“You should tell them that,” I suggested.
“I already did.” Claudette took me by surprise with her simple response. “I told them yesterday when I heard they wouldn’t help. It’s obvious they’re never going to get what they want.”
“Which is?”
“Control of you and Aric,” Claudette answered. “They want access to your powers. Together, you and Aric are more powerful than this entire pack combined. They don’t like that.”
“You see, we were always taught that wolves are the top of the food chain,” Tate explained. “Your arrival and abilities prove that we’re not at the top.”
“Well, I don’t really believe in the food chain,” I said. “I believe that everyone is equal.”
Aric made a face that would’ve been comical under different circumstances. “Since when? You always believe you’re the top dog, so to speak.”
“No, I believe you’re the top dog,” I corrected. “I don’t like all of this ‘my species is the better species’ crap. I don’t see why we all can’t just get along.”
“You’re cute.” Aric tweaked my nose. “I think you want the impossible sometimes.”
“Oh, yeah?” I wasn’t ready to admit defeat. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”
“I’m eager to watch you work them over, baby.”
That made two of us. I had no idea if my plan would work, but there was no harm in trying. It was almost time.
“I’m eager, too,” I said. “At least if they turn us down we can leave without any regrets.”
“CONGRATULATIONS.”
The council members were all smiles when they brought us our prize for winning the game. It looked like an old book, and when I went to reach for it Chester pulled it back and gave me an odd look.
“We need to perform a little ceremony,” Chester explained.
Oh, well, great. I thought these people couldn’t get more annoying. I was clearly wrong. “You want to perform a ceremony for winning Capture the Flag?”
“The game is a metaphor for life.”
“No, the game is a way for everyone to be competitive without ripping each other’s throats out,” I clarified. I was annoyed and didn’t want to mess around with stupid games when my family was in danger. “We don’t need a ceremony.”
“It’s pack tradition,” Chester said, casting a quick look in Lincoln’s direction. “I know you have no respect for the pack – that was certainly on display when you used unorthodox methods to win the game – but tradition means a great deal to us.”
And here we go. This was exactly what I was expecting. I love it when people get passive aggressive with me. That was sarcasm in case you didn’t recognize it. “I think we should just cut to the heart of the matter,” I said, raising my voice so those straining to eavesdrop wouldn’t have difficulty hearing the conversation. “Let’s talk about what happened yesterday.”
Chester uncomfortably shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t believe that our private conversation should be open for public consumption.”
“Really?” I arched a challenging eyebrow. “I find that disingenuous given the fact that our private conversation and your lack of help opened your pack members to trouble last night. I mean, I can’t say for certain that if you had offered help it wouldn’t have happened, but I can guarantee that your unwillingness to share information certainly wasn’t a deterrent when your pack members were hijacked last night.”
Chester kept his smile in place, reminding me he was a politician at heart, but his eyes were stony when they locked with mine. “If you wish to discuss this further, we can return to the cabin and do so in private.”
“Oh, I’m not one for slinking around,” I countered. “I prefer putting our business out where everyone can hear it. After all, our business is now your business.”
“That’s not how things are done here.”
“No, it’s certainly not,” I agreed. “You guys prefer secret meetings and trying to bully people into your way of thinking. I didn’t realize what you were really trying to do yesterday until Aric explained it. To say the least, I’m not happy.”
Aric smirked when I shot him a small smile. “And when my wife isn’t happy the whole world wants to weep.”
“We didn’t try to force you into anything,” Chester clarified, licking his lips. He seemed nervous knowing that he would have to argue his point in front of his pack members. “We offered you a solution to your problem.”
“No, you recognized that we have a problem and our child’s life may be in danger,” I clarified. “You acknowledged that and then said you would help only if we joined the pack. I thought it was one of those half-assed threats and didn’t know what you were really getting at.”
“I told her, though,” Aric volunteered. “I told her that you would try to force me to add a male heir to my line. Don’t bother denying it. My father has already admitted that’s the direction he steered you.
“You see, my father is desperate to continue the Winters name, but I believe that if he really wants to do that then he can impregnate a surrogate, because I won’t,” he continued. “I don’t care about furthering the Winters line. I care about my wife and child. Their safety is the most important thing to me.”
“But you need a male heir,” Chester argued. “If the Winters line ends … .”
“My father can easily fix that,” Aric offered. “He’s older, but not dead. He can father a child.” Aric turned to Helen and found a furious look on her face. “How does that sound, Mom? Do you want Dad to have a kid with someone else? No? Well, Zoe doesn’t want it either. I don’t want it. No one seems to care what we want, though.”
“That’s not what I want,” James interjected, his agitation obvious. “What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to make a point,” Aric replied. “The members of this pack are all good and strong people, and I have great respect for most of them. That does not mean I will sacrifice my family – or betray my wife, for that matter – just so I can have a son. I don’t need a son. I have a daughter, and I love her more than anything.”
Sami looked worried, but she flashed her father an appreciative smile.
