Lone Wolf Rising

by Jami Brumfield

  Rebecca shrugged her shoulders and said, "I try not to live in the past. There’s often too much pain."

  "I can understand that." Angelique smiled and opened the door for Rebecca.

  Rebecca put a hand up for a pause. She didn't want to ask this but she had to know. She closed the door for privacy. "Were you and Gabriel dating?"

  She started laughing, "Oh no, no never. Gabe came here when he was first exiled. He worked with us for a while until he got his strength back. We bonded, but as siblings. He’s like a little brother to me." Angelique moved closer, as if to tell Rebecca a secret. "Since the painful experience with his father Gabe promised the next relationship he had would be with his mate."

  There was that word again. Mate. "What, in all that is holy, is a mate?"

  "From my understanding, wolves have one mate, someone they bond with for life. Someone they put above all others including the pack. Their mate is considered the other half of their soul. It’s also the one person that the wolf accepts without hesitation." She shrugged, "if you ask me it’s a romanticized ideal, but it’s the only romance Gabe wants."

  "Wow." It was all Rebecca could say. Gabriel wanted far more from her than she was willing to give to anyone at this point in her life. She was only seventeen and had way too much happening in her life to appreciate that kind of relationship. He was going to have to know that she was in no way his mate, despite her wolf's urges.

  As if in response the wolf whimpered in her mind.

  Rebecca headed toward the door. "Thank you for making me feel so welcome, Angelique."

  "Please call me Angel. I have a feeling we are going to be great friends." She smiled as they left the bathroom. That was officially the first female bonding experience she ever had in the bathroom. But she was right. They would be friends, good ones, Rebecca hoped.

  Ricky was waiting in the hall between the restrooms and the dinning room; he slipped out of the shadows. "Rebecca, may I speak to you for a moment?"

  Rebecca jumped at his surprise visit, "sure."

  The look in his eyes turned from fatherly to dangerous in a flash of an instant. In that heartbeat Rebecca felt the hair on her neck and arms stand at attention. Her wolf was alert and ready. He moved in closely to whisper his message. "I remember very clearly that night, the protectors have this information, and so shall you. Your mother met with Celestia only hours before her death."

  "Celestia?" The confusion on Rebecca’s face must’ve been obvious. She met a Celestia outside this very establishment a few nights ago. She wasn’t a person Becca wanted to meet again.

  "Yes, the previous vampire queen. Many of us thought it strange that she was stripped of her title very shortly after your parents’ deaths." He backed away from her, "if you want to start your investigation; that seems like a logical place to begin." He smiled and turned swiftly. One minute he was there, the next he was gone. But the message in his words remained with her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  ~"Sister. She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child.”

  ~Barbara Alpert

  Rebecca

  Rebecca, Gabriel, and Lucky managed to get back to the school in time to pick Savvy and Hunter up after practice and Rebecca managed to make enough excuses that Lucky and Gabriel offered little resistance when she said she needed to go home. They felt even better after she agreed to rotate evenings with them for training. She really did need to do a little research. She wasn't lying. She just didn't go into detail as to what that research was about. Before Gabriel and Lucky left Rebecca and her siblings at the house, she asked Lucky to set up a meeting with Celestia. He was reluctant but finally agreed to trust her intuition.

  Now, nestled in her bed, curled up with the ‘rule’ book, Rebecca finally felt normal for the first time since Friday night. On the other bed, head bopping in time to the music on her ear buds, Savvy used her pencil as a drum stick on her text book. Rebecca could easily forget about the secret lives their parents lived, the family secret that was kept from them, the pack, the Convent, and the Authority. There was no judgment of good or bad in this room tonight, just two sisters studying for school. No Gabriel, no Lucky, no fiancés, no mates, just simple teenage lives.

