Broken Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

  One of the werewolves from Nova Scotia claimed a sighting of Fen by the sea. I took that with a grain of salt because nobody from North America had actually seen the original werewolf. Another text came in. An alpha from Prince Edward Island said an entire neighboring pack had been annihilated.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. Fenrisúlfr was definitely on our continent, probably bored with killing European werewolves.

  My phone nearly exploded as text after text came in at lightning speed. Pain squeezed the back of my head and radiated down toward my neck. Everyone wanted answers. Adrenaline raced through my body.

  So much for getting any rest.

  New texts came in, this time directly to me instead of to the general conversation.

  I had no answers. Certainly nothing that would put anyone’s mind at ease.

  Finally, I send a quick message to the group:

  The high witch is on it.

  Countless more messages flooded my phone. They wanted more. I couldn’t blame them. I wanted more. But we had no other choice but to wait—while a murderous werewolf took out more of our kind.

  My stomach twisted in knots. It was no wonder so many other species despised us. Fen had probably done enough damage in his prior lifetime to leave everyone for the rest of time hating us.

  I sat on my bed and read each new text as it rolled in. They almost came too fast to keep up with, but I managed. At least until my eyes wouldn’t stay open any longer. I sent a text, but it took several tries because my fingers felt like rubber.

  I’ll let you know when I have more information. I’m going to bed.

  They would want more from me, but I had nothing left to give. I turned the phone off and closed my eyes, immediately falling asleep.

  “Toby?” came a voice, sounding distant.

  I rolled over, hoping it would go away.

  “Toby.” This time it was closer and more urgent.

  Had I even slept for an hour? I pulled my pillow over my head.

  Hands grasped my arm and shook me. “Toby!”

  There was no escape. I pushed aside the pillow, rolled onto my back, and opened my eyes. “What’s going on?”

  Sal stood next to my bed. “Calls are flooding in. Werewolves everywhere want to know what to do about Fen.”

  I rubbed my eyes and sat up. “What time is it?”

  “Eight.”

  Four hours of sleep. I groaned. “Okay. I’ll get back to everyone. Do you know where Fen is now?”

  “A call came in a few minutes ago about a pack in Alaska.”

  “He really gets around.”

  Shrieks sounded downstairs.

  Terror ripped through me. Sal ran out of the room. I scrambled out of bed, ran into the hallway, and crashed into him.

  “It’s not Fen. Roska just arrived through the mirror and scared everyone.”

  I sighed in relief and headed for the stairs. “I need to find out what she knows. Maybe Gessilyn found something.”

  Sal arched a brow. “You might want to put some pants on.”

  I glanced down and saw that I only wore boxers. “Good call. I better check my texts, too. There are probably twelve thousand new ones. Tell everyone I’ll be right down.”

  He nodded, and I hurried into my room. After getting dressed, I checked my messages, and sure enough, there were well over a thousand new texts, mostly in the alpha conversation. I sat on my bed and read through them quickly, looking for any news on Fen’s whereabouts. If he’d been in Alaska recently, he could easily head our way.

  Since hearing all the reports of death and destruction, it seemed odd that he’d left us alone. The only thing that made any sense was that Victoria had freed him. Even if we did have special immunity, I wasn’t going to stand for his killing spree. I’d gladly head up the efforts to stop him. I just wished I knew if killing him really would kill the rest of us.

  Soleil and Roska needed to study the stone. We had to find out what we could. I also needed to see what, if anything, Gessilyn had found in her books. If those books were passed down from one high witch to another, there had to be something about him since a high witch had trapped him before.

  At last, I finished reading through the texting conversation. Fen’s last spotting had been in Alaska, just as Sal had said. Not that it helped me to rest any easier at the rate he was moving around the globe. I checked my private texts and half a dozen voicemails.

  Knock, knock.

  “Hold on!” I glanced at the clock. It had taken me half an hour to get through all the messages. I stuffed the phone in my pocket and opened the door.

  Victoria stood there. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. Her hair was damp and she smelled of fruity hair products.

  “How did you sleep?” I asked.

  “Good, but it sounds like Fen’s been on the move all night.”

  I stepped back. “I know. We have to find a way to stop him.”

  She pulled the stone out from her shirt. “Think this’ll help?”

  “It might. We’ll have to see what the witches and Soleil say.”

  “Do you blame me?”

  I gave her a double-take. “For his killing spree?”

  She nodded.

  “No. You can’t control what he does.”

  “But I woke him. I’m the one who found the stone.”

  “Because you wanted to free us all from the curse of the moon.” I kissed the top of her head. “You never intended for any of this to happen. Come on, I need to get down there and talk to Roska.”

  We headed downstairs. Victoria grasped the stone, keeping it close. Conversation sounded in all directions. Moonhaven was full and busy. Four wolves gathered in the entryway, deep in conversation. Voices sounded from the kitchen and living room, also. The scent of coffee hung in the air. I put my arm around Victoria and headed for the kitchen.

  The table was packed with werewolves, eating and in deep discussion. There were more non-pack members than pack members. More were probably on their way.

  It was beginning to look more and more like I was returning to my role as head alpha over all regions.

