The Enigma (The Loup-Garou Series Book 1)

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  “What are we doing?” she asked.

  “Just a little late night shopping,” Dustin replied as he pulled out his school keys and found a small gold one out of the bunch. “One of the Devians owns this store and we come in after closing hours to do our shopping in private. It’s much easier to shop when no one is staring at all the meat piled in your cart,” Dustin continued, then opened the door.

  Chapter 18

  Again, it was the same order with eating as to enter a building: Darren, Dustin, Ben, and then Logan. But Logan held the door open for Katey to walk in before him. She somehow didn’t feel right about breaking the pack order, but she walked in anyway.

  Ben and Logan both grabbed a shopping cart from the side and took positions on either side of the store’s food section. Katey stayed by Logan’s side, afraid to roam around by herself. The lights flickered on as Dustin gave a call out from the back to start shopping.

  Darren and Ben went to raiding the frozen food section, while Logan and Katey were scanning through the snacks and dry food goods. As each guy found something, they asked for approvals and then tossed it into their carts. Katey could hardly hear them half the time because they weren’t shouting. They had no reason to, since they all had a keen sense of hearing. Katey was sure that they could have been whispering and they would have heard one another perfectly. But she did manage to hear some snippets of their conversations.

  “How much ground beef do we want this time?” Darren asked.

  “Last time we got twenty pounds and it only lasted a few days. Can we get forty this time?” Dustin replied.

  “Let’s try thirty,” Darren replied before snatching thirty pounds worth of beef into his cart.

  “We want any beef jerky to snack on this time?” Logan asked them as they rolled up to the place where beef jerky hung on the snack aisle.

  “I do!” Ben countered.

  “What kind?” asked Dustin.

  “Get teriyaki,” Logan whispered to Katey, hoping she would conspire with him to get the flavor he wanted.

  “No! I heard that!”

  Logan rolled his eyes.

  “Look for something with jalapeños!” Darren added.

  “They’ve got jalapeños,” Logan answered after searching through the stacks. He grabbed a couple of bags and threw them into the cart, but Katey secretly stashed a bag of teriyaki jerky into the cart and giggled.

  “I can’t remember. Who’s the one that likes lamb again?” Darren asked.

  “Me. Do they have any?” Logan answered.

  “What about steaks?” Ben asked.

  “Yeah! Hit me with the steaks!” Dustin replied sensually, followed by a haughty laugh.

  “What cut do you want this time?”

  “Anything. You know me.”

  Katey couldn’t hold in her smiles. “This feels so awkward.”

  “You can shop for something you want too,” Logan said. “We don’t really keep any non-meat food around the house so you’ll need to get you something for the weekend.”

  Darren heard Logan’s comment and ordered Ben to go to the cereal aisle and look for something Katey could eat for breakfast. Katey only caught a glimpse of a blur at the end of one of the aisles as Ben flew past to get to the breakfast side of the store. She had almost forgotten about the super-speed they all possessed.

  “What do you want, Katey?” he called out, making sure she could hear him from across the store.

  “Uh… Do they have Coco puffs?”

  “What the devil are those?” Ben asked, his voice laden with bewilderment.

  Katey giggled. “It’s chocolate powder balls. They turn the milk chocolaty.”

  There was a pause of silence and Ben found the box of cereal she was talking about. “Anything else? Pop-tarts, grits, oatmeal?”

  “No, thanks.”

  Suddenly, a box of Coco puffs came soaring over the aisles and landed in Logan’s cart with uncanny precision. “Nice shot,” Katey remarked.

  “What do you normally have for lunch?” Darren asked, still in the frozen food section.

  Katey felt odd being the center of attention like this. “Umm… Burgers and hot dogs are fine if you guys eat those too.”

  “We have those, but we’ll need to get buns if you want them,” Dustin told her as they began turning down another aisle.

  “Way ahead of you,” called out Ben as he swept passed them into another blur. Katey’s hair flew up with the force of his passing. When they turned down the next aisle, a pack of hamburger and hotdog buns toppled over into their cart the same way that the cereal did.

