Winter's Pack (The Cursed Book 2)

by Lou Grimes

  Everybody lined up to pick their pieces. Louvette and Matt fell into the middle.

  She stuck her hand in, hoping for the opposite of Warren. Louvette opened her palm. Happiness blossomed when she saw she was blue and had the words “TL Blue.” Watching Matt grab his own, he opened his palm to have blue as well, but there was nothing else written on it. Her confusion was short-lived.

  “TL are team leaders. Who are my team leaders?” Frank added. Warren raised his hand first. Louvette raised her paper reluctantly.

  “Team leaders are Blackwood and Valleys. The only rule is you have to capture the flag and bring it back to your own,” Frank said.

  Blue team glanced at her. She grinned, ready to teach Warren a lesson.

  After huddling, Louvette and Matt spied five of their team members charge the red flag’s mound. Team red popped up out of nowhere. Some were wolves and others human. That was the same for Louvette’s team.

  Just as both teams started fighting, Louvette and Matt snuck past them. They dodged past the old car, avoiding any of the red team members.

  One jumped around the corner of a pile of tires in human form. Matt’s hands curled into claws as if he thought they were wolf talons. He flung his pretend talons at the dude charging them. Rocks from the earth assaulted the guy, so much that he became trapped in place after rocks grew up around his feet. They continued to wrap around him until all but his mouth was covered.

  Louvette looked at Matt out of wonder when she recognized his Gift was to manipulate the earth. They rushed forward in the same manner as if they were trying to break a record of the number of yards they could achieve for the season.

  The two of them paused right before the red flag’s mound. They gave each other a once-over before going, to make sure they were both ready.

  They would have to take out the defense. It was just a question of how many. They themselves had left three of the largest wolves to guard their own.

  Peeking around the corner, she saw there were four of them and helped up as many fingers to Matt. Nodding, he acknowledged he understood.

  Louvette focused on the two minds she had to take out. She knew Matt could handle the other two on his own.

  This time she stood before two gates. The gates themselves were back to back with only about a couple feet separating them. They were nothing more than barbed wire. The guards were all brawn and no brains. She planted her foot on the wire and then stepped between them.

  With the need to be subtle, she tried to plant the suggestion in their minds to fall asleep. To the unknown eye, they would be knocked unconscious, so it was the perfect cover. People would suspect loss of consciousness due to physical blows. They weren’t hard to convince; their eyes were growing heavier. The guys rubbed their eyes and fought the need to sleep, but their might was nothing compared to her own.

  Their eyes closing, Louvette turned the corner first. Matt went for the other two. The right timing was paramount to her pulling this off.

  The guys she had handled fell to the floor, thudding loudly.

  She turned around to see the damage Matt had done. His two were knocked unconscious as well, but they had massive welts and remnants of rock all on and around their faces.

  He glanced at the men curled up on the ground, cocking his eyebrow. He must have thought she had done the same as him, knocking them out somehow. He grabbed the flag, and the two of them began to work their way back to the blue flag’s home base.

  They were half running back to their base when they caught sight of Warren running toward them with their own flag in his hand. They paused.

  Louvette kneed him before anyone else made their move. He dropped the blue flag, falling to the floor. She scooped it up and took off running to their base. Matt’s back was ahead of her because he kept running, understanding the importance of his role.

  Matt slammed the red flag into the mound. A mound that had their own three defense players knocked out on the ground. Unexpectedly, every member of the red team surrounded them. Matt started throwing rocks to hinder them from knocking her off track. The remainder of the blue team came to her defense. She dodged through the crowd. Running up red metal drums, she jumped in front of the remaining red members to secure their own blue flag next to the red.

  The blue team started whooping and cheering as Frank rang his bell.

  Louvette was so happy they’d won. Her back started aching before she left from the number of times her teammates and a few of the red team had congratulated her, clapping her on the back.

  The muscles in her cheeks hurt from smiling. Getting into her car after practice, she found she had won an even bigger battle without knowing after checking her phone

  Cara: Let’s go. I need you to pick me up, though.

  Louvette: Of course!

  Cara: Let’s leave on Monday.

  Louvette: How about tomorrow morning? See if we can still buy tickets.

  Cara: Okay lol.

  The reason for pushing it up to the weekend was that it would be a last-minute purchase and less likely someone could stop them. The other reason would be that her father would most likely be out and about on the weekend versus the weekday. The final reason was that neither of them would have time to think about it or back out.

  Louvette packed the bare minimum for their trip that same night so they didn’t have to check any bags.

  Before leaving, she paused in the doorway of her room, throwing her head back as if that would help her decide if what she was about to do was the right thing. Louvette grabbed her cuff, sliding it off her arm. She doubted Arsen would be checking in on her anytime soon, though she still laid it beside her bed. It felt odd, as if a part of her was missing. Since they had fought, Louvette had wondered if she should still wear it. Either way, it still meant something to her, regardless of the tracking.

  Closing the door, she walked down the stairs.

  “Bye, Mom. I’ll see you on Sunday,” Louvette told her mother before she left.

