The Dragon's Charm

by Emilia Hartley

  What the hell did he expect her to think? It was the first time she met him. Was she supposed to be happy and forget all the heartache he’d caused her? Ignore the fact that she had to practically raise herself after her mom passed away? She had her grandmother, but it wasn’t the same. No, she’d made her own way and she didn’t need some deadbeat father to show up and pretend like he cared.

  Alex was all she needed. Alex was all she wanted. But still, she wondered what it was like to have a parent, any parent at all. Alex’s mom died when he was young but he still had his father. All she had was her grandmother to scold her occasionally and have her do chores around the house.

  The fog had finally lifted making it easier to see the road and the thick forest on either side. The engine thumped between her legs. Each little vibration sent a shockwave through her. She held Alex tighter.

  The group of bikers slowed and collectively turned down a dirt road that was nearly impossible to see from the street.

  “Are you sure about this,” Alex shouted to Cynthia.

  “I sure hope so,” she said into his ear.

  A moment later she could make out their destination. A large clearing unfolded before them; nestled deep in the woods it was impossible to see the street through the forest. To the right of the entrance a row of six small cabins waited in silence. The center of the clearing was dug out to make a makeshift fire pit with fallen logs surrounding it on all sides. It was some Kumbaya level stuff, she half expected to see a guy with a guitar ready to play some camp music. The cyclists pulled to a stop and lined their motorcycles up in front of the first and largest cabin, Alex pulled in beside them.

  “Welcome to the best damn road stop on this side of the mountain,” Crunch shouted, “You and your boy can stay in my cabin if you want.”

  Not happening.

  “We’ll stay in our own, thank you.”

  “Alright,” Crunch grunted and scratched at his head nervously, “then take that one on the end.”

  A silver haired biker was already gathering wood and stacking it in a pile in the fire pit. Cynthia wasn’t tired but needed a moment to get away from the smelly goons that led them here.

  “Goin’ to have a fire tonight,” Crunch said to Cynthia, “if you wanna catch up.”

  Catch up with what?

  She hopped off the motorcycle and walked toward the cabin quickly, Alex had to jog to keep pace. Each cabin, except for the first, looked the same from the outside. A single window faced toward the center of the clearing. The stacked log buildings weren’t the tallest things in the world but they were tall enough that you wouldn’t have to hunch over like you would in her house at the den.

  Inside, the space looked as though it had been abandoned for years. The windows were grimy with moss and dirt, the curtains were non-existent. The door creaked and groaned as it moved and had to be forced closed. Alex hovered by the window, probably doing his best to keep an eye on the bikers.

  “We should’ve just left,” she said.

  “I was about to say the opposite,” Alex lied, “it’s cozy.”

  Cozy?

  She smiled and let out a fake laugh. What a joke. If anything it felt like a makeshift prison for the night, but there was no way she’d tell Alex that. He joined her on the bed, took her by the hand and kissed it, then nuzzled himself beside her. It was hard to stay mad, with him by her side. Even if he was acting dopey and love struck.

  “Your dad is out there, right now. Do you even know anything about him? You have a chance, a real chance to know more about the man. Don’t give it up,” he urged.

  “What would I even say?” she wondered.

  “Hello would be a good start,” Alex said. “Maybe think about saving the slapping and cussing till later?”

  There’s a thought. Don’t be hostile, got it. He was right though; this was a real opportunity to maybe figure out where she came from. Did her parents love each other or was it some passing fad that left mom pregnant?

  “You should come with me. I feel more confident when you’re beside me,” she said.

  “Okay, let’s do it,” he said, “You can follow me, if you want.”

  “No,” she replied, “It’s my dad. Just stay by me and keep me company.”

  She kissed his cheek and stood, pulling him along by the hand. It took a moment to pry open the door. Even Alex had a hard time with it. By the time they got to the fire pit, the bikers were already drinking.

  “Nice of you to join us,” Crunch said.

