Third Time a Charm: Wolves of Gypsum Creek

by Serena Meadows

  Sophie shook her head. “I’m not leaving,” she said, then put her hand on Jessie’s arm. “Why does the sheriff hate you so much? Why is everyone so afraid of you?”

  Jessie looked at her, then over at Danny. “Do you want to tell her the story?”

  Danny shook his head, “Not after the last time. I got that one all wrong. I’d like to hear the truth before I say anything.”

  Sophie took Jessie’s hand and gave it a squeeze, then kissed him on the cheek. “Whatever happened back then it doesn’t matter,” she said, wishing she hadn’t asked.

  Jessie turned and looked at her. “I told you there was a lot about me that you don’t know, and this is one of those things. I think you should hear this.”

  Sophie reached out and stroked his face. “It won’t make any difference, Jessie. Whatever happened in the past is in the past, and I care about the man you are today, not who you were back then.”

  Jessie shook his head. “That’s the problem; the boy I was then is still a part of me and always will be. I’m a black werewolf, Sophie.”

  “And I’m a wolf-shifter, Jessie, so what?” she asked.

  Jessie sighed, and she could tell he was searching for the right words. “Something happens to me when I shift, Sophie; it’s like all the most aggressive parts of my personality take over. I’m filled with anger, anger so intense I want to destroy things, anger so powerful it takes over and makes me do things I’m sorry for later.”

  He paused, took several deep breaths, then continued. “When I shifted that first night, no one was prepared for it, especially me. Black werewolves are extremely rare. There hasn’t been one in these mountains for decades, so their reaction was normal. But when they turned their backs on me that night, it unleashed something terrible in me, a wound that took years to heal.”

  “Oh, Jessie, I’m so sorry. It must have been terrible and confusing for you,” Sophie said, her heart breaking for the innocent boy he’d been.

  “It was, and that confusion made me do terrible things that first night, I wrecked the entire town, Sophie. I broke all the windows, chased people from their beds, and by the time I left the store, there wasn’t anything worth saving in the entire place.”

  “That’s why the sheriff hates you?” Sophie asked, beginning to understand.

  Jessie nodded. “I never hurt anyone, but for months, I terrorized the town; I couldn’t help myself, I was so angry. It got to the point that people started sitting on their porches with shotguns to keep me away. My grandfather was the only reason they didn’t kill me or drive me away. He paid for the damages and promised I’d learn to control myself. And I did, but only after my brother stepped in and helped me. Now on full moons, I run with him, and that helps, but sometimes the old rage still creeps up.”

  Danny, who’d been silent the entire time, asked, “Your brother? You have a brother? I never heard anyone talk about you having a brother.”

  Jessie nodded. “You’ll probably never meet him; he’s a bit shy.”

  Danny whistled like he had the other day and shook his head. “That’s not even close to the story I heard. I heard you killed men and kidnapped their women and children.”

  Sophie looked at him and smiled. “Rumors have a way of growing into something much bigger than the truth.” Then she looked back at Jessie. “Is that all you did? That’s what drove you up here and kept you up here all these years?”

  Jessie nodded his head. “People are afraid of me, Sophie. Stories about me are told around the dinner table. I’ve become a story you tell your children to keep them from wandering into the woods.”

  Sophie’s heart felt like it was going to break; she knew what it was like to have people afraid of you. “My family is afraid of me, Jessie. My father wanted to marry me off to a man who planned to send me away to Europe to live alone. It was a business deal.”

  Danny gasped. “That’s terrible. Why are they afraid of you?” he asked, a frown on his face.

  “Most of my family can’t shift into anything bigger than a dog; when I shifted the first time, it scared them so badly, they sent me here to my grandmother. I guess they thought she’d be able to change me or something, but I can’t shift into anything but a wolf,” she said, her voice so quiet both men had to lean in to hear her. “That’s part of the reason I don’t like to shift; it makes me feel ashamed, like I’m not normal.”