  “I love you. Be careful. Have fun in Missoula with Cara,” her mother said.

  Louvette had tried to make her trip as truthful as possible. She was indeed going to Missoula. Her mother just didn’t know that she would fly out immediately to Mexico. Cara was going too, but not Cara’s whole family.

  “I love you, too. I will,” she told her mothe rbefore hugging her.

  Louvette drove over to Cara’s house to pick her up.

  Cara was waiting outside when she arrived. She stood up, grabbed a carry-on bag from behind, and dove into Louvette’s car.

  “Drive,” Cara demanded, giggling wildly. Louvette smirked and took off.

  Cara scrambled in the seat to upright herself, and buckled herself in.

  “You’re crazy,” Cara said.

  “We are crazy,” Louvette pointed out, giggling.

  They made it to Missoula after a short drive.

  As the airport employee asked for her passport, Louvette nonchalantly handed her the one Ian had made for her. It was the only one she had. If it didn’t work, she would be in so much trouble.

  She tried not to let her uneasiness show.

  “Go on ahead, Miss Rivers and Miss Wood,” the woman said. She blanched when she heard her fake name from the woman.

  Cara peeked over at her with narrowing eyes.

  “Wood?” she asked once they were walking through the on ramp.

  “I’ll explain later, when no one is around,” Louvette said in a hushed tone.

  “I’m intrigued,” Cara said.

  She had two options to handle Cara. Either make something up or tell the truth. Arsen and Cara’s parents were the reason she hadn’t before. Louvette decided to tell her the truth once they got back. There were no laws that would put her to death for not choosing to lie to her best friend. She was over not telling Cara the whole truth.

  They sat down in their seats. Cara half-turned to her, but the plane jarred her back into her seat.

  Shaking, the plane took off in
a whirlwind of turbulence.

  “Next stop, Seattle to Mexico City and then El Tajin National Airport,” Louvette announced, mimicking the captain.

  Louvette was thankful the seats around them were full. That left no chance for Cara to question her about her passport. The two of them watched movies the whole flight there. Though, she could feel Cara peeking her way throughout the ride.

  ***

  Upon arriving in Tihuatlán, they got a ride to the Hotel Tajin.

  The girls were struck silent by the sculptures, landscaping, and the architecture of their 18th century hotel.

  The room they had included two queen beds, which was perfect.. Cara claimed the one right beside the window. Louvette made no move to fight her because she was just grateful she had come.

  “What are we going to do first?” Cara asked, squealing as she threw open their curtains to check out the views.

  “You pick! We can go grab dinner, of course. The brochure says there’s shopping, sightseeing, and entertainment,” Louvette said.

  “Can I pick all?” Cara asked.

  “Yes,” Louvette answered.

  “Thank you so much for getting me to go. Even if Dad finds out, it will be worth whatever trouble I get into,” Cara promised.

  “Anytime. You can thank me by feeding me,” Louvette added.

  They ate at a cozy restaurant named Asadero Campinas. The warm lighting gave the room a specific ambiance. They were seated in the patio which included greenery, a fire pit, and black metal chairs. Live music was playing.

  Until their sizzling fajitas had come, they hadn’t comprehended how hungry they were. Both of them demolished their food as fast as they could. Louvette was a bit shocked Cara ate that much. She had eaten in the same way as a Lupine.

  “This is so much fun,” Cara reiterated, as happy as could be.

  Louvette laughed and nodded, not desiring to talk through a mouthful of food. She swallowed as she thought of the best way to go about going to see her father without putting Cara in imminent danger.

  Everyone wanted Mexico as Arsen had once said, but it was too full of rogues, Lupine society rejects. That meant they were in the danger zone now. The last thing she meant was to put Cara in danger. Still, she couldn’t leave her unprotected.

  The last resort was her Gift. That was crossing lines she couldn’t uncross, but Cara’s safety was worth it. Louvette put her in a trance, so Cara would remain in the room. No one would actively seek out Cara unless they recognized her, and judging from the lack of family dinners that Cara went to, no one would.

  Louvette was the true magnet here. She would have a similar scent, but at the same time not. That was why she needed to go alone.

  She had to choose her time slot well too, and location. Early enough so that people were out, but not too early. The location would need to have some tourists and locals mixing to make her father blend in if he actually was here.

  Afterward, she would make it up to Cara so this trip would be the most memorable experience that she’d had.

  “What’s next?” Cara asked.

  “Let’s go back to the room real quick, then we will do something,” Louvette suggested.

  “Okay,” she agreed.

  When they walked through the door of their hotel, Louvette saw the usual kiosk setup that advertised all the local restaurants, activities, and entertainment. She snagged them all, and then started leafing through them as they headed up to their room.

  She’d hand Cara the ones that probably wouldn’t work so she had as many options as possible to pore over.

  Cara started flipping through her mounting stack.

  Louvette went into the bathroom and only three pamphlets were remaining.

  She placed her hands on the sinks, bracing herself.

  Focusing on her friend, she came to Cara’s mental barrier.

