by Cate Maroon
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. It could make him aware that you aren’t willing to cooperate and give him a heads up to make a plan of his own.”
“I didn’t really think about it like that.”
“If you or one of the boys could find a hair from either his human or wolf form, I may be able to track him.”
“That could help, thanks Masie. I really appreciate everything you are doing for us.”
“Like I said, it’s not a problem. If you want to head home, I won’t mind.”
“No, I will wait for you. I can drive you to mine and bring you home when we have finished.”
“I don’t mind driving.”
“I know, I just would like to stay here and help with anything you need.”
“In that case, you can go out to the garden and gather some herbs. I will write you a list but they are all labeled.”
“I can do that.”
Chapter Seventeen
Hunter
Dad woke me up early with a text. I was hoping that I would get a lie in this morning, seeing as we were up so late last night. However, it looks like that idea was out of the window. I would have to get up in the hope of catching Jackson and the twins before one of them said anything to Kayla. I really hoped that Masie would be able to help undo whatever Kayla’s parents had done to her. It would be a lot easier to explain that wolves and other supernatural creatures existed to someone that did not have a spell blocking them from the supernatural.
I decided to make something to eat, as I would need all the energy that I could get to make it through today. Jackson was the first to get up and I was glad to see that Kayla was not with him. We both went into the kitchen, so that we could talk without being overheard by anyone coming down the stairs.
“Where’s dad?”
“He left early to go and see Masie.”
“Have you heard anything?”
“Nothing yet. Other than the text he sent when he was leaving, to tell me to remind you not to say anything to Kayla until he gets back. He has been off grid.”
“Let’s hope Masie can help.”
“Fingers crossed.”
“Is Kayla still sleeping?”
“Yeah, she’s out cold.”
“Can you do me a favor then?”
“I guess so.”
“Can you go and start feeding the animals while I wake up the twins? I was meant to tell them not to mention anything to Kayla. You know how they can be after a late night.”
“Sure, I’ll go do it now before I make breakfast.”
“Thanks Jackson.”
I woke the twins and relayed the information to them. I hoped they were not too tired to take it all in. The three of us went out to help Jackson feed the animals. It did not take us long to do, seeing as there were four of us. I liked working on the farm with my dad but it was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I had hoped to start college next year but with everything that had gone on lately, there was never a right time to bring it up. The farm was a lot of hard work but I was sure between us, we could manage the farm. Maybe when all this was sorted out and things calmed down a bit, I could talk to Dad about what I wanted to do with my life. I am sure he would understand that the farm was his dream and I needed to follow my own.
We went back inside the house, just as Kayla was getting up. I headed up to my room, while she joined the others in the kitchen. It was not that I did not like Kayla, I really did. She was exactly the sort of girl that I could see with Jackson and she had somehow fit in perfectly with the rest of the family. It was just that things seemed to have gone crazy ever since Jackson had met her. Maybe, deep down, the reason for my negativity toward her stemmed from a place of jealousy. I was the oldest and it did not feel right to me that Jackson found his mate before I did. Not that I blamed Jackson or Kayla for that matter. You do not choose your mate; you are destined for each other and when you meet there is no one else for either of you.
It really was no one’s fault that I had not met my mate yet. I had just been so busy helping dad raise my brothers since Mom died that I never really went out. It was not that I did not want to. Of course, what fifteen-year-old wanted to be stuck at home looking after their brothers every hour, outside of school. But my dad needed me, and wolves were a lot different in the way that we all stuck together in a pack, working in unison as a team.
We all really missed Mom. It had been five long years since she died but the pain never went away. It did not get any easier but you just learned to live with it. Mom had been sick for a long time; she had a rare type of blood cancer. She fought bravely, defying every timeframe the doctors gave her. Even though we all knew the pain she was in, she never complained or asked for help. Even right at the end, she was still trying to do everything for us. In a way, I was glad that my brothers were so young at the time that they did not remember any of the bad things that would be forever etched in my memory.
Dad lost it for a long time when she died and went completely off the rails. He shifted to his wolf form the night after her funeral and took off into the forest at our old house. It was a few days of just me and my brothers before my grandma came to take care of us. She was so angry at my dad for leaving me to take care of the boys that she did not speak to him for a year or so when he finally came back. He did not come back for a month and when he did, we stopped talking about Mom. It was months before he even said her name out loud. Over the years, it got easier, until we always talked about her.
Kayla is a lot like Mom in build and hair color. I knew that was part of the reason why we accepted her into the family so quickly. She was a lot like our mom in the way that she got stuck in with any jobs that needed doing. I had seen the way that she had been working in the barns. Dad was right, Mom would have liked her a lot.
I was lying on my bed, trying to get myself out of the funky mood I was in when my phone finally pinged with a message.
Set an extra place for dinner.
