Zach shifted and quickly dressed. He questioned his father and any other elder standing around about what happened. No one would give him any clear answer. They all kept mumbling among themselves about something or someone called Orfeo. Zach noticed Adam had shifted back and carried Rose over to the garden she and their mother had always worked in. It was then his father decided the burning of the bodies and the burial would take place the following day.
The rest of the time was one of confusion. Zach knew the rest of the pack had come for the service since his mom was the alpha's mate and Rose was the mate of the firstborn, but as far as what went on was all still a blur.
At that time, his father declared war on the family of vampires that had done this horrendous act. It was now the pack's mission to hunt them down, including the dhampir, and kill them slowly and mercilessly.
The first on the list was the child, the son, of the one they called Orfeo.
The buzzing sound of Zach's cell phone brought him out of the trance he was in of memories. He checked the texting number and saw it was from his father.
The pack and I will be home in 2 days.
Chapter Ten
It seemed the rest of the younger pack members, Jacob and his crew, were on high alert on the day of the alpha's arrival. They appeared to be more wired and less tolerant of other students, which could be a good thing since they had a big football game coming up.
Zach felt things with Emily was going okay. He listened to Adam and allowed his wolf to have his way. Even though she showed no genuine mate interest in him, he still felt the need to watch over her. He hoped he didn't look like some stalker type and scare her off. He kept his distance but yet tried to appear friendlier than he was the first couple of days.
***
Although she'd been at her new school only a week or so, Emily felt content with how everything was going. She, Alex, and Madison were getting along well, and she was excited to be included in things they were doing, like shopping and planning on going to the football game on Friday.
She was on her way to her first class, not minding anything that was in front of her when she smacked right into a hard body rounding the corner to her locker.
"Uh, sorry." Emily tried to gain her composure as the impact almost sent her sprawling on her ass. She looked up and saw it was the one person she didn't want to interact with out of the entire school population.
Jacob stood before her, with his two sidekicks, unruffled by their head to chest impact. Emily tried to move around him, but Jacob sidestepped and stood in front of her once again.
"Jacob, right?" she questioned him, although she already knew who he was. Jacob tilted his head, and it felt as though his eyes were penetrating right through her. There was no emotion on his face as if he was a statue in front of her.
"Ah, I think I found what I was looking for." Jacob finally spoke with a sinister grin forming on his face. He took a step toward Emily, and she took a step backward like she was afraid of him. He turned to Will and Anthony. "I think we found a new play toy." The two boys, obvious to what he'd meant, laughed at his remark. "I don't think any of us had the pleasure of showing her our skills--"
Jacob was cut short on his insinuation with a slam into the locker.
Emily stepped farther back from the scene as Zach held his brother up against the wall. "Stay away." A low growl was heard vibrating down the hall.
Emily was unsure as to the reason Zach came to her defense with Jacob. They'd gotten along a little better over the past couple of days. He was loosening up around her, as in talking to her before and after class and during lunch.
"All right, shows over." Danny broke through the small crowd that was gathering. He cautiously tapped Zach on his shoulder to get his attention. "Dude, let 'em go." He nodded toward Jacob, who was still being pinned.
Of course, Jacob still had this smirk on his face that someone needed to smack off.
"Too many around for this, Zach." Danny tried again to get him to loosen the grip on Jacob. Finally, with one last shove Zach let him go.
"All I was going to say was Emily never had the chance to see our skills on the football field." Jacob had to go and get everything all riled up once again. Zach lunged for him, but Danny kept a grip. It looked as though Zach wanted to rip into Jacob like he was an animal or something.
"Jacob, don't you have a closet booty call or something to go to?" Madison decided to intercede in this altercation. She grabbed ahold of Jacob's hand, who surprisingly went with her. He kept his eyes locked on Zach and mumbled something that no one else could comprehend except for Danny and Zach.
"Shut up," Danny yelled while Zach let out a deep throaty noise that sounded like a dog growling.
Jacob snickered and pulled his arm away from Madison. He looked her up and down like he was on a hunt, but his presence didn't intimate her. "I do have someone to tend to. Do you want to join us? We could make it a threesome."
Madison let out a little laugh. "I like men, Jacob. Not little pups." She pulled off one of her bouncy ball key chains she had hooked to her backpack and tossed it down the hall. "Fetch, boy." She winked at him and turned away. "Class in five minutes, guys, let's go." She went over to Emily and gave her a small hug. "You all right?"
Emily nodded she was.
Madison smiled. "Don't worry about all this. It's just brotherly love." She, Alex, and Danny walked toward their classroom at the end of the hall.
The crowd had thinned as everyone scrambled to be on time. Surprising Emily, Zach grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her in the direction of their class. His facial expression didn't seem to be relaxing. He was still stressing from the almost fight with his brother.
"What was that all about?" Emily didn't understand the reasoning behind Jacob and Zach causing such a disturbance.
Zach's eyes flickered over to her like he just realized she was there. He must have recognized he was still holding her hand because he dropped it rather abruptly and ran his fingers through his hair. "Just a fight that started this morning at home. No big deal happens all the time with us." Zach opened the door to their classroom, allowing Emily to go in first.