  Laura turned to me. I expected her to look frazzled with all the extra mouths to feed, but she had a big smile—she loved it. “Can I get you anything, Toby?”

  I stifled a yawn. “Some coffee would be great.”

  “Coming right up.” She turned around and grabbed a mug from the cupboard.

  I turned to Victoria. “Do you need anything?”

  She shook her head. “I already ate.”

  “Hey, Toby!” someone said from the table. It was an alpha I’d trained about fifty years earlier.

  “Mark! Good to see you. Have you met my fiancée, Victoria?”

  He shook his head.

  I introduced them, and then turned my attention back to him. “How’s it going? Every time I hear about you, your pack is thriving more than the previous time.”

  “Until now. Everyone’s beyond freaked out over this Fen character.”

  “You’re not alone.” My phone hadn’t stopped buzzing in my pocket since I’d put it there.

  Laura handed me a large, steaming mug. I closed my eyes and sipped. It was the perfect blend of coffee and cream. She knew just how I preferred it. “Thank you.”

  “Let me know if you want more. I sent some young wolves to the store for more coffee and food. It appears we’re going to keep getting new guests.”

  “It looks that way.” I turned to Mark. “We’ll catch up later.”

  He nodded and went back to his conversation. Victoria and I headed to the living room. I sipped the coffee, allowing it to warm and energize me. Roska sat at the couch, deep in conversation with Soleil and Jet. I didn’t see Ziamara or the baby. They were probably upstairs, resting.

  I went over to Roska, gave her a hug, and thanked her for coming.

  “My pleasure. Gess is busy poring over those ancient books.”

  “Has she found anything?”

  Ros
ka patted the couch. “Make yourself comfortable.”

  “That much, huh?” I sat and realized Victoria wasn’t standing with me. My heart plummeted. I scanned the room and saw her in the corner by the full-length mirror, mesmerized by the stone. I turned back to Roska and Soleil. “Is she okay wearing that thing? It’s so powerful, and it’s been on her for nearly a day now.”

  “She doesn’t seem ill,” Roska said.

  “Look at her. She can’t get enough of the necklace. Something isn’t right.”

  “Sure it isn’t just jealousy?” Soleil teased.

  I glared at her. “I’m not jealous over a stone. I’m worried about her.”

  Roska patted my hand. “I can’t sense any evil coming from it.”

  “Me, neither,” Soleil assured me.

  “Have either of you studied it yet?”

  “Not as much as she has,” Soleil said.

  I held her gaze and then Roska’s. “I need both of you to find a way to study it. If she doesn’t let you, then do it when she sleeps. Given that it’s so closely tied to that heartless murderer, I can’t help but worry what it’ll do to her.”

  Victoria still stood in front of the mirror, staring at the wolf essence stone. She was stroking it like one would pet an animal.

  My stomach twisted tighter than it already was. Whatever magic that thing possessed, it had my Victoria under its spell—and it wasn’t going to let go anytime soon.

  Chapter 25

  Victoria

  Time seemed to stand still as I admired the stone from the reflection of the mirror. The swirling had calmed down quite a bit since I first found it, but it hadn’t stopped. It seemed to pick up when I kept my hand close. Warmth emanated from it as I stroked it, making me feel like everything would be okay. Fen would leave us alone—that much I was sure of. I’d freed him from his prison, and he appreciated it.

  I couldn’t understand why he was killing so many wolves, though. No one alive had been around when he’d roamed the earth all those years ago.

  Maybe what I needed to do was talk to him. We’d connected back in the cave. He might listen to me. I’d have to convince him that all this death needed to stop before he killed every one of his descendants.

  I’d been trying to reach him, using the stone. It hadn’t worked, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t. He’d been in it so long, he had a connection to it. I just had to figure out how to tap into that. The stone loved me, so it was only a matter of time before it helped me. I closed my eyes and pictured Fen. He was said to be in Alaska, so I pictured him with bears on a snowcapped mountain, surrounded by hundreds of gorgeous evergreens.

  My mind conjured up a scene so real I got the chills, but Fen wouldn’t look my way. He stomped around in the snow, looking for something. Was it a real scene, or just my imagination?

  “Fen!” I cried out inside my mind. “Fen!”

  He continued hunting, completely unaware of me. I pictured myself in the snow in front of him.

  Fen stopped, his eyes wide. “What are you doing here? How’d you get here?”

  “I’ve been trying to contact you through the stone.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t understand its power. Just wear it and let everyone admire your beauty.”

  “Chauvinistic much?”

  “Go back to your pack. I won’t hurt any of your wolves.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “Granting you immunity?” He tilted his head.

  “No. Killing so many werewolves.”

  His face contorted. “I promised my enemies that I would make them pay, even if it meant hunting down each and every one of their descendants. I’m not going to stop until I’ve scratched every name off my list.” He sniffed the air. “Some are close. Real close. Let me by.”

  “They’re all innocent. None of them did anything to you.”

  “I need to fulfill my vows. My words aren’t empty, you know.”

  “Everyone knows that.” I put my hand on his arm. “Werewolves everywhere are scared of you. If it’s power or respect you want, you’ve got it.”