It was my dad. Finally, I had been waiting for this text all day.
Does that mean Masie can help? I replied.
We hope so, but we will see later tonight.
Finally, I felt that things were starting to go right for us.
I went downstairs to find out what everyone wanted for dinner. Jackson, Kayla and the twins were sat on the sofa engrossed in a movie. The lights were dimmed and none of them noticed me come down. It was times like this that I wished I could be as carefree as my brothers, who acted like they didn’t have a care in the world. Even though someone was threatening to take our home or even worse, Kayla, here they were chilling out watching movies! At least it showed that they had faith in Dad sorting everything out.
I went into the kitchen to check our options. There was not a lot left, despite all the food that Kayla brought with her. There was plenty of cupboard staples left like pasta and rice but there wasn’t much left in the fridge to create a meal for seven people. I grabbed a drink and went to join the others, not feeling for anything available in the kitchen.
“What do you guys fancy for dinner?” I asked having gained their attention.
“Do you want me to cook something?” Kayla asked.
“There isn’t much in, we could do with getting a big shop in. But as you have seen, food doesn’t last awfully long around here.” I pointed at my three brothers, causing Kayla to laugh. “So, I was going to order takeout, any preferences?”
“Burritos!” Jay shouted.
“I could eat a burrito bowl, maybe two,” Josh added.
“How about Pad Thai?” Kayla suggested.
“I quite fancy crispy dumplings and some duck hi-so,” Jackson said, and I could practically see the drool pooling on his lips.
I could have eaten either of the options, so I decided to let Dad’s decision settle the tie. I texted him to see if he had a preference between the top choices of Mexican or Pad Thai. He replied after a few minutes, so I guessed he had asked Masie which she preferred.
He sent me two messages, one that said Pad Thai, and the other was a long list of what they wanted me to add to the order. When the twins finally stopped sulking because they did not get what they wanted, I wrote a list of what everyone picked. I headed back to the kitchen to place the order, because the twins were being loud and they were distracting. I decided to join the others, and took a seat on the sofa, watching the rest of the movie while we waited for the food and Dad to get home.
Chapter Eighteen
Kayla
We were all sat round finishing the end of the film when the door opened and I was surprised to see Masie with Max. I had not realized that she was coming round again tonight. Not that it was not nice to see her because it was; she had really helped me out the other night, and seemed genuinely pleased when I told her that I was doing well when she came to check on me.
The food arrives and we decide to sit outside to eat because it is such a nice night. The food tastes amazing and everybody seems to be enjoying themselves. Even though we all seem to be having a nice night something seems off. Small looks that are exchanged between all of the Taylors and Masie make me feel like I am being left out of the loop. I do not like the way that it makes me feel as it reminds me a lot of my life at home with my parents and I did not think the Taylors were anything like that.
The boys all went inside, leaving me and Masie sitting on the porch. The way that she kept looking out into the forest made me feel on edge. I was not used to trying to read other people’s body language, so I was in no way an expert. However, I could tell that Masie was feeling extremely uncomfortable out here. Her energy was starting to rub off on me to, because I was also starting to feel like my stomach was tied in knots. I started to feel really sick, clammy and dizzy too.
“Is everything alright Kayla? You look a little pale.”
“Actually, I feel a little sick, I’ve probably overeaten that’s all.”
“Shall we go inside?”
“Yes, that’s probably a good idea.”
As soon as we go back inside the house, the mood shifts and I start to feel a lot better. Maybe it really was the food, I thought. Trying to get my mind away from it being anything to do with the forest and my encounter with the strange man near to my home. We had not spoken about what happened and the way that I was feeling now showed me that I was not ready to talk about it yet.
The boys put on some stupid vampire movie and everyone sits on the couch. I snuggle up to Jackson, still feeling a little on edge. I needed to be close to him to find my center. When the movie ends, talk turns to the supernatural.
I decide to listen to the conversation but I do not really have anything that I can add to the discussion, seeing as I am not really into that style of books or movies. Despite Jackson’s best efforts to get me involved, I really have no idea what half of the things are that they are talking about. I am really thinking that someone must have slipped something into our food. It was that or they are all crazy, even Masie, who is talking about druids whatever they may be.
I decide to sneak up to my room for a little while, hoping that when I come back down, the normal conversation would have resumed. I lay on my bed and I can still hear them talking about the supernatural. I now realized that I did not know the people I was living with. I feel close to Jackson and it was almost as if he was a part of my soul. The way that he had the ability to calm and relax me just by touch was still a mystery to me.
I really did want to try to feel a part of the family, so I head back downstairs to at least attempt to be a part of the conversation. Even though I had no idea what they were talking about, I still tried to join in. I listened with enthusiasm until the conversation started to twist into the creatures that they were talking about being real.