"I don't know. The way you two were growling at each other, I thought maybe you guys were going to go at it like a pack of wild dogs," she whispered to him with a guarded smile forming on her lips.
He let out a small, snorted laugh. "Nope, sorry to disappoint you in case you were looking to witness your first West Lakes fight. Only the Lovell boys getting into another argument."
Emily smiled at him and took her seat. She still couldn't figure out why Zach came to her rescue this morning but was thankful that he did. Jacob was like a loose cannon that was ready to explode. Maybe Zach wanted another opportunity to take a hit on Jacob, and when he saw he was bothering her, it gave him an excellent chance.
***
The big pack meeting that evening had all members on high alert throughout the remainder of the day. Although the younger members weren't allowed to attend, they still knew something big was about to go down.
It made the situation more stressful for Zach, Jacob, and Danny as they had to deal with their wolves' anxiety. Zach made sure he walked with Emily to and from her classes. He kept the conversation light like he was trying to get to know her a little better, which he was. He hoped she was satisfied with his answer he'd given her first period. He really had to watch his temperament around her. The last thing he needed was to change in front of her because he felt the need to protect her from everything and everybody.
At the end of the day, he and Danny found Emily before she had the chance to make it outside to her aunt's SUV. Zach followed her, and luckily there wasn't any sign of Jacob between the school and the car pick-up line.
Emily's aunt appeared surprised Emily had an escort. She was pleasant but a little reserved in the hospitality sense. He waited until the vehicle was out of sight before heading to his car to go home.
Chapter Eleven
It was after six o'clock in the evening when the whole pack assembled at the Lovell residence. The boys' dad came back earlier in the day, but they hadn't seen him until now. There were about forty men gathered in the living room when Zach and Jacob came downstairs. Most they recognized, but some looked new to the pack. Their dad and his beta, Luke, who was Marshall's dad, were standing in the front of the room, speaking with two other elders. Adam and his smaller group were off to one side, waiting for the meeting to begin.
The conversation between his father and the elders stopped as soon as the boy's presence was noted.
"What's going on?" Jacob was always the first to speak. Although they'd been taught not to talk to the alpha, beta, or elders while gathered as a pack, unless a conversation was initiated with them, Jacon constantly pushed the buttons for confrontation.
Their father gave Jacob a warning look, and he took a step backward away from the group. "Zach, you may stay since you have reached the age of eighteen, but, Jacob, you aren't permitted." Their father turned away as to dismiss them.
"What the fuck?" Jacob mumbled under his breath. Unfortunately, he was in a room full of shifters, all of whom had excellent hearing. He looked around and saw everyone had silenced their conversations and focused on him. "Why can't I stay? I have just as much right as anyone else. In fact, I'm probably stronger than most here," he stated a little louder, not hiding his disapproval or rage.
"You are still a child in the eyes of your elders. Your little outburst shows you are weak-minded by not following a simple command." Their father was speaking in his Alpha tone and not of being their father. "Once again, Jacob, I am dismissing you from this meeting." He let out a low growl to make sure his point was made clear.
"Oh, so I can't help to find my own mother's killer. That's a bunch of bullshit. I deserve to be in on this meeting as much as everyone else here." Jacob was getting more worked up by the second, and everyone could sense his wolf was about to show itself.
Adam and two other members came over and took hold of Jacob's arms so they could escort him out of the house.
"Why weren't you here instead of fucking around with some other mistress when she was murdered? You call yourself an Alpha, but you couldn't protect your mate," he screamed at his father as the others pushed him closer to the door.
"Get him out of here, now!" The boys' father roared. All in attendance whimpered in fear as their alpha seemed he would lose control on his youngest son. Finally, four of the pack members, including Zach and Adam, got Jacob out of the house before a fight transpired.
"What the hell is your problem?" Adam bellowed out at his younger brother.
There was no response from Jacob as he shifted into his wolf form. There before them stood a large muscular wolf. It was solid black, which was an extreme alteration from Jacob's normal human appearance. He had piercing gray eyes that stood out against the darkness of his coat. He let out one long, loud howl and darted off through the trees bordering their estate.
"What was that all about?" Zach glanced over at Adam, questioning him about Jacob's outburst.
Adam shrugged. "Just Jacob acting like himself when things don't go his own way." He motioned for them to go back into the house for the pack meeting.
"What was with the mistress talk?" Zach whispered to Adam as he got closer to him.
Adam got a perplexed look on his face like he was in deep thought of the insinuation Jacob brought about. "I don't know. It's not something we should question. Some things are better left unknown. " He let the screen door slam shut as they both walked back into the house.
Chapter Twelve
Jacob ran until he knew he was far enough away from the house that the others wouldn't follow. He stopped once he reached the meadow's outlying trees on top of the hill, which looked down over the community park everyone with little kids enjoyed going to during the warm months.
He knew no one would be up here since it was too steep of a climb for most mundane humans to climb. It wasn't an issue for him in either form, man or wolf. But being in wolf form helped to move quicker and smoother through the trees and narrowed pathways on the hillside.
