by Holly Hook
Then Matt bares his teeth and growls. Even as a human, he was disgusting. As a Wolf, he's worse. How many people has he hurt? I tell myself that over and over. I should attack and protect everyone in the school.
“I'm not like him,” he demands. “He's an asshole.”
I snort again. “You're right about one thing,” I say. “Why are you here? I bet the Savage King offered to help you and then took it away. Or said you deserve to become nothing but an animal.”
“I don't want that!” Matthew shouts. “And I told you. Help me. Are you stupid or something?”
“We kill him," Everly says.
I eye her. She grimaces. I wait for Matt to move, but he waits.
“I came here for selfish reasons, okay? I didn't know at first I'd lose everything. That I'd just turn into a monster and be a puppet. You know witches, don‘t you? They might be able to get the monster out of me.”
Remo swallows and takes the lead. “You came here to restore your humanity. We can't help you.”
I look at Matt. Real fear blooms in his eyes, and the metallic scent of terror mixes with his revolting one. Matt's still the alpha of the nearby Savage pack. He's still a Savage Wolf who doesn't care about humans or anyone but himself.
An idea hatches. “Wait. Maybe we can use him.”
Matt remains in place. But a faint tremor sweeps over his body. “You had better make a decision and fast.” He grips the floor, letting his fingers splay out. “It's trying to take over again.”
I back away, dropping the lid to the cleaner. The chemical stench joins the rest.
“We have to kill him!" Everly says.
Letting Matthew live is a bad idea—even worse than bringing Karina into the Lowe cabin.
But he might be the key to finding Brett and forcing him back here.
“Step back,” I order Matt. “There might be a cure. But you have to help us before we help you.”
Everly pulls at her shirt. “We don‘t have much time.”
Matt lets out a breath. “I don't care what I have to do.”
Matt has a hope, and we need to use it. I feel slimy promising him something we can't give, but Matt has forfeited all mercy and kindness.
And we need Cayden back.
And then Cayden's voice explodes in my head. Brie! What's happening?
“Knock me out or something!" Matt shouts. He grabs his head. “I don‘t care what—”
Everly crouches. A growl emerges from her throat. She might die doing this. Seconds matter.
I pull the bottle of cleaner back and splash it all over Matt's face.
He seethes in agony and falls to the floor, covering his face. The Savage stench wavers. Adrenaline fills the air. Matt rolls around, sucking in gasping breaths as Remo runs to the supply shelf, seizing a cloth and running his finger down the ingredient list of a bottle. Everly rises in shock and watches Matt try to wipe a green liquid off his face. I smell spicy inflammation. I hear the whisper of skin trying to pull together. He‘s in agony.
And my Noble side hates every second of it. Before I would have relished this.
“Tie him up," I say. “Now. He can bring us Brett.”
Everly stares at me like I'm crazy, but hope fills her eyes. “Remo. Do something."
He grabs a bottle, and then another, scrambling to pour the contents of both on an old, dirty cloth. More chemical smells fill the basement as Matt rolls around, distracted by the pain.
"Tie me up now!" he says. "It's gone. But it'll be back. Do it now!"
His throat is gurgling.
Everly hesitates, then grabs a yellow rope from the shelf. I catch it and sit on Matt's back, binding his wrists. Each one of his breaths gurgle. He inhaled some acid. His skin continues to whisper as his body tries to heal. Matt seethes with each breath, but he doesn't fight me.
He's surrendering. Everly and I look at each other as I tighten the knots.
“We'll need more than this to keep him subdued,” I say.
“Working on it,” Remo says.
“I still don't think this is a good idea.” Everly paces.
“I don't care if you stab me with silver,” Matt says. “Or if silver can stop this from happening.”
“Consecrated silver might help,” I say, thinking of the Russells and how they provided the silver pendants to my father and aunt. I've only handled silver a couple times since turning, but each time, my senses weakened and I didn't feel as strong. “Silver will work. Let me talk to the Russells and we'll see what we can do.”
