by Holly Hook
Table of Contents
Title Page
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
A Special Message From The Author
Follow Me!
SHIFTED REDEMPTION
The Cursed Wolves, Book Three
By Holly Hook
Copyright 2020 by Holly Hook
CHAPTER ONE
"What are we going to do with the body?"
The words escape from me as Tyler and I stand on the snowy deck of Gia's cabin. Yeah, that's not the most romantic thing to say right after a major make-up kiss. Or romantic at all, unless we're a pair of psychopathic serial killers.
But it's something I have to ask because Sarah's still form has been lying under the snow for the past hour, under the mound where the Rose Pack has buried her.
Tyler pales and backs off a few feet from me, his back knocking snow off the railing. I know I've screwed up just by reminding him of what he's done even if he did do it so I wouldn't have to shoot Sarah in the heart with my crossbow.
I expect Tyler to shift into wolf form and run away at the reminder, but he just swallows and stares deep into the woods, to where Alan fled. In reality, though, it's been just minutes. And less than half an hour since Tyler took down the woman who cursed him and was about to kill all of us with her evil magic.
"That's a good question," Tyler chokes. "We need to figure that out and we can't call the cops." His dark eyes dart everywhere. "One person around here has already died due to wolves, and if they find another, they'll never leave these woods."
"This might have to be a team effort, then," I say quietly.
The others are waiting inside. Chaz. Gavin. And Gia, who just witnessed something unspeakable. I've tried to comfort her but I know there's no fixing what happened. Then my gaze drifts to the mound of snow, already windblown, that covers Sarah's form. She lies between two tall pines. I panic, knowing I could see crimson leaking through the white, but the wolves have buried her well.
That'll only work for a while. The snow will only last so long and then—
I don't want to think about that.
She tried to kill you, Gia shouts.
But still, how could my cousin ever forgive us for killing her mother?
"Yes. A team effort. I'll need to be involved." He shifts leg to leg.
"Tyler," I say. "How are you doing? With all of this?"
He puts his hands behind his back and lets his dark hair hang over one eye. Tyler lets out a breath and fixes his gaze on me. Tyler is still cursed, but right now, no trace of the growing beast shows in him and I know why before he says a word.
"The monster is sated," he admits, his voice a hiss that I can barely hear. "I feel no urge to shift and hunt right now."
"You're stable for a while, in other words," I say.
Yes. Stable. For now. And it only cost one life.
Tyler gulps. "Yes. I feel very stable right now but I know I'm still a werewolf. Beckah, all those awful feelings I've had around you lately are gone. Maybe the curse is on its way to breaking?" Tyler punctuates his question with a hopeful smile.
My heart leaps. Yes. Something good has to come out of this horror. I haven't thought about it that way. Tyler's curser is dead. The hate that led to Tyler being this way must be dissipating, though I don't know how magic works.
There's also one other, very major thing. "I thought you were supposed to fall in love with an uncursed girl to break it?" I also force a grin because it's better than talking about the elephant in the room. Yes, let's talk about love, not death.
"Well, yes," he says, and then the tension creeps back into his eyes. "The curse is still here, though. We need to keep working on us." Tyler looks to where Sarah is lying. "And we do need to move her. Is there any way we can make a toboggan to take her into the woods?"
"We'll leave tracks," I say. "And couldn't you just say, sled?"
He pokes me in the ribs. "I used to get carted to spelling bees, okay?"
At least he's got a small sense of humor back. This is the Tyler I want to see. "We can call Marion."
Tyler frowns as we get back to the unpleasant truth. "True. Marion would be able to figure out a way to put one together, but that will leave tracks and I don't want to drag her into this. The pack and I might have to shift and take care of it. We'll have to drag her into the woods and make sure that only animal prints are seen around her."
I hate that Tyler will have to face his deed the whole time. We're thinking like criminals even if we did act in self defense. Nauseous saliva fills my mouth and I whirl, leaning over the same railing Sarah held not long before. We have to hide a body. I'm going to throw up. Great.
I almost killed—
I watched Tyler kill—
"Beckah," Tyler says as I gag.
I just dry heave and regain control, saving my dignity. "We just murdered someone."
He wraps his arm around me, holding me steady. "No. I did, and it was necessary. She left us no choice. No choice at all. She was going to use that magic doll to kill you."
"It was self defense," I say, getting my composure. "Self defense. Self defense." I sing the two words over and over, hoping Tyler doesn't think I'm going crazy.
"Beckah. Shh," he says. "I've got you."
He's holding it together for me.
I can't imagine the storm inside
His emotions.
His strong emotions. They make him shift. They make him lose control. Why is Tyler handling this so well now when he wasn't before? But I banish the thought because I'm doubting him. Yes. We're getting along better so that's got to be a sign that we're weakening the curse.
And I can't doubt him right now or we'll both lose it.
We've got to make this work.
I straighten. "Thanks. I'm okay now. Let's go inside and collect our thoughts," I say, taking his shoulder. "We'll figure this out. Get everyone here, and explain what happened. Marion doesn't have to help with the disposal but she needs to know Gavin and I are okay after we were out hunting evil werewolves all day."
