My blood ran cold. Tribunal?
“When is Jesse getting here?” Wilson asked.
“Last I heard, he was tying up loose ends in Nova Scotia.”
“He’d better hurry. We need him.”
“Patience. There’s still much we need to prepare, also.”
They stopped walking without warning, and with Wilson grasping my arm, I yanked to a sudden stop. The sound of a large lock clicked and then squeaks from metal sounded as a door opened.
My pulse raced. I squirmed, trying to get away. Why couldn’t I turn? I was more than upset enough to shift.
Wilson dug his nails into my flesh. “Hold still, little girl.”
I struggled all the harder to get away, not that I’d have much if I did break free. He slammed me against metal bars. The side of my head hit with a harsh thunk and the sound echoed around in my head.
He shoved me again. “I said to hold still.”
“Throw her in.”
Wilson yanked me back and pushed me, finally letting go. I landed on concrete, sliding across until I crashed into more bars. I rolled over and moaned. The metal door slammed shut and the lock clicked into place.
“Don’t make any sudden movements.” Toby’s father laughed.
“Yeah. That wolfborn is starving and angry as a hornet.” Wilson laughed hysterically.
I sat up and fought against the ties.
A low growl sounded just feet away.
My breath caught and I froze in place.
Claws tapped on the concrete.
Were they just trying to frighten me, or had they actually locked me in a cage with a furious, hungry wolfborn?
“Hello?” I whispered.
Tap, tap, tap.
“M-maybe we can work t-together,” I said to the wolfborn.
“Nice try,” Wilson said. “This one has lost his humanity. Can’t reason with this brute.”
Something hit the cage with a loud thud, rattling the bars.
Another growl, this time closer.
Footsteps sounded, growing quieter as Wilson and his alpha walked away from the cage, laughing.
I held still, only moving my fingers to find a way to untie the rope.
The growl came even closer.
My breathing grew labored, and having a burlap bag over my head only made it more challenging. I waited in expectation for the wolfborn to lunge at me and dig into my flesh, tearing me to shreds.
He just continued growling.
Frantic, I fought the rope while trying to keep the rest of my body still.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” My voice shook. “W-we can work together.” I could’ve told him I would remain human during the full moon, but didn’t know if any of the other werewolves were within earshot. My erratic shifting was my only weapon, and I intended to keep that secret until I could actually shift.
Finally, I relaxed a little. The wolfborn hadn’t attacked yet. If he was going to, he probably would have already. Could he sense that I meant him no harm? Or maybe he did hold onto his humanity and had understood what I said.
I gave up on untying the knots. The bars digging into my back were rough. I might be able to cut through the ropes. It was a long shot and would take considerable time, but it was all I had. I rubbed the bindings against a bar, hoping it made a difference.
Eventually, my eyelids grew heavy. My arms moved slower, rubbing the rope side to side and up and down. My eyelids won, and my head slumped forward, hitting my chest. I inched my way to lying. Despite being unable to get comfortable, I fell asleep.
A sudden flash of light woke me. I scrambled to sit up, gasping in fresh air, struggling with my sore arms still tied behind me. My shoulders were horribly sore and something pinched in my upper back. I couldn’t open my eyes against the blinding light.
“Don’t like the light?” Wilson laughed. “Want me to put the bag back over your head?”
“No.” I moved away from the sound of his voice. My arms and back hurt all the more with each movement.
My eyes opened a crack. Morning sunlight shone through the rusty bars all around me. Trees and bushes surrounded the cage on all sides. We were in some small clearing. I turned around and saw an adjoining cage. That was where the wolfborn sat. Not in my cage.
“Hungry?” Wilson asked.
“Yes. And thirsty.”
“Good. We’re going to keep it that way.” He hit the cage with his hand and walked away.
Anger pulsed through me. I stared at the gray and black wolf in the next cage. He slept soundly.
Hammering sounded in the distance. A lot of it. My stomach twisted in knots as I remembered the mention of a tribunal the night before. What would they put me on trial for? I shuddered thinking of them as my judge and jury.
My stomach rumbled and a wave of light-headedness struck me. I took a deep breath, determined to stay strong. I’d faced plenty in recent months. I could do this, too. But first, I needed to find a way to free myself of the rope. The pain in my back was growing more intense with each passing minute.
All of the bars were rusty and rough, but nothing appeared sharp enough to really help. Not that I had any other options. It wasn’t like they’d left a knife lying around.
Sighing, I made my way over to a bar with the roughest edge and ran the rope over it. The shard snapped off, bounced on the concrete, and landed outside on the dirt. All my hope seemed to follow it out there.
Tears stung my eyes. I grunted in frustration. Ever since getting my shift back, I’d become so emotional.
Wait. That was it. If I shifted, the rope would be too big and I could work my way out. I struggled to my feet and walked the perimeter of the small cage, studying the forest outside. It didn’t appear anyone stood watch, but that didn’t mean they weren’t out there. I continued searching, feeling like I was staring at a hidden picture puzzle.
My aches grew more burdensome. Maybe waiting to shift was stupid. I needed to do it now to get out of the ties.
