by Lou Grimes
“Thanks for the invite,” Garrett added.
“Yeah, thank you,” Cara told Louvette.
“You are welcome over anytime,” she said.
They waved and said their goodbyes, and then left.
***
Later that night after all the members of the dinner had left and her mother was showering, Louvette finally got a chance to talk to Arsen. She engaged him in small talk, keeping him around until her mother’s shower started running.
“Will you help me with something?” Louvette asked, knowing if anyone had the connections, it was Arsen. He would know the right people to ask who would be neutral in this situation, too.
“You never have to ask me for help. Whose bones do I need to break?” Arsen questioned. Curiosity invaded his face similar to how an invasive supernatural species might. He tilted his head out of interest.
“I might take you up on the breaking bones later, but right now it’s something, not someone. Do you know anyone who could hack bank records?” Louvette inquired, keeping her words airy like she wasn’t committing a felony.
“I maybe know a guy who can,” Arsen said hesitantly. His curiosity intensified one hundredfold. Before, he had been stuck in small talk mode, where people only half listened to what was going on around them.
“Will this guy be discreet?” she wondered. The last thing she wanted was for her suspicion to end up being just that or to have the wrong person do it.
“Ian Valleys is our guy. He’s the best at keeping secrets,” Arsen responded.
“Will you have him check Thomas Hollows’s bank history from the day my grandfather died up until today?” Louvette asked.
“Thomas Hollows?” Arsen asked, bewildered. Though he was confused, Louvette could tell he was ready to do what she had asked.
“I don’t think my father left on his own will. I have proof he wanted us in his life,” Louvette said, pulling her necklace out of her shirt.
“I don’t think he left willingly, either, but why don’t you think so?” Arsen cross-examined Louvette.
“I found this in Declan’s old room. The necklace was lying on top of a journal. The last entry in the journal is the day my father went missing. It says he and Thomas were going to check the borderlands of the Eastland Pack,” Louvette told Arsen, handing him the jewelry. He gingerly inspected it as if it might fall apart in his hands.
“What do you think the connection is between your grandfather’s death and your father going missing?” Arsen inquired out of confusion.
“If he was doing something wrong back then, Thomas was too smart to use cash. Blaise told me when he killed my grandfather he was raving about betrayals and the Pacific Ocean Pack. For some reason, my grandfather’s phone is still turned on. Thomas said tonight the cops haven’t found the phone yet. He’s gotten weird since day one every time I ask about the phone,” Louvette said.
“You think he has the cell phone?” Arsen said.
“No, I think he’s searching for it. He missed the pack meet about me when everybody else was brought in. Doesn’t that seem off?” Louvette asked.
“He told my father he had an emergency meeting with a client,” Arsen supplied.
“He knows the truth of my grandfather’s death, unlike the police. If he has been back to Eureka since the first visit, he must have been looking for grandfather’s cell,’’ Louvette explained.
“All right, I’ll ask Ian to check things out since Thomas Hollows has a history,” Arsen said. He paused for a minute. “On a more positive note, Mom invited you over to our family Thanksgiving the weekend after next,” Arsen added.
Louvette was thrown off course at the whiplash from the sudden change. “Do you think she will like me?” she asked quietly. The possibility of Arsen’s mom not liking her had been a growing concern for Louvette as their relationship had progressed, since she had not yet met the illustrious Mrs. Whitecreek. She was starting to believe Arsen had been putting off the meeting.
“She doesn’t dislike anyone,” Arsen comforted.
“Does she know what I am?” Louvette wondered.
“Yes, I told her since she missed the meet to watch my little brother. She usually goes to them. Cara’s dad will be at the dinner party, too,” Arsen said.
“Perfect, I’ll ask him for permission to tell Cara about the Lupine if I can get an opportunity,” Louvette responded.
Arsen broke eye contact as if he believed her endeavor to tell Cara the truth was a doomed venture. Louvette lightly smacked his arm to show him she had seen his dubious face.