  “What about dinner, Katey?” Darren asked.

  Katey shrugged and thought for a moment. “I can eat steaks with the rest of you, but can I request potatoes?”

  Dustin came up beside her with his cart full of food and shot her a curious look.

  “For mashed potatoes and fries,” she explained.

  “In coming!” shouted Ben. Logan jumped into action as a five-pound bag came hurling over the aisles. He caught it against his chest like a football and let it down in the cart with the rest of the groceries.

  “Kids like pizza, right?” Darren called out as he browsed through the freezer section.

  “I do!” Katey shouted.

  “Here ya go!” A box of frozen pizza glided over the aisles like a Frisbee. This time, Katey jumped and grabbed it herself as it was about to miss the cart.

  “Be careful, Katey. You might be having fun now,” warned Logan with a grin.

  She laughed as she let the pizza down into the cart.

  “Do you drink milk?” Katey asked as she thought what she would have her cereal with.

  “That’s the only other thing we can drink besides water,” Dustin answered.

  She looked ahead and saw Darren pushing along two full carts past the end of the aisle. The carts were packed to the brim with meat products and bending under the weight.

  “How long would it take you to go through all of that?” she asked.

  “A week, maybe two,” Logan replied.

  Her eyes went wide in amazement. “You’re kidding! All of that?”

  “Having a high metabolism sucks,” Dustin growled.

  This continued for another half an hour. Steak, roast beef, ham, pork, sausage, pepperoni, turkey, bacon, even water bottles were put in the carts.

  They took their groceries up to the front and calculated the cost of the groceries, including tax and cut the payment in fours.

  “Five hundred, forty-six and ninety-three cents,” Dustin announced to the others.

  Katey gasped and covered her mouth. “That’s expensive for just a week or two.”

  Logan snickered at her shock. “That’s actually lower by a hundred bucks compared to last time we shopped because we were out of pork and sausage then.”

  Darren pulled out his wallet and thumbed through the twenty-dollar bills. “Why don’t you two go ahead and head out to get her packed and we’ll take care of the bill.”

  Logan nodded and walked to the door, but Katey stayed behind. “How much to you need for my stuff?” she asked.

  Dustin smirked and waved her off. “Kid, you’re not paying for a thing, now get going.”

  Katey didn’t feel right about not paying for the food she would be using, but she let it go and followed Logan out into the parking lot.

  They arrived back at Katey’s place and Logan parked along the curb, and then escorted her up to the front door. Once inside, Katey turned on the lights and went straight to her room to begin packing for the weekend.

  Logan sat down on the couch and patiently waited with his arms folded across his chest.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay staying with us over the weekend?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m sure,” she replied. “It’s just kind of weird to see the guys at school, then see them act almost in a completely different way outside of school.”

  Logan leaned his head against the top of the sofa. �
�I know what you mean. It’s been an adjustment for me to keep my mouth shut when certain comments are made that I’m savvy to, you know?”

  She was eager to spend the night with Logan again. Not only because it’d be a prime opportunity to see where he lives, but also because of the bitter loneliness that came late in the night. It’d be a comfort to know that he, as well as the rest of his pack, would be close by. She peeked out through her bedroom door and saw him slumping with his arms across his chest and eyes closed as if he’d dose off any moment.

  She smiled as a wicked thought crossed her mind. Since they’d be staying in the same house, she wondered if certain temptations would present themselves. Not the temptation for him to change her, but for him to take her in another way. She bit her lip and wondered if she would have minded that so much.

  Sense came back to her and she turned away to continue packing just as Logan spoke.

  “I reason, that the earth is short. And anguish absolute. And hurt many. But what of that?

  “I reason, we could die. The best vitality. Cannot excel decay. But what of that?

  “I reason that in heaven. Somehow it will be even. Some new equation given. But what of that?” Logan recited.

