Lone Wolf Rising (Paranormal Romantic Thriller) (The Winters Series)

by Jami Brumfield

  When he was comfortably in the driver’s seat, he asked, “I have to know, why is one sister in a cheerleading uniform and the other wearing jeans and a purple sweater?"

  “Homecoming week.” Savannah said it as if it made complete sense; her words and tone were short and sharp. Rebecca managed to get Savvy to agree to not confront him for the bruises last night, but she couldn’t guarantee Savvy’s attitude. “Hunter and I will be wearing school spirit colors all week.”

  Hunter was dressed in blue jeans, a white t shirt and a blue, white, and gold Letterman jacket. The mention of his uniform made him blush as he opened his smart phone and began punching buttons. Their outfits were a far cry from Rebecca’s ripped and faded blue jeans, and dark purple top that slid off one shoulder revealing the black tank top beneath.

  “I don’t know why I have to wear this. I’m second string. I probably won’t get to play at all Friday.” Hunter mumbled. Before the transformation, when he mumbled, Rebecca rarely caught it. But now she heard the words and noted the sadness in his tone.

  “You never know. They may bring you in.” Rebecca told him with an encouraging tone.

  “Regardless, you’re a member of a team and you’re showing team spirit and loyalty.” Savannah grinned as she ruffled Hunter’s hair. Then she turned her attention to Lucky. "So, Lucky, I understand you’re training our sister in self defense?" Her tone was sweet but in Savvy's case sweet was not always good. Rebecca sunk deeper into her seat wanting to disappear. It became painfully clear her promise was not going to be kept.

  "Yes, I’ m afraid we overdid it a little yesterday." He glanced at her in the rear view mirror.

  "Yes, I think you did. She had to soak for a good hour in the tub last night and was asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow."

  "Okay, sis, that’s enough." Rebecca’s tone was sharp and left little room for mistaking her meaning. Even Hunter pulled himself away from whatever he was doing on his phone to pay attention to the conversation.

  "No, I’m afraid that’s far from enough. I told you last night I was going to have a word with him about the training." She looked at Hunter before speaking her last word. "You need to go easier on her."

  "Savvy this is really none of...” Rebecca began.

  Lucky nodded. “You’re right. We’ll take the training down a notch." He smiled invitingly. "If you’re concerned, maybe you and Hunter would like to join us next weekend?"

  Savvy took a moment to consider this, but Hunter jumped in with both feet. "That would be awesome!"

  "I suppose it would be okay." Savvy finally said. Rebecca could tell she was softening.

  "Great. We’ll start Saturday morning at seven with a brisk run to build endurance and then train at my house until lunch." Lucky gave them an itinerary.

  "Count me in. It sounds like fun!" Hunter accepted and happily went back to his phone.

  "Sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday." Savannah accepted, but her heart wasn’t in it. Rebecca knew Savvy was not looking forward to the adventure but at least she was open to the idea. With that settled, Savvy changed the subject. “It’s a good thing you came along, Lucky. My sister needed a date to homecoming.”

  “Um, no I don’t.” Rebecca suddenly felt mortified as heat spread over her cheeks and neck. “I wasn’t planning on going.”

  “You have to go. It’s your senior year. You’ll never have a chance to go again.” Savannah sounded terrified at the idea that Rebecca would skip the dance.

  “Look I just have different priorities right now. Maybe I’ll make the next dance.” Even as she said it, Rebecca knew she was lying. She didn’t want this to become a back and forth discussion so she flavored her words with a twinge of warning. Savannah meant well, she really did, but this was not a topic that needed to be pushed on Rebecca. She was not the dance going type and having a pretend boyfriend wasn't going to change that.

  Rebecca could tell that Savvy was anxious to say more but held her tongue, her glare on the other hand, made it clear she was not going to drop the subject.

  “If you’re not going, I’m not going.” Hunter stated.

  And there was the rub. “I thought you would go with Natalia?” Rebecca asked, genuinely confused. They seemed awfully cozy last night.