“I am not going to play your games,” Aric said. “There’s a reason I chose to stay away from the pack for as long as I did. It wasn’t just about Zoe. I wanted to make my own decisions, and that was impossible because you guys started mapping out my life when I was an infant.
“I never wanted to be in a power position in this pack,” he continued. “You wanted that. The only thing I want is a happy family. I found that with Zoe and Sami. I don’t care about anything else.”
“Then why did you come here?” Lincoln asked. He appeared genuinely curious. “If you don’t want to be with us, why come here?”
“I don’t mind visiting the pack. And I will admit that there are times I miss my friends and even the games,” Aric answered. “I won’t risk my family for a good time, though. My father also thought you might be able to help us.”
“You told us yesterday that you recognize the symbol from the house and the Ouija board,” I said. “We need to know what it means. It’s obviously important. Something much bigger than we initially realized is happening here.”
“We gave you the terms of our help,” Chester said, crossing his arms over his chest. “If you don’t want to agree to them, that’s not our fault.”
A low murmur passed through the crowd, and Chester seemed surprised to hear a few strings of the vocal dissent.
“I think we need to make something clear,” I said, stepping forward. “I know you want access to my powers. More importantly, I think you want access to Sami’s powers. You think if you can get in good with her now that she’ll be more likely to help you when I’m gone.”
Sami widened her eyes. “Is that true?”
“Of course not,” Chester replied. “We don’t want control. We simply want respect.”
“Well, you’ve gotten all the re
spect you’re going to get out of me,” I said. I realized I was fighting a losing battle. No matter what I said to these men, they weren’t going to give in, because they believed it made them look weak. “We’re going to stay the night so Aric can shift and run with his friends. After that, we’ll be out of your hair. You don’t have to worry about ever seeing us again.”
“That’s not what we want,” Chester protested. “We want you to be part of this pack.”
“For a price,” I clarified. “That’s not a price we’re willing to pay. We’re at an impasse, and if you think I’ll give in, you’re mistaken.”
Chester was defiant until the end. “You’ll never figure out what’s happening without us.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t underestimate my wife,” Aric said. “Besides, we’re part of another pack. It’s not a wolf pack, but it’s just as strong. We’ll figure out what’s happening with them. They don’t feel the need to force us to be something that we’re not.”
Aric extended his hand and I took it.
“We’ll be leaving first thing in the morning,” I said, forcing a smile. “I wish you well with your antiquated ways. Be very careful, though. Time will pass you by at a certain point. When it does, you’ll remember this moment. You could’ve done differently, but you chose not to. That’s on you.”
Twenty-Eight
“Sweetie, you need to eat,” I said, tapping the side of Sami’s plate as darkness began descending on the campground. It was almost dusk, and the sense of excitement flowing through the wolf population was palpable. The idea of shifting seemed odd to me, but I was almost sorry I would miss it, because it was such a big day for Sami. I knew Aric was excited to share it with her and he would protect her during their run.
“I’m not hungry,” Sami said, shoving away the plate. “I feel sick to my stomach.”
I glanced at Aric. “Do you get sick before you shift for the first time?”
“Not as I recall.” Aric’s chocolate eyes were filled with compassion. “I think she’s nervous, not sick.”
That made perfect sense. “Oh, well … .” I wasn’t sure how to bolster Sami’s spirits. It’s not as if I’d ever shifted and knew what to expect. “Tell me what’s bothering you, Sami. Maybe I can fix at least some of it.”
“I don’t want to do this in front of all of these people,” Sami hissed. “They’re all going to be staring at me. Joshua said everyone meets in the trees naked.”
Holy crap! “Is that true?”
“Kind of,” Aric hedged. “She doesn’t have to do that, though. She can shift here with us and then we’ll meet up with everyone else. Then she can shift behind the cabin when it’s time to return to her human form.”
“You mean if I shift at all,” Sami snapped, gnawing on her fingernail. “I probably won’t. I’ll be an even bigger disappointment to Grandpa when everyone is watching me naked. I’m not going to do it. I changed my mind. I don’t want to shift.”
“Can she do that?” I was so out of my depth I had no idea what was and wasn’t possible. I realized I’d never asked Aric any of the important questions and it made me ashamed. I was a terrible wife. Oh, who needs that? He should’ve volunteered the information. I can’t be expected to ask everything.
“She really can’t,” Aric said, his voice gentle as he rested his hand on top of Sami’s. “It’s going to be okay, Sami. I’ll be with you the whole time.”
“I don’t want you to see me naked either.” Sami’s voice cracked as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“I won’t look,” Aric said. “I … .” He broke off, helpless.
“I can fix the naked problem,” I said, taking them by surprise.
Sami looked hopeful. “You can?”
Aric looked dubious. “Yeah, you can?”
“I can,” I confirmed. “You can go inside and change into a pair of my shorts. Those knit ones with the drawstrings. You know which ones I’m talking about, right?”
Sami nodded.
“Then you can put on one of your father’s shirts,” I continued. “You can shift wearing the clothes and then when you’re a wolf I’ll take them off of you. They should be big enough that it won’t be a problem.”
