Winter's Pack (The Cursed Book 2)

by Lou Grimes

  Arsen hit her lungs, attempting to help her get it all out. Quinn stared down at her, concerned.

  “Thanks, Quinn,” Louvette said, recognizing Arsen didn’t have the Gift of water.

  “Anytime,” he promised.

  Arsen snatched her into a hug when he was satisfied she could breathe.

  “Quit trying to die on me,” Arsen demanded after releasing her.

  “Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Louvette said, clearing her throat in an attempt to remove all of the water.

  “We need to get out of Mexico now before someone succeeds at it,” Arsen said.

  “I agree, wholeheartedly,” Louvette croaked, standing on her own two feet.

  They all left and headed out of the jungle. It didn’t take them long because no one was seeking to kill them in that instant. A big farm truck was sitting beside the road. Everyone got in.

  The moment Louvette’s head hit the window, her eyes closed almost against her will. Her adrenaline had crashed her. Cara was in worse shape than her. She was the first to fall asleep, her head resting against Garrett’s chest.

  Louvette was soon to follow as she fell asleep against Arsen’s arm as well. They didn’t open their eyes until they got to the small airport.

  Louvette jerked awake as they pulled into a small runway strip. There was a single airplane parked at the front of it.

  “Is this the pack’s jet?” Louvette wondered.

  “No. Ian hired this guy,” Arsen said.

  “Why?” Louvette asked.

  “Because of the problems with the other packs right now. We didn’t need it to seem like the Northline Pack is recruiting down here,” Arsen explained.

  “Recruiting what?” Louvette questioned.

  “Soldiers,” Arsen said. Louvette stared at Arsen as if waiting for the joke to drop, but none came. He only squeezed her hand.

  They all climbed into the plane. Take-off was a bit rougher than a normal passenger plane because this one was much smaller than a commercial one.

  She watched Mexico disappear as they traveled to a higher altitude. A small part of her stayed in Mexico along with her biological father. Louvette was unsure exactly what that part was.

  Chapter 16

  Prior to going home, they made a pit stop at the nurse in the gym because Louvette had to be Accelerated so her mother wouldn’t freak out. All they had to do was stroll into her office. No questions asked, the nurse treated her and sent them on their way. She got the feeling the nurse had been rooting for her since the first time she had been Accelerated.

  Louvette almost made it to the steps when her mother opened the door. Louvette stood up taller, not wanting to seem as run down as she felt from a weekend of activity that might as well have lasted decades.

  Her mother’s jaw dropped when she caught sight of Louvette. Louvette halted, uncertain what she was seeing that would cause such a reaction.

  “Your hair!” her mother asked. A statement that was as much a question as any.

  This was not unexpected because Louvette hadn’t cut her hair short since before grade school. It had always been kept to the maximum length possible. She only trimmed it for split ends.

  “Yeah, I got it cut. I needed a change. Do you like it?” Louvette asked, raising her hand to her to touch her now short curly hair. The movement lasted forever when it merely took curling her wrists in before.

  “Yeah, I love it, but it’s just a shock,” her mother said, reaching forward to stroke the short locks. Her mother smiled, and then her eyes went glassy for a moment.

  “Yes, it is,” Louvette proclaimed. “Are you okay?“ Louvette asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine. It’s been awhile since I got to stroke your hair,“ her mother reminisced, her hand falling away.

  “Did you have fun?” her mother wondered, changing the subject.

  “Yes. We did so much stuff,” Louvette said, not offering more details to avoid her mother finding out. Her mother squeezed her tight in a hug.

  “I’m so glad you’re home,” she whispered.

  “Me too,” Louvette said quietly. Tears welled in Louvette’s eyes at the thought of what Declan had done to her mother. The damage he had done all these years since walking out that same door she had walked through.

  “Tell me all about it tomorrow. You look worn out,” her mother said before releasing Louvette.

  “I will, night,” she promised as she went to her bedroom.