The wolfborn jumped up and growled, baring his teeth at me.
That was the answer to my question. If I shifted, we’d be able to communicate. I could see if he and I could work together to find a way out.
“Hold on.” I turned, struggled to slide off my pants, and then my hoodie. I worked it loose so that it only hung from my wrists. With any luck, my only clothes would survive the shift.
I gave into my tears, hoping to finally shift.
Chapter 18
Toby
I pulled the Hummer into a tiny gas station, frustrated beyond belief. The others slept, but I couldn’t. We’d been driving all night in search of Victoria with no luck. Frida had seen both her and my old pack at the northern point of the peninsula. That meant they had to be close. All I needed was one small clue.
But first, the Hummer needed fuel. I climbed out, stuck my card in the machine, and pumped the gas in. Just standing there, my eyelids grew heavy. I wouldn’t give into my exhaustion—not until Victoria was safe and sound.
Just as I tore my receipt free, I noticed something. It was only a trace of a scent, but it was hers. There was no doubt in my mind. I raised my nose and took in a deep breath. Given the slight westerly breeze, I guessed her to be southwest of where we were.
I climbed back into the beast and rolled down all the windows. The others mumbled and shifted positions, but nobody woke. I started the engine, tore out into the empty road, and followed the scent. It was still faint, but growing slightly stronger as I headed southwest.
Eventually, I couldn’t go any farther. The road ended at heavy woods. I rolled up the windows. “I’m going to find Victoria. Anyone coming with me?”
Brick sat up in the passenger seat and snorted. “Huh? What?”
“I found her scent.”
He rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, I’m with you.”
I glanced back at the others, still sound asleep.
“Let them sleep.” Brick stretched. “We’ll need them alert when we sleep. Have
you gotten any rest?”
“Nope. I’ve gone down every road in the area at least twice.”
We climbed out and I locked the doors. Exhaustion threatened, but I wouldn’t give in. Not when Victoria was close.
Brick sniffed the air. “I smell her, too.”
Without a word, we burst into a run, following the scent. We darted around trees and over bushes. The trail grew stronger, though remained weak. I clung to the hope that she’d left me some kind of clue.
I skidded to a stop as we came to an old campfire. “She was here.”
“The rumors about the mutt are true.” Brick scratched his nose.
“There’s something nearby.” I followed the new trail into a bush. Shredded fabric lay everywhere—stuck to leaves and branches, but mostly on the ground. I picked some up and took a deep breath. Her aroma filled my nose.
She’d worn the destroyed clothes.
A mixture of terror and anger ran through me.
“I smell your old pack,” Brick called.
Stuffing some of the fabric in a pocket, I climbed out of the bush. “Me, too. Smells like my cousins.”
“The ones she killed?”
I nodded and tore off in the direction the odors wafted from. Pools of dried blood covered the ground, but none of it was Victoria’s.
Brick nodded in obvious approval. “She did good.”
“But what happened to her?” I exclaimed.
“Didn’t she get away?”
“That’s what my father claims. Not that his word means much to me.”
“I’d think he’d brag about having caught her.”
A spot of red on a tree caught my attention. I held up a finger and walked over to it. It was a small splatter of blood, but one sniff told me it was Victoria’s. “They hurt her!”
Brick came over and studied it. He turned to the pools of blood. “I’d say she got her revenge.”
I touched the spot of dried blood and yelled out. My inner wolf clawed, trying to get out.
“We’ll find her.”
“How?” I snapped. “Can you sense her presence? She’s obviously been gone from here for some time! It’s our only clue, and her scent doesn’t lead us anywhere else.”
“It was strongest at the campsite. Maybe we can find something else there.”
“Like more shredded clothes? Is she even wearing anything? What if she’s freezing to death somewhere?”
“Or,” Brick said slowly, “she could be in her wolf form, keeping warm and safe with the girl she turned. That’s the more likely explanation.”
I paced, my mind spinning out of control.
“I’ve heard newly turned wolves shift right away and Victoria isn’t bound by the moon, right? They’re probably hiding somewhere.”
I stopped and stared at my friend. Could he be right?
“Let’s go back to the others. Maybe Soleil or Frida can help us figure out where she is.”
“Hold on.” I went over to the tree that had a little splotch of her blood and scraped it off in case it would help with a locator spell.
Brick and I made our way back through the woods and to the SUV. Soleil woke when we closed our doors.
“Did I miss something?”
“Those are the woods where she killed my cousins,” I said.
“Where is she now?”
“That’s what we need to find out,” I said. “I’ve got some of her shredded clothes and a bit of her dried blood. I don’t suppose that you can work with that?”
“Essence. I work with essence.”
“She shifted while wearing these clothes. There might be a chance some essence got on them, don’t you think?”
“I’ve never seen anything like that, but hand them over.”
I dug into my pocket and pulled out a handful. She looked them over and sniffed them, but eventually handed them back. “Sorry, no essence.”
“Thanks for trying. Maybe Frida can help with a locator spell.”
Frida stretched. “Did I hear my name?”
“We found some of Victoria’s things in the forest, but no sign of her.”
