by Holly Hook
If he's right, us being apart might be all that can save us.
And how can I argue with that?
The driver closes the door to the bus after a few more seconds, sealing Cayden's decision. The sound sticks in my head.
Then Cayden speaks to the driver.
“I'll give you my last twenty bucks if you leave now.”
Without a word, the driver obeys. The bus clicks again as it changes gears, turns, and pulls out of the parking lot.
Chapter Two
The agony in my chest turns to physical pain as I trudge back down the street which has grown miles since the nightmare at the bus station. The bus carrying Cayden has long since left, leaving me standing at the Station like some sad character in a movie.
I manage a laugh and a hiccup. The scene is so much like a play I can't help but notice. But then I suck in a breath, expanding my painful lungs. I hadn't imagined this would hurt my body. Rolling Cayden's words that this isn't permanent through my head over and over is the only thing stopping me from collapsing in the street.
I stop in front of Teeyah's, lifting my phone as coffee scents surround me. Ellie's texts remain, but I can't fathom going to rehearsal now and saying hi to everyone who made the play. Which one was it again? A Midsummer Night's Dream. I must explain to everyone Cayden won't be playing King Oberon. And that I won't be playing as Queen Titania at his side. I'll be beside someone else, probably Noah again. Old times.
I can't do that right now.
So I text Aunt May. She's the only one I can turn to for comfort. I can only imagine how Everly will react. Cayden's twin will be furious I let him get on that bus, but what else could I do?
Cayden's left us.
Aunt May takes a minute to respond. He's not anywhere in town?
I don't have the patience to text. Can we talk?
She rings me a second later. “We need to meet at the Lowe cabin,” I say. “Get everyone so I can tell them what happened. I have maybe an hour before I have to be at the high school for rehearsal. There's a mess I need to clean up there, too.”
“I understand.”
She gathers the others—four of us remain—and I step into the Lowe cabin last. A sense of duty sweeps over me. Everly looks up at me with terror and worry while Remo stays quiet and takes a seat in the leather living room chair. Aunt May remains standing. She questions me with her gaze.
“Cayden got on a bus and left,” I say. “He wouldn't let me convince him to stay. He thinks if he's away from us, he can survive and the two of us will stay mates. That might stop the Savage King from taking me. It might have to be this way until the curse gets lifted. Leonora and Cayden will stay in contact.”
My words sound like they're a million miles away. Maybe if I stay busy and take charge, his leaving can't hurt as much. I should have known it would come to this. Cayden's agonized words play in my head again, and I pace to cast them away.
“He got on a bus?” Everly shouts.
“Yes.”
“And you didn't stop him?”
“He's the alpha. You even say that,” I say. “He said he was doing what was best for the pack right now. If...if the Savage King gets me, the Nobles end.” Though hurt, I feel the need to defend him.
“Cayden may be right,” Aunt May says. “I fear that's the case. We don't know all the details, but if Cayden dies, Brie is fair game.”
“But he can't just leave!” Everly shouts from somewhere deep and vulnerable. Her stern mask is coming down.
“I know he can't, but he can't think of any other way to stop himself from dying. Or to stop the Savage King from coming after me.”
“But if Cayden really protected you by leaving,” Everly says, “he would have died from that. He would have at least felt physical pain.”
Silence falls over the living room. She's right. I look to Remo and Aunt May. They stare back with wide eyes.
He's not protecting me, then. “But he said we'd stay mates so long as we both lived.”
“That's how it's supposed to work. But Mr. Hayde thought you may be different because you're only half Wolf.” Everly's gaze darkens.
“But I'm still from the pure Noble line,” I say.
“You're a strange case,” Everly says.
“That makes me feel better,” I say as my phone buzzes. Cayden would have collapsed in pain as soon as he left if he were protecting me. Or maybe the curse just doesn't recognize abandonment as protection.
is helping us out. This is temporary. I hug those words like they're a teddy bear. He'll come back as soon as we find a solution and in the meantime, the Savage King can't try to claim me as his royal mate or whatever.