“It won't be strong enough to make him human,” Everly says.
Remo folds a damp cloth that reeks of chemicals and gives off vapor. “Leonora says silver can weaken a werewolf and make it harder for them to shift. It can kill if it inflicts a bad enough injury. Your dagger.” He looks at me. “That might work.”
“I don't care what you have to do!” He shouts. “It's coming back.” A horrific growl emerges from his throat. “Your alpha is sick. I'll grab you the guy who can fix him.”
He's just cast the lure. And taking it fills me with terror.
Remo runs over.
And presses the damp cloth against Matt's face. “This will make you unconscious.”
Matt, instead of fighting, inhales.
He coughs in pain and forces in another breath.
After a few more breaths, he goes still. Remo keeps the cloth against his face so hard he might suffocate Matt without the help of chemicals.
“Remo to the rescue,” he says, facing Everly. “And you said the science club was a waste of time.”
“He can get us Brett?” I ask.
“Matt's just saying that to trick us,” Everly says.
“But look at him. He'll let us pour acid on his face. What does that tell you?” I ask.
I don't dare take my gaze off Matt. Remo sits on him, making sure he won't fight. That makes me feel a lot better.
“He's still a Savage Wolf,” Everly says. “Remember when you trusted Brett?”
“He would have helped us if I hadn't killed Mr. Hayde,” I say.
“Are you sure about that?” Everly asks.
“Brett‘s terrified,” I say. “He hates Romulus. Brett won't let me get near him. Maybe he'll let someone else get near him. Do you have any other ideas?”
“We have to keep Matt subdued,” Remo says. “And that won't be easy. Chlorine gas is nasty, but I don't think it can keep a werewolf down forever.”
Chapter Eleven
Remo keeps the cloth of toxic chemicals held to Matthew's face. Matthew rouses several times, coughs, thrashes, and loses consciousness again. Remo has to sit on Matthew, being the biggest of us all, and keep his own face out of the fumes. His neck muscles strain.
“How does that work?” I ask him. “What did you do? Can we even get him out of the school with no one seeing?” My senses will have to come in handy. I hear no one approaching the basement door. But we can't stay down here forever. A janitor will find this.
My phone buzzes with a text. I know it's from Cayden. He's worried. And the longer I take to answer, the worse it will get.
“I mixed a couple cleaners you should never mix,” Remo says. We'll make it work," Remo says. “Everly. Did the Russells get back to you?”
“They'll meet us at the cabin,” she says. “They have Leonora's silver dagger. We can use that against Matt once we get him there.” She glares at me from the side of her vision.
I stare at Matthew. His breaths still gurgle. He could die if we keep this up, but we have to protect ourselves, even if it involves killing him.
But he didn't ask to turn.
Why am I feeling sorry for him?
I shake my head. Matt deserves to lie there in pain with his lungs burning. Remo continues to explain chemical formulas as Everly paces and taps at her phone.
“I'll go get the SUV,” she says.
“It's best if you do it,” Remo tells her. “Matthew won't be going anywhere like this. Tell the Russells to bring w
olfsbane.”
“I will,” The bell rings to begin afternoon classes and she marches up the stairs. I listen as her footsteps creep down the now-empty hall, merging with the flow of students.
Remo and I face each other. He keeps the cloth to Matthew's face. The stench isn't has bad from up here, but it mixes with the rotting wood. “Never mix bleach and ammonia unless you like chlorine fumes.”
“That's what you did?”
“Matt asked us to do it.”
“Does it turn into acid in your lungs?”
“When it hits water, yeah. Hydrochloric acid.”
“He won't live like that forever.” Fear grips my heart and I think of Cayden. We connected again a few minutes ago. The danger brought us together even though we're hundreds of miles apart. He sensed this in a way.
My phone buzzes again.
“That's him,” Remo says. “Or Leonora.” The longing fills his voice.
We're in the same boat. We miss our people.
“I can put this on speakerphone and call,” I offer. It's more than what Everly would do. “He won't stay on long.” This is risky.