It was absolutely impossible that these so-called supernatural creatures existed, and no one had seen one. It made absolutely no sense to me and I could no longer pretend that I was enjoying the conversation as it was making me feel extremely uncomfortable.
“Can we watch another film, maybe a comedy to lighten the mood? The conversation has turned way too dark for me,” I requested
“But it’s all true Kayla,” Jackson replied.
“That’s enough Jackson, I don’t want to hear anymore.”
“It’s the spell,” Masie exclaims. “It will not allow her to be a part of the conversation.”
“For goodness sake Masie, not you too.”
“It’s true Kayla, please sit down and let us explain.”
I sit on the sofa but not so that I can listen to anymore of the conversation but because I was being hit by another wave of sickness. The room starts to spin and I feel like I cannot breathe but they still carry on repeating that wolves are real, and that they are wolves. The worst one was that I am one too. I could not understand how they could be so cruel. They knew how scared I was after the wolves came out of the forest and to mock me in this way was cruel.
I could not believe how quickly the evening had soured. What had started as a nice night, had turned into some sort of movie plot for the kind of film that is only shown on the Syfy channel. I keep listening to them going on and about how I needed to trust them, and that they were telling me the truth. But how could they be, when it all sounded like something from a movie? The room was spinning, and the nausea was now coming in waves. My hearing was drifting in and out, the persistent ringing was getting unbearable. I felt like I was going to pass out. I could barely get any air but needed to get up. I stood on shaky legs, waiting for a few minutes to gain my balance then I ran to the front door, needing to leave the house and escape the crazy inside.
Chapter Nineteen
Jackson
I have to stop Kayla leaving the house, it’s not safe outside. If the wolf found her at her house, he could find us here. I do not want to scare her too much but she needs to know the truth so that she can understand that we are not doing any of this to hurt her but to keep her safe.
“Kayla, please sit down and give me five minutes to explain everything. If you really want to leave afterwards, I will take you to the airport so that you can go to your grandparents.”
I knew it was not ideal to send her to her parents, as they did not want her with them. However, there was no other option. She could not stay in town on her own until we had dealt with the wolf. He had made it clear that he wanted Kayla and if she was not in our house, we could not protect her.
“Fine, you have five minutes,” she sits back on the sofa.
My family and Masie head to the kitchen to give us some space. I sit on my knees in front of Kayla, desperate to touch her. I wanted to alleviate some of her fear and anxiety but she moved away from my touch. I got that she was angry and upset. However, this was the only option and as long as Masie’s spell works, Kayla will forgive me for what was happening. She would understand then that we were not lying and that everything we did was to help her. At least that was what I hoped.
“I know you think we are all crazy. It sounds crazy to me and I know it’s true.”
“You need some psychological help.”
“Just hear me out, and try not to interrupt, because it is going to take a lot of concentration to get it all out without missing anything.”
Kayla nods and I continue.
“The man from the lake the other day is dangerous, probably even more dangerous than any of us can imagine. He wants you Kayla. I do not have all of the answers as to why or what he wants you for, just that it cannot be good. That is why it is not safe for you to go home. He may already know you are here but I promise you that while you are here, my family and I will do everything in our power to keep you safe. I know that you believe me when I tell you that because just like when you feel my emotions, I can feel yours too. We are meant to be together, like two parts of the same soul. I know you feel it too. It was destined for us to find each other; you are my soulmate Kayla and I am yours.”
I take a moment to let everything that I had just said sink in before
I continued.
“The reason why the bond we have is so strong is because we are supernatural beings. I am a wolf and you are too. I do not know why your parents hid the truth from you. If they had told you the truth, it would have been a lot easier to deal with everything. When Masie was bringing you back from inside your mind the other night, she found that there was a powerful spell attached to you which is suppressing your wolf gene and preventing you from believing in the supernatural. If I were to make a guess, I would say that is probably why you are having the reactions that you are to us just talking about the supernatural. Masie thinks that she can break the spell so that you can remember who you really are. I truly believe that this is the best way to not only keep you safe now, but so that you can be who you are meant to be, with nothing holding you back.”
“If what you are saying is true then maybe I should call my parents and ask them.”
“You could try but you know as well as I do that they won’t answer and we are running out of time.”
“Jackson is right Kayla; you could sense the darkness outside. If we do not do the spell soon, it will be too late. The wolf will come, and Jackson and the others won’t be able to protect you if you don’t have your memories or your power,” Masie said, as the others joined us in the room.
“And what if the spell doesn’t work?” Kayla asked.
“Then we would have to try something else. Maybe your parents could tell us what exactly they did or the name of the witch who did the original spell,” Masie replied.
“Or maybe you could admit that you got it all wrong, and I am not who you think I am after all.”
“If that would make you feel better, we could try that,” Hunter said.
“If you don’t believe in the supernatural, what harm could it do?” I asked.