He sat on his hind-end and took a deep sniff of the air around him. Although his wolf had taken over during the heated moment back at the house, Jacob was fully aware of everything going on outside.
'No...No...and no!'
Jacob screamed at his wolf, who paid no mind to the rambling human part of him.
'Don't do it.'
Once again, Jacob tried to persuade the wolf not to do what he knew was about to happen. The wolf laughed him off and continued toward the lone figure seated in the middle of the empty field.
Jacob knew the scent belonged to Madison. When he was in human form, his wolf tried to tell him she was their mate, but Jacob refused to believe and told him he had to be wrong. C'mon, she was an ordinary girl who showed none of the classic signs a female would show toward her intended mate. Actually, Madison disliked him and was one of the few with who he hadn't had extracurricular fun as of yet.
***
Madison had come to the open field she knew was always vacant. This was the only time she could get away from friends and family and practice her 'special' skills, as her grandmother would say.
She had everything laid out she would need to center herself and call upon the element she knew best and found the most fascinating. With a snap of her fingers and a spoken rite, the three candles she had seeded in the ground sparked to life. It was easy. Fire was the first of the elements she had learned to use when her grandmother introduced her into their family of enchantresses, or as some knew them better as witches.
Jacob stopped in his tracks. He and his wolf watched with fascination as Madison worked her so-called 'magic.' The candles flamed without any assistance, and he could hear her rambling out words at a fast pace.
"I will control. I demand my element of fire to my control so mote it be." Madison was on the last recited passage when she felt eyes on her. She cautiously turned her head so she was able to see out of the corner of her eye. A large black wolf was standing in the tree line to her right. She swallowed a large lump in her throat and continued the rite passage. The creature still hadn't made any move, so she continued with her element she felt she would be better able to use if it decided to attack.
"I see no wind. I hear no wind. Wind is what I command. What I order will come true. Gods and goddesses give me the control to do your will. To create a wind and I will by the rule of three. Mote it be." Madison recited this three times and glanced once more at the beast slowly creeping upon her. "As I command it to be windy. It shall come to be. Mote it be, mote it be. By the rule of three."
The air around her started to churn, and little gusts could already be felt and seen as the treetops began to sway. The leaves started to create a spiraling tornado as the wolf came up beside her. It lay in the grass with its head on its front paws. It was the shiniest of black, and its eyes' grayness was in complete contrast with the rest of its coloring.
Madison no longer felt terrified as the wolf looked at her with recognition. Although she'd never met a wolf in these parts before, it was as if she knew this beast from somewhere.
"Thank you to the wind I have called. Now it is time for you to be released and return again another day. Blessed be and be on your way." Madison recited the rite to have the wind stop and return to the normalcy it once was.
Jacob was astonished at what Madison had done and also for the fact she didn't run off screaming because of the big bad wolf coming up to her. He lay beside her and felt the wolf's content as he was with his supposed mate. He could hear her heartbeat, and the rhythm showed no hints of anxiety from him being so close. Madison said some other words and the candles' flames went out without her having to do much more.
Madison looked over at the wolf lying beside her. He was much larger than she was expecting when he had first come up to her. She was seated in an upright position, and even lying down the wolf
's back was level with her head. There had never been any sighting or news talk about this type of creature spotted in the West Lakes area. She knew a normal girl her age would run away crying, but she felt more relaxed with him near than she had felt in years. She wanted to run her fingers through the thick silkiness of his fur and slowly lifted her hand so she wouldn't startle him with any sudden movement. His big gray eyes looked right into hers, and she knew he wouldn't do anything to harm her if she touched him. The fur around his neck felt like the finest of cashmere. It was so silky and smooth she wanted to keep running her fingers through it all day.
The wolf was in total utter bliss. His mate was showing all the signs of contentment of him being near. Jacob started to feel a little scared at this whole scenario. This wasn't supposed to be happening, at least not with her. He had to get himself out of this situation before his wolf decided never to leave.
"Well, I have to get going," Madison spoke to the wolf as if he understood what she had said. He looked at her with kindness written in his eyes. She stroked the fur around his neck one last time. She honestly didn't know if she'd ever see this beautiful creature again, but something deep within her told her this wasn't their first or last meeting. She stood, as did the wolf. They were almost eye level when standing.
'Noooooooo,' Jacob screamed out at his wolf as he knew what he was going to do.
The wolf stepped closer to Madison. In one swift movement licked her from the base of her neck, along her cheek, and up to her temple on the side of her head. In the human form, that would have been considered a full-blown out kiss. But in wolf terms, it meant he had just marked her as being his own. Every shifter out there would be able to smell his scent on her.
Finally, Jacob gained some control and forced his wolf to turn away. He ran back toward the tree line from which he had entered and turned around once he knew she could no longer see him. Madison was staring off in the direction he'd gone with her hand in the air like she was saying goodbye. Jacob forced himself to turn and run away before his wolf could gain control again.
Revelations (Separate Worlds Book 1) Page 5
