Pack Bound

by Holly Hook

  “Everyone here deserves protection,” Cayden says. “Including you.”

  “I'm capable,” I say, but he's walking towards Olivia already.

  She's still not wearing her pendant.

  Cayden greets Olivia and takes her hand. I want to vomit watching it. The wind blows from that direction of the parking lot, and the scents riding on it meet me. Cayden smells like a wild, untouched forest. Makeup joins his scent.

  And rotting wood.

  If Olivia's terrified, and she should be, she's not showing it. Instead, she grins at Cayden and grasps at her neck as if trying to hide the fact she lost her expensive gift. Or that she will turn tonight. If she's figured out the truth about the Lowes, maybe she thinks turning will earn her a ticket to Cayden. Olivia could be like me, thinking becoming a Wolf will solve all her problems.

  The thought brings back the pull inside. The animal waits and the rotting wood scent makes me want to attack someone.

  I grip the door frame as a stiff breeze picks up. Olivia grabs her halo to hold it in place while Matthew and Ted watch. Matt doesn't dare approach Cayden. Hand in hand, the two walk towards the school.

  Refusing to look as they pass, I turn my gaze on the bricks. The smells tell me enough. Cayden and Olivia enter the school along with a small crowd of costumed people. The rotting wood smell intensifies for a moment before vanishing. When I look again, everyone in the parking lot has gone inside.

  She's come to the dance, knowing what will happen to her.

  Olivia knows she's a danger to everyone around her and she still arrived. Why did I ever give her any sympathy? She doesn't deserve it.

  Maybe I will help drive her out or worse. If I almost hurt Matthew, then I'll do a repeat performance tonight.

  Cayden's inside with her, so I stay at the doorway, holding open my witch's cape and grinning at the stragglers. Inside, the DJ starts music. A corny Halloween tune about a fiddling contest with the devil plays, and loud chatter floats out from beyond the ticket keepers.

  The dance has begun.

  Eyeing the parking lot, which has gone silent and scent-free, I take a breath and head inside.

  So many scents mix tonight. Makeup dominates along with plastic, face paint, and punch. They're all so strong I can no longer pick out the rotting wood scent of Olivia.

  She stands by Cayden's table, leaning over and showing off her low-cut angel top while Alesha and Tiffany hang just behind her, watching the developments. But Olivia doesn't look comfortable. She steals glances at me, turning the corner of her mouth down each time. Adrenaline fills the gaps between face paint and another faint whiff of the rotten wood. What if she doesn't believe me about being infected?

  How can she not after what I showed her?

  Matthew lingers over by the DJ with Ted, observing. His predatory gaze shifts over the whole gym. No one dances yet and a few people hang by the sidelines as if unsure what to do.

  "There you are. Don't mind if I...cop a feel?"

  I jump. All the noise makes picking out anything hard.

  "Hey, Noah. Any comments on your costume?"

  "Mostly from us geeks." He grins at me and tips his cheesy hat.

  I eye Matt again. He glares at Cayden and then at Noah. "I think someone else noticed."

  "I swear, Olivia grinned a little." I get behind the table and reach under it, bringing out a tray of cookies. If I get more people over here, maybe I can detect if others are giving off the rotten wood smell. I unwrap trays and place cookies out in formation while Cayden lifts two test tubes and gives his best evil laugh.

  The tug returns and I grab the table.

  "You okay, Brie?"

  "I'm fine," I lie, not daring to let go.

  I can do this. If I don't, everyone will see what I am.

  "So, Cayden, say I lost the pendant you said was from me," Olivia says.

  "It's no big deal," he lies. "I know you didn't do it on purpose."

  "Matt took it and I let him. I'm sorry. You don't have another one, by any chance? I know it must have been expensive, being pure silver and all."

  "Why did you do that?" Alesha asks from behind her.

  Their conversation's not meant for us, but if I focus, I can hear it loud and clear.

  "You're still gripping the table," Noah says.

  I let go. "Oh."

  "Can I help set out the cookies?"

  "Sure. That would be great. Just don't cop a feel on any of them."

  Noah grins.