“You look like I’m going to eat someone’s cat. I just don’t want to lie to my best friend, who should have been told a long time ago,” Louvette pointed out.
“She’s their only daughter. Maybe they don’t want her to be a part of this kind of world,” Arsen said, sounding the same as Louvette herself. It was a tad bit eerie.
“I’m still going to at least try,” Louvette said determinedly, knowing the battle she was fighting for Cara.
“Okay, Winter. I have to go if I’m going to finish my homework for tomorrow,” Arsen said, standing up.
“Don’t call me that,” Louvette groaned, standing up, too. To be honest, the nickname could have been worse, but Louvette wasn’t about to tell him. It was a secret she’d take to her grave. She would deny not hating the nickname to the end.
“Why? Winter is the perfect nickname for something so wild and unruly it has to rattle the windows of the people in Whitefish every night for over half the year,” Arsen said. Louvette couldn’t help but experience some pleasure from his statement.
“I wouldn’t have to rattle windows if people would tell the truth around here and quit keeping secrets. People keep secrets that don’t even belong to them. A life lesson all their parents decided to skip over here,” Louvette defended.
“Good night, Winter,” Arsen teased. He stepped toward her, wanting a quick kiss, but she decided to throw a magic curveball at him. She locked lips with him. It took about one second for him to relax into the spontaneous make out session. The kiss was a few seconds of passion before she let him go. He withdrew with a ravenous, sighing growl. The want for more was overtaking them. Her now-chapped lips ached from the loss of his lips.
They couldn’t have more at the moment. Louvette put a bit more distance to control herself.
“Good night, Arsen,” Louvette mocked. He left rather reluctantly, as if wishing he could stay.
***
Though her night had ended perfectly as far as Louvette was concerned, the next day at school brought her back from the world she had been living in.
The slap of reality began to burn on her cheek as she ate lunch with Cara. Either someone had a laser beam stare on her, or her wolf senses were on death con after Campbell crashed into her life. She didn’t have to glance over her shoulder to know who was glaring at her.
The only person who disliked her in this school currently was Emily Bonesteel. Her hatred had escalated since learning Louvette was a Lupine. The bad blood between them initially started over Arsen. Emily had believed he was going to fall under her spell, but instead, Louvette had caught his attention on accident.
“Emily is glaring at you again,” Cara pointed out needlessly. Louvette peeked out of the corner of her eye to the blonde Barbie. Louvette huffed. She threw down her fork, sensing her appetite leaving her.
Emily even had the model’s long legs to show off a mini skirt that would have gotten anyone else sent to the principal’s office. But Emily walked on clouds as far as the faculty was concerned, and often flaunted bending the rules.
“I know. I’m not going to grant her an ounce of my attention,” Louvette said.
“She looks like she wants to bestow you some attention, and not the good kind. One day, she will either grow up or give up on Arsen,” Cara responded, eyes leaving the spurned girl.
“She’s not going to let Arsen go until after she does something nasty,” Louvette said.
> “I don’t think she will let him go then, either. What do you think she is going to do?” Cara asked.
“I don’t know,” Louvette admitted. She had no idea what Emily was capable of and she didn’t intend to let whatever she had planned happen.
“Are you going to Thanksgiving dinner at Arsen’s parents’?” Louvette asked.
“No, I’m sorry. I have homework. I left it until last minute to have an excuse to avoid having to go,” Cara said out of chagrin.
“I was wondering because Arsen said your parents were going,” Louvette explained. Relief flooded her. She wasn’t going to have to avoid Cara in order to talk to her parents. It made getting them alone a bit easier.
“Had I known you were going to be invited, I wouldn’t have pushed off my report,” Cara said, remorse on her face. Louvette, however, was grateful she had because surely she and Cara would have been glued to each other’s sides at the party.