  Walking down that familiar hall, she comprehended it had come a long way from the day they moved in. There used to be nothing lining the walls. Now, there was some pottery, framed pictures of her and her mother, and a hallway runner that covered the walk to her room. That was only the tip of the flower, not its root system, because her mother was a shopping addict. Louvette inhaled the aroma of her mother’s apple pie warmer, the combination of woods that had been utilized to create the cabin, and their own unique scents.

  Before she had left, it seemed as if there was something missing. A hole where her father was supposed to be. That hole had been patched while she was away. It might have been a rough, hideous job, but it had been smoothed down nonetheless. The only thing remaining was an uneven spot that she had filled with her mother, friends, and Arsen.

  Though she barely had the strength, Louvette managed to take most of her clothes off. She doubted they would even bother her if she slept in them. They were clean because she had changed out of the bloodied ones before leaving the gym nurse and the depth of her pending slumber would be too deep for her to care.

  Louvette was asleep before her body even hit the bed. Everything was catching up with her. The weekend, Declan, and being Accelerated as soon as she had arrived. It all crashed on top of her similar sliding into the dark abyss that was sleep.

  ***

  The amount of soreness Louvette was dealing with was unreal. It had her lying in bed awake for a couple hours before she could muster the strength to get up. Enough time passed without any sounds from below so Louvette knew she was alone.

  Her alarm clock flashed 11:00 am. Louvette was astonished at the fact she had slept twelve hours. Well-rested was not what she was though, not in the least. There were too many days of lack of sleep and too much adrenaline to catch up with.

  Grabbing her phone, she checked for a text. There were a billion from Cara, but none from Arsen. Each of Cara’s was a farfetched question about being a Lupine. Louvette shook her head, comprehending her conversation with Cara was one that needed to be had in person. Louvette would have to settle everything with Cara later. She had no strength for it now.

  Texting Arsen, she assumed he was grounded or sleeping off the weekend as well.

  Louvette: Are you in pack jail?

  After that, she closed her phone and sat up. As a few minutes went by without a reply, it became evident he wasn’t going to for a while.

  The silence in the house was killing her. Her first tear started and threatened to fall like a spillway. Tears started pouring down her face. Louvette had become a waterfall of tears and emotions herself. She hadn’t had the time once to cry from her father’s betrayal. Sobs shook her body. No longer stuck in survival mode, the proof of duplicity was fresh on her mind as if it were an open wound. The torture from it all was still new.

  Eventually, her tear ducts ran out. Her cries ebbed. Since she had nothing left, she got up.

  Louvette walked over to her artwork after getting up out of bed and started working on it, her tears drying in the process.

  Hours passed of pouring her soul onto the paper before she pulled herself off her work. Louvette sat back and then took in her work of art. It was so close to being done. The piece just needed some highlights and her project would be finished.

  “Relieved” was one word Louvette could use to describe herself after putting all her emotions down on the paper. The betrayal of her father, fighting the witches, and the wrongful murder of her grandfather all were on that one piece of paper.

  The p
aper itself was a blur of shades of grey that she was constantly darkening and contrasting while she worked on it. A process that never had an end for an artist. Not many artists could look at their piece and declare it finished. They always believed they could do more to it. The possibilities would be endless if a person worked on one piece for the rest of their life. Chances were, they would become bored of doing the same thing and hampering their creative nature in one subject.

  Her phone was a bell, signaling someone had texted her.

  Arsen: No, I’m not in jail.

  Louvette: What took you so long to message?

  Arsen: I didn’t get to sleep when I got home because of my father. I didn’t go to sleep until 5:00 am this morning.

  Louvette: Did you spend the whole night working?

  Arsen: No, we spent it talking more than anything. It was like the first real talk we have had in months that didn’t involve work.

  Louvette: That’s great.

  Arsen: Is it okay if I come over?

  Louvette: Always.

  In less than twenty minutes, Arsen was on her doorstep. Louvette was the one waiting at the door this time. She had barely opened the door when he scooped her up in a bear hug. It was crushing.