  Katey emerged carrying her loaded duffle bag and leisurely walked out of her room as she listened closely.

  “What’s that from?” she asked, confused of the randomness of the recitation.

  “It’s just a poem by Emily Dickinson,” Logan said, straightening up and leaning his elbows on his knees, looking up at her with a soft smile that could make her melt if she let it.

  “What does it mean?”

  “I always felt it seemed to really tell our story… A loup-garou story. That this world dishes out all the agonies that one can imagine, that we can’t die or hurry up our intended end, that maybe in heaven we’ll be normal again… But then, what of that? Does it even matter in the end?” Logan commented, a look of contemplative sorrow in his eyes.

  “You make it sound so lonely.”

  “It is lonely and it really is horrible when one thinks enough about it.”

  Katey set her bag down by the door and approached him. “But you still seem happy sometimes.”

  Logan’s eyes locked with hers and even she could feel the spark that passed between them. “That’s because sometimes I’m able to forget what I am.”

  Katey snorted a laugh. “You’re really trying to sway me away from making the decision, aren’t you?”

  Logan opened his mouth to question her, but a rattling sound made them both jump a little. It was the garage door opening.

  “Is your foster mom home early?” he asked as he rose from the couch.

  Katey stood perfectly still, like a deer in the headlights and cursed under her breath as the door swung open.

  Mary stomped in, half stumbling as she went, carrying her suitcase with an angry sneer on her face. Katey could see her eyes were blood shot from drinking.

  “Katey, are you home?” she called out, and then she finally looked up and her eyes darted from Katey to Logan. “What’s going on here?” she asked, dropping her suitcase on the tiled floor in the kitchen.

  Logan stepped forward and placed his hand on his chest in a very formal fashion. Little did he know, it would do no good to calm the beast that just walked in. “I’m sorry, ma’am. My name is Logan Dustin and I’m a friend of Katey’s.”

  “I don’t want to hear a word out of you,” she hissed viciously. “I want Katey to talk to me.”

  Logan stiffened, but obeyed as if Mary were his alpha.

  Katey moved between Mary and Logan, hoping to save him from the coming tempest. “This is Logan, he’s my friend and he knew I was staying home alone so he invited me to stay at his place until you came back,” Katey told her.

  Mary stormed into the living room and slapped Katey across her cheek. The sharp crack of the impact echoed off the living room walls.

  Katey whimpered and Logan took a step back in confusion. Katey had never told him how Mary treated her, but she hoped that he would never find out. Not that it was humiliating, but she didn’t want his pity. She didn’t want anyone’s pity, so no one knew about the beatings, the bruises, the scars.

  Katey held her tender cheek and glared at Mary, feeling a fiery rage bubble in her guts as her mind brought up all the painful memories.

  “I told you never to have guests in this house! Especially boys! I can’t believe you’ve disobeyed me again! How many more boys have you had over here? You slut, answer me!” she grabbed Katey by her arms and shook her violently. For a rangy woman, Mary had a good bit of strength in her; just enough to knock Katey around when she chose.

  Katey squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth together, refusing to honor her insult with an answer. Fighting back would only make this worse and possibly draw the attention of neighbors. Unlike the night before Mary left town, Katey kept her fists still and would not strike Mary again.

  “Hey, there’s no need for that!” Logan said pulling Katey from Mary’s grasp.

  Katey turned and looked to Logan with pleading eyes, begging for him to rescue her from this. For a fleeting moment, a flash of gold and glint of fury flared in his eyes. It frightened her that he might “wolf-out” on Mary. But just as suddenly as the gold appeared, it faded in the wake of the control he forced upon himself.

  Logan held her gently by her forearms and Katey felt like collapsing in his embrace. Every muscle in his body was tense and taut under his skin, resisting the urge to fight Mary directly. His better half grew inexplicably furious, just like it had over a century ago with Logan’s father. Luckily, Logan had grown so much wiser since then.