  The music goes silent as people line up to grab cookies. I catch another whiff of rotting wood as Olivia puts her back to me and gets between me and Cayden. "So, I don't want to look like I'm sending the wrong message, but do you have another one?" She raises her shoulders as if I'll attack her. Olivia fears me.

  "I'll take those!" Matthew appears in front of me, blocking the view as he grabs five cookies and stuffs them in his mouth. He chews, letting crumbs fall all over our display.

  "Real mature," I say, but he walks off before the tug gets me again. Matthew flees across the gym. "He saw your name tag, Noah."

  "Hopefully he did. I don't think Olivia and Cayden are getting along."

  "I don't have one," Cayden says. "And it doesn't matter. I have something special planned tonight. Mind if we leave the dance in about an hour?"

  "I..."

  Alesha pokes Olivia in the back.

  And Cayden eyes me, questioning. He mouths, "Pure silver?"

  Uh, oh.

  Cayden never told Olivia the pendant was silver. His wide, alarmed hazel eyes betray that. He knows I've spoken to her.

  And maybe even told her the truth.

  "I'd love to go," Olivia says. She eyes the gym doors like she wants to escape.

  "Then we leave in just an hour," Cayden says, eyeing his phone for the time. "We'll blow off this dance and go somewhere more secluded." He turns his gaze away from me.

  I flinch from the gesture as the alpha's power washes over me. Once again, he's shutting me out of this. I'm not to interfere.

  And maybe, just now, I shouldn't. Cayden can handle this on his own. He defeated the alpha of the Baltic Wolves. He can deal with driving Olivia out. And perhaps, he can do it without killing. He's not a new wolf, like me. He must have better control.

  But I have to make sure.

  Cayden's also got a wound that won't close.

  "I don't think that's a good idea," Olivia says.

  Cayden glances at me again. He knows I've screwed this up. Fear fills his eyes.

  "We'll be safe," Cayden assures her. "I won't let any monsters come near. And don't you want to be away from certain people?"

  The line works. Olivia glances at me and turns away again. Then she glances at Matthew.

  "Sure," she says.

  Cayden nods at me. Once again, the power of the alpha sweeps over me.

  The feeling alone makes me want to rebel against it.

  "Hey," Noah says. "Now that the cookies are gone, we should catch a dance." Disappointment flows into his voice. "Remember our plan?"

  I don't want to dance with Noah, and not just because the whole thing is awkward. The tug returns and he's all too good at sensing when something's wrong. Dust must be fast approaching. The moon will peek over the horizon soon, and Cayden will have Olivia out of here right before that happens.

  But I'm also afraid to leave Noah. Matthew's onto him.

  "Sure," I say, heart racing.

  We move onto the dance floor where no one's serious yet. Ellie stands in place and dances with her hands in the air while Noah and I do the same.

  Cayden and Oliva remain at his table, but Olivia doesn't say much. The rotten wood smell she's giving off hits me again. It's intensifying the closer we get to sunset. At the scent, the tug returns, and though I'm trying to copy Ellie's dance with Noah, I stop.

  “Something's wrong, Brie,” Noah says.

  “Why are you so observant?”

  He grins. “Sorry. I know what the problem is.” He t
humbs to Cayden and Olivia's table. “It's bothering me, too.”

  A loud track starts and drowns out everyone's chatter, making it impossible to hear anything but the music. “I should get back to the table. People want cookies.”

  Another pull follows and I keel over, shaking.

  “Brie!” Noah says.

  The shift wants to come sooner than I thought. It's the scent. I have to get out of here and calm down.

  “I don't feel well,” I lie. “The carrot cake isn't agreeing with me.”

  On the other side of the room, Cayden grips his mad scientist table so hard that punch sloshes out of the bowl. He's having the same issue. Our gazes meet again and he nods.

  He has to get out of here, and once he takes Olivia, I should be fine, right?

  Cayden takes her hand points to the door with a grin. Alesha slaps her hand to her mouth.

  The two walk out of the gym and past the now-empty ticket tables.

  “If I step into the parking lot, I'll feel better,” I lie. Already the tug is fading.