Are you safe to be around people? I want to ask him that but I hold back, because I know Tyler so well now that I know he'll hold himself together. At least, for the moment.
"Okay," he breathes. "Let's go inside and have something warm to drink. Beckah, I don't know how today is going to affect me, but if I feel something happening, I'll need to leave."
I look right into his dark eyes. "You're okay right now. When the curse is getting bad, it shows."
Tyler nods, his angular face a mask. "That's good. Bring your weapon, just in case." He inclines his head to the ground at the base of the deck steps.
I don't trust myself around you.
I've left my crossbow in the snow, near where Sarah fell. Not looking at the shallow mound in the snow just feet from it, I retrieve my weapon and put a silver-tipped arrow in the rib, hating that I have to be armed around Tyler. And then we go inside, where I find Gia, Gavin, an
d Chaz in the kitchen, standing in silence over the stove where a pot of water is boiling. Gia is studying the rising bubbles as if they hold answers. They slowly rise, ready to go over the edge of the pot.
"I can take over," I say.
Gia holds up a hand. "You've done so much, Beckah. Let me make some hot chocolate."
"But—" I start.
Gia snaps her palm in my direction. She lets out a breath and her shoulders drop. I've never seen her hold that posture. Either she's catatonic or she's relieved and doesn't want to admit it. Her eyes are red, but the tears have dried up. Maybe she's having all of the emotions. Her mother was never kind to her.
"Sit down," she demands. "All of you. I'll serve you some hot chocolate with marshmallows."
No matter what's going on in my cousin's mind, I know she just wants me to do as she says, so I sit at the table where Chaz and Gavin join me. Tyler stays by the back door and sits down last. And while we wait there in silence, Gia just works. Maybe she's just trying to occupy her mind and process all of this in silence. Maybe she doesn't know how to feel or what we'll think of her.
At last, the hot chocolate lands, shaking, and Tyler takes a sip and grins. "This is really good." He leaves it at that and lets the smile drop away.
I admire his effort for breaking whatever spell this is. "Yes. It is."
"Thanks," Gia says. "When you make it with real cocoa and not from a store bought mix, it...it makes a difference." She's pale and shaking.
"You should have some, too," I say. "You'll feel better."
"Maybe later." She looks outside. "Tyler. I think your friends are coming." Now her shoulders rise with tension at the two bundled figures walking towards us from the woods. It's Valerie and Cammie. "Are they...werewolves...too?"
"They are. Don't be alarmed," Tyler says, rising from the table and pushing his chair in. "They're both going to stay in human form. We don't hurt...we only hurt people who try to hurt us first."
Gia has seen Tyler shift into wolf form. She's seen her mother attempt to work nasty magic, and all in the space of a few minutes. It's time for me to tell her everything. "Gia. You deserve the truth. It's a curse making you dread Tyler and his friends, first of all. We'll get you caught up."
But instead of relief, Gia just leans on the counter and puts her face in her hands. "Please do."
I rise and run to her. "Gia."
"My mother did it, didn't she? The curse. Did she really turn these poor kids into werewolves? I had no idea—"
Now it's my turn to give Gia a side hug. "I know. I didn't, either. Well, I knew your mother was unhappy, but isn't everyone here in Tower?" I nod to Tyler, letting him know it's fine to meet Valerie and Cammie.
But he shuffles out so fast that I know he's not just trying to leave me and Gia alone for a bit. We all know the reason everyone in Tower is unhappy, and that's one thing Tyler doesn't want to face.
* * * * *
Everyone converges on Gia's cabin over the course of the next hour. I call Marion and let her know Gavin and I are alive, once the signal is strong enough for my call to go through, and Gavin drives his truck out to pick her up. That takes a while since he left it parked half a mile down the road, thanks to Alan, and while we're waiting for Marion, the rest of the Rose Pack fills Gia's cabin, and we all go to sit in the living room.
My cousin shakes at one point, and they keep their distance, but I remind her that it's the curse making her fear being so close to them, and she calms down enough to focus on her hot chocolate making again. At least she has that to focus on.
"The bad feeling from being around them eventually goes away if you deal with it long enough," I tell her. "That's why Gavin and Marion can handle it."
Gia glances at Tyler, a silent question in her eyes. Then why won't his parents take him back?
Once everyone's here, we spend the afternoon catching Gia and Marion up on what's happened, and upon asking Valerie and Cammie if they've seen Alan, they shake their heads.
"I'm surprised Alan came back to Tower at all," Cammie says quietly.
Valerie bites her lip for a second. "I was hoping he'd come around. He's better than that pack we went to hang out with." Then she looks at me, bright blue eyes dead serious. "Thank you for eliminating some of them."
I nod, unsure of what to say. Behind her, Gia looks at me, a smile playing at her lips. "You went out and fought other werewolves?"
Is she proud of me?
Is she not suffering from grief as badly as I thought?
