Rule of Claw: Wolves of Worsham #1

by Valerie Evans

  “It is not. Do you know where Landon is?” he demanded with none of his usual calm. The abundance of background noise didn’t help matters, but he seemed to be raising his voice to be heard. “He’s not answering his phone, and Melanie’s freaking out.”

  Presumably having heard the question through the phone, Landon rolled off the bed then checked the nearby space for his own phone. He grabbed it, though his frown prompted her to say, “He’s here with me. What’s going on?”

  A swear from the opposite side of the bed distracted her from the phone until Steven’s voice called, “Found him. He’s at Imogene’s. Should I tell them both to come here?”

  “Come where?” she questioned, already up and moving with a quick glance at the bedside clock to see it was just after eleven. A pair of tennis shoes were grabbed from the closet and tugged on while cradling the phone between her shoulder and ear. “What’s going on, Steven?”

  He hesitated then said, “We had another attack, but it wasn’t at the bar this time. We also have some prisoners. How fast can you and Landon get to the amphitheater?”

  Landon’s voice distracted her as he told someone, “I’m on my way now. You’re sure that it’s not that bad? Okay, I’ll see you in ten.”

  “Ten,” she echoed before hanging up the call at the same time Landon ended his and shoving the phone in her back pocket. “What happened?”

  “Apparently someone attacked some of the teens while they were down at the creek,” he said as he sat to tug on his boots. He made short work of tying them then headed out, gesturing for her to follow. “Eliana and Elliot were with them.”

  “Are they okay?” She hurried to keep up with him and snag her glasses from the coffee table to slide them on. He grabbed his riding jacket then handed it to her with an order of, “Put that on. The bike’s faster than on foot or your car. Charlie says it isn’t too bad, but he sounds shaken up so I want to be there for him.”

  Not even bothering to ask for further details, Imogene hurried out the front door after him with barely enough forethought to lock the door behind them. He went straight to the motorcycle and climbed on, passing the helmet back to her, though her own mounting took a bit longer, having to use him for balance before winding her arms around his waist.

  “Hold on!” Landon’s shout had her closing her eyes as he put the bike in motion, turning toward Micah and Steven’s house, likely to use the familiar trail behind it. Cold air whipped against her face as she held onto him and tried to stifle her overactive imagination since Steven rarely demonstrated agitation which likely meant some of their teens had been involved.

  Despite a tiny part of her wanting to relive the old days of riding with Landon on his bike, her concerns vastly outweighed the nostalgia. Her imagination tried to paint gruesome pictures of what might have happened, though she told herself a group would be better off than Letty had been on her own. Except the teenagers weren’t as experienced with their wolves and lacked control which heightened the chance something had gone terribly wrong if they hadn’t exercised the usual pack instincts for fight or flight.

  As if sensing the nature of her thoughts, one of Landon’s hands moved to give hers a squeeze before withdrawing. He made the turn past Micah and Steven’s house then headed down the path behind it, leaning forward to avoid the lower hanging branches. Recalling their original rides back in the day, she kept herself pressed against him while her arms tightened around his waist. Her eyes squeezed shut, though not from fear given he rode far better than the early days, but more to block the wind tearing at her despite the helmet and jacket.

  After what felt like forever, the motorcycle began to slow so she opened her eyes and gave herself a little space from him as the amphitheater’s rarely used lights came into view between the trees. The motorcycle’s roar drowned out any sound from within, though a crowd was visible through the trees then became bigger as Landon finally brought them to a stop just before the rows leading up to the stage.

  Members of the guard were lined up on the three sides that didn’t face the stage as if to create an impenetrable barrier to any threats. Familiar faces lined with stress and paranoia were picked out among them along with more unfamiliar ones.

