Cursed Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

  Then my gaze landed on a red and white emergency box behind the bed. Just behind the glass rested an ax.

  My heart jumped into my throat. I could use that!

  I raced around the bed and pulled on the handle of the emergency box.

  It was locked.

  Locked?

  At least I had the knife. I gripped the handle and smashed the glass with as much force as I could muster. It cracked, but didn’t shatter. I squeezed the handle and tried again. And again. That time, shards of glass exploded out in all directions. I stepped back and covered my face until everything landed. Then I threw aside the knife and reached for the ax.

  It was strong and sturdy—exactly what I needed to burst through to the other room. I wrapped both hands around the thick wooden handle and marched toward the door.

  All the fighting had stopped on the other side. My stomach twisted in knots. What had happened to Toby and the pack?

  I readied myself. My pulse hammered through my body. I squeezed the long handle so tightly that my knuckles turned white and then I released all my frustration and fury.

  Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!

  The ax didn’t burst through the wood like I’d hoped. It merely cracked it and chipped away small pieces. I needed to find out what had happened to Toby and the others. Images of them tied up with poisoned rope filled my mind.

  Whack! Whack! Whack!

  A long crack tore through the door. I whacked on it until the wood shattered, allowing me out into a room filled with computers, screens, and other high-tech equipment. But more importantly, Toby, Soleil, Sal, and Jet stood with the brunette who had tortured me.

  They all turned to me, shock covering their expressions.

  I held the ax in a ready position and glared at the woman. “Prepare to die.”

  “No!” Toby jumped in between us. “She can help us with the witch.”

  My nostrils flared. “You mean the witch she didn’t know about until I told her?”

  He turned to her. “Is that true, Briony?”

  Toby was on a first-name basis with my captor?

  Her face paled. “Well, I… You see—”

  I screamed and ran at her, aiming the ax for her neck. In one swift movement, I decapitated her. Briony’s head flew past Toby as her body fell to the ground.

  “Victoria—” Toby’s eyes widened.

  “These people are sadistic and crazy. We have to get out of here!” I grabbed Toby’s arm and pulled him toward the door.

  He pulled me into his warm, shirtless embrace. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be once I’m out of here. Where are your shirt and shoes?”

  “No idea. Let’s get you out of here.”

  I pulled back and readied my bloody ax. “I don’t need rescuing. I just saved you guys from that psychopath! Let’s get out of here before anyone else finds us.” Though glancing around at the bodies strewn about the room, it was doubtful there were many left.

  We ran from the high tech room into a waiting room, then into a dusty, dirty hallway.

  “Where are we?”

  Toby grabbed my hand. “In an abandoned factory. This is where they set up shop to stay undercover.”

  Anger burned in my gut. “To spy on us.”

  He nodded. “Come on.”

  We ran through the building, and I gripped the ax, ready to attack anyone else but no one came our way. We exited the factory, passing more bodies as we went, and headed for the woods and finally Moonhaven.

  The wolfborns ran over to us as we neared the mansion and jogged along with us, following us inside. The rest of the pack sat at the kitchen table, quiet and forlorn. Some had bandages and dried blood.

  Toby filled them in on what happened after they left, and my mom piled plates with stew and pot pie for us. I scarfed mine down before Toby had finished recounting the story.

  “Are they all dead?” Stella asked.

  “The ones there are.” Jet sat and ate.

  “What now?” Elsie asked.

  Toby scooped some pot pie. “We take care of each other and rest. I don’t know about all of you, but I need some down time.”

  “What about the curse of the moon?” Elsie’s eyes widened.

  “I’m not sure I care about that anymore.” Toby sighed. “We’ve lived this long with it. Maybe it’s just meant to be.”

  Elsie shook her head. “It’s not. All the other shifters can turn when they want. We should be able to, also.”

  “If the witches can figure out how to break the curse, then we’ll have our cure. Otherwise, we’re stuck.”

  “No.” Elsie shook her head. “I’m not living like this. If you guys give up, I’m going to keep searching.”

  They stared each other down until Toby spoke again. “Do you know what we’ve been through to get this far?”

  “I’ll pick up where you leave off, then.”

  Mom went over to Elsie and rubbed her shoulders. “What we all need is a good night’s rest. After that, we can figure out what to do.”

  “Sounds like as good a plan as any,” Toby said. “I’m sure we’ll all feel fresh after some sleep.”

  I rose. “And before we go to bed, I’m going to find and destroy all the bugs they planted.”

  “They’re dead, aren’t they?” Stella asked.

  “I have a hard time believing they were working alone. There have to be others.” I reached under the table, found the microphone, and stomped on it. “Anyone want to help me?”

  Chapter 23

  Toby

  I rolled over and pulled the covers over my head. It had been hours since I’d gone to bed, but sleep had eluded me. I couldn’t stop thinking about the curse of the moon. Would we ever be able to break it and shift at will like the jaguars, bears, and other shifting species?

  What bothered me the most was the disappointment of the pack. Even the wolfborns were upset. They’d moped through Moonhaven with their tails sagging as the rest of us meandered through the entire mansion in search of hidden microphones and bugs. I’d have been okay—not thrilled, but okay—about only shifting at the full moon, but I couldn’t take how upset my pack was. I needed to figure something out.