"Well, yeah," I say. "Gavin and I did, actually. Gavin taught me how to shoot a crossbow, and Marion here found a way to coat them with silver."
The mood slowly calms down in the cabin and the air slowly gets more breathable as we talk, clearing the air. Tyler keeps his hand linked with mine as we take our spot on the leather couch, and Gavin and Marion sit beside each other as Marion keeps her arms around him, not as a lover but as a friend. She's beyond relieved that we made it back in one piece.
Eventually, the hot chocolate is gone and our mugs only have dark rings on the bottom.
And I stand, knowing we have one issue we can't leave. Everyone stares at me, waiting for me to speak.
"We have to bury Sarah," I say.
Tyler rises partly because his hand is still linked with mine. "Yes. We do. In Tower, people sometimes leave and don't come back. Sarah will have to be no different."
I get his meaning. Sarah vanishing from town won't lift too many eyebrows.
And that's unfortunate. Her friends might look for her, but the two-man police force probably won't put in too much effort. Tower is a place where people can get away with crimes. It doesn't have the forensics teams that New York City has. And it doesn't have people who care. And the Roses have probably made sure of that, with the way they've scammed the place.
The thought thickens the air with sadness.
Everyone slowly rises, though Gia remains in her armchair with her empty mug in hand, a mug she's been staring at for quite some time. She pales and dark circles appear under her eyes.
"You don't have to go with us to do this," I say. I know Sarah's wounds are not something Gia should not have to see.
Then she nods. "Thank you. Can you bring her leather pack to me when you're done?"
Tyler nods. "Of course."
I sense she wants some time alone. And since Sarah's aggression was aimed at me and Tyler, it's only fitting that we handle the dirty work. "Do we have tools?" I ask.
"We don't need them," Valerie says, making claws with her hands. "The ground shouldn't be too frozen yet, so we can make it work."
I hold in my sigh of relief.
The wolves will, of course, take care of this task. Anyone investigating will only find animal prints and claw marks in the dirt. My heart pounds as everyone but Gia slowly moves outside.
"Can you stay with her if she wants it?" I ask Marion. On second thought, it might be the best if someone who wasn't involved in this can hang with Gia for a bit.
She doesn't pout this time about being left out. "Yes. I can stay with Gia. Thanks, Beckah."
Gavin and I head outside and exchange a worried glance as the four members of the Rose Pack step behind some thick spruces. This is the real moment of truth, the chance to see if anything is changing now that Sarah is gone.
And the popping and cracking sounds tell me that no, the curse has not lifted. Tyler, by killing Sarah, has sated the beast for a while, just as he did with the deer. The Rose Pack's humanity is still being held hostage by the curse, and the rose bush holding onto the real Tyler is still out there, in the snow, dying a little more every day.
CHAPTER TWO
The wolves drag Sarah deep into the woods.
Tyler leads the way, dragging her backwards by the shoulder, not making eye contact with me or Gavin the entire way into the snowy forest. His dark fur shines in the evening sun, rusty highlights sparkling. All signs of the beast are gone and there is only this majestic, beautiful wolf. He e
ven drags Sarah gently across boulders and uses care when sliding her down on the other side of each, and the other wolves—Valerie, Cammie, and Chaz—are gentle as they grasp Sarah's loose, knitted coat and jeans with their teeth to help the journey.
Gavin and I, to avoid leaving footprints, keep to the snow-free areas under the thickest trees as we follow the wolves with our shovels in tow. My crossbow bounces on my back, there just in case, and so does Gavin's. Gavin and I have wrapped Sarah's throat in a scarf, one that Gia made for her, so that her wounds are not showing. It's a funeral procession, and even though Sarah tried to kill Tyler, me, and the entire pack, she's still getting respect.
"She was trying to help this town," Gavin says as he swallows.
"Yes," I say. "But she didn't have to go after a child to do it. Her curse hurt the people who deserved it the least."
Tears brim in my eyes. Tyler is still cursed. He's still a werewolf, and so are the rest of the Rose Pack and Alan. I search the trees for him for the millionth time, but find nothing. Perhaps he's gone back to the other pack. Or perhaps he's on his own now.
Tyler continues his work as if Gavin and I aren't there. We just follow, and he doesn't even let the other wolves help that much. This is his burden to bear. And yet, despite his grisly task, the beast doesn't return.
At last, we come to a clearing that's completely covered in smooth, sparkling snow, and the wolves release Sarah and begin to dig. The first clouds of a new winter storm drift across the sun, the thin ribbons that always come the day before bad weather. A few birds take off from the trees.
Finally, Tyler releases Sarah's shoulder and rests, catching his breath.
Despite the beauty, Sarah is pale. Wounded. Her throat...I don't want to look even at the scarf but I can't help it, and I know I'll never unsee the edges of the gaping wound. Or what Gavin and I had to look at as we wrapped it.
"There's going to be another snow tonight," Gavin says, eyeing the footprints we've all left winding through the trees. "It will cover all of the drag marks up. They're saying we'll get another four or five inches tonight."