But Cayden's still gone.
And I feel exposed without him here.
My phone buzzes a second time and I remember the rehearsal. “I have to go clean up more collateral damage,” I say. “If I don't show up, Ellie will track me down and I don't want her to walk in on this. It's bad enough Noah and Olivia know what I am.”
“No,” Everly agrees. “We don't want her showing up. Take care of the damage and the rest of us will talk about what to do next.”
“That's okay, right?” Remo asks.
“Yes. That's okay.” The pack, except for Everly, is looking to me now. I have to decide or Everly will.
I text Ellie and tell her I'm coming. She responds with a happy face.
“Are you sure it's a good idea to go out on your own?” Aunt May asks.
She's attempting to be the adult. “I'm sure,” I say. “It's just to rehearsal and Olivia isn't even bad anymore. What will happen at rehearsal?”
Chapter Three
“Brie!” Ellie opens her arms and wraps me in a hug the second I get to rehearsal.
I stand in the auditorium doorway. Behind Ellie stands Noah, and from the way he looks at me, I'm sure he knows something's wrong.
Ellie squeezes the life out of me before letting me go. I exaggerate catching my breath while she surveys me, but it's too late for humor.
“What's wrong?” Noah asks.
I had been hoping to delay telling them because now I have to think about it. “We need a new King Oberon.”
Noah takes a minute to process the words. “You're kidding.”
“Does the look on my face tell you I'm kidding?”
My best friend extends his arm and leads me towards the stage. We walk up the rows of seats and climb the front where a few others stand under the warm lights. Ryan waves while Olivia hangs near the periphery. She gives me a curt nod. Is it out of fear? I can't tell, but she doesn't smell like adrenaline. What was her part again? She had one of the two female leads.
This universe feels different.
“So, Cayden dropped out of the play?” Noah asks. “If he keeps doing this, Mr. Saffron won't let him audition anymore, no matter how good he is.”
“And why did he take a secondary role?” Ellie asks. “He could have had the lead.”
“He wanted to be my SO,” I say. “But now he's dropped out of Breckenridge. He says he'll be back, but has to work things out first.” I've got to hold it together.
Noah frowns. His eyes tell me he knows it must be pack business. The curse business. I've told him the truth about that and Mr. Hayde. He also knows about Leonora but has stayed quiet about everything in front of the others. Noah nods to the backstage door. Do we need to talk?
I do the same. Yes. I'd like to spill everything to him.
“He dropped out of school?” Ellie asks.
“Well, he took a bus out of here earlier today, so I'm assuming yes,” I say, struggling to hold my voice together. Just pushing the words out makes the pain fill my chest again. “He says...he says he has family things to take care of, but he'll come back when he can. We didn't break up.” Those last four words are another teddy bear. And I'll hug them.
“That's good,” Ellie says with a frown. “I suppose?”
“It has to be,” I say.
“Man, Brie,” Noah say
s. “And just when it looks like you two were out of the woods.”
“We've never been out of the woods,” I say. Leave it to him to find a pun.
“Then why are you dating?” Ellie asks. “All you two have done is go back and forth. Maybe it's not healthy?”
“All relationships have rocks,” I tell her. Ellie doesn't understand what me and Cayden have or what we face. “It's just a setback. That's all.”
Ellie backs off. “Sorry. I didn't mean to say you should break up. I've seen you two have lots of problems from the start.”
She does not understand. Noah takes my arm and leads me into the hall. We leave Ellie behind as Ryan pulls her into a conversation.
“Don't let her get to you,” Noah says once he closes the door. Now we have the empty hallway. “Ellie doesn't know what you two are going through. He left because of the curse, didn't he?”
I'm glad to have someone on the outside I can confide in. Why was I ever nervous about telling Noah the truth?
“Yes. He thinks so long as he lives, this Savage King can't take me.”
“Maybe that's true,” Noah says. “But it stinks it had to be this way. I wish there was something I could do to help. All I can offer is my rocking sense of humor.”
