sympathetic looks. At least he understands that I saved his life. I saved his life.
But what existence does he have now?
"You can. Trust me. It's a lot to get used to, but without turning you'd be dead. That spirit possessing you didn't care if you lived or died."
He sighs. "I know."
My legs itch. I have to go. Maybe I did ruin everything—
A growl escapes my throat, and it's not mine.
Mr. Saffron's eyes widen as he backs away.
"Gotta run," I say. If the Savage King takes over right here, he'll finish what I started with Mr. Saffron. He'll tear out my teacher's throat right here in the hallway. He's just weak, after all.
"Brie!" Mr. Saffron yells.
But I bolt around the corner and back to the Science Wing.
Noah and Olivia still wait outside. With the thought, the pressure increases.
My friends.
I can't go that way, so I pull open a classroom door and put myself in a Biology room full of fish tanks and overgrown potted plants. No one's here. Mr. Saffron walks closer. He won't defend himself if attacked, either.
"I can't deal with this, Brie."
The thought alone goads Romulus, and an invisible weight crushes my shoulders, pressing harder and harder. The world darkens, threatening to sweep me to oblivion.
"Get out of here!" I order Mr. Saffron.
He pauses outside the door for a second before backing away.
"Now!"
And my Drama teacher, who hasn't managed more than a shuffle in years, bolts. I listen to his footfalls go.
You don't need him, Romulus thinks.
I focus on the grains of the desk. I'm on a beach with Cayden, anywhere but here with Cayden...Cayden!
We're still mates no matter what.
He is strong, the Savage King
thinks.
Romulus wants to take over Cayden, too. And if we connect, he'll do it through me.
Brie.
His usual mental greeting fills my head, and Romulus growls again, hungry. Is the sound coming from my head or my throat? I grip the desk so tight the top breaks in half, and I drop one of the busted wood pieces to the floor. Broken.
I put up a wall. I'm fine.
Everything is okay. I'm strong. I repeat those words to myself over and over. I lose all sense of Cayden.
The pressure releases.
Romulus backs off.
I backpedal right into the teacher's table, knocking over a cup of pens. They roll across the floor, but I won't focus on the chaos. The air in here is sweet and full of freedom. My heart races, but with each breath, I beg it to calm down.
At last, I peel myself from the desk. Out in the hall, Noah opens one of the double doors with a click. "Hey. Brie? Mr. Saffron isn't keeping you too long, is he?"
"I'm fine," I lie.
"Why are you in Mrs. Teller's classroom?" Noah, being the good friend he is, opens the door with his good hand. He stands there in his sling, surveying me with wide eyes.
"It's...it's nothing," I lie as I struggle to keep my mind blank. But thoughts intrude, images about the distress on Mr. Saffron's face. Sharp words try to poke through my wall. Guilty. Ruined.
My phone buzzes as Cayden tries to contact me. But I can't answer now.
Romulus's food is guilt and pain. He needs it to latch on. All I have to do is avoid feeling bad about the things I've done, or will do, and he'll never bother me. How hard will that be?
"I was talking to Mr. Saffron because I felt bad about what I did," I say, raising an eyebrow to Noah. Tell me I'm in the clear. You will.
"You saved the guy's life." He steps into the room. I want to shoo him away, but I can't now. Endangering Cayden like that again isn't an option. I'll suffer in silence.
"I did," I say.
"He should be grateful. You got that demon wolf out of him. Sure, he almost died, but he's way better off as a Noble Wolf. You should tell him how cool it is."
"I tried, believe me," I say, forcing a smile. I have to smile. I bet Romulus doesn't like those, either.
"He'll come around, Brie. You know, I'd hug you, but with my arm in this sling, it's not that easy."
"I get it."
Now I know what brings on the attacks. Cayden would say I now have the power to stop them, if only I could stop feeling guilty. Maybe Brett wanted this punishment for me, knowing that killing his father would tear me up.
Noah slaps me on the back as I walk out the door. Olivia waits just inside the double doors, and the school has gone silent. Mr. Saffron's followed my orders and fled. He'll live another day because of it. I've got to pat myself on the back, right?
Brett knows how to get to us from the inside. Why did I ever talk to him?
"Okay," I say. "Let's go see this Hunter."
Chapter Eleven
The bearded man waits beside Callie in the woods. I'm glad she's here, because her alone lowers my tension level a notch. Callie's turning out to be awesome.
But Callie has changed again. Now she wears camouflage pants, a long leather coat, and a matching, military-style scarf around her neck. She's masked her scent well, too: Callie smells like fallen pine needles and not at all like a human. Smart. I hadn't picked up her presence when I entered the woods. These Hunters are deadly. And as I approach the two of them, the man sprays himself down with a pine-scented spray, masking his scent as well.
"Yo," Noah says as he walks up with me.
The bearded man scowls at Noah and then at Olivia, sizing them up, and shakes his head at Callie and me. Why did I bring these people?
"These are my friends," I say. "I just wanted them to walk out with me today to make sure no Savages were waiting to spring a trap." It sounds stupid. Beyond stupid, and flimsy. "They know all about this, by the way."