  Hunter just shrugged. “I’m not going unless you go.”

  “And what about you, Savannah?” Lucky asked.

  “I have two offers and plan to make a decision today or tomorrow.” She also shrugged. "Becks and I were supposed to go dress shopping yesterday, but plans changed.” Her eyes darkened for a brief moment. It happened so fast Rebecca found herself wondering if it really happened at all. Savvy was too good of a person to hold a grudge over something so small.

  “I have a thought, why don’t we make it a group date?” Lucky asked. "That way we can all get to know each other better.” He slid Rebecca a grin and squeezed her hand gently. "Besides I wouldn't mind dancing with my girl."

  Butthead!

  Savannah and Hunter were already sounding excited at the idea. Now, not only was he making plans for her but he was involving her siblings in the game. It wasn’t like she could very well say no at this point. Rebecca sighed and said, “That sounds like a great idea.” The look she shot Lucky told him she wasn’t happy about it but her tone was happy.

  Cheers erupted from the backseat and she couldn’t help but smile at their excitement. Savannah talked the rest of the way to school about the homecoming dance; she was in charge of the decorations and was excited at how she planned to design the gym into a dance paradise. While they discussed the upcoming event, Rebecca’s mind traveled back to the person that was watching her last night. She had been in such a hurry to leave before Lucky got to the house this morning she forgot to look to see if the spy was hanging around. She focused her attention on the road ahead and her peripherals. If he was brave enough to stake out her house, there were no limits to what he would do, including staking out their school. She didn’t see anyone during the ride to school or when they separated to get to their respective classes. Lucky laced his fingers with hers and let her lead him to his homeroom which was conveniently also Rebecca’s.

  And so was every class before lunch. By the time the lunch bell rang she realized that his entire class schedule mirrored hers and that was, without a doubt, done purposefully so she decided there was no reason to fight it and to simply go with the flow. Besides, he was turning out to be a great guy; dangerously attractive, undeniably attentive, and completely out of her league.

  Jackson joined them in the lunch line. He was excited about the tryouts for the school play and had decided to take lunch studying a monologue he wanted to use. But the news of a new boyfriend got his attention and he wanted to make sure he met Lucky.

  “Lucky, this is my best friend, Jackson.”

  Jackson extended his hand to shake and said, “You can call me Jacks.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Jacks.”

  “Likewise, especially since you came out of nowhere.” Jacks pulled his hand back as though Lucky burned him. “Nephilim? Why is a Protector here?” Jacks whispered, his voice blended into the chaos that was the lunchroom. But she heard him loud and clear. The super hearing was becoming quite a welcomed gift.

  “You’re very observant.” Lucky smiled. He relied on his smile for so many things that Becca wondered what kind of person he would be if he wasn’t so ridiculously cute.

  “It’s part of the package of being psychic.” Jacks sniffed and turned his eyes towards Rebecca. “Is he here because of Dianna?”

  “What do you know about Dianna?” Lucky asked conversationally.

  Jacks shrugged and whispered, “She didn’t show up Rebecca’s first night as a wolf.”

  “She’s dead.” Rebecca told him. “They are all dead.” Tears stung her eyes.

  “That’s impossible.” Jacks shook his head like he was trying to remove the very thought from his mind.

  Rebecca pursed her lips, afra
id if she let herself she would cry.

  Lucky came to her rescue. “I’m sorry Jacks, it’s true.”

  “When?” Jacks was still shaking his head.

  “It happened the night before the full moon.” Lucky used a gentler voice, trying to break it to him easier.

  “But… why didn’t I see it?” Jacks sucked in a breath, air seemed to be hard for him to inhale. “Oh, my God, Becca… she knew it. She came to me frantic about something horrible that she felt was going to happen to all of them.” He covered his mouth, hiding the trembling lips. Dread filled his eyes. “What if I could have helped her?”