  In that moment, Rebecca realized how envious she was of Savvy. She was still innocent in all of this. They say ignorance is bliss and Rebecca would give anything to be ignorant again. Savvy’s biggest decision was figuring out which boy was going to take her to the dance and which dress she planned to wear. If Rebecca knew Savvy, she was also contemplating the option of wearing her hair up or down and which would look better with the crown. Her life was so easy.

  "What's that?" Savvy pointed at the book Rebecca was trying to read.

  While Lucky and Gabriel were easy to get rid of for the night, her sister was much harder to fool. Savvy knew something was up, in fact, she had known since the night of the full moon. They always thought that telepathic-psychic connection was because they were identical twins, but now Rebecca had a feeling that connection was developed because they were witches, spellbound witches. Correction, Savvy was a witch; Rebecca was simply a half breed alpha with some odd affinity for air elements which she would investigate further when grandmother was finally talking to her again.

  That night of the full moon, their connection was broken and it had not yet healed. Rebecca imagined there was no super fast healing for this type of injury, but she wondered if there was a chance to get it back. While she didn’t feel lonely with the wolf talking in her head all day, she missed that special connection with Savvy. Of all the fears she was facing down, never getting her sister back was probably the biggest. Savvy and Hunter were her only constants. It made Rebecca sad to think that connection could be lost. It was heartbreaking what all this was going to do to them.

  "This?" Rebecca held up the book so she could read the title. 'Rules'. "Just some research I’m doing on a paper I’m writing for history. The difference between society rules from the past to the present."

  Savvy crinkled her brow, a sign she didn't know if she trusted Rebecca answer. "We don't have any papers due in history, unless I missed something?" She flipped open her class organizer to make sure she wasn’t mistaken.

  "No." Rebecca started leafing through the pages, hiding the book would make Savvy more suspicious, keeping it out in the open was the best way to keep her curiosity at bay. It helped that the topic was on history, Savvy had no love for that subject. "This paper is for extra credit. It appears I’m not pulling the same super grades my twin is."

  And that lie Savvy bought. Before the deaths of their parent, they both excelled in school. Afterwards Savvy sprinted to the top of the class and Rebecca fell to the remedial studies program. Rebecca obviously had difficulty with her grief while Savvy used it to help her gain more success.

  "That seems like an interesting subject. Do you need any help?" Savvy offered but Rebecca knew it was simply a courtesy offer; Savvy had no desire to work on a history paper. She was just being the helping soul she was.

  "No. I think I should stop slacking and start getting serious about school. But thanks, sis." Rebecca didn't look up as she flipped a page again.

  ‘What would you have done if she said yes?’ The wolf’s voice sounded curious.

  ‘I know my sister. I wasn’t worried.’ Rebecca answered with a matter of fact tone.

  ‘You have more faith in humans than I do.’ The wolf stated coldly.

  ‘Which is kind of funny, since you need a human host to survive.’ Rebecca couldn’t hold back the amusement in her voice.

  "Okay, who’re you and what’d you do to my sister?" Savvy jumped on the edge of Rebecca’s bed
and laughed, jarring her from her thoughts. The sound was like music to Rebecca’s ears and she found herself erupting in laughter, too. It had been so long since they shared in a good laugh. They laughed so hard, Hunter had to pound on the connecting wall, which only made them laugh harder.

  Rebecca couldn't help but fall into old habits. Savvy was such a bright light in Rebecca’s life. As Rebecca started down the path she had chosen, Savvy was a bit of a life saver. Rebecca closed the book and looked her straight in the eyes. "Why are you so bubbly today?"

  Savvy shrugged, "I’m kind of excited about the dance."

  "Have you finally decided which guy you’re going to put out of misery and which guy’s heart you’re going to break?"

  Savvy shrugged, "Maybe, but I was also wondering if you might help me with that."

  "Help you? You hardly need my help with anything, sis, especially where guys are concerned." Rebecca took Savvy’s hand in hers. She really was the most amazing person she ever met.

  "Well, I was wondering about Gabriel." Savvy bit her lower lip, a nervous gesture.