  Jessie gathered her into his arms. “But that’s what makes you special,” he said. Then turned to Danny. “You should see her; she’s the most beautiful wolf you’ve ever seen. Her fur is the same color as her hair, and she’s huge.”

  Sophie shook her head. “I don’t know about beautiful, but he’s right about my fur; it’s red, and it makes me stand out,” she said, a blush spreading across her cheeks. “It’s not easy to hide a big red wolf in the city.”

  “Well, you don’t have to hide here,” Jessie said.

  “And neither do you, Jessie,” Sophie said. “It’s time people knew that you’re not that boy who couldn’t control himself all those years ago. It’s time they knew the real man, and I know exactly who’s going to tell them.”

  ***Jessie***

  When they both looked at him, Danny jumped up from the table. “No way, I can’t do that. People are going to think I’ve lost my mind. I haven’t even told anyone that I’ve been up here,” he said, backing away from them.

  Jessie raised his hand. “I don’t expect or want you to do that,” he said. “I know you mean well, Sophie, but one person isn’t going to change their minds, and he’s right. They’ll give him hell for even having anything to do with me.”

  Danny relaxed and came back over to the picnic table, but Jessie could see that he was ready to leave. He looked back over his shoulder at the trail, and said, “I should get going; I just wanted to warn you. If I find out anything else, I’ll let you know.”

  When he was gone, they went back to the cabin and began making dinner in silence. Jessie wasn’t sure if he’d done the right thing, telling Sophie about what he’d been like all those years ago; she’d been so quiet, he wondered if she was upset.

  They were sitting at the table with dinner in front of them before she finally spoke. “I’m scared,” she said, pushing her plate away. “I don’t know if we can do this by ourselves, Jessie. I don’t have control of my shifting. It still scares me, so I don’t know how much help I’ll be.”

  Jessie got up from the table and pulled her into his arms. “We’ve got my brother, and I’ll call David. He’ll come and help. I’ve been thinking about this, and I’ve got a plan. Don’t worry; we’ll make it through this, I promise, but if you want to leave, I’ll understand,” he said, the words breaking his heart, but he knew it had to be said again.

  She looked up at him, “I’m not leaving.”

  “Okay, then we fight; tomorrow we start preparing. We’re going to fight this battle the old-fashioned way,” he said.

  After dinner, Jessie got out a big piece of paper and showed Sophie what he had in mind. “We have to put up a defense, booby traps and stuff like that, and since we don’t know how many shifters we’re going to be dealing with, I think the more, the better.”

  Sophie studied his map, beginning to understand what he had in mind. “This looks like a lot of work, but if we can get it all done, it should give us an advantage,” she finally said, smiling at him. “Where did you learn all of this?”

  He pointed over to the bookcase. “I’ve read them all.”

  Sophie got up and walked over to the bookcase and looked at the titles, “There are a lot of books on witchcraft in here,” she commented, looking over at him.

  “After I read Molly’s diary, I became a little obsessed with trying to find a way to talk to her, a way to tell her that it wasn’t her fault that her family died,” he said, feeling a little silly.

  But Sophie didn’t even blink. “Did it work?” she asked, her face serious.

  Jessie shook his head, “Not really; she appeared
for me, but she couldn’t hear me. In the end, I felt bad that I’d called her to me.”

  Sophie pulled one of the books off the shelf. “That’s too bad, I was thinking she might help us,” she said, shoving the book back in.

  Jessie thought about that for a second, then said, “It wouldn’t hurt to try. If we could just get her to appear, that might be enough of a distraction to give us some extra time.”

  Sophie came back over and sat down at the table. “Jessie, what do we need the extra time for?”

  He reached out and covered her hand with his. “We’re going to have to take them out one at a time, Sophie. Hopefully, that won’t mean killing them, but if it does, I don’t see that we have any choice. It’s them or us; we’re on our own. Don’t forget that.”

  “I still think that’s not the way it has to be; these are bad men, Jessie, and we need help. It wouldn’t hurt to ask,” she said.

