by Sara Dailey
He pulled over and turned off his car. Walking over toward the Jetta he called, “Hello? Do you need any help?”
The driver was nowhere to be seen. The door was unlocked, the air conditioning on high, and something that looked like blood on the steering wheel.
“What the hell happened here?” he whispered to himself.
He went back to his car and returned with a flashlight. After looking in the Jetta again, next he began to look around it. He walked to the tree line and tentatively took a few steps in.
A giant brown wolf burst past, running away from the scene. Shock caused Peter to drop his flashlight. By the time he picked it up and shone it in the direction of the wolf, the beast was gone. But things weren’t all bad.
“Holy shit!” he mouthed.
This car, this Jetta, was the big break he’d been looking for. Whoever came back for it was his key to finding his wolves, his key to leveraging them and drawing them out of the woodwork then eradicating them. All he had to do was hide and wait.
Hiding and waiting was what Peter did best.
32.
Aiden
The pain suddenly vanished, and I saw the world in a completely new way. My once tunneled vision was now sharp and clear; new scents invaded my nose from every direction. The need to follow them was extreme.
I looked down at my hands. That was the first time I noticed my paws. Huge, brown paws. I felt strong. I felt powerful. This was what had been missing from my life all this time; I just didn’t know it until now. I had always felt confident in my skin, but a feeling of absolute certainty came over me and it was new—and I liked it. I really, really liked it.
A noise from my left grabbed my attention: A car had pulled to a stop nearby. I had to get out of there. I needed to get home, but I had no idea how to change back, and I didn’t want to. Not yet anyway. So I started running. Home?
I was at least five miles from the estate. Even in my normal form I could make it, but in this new form it would be no problem. It felt only natural to run, and I was fast; really fast. The feel of my new legs was exhilarating, as if I’d unlocked a newfound freedom that had been screaming to get out.
Somehow I knew exactly how to get home through the woods. I stopped a couple of times when I heard noises or picked up on some interesting scent, but I never stopped for long. The whole werewolf thing was so new to me, to be honest I was kind of afraid that if I saw a rabbit or deer or some other poor defenseless animal I might try to eat it. I wasn’t quite ready for that. Did we even do that? Surely not. God, I wish I wasn’t so pissed at Mom. I had a lot of questions. Like, for one, how the hell to turn back.
I slowed when I came near the highway turnoff for the estate. Flashbacks of my sister’s unfortunate experience came back to me, and I did not want to end up like her, naked in front of the entire pack, so I stayed far off the main road as I made my way to our house. This took a little longer, but it gave me more time to check out my new home. I now understood why we lived way out here in the middle of nowhere. It was like a lupine playground, what with all the scents and sounds everywhere.
It wasn’t long before I made it to our back patio. There I stopped. What the hell did I do now? I couldn’t knock on the door. Couldn’t even yell for someone to open up. Shit.
I just stood there, staring at the door for the longest time. Then it dawned on me. Animals couldn’t use speech to get what they want, but they found other means. We used to have a little dog that would scratch and jump at the door when he wanted in or out. No matter how humiliating it felt, that’s what I probably had to do. I was kind of low on options.
I went over to the sliding glass door and gave it a scratch then stood back and waited. Nothing. I jumped up at the door, making as much noise as I could. Nothing. Crap. I gave it the ol’ scratch/jump combo. Also nothing.
Okay, come on, guys. Help a brother out, I found myself thinking. This whole situation was awful. One more try, and if it didn’t work…well, back to the drawing board.
I jumped up and smacked my paws against the door. As I did, the curtains covering the window moved, and my dad let out the most ear-piercing scream I’d ever heard. It was worse than the time Alli saw a mouse in our old house. I’d never known my dad could be so girly, and I couldn’t stop myself from cracking up. Not that what came out sounded like laughter, but it was. In fact, I laughed so hard that I instinctively rolled over. I couldn’t help it, the look on my father’s face was ridiculous! He is married to a werewolf, for Christ’s sake. You would think he’d be used to seeing wolves.
I rolled back over in time to see my mom rush up to him. She glanced out the window and gasped.
“Aiden? Is that you, honey?” She flung the door open.
I walked in the house and, just for the fun of it, jumped up on the couch. My dad was now sitting in a chair with his head in his hands, trying to recover from his near heart attack, while Mom just stood there smiling at me. She seemed so proud. For a moment I forgot I was mad at her.
I heard giggling from the kitchen and turned to see Alli and Cade there. They were smiling, too. Big, fat, cheese-eating grins.
Since no one seemed to be saying a thing, and obviously I couldn’t talk, I jumped off the couch and sat in front of Mom, giving her my best what-now expression, or at least I tried, and waited for her to understand.
“Are you stuck, baby?” she asked.
I nodded my head.
“Don’t worry, Aiden. Changing back is the easy part,” she said. Then her hands flew up to her mouth.“Oh God! I am the worst mother ever! Both of my babies had to change on their own. The first time is so horrible!”
Trying to make her feel better, I moved closer and rubbed my face lightly against her leg. She put her hand on my neck and rubbed. Then she leaned down and planted a kiss on my nose.