  Rebecca forced him to look at her. “If you could’ve done something, you would’ve because you are a remarkably caring person and would do anything for your friends.”

  His only answer was a head shake. Dread, fear and sorrow filled his eyes and Rebecca felt her heart break for him. He was such a wonderfully kind and compassionate person. It was one of the reasons she loved him so much. Lucky moved in closer to them, shielding them from those who were starting to notice their body language. She needed to bring him out of the emotional downfall he was heading towards.

  “Listen to me. I know you were friends with her a lot longer than me. I thought you knew. I’m so sorry you found out here.” Rebecca felt terribly guilty. With everything that was happening she didn’t even consider calling Jackson and letting him know about Dianna. “But we are drawing attention.” She offered a shaky smile. There was more at stake than popularity. It was all about keeping their dark secret. In that moment she finally understood her mother and grandmother’s paranoia. It was necessary to remain hidden. They were different, she was different now, and there was far more at stake than ever before.

  He nodded slowly. “I have to go.” Jacks left them standing there, watching his body vanish in the wave of students.

  Lucky pulled Rebecca back into the lunch line. She wanted to go after him but knew he needed some time to process.

  They began piling food on their trays. Lucky, trying to lighten the mood, joked about how much protein was on Rebecca’s plate. His joking hit home. It seemed her metabolism had sped up since the change and the only way she could slow it down a little and keep her weight up was by eating protein. At least she was eating healthier before the change she would have settled for a cup of yogurt and some fruit.

  She searched the lunch room for her siblings in silence, worried about Jacks. After the second rotation through the crowd she decided to lead Lucky outside to the tables in the promenade. They found a nice spot under the large oak tree and settled in as she watched for any sign of her sister or brother.

  “I know what you did.” Rebecca told him as she eyed the crowd. They went to a performing arts school, and it was a popular one, so the school was at full capacity. That and the fact that her siblings were wearing the same colors as just about everyone else made it impossible to spot them. The crowd of students and faculty was like an ocean wave weaving in and out. If she wasn’t careful she would wind up with sea sickness.

  “Oh?” He didn’t look up from his meal but was eating very slowly. Carefully. She noticed again his polite and well-mannered etiquette. It was obvious he was raised with high society mannerisms.

  “You copied all my classes so you could be at my side at all times.” She took a bite of food.

  “Yes.” He didn’t bother denying it. Which made the situation that more annoying. “But it wasn’t just to keep an eye on you.” He finally looked up from his plate and flashed a dimpled smile which only made his good looks criminal. “Did you know that you’re in classes with a few other supernatural beings?”

  She felt her forehead wrinkle when she realized it was odd for her to have not noticed something like that. Her wolf, or alpha, or whatever was very good at telling her when she was around other supernatural beings. Now she was curious as to who they were. “No, I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “Most of them are natural borns and they are pre-pubescent which means they haven’t undergone the full change so it would’ve been very difficult recognizing them unless you were looking for them.” His statement was meant to make her feel better about missing such an important detail. It didn’t.

  “That’s no excuse. I’m in a world that seems to care little about my inexperience or letting me learn on the curve. A mistake like that could cost me my life or worse, my family’s.”

  “I admire that determination. Tell you what, turn on those senses and tell me if you recognize any in the crowd over there.” He pointed to the blue, white, and gold wave of students.

  Fantastic. His test was like finding a needle in a haystack, literally. There must have been at least three hundred people outside today. But her alpha wouldn’t be outmaneuvered. They both loved a challenge. She immediately zeroed in on possible outliers. The outcasts were the obvious choice. They had to know they did not belong and this would have only diminished self esteem and confidence; especially after Lucky pointed out that not even ten percent of the Phoenix area residents were supernatural. It also would create a pack mentality which was something she was very familiar with as a wolf.

  She pointed out Ethan McKenna who sat amongst a group of four Goth students. Of that group, he was the leader. He openly smoked a cigarette which she sensed was clove, catching a slight whiff of it on the air. He was dressed in black and he wore piercings in so many areas of his body that one would have spent half an hour trying to count them. It was rumored that other more private areas of his body were also pierced, not that she cared to find out.

