I panted a bit now, thirst and exhaustion hitting me at once. I needed to look for a water source. There had to be runoffs and springs that ran down to the falls. I hadn’t heard any so far, or smelled them, for that matter, but I’d pay more attention now.
I set out again at a loping pace. There were black bears up in the hills. Better to move cautiously so I had time to react to the terrain and not disturb any larger predators. Of course, I was a predator, too. I didn’t even want to imagine what might happen if I ran across a rabbit or a squirrel or something that might look like food. I shook off that worry and tried to focus on the scent I’d smelled before. Dad. He’d been this way.
A few minutes later. I paused before I stepped across the worn dirt and gravel of a rough road. I heard water ahead. I traveled toward the sound. Then, passing the sign for Alpine Lake, I knew I was headed in the right direction. As I approached the area, I paid more attention to where my paws landed. I didn’t want to end up in a snare, like the one Alex and I had found nearby. It was a noisier way to go, moving through the thicker brush and staying off the worn mazes through the forest, what locals called game trails.
Watching each step had me looking down more than ahead. At last, though, I found a small creek that fed the lake. I drank my fill, lapping with what felt like an enormous tongue, until I heard movement nearby.
I took a step back into the sword ferns, but it was too late.
A large wolf, gray with dark markings, emerged from the brush across the creek from me. The hackles on the back of my neck rose. Danger. But also a familiar scent of dark woods and musk. The creature waited a moment before stepping a paw into the water, as if it would cross. Then he lifted his eyes to me, and I recognized their amber gold hue. Morgan.
I didn’t know what to do. Did he recognize me? Would he attack? Before I could react, something else approached. I slunk back behind a tree trunk, trying to appear smaller, somehow melt into the moss. This time it was a medium-sized gray wolf, white around the muzzle, a scraggly look to his coat, eyes like bits of charcoal. It looked old, almost sick. I’d seen it before, remembered this had been the vicious wolf with the deer blood around its muzzle. The leader of the pack. And those eyes, those beady eyes, I’d seen them in human form, too, I realized—the old man at the football game.
Morgan stepped back out of the creek and bared his teeth at the newcomer. I had the sinking feeling that this wasn’t a coincidence, that they’d both followed me. Something about the way they were hesitating. Not gearing up for a fight, but having some kind of an argument. Both wolves issued barks and growls. My stomach quaked. If Morgan was a tracker sent by my call to that emergency number, why would he be communicating with this killer wolf? Had that all been a lie?
I moved back a step, but their interaction didn’t stop. They were too distracted. I retreated a little more. They were still in my line of sight, still posturing against each other. But then, something crackled beneath my back left paw, a twig breaking.
Both wolves turned and spotted me. I dove into the bushes. Heart pounding, I barreled through the underbrush and around trees. I wanted to put as much distance as I could between us. Evergreens shook and twigs and branches crunched as they were pushed aside. The two pursuers were gaining on me.
An exposed root grabbed at one of my paws. As I scrambled to right myself, I recognized the game trail that led to Alpine Lake. The way to Devil’s Nook couldn’t be far now. Caves to hide in, a place to lose the others. Barks sounded behind me, quickening my heartbeat. I had to get away. Bounding onto the established human trail, I heard a sharp snap, metal on metal behind me. Swinging my head around, I saw a flash of gray and heard a terrible scream. One of the wolves was caught in a snare.
A wail of agony rose, echoing off the tree trunks. Both wolves stayed behind, the chase abandoned. I kept running, as cold as that felt. Even if it was Morgan back there…
No one pursued me now. The cruelty of the snare had helped my escape, and I wasn’t going to stick around to be caught by the wolf who was still free. Especially not Morgan, if he turned out to be part of the killer pack, despite what he’d claimed. Cooper had warned me wolves were tricksters. I didn’t know what to believe anymore. Lifting my muzzle to the breeze again, I tried to catch my father’s scent again. It was faint, but still there.