“What about Teagan?” Alli suddenly said. “This didn’t happen in front of her, did it?”
I shook my head, But I was quickly growing impatient with the communication issues. The room grew quiet, and my family stood around looking at me like I was a painting in a museum. My dad actually circled me, taking in my new form like I was a new car he was considering buying. Just to freak him out, I licked his hand. He pulled it back and laughed.
Cade whispered something to Alli, and her eyes widened a bit. I growled, wanting to know what the hell they were saying.
Alli glanced at me. Shaking her head in disbelief she said, “You and Cade look nearly identical. I think your eyes are a bit lighter, but other than that… Wow.”
I didn’t know what to think about that. I guess it made sense, though; we are half-brothers.
“I think Aiden might want to change back,” Cade suggested. “I could help—if you want,” he added, eyeing me. I would have shrugged if I could, but these shoulders didn’t really lend themselves to that. I nodded instead.
“Thanks, Cade, but please, honey, let me help you,” Mom practically begged.
I really, really didn’t want to change and end up butt-ass naked on all fours in front of her.
“Paul, go get your son some shorts or something. I’ll turn around, okay?” she said, not giving me the chance to turn her down. Dad left, and after he came back everyone else went into the kitchen, leaving Mom and me alone in the family room.
“Okay, baby. Changing back is painless. I promise. Think about a happy, easy time. Then start visualizing your human body from the bottom to the top,” she said. “Close your eyes and think.”
I motioned with my muzzle, trying to get her to turn around, and when she complied I did as she suggested and tried to change. What happy, easy time did I remember? I thought back to sitting in my car with Teagan. I thought about how comfortable I’d felt with her hand in mine, how much I’d relaxed when she met my kiss with the same intensity, like she needed it as much as I did. And once I had hold of that memory, I tried to bring back my human form. I saw my legs, my stomach, my chest, my shoulders, and finally my face.
W
hen I had my whole body visualized, I opened my eyes. And just like that I was back. I snatched my basketball shorts from the floor and quickly dressed.
“You can turn around now. I’m back,” I told my mom.
She turned around and threw her arms around me. “You did it!”
Everyone else came back into the family room. They sat down, clearly waiting to hear all about my hectic night, but I didn’t feel much like talking about it. I understood now why Alli kept her first change a secret. It felt like such a private experience.
“Oh, shit. The car,” I suddenly realized. I told them how I’d had to pull over and leave the Jetta on the side of the highway. When Alli and Cade offered to go get it, I gratefully accepted. I asked them to grab my clothes too, and gave them a general idea of where I’d torn them off.
I had a strong need to get away from everyone, so I excused myself and went upstairs as soon as they were gone. I needed to call Teagan, too, but when I tried I realized that my phone was still in my car.
Damn. It would have to wait until Alli got back.
*****
Twenty minutes later I was lying in bed thinking about how weird my evening had turned out. I worried about leaving Teagan with her father in his obviously drunken state, worried that I had overstepped some kind of invisible boundary by kissing her like I had in front of him. Worried that maybe someone saw me changing in the woods.
I had just about completely freaked myself out when Mom knocked on my bedroom door. “Aiden, can we talk?” She came in and sat on the end of the bed. “We have to tell Marcus that you changed.”
“I know. Tomorrow, though,” I said. It was half a question.
“Okay,” she said. “It will be okay. Marcus really isn’t a bad guy. Hell, I used to think that he hung the moon. I almost married him.”
Not that I wanted to hear about her and Marcus, but she’d really never explained things to me or Alli since her big confession. It seemed like just yesterday I was a normal guy in New Mexico and my biggest concern was what I’d wear to school the next day. Maybe I needed to know more.
“If he’s so great, why did you keep me a secret from him?” I asked.
She thought about the answer so long that I told her to just forget it, but she told me no; she just wanted to get it right.
“You know, if I would’ve stayed home that night, not gone to the music fest with my friends, you would have had a very different life. But I did go. I met Paul, and I can’t explain it, but I knew he was the one. He made me realize that what I felt for Marcus wasn’t real love. Up until that night, I’d really thought it was.”
She closed her eyes, like she was reliving the moment. “If I would have told Marcus about you, I would’ve had to tell Paul goodbye forever. Marcus would never have let me leave with you. Or, if I did somehow manage to leave, he would have found us and brought us back. I realize now how selfish this was on my part, but please try to understand. I needed your father. For the first time in my life I needed someone, and he accepted me, wolf nature and all. Another man’s child and all. I hope that one day you meet someone who does the same, who makes you feel the same way. Someone you don’t want to live without,” she added, reaching for my hand.
That was when she noticed the fingernail cuts in my palm. They were already healing, but the evidence was still there.
“What the hell did you do to yourself?”
“It’s nothing. I just got angry and had to find a way to control myself. This was the best I could manage,” I admitted.
She raised her eyebrows. “Anything to do with your date tonight?”
“Yeah, but it’s okay. Really,” I said.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, Mom. Not now. Everything’s fine, really.”
“Okay. Goodnight, baby. I…I’m so proud of you.” Then she got up and left my room.