  Stumbling off the bike, Imogene caught herself with a hand on his shoulder then removed the helmet, abandoning it with him and the bike. Her eyes skimmed the crowd until spotting Micah and Steven at the stage’s edge alongside Scott and Constance plus Melanie, though Charlie stood off to the side with an arm around each of his kids who seemed fine from a distance. Even as she headed for the other leaders, her eyes skimmed over the gathered wolves and picked out a handful of their younger ones who seemed disheveled, including Alice who often hung out with Eliana.

  A trio of slumped figures in all black were seated on the far edge of the stage under the watchful eyes of Paul and Tyler who didn’t look to be enjoying their shared job. Several other wolves in human form lingered nearby, but she made a beeline for Micah and Steven while aware Landon had gone straight to Charlie.

  “Is everyone okay?” she demanded as Micah’s arms enfolded her in a hug and Steven joined a minute later. The embraces were returned without hesitation, though Scott’s throat being cleared had her pulling back. “Do we know what happened?”

  Melanie replied, “To the best of what we’ve gotten from the kids, they were down at the creek like y’all did growing up when a couple pick-up trucks pulled up. It didn’t seem like a problem, just people attracted by the bonfire, but they were overly aggressive for humans even before one of them pulled a knife.”

  She paused as Charlie appeared at her side, presumably having left the twins with his siblings, and added, “Elliot says they weren’t able to turn which meant they had to fight. Thankfully, most of those involved are part of the future guard so they know the human ways as much as the wolf defenses.”

  “But no one was seriously hurt?” Imogene glanced at the grim faces around her then asked, “Deaths?”

  “Not of ours,” Scott said, butting in again. “Some are likely to have silver scarring, but the bigger issue is this attack.”

  “And the inability to change.” Charlie’s words were almost a growl. “Between new wolves and hormones, the turn should have been automatic but not one them can turn.”

  “Wait, can’t turn as in currently unable to turn?” she asked with a glance around for nods of confirmation. “Have one of you tested it?”

  “Several of us,” Charlie said, though his grim expression let her anticipate the words. “No one can call their wolves, Imogene, not even Mom, Scott, or Micah. As of now, we might as well be humans.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “We might as well be humans.”

  Landon’s eyes widened in shock at his brother’s words, though a glance toward the grim faces of the nearby wolves confirmed it. The squeeze to his hand made him aware Riley had withdrawn one arm from hugging Eliana to grasp his, and he gratefully squeezed back as he glanced at Elliot on his other side. Dried blood and dirt streaked his face and usual black attire yet the scowl truly caught his attention for how it resembled Charlie or his mother’s in alpha mode.

  While Elliot was nowhere close to becoming a true alpha, the younger wolves were his future pack so likely he felt a certain responsibility to them. Remembering the flippant words from several days earlier, Landon gave his shoulder a squeeze and questioned, quietly, “You know this isn’t your fault, right?”

  Elliot’s shoulder tensed then deflated. “Isn’t it, though? I’m the one who said we should go out there and have the stupid bonfire.”

  “You were honoring tradition,” he argued, still keeping his voice low. “How many times did we take you guys out there growing up, and nothing happened? You couldn’t have known, Elliot.”

  “He’s right.” Eliana’s voice startled him, though he and Elliot both turned to find her having pulled back from Riley’s embrace. One of her eyes was nearly swollen shut along with scratches beneath a mix of dri
ed blood and dirt streaks, but she echoed, “This isn’t your fault. You did what Grandma or Dad would have done to protect everyone, Elliot, and I know I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

  Taking a step to the side, Landon released Riley’s hand so Elliot could take his place beside Eliana then focused his attention back on the stage’s edge. None of the tensions had faded, though he had to play a bit of catch-up to the heated argument between his mother and Scott that should have been louder with his enhanced senses. He grew suddenly aware of how limited his senses felt, likely a side effect of whatever prevented them from turning.

  He started to move closer when Charlie cupped his hands around his mouth and called, “We’re asking that everyone take a seat while we inspect those captured. I know you all want answers, but we do, too, and it’ll be easier if everyone remains calm.”