  “Ow!” Louvette protested the potential breaking of her ribs. Arsen set her down in the same way as a kid who had broken his favorite toy.

  “Are you still hurt? We can’t Accelerate you again. The nurse won’t recommend it,” he said.

  “No,” Louvette all but shouted. “Why won’t the nurse recommend Accelerating back-to-back?” she asked as a seed of curiosity grew in her.

  “It can make you go rogue. It puts you in wolf mode, but twice gets you stuck as a Lupine,” Arsen answered, staring at her in anguish as if that was the last thing he wanted.

  “Nice to know. I was wondering why everyone didn’t use it every time they knew they were going to fight. That answers why,” Louvette admitted.

  “Any idea what you would like to do tonight?” Arsen wondered.

  “Let’s cuddle on the couch,” Louvette said. They walked to the couch in the living room, and then Arsen lay down on the couch. Louvette fell on top of him after she snagged the remote and turned on a show that was simply white noise.

  “Fair warning, I might fall asleep,” Arsen murmured in a sleepy voice.

  “That’s okay. We both need it,” Louvette said, relaxing against the human furnace underneath her. There was no need for blankets even in the dead of winter in Whitefish, Montana.

  “You’re devious,” he whispered, right before his eyes shut.

  “I am. It was my devious plan all along,” she replied back in a hushed voice. They were both lulled into sleep in no time.

  The front door opening woke Louvette. She sat up, knowing who it was. It was the same time her mother got off her shift at work. With a wild and messy bun, her mother walked into the living room, and then waved at Louvette before heading to her own room.

  Her mother’s black and white uniform was covered in stains from her night of working. No doubt tomorrow, her mother would pour her heart out on what a rough day she’d had serving impatient and plainly rude patrons. The stories got wild enough that Louvette was now dubious of the fact these were actual human beings.

  Arsen woke up too, realizing they had slept the day away. He appeared so adorably out of sorts that Louvette fell for him more.

  “I guess that’s my cue to go,” he said as he leaned up.

  “Are you sure? She didn’t seem to mind,” Louvette asked. Her mother wasn’t dumb. She had seen Arsen and not a peep came from her. The trust she was placing in her was so heartwarming because Louvette was barely given that before she came to this town.

  “Yeah, I intend to stay in your mom’s good graces,” Arsen said before standing up.

  They kissed lightly. Both of them were worn out, so that light kiss meant as much if not more than when their kisses were passionate. The power of that long-lasting light kiss was all they needed to prevail against anything life threw at them.

  “I’m sorry about not telling you the truth about my Gift,” Louvette said. They had yet to have time to talk to each other about everything that had stood between them. But Louvette knew roughly where they stood. They stood together. That was enough for now.

  “I forgive you, if you can forgive me. We can talk about it more later when we aren’t dead on our feet,” Arsen promised before leaving. A part of her soul went with him when he left.

  ***

  Louvette’s mother was at work the next day when Cara came over. Louvette hadn’t spent that day sleeping. She had spent it with her mother before she went in. So she was a little worn out when Cara showed up, but Louvette ignored the drowsiness.

  A smile spread across her face when Cara first got out of the car. Today, she was channeling her inner witch because she was decked out in a thin dark green dress with a black flowy duster thrown over it. Knee high black boots, dark green tights, and a small black hat completed the outfit. Louvette was amazed that the hat and boots weren’t long and pointy.

  Cara was firing questions as soon as Louvette closed the front door. Louvette had expected her to, so she wasn’t caught off guard.

  “Will our silver burn you if you touch it?” Cara asked first. Louvette hadn’t been invited to the Riverses’ for any meals, thankfully. Sitting across from Cara’s father might have been too much for her to handle.

  “No. Your dad eats off of it, doesn’t he?” Louvette asked. “We’re allergic to wolfsbane, not silver.”

  “Oh, yeah I didn’t think about that. Stupid question,” Cara admitted.