“I see where this is going. Give me a couple minutes to wake up and then I’ll get everything set up.”
“Thank you.”
Soleil glanced to Tap, Jet, and Ziamara, who were sleeping in the third row. “I didn’t think vampires were supposed to sleep that much.”
“She sleeps more when she’s worried.” I turned to Frida. “Do you need help with anything?”
“What exactly did you find?”
“Shredded clothes and some blood scraped from a tree.”
“Perfect.” She grabbed a little black bag. “Let’s go.”
“Us, too?” asked Brick.
“Yes. I can draw from your energy.” She glanced up at the sky. “I don’t see the moon, but hopefully I can draw from it, also.”
The five of us headed into the woods. Frida set up her things along with what I’d gathered near the campfire where Victoria’s smell had been the strongest. “Everyone hold hands.” We did, and she spoke in a foreign language. Leaves rustled nearby and a breeze came our way. Frida’s voice grew louder. I swore I heard whispers around us. Chills ran down my back.
Frida continued raising her voice. The soft breeze turned into a cold wind, whipping against us with force. “Stay where you are. Don’t move.” She returned to speaking in the foreign language. The whispers grew closer and more rapid and the wind grew increasingly cold. The air itself felt a full ten degrees colder.
I shivered and cracked open an eye knowing Frida would likely reprimand me for it. She sat tall, her own eyes closed, practically yelling the spell over the wind and the voices. Blood dripped down from her nose.
“Frida!”
“Let me finish.” She continued on with the spell. More blood gushed from her nose.
“You should stop.”
“Close your eyes. Now. I almost have her.”
I closed my eyes and she went back to speaking in the foreign language. I’d give her a minute before insisting she stop.
Just as I was about to open my eyes and check on her, she stopped and everything died down. The candles had all blown out and fallen over. The flower petals were gone. Blood ran from her nose down over her mouth.
“Why did you continue?” I exclaimed.
Frida wiped her mouth. “Something was blocking me. I was close, but couldn’t find her. My only choice was to amp up the spell. I’m just glad you three were all here.”
Soleil wiped her eyes. “You must’ve borrowed some of my juice. I feel a little weak.”
Brick put his arm around her.
“I’m sorry.” Frida wiped the blood from her nose.
“Don’t be.” Soleil leaned against Brick. “You found her, didn’t you?”
Frida rubbed the back of her neck. “Finally, I did.”
“Where is she?” I asked.
“In some other woods about thirty miles from here.”
I groaned. “So far away?”
“They must be in wolf form,” Brick said.
“Let’s find her.” I rose and helped Frida up.
“Can’t she use runes to get us there?” Brick asked.
Frida shook her head. “Not if I haven’t been there before.”
Brick frowned.
We gathered what was left of her things and made our way back to the car. Jet and Ziamara were finally awake.
“Where’d you guys go?” Jet asked. “And what was up with that wind?”
“Frida ran another locator spell.” I started the engine and backed up. “She’s thirty miles away. Which direction?”
“Head east,” Frida said. “I’ll tell you when we’re close.”
I turned on my radar detector and drove as fast as I could for the nearest main road.
“What’d you see?” Soleil asked Frida.
“Not a lot. There was something trying to block the spell. It took everything I had to get past it.”
“Does that happen a lot?” Ziamara asked.
“Only when someone goes to great lengths not to be found.”
Nobody responded, though I was sure we were all thinking the same thing—why would she want to hide, unless she was in real danger?
It was hard not to drive too fast. “Were you able to see if she was okay?”
Frida didn’t respond.
“Frida?”
She hesitated. “It was difficult to see much. There was a lot of darkness, and I kept getting pushed away and diverted.”
“Why would that happen?” Ziamara asked.
Frida cleared her throat. “I don’t know, but I have a feeling we’ll soon find out.”
Chapter 19
Victoria
I rose to all fours and stared into the eyes of the wolfborn in the next cage.
You can shift when you want to? he exclaimed.
It’s more complicated than that, but I’m cursed by the moon.
Explain it to me. He stepped closer to the bars, his fur standing on end.
I don’t have time—I can’t let them see me like this.
Why shift, then?
To make sure you understand I don’t want to hurt you.
His ears lowered. You don’t get it, do you? I have no choice but to follow their orders. They say to attack, and I have to. It doesn’t matter who they tell me to attack. It could be my own mother.
I paced in circles. Can’t you fight it?
I’ve tried. A witch doctor put a spell on me.
A witch doctor?
Yes. I can’t fight the spell. I’m sorry.
A noise caught my attention and I froze, worried one of the other werewolves now knew I could shift outside of the full moon. The only sounds were of the hammering. I turned back to the wolfborn. What if we work together? Could we do something to break your spell?
I doubt it. The witch doctor was unlike any witch I’ve ever seen. I wish I could explain it.
Is there a way we can break out of here?
Don’t you think I’d have left already if I could’ve?
Right.
You’d better shift back. They never stay away for long. Wilson will be here soon to taunt me. They want to turn me vicious.
I paced again, not wanting to change forms away from the one wolf I could actually talk to.
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