Cursed Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

  The others had turned into wolves as well. I headed toward where the guys had gone and the female wolves followed me. One of them howled, and we all burst into a run toward the yelling. I recognized the society members that had chased me into the woods.

  A low growl escaped from my throat, and I jumped on the nearest one, clamping onto his arm with my teeth. Howls, growls, and snaps sounded all around as we attacked the men. Everything turned into a blur as I let my wolf take over. Soon, we acted as one, tearing into one person after another. I ended up with a few gashes from some knives, but they were only surface wounds and healed quickly.

  More of the society members appeared, and we attacked one after another, taking down each one until we had filled the clearing with bodies of evil werewolves. In what felt simultaneously like hours and no time at all, we wolves had managed to take down all the men. We retreated back to our clothes, shifted into human form, and got dressed.

  Lakelynn took my hand. “I wish I could stay longer, but your world is making me weak.”

  I squeezed her hand. “What do you mean? Are you going to be okay?”

  She nodded. “It takes a lot out of us to go to the other worlds. The middle ground is the graveyard. We can meet there anytime.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Lakelynn kissed my cheek. “You will, Mom. In time. Come to the cemetery whenever you can. I’ll join you.”

  “Can anyone go there?”

  “Only those buried there.”

  “We’re all dead?” I exclaimed.

  “Not yet.”

  Everything seemed to spin around me.

  One of the other ladies came over. “We’ll see you later, Mom. We really can’t stay long. I love you.” She hugged me.

  I didn’t even know her name. I returned the embrace, squeezing tight.

  We all said our goodbyes.

  “I’ll be back to the graveyard,” I called. Then I watched them disappear into the woods. I tried to wrap my mind around the fact that those were my children—and they’d all died and been buried there in the mystical cemetery. A lump formed in my throat and tears stung my eyes.

  Dizziness swept over me.

  I was about to forget everything, just like my other visits.

  No! I ran after them, but blackness engulfed me before I made it two feet.

  Chapter 26

  Toby

  I pulled my knife from the man’s chest and shoved him to the ground. That had been the last of them. I wiped sweat from my brow and glanced around. Bodies lay all over the Moonhaven property.

  Sirens sounded in the distance.

  We never heard those out in the woods.

  What were the human authorities doing so close to our home?

  The others stared at me, wide-eyed.

  “Move the bodies!”

  We ran around, hefting dead men onto our shoulders and running them into the woods. Even the wolfborns dragged them.

  The sirens wailed louder. Closer.

  Bodies still littered the lawn. Blood pooled in places. Knives, swords, and other paraphernalia lay strewn about. We all wore blood-spattered clothing. Death hung in the air.

  “Faster!” I ordered, then grabbed two men and ran into the woods.

  Sirens continued growing louder.

  As I ran back to my home, my feet slid out from under me. I’d slipped on a human heart.

  My mind raced. There was no way we could explain all of this to the police. They’d call for backup, and we’d all be carted off to jail. Even Victoria. I had to protect her.

  That’s when I realized I hadn’t seen her in a while. Not since shortly after the fighting had begun.

  “Victoria!” I cried.

  Jet ran over, carrying one man on each shoulder. “She’s not among the dead. Come on. We still have at least fifteen more bodies to move.” He ran off.

  “Victoria!” I shouted so loud my throat hurt.

  The sirens grew even louder. They were headed to our driveway. The one with the broken-down fence.

  Jet was right, though. I needed to help with the rest of the bodies. Victoria was strong and capable. I ran toward the mansion and picked up the first two bodies I came across, spun around, and ran back into the woods.

  Sal rushed my way, carrying three men. “These are the last of them. What are we going to do about the police?”

  “Drop them?”

  “We’re going to drop the cops?”

  “No, drop the men.”

  “Sir?” He gave me a questioning look.

  “Do it.”

  He threw them on the ground.

  The sirens echoed all around. Three police cruisers pulled into our parking area and stopped behind our vehicles.

  “Should we run?” Sal asked.

  I shook my head. “Follow my lead.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Officers piled out of the cars, bearing guns.

  “Freeze!” One policeman aimed one at me.

  I raised my hands high into the air. “Is there a problem, Officer?”

  He kept the weapon facing me and walked over. “You’re covered in blood, and you have the gall to ask?”

  “We were attacked.”

  “By who?” His brows came together.

  I turned my head toward the men Sal had just dropped. “Those guys.”

  He nudged the barrel closer to me and glanced over, then he studied the half-dozen of us. Everyone else remained in the woods. I could hear twigs snapping—sounds the police with their normal human hearing never would notice.

  Another cop glared at me. “Seems like a lot of blood for just three guys.”

  “We bled, too. Look at us.”

  The officers circled around us, all aiming firearms at us. My pulse pounded through my body as I tried to figure a way out for my family that didn’t involve killing the police and wouldn’t get any of us hurt or killed.

  “Who are these people?” asked one of the cops.

  Saying a secret werewolf society wouldn’t go over well. “They just showed up and tried to kill us. It was self-defense.”

  He scowled. “There’s a lot of rumors about you guys.”

  “So I hear. None are true, I assure you.”