  Jessie wanted to relent, wanted to give in to her, but he’d spent too many years hiding from the people who were his neighbors and had once been his friends. “I’m just not ready to do that yet. I’m sorry, Sophie, I know that puts you in more danger, but...”

  Sophie jumped up and ran around the table, “I’m sorry, Jessie, I shouldn’t push you so hard,” she said, throwing her arms around him. “It’s just that I know what kind of a man you are, and the last thing you should be doing is living your life up here alone.”

  Jessie smiled up at her, his heart feeling like it was going to burst with all the feelings he had for her. “But I’m not alone anymore,” he said, pulling her into his lap and kissing her. Then he carried her to the bed and showed her how much she meant to him.

  Chapter 17

  ***Sophie***

  The next morning, Sophie slipped out of bed and read Molly’s journal cover to cover. When she was finished, there were tears in her eyes. She’d been a good woman persecuted because of her gifts and killed by a man who’d clearly been deranged. But he’d been the preacher, full of the kind of power only religion could create.

  She set the journal aside, wondering if there was some way she could help Molly’s spirit, and she and Jessie in the process. Pulling all of Jessie’s witchcraft books off the shelf, she began to go through them, looking for something that could work.

  All the spells she found were much too complicated, and she didn’t want to just use Molly’s spirit; she wanted to free it. So, she gave up and started breakfast, knowing that they had a lot of work to do that day.

  When Jessie got up and saw the books spread all over the table, he raised his eyebrows at her. “I was trying to find a way to help Molly, and maybe us, too,” she explained as she started cleaning up the table.

  Jessie grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her. “That’s sweet. I’m sure she’d appreciate it, but until the world hears her story, I think she’s stuck,” he said.

  Sophie wasn’t convinced but let the subject drop, got Jessie a cup of coffee, and put their breakfast on the table. “What are we going to do first today?” she asked, taking a bite of the omelet she’d made. “Not as good as yours, but not bad.”

  “I think it’s great, thank you,” Jessie said, then added, “I like having someone to cook for me.”

  Sophie grinned at him, “I like having someone to cook for.”

  After breakfast, they headed out to the barn where Jessie set Sophie up tying ropes to make into traps and sharpening sticks. She didn’t ask what the sticks were for, still couldn’t imagine killing anyone, but knew that she would if it meant saving her or Jessie’s life.

  Jessie disappeared into the forest carrying a shovel, a chainsaw and some rope. She didn’t see him until mid-morning, but she’d been able to hear him as he made a circle around the cabin and the garden. When she saw him coming out of the forest, she got to her feet and stretched, pleased with the work she’d gotten done while he was gone.

  “Wow, you did great,” he said when he saw the piles of rope and sticks. “Why don’t you take a break? I need to go find my brother, and I have to go alone. I’ll feel better if I know you’re in the cabin while I’m gone.”

  Sophie fell into step next to him as they headed toward the cabin. “Will he help us?”

  “He’ll be here, and I’m hoping he can bring a few of his friends.”

  “Real wolves?” Sophie asked, intrigued.

  “Yes, there are several packs of wolves high up in the mountains. I’ve seen them when I’ve been with my brother, but we keep our distance. They won’t be as strong as the shifters but I’ll take any help we can get.”

  Sophie nodded. “I’ll make lunch while you’re gone,” she said.

  He left her with a kiss and the promise not to be gone too long. She was relieved that he hadn’t made her promise to stay in the cabin because then she would have had to lie to him. As soon as he’d announced his plans, she’d decided to pay a visit to Molly’s grave to see if there was anything that she could do to help her spirit.

  She wasn’t sure why it had suddenly become so important to her, but she just couldn’t stop thinking about Molly, so she put a roast in the oven, put the journal in her pocket, and left the cabin. If she failed in what she was trying to do, Jessie would never know that she’d left the cabin when he’d told her not to.

  Jessie had pointed out the path that led to the graves, explaining that the townspeople had buried the family up here because no one wanted them in the church graveyard. The path was overgrown, but still easy to follow, and Sophie was sure that Jessie was responsible for that.