“That’s all right. How about a rain check, then?,” said Louvette. “We can have a girls’ night at my house whenever you want.” Guilt crept through Louvette as a morning frost grew on a forest. She had used the girls’ night excuse on her mom a couple of times to go running in her wolf form, but not once had she actually had a girls’ night with Cara.
“That sounds amazing. I’ll let you know after Thanksgiving,” Cara said, beaming at the offer.
Cara was extra bouncy the remainder of the day. The positive effects it was having on Cara’s mood made Louvette even happier she had asked. Cara would randomly suggest something fun they could do on their girls’ night, such as doing manicures and eating junk food.
Louvette would have agreed to anything at that point because she felt she owed Cara a night to remember since she hadn’t been able to tell her yet about being Lupine, and she was constantly using her as a cover.
***
After school, Arsen caught Louvette before she left. Before having to come out to the Northline Pack, she and Arsen would ride together. Now, she either drove herself or got a ride from Cara for some much-needed company.
“Come over to my house tomorrow. Our techy friend is going to meet us over there. We’d do it today, but he’s in detention,” Arsen admitted.
“What’s he in detention for?” Louvette asked. He hadn’t come off the type to land himself in trouble from the times Louvette had met him.
“For selling grades to freshmen. I advised him not to, but he doesn’t always listen to me,” Arsen said. Louvette couldn’t help but snigger at the insignificance of grades to her now.
“Sounds like a plan,” she said anxiously. Louvette was ready for some answers since nobody was being forthcoming in this town. She was starting to wonder if people were telling the truth about not knowing anything, and if so, why not? At first, she had thought she was the new girl who hadn’t earned people’s trust, but now since revealing herself to be a wolf, no one else has come forward. No new information. It was truly puzzling.
Arsen left soon after since it was school night. Louvette migrated over to the windowsill to stare after Arsen as he left. She ended up staying there to gaze out at the stars, lost in thought.
The twinkling of stars and her own pondering mind had consumed her so considerably she didn’t hear her mother arrive.
Her mother finished getting ready for bed and found her daughter gazing out the window. Louvette jumped a mile high when her mother spoke from a few feet behind her.
“I didn’t hear you come up,” Louvette explained after receiving a concerned glance from her mother. Her mother chuckled softly.
“Better go to sleep or you’ll be exhausted tomorrow,” her mother said.
“I think I’m going to attempt to live without sleep,” Louvette teased back as she came to her mother’s side to say goodnight.
“Let me know how things go tomorrow night,” her mother said, watching her daughter walk up the stairs to go to her own room.
“I will,” Louvette responded, yawing.
Louvette all but threw herself on the bed. She closed her eyes, breathing in deep to stimulate a relaxed mentality she didn’t have. The technique proved to be enough to bring about some sleep for the night. Her eyes didn’t open again that night because they didn’t have the strength.
Chapter 2
The Gran Torino roared up Arsen’s driveway. Louvette was following Arsen to his house on the opposite side of town. Louvette drove up to an A-frame structure which was the primary part of the lodge. Their home was different from the Rivers home. No walls or cameras surrounded the place. The lodge was no bigger than her own. There was a sizable garage attached to most of the house.
Louvette pulled up into the circle driveway where Arsen waited with crossed arms. She parked awkwardly off the side to avoid blocking anyone in, but still attempted to avoid the landscape. Fortunately for Louvette, the landscaping was mostly wild save for a massive wrought metal sign that said “Whitecreeks” on it.
“Where are the rest of the Whitecreeks?” she asked, confused at the lack of people around.
“You’ve been to the Rivers compound, then? There are only a handful of us left. My dad prefers his privacy, anyways. I frankly agree with him. I don’t see how they live like that, to be honest.” Arsen chuckled, understanding where Louvette’s question stemmed from. She had believed every one of the founding families’ houses were similar compounds, though some were grander than others.
“Are your parents here?” she wondered, taking in the lack of extra cars. Though their cars could have been parked in the garage.