  “I wasn’t gone that long,” Cynthia retorted.

  “I partly didn’t expect you’d show yourself tonight,” he said, “on account of me being a terrible father.”

  He held out an unopened can of beer and offered it to the two of them. Cynthia snapped it open and guzzled down half the can before handing the remainder to Alex. It was refreshing, but it reminded her about how little she’d eaten that day.

  “You sure can down them like your mother,” Crunch said with a laugh.

  “Guess I know where I got that from,” she said. “Why did you leave?” she asked, coldly.

  “Getting straight to the point, I see.” Cynthia watched the light from the fire flicker on his face. “Who says I wanted to? She said that the road was no place for her, didn’t find out she was pregnant until three months later. I had no clue until she sent me a letter with your baby picture in it.”

  Crunch reached into his pocket and pried out his fat leather wallet. He withdrew a small photo and handed it to Cynthia. He wasn’t lying.

  “Probably best I wasn’t around,” he said, “it helped her fit in with den life a little better. When she stopped sending letters I wondered what happened to her. Figured I’d come around and see for myself.” His eyes wandered to the fire, hypnotizing him. It seemed as though his thoughts were getting away from him. “I guess that isn’t what you came here to hear about,” he chuckled.

  The silver haired man stepped up carrying a cooler and propped it on a log nearby. Cynthia’s mouth watered when she smelled the food stored within.

  “Help yourself,” Crunch said, “Scab ain’t much to look at but he can dish up some pretty satisfying grub.”

  They didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence; they were already devouring the leftovers. Had Cynthia waited much longer she might have sprinted into the forest to find her own food.

  “Did you love my mom?” Cynthia asked.

  Crunch slammed back the rest of his beer and let out a loud belch that echoed through the nearby trees.

  “Yep,” he said, “she was the only girl for me.”

  Yeah right.

  Cynthia shot him a disbelieving stare, she could see right through him after being with him for mere minutes.

  “Okay, you got me. I’ve been with a lot of women,” he said.

  Of course you have.

  “But, she was the one that stood out the most.”

  “Why didn’t you come back for us? Or come back for me?” Her voice wavered heavily as she spoke. Why the hell was she asking now? She didn’t want to get emotional with him, right?

  “I came around to see what happened to your mom,” he said, “I was stopped at the gates before they’d let me see you.”

  “Like that should have been able to stop you,” Cynthia said defiantly, “if you wanted to see me, you could have.”

  He slid the photo from before back into his wallet.

  “Truth is, your grandmother didn’t want you to know me,” he said.

  What? The woman she’d been living with for years was keeping her own father from her? Could she really have been lying to her for all these years?

  “No,” she said, “there’s no way grandma would shut you out. You’re my damn father!”

  “She hated me ever since I met your mother,” he said with a snorted grunt, “But the pack alpha sided with her every time I went to try to visit.”

  “When was the last time you were there?” she asked.

  “Three months
ago, today,” he said.

  “My birthday,” she said, clearly startled.

  She nearly lost her balance. Alex reached a hand out to keep her upright. How had her grandma managed to keep him away from her? Alex was with her on her birthday, they were out in the forest together. She wasn’t in the den at all that day. He must have come when she was away.

  “She said that not only were you out for the day, but that she wanted me to go because I’m a disruptive influence, whatever that means. I guess she just never wanted you to become a biker girl like your mother,” he said.

  Cynthia gritted her teeth and kicked at the tree stump on which the food rested. She was hurt. How could her grandma have lied to her for all these years? Her pain was replaced with anger, and all the rage was directed squarely at her grandmother.

  She wanted to scream into the sky, feel her muscles flare up beneath her skin. Her wolf urged her to shift but she fought it off. Now wasn’t the time.

  “I never knew,” she said, finally.

  “Don’t hold it against her, Cynthia-”

  “I’m still not done being mad at you,” she cut him off. “Being angry at my grandmother doesn’t mean I forgive you.” Alex reached out his arms to hold her for a moment but Cynthia stopped him with the palm of her hand. “Not right now,” she said, shaking. “I’m scared I’ll say or do something that I’ll regret. Just give me a minute.”