“Hey. That's something,” I say. “You're lucky to be normal. You don't have to worry about this stuff.”
“Well, I do. If the Savages take over, we're all in trouble.”
I nod. “Because they want the world to return to nature. And contrary to what people think that's not a good thing.”
“Well, humans fought for millennia to get out of nature. Just watch any documentary on wildlife to see why. We didn't like having our throats torn out by lions. Why would anyone want that for us again?”
“So the Savages can rule? Survival of the fittest. That's what they want. No one else has a right to life.” I ball my fists as I speak.
“Are you going to be okay, Brie?” Noah asks. “I worry about you all the time.”
“Don't worry,” I say. “Just enjoy your time with Olivia.”
“I'm glad she's treating you better.”
“That's because I was an idiot and showed her the truth. She won't mess with me.”
“Either way, I'm glad.”
“Noah?” Olivia peeks her head out of the door and sees us facing each other. She turns her gaze away from me without a single snide remark. Cayden and I saved her from Matthew, and she has yet to thank us, but I sense that's a pride thing.
“I'm coming,” he says, flexing his biceps. “Was just talking to Brie. I'll be right in.”
“Hey. I need a strong man,” she says with a grin.
It's the first time I've seen her this happy. The smile is real. It's a trace of the old Olivia. She hasn't hung out with the drama kids again, but going out with Noah, even while keeping it quiet, is a start.
Noah enters the stage, leaving me in the hall for a second. I follow, trying not go get too close to Olivia. Mr. Saffron walks in through the auditorium, holding a binder and several playbooks.
I walk up to him and tell him the deal. “Cayden has to drop out.”
Mr. Saffron frowns and scowls at me. The look on his face sends a jolt through me. I've never seen him angry.
“Mr. Saffron?" I ask.
“Tell him he will never audition for a play ever again under my watch. This is the second time he's dropped out. And tell him he does not have a promising acting career ahead of him.”
“I will,” I say, backing away. I expected a frown. Maybe a nod of disappointment. The teacher continues to glare at me as if it's my fault, and I move behind Ryan and a few others.
“Someone pissed in his coffee today," Ryan whispers.
“We don't need this.“ My day is bad enough.
“Okay,” Mr. Saffron shouts. “Everyone give me your attention. We have a messy rehearsal in front of us and we need a King Oberon. Cayden did not have an understudy so I'm recruiting our latest new guy. Jansen. You're up. Sorry for the sudden change in plans.”
Mr. Saffron turns his gaze to the new guy, a short guy who might be a senior. Jansen has dark hair and an olive complexion rarely seen in Breck. I sniff. New guy, but at least he smells normal and not like Savage Wolves or magic users. Jansen gives off a sea breeze and leaves. Not bad. Jansen waves and manages a weak smile at me as our gazes meet. Metallic adrenaline follows. He's nervous.
“Jansen? Are you ready to take the reins?”
“Sure,” he says, looking at the teacher. “You said I'd be an extra?”
“You were the most talented of the extra bunch,” Mr. Saffron says. “King Oberon for you. You will act beside Brie, who is Queen Titania. She will help you.”
Now I understand.
Give me the new, clueless guy as punishment and increase my workload.
He walks up and extends his hand. “Jansen,” he says.
“Brie.” We shake hands. I won't take it out on him. This isn't his fault. Jansen has sweaty palms. I lower my voice. “Don't let Saffron scare you. With a name like that, he shouldn't.”
Jansen grins.
And Mr. Saffron goes to work writing on his clipboard. “Get to know each other.”
“So, where did you come from?” I ask. Since turning, I've been wary of all new people. Not that there's many.
“I'm living with my cousins,” he says. “I'll work the ski lifts and raise money for college. They could get me a good since my parents can't help pay. I won't be in Breck long, but needed something to do, so I auditioned for the play. Didn't do the greatest as you can tell.”