  Noah walks outside with me, but by then, Cayden and Olivia have vanished. Olivia's makeup and Cayden's forest scent linger in the air. The wind blows from the baseball diamond and the path leading to the school. It's a warm evening for October and their combined scents come from the trail that leads to the park.

  Where Matthew tried to attack me.

  Footsteps echo from the trees, but Noah can't hear them.

  “Well, we know what those two are up to,” Noah says with sadness. “How you feeling?”

  “Better,” I admit. Now that the rotten wood scent has dissipated, the pull has calmed, though it crouches in the background, waiting to strike. Wind blows through the trees. “I think I need to walk and get fresh air. Why don't you go back inside with Ellie?” I won't risk a transformation in the gym. There's no going back inside. The rotten wood smell might have vanished, but the full moon is still hiding under the horizon, creeping closer by the second.

  “Are you sure?” Noah asks.

  “I need to think about things.”

  “I understand. But if Matt follows you, I'm coming back out.”

  “Be careful."

  Noah flexes his biceps, grinning. “I will.” Then he frowns. “I know this sucks, Brie. This sucks for both of us.”

  The wind continues to blow from the park. I shouldn't follow and just let Cayden deal with this on his own. It might make him feel better. Maybe Everly's right, and he does have to work things out on his own. And tomorrow, we can be together again.

  But won't hurt to check on Cayden and Olivia from the background. Just to make sure. It's not like I have to be at the dance.

  So after Noah goes back inside, I follow them down the trail, glad the wind's blowing the right way for me to stay undetected. I can't hear them yet, but the air tells me I'm heading in the right direction.

  At last, as I near the back of the park and the light's going purple, Cayden's voice reaches me. I stop and listen. The trail curves and the trees block my view.

  “...can't get another pendant.”

  “Well, Brie will freak if I don't wear it.”

  A sigh from Cayden. “Why are you worried about Brie?”

  “She...she wanted me to go back to the drama people and gave it as a goodwill token. Cheesy. I don't know what her deal is, but...” The wind cuts her off.

  “Sounds like Brie,” Cayden says once the whistling of the wind stops. “Look, I'm sorry, Olivia, but things might not work out between us. That's why I brought you out here. I'm with Brie and I can't change that. We have too much in common.”

  “Cayden? What? You'll dump a girl with a broken leg?” She doesn't sound too shocked. “I'm on a crutch and you'll let me walk back by myself?”

  “You won't need it much longer.”

  “What do you mean?” I smell her fear. It must override the coming Savage Wolf because I can't smell the rotting wood right now.

  “The bite,” Cayden says.

  “Please,” Olivia says. “It's a broken leg. That's all. I lied about the bite because...because tripping and breaking my leg while I was running sounded stupid to my dad over the phone. He'd say I'm an idiot and a klutz. And now I bet you think the same thing about me, too. Say it.”

  Silence falls.

  “Excuse me?” Cayden asks after the pause. “You made up a story to make your dad think you had a bite?”

  “Cayden, you know what it's like to never be good enough for someone? You know what people would say about me if they hear I tripped?” Her voice rises. Olivia's letting a dam break.

  “Olivia, I--”

  “Get lost!” Olivia shouts. “You have no clue. Get out of here. I'll walk alone. And I don't have any bites!”

  The wind blows from her direction, carrying adrenaline and makeup.

  And no rotting wood.

  Is she telling the truth?

  I burst down the trail and into the park. Cayden snaps his attention to me. But I face Olivia, who continues to lean on her crutch. Tears gather in the corners of her eye and she backs away, only to stumble on the uneven park ground. "Brie?"

  “It's just a regular break?” I ask.

  “What's going on?” Cayden asks.

  I wait for the tug to return, but it lingers on the horizon with the moon.

  “It's a regular break. I swear,” Olivia says, pleading.

  I sniff. No rotting wood.

  The wind calms, stilling the air. Leaves settle.

  And Cayden's nostrils flare as he does the same, now that Olivia's scent is no longer blowing away from him.

  “She smells okay,” he says, paling. “I don't think she's infected.”