The full moon lit the path, and I had miles to go before dawn.
Chapter Sixteen
Panting, I surveyed the small caves carved into the craggy peaks above the Devil’s Nook trailhead. It was odd to find myself at the same spot where Morgan and I had stood a few days earlier, weighing whether to head into the gloomy caves.
Now, there was no question. The darkness wasn’t a barrier, not anymore. I could see well, my vision sharp and attuned to the night. I hurried up the narrow trail. Smells were everywhere. A distinct stench I guessed was black bear, and traces of more acidic odors, cougar maybe, on the rocks. Behind it, the faintest scent of home down in the valley. I climbed and climbed, picking up the pace. And at last I rounded a corner and came to a dead end. I whined, looking at the sheer face of the rock in front of me and the steep dropoff to the other side.
That was when I heard it. The whimper of a hurt animal.
It was coming from a cave opening I hadn’t noticed at first, a crevice low to the ground and narrow. I’d have to scrunch my body to get through it. There was the sound of running water too, coming from inside the cave. I stuck my head into the entrance, trying to listen beyond the dripping sound.
The whimper sounded again, dog-like. I had no voice, so I couldn’t call out beyond a barking noise. But I could squeeze myself in.
The darkness was complete. I inched forward with my paws, moving toward the sound of the water. The cave expanded once I got past the dripping walls near the entrance, fed by a spring within the hill. I paused, breathing in the smells of the cave. Then I caught the scent again. Dad.
I found him huddled at the back of the small cave. He raised his muzzle at my approach. As he got to his feet and hobbled toward me, I noticed a visible limp. There was a wound on one of his front legs. I caught the scent of dried blood.
As much as my heart swelled with relief, all I could do was whine. He seemed to understand who I was instantly. He put his head near mine, sniffing, whimpering. I tried to signal to him we were getting out of there and inched back to let him pass.
Limping through the wet section of the cave, he appeared cautious, stopping to sniff the air several times. He’d been hiding out with this injury, clearly, and was worried about what we’d find outside—a concern I had, too.
At the mouth of the cave, he hesitated but then eased himself out. I followed him through the opening. Outside, my dad struck a powerful silhouette. Large ears, a deep brown-black color, eyes reflecting like silver mirrors. Under the light of the moon and stars, I could see the wound on his leg was deep and crusted with dried blood.
I turned my head toward the trail. If we could make it down through the wood, at first light I could get to my bag, change, and get him to town for medical care.
He took a few steps and whined. My heart sunk. It was as at least five miles back down to town. With how he was limping, I didn’t know how he’d be able to make it. It was too far, and he was too weak. I nudged his face, trying to let him know I’d have to leave him there and return with help or a car.
As if agreeing with me, he let out a low bark, then lowered his head and hobbled back into the cave.
***
Pale light crept across the horizon. Hours had passed since I’d left Dad at the cave. I could smell town ahead. The scent of a cedar mill had never smelled so comforting. I didn’t know how the transformation back to my human body was going to go, but I prayed it would be less painful. With the moon fading against the warming glow of sunrise, it shouldn’t be long now. I edged out of the trees and into a meadow that led to the woods behind the fire hall. There was a familiar scent on the air. Something industrial, metallic.
> “Easy now,” a voice called from the other side of the meadow.
I froze.
Dressed in fatigues, Rick blended in well with the cottonwoods and tall grass. “I don’t know which of the vermin you are,” he yelled, leveling a rifle at me, “but that makes little difference.”
So this was how it would end, I thought, my heart pounding. But just then, there was a streak of dark gray running across the field. Another wolf.
I jumped back into the trees and watched as it crossed in front of me, almost as if it were causing a distraction on purpose. My eyes widened as three others dashed out of the woods after it. I couldn’t tell if they were together, or if they were chasing the first creature.