“If he chose you for a halfway decent role, you did fine,” I tell him. Sniffing again, I pick up traces of a sunny coast. Warmth. Jansen's from another world.
“Attention,” Mr. Saffron says. “Everyone grab a book and open it to the first page. We'll be going through our lines today and next week we start on the choreography, too. But lines first. Most of you know the deal.”
Though Jansen seems harmless, I don't dare take my attention off him the whole time we sit cross-legged on the stage floor and drill through our lines. He sits three people away from me. My mind jumps from Cayden to the new guy who showed up the moment he left. It seems too suspicious.
No. Just a coincidence.
“You're staring a lot,” Ryan says, leaning close.
“I know. New people make me nervous.”
“He's just a scared guy,” Ryan whispers.
“But we never have new people,” I say.
“So?”
Rehearsal drags on. Without Cayden, everything feels dull. The new guy stumbles on the King Oberon lines, drawing a look of annoyance from Mr. Saffron. Maybe he is just a new guy and lost in an unfamiliar place. I'm overreacting because every new person has led to disaster. Why should Jansen be an exception?
Then, just as we run through the final scene and Ryan's saying his lines, the auditorium door creaks open just a crack. No one but me notices the tiny bit of light seeping in through the door.
Someone stands beyond the door, peeking in.
I sniff.
I catch a whiff of burning hay and incense.
My heart leaps and I stand.
It's Brett. The one who knows how to fix Cayden and won't.
Ryan finishes his lines. Everyone claps.
But not me.
“Brie?” Ryan asks.
The door to the auditorium slams.
I rise.
Mr. Saffron eyes me. “We're not quite done yet, Brie.”
Brett was spying. I have to catch him. That might be all that can bring Cayden back.
“I have to go throw up,” I say.
Mr. Saffron grimaces. “Go ahead, but get back here soon. We still have things to review.”
I jump off the stage, sneakers hitting the auditorium floor. Brett's footfalls fade as he runs across the parking lot, though his scent remains. I should have heard him coming. But I was too focused on Ryan speaking.
I push open th
e door which fits into the whole gotta-throw-up act. But when I burst into the parking lot, no one's there. It's empty.
Brett vanishes into the woods. Pine branches and bare vines shake as he does. Then he crunches twigs and sticks.
Great. He's inviting me to shift and chase him, and he has defenses against Wolves. I catch a whiff of the toxic herb bag in the air.
Brett doesn't mean to meet me.
He meant to spy on me. How did he know I'd be here?
“Brett!” I shout, running across the parking lot.
The cracking fades as he runs into the woods. I still run fast in human form.
Running across the parking lot, I eye the setting sun and the dusk that's falling over everything. Brett keeps fleeing, leaving a scent trail in his wake.
“Get back here!” I demand. “What are you doing?”
A faint hope of curing Cayden and bringing him back comes over me as I bolt towards the line of trees. But I killed his father. He'll never surrender the rite willingly.
“Brett!”
In the distance, a lighter flicks. Herbs crackle and burn. He must know I can hear it. It's a warning.
Shadows dance around the tree trunks, hiding on the edge of my vision. I turn my head, but they vanish as I face them.
The dark spirits.
They're back.
Above me, a branch cracks.
I dodge out of the way as it falls, raining flecks of ice. The massive piece of wood crashes to the ground. It could have hurt me bad. Tree sap fills the air.
Brett breaks into run somewhere ahead. He, a regular human, is gaining distance. But the shadows remain, dancing in the zone between my vision and nothing. Dread fills my gut as my skin prickles. Magic works here. He's prepared.
“Brett! You're better off without your father!”
Or is he?
The prickling races over my skin and the air thickens. My heart races. I'm frozen. Something massive cracks. The sound drags out. It's as if—
A tree tilts.
Towards me.
Cayden's voice explodes in my mind.
Brie! Run!
Air shifts as they fall toward me. Branches hit others on their way to me. I dodge and bolt away from the tree line. An ancient pine topples toward me. I reach the parking lot. The tree must stand fifty feet high.
