Hunted Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

  That couldn’t happen. It just couldn’t. I had to be there to help Stella. She knew nothing about life as a werewolf and would need direction—and lots of it for a while. Then there was Elsie. I was so close—I could feel it.

  I paced faster. Remaining a wolf wasn’t a reality I could bear to face, yet it was beginning to look more and more likely. I didn’t know how the wolfborns did it, except that they knew nothing else. Alex had said he rather enjoyed the peaceful existence. But that was him, not me.

  My eyes grew heavy. I needed to get back to Stella. She’d probably shifted back, and was vulnerable. What if more of Toby’s original pack came in the woods after me and found her? They’d probably be able to pick up my scent on her since we’d spent time together.

  My lids closed slowly. Despite how much I needed to shift and get back to my life, I couldn’t. My wolf needed sleep and I couldn’t figure out how to shift back. I crawled under the bush next to my clothes and curled into a ball, falling asleep.

  I woke cold and shivering. I sat up, scraping my bare back on the branches and leaves. Bare skin. I held up my arm. I was human again. I slid on the hoodie and pants, wishing I’d thought to leave a little more.

  Once out into the open, I looked around. My shoes lay near a tree. At least I’d somehow managed to kick them off when shifting. Everything else was in shreds. I’d just have to make do until I could find more clothing.

  After I got the shoes on, I jumped over the three bodies and ran to the campfire which had gone out. Stella lay next to it, sleeping.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She sat up and stretched. “Yeah. What took you so long?”

  “I had trouble shifting back.”

  “I thought werewolves only shifted at the full moon?”

  “My schedule is off.”

  “Right, but I didn’t think I’d be able to turn. Was it because it’s my first shift?”

  “Maybe. Probably. We’d better go.”

  “Am I supposed to be this tired?” She yawned and stretched again.

  “Given that your body isn’t used to such a severe change, I’d say so.”

  “Ugh, I hope this wears off.”

  “I’m sure it will.” I covered the warm ashes with wet dirt and dusted off my hands. “Let’s get going. We’re going to have to be careful. The rest of the pack is bound to be close.”

  Stella groaned. “What did you do to them to piss them off so much?”

  “I’ll tell you while we’re traveling.”

  “Must be some story.” She yawned.

  I felt like I should ask again if she would be okay, but we had to move on either way. Just sitting around in the same place would make us easier targets as our scents grew stronger. I waved toward the edge of the forest and started walking. She followed, and as we went, I told her about my long history with Toby.

  “And your love lasted even beyond your death?” she gushed. “That has to be the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

  A smile spread across my face. “I like to think so.”

  “What about your father’s pack?”

  I groaned just thinking about them, but told her the story, anyway.

  “You’ve had the most exciting life. No wonder you ended up in the magic safe house. We…” She paused and sniffed the air, scrunching her face. “What’s that horrible smell?”

  I sniffed, not noticing anything unusual at first. Then I noticed what she smelled. “It’s a vampire.”

  Stella coughed. “It’s horrible.”

  “You get used to it.”

  “They’re our enemies.” She looked at me like I was crazy.

  “Not always. We have one in our pack.”

  “You’ll have to tell me that story later.” She sniffed again. “It smells close… and strangely familiar.”

  Both of us widened our eyes at the same time.

  “Verla,” she said.

  “She sniffed you out from Spokane?” I exclaimed.

  She shrugged. “Maybe she never stopped looking.”

  “Apparently common vampires are really attached to their pets.” I sniffed the air again. “It smells like she’s still pretty far off. The odor is weak.”

  Stella gagged. “If that’s the case, I don’t want to know what she smells like up close. Is there anything I can do to throw her off the trail?”

  “Wolfsbane can cover our scents—if we can find any. But with you being a werewolf, she might just give up.”

  “I hope so. I don’t feel like fighting anyone again for a long time. Last night was more than enough for me.”

  “Something else you might have to get use to,” I muttered.

  She threw me an exasperated glance. “Really?”

  “You’re the one who wanted to become a werewolf.”

  “Is there any wolfsbane around here?”

  “It’s possible.” I sniffed the air, not smelling any. “We’re better off to keep going. She may very well be tracking you some other way.”

  Stella frowned. “Locator spells.”

  I nodded. We came to a crowded street. “Why don’t we mingle with the humans? That might be enough to distract Verla and send her on her way.”

  “Sounds better than any ideas I have.”

  We crossed the road and made our way into the busy street fair. Booths lined the street as far as I could see. People sold everything from handmade blankets to strange artwork. A guy dressed as a jester juggled bowling pins and a hamster. Those watching cheered and gasped as the fluffy, little rodent flew through the air and then landed safely in the man’s hand time and time again.

  Stella nudged me. “The scent is getting stronger.”

  I sniffed the air. She was right. I’d been so entranced by the juggler that I hadn’t noticed how much stronger the vampire odor had grown. I grabbed her arm. “We’d better move on.”

  We tried to act natural as we walked along, pretending to take interest in the contents of the booths. It seemed to work, as nobody paid us any attention.