"Not intelligent to let the general public in on Wolf or Hunter matters," the man says, but his voice is gentler than I expect. Like a teddy-bear type grandpa, even if he can't be more than fifty years old. His voice does not fit his looks.
"Hey. They deserve to know about what threatens them. Both my friends have had problems with Romulus or his cult."
The man eyes Noah and his sling. "You bitten?" He sounds like he's asking if Noah's picked up the bread from the store.
"No. A beam fell on me because of some voodoo." He grins at his shoulder while Olivia walks up behind him. In the presence of these Hunters, she seems to have shrunk.
My phone buzzes again and again.
With these Hunters here, I can't take it out now. Cayden will have all sorts of texts about Romulus and possession. The male Hunter can't see that. Even Callie sends me a warning look.
"Well, you can't be here," the man says, gentle but firm. "This is a job for the trained."
Noah frowns under the veiled insult. He stalks off, Olivia in tow. He steals one last look at where the action is about to happen, before he steps out of the trees and walks across the parking lot.
Does Noah want in on this?
"You know, my friends have been super helpful," I say to Callie and the man. I'd also expected more Hunters.
"The Hunters would have been here for you, had we known not all the Nobles were dead," the man says. "We have helped to guard the Noble Royals and keep the Savages at bay since the beginning. We are staking out Romulus's cult today so we can plan an attack." The man's words leave no room or argument. I have no authority over him, either.
"Callie told me we might do that," I say.
"With the loss of your father, we pulled back from Breckenridge and scattered around the country, to best fight the Savages wherever they popped up," he says. "At least, that's what we were informed by the Guardian Wolves and the Russells." A sad look fills the man's dark eyes, but it comes with a roughness I've never seen.
Of course. My parents must have hidden their marriage—and me—from them.
"This is my Uncle Alex," Callie explains. She bites her lip. "He's been Hunting for his whole life. Killed a dozen Savages, some of them powerful."
She won't dare say it, but maybe he's some sort of uncle to me, too. I'm still not sure what the family tree looks like. I also read the warning between her words. This man is also capable of killing me, and he might try if he finds out I'm a dangerous mix.
I eye his coat. Now he has daggers galore, and the bulge under his long leather coat tells me he has a crossbow in there. Arrows clink together as he shifts and looks at Callie. I'm with deadly people, but at least one is on my side.
"Show me how to reach the Savages' new territory," Alex says.
"This way," I say, glad to cut into the lead.
We walk through the woods and through the still-melting snow. Alex and Callie still smell like the woods.
But I can still hear around us much better than they can. Everly and Remo follow in the distance, but I don't dare check. None of us trust each other. I sniff, and a whiff of Abigail has joined. She's walking beside Everly and Remo in human form, keeping pace with us despite her slight limp. A strong woman, she is.
"We're leaving our territory," I tell the Hunters as I step over the scent line our pack left earlier this week. It's fading. I need to order someone to get on it.
My phone keeps buzzing over and over. Cayden's getting frantic. Alex glares at me. But Everly must hear my problem, because the faint sound of her pressing phone buttons follows. A minute later, the buzzing stops.
"Sorry," I say.
"The scent line?" Callie asks.
"Yep. Scent line," I say, thanking the silence.
Alex nods at me and raises his head to study me. "Who was texting you?"
"My mate worries when I don't pick up the phone for more than a minute," I say with a wink. "So, do you guys also fight the humans who work with the Savages? Any experience dealing with magic? It's not fun." I stop before I dig myself in
to a hole.
"Arrows work against anyone." Callie swallows as she speaks.
She's looking just as forward to fighting regular people as I am.
"Tell us when we get near the Savages' territory," Alex instructs.
So that's why the Nobles and the Hunters have worked together for centuries. We can help them, just as they can help us. Neither of us might have survived if we hadn't joined.
"I'll also let you know if I smell them," I say. "It all depends on the wind."
"Good."
"Are you always so businesslike?" I ask.
"How else do we stay sharp?" Alex refuses to smile.
We keep walking through the neutral territory. Remo and Everly keep following far behind us, maybe half a mile. Alex shuffles as he walks behind me, and I listen as he pulls out what must be a crossbow. The string vibrates as he flicks it, and the sound makes a low buzz I've never heard before. A shudder passes over me. He holds a weapon capable of ending my life. So I walk backwards and pretend to admire the weapon. "So, shot any Savages with that?"
"Three," he says, emotionless. Then he reaches into a deep pocket and produces a handful of long bolts. Six of them, each one what must be a silver tip.
"Oh, great," I say.
Callie does the same, parting her coat to pull out a smaller crossbow. I glimpse a pink sweater underneath. She's a normal person, disguised as a Hunter. Ironic, since she was a Hunter disguised as a waitress before. "I might get my first today, depending on what happens," she says.
"You should stand back and watch," Alex tells her.
Callie looks at him and nods, barely hiding a pouty face. She's like Noah, but more reserved.
Her real emotions aren't lost on Alex. "Callie, you're fortunate the Noble Order broke up. Violence was the way of life back then, and I regret that it might become the way of life again now."
"This isn't awkward," I say.
"Not at all," Callie adds.