  She reached into the cooler and pulled out a beer which she snapped open and dumped down her throat.

  “Young love!” Crunch shouted, laughing loudly at his idiotic attempt at a joke. Then he scratched at his head as though trying to remember something.

  “I almost forgot!” he said. He pointed a massive index finger squarely at Alex. “Scab over there told me about your little stunt in the bar,” he said. “Scab?” Alex wondered.

  Crunch again pointed to the silver haired man who almost felt offended at being forgotten already.

  “That was some display, I hear. You took on all of Mutt’s goons by yourself?” he chortled. “I even hear you dodged a shotgun at point blank, that’s a hell of a feat.”

  Cynthia could feel a solid buzz in her brain from the beer.

  “Listen, that bastard Mutt and his gang of idiots have been a pain in my ass for years now. They never came out and started a fight with us, but they give all the bikers on this mountain a bad name,” Crunch said. “Honestly, after losing my own pack I was damn near ready to bust him up myself. I guess you just beat me to it!”

  Crunch clapped his hand along Alex’s back.

  “You picked the worst night to do it, though,” he continued, “There are some hunters about and they’re looking for fresh prey.”

  The breath was knocked from Cynthia and she almost choked on her beer. The last time she heard of hunters was when she was young. Even though wolves are tough and quick, the hunters managed to easily kill eight member of the pack in a single night. The den usually meant safety, but the mere mention of hunters sent shivers down any shifter’s spine.

  “How do you know?” Alex wondered.

  “You don’t get to be as old as me without making a few friends,” he replied.

  “Then I should leave tonight. I don’t want to be the reason they find you. If you know what I did in the bar then no doubt they know too and they’ll be looking for me. I deserve what’s coming,” Alex said nobly.

  Crunch scratched at his head. Cynthia sobered up instantly. She knew he was capable of doing some dumb things when the idea got into his head. She readied herself to stop him if he tried to run off but her father beat her to the punch.

  “Listen kiddo, what you need to do is just shut up,” Crunch said. “What?” he asked.

  “They won’t find you tonight,” he said, “but from what I hear, you need to get your beast in check. It’s not every day that I hear about a primal.”

  Crunch sipped at his drink and eyed Alex.

  What the hell is a primal?

  “Primal?” Cynthia asked without thinking.

  “You don’t know what they are? I would’ve figured you’d be the first to know,” Crunch stood to his full height and towered over Alex. “The whole reason Cynthia’s mom decided to stay at that den was because the alpha’s wife was one of them. Quite a looker, too if I recall.”

  “Watch what you say, that’s my mother you’re talking about,” Alex said. He didn’t quite understand what Crunch was going on about. What the hell is a primal?

  “Settle down, boy. There was no disrespect intended. Quite the opposite in fact. Didn’t know that was your mother, so that must mean you’re in line to be the next alpha?”

  Alex shook his head no.

  “You gotta be kidding me! Ain’t no way they wouldn’t make you the leader, knowing what you are,” Crunch said with surprise.

  “I don’t even know what I am,” Alex replied.

  Crunch swirled around his drink, and after realizing there was nothing inside he crumpled the can in his hand and journeyed to the cooler for another beverage.

  “When the wolves first came about, they were gigantic, and extremely vicious,” he started, snapping open his beer and taking a hearty sip, “like, five foot high at the shoulder. Jaws so strong they could bite through steel, and muscles so tough they could stop all but the sharpest of weapons.” Crunch started pacing around the fire. “Over time, the wolves started getting smaller and smaller because that strength was no longer needed to protect them from the prying eyes of other predators, mainly man. But, a scant few managed to hold on to the ability to grow to their full potential. Some of the Alphas today are able to grasp at a small amount of that power. I know your dad was like that. He was the only guy big enough to take me down. How do you think he got his limp?”