  “I told you to shut up!” Mary screeched. “How dare you come into my house and tell me how to raise my daughter! How dare you take her innocence like I know you have! You’ll burn in hell for this! Get out! Come on Katey, I’ve had enough of you!” Mary shouted, tugging on Katey’s wrist and tearing her away from Logan. Katey looked to Logan with blurry eyes, mouthing an apology as Mary pulled her out the front door and into the street.

  Logan followed after them, but stayed at a distance, knowing there was nothing he could do yet without causing a scene in the neighborhood.

  Mary opened the sedan’s passenger side door and threw Katey in. She looked back at Logan who was standing by his motorcycle, watching and waiting.

  Katey placed her hand on the window and struggled to smile as if to tell him that she would be okay. She didn’t know what was going to happen to her. Mary had never gotten this mad before. But she never told her that rule about guests when she’s away. Katey had plenty of friends over before when she was away and Mary never got mad before. Why was this night different?

  Mary mumbled curses out of the subdivision and out towards the highway, headed north to the Alabama line.

  “What is going on?” Katey asked, trying to restrain the wave of anger boiling to the surface as she rubbed at her cheek that still smarted with Mary’s blow.

  “My fiancé cheated on me. He’s been cheating on me this whole time. I told you nothing good could come of men!” she screamed before mumbling more slurred curses.

  Katey looked upon the woman and felt a pang of pity for Mary as she saw a string of tears roll down her flushed cheeks. Even Mary, as hard and evil as she seemed, was heartbroken. Katey had never seen her foster mother cry before.

  In that moment, Katey felt the anger subside, leaving a feeling of understanding. Mary must have struggled with life a great deal. Katey never gave a second thought as to why Mary was such a mean alcoholic, but a new light had been shed that allowed her to consider it.

  Mary was weaving all over the road, the tires grinding against the edges of the asphalt as she almost ran into the ditch.

  “Will you try to stay on the road? Where are we going?” Katey asked.

  “I’m taking you to the Group Home in Alabama,” she sniffled. “Maybe they can figure out what to do with you.”

 
; “I’m eighteen now. I can move out. The Group Home won’t take me back. Just take me back and I’ll be gone, I swear.”

  “You don’t have anywhere to go. You don’t have any money,” she replied.

  “Yes, I do. I’ve got two jobs and I can stay with Logan.”

  “Oh, and get knocked up within the month just so he can leave you?”

  “He’s not that kind of guy! He would never do that to me!”

  “You’re forgetting that he’s nothing but a man, Katey.”

  “I know he’s a man, but I don’t care. He’s not like other guys!”

  They shouted back and forth, tension filling the car like water, drowning them both.

  “How so? Prove to me he’s different!” she screamed, still driving all over the road. Thankfully there were very few cars out except for the semi-trucks. Katey could see the headlights of one coming up the road and she braced herself just in case.

  Mary had no right to verbally attack Logan the way she did, who she barely knew and didn’t even try to get to know. An affront on Logan might as well have been an affront to his pack and to Katey.

  She promised the guys that she would never tell their secret, but her common sense had left her and there was no other way for Mary to realize that Logan wasn’t what he appeared to be.

  “He’s a werewolf! There, I said it. He’s a werewolf! So are Mr. Dubose, Mr. Keith and Mr. Myers and they all live together. Crestucky is filled with hundreds of them! They aren’t normal men, they’re werewolves!” Katey shouted.

  Mary’s looked over at Katey in disbelief, mascara smeared down her face like two black leaks from her eyes.

  “You’ve gone insane,” was all Mary could say.

  “Well so have you!” Katey retorted. “Take me back right now!

  There was no telling what Mary must have been thinking or feeling in that moment. The alcohol in her didn’t help with making rational choices and coupled with her devastated love life and Katey’s senseless outburst, the outcome was not to be favorable. Katey just didn’t expect her to lose her mind completely.

  “Hey… keep your eyes on the road. What are you going? Watch out!” Katey shouted as Mary purposely weaved into the opposite lane.