Feral

by Nicole Luiken

  Dean’s dad shouldered his way forward and mounted the wooden deck. “I’m Beta, so I’ll be Alpha now.” Anticipation lit his eyes.

  Chloe didn’t know Rick Stravinsky that well, only that he was conservative, taciturn, worked as a forest ranger and when his marriage had failed he’d kept the boys. He’d always just been Dean and Kyle’s dad. She frowned. What kind of Alpha would he make? He was physically strong, but could he lead?

  She wished her father could be Alpha, but he was a healer and a thinker. Sad to say it, but Rick would take him out in under a minute in a straight-up fight.

  Her parents were whispering together. “… don’t think he has one. Can’t help but be better … ”

  “Any other contenders?” Rick asked. “Right, then—”

  “I Challenge.” Coach Wharton stepped forward.

  Chloe’s stomach turned to ice: the man who wanted to execute Marcus, Alpha of the Pack? Marcus growled. She gripped his arm. “Dean’s dad has forty pounds on Coach. He’ll wipe the floor with him.” She hoped.

  Olivia cleared her throat. “Do you both agree to the traditional Challenge, a fight in wolf form until one of you surrenders?”

  “Yes.” Rick growled. From the way his eyes narrowed, he didn’t appreciate being Challenged and intended to take his annoyance out on Coach’s hide.

  “Agreed.” Coach stripped off his shirt.

  Rick jumped down from the deck and cast off his red plaid shirt, exposing an impressively wide and hairy chest.

  “No chains on either,” her mother murmured.

  “What?” Chloe asked.

  Her parents didn’t answer.

  As the jeans came off the rest of the Pack silently cleared a space for the fighters, a ring of grass about fifteen feet in diameter.

  “At the count of three!” Nathan bellowed. “One, two, three!”

  Both men’s forms furred over. Rick had the bigger wolf, but Coach finished his Change faster. His white wolf lunged forward and sank his teeth into his opponent’s throat mid-Change.

  Chloe smelled blood. Dean swore.

  “C’mon, Dad!” Kyle called.

  The big grey wolf finished Changing and shook hard. The white wolf clung tight to his throat, teeth gripping. Rick tried to bite back. He tore Coach’s ear, but the white wolf ignored the injury and held on.

  Blood spotted the grass.

  “Yield,” Chloe’s dad whispered. “It’s over. Yield before he does you serious injury.”

  Chloe clenched her fists, helpless to do anything but watch.

  Apparently, Rick took stubbornness to the max, because he never did yield. Instead he collapsed from blood loss.

  Her dad entered the circle.

  The white wolf snarled a warning at him.

  Her dad dipped his head subserviently. “You are the Alpha. May I tend to your opponent?”

  The white wolf hesitated. A jolt went through Chloe—would Coach really kill Dean’s dad? Dominance fights seldom ended in death, but she shouldn’t have been surprised. If Marcus was right and Coach had been responsible for the death of the Jennings family, it followed that he was ruthless enough. The Pack held its breath. The white wolf gave the limp grey wolf one last contemptuous shake, then released him and backed away, jaws bloody.

  Kyle and Dean rushed forward to help as Chloe’s dad tried to stanch the wound with the discarded red shirt. Chloe bet the wound would scar as it healed, becoming a Pack Bite.

  Coach Changed back to a man and calmly dressed. No one spoke as he ascended the deck beside Olivia. “I am Alpha.” His gaze met the other males’ eyes in a direct Challenge. One by one, they dipped their heads, though judging by Dean’s red face, he was furious.

  Worried, Chloe reached for Marcus and discovered him gone.

  Probably just as well. They were so screwed.

  Marcus waited in the shadowy pines until Chloe and her family came home. He started to trot forward, but Chloe’s dad signaled for him to wait.

  Once Chloe and her mom went inside, Dr. Graham approached Marcus. The older man stopped at a respectful distance and tossed him some sweatpants. “Marcus, I’d like a word with you, please.”

  Marcus Changed back into a boy and dressed. He cocked his head to show that he was listening.

  “It’s about Chloe.”

  Marcus’s heart began to beat faster. Was something wrong? Had Coach done something after he’d left? Chloe had looked okay when she got out of the SUV.