  “What does she look like?” I whispered to Stella.

  “Last I saw her, she had purple hair and pink eyes. But I’m sure she’s changed her look several dozen times since then.”

  I gave her a double take. “Pink eyes? You mean red?”

  She shook her head. “No, she likes colored contacts.”

  “And standing out.”

  Stella snorted. “You could say that.”

  “Great,” I muttered. “That means she won’t mind making a scene with a bunch of innocent humans around.”

  “That never stopped her before.”

  I grabbed her arm and dragged her down another street. This one was filled with fruits and vegetables. Someone was selling fresh fruit smoothies. My stomach rumbled. We’d need to find something to eat soon, but that would have to wait until after we lost the vampire with the wild streak.

  Stella caught my gaze and gestured down another street where a parade was marching along. We turned down that way and stood in the middle of a big group of people.

  The vampire scent had lessened significantly. I sighed in relief and watched the floats. There was an empty space between two floats. Someone on the other side of the street caught my attention.

  Elsie.

  Chapter 13

  Toby

  My phone rang. It was an unknown caller, so I pressed ignore. I had too many pressing worries to worry about anything else.

  The phone rang again. It was the same number. Again, I ignored the caller. Everyone important was in my contact list, and I wasn’t expecting a call from anyone else.

  “Why don’t you just get it?” Brick asked. He stirred some stew on the stove and then reached for something behind it. As usual, he alone was preparing the beginning of our full moon preparation feast.

  “Because I need to focus on finding out what my father has planned.”

  “What if that’s what the call is about?”

  “If they call again, I’ll ans
wer—”

  It rang.

  Brick turned around and gave me a playful smirk. He’d picked that expression up from Soleil.

  I held back an eye roll and accepted the call. “Hello?”

  “Toby?”

  My blood ran cold. I’d know that voice anywhere. “Yes, Father. Have you called to concede?”

  “Hardly. I’m going to make your girlfriend suffer three times as much as I’d planned.”

  “Why?” My stomach twisted in knots. I took a long, silent deep breath and reminded myself that she was safe from his vile threats.

  “After she and her mutt friend killed Roscoe, Edward, and Harry, I’m going to make her pay for each of their deaths.”

  “My cousins?” My head spun, trying to make sense of everything he’d just said. “Victoria killed them?”

  Brick spun around and gave me an incredulous look.

  A lump grew in my throat. Although my cousins were fighting alongside my father, it still came as a shock that they were dead. I was grateful they hadn’t killed Victoria, of course, but they’d been my friends growing up.

  “She and her mutt friend,” my father snarled.

  The room spun around me. “I think you have her confused with someone else. She doesn’t have any mutt friends.” Not to mention she was safely hidden among the werebears.

  “Apparently you don’t keep tight enough tabs on your woman. She’s definitely friends with the mutt. We may not have caught her this time, but next time she won’t be so lucky. I guarantee it.”

  “Where did you say you saw her?” I asked.

  My father laughed. “I didn’t, boy. Learn to keep a closer eye on your woman. You’ll soon find out why we men have to be the take-charge type. We can’t lead effectively being a pansy like you—especially not with women in our charge.”

  “Where are you?” I demanded.

  “Buy yourself a locator spell.” The call ended.

  “What was that all about?” Brick asked.

  I narrowed my eyes. “How safe exactly did you say Victoria is at the werebear sanctuary?”

  “Incredibly. They have tight security.”

  “Can you call them to find out? I don’t want to call her and risk giving away her location.”

  “They don’t use electricity.”

  I swore. “Take me there. Now.”

  He stumbled over his words. “I-I… the… but the food will burn. I saw her and met the bears myself.”

  We stared each other down. He was right about the pack needing to eat. Despite my anger, a gnawing hunger ate at my own gut, growing as the full moon neared.

  “Carter or Soleil can take you.”

  “Isn’t she back at the Faeble?” She’d been there for some time, helping to find other supernaturals to help our cause. When it closed, she went other places to find others.

  He frowned. “Yes, but I think Carter’s still here. He was outside, checking the wolfborns’ food and water not long ago.”

  “Great.” I shook my head. “You can give me directions, and I’ll take Sal or Jet.”

  “The bears already know and like Carter.”

  “So? I’m the one they need to explain themselves to.”

  “Unfortunately, they’re not big fans of werewolves. I could feel that much the short time I was there.”

  “I don’t care if they like me or not!” I slammed my fist on the table.

  Brick cleared his throat. “I understand. Let me stir the sauce before it sticks to the pan, then I can get you the directions.”

  “Don’t bother,” I snapped and stormed out of the room. A few of the guys were gathered near the front door. They stared at me as I passed and went outside, slamming the door behind me.

  Carter came around the side of the house, and we nearly crashed into each other. He gave me a concerned expression. “Are you okay?”

  “My father claims some of his pack has seen Victoria.”

  Carter’s eyes widened.

  “Outside of the werebears property.”

  His mouth dropped. “How’s that possible?”

  “That’s what I intend to find out.”