I started thinking about her and my dad. I couldn’t even begin to imagine someone trying to keep me away from Teagan. Thinking of her again was driving me mad, actually. I really needed to call her, or at least send a text to make sure she was okay. What the hell was taking Alli so long?
I lay down, planning to wait for Allison and Cade to get back, but after all that had happened I struggled to keep my eyes open.
It was a losing battle.
33.
Teagan
My dad slammed the door behind us and shoved me into the wall. His eyes burned with rage.
“What the hell are you doing?” I screamed.
“What the hell are you doing? Making out with some random boy in our driveway? Right in front of my face? I should have killed that piece of shit for touching you.”
“Get a freakin’ grip,” I sneered. “He would have ripped you to shreds, especially in your condition. Guess AA didn’t work out after all, huh, Dad?”
My father stumbled back a bit, ran shaky fingers through his unwashed hair. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just fine. You’re the one who thinks you can run all over town doing God knows what. You think he’s going to save you, take you away from here and make everything better?”
He paused for a response, but I didn’t give him one. I’d learned a long time ago that it wasn’t worth it.
“He’s just waiting for you to spread your legs. Then he’ll be done with you. Just like that last boyfriend of yours, Adam whatever. You’ll see. But I guess it won’t matter to you. You’ll just find another man, and another, just like that whore mother of yours—”
I slapped him so hard that he stumbled backwards. He reached up to touch his cheek, and something I’d never seen before registered on his face. Fear? Remorse? I didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t the drunken rage to which I’d grown accustomed. Maybe it was simply guilt.
We just stood there, staring into one another’s eyes. When tears threatened, I turned to walk away, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing me hurt yet again. But before I could escape, Dad grabbed my arm. He was gentle this time.
“Teagan. I’m sorry, baby. Really, I am.” Slowly he let go of my arm, and I didn’t want to look at him but I couldn’t stop myself. A single tear was rolling down his swollen cheek.
I was tired—tired of feeling bad for him, tired of his excuses, tired of it all, and the first of many tears made its way down my own face. “Keep your fucking hands off me. You’re dead to me. Do you hear me, Dad? Dead. To. Me.” Then, without looking back, I stormed off to my room and slammed the door.
I backed up against the wall and slowly slid to the ground, unable to stand any longer. I was done. Done trying to make it work. Done listening to excuse after excuse. I only had a few months until my eighteenth birthday, and after that I was out of here and would never look back.
It took what seemed like hours, but finally I had the energy to move. I lifted what was left of myself off the floor and crawled up into bed. My eyes were a mess from the buckets of tears I’d cried, and I needed sleep, needed this day to end.
Knowing I’d look like hell in the morning, I curled up in a ball and closed my eyes. I tried to relax, pushing all thoughts of my screwed up father aside. That was when memories of Aiden’s lips filled my mind, and for the first time since I’d gotten home I smiled. The way he’d stared down my father, grabbed my hand as if he couldn’t bear to let it go, kissed me hard right there in front of the world…
Heaven help me. This boy was trouble. He’d been like an alpha dog claiming his territory, but it sent chills up my spine. Good chills. And with Aiden planted firmly in my thoughts, I drifted off to sleep, praying that I’d see him soon.
What was that he’d said? Oh, yeah. I missed him already.
34.
Peter
Peter circled his car around to park deep in the shadows where no one would see him. He felt like a real detective on a stakeout, which added to his excitement. This was the most conclusive evidence he’d ever found. Today was the day, and his quest was nearing its conclusion. At the ver
y least the path was becoming clear.
He knew he wouldn’t have to wait long, because the driver had left the car running. Someone would have to come for it soon, or it would run out of gas, or worse, it would be stolen.
Raymond’s voice echoed from the car’s back seat. “This is it, Peter. I can feel it in my bones.”
Peter adjusted his rear view mirror, and there his uncle was. “You’re a ghost. You don’t have bones,” said he said with a smile. But he was glad to have his uncle’s company. He was a little nervous about what might take place here. He wasn’t yet ready for a direct assault. He was still working on that drunk from the bar to be his second in command, and he had yet to begin recruiting his werewolf attack team.
“If we get what we’re hoping for tonight, you’ll need to work faster,” Uncle Raymond commanded.
“I will. I promise.”
“You’ll need more than the town drunk. Weres are strong, dangerous, and don’t forget they have teams of their own. Packs. Weres are as deadly as they come,” Raymond said.
“This is it! Look!” Peter pointed to a motorcycle that was slowing down near the Jetta. “Who the hell drives a motorcycle in the winter, in the mountains no less? He’s got to be one of them. Any normal person would freeze to death.”
Both Peter and Raymond sat in the car and watched as the motorcycle stopped. Someone got off the back, a second rider that Peter hadn’t seen. And when the bike helmets came off, confusion sat in. It was a beautiful blonde teenager. He quickly grabbed his camera from the glove compartment and shot a few photos. She walked over to the Jetta and took a look inside before walking into the woods, came back out with something in her hands. Getting into the car, she closed the door.
“A blonde? They can have blonde hair, too? Damn. Do we really know anything about them at all?” Peter yelled. He slammed his hands down on the steering wheel and turned to his uncle in confusion.