  Dr. Graham shoved his hands into his pockets and studied his boots for a moment before bringing his gaze back up. “From the way you look at my daughter, I suspect you have feelings for her. Deep feelings, probably love. Am I wrong?”

  Marcus shook his head. He loved her. Denial was not only pointless, it would have felt like a repudiation of Chloe, which he would never do.

  “Good,” her dad said. His muscles relaxed.

  Marcus rocked back in surprise. The older male wasn’t going to warn him off? Marcus wouldn’t be forced to choose between either asserting his Dominance or disrespecting an elder? “You’re … glad?” His throat felt rusty.

  “Yes. I think Chloe’s going to need you. You’re a good boy, Marcus. Your parents would have been proud of you.” Moisture sheened Dr. Graham’s eyes.

  A keen rose in Marcus’s throat, but he bit it back. Live in the now. He waited.

  Dr. Graham raised his hand, cautioning Marcus. “Now, Chloe knows her own mind and will make her own choices. What I have to say is in the nature of advice.”

  Marcus waited. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what the older man had to say.

  “Chloe doesn’t need a worshipper,” Dr. Graham said bluntly. “She needs a lieutenant on whom she can rely absolutely. Do you understand the difference? An Alpha faces a lot of tough decisions. She needs someone she can talk things over with, who will tell her the straight truth—and who will support her decision, even if she goes against his advice.”

  Marcus’s anxiety increased. Dr. Graham was describing a Beta, the second-most powerful position in the Pack. Some Betas nipped at their Alphas heels, pushing for the day when they would be Alpha. He would never do that to Chloe. But other Betas, good Betas, worked in harmony with their Alpha, exactly as Chloe’s dad had described. Marcus wanted to do that for Chloe, but what her father was asking would be hard. He was comfortable being a follower. Could he be more?

  Worse, it would mean interacting with the rest of the Pack, as a boy. Marcus was a wolf. He might take this form sometimes for convenience and to please Chloe, but in his heart he was a wolf. Dr. Graham was asking him to be something he wasn’t anymore, something he couldn’t be.

  And yet the thought of letting Chloe down, or of her turning to another male like Dean to be what Marcus couldn’t, was exquisitely painful, a dagger to the heart.

  “I’ll try.”

  chapter

  19

  Judy gave Chloe Scout’s phone number without making eye contact, like a spy passing secret messages, as she boarded the bus, then sat two seats behind Chloe and Marcus.

  Chloe took the folded note in silence. She was a little surprised Judy had acted against the Alpha. Then again, Coach Wharton had replaced Judy’s dad. Maybe Judy resented that—though Nathan had stepped down voluntarily. Chloe bet Judy’s parents had had a huge argument after the meeting. She was dying to ask about it, but didn’t dare.

  Ilona got on next. Chloe made an effort to talk to her, wanting to see if the townie girl was now leery of Marcus. “Hi, Ilona.” She searched for a safe topic. “So are you and Dean back together?”

  Ilona rolled her eyes. “That boy! He doesn’t know what he wants. On again, off again, on again, off again. He better watch it, or I’ll get tired of waiting.” She heaved a dramatic sigh. “Even if he does have the best butt in Pine Hollow.”

  “What did he do now?” Chloe asked, both entertained and relieved by the drama. She found herself relaxing. Ilona always said the first thing that came into her head. If
Ilona had seen Marcus Change, she would’ve asked him by now.

  Ilona leaned forward. “I am such a fool. Yesterday, I let Dean sweet-talk me into giving him another chance. He drove me home. There was much kissing. Very steamy.” She fanned herself. “He promised to pick me this morning—and look where I am: on the bus! He stood me up.” She scowled.

  Chloe lost her smile. “I’m not sure Dean and Kyle are coming to school today. My parents said their dad was in an accident and lost some blood.”

  Nearly all of it.

  “Oh? Well, that is a good excuse. Maybe I will forgive him. Though Dean should still have called.” Ilona nodded firmly.

  Dean and Kyle were absent in the morning, but attended school in the afternoon.

  At noon, Chloe tried calling Scout but had to settle for voicemail. Mentioning Coach’s new Alpha status over the phone felt like gossiping, so she just left her name and cell number.