  “I’ll show you where it is. Is she okay? You said they saw her. They didn’t hurt her?”

  I shook my head. “Apparently she killed three of my cousins.”

  He grinned. “Nice! Um, I mean, I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thanks.” I checked my pockets for my keys and phone. “Let’s take my Hummer.”

  “Sure.”

  We climbed in, and I peeled out of the spot and remotely opened the gate. It had never seemed slower.

  “Head toward the main road,” Carter said. “We’ll go north.”

  My tires sprayed gravel as I passed through the gate. “How long will it take to get there?”

  “Driving like this? Not long.”

  I ignored the teasing and turned up the music, hoping he’d get the clue that I didn’t want conversation.

  “Was Victoria alone?” he asked.

  “She was with some mutt. Did you notice one staying with the bears?”

  “No. Do you think she turned someone?”

  “Hades, I hope not.”

  He turned to me, his eyes wide. “Why not?”

  “The traditional werewolves are more against turning someone than they are marrying outside of birth packs.”

  “Oh. Where did they see her and the mutt?”

  “If I knew that, we wouldn’t be headed to the werebears’ place.”

  “Gotcha. But how do you know your dad isn’t lying? He strikes me as someone who—”

  “Because he called to tell me Victoria had killed my cousins. He’s furious.”

  “I see. Well, I’m sure we’ll get all the answers we need from the bears.”

  “We’d better,” I muttered.

  “Turn left at the next light.”

  “Okay.”

  “You know, I always thought Hummers were loud beasts. I’m surprised how quiet this thing is.”

  Unlike my passenger. “I did some work on it to make it quiet. You know how werewolf hearing is. I couldn’t risk being on the move and having my vehicle give away my location.”

  “Smart.”

  We drove the rest of the way in silence, apart from Carter giving the occasional direction. As I drove the long dirt road, Carter told me to slow. “And let me talk to them. They know me.”

  “Fine by me. I’d probably get us off on the wrong foot, anyway.”

  He didn’t disagree.

  A man dressed as a Native American stepped out from between some trees and indicated for me to stop. Carter jumped out of the Hummer and went to the other side, speaking to the man. He came back a few minutes later and the other man retreated back to the woods.

  “Patwin says she and a human from the refuge disappeared last night. They ran a spell and discovered no harm was done. Both Victoria and the other girl—presumably, the newly turned mutt—left willingly.”

  I ran my hands through my hair. “That’s all they know? Not why they took off?”

  Carter shook his head. “Patwin only knew what he’d been told. He said we’re more than welcome to speak with the leaders.”

  “How do we get there?”

  He gave me a series of complicated directions, including odd-shaped rocks, and finally we pulled up to a field of wigwam tents. More people dressed like Patwin busied themselves with work.

  Carter turned to me. “I’ll speak with the leaders first. Once I introduce you, you can say your piece.”

  “Are you sure you want that?” I grumbled.

  “I know you don’t want to cause a rift between our pack and some of the most feared shifters in the world.” He climbed out of the Hummer and headed toward the tents.

  As much as I hated to admit it—even to myself—I appreciated him wording it the way he did. He could have just told me to cool my temper and be sure not to act like a jackass, but he didn’t. I actually felt myself calm down slightly.

/>   I tapped the steering wheel as I watched Carter speaking with a man and woman who wore more decorated attire than the others. Finally, he waved me over. I took a deep breath, cut the engine, and told myself they probably weren’t responsible for whatever happened to Victoria. Even though they were supposed to be keeping her safe.

  My anger flared again. I pushed it down and climbed out of the car.

  The woman walked over to me. “Greetings. I’m Luyu and this is my husband, Akule. You’re Victoria’s partner?”

  I nodded. “Pleasure to meet you.” I didn’t dare speak of Victoria, feeling my rage bubbling like a pool of explosive lava.

  Carter and Akule came over to us.

  “Your wolf,” Luyu said, “left last night with the human while everyone was sleeping. No one saw or heard anything. But our spell showed they left of their own volition. They were not scared or threatened.”

  I took a deep breath. “You don’t know why they took off?”

  “We do not. They were both hard workers and did their part to earn their keep.”

  “They didn’t have any problems with anyone else staying in the safe house?”

  “No.”

  “Why can’t you tell me where they went?” I exclaimed, trying to keep a rein on my fury.

  “They left our protection. It’s not our job, I’m afraid. They knew what they were leaving.”

  “You promised us you’d keep her safe!”

  Luyu stood taller. “I promised you nothing, wolf.”

  “You gave him,” I glanced toward Carter, “your word. Doesn’t that mean anything?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “We kept our end of the bargain. The girl left without so much as a word to us. No thanks, nothing.”

  “Maybe she didn’t feel safe!” I exploded. “Did you ever think of that? Or what about contacting one of us? You have magic enough to claim she left willingly, surely you could’ve found a way to tell our pack!”

  She stepped closer to me. “You need to calm down.”

  “If ever being upset is warranted, it’s now. You need to help us figure out where she went.”

  Carter glared at me and made a slicing motion with his hand in front of his neck.