“Yes, please.” Remo shifts and presses the cloth harder to Matthew's face. Fluid shifts in his lungs. It's revolting and I hope Remo's hearing isn't enough to pick that up, but his grimace tells me otherwise.
I call Cayden's number. He answers on the first ring as if he were waiting for me.
“Brie! What's going on?”
“We've got Matthew,” I say. “He surrendered himself to us. Remember how Romulus‘s descendants go crazy? It's happening, and it scares him.”
“He deserves it,” Cayden says.
“Matt held back his shift,” I say. “He begged us to subdue him. Matt even offered to let us stab him with silver.”
“He's dangerous even if he doesn't want to be a Wolf anymore.” Cayden's voice echoes through the boiler room.
“What's going on?” Leonora's in the background. Somewhere on the other side, a water fountain gurgles and a TV drones. Cayden might be in the same hotel.
“You have had no more pain attacks, have you?” I ask.
“No. But the pain of being away is worsening. I don't know if I can stay out of Breck much longer.” His words stretch out.
“We're almost there,” I say, trying to soothe him. The agony in Cayden's voice haunts me. “Matthew will find Brett for us so long as we control him. In exchange we try to slow down him turning into a complete animal.”
“Matt doesn't seem like the type to want that. We saw him. He revels in dominating others and being a beast.”
“This is the only chance we have.” It's my turn to sound desperate. “Let us do this, Cayden, and don't come back until we know we can fix you.”
“This could be a way to get me back. Maybe the Savage King knows I'm gone. It would be another setup. He's not stupid like the other Savages. Well, maybe. It would help if any of us had seen him.” I can hear Cayden trying to convince himself.
“He's...” The tug in my chest begs me to reveal everything, to have him in my arms again. Lying to my mate makes my chest tighten. “He's been a no-show so far.” I won't lose Cayden even if it kills me. Cayden's voice reverberates in my head. It's all I have, and when I end the call, I'll be in charge again. “What do you think we should do with Matthew? So far, we're taking him to the cabin and the Russells will help us bind him with silver. Or something. They can help.”
“That might work on a regular werewolf. But Matthew's more than that. He's your equivalent. Only stronger, because he has zero qualms about killing.”
“I'm weak because I don't like to kill?”
“I'm not saying that,” Cayden says. “He's got nothing to lose. That's what I mean. Brie, I don't want you to be anything like Matthew. You're not a natural killer. But sometimes, you have to do what you have to. I did with the last Savage alpha. Don‘t let your regret be your weakness.”
“But wouldn't the Savages have a weakness, too?” I ask. I don't want to end the conversation. My phone beeps with another call trying to come through, and I bet it‘s Aunt May. “There has to be something we can exploit.”
“They're not very intelligent. That's the only weakness they have,” Cayden says. “But we know what ours is. And if we want to survive, we need to do something about it.”
I know what he's saying.
We need to forget about any mercy. If Everly were here, she'd translate his words for me. Cayden doesn't want me to keep Matthew alive in the hope of a cure.
“We need this guy,” Remo says. “The Russells could experiment on him.”
“He's too dangerous,” Cayden says. “Killing him...killing him would be mercy compared to what will happen. If it were me, I wouldn't want to just become a wild animal who can't return to human form.”
Though it‘s not a direct command, the force of Cayden‘s words wash over me. He's still alpha.
“But he might be the key to Brett,” I say. “Let us get information about him first.”
“We're not letting anyone else in. Matt could let the Savage King into our territory for all we know. If he got in, Romulus won't have a problem. And I bet Brett's using his magic to help them sneak around.” Now Cayden's tense. Commanding. Even over the speakerphone, I can hear his fear. He's afraid for me, that I'll mess up again and make things worse. He still wants to be alpha so I don't have to be.
Everly's footsteps approach from above. She's back, and the halls are empty again.
“We need to move before a janitor comes down here,” Remo says.
“I know.”