  Crunch chuckled, as did the rest of the bikers.

  “My sister Tess said she caused that,” Alex replied with uncertainty.

  “In a manner,” he said, “your sister said a few things that I couldn’t ignore and your father took her side. He won, in the end. You don’t see me holding a grudge about it. Either way,” he continued, “You better learn to control your wolf, before it controls you.”

  “How?” Alex wondered, “It’s only been a couple days and it feels like its eating me from the inside.”

  Crunch polished off the remainder of his beer and threw the can to join his previous one. Another loud belch echoed through the darkness. He tossed a log on the fire and it started crackling.

  “I’m not an expert,” he said, “but I have heard of something that will let you communicate with it.”

  “Show me,” Alex said urgently, “I need to know. I can’t let it take over like that again.”

  “Alright, but this might hurt,” he said.

  Cynthia watched on with deep interest. She was both curious and worried. Both emotions reflected on her face.

  “What do I have to do,” Alex asked.

  Crunch reached to the ground and picked up a small piece of wood and adjusted his waistline as he returned to his feet. He offered the item to Alex who took it, confused.

  “What am I supposed to do with this?” he wondered.

  “Bite down on it and look to your right,” Crunch said.

  He did as he was told. Cynthia watched as her dad cracked his neck and shook out his arms.

  “Are you ready?” Crunch asked.

  “Yeth,” Alex mumbled through the stick, “bu’ wha’ is thith for?”

  “It’s just a distraction,” Crunch said.

  “Distraction from what,” Cynthia asked.

  “This,” he replied.

  In a split second he swung his arm around and clocked Alex across the face. The force of the blow could be felt by Cynthia and she spilled the remainder of her drink to the ground as she leapt to her feet to catch Alex.

  “What the hell did you do you bastard!?” she screamed. Alex was completely unconscious in her arms. The stick fell from his mouth and Cynthia slapped at his face, hoping he’d wake u
p.

  “This is the fastest way,” Crunch laughed, “You’ll see.”

  Alex stirred.

  “You better take a step back, Cyn,” Crunch suggested, “this might get a little messy.”

  Why would I abandon him?

  Alex’s eyes snapped open. Completely black pupils stared into her soul. Alex’s mouth began to take the shape of a muzzle. He growled beneath his breath and for the first time around Alex, Cynthia feared for her safety. She released him and stepped away.

  “Explain this shit right now, why did you punch him?” she asked, not taking her eyes off Alex.

  Alex pushed himself up to all fours and his body began to change. Thick black fur sprouted from his knuckles and cascaded down the remainder of his exposed skin.

  Crunch shoved his way between his daughter and Alex. A move that must have been made to protect her, or so she thought. Alex stared dead eyed at Crunch and growled louder, readying himself to strike. Crunch growled back and stared him down. Their collective will could be felt by everyone else nearby as they both battled for dominance.

  Alex’s shift continued to expand and cover his entire body. His biker shirt tore away at the seams, and his jeans loosened and fell to the floor. Cynthia saw that Alex was no longer there. What stood before her was the wolf she knew he’d been holding back. His fur was so dark it was hard to see him against the blackness of the night. Without the firelight he would have been nearly impossible to see.

  Crunch didn’t even bother to shift. His experience as a pack alpha served him well and he eventually won out. Alex barked and snarled but then turned and sprinted for the forest stopping only to briefly to glance at Cynthia. She could feel him inside, working hard to regain control.

  Come on Alex, Fight it!

  After watching him struggle she knew he needed to help, but how could she bring back the Alex she knew?

  He disappeared into the woods and Cynthia knew the only way she would find him now would be through his scent. But, should she follow him? He was ready to attack her a moment ago. Something had to be done.

  “I hope you’re happy,” She said as she angrily unzipped her leather jacket and let it slide to the ground.

  “Give him some time. If he’s as strong as Scab says he is, he’ll be back,” Crunch said.