And that first wolf was the same dark gray one I’d seen in the forest that night. The one I’d seen at the stream earlier. Morgan, I was sure of it. His wolf was beautiful and strong, racing with a fluid grace across the grassy expanse. My heart lifted in my chest—he hadn’t been the one snared hours ago. It must have been the old gray wolf who’d been caught in the brutal trap. Morgan was alive.
A rifle shot cracked across the meadow. At first I thought Rick was aiming at Morgan and the running pack, but a bullet ricocheted off a trunk near me. Terrified, I vaulted into the trees. Rick raised his rifle again. I didn’t wait to see where the next shot would land.
I crashed through ferns and over blackberry brambles until my pads touched the smooth dirt of the path. Adrenaline coursed through my body. My muscles screamed as I raced through the forest, putting as much ground as I could between me and that next bullet. And the rival pack.
I could smell I was close, maybe a quarter mile, from where I’d left my bag. My ears twitched, trying to pick up the sounds beyond the stirring of insects and the light breeze. Another gunshot cracked in the distance. I glanced back in the direction from which I’d come, worry flooding my veins. Morgan… He’d again risked himself to save me. It was confusing. He’d been with those other wolves, so was there some kind of angle to him saving me?
I took to the trail again, my breath steadying as I slowed my pace. My muscles ached. I hadn’t done this much running since I’d turned out for the cross-country team sophomore year. Fawn was the runner in the family. A flicker of worry passed through me—I had no idea if the twins were all right. If they’d made it to the safety of the station. I pushed myself onward. The sooner I shifted back, the sooner I could rescue Dad and get back to my sisters.
Minutes later, I entered the grove of thick cedars that stood behind the fire hall, steps from my stashed bag. Weak sunlight dappled the forest floor. Stretching out my legs I moved into a pool of sunlight, arching my back like a cat. The pleasure was short-lived. My ears rang with a high-pitched tone and the wracking pain began. Dropping to the dirt, I rolled into a fetal position.
Bones crunched and sinews screamed inside of me as the change took hold. I gritted my sharp teeth, even as they morphed. My skin burned with the transformation. The ground scratched at my tender human flesh, fur no longer protecting me. Before my eyes, human hands, fingers came into view. My skin was red, feverish. I reeked of sweat and mud and forest.
Shivering, I crawled over to the hollow stump, fully transformed again. Giving thanks under my breath, I pulled out my bag. After brushing myself off the best I could, I pulled on the loose sweatpants, T-shirt, and sweatshirt I had packed. The clothes felt soft, almost too soft against my skin after the rough ground. My hands shook as I tied on my running shoes, but what else could I expect? None of this was normal. Nothing was anymore.
I grabbed the truck keys from the bottom and slung the duffel bag over my shoulder as I stood up. I felt a little dizzy. My feet wobbled as I got used to walking on two legs again instead of four. It was funny—moving as a wolf had seemed so easy. In my wolf body, I’d been scared, sure, but it’d also been freeing, almost joyful to run. It got it. Every wolf would want that from time to time, to be what you were born to be. Dad’s trips to the woods alone made sense now. Even though he’d had his lupine stone, he’d wanted the freedom to run.
The other things that came with that freedom—hunters, packs with territory issues, lies, fear of people knowing the truth—those were the things that my father had tried to protect us from, the only way he knew how. And it had been clumsy and imperfect, but I didn’t love him any less for it. And he was alive.
I fought back a wave of emotion. Rescuing Dad was only going to happen if I stayed calm and got back to him in one piece.
“Tears?” Morgan stepped from behind a tree into my path. He wore the clothes from last night, but his hair hung in a mess about his face. Smudges of dirt marked his cheeks. Those eyes, amber and gold, looked more animal-like than I’d noticed before. They swept over me with what appeared to be relief.
My chest tightened, but I couldn’t deny I was happy to see him. “I thought you were toast back there near the stream.”