  Dean spent most of Phys. Ed. class glaring at Coach. It was a relief when Coach cancelled track and field practice.

  The cancellation also gave her an opportunity—none of the Pack kids would be expected home yet. Chloe was desperately worried: about her parents’ strange behaviour, about Marcus’s future in the Pack, about Coach’s possible involvement in the plane crash. She needed more information.

  More than that, she needed allies.

  “Hey, guys, why don’t you stick around? We’ll have our own practice,” Chloe said.

  Judy declined, and Chloe let her go without argument. Judy’s loyalties were divided at best.

  “Sure, I can stay,” Kyle said. “But just for a bit.” He grimaced. “It’s my turn to cook supper.”

  “If there’s no practice, I’d rather catch up with Ilona,” Dean said.

  Brian snorted. “Yeah, no thanks, Chloe. I plan to enjoy my time off. Got better things to do.”

  Time to gamble. Chloe talked fast. “Better? I doubt it. Coach won the Challenge because of his fast Change.”

  “He cheated!” Dean burst out.

  Chloe shook her head. “It wasn’t cheating; it just wasn’t very nice. A fast Change is a big advantage. You guys think Coach was quick?”

  Reluctant nods.

  “Marcus is faster. Like, twice as fast. I don’t know about you, but I want to learn how to Change that quickly so I’m not the one left bleeding on the ground.”

  Dean growled agreement.

  Chloe glanced at Marcus, but he didn’t object to being volunteered.

  “Where should we practice?” Brian asked, bouncing on the toes of his feet. “Not my place. My mom would want to serve lemonade.”

  “Not our place either,” Kyle said. “Dad’s in a pretty bad mood.”

  Chloe normally would have volunteered her place, but with her parents acting so weird … “Let’s just find a spot in the woods.”

  Ilona came out as they were leaving and gave Dean a long kiss. “Ready to go?”

  “Uh, sorry, babe, I have practice.”

  She frowned. “I thought that was cancelled.”

  He shrugged. “We’re having a practice without Coach.”

  “Well, can I stay and watch?”

  Knowing where this was heading, Chloe started a stupid conversation with Marcus about his shoes so she wouldn’t have to witness Ilona’s humiliation when Dean invented some lame reason for why they needed privacy.

  Sure enough, two minutes later, Ilona stormed off.

  The five of them headed off into the bush, stopping in a small clearing about five minutes’ walk from the school, far from any beaten paths though not technically inside the Preserve.

  “Okay,” Dean said, hands on hips. “Let’s see this superfast Change.”

  “Wait!” Chloe held up a hand. “I’ll be timekeeper.” She opened her phone’s stopwatch app. “Strip—just down to your underwear,” she told Marcus sternly. He was totally unembarrassed by nudity. “Then wait for my signal.”

  He happily shucked his clothes, rolling his shoulders and taking deep breaths as if he’d been unable to move or breathe freely with them on.

  “Whoa, check out his scars,” Brian said.

  Dean and Kyle both elbowed him, one from each side.

  “Ow! What was that for?” Brian looked wounded.

  Marcus stood in his underwear and gave Chloe a nod.

  “Go!” She tapped Start.

  As always, the sheer speed of his Change amazed her. It looked less like a painful, physical transformation and more like magic. As if he shed his boy skin like a snake.

  Seconds later, his black-and-cream wolf stood before them, underwear tangled on his hind legs.

  Tap. “Fourteen seconds.”

  Kyle whistled.

  “Wow,” Brian said, eyes wide with awe. “It took Coach at least thirty seconds.”

  Dean unzipped his hoodie. “My turn.”

  Chloe timed him at forty-three seconds, Kyle at thirty-eight and Brian at fifty-six.

  Then the wolves Changed back into boys. She didn’t time them, but it seemed to her that Marcus, although still the fastest, was slower than his boy-to-wolf time, while the other boys were significantly faster.

  A chill tiptoed down her spine. Marcus could Change to wolf faster because the wolf felt like his natural form. For the others it was the opposite.

  “What about you?” Brian demanded.

  Chloe handed him the cell phone. She’d had the least practice of any of them and would almost certainly be last, but she wasn’t about to make excuses. “I need practice, too.”

  She stripped down to her sports bra and panties. Kyle politely didn’t look, but Brian outright ogled her. Marcus growled and stepped between them.