  A golden white gate stood before her. Yellow magic was woven loosely throughout it. It went in each and every direction. Wildflowers sprouted up around it along with boulders, randomly placed. Tall, overgrown weeds led down the path that connected to her mind.

  Louvette put her hand out to the gate, and decided suggesting was better than forcing. She was afraid Cara would hear her if she forced her way in.

  “Cara, I need you to look at these pamphlets until I come back. Decide where you would like to go, and we will go when I come back. Don’t plan to leave unless I walk through those doors. I’m going to go buy some candy from downstairs,” she mentally begged her.

  Louvette pulled out of her friend’s glowing mind to see the reflection of herself in the mirror. Her pupils were dilated and big. A thin rim of electric blue flashed around them. It had brought out her wolf.

  She needed her wolf. The two of them had to be one.

  Aligning her and her wolf’s mind, she walked out of the bathroom door. Louvette was more whole than she’d ever been.

  Cara never even glanced up as Louvette left to head to Poza Rica, which was about twenty minutes outside the city.

  ***

  Louvette got back in the taxi after two failed attempts to find her father. She only had one more place to go. The beach was her final stop. It had a sort of market there for locals and tourists alike.

  Her anxiety of this being a wasted trip was beginning to cloud her search. Just as she arrived at her third location, she came to a gorgeous courtyard before the beach. There were little shops that lined the courtyard. In the center of it all, there was a fountain with sculptures on the top of it. Shopkeepers sold items. Tourists bought things and explored around. Louvette was fleetingly thrown off balance from it all. She could see why people tended to vacation in Mexico. It was so uniquely beautiful people couldn’t resist.

  She started scanning her surroundings, her eyes flicking over each tourist face. Even locals’ faces were suspect as well. Eventually, she sat down on a bench that gave her the best view of the courtyard.

  The unlikeliness of her finding her father was high. He might have decided to stay in today. He might have not once been here, or either of the other two places. It was a roll of the dice and Louvette needed something lucky, such as snake eyes. But this felt right while the other two places she had been had seemed too empty.

  The rightness might have come from the scenery more than anything, but Louvette at least had to attempt to find out.

  Throwing in the towel was the last thing she meant to do. As a couple hours came and went, Louvette was beginning to lose patience and the weight of the promises to Cara to make this an awesome trip were pushing her to walk away.

  Louvette stood up, muscles creaking from the lack of stretching she’d done. Just as she turned to leave, something in the corner of her eyes made her hesitate.

  A man with a certain familiarity who was moving out of the shadows snagged her attention. His hair was similar to her own and they shared the same skin tone.

  Chapter 14

  Louvette’s jaw dropped. The sight before her was unbelievable. All her convictions fled out the window. She had been completely wrong.

  Everything faded and became hazy in that moment– except for this man. People walked past her, the busyness a blur.

  From this man’s similar appearance to her own, he was Declan Blackwood. She had seen his youthful face in pictures in the Blackwood house so it wasn’t hard to add some wrinkles to his face and a touch of grey to his hair. If she had never seen those, she still believed she would have recognized him from the facial similarities they shared.

  This man had on khaki shorts, flip flops, and a white T-shirt. The wind rippled his hair which made him resemble a model in advertisements for vacation resorts in Mexico.

  The man that was her father was very much alive; he was strolling beside a long-haired blonde woman, laughing. His eyes were shining. Their body language spoke volumes. They walked with their sides pressed against each other. The backs of their hands caressed each other intimately. They were either sleeping together or planning on it.

&
nbsp; Her father had run off on her, her mother, and his own father.

  Now, he strolled around on some beach in Mexico with some bimbo who was basically a pale reflection of her own mother. They both had blonde hair, hourglass figures, and the only major difference was their eyes. No one quite had eyes quite like her own mother’s emerald eyes. This woman had eyes the color of dirty mud. Her off-white dress wrapped around her legs as she walked.

  Louvette couldn’t do anything but sit and watch this as if it was witnessing something atrocious, unfolding before her.

  The two of them reached a table together at a taco stand. Louvette almost vomited when Declan pulled out the woman’s chair before she sat down. He went to the stand to order, and then returned to their table, clutching drinks.

  He placed his hand on her leg. Louvette’s nose wrinkled from the disgust welling up in her. The woman leaned into him. His hand left her leg to grab the leg of the chair, scooting them closer together.

  They pulled modestly apart as their food was set before them.

  A deep ache in her had had her glaring down at her clenched fist. Her fingers were digging into her hands so much that blood was trickling out of them. She opened her palm to dislodge the necklace he had been planning to give her.

  When she had gotten close, she had pulled off her necklace as proof if he needed it to know she was actually his daughter. That was the last thing he needed, apparently.

  The impulse to throw it into the fountain poured deep inside her soul. She wanted to wish for a father who cared, or who would be there for her and her mother. To wish for things to have been different. However, she stopped herself. She realized she might have lost out on a father figure, but gained so much more. Her many gains floated in her mind, the most prevalent being the experience of being free as a Lupine, her friend Cara, and a second chance at a diploma.