  He shook his head. “The only thing I’m interested in is revenge.”

  I ran my hands through my hair and shivered in the cold air. Tiny snowflakes fell around us.

  “You should go back home before you catch your death,” he said.

  “No. I want you to stop the killing spree. You’re not hurting your enemies—they’re long dead.”

  “They feel pain from the other side. As each new member of their family joins them, they know it’s their fault. They’ll have to live with that for the rest of eternity.”

  “Live with it? They’re dead.”

  “You know as much as anyone that living doesn’t stop on the other side.”

  His comment felt like a slap. Though I had vague memories from my time on the other side, most everything was gone. It was like trying to remember a dream upon waking. The memories are impossible to hold—much like trying to grasp air or a stream of water.

  “I need to scratch some more names off my list.”

  “You won’t consider stopping?”

  “No.”

  “You’ll kill every living werewolf?”

  “Just the ones on my list.”

  “What about a fresh start? You’ll forget about revenge if you’re part of a pack.”

  “You think anyone will accept me after this?” he snapped.

  “We will.”

  “Right.” He laughed bitterly.

  “Our pack is full of wolves the world considers misfits—mutts, wolfborns, and even a vampire and a valkyrie. You’re at least a full, normal wolf. You stand a better chance than anyone else.”

  Fen shook his head. “Once I’m done with this, I’m the alpha of alphas, and I’m going to be a lone wolf.”

  “No wolf is happy on his own.”

  “I will be. Once I—”

  “Complete your list. I know. I’m begging you to consider forgetting it.”

  He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

  “You won’t make it alone,” I insisted. “You just won’t.”

  “What do you think I’ve done all these centuries in that stone?”

  “Surviving isn’t thriving. Think of how happy you could be.”

  “Happy? I’ve never known happiness—ever.”

  I stepped closer to him, the icy snow sticking to my socks. “Shouldn’t that motivate you to try?”

  “No. You’re too optimistic for your own good. Go home before you freeze. And stop calling me.”

  I struggled to find my voice. “You heard me all those times?”

  Fen grumbled. “You’re hard to ignore. If I didn’t fear being trapped in there again, I’d take that blasted stone from your neck just to keep the silence.”

  “Please at least consider stopping this vendetta.”

  “Is that what it’ll take for you to go away?”

  I nodded.

  “Fine. I’ll consider.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Right after I take out the nearby pack.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know, but that’s what I’m offering. I’ll think about it after this.”

  “But they’re innocent!”

  His nostrils flared. “Werewolves are not innocent.”

  “They’ve done nothing to you. Think of the children. The babies. What have they done?”

  “They’re being raised to be the same as their parents—who’ve been raised to be the same as theirs, all the way back to the days when their ancestors tormented me.”

  “But that’s a long time. People change. Packs change.”

  “Not from what I’ve seen.” His lip curled in disgust.

  My mouth dropped. “How did you know?”

  He snorted. “Go warm up before you catch your death. Then I will consider your request. Stay and continue to annoy me, and I’ll add more names to my list.”

  I gasped. “You woul
dn’t!”

  “You don’t think so?”

  There was no doubt in my mind he would. I released my hold on the stone. Everything spun around me and a force pulled me backward. My eyes squeezed shut. I stumbled. My feet landed on hardwood.

  I opened my eyes. I’d returned to Moonhaven. Everyone in the living room stared at me, wide-eyed.

  Toby ran over to me. “What just happened? Why are you covered in snow and pine needles?”

  I shivered, but couldn’t find my voice. He helped me up and dusted me off.

  Soleil, Roska, and Jet ran over, all talking at once.

  “Stop.” I held up a hand. “I spoke with Fen.”

  Their mouths all dropped.

  “That’s where you went?” Soleil exclaimed.

  “Where is he?” Toby asked.

  “Is he going to stop?” Jet demanded.

  I tried to catch my breath. “He’s going to consider it.”

  “Consider it?” Jet clenched his fists. “What’s to consider?”

  “He’s stuck on repaying those who hurt him.”

  “They’re already dead!” Jet aimed his fist at the wall, but stopped half an inch from it. “What’s his problem?”

  I shivered. “He’s had a lot of time to do nothing other than stew over the wrongs done to him.”

  Toby wrapped his arms around me. “We need to get you warmed up.”

  “We need to stop him!” Jet scowled. “Where is he? I’ll take him down myself.”

  Toby guided me to the couch and grabbed a blanket from the back. He wrapped it around me and turned to Jet. “Need I remind you that nobody is to kill him? At least not until we know with full certainty that his death won’t kill us all.”

  I continued shivering while the two of them argued. Soleil patted my leg. “I’m going to draw a hot bath for you.”

  She and Roska exchanged a knowing look before Soleil headed upstairs. If I hadn’t been so cold—if my teeth would stop chattering—I’d have demanded to know what they knew.

  Roska sat next to me. “Do you need anything? Want me to get you some coffee or hot cocoa?”

  Shivering, I nodded.

  “Which one?”

  “I-I d-don’t c-care.” I pulled the blanket tighter around me.