  Before his absence, Landon would have made a sarcastic comment except only a glance around alerted him to the fact they were standing in a powder keg primed for explosion. He sank onto the bench beside Elliot then frowned as Alexis suddenly appeared, though before he could ask, she said, “I was trying to get in touch with Matthew, but the asshole isn’t answering.”

  He could only imagine how Matthew would feel to learn something had happened to the twins in his absence, but part of him said it served the other right for leaving. At least fate had seen fit to spare him coming home to more bodies, though a swear from the stage area had him focusing again on the slumped figures now in front of the alphas as Tyler and Paul stepped back. No movement came from any of the black-clad figures or attempts to break their bonds which struck him as suspicious.

  One his mother’s hands reached out to touch the figure on the far right who responded by slumping back. Her fingers went to his neck, and Landon managed to squint and read her lips as she said, “He’s dead.” Similar checks were done to the other two before Micah and Scott shook their heads, likely indicating the others were, too.

  Apparently others had read their lips, too, since a mix of whispering and shouting began from those in the stands. While Steven and Constance moved away to calm their packs, his mother and Charlie turned and made their own attempts to quiet the conversation; however, Landon caught the barest jerk of Imogene’s head and stood, making his way down to her despite being well aware how he lacked position to meet with the alphas.

  She met him at the edge of the row before the stage along with Charlie and questioned, “You remember telling me about Nathan and Molly being hunters?” He gave an immediate nod as Charlie’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Do you know how to identify them? We know those behind the attacks are humans, but they seem a little too well-prepared.”

  He hesitated then admitted, “I can try reaching out to Molly, but she isn’t exactly my biggest fan so this could be for nothing.”

  “If there’s even a chance, we have to take it,” Imogene said, glancing behind her. “Call her.”

  Moving closer to the bodies, aware of Scott’s scowl plus Micah and his mother’s curiosity, he snapped a quick picture with his phone then sent it with a S.O.S. caption and a wolf emoji. He didn’t know the wisdom of involving a werewolf executioner in their business, especially in the middle of the night, but he didn’t know anyone else to ask about hunters, and he doubted any of her fellow Sentries would leave Anberlin that easily.

  Within a minute, his phone rang, though he answered with a question of, “Do those look like hunters to you?”

  “Hello to you, too,” came the familiar dose of sarcasm on the other end. “I can’t say, but Parker says they look more militant, maybe mercenaries, than anything else. I take it staying out of trouble hasn’t been working?”

  Landon almost cracked a smile except the multitude of eyes on him had him changing his mind. “I’m sure you understand how boredom among wolves isn’t exactly a good thing,” he said, glancing toward the bodies again. “Do you know of anything that can keep werewolves from being able to shift?”

  Molly fell silent for what had to be a full minute. “Why are you asking me this?”

  “Because I’m looking at close to thirty werewolves who are suddenly unable to shift with no explanation,” he informed her, ignoring the glares from the others who didn’t seem to appreciate his honesty. “You can imagine this is not going over well.”

  Molly stayed silent longer than he wanted then began, “I don’t know anything about it personally, but I would suggest searching the bodies for any kind of electronic device. Think like a jammer for phones.”

  Frowning, he put the phone on speaker and held it out to the others. “Say that again.”

  She released a heavy sigh then repeated, “Search the bodies for any kind of electronic device, something small that’s concealable, and break it.”

  “Who the hell is that?” Scott demanded while Imogene and Charlie moved over to the bodies, beginning to search them. “The last thing we need is anyone kno---”

  “I’m someone who has far better things to do than listen to you,” Molly’s voice said, earning several snickers. “Just do the damn search and let me know what you find, Landon. I’m in the middle of a twelve hour shift so text, don’t call.”

  The call abruptly ended, though his mother looked about as happy with the phone call as Scott so he offered up, “She’s like a supernatural cop, used to be married to a friend of mine, and trust me, you would not win a fight with her.”