  “Says the guy covered in blood.”

  “Of those trying to kill my family.” I clenched my jaw. How could this be happening? I needed to find Victoria.

  “Family?” He narrowed his eyes. Everyone else watched us, their eyes going back and forth like at a tennis match.

  “Yes.”

  “You’ve taken in college kids. That’s not family. It reeks of something sick.”

  I arched a brow. “How so? Because I help those who can’t help themselves?”

  He stepped closer to me, flaring his nostrils. “It’s not normal.”

  “Helping people is a crime now?” I took a step toward him. Our noses nearly bumped.

  “Stay still, or risk being shot.”

  “What have we done wrong?” I demanded.

  “You have three dead men on your property!”

  “Trespassers. They tried to kill us.”

  He leaned over for a closer look. “Are those bite marks? Did your dogs bite them?”

  “What do you think?” I snapped.

  “Euthanize the dogs. They’re vicious killers.”

  Half the officers turned their weapons toward Alex, Emery, and Mateo. Several of us lunged toward them. One cop fell to the ground.

  “Cuff them!”

  I stepped back. “Hey, how did you know to come here? We didn’t call for help.”

  The officer hit me across the face. As his fist grazed my nose, I caught a whiff of werewolf.

  “You’re one of them!” I sniffed the air. A light mixture of unfamiliar werewolf aromas wafted in the air. Somehow they’d managed to mostly hide their scent. “You’re all part of the group!”

  “Kill him!”

  “They’re all society members!” I yelled.

  In a blur of
action, more fighting broke out. A black jaguar—Carter—jumped out from behind the vehicles, his growl sending chills down my spine. The wolfborns ran over and attacked, and other pack members charged from the woods. One of the “officers” aimed his pistol at me. I ducked and threw myself at his middle. He cried out and stumbled backward. I dug my blade into his chest and he fell to the ground. Then I turned to the guy Bobby struggled against and dug my blade into him.

  I turned to the last one and shoved my blade against his neck. “Are there more of you?”

  “You’ll just have to wait and see,” he snarled.

  “Or you can tell me and live.” I pressed it into his skin. Blood dripped down, staining his shirt.

  “You expect me to believe that?” He spat in my face.

  I wiped it off. “I’m a man of my word.”

  “Just kill me.”

  “Are there others?” I demanded.

  “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  I pressed the knife harder. “Are there more of you?”

  “We’re nothing if not loyal.”

  Jet ran over and sliced off his head. “Dude was never going to tell us a thing.”

  “They’re all down,” I announced and wiped blood from my face.

  “More bodies to move,” Bobby grumbled.

  Carter appeared from behind his car, pulling on his pants. “And what are we going to do with the cruisers? We definitely can’t leave those here. They probably have GPS trackers. The real police could be headed our way as we speak.”

  I rubbed my temples. “Put on gloves and drive those things out to the main road and leave them before you reach any of the traffic cameras. The rest of you get rid of the bodies. I’m going to find Victoria.”

  Everyone jumped to action. I wiped the blood from my knife onto my shirt before returning it to the sheath and heading into the woods. “Victoria!”

  My voice echoed around me for a moment.

  “Victoria!”

  I sniffed the air. The only things I could pick up were the odors of the dead werewolves and the stench of death. Not even a trace of my beloved.

  Where had she gone?

  “Victoria!”

  The forest only offered me an eerie silence.

  Footsteps sounded behind me. I spun around, ready to fight.

  Soleil ran after me. “I told her to go to the Faeble for help. I’m not sure why she or anyone else never returned.”

  Chills ran down my back. “She probably never made it to the bar.”

  Her eyes widened and then her irises darkened. “I’ll drink the life out of anyone who might’ve hurt her.”

  I sniffed the air again. “I still don’t smell her blood.”

  Soleil’s mouth formed a straight line. “Doesn’t mean someone isn’t hurting her.”

  “Come on.” I burst into a run, heading toward the Faeble with all my senses on high alert.

  Then I picked it up—her scent. “She’s close.”

  “Lead the way.”

  I followed the trail until I reached the place where the stone had led her before. Soleil and I exchanged a curious glance.

  “Why would she go here?” she asked. “I thought Gessilyn has the stone.”

  “She does, but…” My voice trailed off.

  Victoria lay unconscious underneath a bush.

  I ran over to her. “Wake up! Wake up!”

  She didn’t budge.

  Fear tore through me. Had the other werewolves killed her? Was that why it’d been so hard to pick up her scent?

  I fell to my knees and pulled her to my lap, my arms shaking. “Wake up.”

  Again, she didn’t move.

  “Is she alive?” I turned to Soleil. “Can you do something?”

  I hadn’t felt more helpless since the time she lay lifeless in my arms. This couldn’t be a replay of that horrible day, could it?

  Chapter 27

  Toby

  I stared at Soleil as she studied Victoria. If my love had a pulse, it was so weak I couldn’t feel it, and if she was breathing, it was too shallow to be detected.

  “Say something.”

  Soleil turned to me. “Let’s get her to Moonhaven.”

  “Is she alive? You’re an angel of death—you should know these things!”