  “Sorry, dude, but I like boobs and hers are right there,” Brian said.

  “Give me that.” Kyle grabbed the phone. “Go!”

  Chloe crouched down and closed her eyes, filling her nose with the smell of the forest floor: damp earth and rotting leaves and life. The things a wolf smelled. She threw herself into the Change like diving off a cliff, without letting herself think about the pain of twisting bone and sliding muscle and shrinking skull.

  Panting, she finished and howled in triumph. I am Pack! This was the first time all of the boys had witnessed her ability to Change. Pride filled her.

  She wanted to stay a wolf and run and frisk and play, but that wasn’t what this was about. A fast Change was just the lure to get the boys here. She needed to enlist their aid and for that she needed human words.

  She Changed back. It hurt more, for having been so recently done the other way, and she stifled a whine. Finally, she was a girl again. She adjusted her underwear, which had gone askew, then stood. “Time?” she asked.

  “A minute five,” Brian said.

  Not bad. Chloe nodded, satisfied.

  “So how does Marcus do it?” Dean asked, scowling. “He was feral for months, so it’s not like he’s been practising Changing into a wolf.”

  Good point. Chloe raised her eyebrows at Marcus.

  He frowned, his head tilted to one side. “I feel it, then I do it.”

  “You feel it? Big help he is.” Dean scowled again.

  Kyle stared at her, but not at her boobs. At her neck.

  Crap. She’d forgotten. She clapped her hands over the smooth skin.

  Before she could shake her head and warn him to be silent, Kyle blurted, “Where did your Bite go?”

  Dean and Brian stared, too.

  Sighing, she removed her hand. “It healed,” Chloe said simply. “There’s something wrong with the Pack.”

  “What?” Brian screwed up his face in a frown.

  Dean tugged on one ear, also confused, but Kyle just nodded as if she’d confirmed something he’d suspected. “Last night was weird. I mean, the way Nathan resigned out of the blue, and Olivia obviously had no idea it was going to happen. Just weird.”

  “I wish your dad had won. I don’t like Coach,” Brian said unexpectedly.

  Chloe blinked. He di
dn’t? “Why?”

  “He went out with my mom for a few months on the down-low, but all he wanted was … you know.” Brian clenched his fists. “He wanted nothing to do with us kids at all. Could barely bother to learn our names. I’m glad Mom dumped him.”

  Chloe’s respect for Kristen rose. She bumped Brian’s shoulder. “He’s a jerk.” Something she could have told them all months ago.

  She cleared her throat. “My parents have been behaving oddly, talking about money problems, and touching those crystal necklaces that Olivia gave them. I overheard them say the Alpha was ‘contaminated’. Anyone else notice anything?”

  “My mom has a crystal necklace,” Brian volunteered. “The Alpha gave it to her as a thank you. It’s supposed to harmonize her energies or something.” He shrugged. “I didn’t pay much attention.”

  Dean swore. “After we got dad home last night, Olivia came in and gave him a supposed healing crystal. He didn’t want it, but she ordered him to wear it and not to take it off without her permission. What do they do?”

  “I think they give the Alpha control over Pack members,” Chloe said.

  Dean blinked. “That doesn’t make sense. She’s the Alpha. She can already Dominate us.”

  Chloe brushed at her unmarked neck. “Can she? Maybe she’s losing control.” And Domination only worked when the Alpha was there to enforce it. What if this was something more?

  “Our Bites are still there,” Kyle said. “So is my dad’s.”

  “Nathan made your Bites,” Chloe pointed out. “Has anyone seen Judy’s Bite lately?”

  They exchanged looks. “Not since you got yours.”

  Silence, then Marcus said, “The Alpha smells wrong. Metallic.”

  “The only weird smell I noticed was the cancer smell,” Brian said. He made a face. “That horrible sweet rot. Ugh.”

  “That was the first weird thing,” Chloe said. “Olivia getting sick. Werewolves aren’t supposed to get sick, much less almost die.” Though hadn’t she read somewhere else about a werewolf getting cancer? The memory tugged at Chloe, but she couldn’t pin it down. “Olivia was at death’s door two weeks ago, and now it’s like she was never sick at all.”