  Whatever argument Scott started to raise ended as Charlie and Imogene brought over a handful of items that would fit within the category of small electronic devices. None stood out as incriminating, though.

  “How do we test it?” he asked, though Paul had already begun stripping down.

  “I’ll try to shift after every item is broken.”

  Despite the lingering tension, there were agreeing nods from the alphas before Charlie dropped the first phone and stomped it to pieces, though Paul shook his head after a minute of nothing happening. A second phone and a walkie talk followed yet nothing changed. Only when a surprisingly high-tech watch had been crushed under Imogene’s heel did he begin to shift; however, Paul had barely gotten halfway when he groaned in pain and shifted back to human.

  “So that’s one.” Landon crouched to pick out the watch pieces then stood. “Any more watches?”

  Charlie’s crushing of the watch in his pile did nothing, though the follow-up with an earpiece allowed Paul to get completely to his wolf form despite seeming winded. Its pieces were collected by Micah before he instructed, “Imogene, see if you can turn now.”

  Giving a nod and passing her glasses to him, Imogene stripped down while Landon averted his eyes then cringed at the familiar snapping and twisting of bones. He gave it thirty seconds then glanced over to find the familiar brown wolf at his side, though she demonstrated none of the windedness Paul had shown earlier. Judging by the faces around him, the others had noticed, too, but no one said anything as Paul and Imogene both went back to human form then switched again without any problem.

  After changing back to human form, they began to dress again, though he noticed Imogene didn’t pull his jacket back on. Instead, she left it on the edge of the stage.

  Landon’s hand went to his phone to call Molly back except his mother’s hand halted it, glancing up to her. “How did she know about the devices?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” he said, dropping his hand to his side. “She used to be a hunter and is now responsible for a town with I’d say at least a 60% supernaturally diverse population so maybe something she’s heard rumors about? Threats to their own wolves and what-not.”

  “Or she did it,” Scott snapped as his eyes shifted completely into the wolf. “Once a hunter, always a hunter.”

  Landon rolled his eyes. “Trust me when I say she has enough problems of her own without crossing multiple state lines to bug werewolves,” he argued then glared at his brother’s snort. “What matters is we now know they have a way to prevent us from changing forms so what do we do
?”

  The silence among alphas lengthened before Micah remarked, “If only we had someone who specialized in electronics and could take a look, figure out how it works.”

  His words were accompanied by a pointed look at Soctt who scowled.

  “Any word from Matthew, Melanie?”

  “None.” His mother’s tone betrayed more concern than she'd likely intended, but she followed up by adding, “But we can officially say the flyers aren’t just a nuisance anymore given someone attacked the future of our pack. At least one member of every pack was attacked, including my grandchildren, so I say it’s time to remind the humans exactly who lives in these woods.”

  A chill slid down Landon’s back at those words and how strangely similar to Walsh his mother sounded in that moment. Only a glance around proved their voices were carrying again with the electronic devices broken and not a lot of people seemed against the idea. However, Imogene frowned whereas Micah and Steven had exchanged a look that he knew criticized his mother’s and Scott’s rash words, having always been less bloodthirsty than the other leaders of their community.

  “Are we sure that’s a go--” His words came to an abrupt end as Charlie held up a hand that instantly silenced all those present. For a brief moment, he stared at his father rather than his brother, though the next words were far too rational for the man who’d raised them.

  “We know the people involved frequent The Red Stag so we go there,” he said, sweeping a glance around them. “Only there. The last thing we need is to paint a target on ourselves with the humans on our side by being indiscriminately threatening, but you still have contacts at city hall, Micah? And the police station, Mom?”

  His mother nodded despite looking less than thrilled to have been overruled but didn’t appear ready to argue either.

  “I do. I’ll call as soon as we end this.” Micah agreed without hesitation before he questioned, “How do we decide who goes?”

  Charlie’s hesitation gave Scott a chance to interrupt, “If we want them to know we mean business, at least one heir from each group should be present.”