  Her expression tightened. “Are you going to carry her, or should I?”

  My chest constricted, threatening to crush my heart. “I will.”

  “Let’s go.”

  I rose, clinging to Victoria. “Wake up. Please. I can’t lose you again.”

  Soleil marched on ahead of me, and I continued whispering to Victoria as I followed my friend. She pulled out her phone and called someone but stayed far enough ahead that I couldn’t hear what she said.

  When we arrived at Moonhaven, all the bodies and police cruisers were gone. The fence had even been fixed already. I sighed in relief but doubted trouble would stay away. Would we at least have time to take care of Victoria before more society members arrived?

  Once inside, I lay Victoria on the couch in my office where it was quiet. The rest of our pack had gathered in the kitchen and living room, and loud conversation sounded in both rooms.

  Gessilyn walked in. “Let me see her.”

  I gave her a double-take. “I thought you were in Iceland.”

  “Soleil called. Killian is spending his final hours with his father, and they needed space. Nobody in that coven was thrilled to see me, so I was glad for the escape.”

  “You don’t seem that worried about Victoria.” I tried to keep the accusatory tone out of my voice but failed.

  Gessilyn put her hand on my arm. “I don’t mean to come across as callous, Toby. From what Soleil explained to me, it doesn’t sound like death.”

  Relief washed through me. “Why not?”

  She held up a finger and walked over to Victoria, then ran her hands over the length of Victoria’s body. I stepped closer and held my breath, waiting for the verdict.

  “She’s in a deep, magical sleep.”

  “How?” I exclaimed.

  Gessilyn turned to me. “A broken heart.”

  “Come again?”

  “I can’t tell you what broke her heart. We’ll have to wake her up to find that out.”

  “Can you wake her?” I sat on the armrest and ran my hand over Victoria’s hair as my stomach contorted into tight knots.

  She nodded yes. “It’ll just take a simple cleansing spell, but it won’t cure whatever broke her heart.”

  “As long as you can wake her.”

  Gessilyn held her palms over Victoria’s heart. “You should hold her hands.”

  I knelt and threaded my fingers through Victoria’s. Gessilyn closed her eyes and spoke in a language I didn’t recognize, starting in a whisper and growing louder.

  My breath caught, and I watched Victoria in eager expectation. She had to wake from this—she just had to.

  Gessilyn continued raising her voice, and a breeze picked up, whipping her and Victoria’s hair into my face. Papers spun around the room. The lights flickered.

  Victoria’s eyes opened and she sat up, gasping for air. Gessilyn stopped speaking. The wind died down, and papers fell to the ground all around us.

  I pulled her into my embrace and held tightly, never wanting to let go. “Are you okay?”

  She sat back and stared at me, wide-eyed. “How’d I get here?”

  “I brought you back from the woods.”

  “Is the society gone?”

  “The ones who came here are all dead.”

  Victoria took a deep breath.

  “What happened in the woods?”

  She pulled some hair behind her ears. “I don’t remember.”

  “What do you mean?” I exchanged a worried glance with Gessilyn.

  Victoria took a haggard breath. “I remember going into the woods to get Tap’s help. Then I…” Her voice trailed off and her expression tensed. “I never made it to the Faeble, did I?”

  I squeezed
her hands again. “My guess is no. There was nobody in the woods other than you and the society members. I only smelled werewolves out there.”

  She leaned back. “I think some werewolves helped me.”

  “Which ones?” I arched a brow.

  Victoria gave me a blank stare. “I can’t remember.”

  I struggled to find an explanation. “Maybe the society has other enemies and they came to help.”

  Gessilyn sat on the edge of the couch. “Perhaps we should call Tap. He may know something.”

  “If she never made it there—”

  “We don’t know that.”

  “True.” I reached for my phone and called Tap.

  He answered on the first ring. “Do you know about the bodies littering the forest?”

  “Those would be members of the secret werewolf society. People who tried to kill us. You don’t know anything?”

  “Only what my patrons have told me. The mesmers and djinn denied having anything to do with it. Looks like they were telling the truth. This time. Are you going to pick up the mess?”

  I took a deep breath. “Yeah, we’ll take care of it. Do you know how to find out if there are more society members alive? They’re pretty serious about taking us out.”

  Tap laughed bitterly. “If I knew anything, they wouldn’t be much of a secret society, now would they?”

  “I suppose not. If you hear anything, let me know.”

  “Sure, but don’t count on it. They like to stay hidden.”

  “Except when they want to kill us,” I muttered.

  “You have what they want. They—hey! Put that artwork down! Toby, I gotta go.”

  “Bye, Tap.”

  The call ended.

  “Nothing?” Victoria asked.

  “Nope. We just have to wait and see if they attack again.”

  Gessilyn rose and stretched. “I can protect the property with a spell that won’t let anyone in or out, but that’ll leave you all unable to go anywhere. Another option is to make it so that nobody outside of your pack can enter, but that’ll be tricky given how many different bloodlines run through your group.”

  “Let’s not worry about that yet. Hopefully the fact that we’ve killed so many of them sends a clear message. For now, let’s focus on Victoria and restoring her memories.”