  When she finally came to the little clearing and the graves, she was surprised to find modern-looking headstones marking them. But when she got closer, she realized that they’d been hand carved; again, she was sure that Jessie was responsible. It brought tears to her eyes, and that feeling of warmth blossomed inside her.

  She knew that she was falling in love with Jessie, and it should have scared her, but it didn’t. What scared her was that she might lose him before they’d even begun their lives together.

  Kneeling at the foot of Molly’s grave, she set the journal down and sat silently for a few minutes, thinking about the life she’d read about earlier that day. Feeling a little silly, she began to talk out loud to Molly, not sure how else to reach the spirit since she wasn’t a witch and wouldn’t have dared to attempt any of the spells she’d read.

  “Hi, Molly, I’m Sophie. I read your diary. I know what happened to you, and I want you to know that it wasn’t your fault,” she began, then added, “I know what you went through; people have been treating me differently all my life because of who I am.”

  Sophie felt a great welling of sadness deep inside her; it seemed to blossom and grow. Then to her shock, a figure of a woman began to appear in a cloud of mist. When the mist evaporated, Molly Swensen was standing next to her headstone.

  The sadness was soon followed by guilt, and with a gasp, Sophie realized she was feeling Molly’s emotions. As she watched, Molly walked over to her children’s graves and knelt before them, then her shoulders began to shake as if she was crying, but there was no sound coming from the misty figure crouched only a few feet from her.

  Sophie took a deep breath and tried to push the sadness and guilt away, then began to talk to Molly again. “I know what it feels like to have people treat you differently, Molly, to make you feel ashamed of the gifts you’ve been given. You were a kind and giving woman, a woman who used her gift only to help people. I’m sorry that your life was destroyed by a man who, through ignorance, believed that you were evil. You weren’t, Molly, and you shouldn’t feel responsible for the death of your family; it wasn’t your fault,” she said, unable to stop the tears that began running down her face.

  Sophie understood now why Jessie said that he’d wished that he’d never called Molly’s spirit, but she kept talking, letting out all her own hurt and pain. When she’d emptied herself of her sadness and grief, she bent her head and let the tears fall.

 
They fell onto Molly’s grave and soaked into the ground. Suddenly, she felt the air stirring around her and looked up to find Molly standing next to her looking down at her. She jumped to her feet, suppressing her urge to scream, and faced Molly.

  Her voice shaking, she said, “Jessie found your journal hidden in the wall when he tore down your old cabin; I read the whole thing. It’s wonderful, Molly; thank you for writing down your thoughts and dreams, and I promise that I’m going to tell the world what happened to you.”

  Molly looked at her for a long time, and she was sure that the spirit didn’t understand her, but then she nodded her head, so she continued. “I’m going to make sure that the world knows that you didn’t kill your family, that it wasn’t your fault. But I need your help.”

  The spirit nodded. “I don’t know what you can do to help us, but we’re in trouble. Some bad men are coming after us, and no one will help us. I don’t know what you can do, but anything will help.”

  It took a few minutes, but Molly nodded her head, making Sophie’s heart soar. “Oh, thank you, and I promise when we’re safe, I’m going to make sure that your journal gets into the right hands. The world is a different place today; people are going to want to hear your story.”

  ***Jessie***

  Jessie waved goodbye to his brother and headed for the cabin, wishing that life wasn’t always so difficult. He’d finally found a woman to love who might just love him back and instead of being able to enjoy that, they were going to have to fight for their lives.

  His brother had gathered a pack of wolves willing to follow him, and as grateful as he was, he knew that it wouldn’t be as much help as they’d need. He was just as scared as Sophie but kept that fear at bay, knowing that it wasn’t going to help them.

  When he walked into the cabin, Sophie was grinning from ear to ear. She practically skipped over to him, put her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. “I’m glad your home, I have something to tell you,” she said, slipping out of his arms.