“No, Dad’s handling pack business today. Mom is taking my brother to soccer practice. We are all alone. No annoying little brother,” Arsen replied.
“Something about that sentence makes you extremely happy,” Louvette teased.
“No annoying little brother,” Arsen supplied.
“Uh huh, you’re just not wanting to come off as a creep. But I could tell you were a creep from the second I met you, so no need to hide your true colors from me,” Louvette mocked.
“You’d enjoy me being a creep. Besides, we won’t be alone for long,” he said, sending her a naughty smirk. His statement brought Louvette back to the present situation and she grasped they were missing a key element in hacking the bank’s system.
“Where is Ian, anyways?” Louvette asked. She was late because Cara stopped to talk to her, but she figured this wasn’t something time sensitive. If it was time sensitive, no one had mentioned it to her.
“He will be here in a bit. He had to grab his equipment from his hiding spot,” Arsen said, leading her inside the cabin. The lodge was the perfect blend of traditional and contemporary styles, tall windows, a giant entrance door, and an open floor plan.
“Hiding spot? Why is he hiding his equipment?” Louvette questioned. The image of a raccoon came to mind. A troublemaker to start and a hoarder of shiny things. Louvette had met Ian Valleys a few times, thanks to Arsen. She hadn’t gotten to know him one on one yet.
“His parents forbade him because he keeps getting himself in trouble,” Arsen responded. Louvette was skeptical of Arsen’s tone. Ian’s parents surely weren’t the only ones who had forbidden the kid from illegal activities.
“Then how was he fixing grades for freshmen if he doesn’t have his equipment?” Louvette asked.
“Ian keeps a regular laptop on him that can do limited stuff. He is going to set up the real deal here until we find what you’re seeking,” Arsen said. “Let’s go watch a movie until he gets here. I need a break, physically and mentally,” he added.
“Okay. Maybe, I can relax for a second, too,” Louvette agreed, sitting down on the couch to unwind.
***
When the blondie of the hour arrived, they were cuddled up on Arsen’s couch and the TV was playing background noise. She had fallen asleep as Arsen lightly painted imaginary designs on her back. The soothing strokes had lulled her right into a nap.
Louvette wiped her slobber off her mouth using he
r sweater, stealthily as a ninja, but judging from Arsen’s grinning expression he had witnessed it. She glared at his offending back before focusing on the guy standing before them. He had on jeans, black boots, and a black hoodie.
“Hey, guys. Where should I set up?” Ian asked enthusiastically. His cheeks were freckled and his honey eyes resembled pools of molten gold. Taking in his arms full of hardware, Louvette couldn’t help but smile at his excitement.
“It depends. How long is this going to take? What do you need for space?” Arsen wondered, going back into his alpha mode.
“This is a slow process to keep from being detected, but shouldn’t take more than a couple hours. All I need is a plug in,” Ian said.
“Set up in my closet in case my dad comes home early,” Arsen instructed.
“Perfect,” he proclaimed. Louvette got the impression Ian could set up anywhere with an outlet and he’d call it a “perfect” location.
“Is there more?” Arsen asked, taking in the equipment Ian had brought in. Louvette had no idea hacking took this much tech. The movies had all made hacking look so simple. There was always some stereotypical nerd who was typing away on a laptop.
“Yes, in my trunk,” Ian said, waving his hand toward the driveway where an old white Honda Civic hatchback now sat behind Louvette’s car. The trunk was open.
“I’ll bring in the rest,” Arsen announced.
“I can help, too,” Louvette offered after seeing the equipment wasn’t solely piled in the trunk, but also strapped in all the seats save the driver’s side. The whole image of this recalled thirty clowns getting out of the same Honda Civic hatchback.
“No, I got it. My muscles are the only thing I can contribute today, so let me have my moment, Winter,” Arsen said, waving his arm away.
“Okay, sorry to take your shining moment,” Louvette teased, giving his biceps a mocking squeeze as he walked out. He gave her a smirk, recognizing she was play-taunting him.