“Will that work?” Sami asked, turning to Aric.
Aric nodded. “That probably will work,” he said. “Then, when we come back, you can shift back on the side of the cabin and your mom will have clothes ready.”
Sami looked relieved. “Okay, well, that doesn’t sound so bad. Why can’t I shift in the cabin, though?”
That didn’t even occur to me. “Yeah, why can’t she shift in the cabin?”
“I don’t have a problem with that, it’s just … .”
“Just what?”
Aric looked pained. “It’s just that sometimes when you shift for the first few times you can’t control your bowels or bladder.”
Sami was horrified. “Omigod! Now I’m definitely not shifting.”
That was probably more information than I needed. “You should’ve told me that before,” I chided. “We could’ve gotten her one of those big litter boxes at a pet store or something.”
Aric made a disgusted face. “She’s not a cat.”
“I hate you both,” Sami hissed, her eyes filling with tears. “I … hate this.”
“I know you do,” I said, stroking the back of her head. “Just think, though, when it’s done you’ll be so relieved. Fear of the unknown is worse than fear of something you’ve already faced. I promise that tonight will be the worst of it.” Now I simply had to hope I was telling her the truth.
“Your mother is right,” Aric said. “As bad as you think this will be, Sami, I promise it will get better. Once you shift you’ll feel so many new sensations. You’ll be able to smell animals on the wind … and sense when a storm is coming. You’ll also be able to track your mother when she hides in the woods and eats candy that she thinks we don’t know about.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” I deadpanned. “Turn her against me. I love that.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Aric said, grinning. “I promise it’s going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that, but it’s not as if we can change it,” Sami said, struggling to her feet with sagging shoulders. “I’m going to go change my clothes.”
“We’ll meet you on the side of the cabin in five minutes,” Aric called out, his expression unreadable.
I watched her go, my heart rolling. When I was sure she was out of earshot, I focused on Aric. “You’ll watch her, right? Don’t let her out of your sight.”
“I’ll watch her,” Aric confirmed, irked. “Do you really think I won’t watch my child?”
“No.” I shook my head. “She’s so small. She’ll be a small wolf among a bunch of big wolves.”
“You said ‘wolves’ like you really wanted to say the word ‘dicks.’”
He wasn’t wrong. “I know you’ll watch her.” I sucked in a breath. “It’s hard for me because I can’t be part of this.”
Aric’s expression softened. “I get that,” he said, rubbing his thumb over my cheek. “I felt that way when she started manifesting magic. I can’t be part of that. She’s the best of both of us, Zoe. We have to learn to share.”
“I’ve never been good with sharing.”
“Well, you don’t have to share me with anyone, so that should make you happy and proud.” Aric’s grin was wolfish as he swooped in and gave me a kiss. “Come on, baby. Let’s see our little wolf for the first time.”
I followed Aric to the side of the cabin and watched as he stripped out of his clothes. He left his boxers on in deference to Sami – and I was secretly grateful because I didn’t want to risk any of the female wolves seeing him naked and starting a brawl – but I was a bundle of nerves by the time Sami trudged out of the cabin. She descended the porch stairs as if she was marching to her death, and handed me Trouble’s leash.
“Watch him,” Sami said. “Don’t lose him.”
“I won
’t lose him.”
The next ten minutes were tense. Aric could’ve shifted at any time, but he watched Sami instead. She hopped from one foot to the other and stared at the moon as she chewed on her lip. I had almost convinced myself that she wasn’t going to change when she gasped.
“My feet feel funny.”
“Is that normal?” I asked Aric, petrified.
He nodded. “Okay, Sami,” he said, his tone calm and soothing. “It’s going to happen soon. You might want to get down on the ground.”
“It’s dirty.” Sami wrinkled her nose. “I … ow!”
I widened my eyes as Sami doubled over at the waist and rested her hands on her knees. “Are you okay?”
“Does this look okay?” Sami barked, glaring at me as her skin turned darker. “What’s happening?”
“You’re shifting,” Aric said, excited. “It will be quick. You may think it hurts, but it really doesn’t. That’s just your body adapting to its new configuration. Try to remain calm.”
“You try to remain calm,” Sami shot back. “Until I know differently, I’m going to assume I’m dying.”
Aric glanced at me as I swallowed my laughter. “She definitely gets that from you.”
Sami convulsed twice, and I reached for her, but she was already gone as her limbs shifted. The process mesmerized me, her eyes turning amber as her nose grew. It was over quickly and after a few seconds my twelve-year-old daughter was a beautiful gray wolf with some of the prettiest markings I’d ever seen.
I dropped to my knees as I ran my hand over her head. Even though her eyes didn’t look normal I could still see her inside. “You are the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” I gushed, stroking her head. “I’m going to get you a pink collar, you’re so cute.”
Aric scowled as he leaned over. “Do you feel okay?”
Sami bobbed her head as she lifted her nose. I could hear her sniffing and had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
“Okay,” Aric said, reaching for his boxer shorts. “I’m going to shift right around the corner while your mom takes those clothes off you. Then we’re going to run.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 51