  “Sorry,” I tell Olivia. “And your secret's safe with us. Cayden, what about--”

  “The smell in the gym,” he finishes.

  I curse. “We've missed something.”

  “Missed what?” Olivia asks.

  “Stay here,” I tell her. “You're safer here than at the dance. The good wolves are watching out for you. Get inside somewhere if you can. Stay there and get a ride home.”

  "She knows about the Wolves?"

  “The moon,” I say as the tug returns. “And...oh, crap. I think I know who the real infected is. It's too perfect.”

  Cayden waves me back down the trail to the school. “Who?”

  “Matthew,” I say. “He'll be the perfect Savage Wolf.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Cayden and I bolt down the trail. My witch dress flaps around me as Cayden's lab coat does the same. We don't speak.

  But it makes sense.

  The rotting wood smell appeared whenever he was near. And if I were the Savage Wolves, I'd recruit someone like Matthew. He had an Ace bandage around his ankle the other day, too. And his sudden, ravenous appetite might not have been him trying to screw with us.

  Cayden pauses once we reach the school doors. Music blasts inside. “Brie, let--”

  “Matt's a giant. Imagine him as a Wolf. We work together on this. I can fight. And if I'm your mate, shouldn't I have say?”

  Cayden gulps. “Yes. You should have almost as much power as me. Tradition.”

  “Thanks for telling me that now,” I say, though it explains things.

  I yank open the double doors to find orange and purple lights shining on dancing people. The gym doors stay open and one of the teachers, Mr. Gunther, stands in the doorway, watching. Cayden and I push past him and into a loud song about a monster mash. Corny, but it fails to lift the mood.

  The combined scent of everyone fills the room. Punch. Cookies. Face paint.

  And rotting wood.

  Matthew dances with Devyn, the cheerleader, as his hand creeps down her lower back. He grins as he twirls her around near the center of the gym. She grins, letting him take advantage.

  And the closer I step to them, the more intense the stench gets.

  We have to get Matt out of here.

  And then we're going to fight. My instinct
must have sensed his infection when he got close to me. It's the real reason I wanted to kill him. I'm not Savage after all.

  “Matthew!” Cayden shouts.

  He stands beside me as Matt looks at us. He lets go of Devyn, who backs away from him.

  “What?” he shouts, shrugging.

  He has no idea what's about to happen to him.

  And even though he knows what I am, and might suspect what Cayden is, he refuses to back down in a gym full of people who can see him. But he's scared. I smell it mixing with the rotten wood. Matthew takes a breath and straightens, trying to save face. But at the same time, his jaw tightens with hatred.

  He won't fear us much longer.

  And I'll gladly protect the people of Breck from him.

  “Step outside,” I yell.

  The music keeps blasting and someone bumps into me from behind. “Sorry!” the girl yells.

  But I ignore her. “Outside. Now.”

  “Don't listen to these nerds,” Devyn says.

  “Shut up,” Matt tells her. He levels his glare at me and Cayden. It may just be the spooky lighting, but his eyes carry an evil, savage glint beyond his normal self.

  Behind Matt, Noah grips the wall and watches with Ellie. The two are transfixed.

  They're standing feet from the most dangerous thing in Breck.

  "Matt," Cayden shouts. "If you're a real man, step outside. I need a word with you. Or are you a coward?"

  Cayden's threat and attempt to embarrass Matthew vanishes in the blasting music. Why won't the DJ turn it off for a second? Around us, people keep dancing, though Alesha stops with her date to watch Cayden and Matt stare each other down. No one watches me. To them I'm just a spectator like everyone else.

  Matt jolts.

  He grabs his chest as his eyes widen. My heart races and the tug grabs at my insides, begging me to follow it into blood and flying fur. The moon must be rising. And now it's beckoning all of us.

  We can't do this here.

  Not with Noah, Ellie, and everyone else.

  But Matt gets his composure and levels his glare at me. "What did you put in those cookies? What did you do to me?"

  Seriously. "Get out of here," I say. "You're going to be very sick and you don't want to also crap your pants in front of all these girls."