  My mind raced with possibilities. We could go in search of Azure, beat her within an inch of her life, and demand she fix us. Or we could turn back to Gessilyn and her family, despite the fact that she had her own problems and that if she was honest, she was probably tired of us calling her for help all the time.

  The only option I could see was to pass around the wolf essence stone, giving everyone the chance to shift when they wanted to. Not that it was much of a solution. Everyone wanted to shift at will—at any given time, not one at a time. And I couldn’t blame them. We were the lone shifter species that couldn’t.

  I probably needed to stop worrying and get some sleep. If there was an answer, we would eventually find it. Right? Or were we better off forgetting about the cure? Where had our search for it gotten us? We’d suffered losses and fought some horrible rivals, not the least of which were Victoria’s father, my father, and the original werewolf himself.

  Was it time to just give up and be happy that Victoria and I were finally married, having defeated our enemies and even death itself? She was alive, we were together, and we led the best pack either one of us had ever been part of. We’d even broken down ancient barriers by welcoming other species into our family. Was shifting only at the full moon really so bad?

  My body finally relaxed and my eyelids grew heavy. I pulled the blankets up to my neck and finally gave in to sleep.

  When I woke, sunlight poked through the blinds, and I was alone in the bed. I sat up and glanced around. Usually, we woke together. Had she tried waking me but I’d been too tired since I’d tossed and turned so long before falling asleep?

  I stretched and stumbled to the bathroom. When I opened the door, she sat in front of the toilet.

  “Are you okay?” I rushed over to her.

  Victoria pulle
d some hair away from her face. “Don’t get too close, at least until I brush my teeth.” She rose, flushed, and headed over to the sink.

  “Are you sick? Do you need anything?”

  “They pumped me full of who-knows-what back in that room. I threw up back in the room they held me in, too. I’m surprised I slept through the night without an upset stomach.”

  I rubbed her back as she cleaned herself up. “Do you want to lay back down? Get some breakfast?”

  “I’m not really hungry.”

  We headed back to the bed, and I held her close. “How do you feel now? Is your stomach still upset?”

  “Not really. I’m a little queasy still, but it isn’t bad. Hopefully, I’ve gotten everything out of my system.”

  Anger churned in my gut. “What did they do to you?”

  “They tied me to a bed—but it wasn’t anything like this one. It wasn’t even like a hospital bed.” She paused. “It was more like what you’d see in an asylum in the movies. Briony said they’d given me some sort of truth serum.”

  “How dare they! Do you remember what you told them?”

  “Not that it matters, since they’re all dead, but I told them I didn’t know where the stone was. That was the only thing they cared about.”

  “That’s not surprising. The society has been after it for centuries. Did they happen to say anything about what they wanted to do with it?”

  Victoria shook her head. “She just wanted to know what I knew.”

  I rubbed her shoulders. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”

  “I’ll be fine once I get all their truth serum out of my system. With any luck, I already have.”

  “We should—”

  My phone rang. I groaned but didn’t reach for it.

  “You should get it,” she said.

  I kissed her cheek. “The world can leave us alone for a while.”

  “What if it’s important?”

  “It’s not as important as you.”

  She squeezed my knee. “Just check. I’m fine, I swear.”

  “If it’ll make you happy.” I reached over to my nightstand and checked the screen. “Gessilyn.”

  “Get it,” Victoria urged.

  I swiped the screen. “Hi, Gessilyn. Is everything okay?”

  “That’s what I’m calling to find out—is the pack safe? I heard about your run-in with the werewolf society.”

  “We walked away relatively unscathed. They can’t say the same.”

  “Relatively? What happened?”

  “They gave Victoria some kind of truth serum, and it’s giving her side effects.”

  “Killian and I will come right over. I’d better make sure there isn’t any magic involved.”

  “You think there might be?” I asked.

  “Better safe than sorry. We just need to gather a few ingredients, then we’ll be there.”

  “Thanks, Gess.” I ended the call and turned to Victoria. “She and Killian are coming over to check on you.”

  “I’d better take a shower.” She rose and gathered some clothes from the closet.

  “I’ll get in after you.”

  She turned to me, her eyes sparkling. “Or you can join me.”

  “I’d say you’re starting to feel better.” I chuckled and went to the closet, wrapping her in an embrace.

  Victoria pressed her sweet, soft lips on mine. “Being with you is the best medicine.”

  An hour later, we strolled downstairs, holding hands and laughing together. The air smelled of coffee, bacon, and cinnamon. Light conversation drifted from the kitchen and living room. It warmed my heart to be with my wife and find our pack enjoying a pleasant morning without any threats hanging over our heads.

  This was the life I’d always dreamed about, and finally it was reality.

  Victoria and I headed for the kitchen. Laura greeted us with a warm smile and plates full of food. Carter sat with Bobby, Elsie, and Stella. He was telling them about his search for the lone female jaguar.

  “Maybe Gessilyn can help you find her.” Victoria sat at her usual place and bit into a piece of bacon.

  “She’s on her way over now.” I sat and dug into a cinnamon roll.