“Don't keep Matthew any longer than necessary,” Cayden says. “Get him to a secluded place and do what you have to. That's an order. And don't let him wake up.”
Though I hate being told what to do, it's relieving in a way. The pressure lifts from my shoulders. I want to give in.
Remo gulps. He's looking for help, he mouths.
I'm shaking. “Cayden, this means we can't be together any more. Brett won't help us out of his own free will and I have no clue where Karina is. I can't even get close to Brett and his little spy--“
“His little spy?”
This is new.
“What little spy?” Cayden presses.
"Jansen," I say. "There's a new guy in drama club, and he just sits by himself and texts all the time. But we have his phone and we're going to crack it later." With Matthew here, I forgot for a little while. "We'll let you know if we find anything useful. Or Brett's location."
"Great," Cayden says. "Maybe I can come back sooner than I expected. Leonora, too. I know how much she and Remo miss each other."
"Remo's there?" Leonora asks.
"Hey," Remo says, smiling despite the fact that he still sits on a guy whose breaths gurgle.
"Get rid of Matthew now," she begs. "I don't want you getting hurt."
So they're on the same page about killing him.
Everly opens the door and creeps down the stairs.
I have to decide. I should kill Matthew while he lies here, helpless and giving himself up. He's taking a huge risk and not just from us. Everly, Cayden, and Leonora all agree. They fear for us, and rightly so.
But the cure...
We probably stand no chance of killing the Savage King, who waits for Cayden to return and end himself. So long as he's cursed and Romulus lives, Cayden can't be with me. Maybe not even from a distance.
"Brie?" he asks.
I end the call.
"Load Matthew up," I say, hating myself. "We need to keep a close eye on him. We've got him and the phone. Maybe we can finally get some answers."
* * * * *
Getting Matthew into the SUV isn't easy, mainly because we have to plot a way past classrooms without being seen. Just the sight of Matthew will set off alarm bells to everyone. His going missing is famous. Someone will call the cops.
It hurts that all the classrooms have windows in their doors. Remo and I have to duck and drag Matthew past and lis
ten for the hall monitors. Everly keeps a lookout. Thankfully, the two patrols are on the other side of the school, chewing out a student who got caught trying to skip an art class. I nod to the others so they know it‘s safe. Everly's parked the SUV near the tree line, far from where the parking lot monitor drives around in her golf cart. We have to wait at the entrance before she leaves the lot to patrol the track.
“Now,” Remo says, lifting the cloth from Matt's face for a second.
“Huh?” Matt asks, trembling.
“Don't you dare,” Everly says from behind us.
“You're not the one dragging him,” I say. “This guy is heavy.” I hate having his arm over my shoulders. My skin crawls at his touch. Even if we were human, I'd shudder. Cayden's right that Matthew doesn't deserve our help, and I hate that I'm going against what he says. It's the Royal in me. I've never wanted to take orders.
Maybe that's another weakness.
Kindness, and rebellion. How on earth do the two go together?
With the coast clear, we drag Matthew over to the SUV and load him into the back. Remo remains with him as Everly and I get in the front and drive to the cabin where Aunt May and the Russells wait. Everly's been making lots of phone calls, and I realize Aunt May must have tried calling me when I was on the phone with Cayden. The worry in her bright blue eyes is obvious when I get out of the SUV.
“Sorry,” I say. “We have a special delivery.”
“Let me handle him,” Aunt May demands. “I've had enough of you putting yourself in danger. And I talked to Cayden. You know what we have to do, and you will stand aside for this.” Her glare tells me to stand down. Aunt May has given up all pack order to protect me.
“No. I'm in charge when he's gone,” I say, shocked at how strong my voice sounds.
“You're still my niece. I have the duty of protecting you.” But as Aunt May speaks, she shrinks back. She must feel the way I do when Cayden gives orders.
And she must hate it as much. We're not in the human world anymore and certain rules no longer apply. Aunt May looks back at the Russells, who stand on the porch of the cabin.