  Rebecca’s heart stopped beating for a moment and her wolf chanted ‘Mine, mine, mine’ in her mind. "What about Gabriel?"

  "Well, if you’d be okay with me going with him since you’re going with Lucky..." Savvy’s words spilled out of her mouth so fast Rebecca wondered if she understood her correctly.

  "You want to go with Gabriel?" Rebecca’s eyes blinked in surprise.

  "Well, yes, if that’s okay." She asked nervously, shyly.

  Okay? Rebecca could think of a million reasons why that’d not be okay. He’s dangerous. He’s a wolf; he was still an unstable player in this situation. But instead of those reasons, her jealousy was the one that took a front row seat. The idea of Gabriel with anyone else made Rebecca’s skin crawl. It was odd and came out of nowhere. It had to be because of the alpha connection. It was the only explanation, the only one she was comfortable with. She tried to push the green-eyed monster known as jealousy down but the wolf made that very difficult.

  "Becks?"

  "Sorry." Rebecca’s mind raced, "I thought you were going with Danny?"

  "I was, until I met the hot hunk, Gabriel. Now he’s all I can think about." Savvy stood up and swirled around, her skirt twirling outward on the air. She was such a sweet spirit.

  "He’s not a good person, Savvy. You saw what he did." Rebecca started braiding her hair for bed, using it as a distraction.

  "Yea, but you know I’ve always had a thing for the bad boys."

  "A bad boy that obviously likes me." Rebecca didn’t mean to say it, but her wolf was making it difficult to say anything else.

  Savvy nodded, her eyes wide with honesty, "and that’s why I’m asking you if it’s okay to go with him. His reaction after kissing you made it clear his interest was disinterest. Which is why I don’t see any reason not to accept his invitation, unless you have feelings for him?"

  "Of course not!" Rebecca cringed as she realized that her response was too fast and far too loud. "I just don't know if it’s a good idea." Rebecca’s ego took another hit as the memory of his reaction after the kiss stung. It was all confusing. He made it clear he was interested in ‘mating’ with her. How could she, in good conscience, let her sister think there was any chance of a relationship with him?

  "So tomorrow when he asks me for an answer I should tell him 'I don't think it would be a good idea?'"

  ‘Yes!’ The wolf shouted.

  ‘No!’ Rebecca countered. She was trying to make sense of this new development. "Wait, he asked you to go to the dance?" Both her and her wolf’s heart dropped to her feet. She couldn’t figure out why he would ask Savvy to the dance if he was supposed to be initiating the mating process with her, especially after what Angel said about Gabriel’s proclamation that his next relationship would be with his mate. The entire situation made her suspicious of Gabriel once again and she suddenly doubted her decision to allow him into the pack.

  Savvy nodded, giving her best attempt to keep the smile from exploding onto her face. It made Rebecca feel terrible. Even if Becca was interested in him there was nothing she could do about it now. Regardless of her feelings Rebecca had no desire to get her sister involved in the wolf world. Grandmother and their parents did everything possible to keep them from this supernatural world and it seems that everything she’d done had only served to open the door to this dangerous world for all of them.

  Savvy had so much excitement on her face and in her eyes. It was Rebecca’s desire to see her happy that finally helped her to choose a different perspective. She could say yes and Savvy would have a wonderful homecoming. Then she would warn Gabriel to not hurt her sister or else, after all she was his alpha, he would do what she told him.

  ‘No!’ The wolf whined, it was strange hearing the strong personality sound weak.

  There was another point of view to consider. Rebecca made her choice, she chose Lucky, as long as they can work through the arranged marriage issue. If she showed she was okay with Gabriel dating Savvy maybe it would ease some of the doubt she saw in Lucky’s eyes this afternoon.

  ‘No.’ It didn’t sound as sad but the wolf did not like the plan Rebecca was making.

  "If it means that much to you, you should go. After all, we’re all going together so it will be like adding one more person to our group date." Rebecca agreed. The words tumbled from her mouth like cereal into a bowl.