  Carter’s eyes lit up. “Is she? I’m beginning to think it might take magic to find the jaguar. It shouldn’t be this hard to find her. I know she’s here in town, and female jaguar shifters never travel alone. Ever. Something has to be wrong.”

  Victoria smiled at him. “If anyone can find her, it’s you.”

  “I’m just glad the other jaguars fled the area.” He shuddered. “I’d hate to think of what they would do to her.”

  Stella reached for a plate of sausage links. “Do you think she’s in danger?”

  “If she’s not now, she will be soon. She needs to be part of a pack, otherwise someone else will sniff her out and force her into a pack. It won’t be good.” He frowned.

  Elsie grimaced. “Jaguars sound as bad as traditional werewolf packs.”

  Carter’s expression tightened. “That’s why I need to find her.”

  Gessilyn and Killian walked into the kitchen.

  “Find who?” Killian asked.

  Victoria jumped up and gave Gessilyn a hug. I shook Killian’s hand, and Carter filled him in on his search for the mysterious jaguar shifter. Laura gave our guests plates of food, and everyone caught up. I leaned back in my chair and took a deep breath, enjoying the moment.

  Maybe forgetting about the stone and curing the moon’s curse really was for the best. Everyone was happy and enjoying life despite the fact that we’d all be forced to shift soon at the moon’s will.

  Killian sipped his coffee and turned to Carter. “While Gessilyn is helping Victoria, I’ll help you with the jaguar. If there’s a spell blocking her, I’ll find it. Also, if she has evil intent, I’ll ferret that out.”

  Carter arched a brow. “I don’t think she does. Given the pecking order of jaguar packs, I’m certain she’s hiding. She has to be—and that’s what worries me.”

  “Either way, we’ll figure it out.”

  We finished eating and then split up. Gessilyn went with Victoria and me to my office, and Killian went outside with Carter. Gessilyn directed Victoria to the center of the room, then drew the blinds shut before walking around her, whispering in Icelandic. After a few minutes, I sat on the couch and watched, not sure what I was waiting for.

  After close to ten minutes, Gessilyn stopped. “There’s no magic—good or bad. They must’ve been telling the truth about the serum. It’s all medical.”

  I jumped up. “Anything you can do for her?”

  “She seems good to me. As far as I can tell, all the medicine is gone—I can’t sense any.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Now what?”

  Gessilyn held out her palm. “Now we can finally focus on the stone.”

  “You think you can get anything from it?”

  “I’ve been reading up on essence, and I have a couple of theories.”

  Victoria’s eyes lit up. “Like what?”

  “It’d take less time to try them out than to explain them. Where’s the stone?”

  I pulled it out of my shirt pocket and handed it to her.

  “You two sit.” She nodded toward the couch. “This might take some time.”

  “Do you want us to give you space?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I may need to draw power from you two. With you being wolves and this being a werewolf essence stone, this could end up being a joint effort.”

  “Take what you need from me first.” I threaded my fingers through Victoria’s and sat on the couch, pulling her onto my lap.

  “Close your eyes and relax,” Gessilyn instructed. “Try not to think about anything.”

  Victoria leaned her head against mine. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. Thoughts of the secret society flooded in. I cleared my throat and focused on the black behind my eyelids. I forced all thoughts out, but with e
ach one that left, another two took its place. Trying not to think was just as difficult as trying to fall asleep the night before had been.

  Pop! Crack! Snap!

  Victoria cried out.

  My eyelids flew open. “What happened?”

  The stone glowed bright red in Gessilyn’s palm.

  Victoria jumped up, clutching her arm.

  “What happened?” I repeated.

  “I don’t know.” Gessilyn closed her palm over the stone.

  I turned to Victoria. “Are you okay?”

  She gasped for air. “My arm hurts.”

  “From what?” I exclaimed. “What was that noise?”

  Gessilyn grimaced. “The stone. And it’s trying to escape my grasp.”

  I stared at her. “What does that mean?”

  She covered her hand with her other one. “It doesn’t want me to hold it!”

  Victoria cried out again. “Make it stop!”

  I looked back and forth between the two of them, my gaze landing on Gessilyn. “What’s wrong with her arm?”

  The door burst open. Killian ran in holding a phone, his eyes wild. He turned to Gessilyn. “My father’s been gravely injured. I need to see him before he dies. We have to go to Iceland. Now!”

  Gessilyn’s hands shook as she clutched the stone. “Of course.” She turned to me. “I’m going to take the stone. Maybe the magic of the Forest of Confusion can help me with it.”

  “Whatever you need.” I glanced at Killian. “I’m sorry to hear about your father.”

  He nodded a thanks. “We’re not close by any means, but I do need to say goodbye.” He looped his arm through Gessilyn’s and they hurried to the mirror in the living room. A rune lit up just before they jumped inside to exit in Iceland.

  “Is your arm okay?” I asked Victoria.

  She continued clutching it. “I think so.”

  “Would you tell me what happened?”

  “It just started hurting while Gessilyn spoke.” She lifted her hand to reveal a red welt about the size of a quarter.

  “Are you burned?”

  “It feels like a cut.”