  “Very good. He comes from a family of trolls.”

  Rebecca held back her laughter. “Come on, he may be different but he is one of the taller students in his grade. He also lacks the frizzy stand-at-attention hair style. I would have taken Jeremiah Jones for a troll before Ethan.” She pointed at the punk rocker who wore his green hair in a spiked Mohawk. “But I don’t think Jeremiah is a supernatural.”

  “Trolls are not the undesirable little creatures who live under bridges trying to scare little girls crossing over, like the fairy tales have depicted. They are gallant creatures that a protector would be honored to fight beside. I bet he is one of the strongest and most agile students in your school. You would do good to befriend him now that you share a common destiny.”

  “Befriend Ethan the troll, got it.” She finished texting Savvy when Ethan turned to lock gazes with her. She must’ve been staring at him too long, or he felt her eyes on him because he turned his gaze onto hers. When their eyes locked she noticed something was off about him. A warning caressed her skin in the form of goose bumps and she turned her attention away from him. She would not befriend him. Maybe there was another troll she could get to know. He wasn’t quite right and her instinct was rarely wrong now that it was tied to her alpha.

  Her phone buzzed but she ignored it as she searched the crowd again. Next, she pointed out Sundae Monroe. Her name alone got her teased which was sad because she was a very pretty tiny girl. The problem was she made very little sense when people spoke to her. It was like she lived in another world, one that was made up of dreams. “She is a dream weaver.” Rebecca said softly as the answer came to her.

  “Very good. It appears your alpha is bonding with you quite nicely.” Lucky couldn’t help but smile.

  “Maybe so, but she isn’t telling me what a dream weaver does.” Rebecca’s phone buzzed again.

  “You going to get that?” Lucky asked, curiosity written on his face.

  “In a minute. So, what’s a dream weaver?”

  “They’re similar to the human idea of the sandman. They used to help people sleep. Now they’re more prone to creating nightmares that end in death.” He finished the rest of his plate and pushed it forward.

  “But she looks so innocent and sweet.” Sundae’s hair looked like it was spun from the moon. She wore it long and straight. Her eyes, which seemed to stare off into space, were sky blue. Suddenly Sundae’s eyes locked on
to hers and Rebecca sucked in a deep breath. Sundae’s angry glare told her all she needed to know about her; stay far away.

  The phone buzzed again so Rebecca picked it up. Savannah had texted her four times asking where she was and telling her that she needed to see her urgently. Rebecca sent her a quick text asking where she was, told Lucky, and took a few more bites from her plate. She grabbed hers and Lucky’s plate and dumped them in the garbage. By the time she was finished Savvy sent a reply telling Rebecca she was at the football field with Hunter.

  Homecoming! Rebecca should have guessed that was why she couldn’t find her. She really needed to pay better attention to her siblings sometimes. They made their way quickly across the commons. Rebecca noticed multiple people she had never even spoken to were watching them with cautious eyes. She guessed others could recognize her like she recognized them. It could also be the obvious fact that she had a gorgeous guy walking beside her.

  ‘Supernatural’s are different from humans and they can sense it. It becomes more obvious when multiple supernatural beings are in the same area.’ Her wolf piped up to answer her thoughts.

  ‘That can make it difficult to blend in.’ Rebecca responded, more out of courtesy since she knew the wolf could read her thoughts. The wolf didn’t show the same courtesy, she simply shrugged in her mind.

  When they were clear of the crowd she asked Lucky, “What are blood brokers?” It wasn’t a random thought; she had been marinating on it since Saturday night’s council meeting. She had skimmed the ‘rules’ book from front to back and found no mention of ‘blood brokers’ and figured now was as good a time to ask as any other.

  “Let’s save that conversation for later.” His fingers laced with hers and she felt safe.