  Savvy jumped up and hugged her tightly and Rebecca realized it was worth it, despite the nagging feelings in her gut, despite the somber mood her wolf was falling into. Seeing Savvy happy was Rebecca’s greatest joy, especially after all she had put her through lately. "He better not hurt you."

  "It’s just a date, sis." Savvy bit her lip to hold back her thoughts.

  Rebecca may not have been able to read her mind anymore but that look said it all. 'It was just a date that meant great possibilities.' Rebecca had to make sure he didn't lead her on and break her heart.

  "How is your hand?"

  Rebecca picked up the rules book. "Good, almost healed." She lied. If she could fill a jar with a dollar every time this new life required her to lie to a family member she would be rich in no time. The wound was healed, it was as though it never happened, but she continued to wear the bandage to avoid raising suspicion.

  Rebecca spent the rest of the night skimming through the pages of the handbook. So many rules, so many dire consequences, it was a wonder that anyone survived the authority's wrath. Logically it was simple; follow your path, do what you want, within reason, live your life, but don't break the rules and don't share this world with the humans, period. It was their job to keep the supernatural world hidden undercover like a subculture, only more secretive.

  It seemed that the Authority’s priorities were terribly inconsiderate. Killing other supernaturals was okay, but if you killed a human you would be punished with your own death. It seemed a little unfair. She thought the Authority would do more to protect the supernaturals more but that was not the case. If she sat down and thought about it logically she could understand. Who wanted to bring back the time when witches were burned at the stake, especially when you discovered your family was riddled with witches? The ‘Rules’ showed the Authority lacked simple compassion. She understood now why the Convent was necessary to create, giving supernaturals a choice.

  Her fingers stopped when she got to the page that talked about the process to remove a supernatural leader. This was of great interest to her; it may even be the answer to all her concerns. Perhaps there was a way for her to transfer the alpha position without dying.

  ‘Not a chance.’ The wolf answered.

  ‘Don’t you ever sleep?’ Rebecca turned her attention back to the page.

  She took a deep breath and began reading about the process. Right there in black and white was the answer to her problem, or so she thought. However, as she kept reading she realized the only reason Celestia didn’t perish at the process of being str
ipped of queen vampire was because she was already dead. Rebecca, as a werewolf, was not dead. Celestia is also immortal and werewolves are not.

  ‘Told you so.’ The wolf smiled with satisfaction in her mind.

  Rebecca read a few more pages, staying awake as long as she could before her eyes insisted on closing. She fell asleep and dreamed of vampires killing alphas; dreamed of horrific battles between the two supernatural species. It was a nightmare full of death, countless deaths on both sides. Battle after battle kept her tossing and turning. After waking every few hours several times she decided to go for a walk and get some fresh air.

  Chapter Seventeen

  ~"I did the best I could, and in some arenas, my best was not good enough. I've made some bad choices."

  ~Amy Grant

  Rebecca

  A walk in the middle of the night in Chandler isn’t necessarily the quietest of things to do. If Rebecca wasn't a werewolf she might have been scared of all the things that went bump in the night. When metal clashed against the asphalt she used her super sight to see that it was simply a cat looking for a treat in a trash can. When a screech shattered the quiet darkness her senses told her it was a car speeding away after a man and a woman got into a heated argument.

  It seemed that the scary noises that go bump in the night aren’t so scary when you know what they are. Regardless, Rebecca found herself hugging her jacket closer as a makeshift shield.

  The temperature was perfect that night. She enjoyed the cool, gentle breeze that tickled her skin and blew through her hair, which was still braided, but the tossing and turning worked loose curly tendrils that framed her face.

  "You’re out late."

  Rebecca knew the voice. In an odd sense, she hoped he would be out here; but realistically she knew it wasn't logical. It was a little creepy to expect he would be lurking outside her house. Regardless, knowing he was there made her feel safer. "This is a strange place for you to be hanging around, Gabriel."