“That was the old fellow. I’m afraid he’s still there and the wound will be much grislier when he turns, which ought to be about now. What are you doing out here? You don’t have my stone?”
“I had to give your pendant to my sister.”
“That makes sense,” he said in a quiet voice. “But you’re safe now.”
“For the moment.”
Morgan reached for my hand and pulled me to him. Despite my reservations, it felt too good to be in his arms. I didn’t resist.
“I wouldn’t have let anything happen,” he whispered, kissing the top of my head. “You’re far too important to me.”
I placed my hands on either side of his face. “And then the hunter in the field! You were almost shot.”
“It happens,” he said with a shrug, as if the threat of dying was no big deal.
I wiped the dirt smudges from his cheek. “I don’t get it. Why me? Is this all just an act?”
“Far from it. I can’t explain it, but I lose every other thought when you’re near. And you’re all I think about when you’re not with me.” He dipped his head and planted a light kiss on my mouth.
“But we’re not normal,” I said, smoothing a lock of his hair. “None of this is.”
“Who’s to say what’s normal? I know this is all new to you, but there’s no cure for this blood curse. This is our normal. So why deny what we are? What we feel for each other?”
I couldn’t look at him, didn’t want him to see how vulnerable I felt. “We? You think I feel something for you?”
Morgan slipped a hand under my chin, tilting it up so our gazes met again. “That’s the one thing I’m certain of. We’re meant to be together.”
His lips met mine with an intensity I’d never felt before. As the kiss deepened, my legs seemed to melt beneath me. All of my attention was focused on the feel of his mouth against mine, the sensations of the kiss. Maybe it was residual adrenaline or the exhaustion, but kissing him was like filling my lungs with oxygen. Like coming up from the depths of the river where you’d been holding your breath for too long.
My hands moved to his strong back, pulling him closer. In response, he kissed me more deeply, his tongue sweeping over mine. The sense of floating took me again. It was as if Morgan had a power over me, some kind of sway that made me let go and not care. When I was with him, all was right. It was like running in the forest, full speed as a wolf, something so natural that I didn’t want to question it.
We broke for air, and I stared at him, touching a hand to my lips, trying to process what had just happened. I realized we’d crossed a line together, entered a new place. “I have to go,” I said, when I had my breath back.
Morgan placed his hands on my shoulders. “You don’t have to worry. They’re not coming after you.”
I sobered. “You sound sure of that.”
“I’ve negotiated.”
“Negotiated with the hunter? He tried to shoot us!”
He smiled. “Not the hunter. The others.”
“So you do know those wolves?” I shrugged off his embrace. “A
t the creek, I saw you talking to the old one, the leader. Are you with them?”
“We’ve had some contact,” he said. “It was necessary. I can explain.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Can you explain how they hurt my dad and tried to scare the crap out of us?”
“I don’t condone their tactics. But there are some differing forces at play here,” he growled. “Ones that you don’t understand.”
“They almost killed my dad!” I moved back from him, sensing he wasn’t telling me everything, that maybe he’d been keeping more secrets than just his dealings with the pack. “Who’s to say they won’t try again?”
“So he’s alive then. I’m relieved that you found him.” Morgan’s expression was guarded.
I stiffened. “But…you negotiated with those violent wolves who would have hurt us? How did you do that so easily?” I took a step back from him, Cooper’s warning about the trickster wolf ringing in my ears. Maybe I had been too quick to trust in Morgan. Even last night him giving me his pendant––that must have been part of the act, part of the plan to earn my confidence. Maybe to get to my dad. To my sisters.
“After all we’ve been through in the last few days, you don’t trust me? I know I lied about why I was here, but you––”
I have to go,” I said, pushing past him. “You better not follow.”
“Lily!” He followed me down the trail toward the fire hall parking lot.
“I mean it. Stay away from me and my family!”
He halted at the edge of the trees and said, “I did it all for you.”
A Curse So Dark (Pioneer Falls Book 1) Page 21