  “Don’t worry. I was the same way whenever Arsen told me what I was,” Louvette comforted her.

  “Yeah, this is so crazy. Do you lose your clothes when you beast it out?” Cara questioned without thinking.

  “No, thankfully the magic makes you keep your clothes,” Louvette answered. Pack running would be extremely awkward for Louvette if she lost her clothes every time she went wolf. She would have been conditioned to accept it as the norm, but luckily it was not.

  “Beast out? I’m not the Hulk,” Louvette pointed out with a laugh. For a second, Cara appeared apologetic for the comment she had made, but it morphed into thoughtful humor, like she was imagining Louvette as the Hulk. She spit out a giggle as well.

  “I can’t believe Dad lied to me for years,” Cara murmured after they were done giggling. Her face reflected a wide spectrum of emotions, all blended and bleeding into each other similar to an image reflected in the ripples of a pound.

  “Does he know that you know?” Louvette asked.

  “No, and he won’t ever find out until he’s on his deathbed, so he will find out what it feels like to be lied to all your life,” Cara answered, narrowing her eyes at the thought.

  The change of topic had Louvette switching as well. The correct way to deliver life-changing news was tactfully and rapidly, like fishing with a spear. It took precision and speed, not to mention the sharp object that was the news itself. Telling would only add fuel to Cara’s anger toward her father, but Louvette had to do it. It had to be now.

  “Cara, I have one more thing to tell you,” Louvette informed her seriously.

  “What is it?” Cara asked cautiously. There were a million possibilities now with unfavorable news for Cara. Louvette had experienced the same feeling since discovering there was a whole other world out there hiding in the shadows of the world they were raised in. A bit of a daunting fact. Some of the shadows were good, but some were not.

  “While we were in Mexico, another witch saved me from the blood witches we fought. You didn’t see her,” Louvette informed her. The events before had to be established before she could drop this bomb into Cara’s lap.

  “Really? So, we aren’t all evil?” Cara asked hopefully.

  “The witch’s name was Ophelia. She told me you were her half sister,” Louvette revealed.

  Cara stared at Louvette with a
furrowed brow. Louvette could see the cogs in Cara’s brain working.

  “Your biological mother is in jail for having you, and for not agreeing to cut ties with you and your father. It’s illegal for witches and Lupine to be together,” Louvette divulged.

  “I’m half witch and half Lupine. Can I go see her?” Cara asked with newfound eagerness.

  “I don’t know, Cara. We will have to talk to Arsen about that. I don’t even have any idea where the jail is,” Louvette said honestly.

  The likelihood of them just walking up to the jail to visit Cara’s mother was slim in Louvette’s mind because the location would be guarded and hidden at the same time. Another issue with this would be Cara’s father finding out they went. The question of how Cara knew would come about and Louvette would be blamed. The trouble they all would get in if anyone found out they went to Mexico without permission would be dreadful.

  “Thank you,” Cara said graciously. Arsen was their best bet for Cara to see her mother because he knew how it all worked and how to avoid getting in trouble over it.

  There was silence for an instant or two. Both of them were thoughtful.

  “Why did you take me to Mexico?” Cara asked curiously. Louvette wouldn’t have been surprised in the least if Cara was furious at her for exposing her to the witches. Cara had every right to hate her.

  “That was my stupid mistake. I didn’t want to go alone. I thought Declan was there, and I endangered you in the process. I’m so sorry,” Louvette revealed.

  “Was he there?” Cara asked. To be fair, Louvette’s father had been gone longer than Louvette had even been alive, so it was understandable she was skeptical of the fact.

  The recent memory of finding Declan in Mexico was burned into her mind as if someone had cursed her to think of him at every minuscule reminder. She had replayed this a thousand times since coming back, and regretted not confronting him. She had been confrontational all her life, and the time it mattered, she had just walked away. Either she had learned some self-control since meeting Arsen or she had chickened out. Everyone liked to think they would have done something different, but Louvette was skeptical she would have.