Captured Moonlight

by Erin Kelly

  It suddenly dawned on him. Davey’s own words floated into his memory. He was like him. They both had the same yellow eyes. Maybe he could turn the tables after all. He forced his gaze away from Sophie and Davey’s struggle, despite every ounce of his being that wanted to rush to her side. First things first. He met the eyes of Spike as he slunk by, hackles raised and teeth bared. The massive black and brown werewolf averted his gaze. Still submissive even now. Korban kept his body still and whispered to him, “Spike.”

  His dark ears perked in his direction, and he glanced his way, but didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Spike,” Korban tried again and made his name a command for attention. “Spike look at me.”

  The huge wolf hesitated for a moment, and then turned his head to look at him. Korban smiled, but Blaze and Hati snarled and snapped at him still. He had one, now for the other two. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as he glanced over to Hati. “Hati,” he began, but suddenly a new commotion caught his attention.

  “Oh yeah! Get her good brother!” Earl cheered as Davey knocked Sophie to the ground and had her pinned.

  Both Earl and Jimmy’s attention were honed in on their boss as he wrestled Sophie’s wrists and straddled her ribcage so she couldn’t get a strike in with her legs. His heart went to his throat, and he cried out to her, “So-!”

  His cry was immediately cut off as the door burst open again and four men and a woman he didn’t recognize burst into the room. Two large men who looked like bikers- one a burly long-haired blond and the other lean with dark curls- grabbed Earl and caused him to drop his camera. The others resembled bikers as well, clad in leather and denim with one guy wearing a camouflage bandana as they charged at Jimmy. The wiry human cried out in shock and protest and waved his gun.

  Before anyone could make sense of the chaos, a gun shot went off and echoed in the silence that followed.

  17: FORFEIT

  Time seemed to stop the moment the shot went off. Sophie’s heart went from racing in her chest to a sudden halt. The quiet was punctured by a low moan of pain, and to her horror Freki suddenly fell down to his knees as he clutched his stomach. Blood bubbled from his mouth as he yelped, “Ah, it burns!”

  “Freki no!” Tears filled Sophie’s eyes as he collapsed.

  Skoll snarled and knocked the still smoking rifle from Jimmy’s hands and then pinned him to the wall by his throat. Val rushed over to Freki’s side and began to bark orders. “Odin and Skoll, keep them pinned, Geri get his gun away from him.”

  Geri snarled as he yanked the holstered shotgun away as Odin restrained Earl. He snapped the safety back on and bent the barrel of the gun with his hands before he chucked it across the room. “Done.”

  “Geri, come here and help me with your brother,” Valkyrie knelt down alongside Freki as she applied pressure to the bloody wound in his chest.

  He moaned in pain as the color drained from him, his face was twisted in agony. His breath came out in short, shallow gasps. “Hurts, it burns,” Freki moaned between breaths.

  Sophie continued to struggle and tried to free herself from Davey, but watched helplessly as Freki shuddered and coughed. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went still. Her heart broke as his hand went limp and flopped to the ground.

  A furry blur rushed past and one of the wolves that had paced around Korban was suddenly at Freki’s side. Val blinked in surprise and touched his tan fur as she blinked tears from her eyes. “Hati?”

  The wolf whimpered then nudged Freki’s pale hand. He tossed his head back and let loose a mournful howl for his fallen pack mate.

  “Silver bullets,” Davey grinned, started to chuckle and Sophie punched him across his jaw while he was distracted.

  “Heartless monster!” Sophie sneered at him, tears in her eyes.

  He growled and caught her fist before she could strike him again. Davey glared up at the intruders as he flexed his jaw. “Who the hell are you people anyway?” He demanded then angrily grabbed Sophie by her throat while she blinked tears from her eyes and began to choke off her air. “How dare you interrupt my fun! Nobody move or I’ll kill her! I’m the one in charge here and I want answers!”

  Sophie’s vision swam and she grabbed at his hands, tried to pry them away from her throat. She clawed at his wrists and writhed against him. Dark spots began to appear before her eyes when a pair of growls came from close by. Too close. Davey’s grip tightened.

  “Let her go, Davey, or you’re wolf kibble,” Korban’s voice commanded, echoed by a duo of vicious snarls.

  Davey’s face reddened. His rage made his hands shake, and suddenly go slack. Sophie gasped, choked on the fresh air as it entered her lungs. “Impossible,” Davey breathed in surprise, and Sophie turned her gaze from where Freki fell to where Korban stood.

  Her Mate stood there like a heroic vision. His eyes glistened like molten gold and flanked at his sides were two of the wolves that had circled him like hungry sharks before, their gaze now focused on Davey. “Get your hands off her and move away from her, or you’re going to find out what it’s like to be the main course.”

  For a moment Davey’s entire body tensed, and he glared at Korban in challenge, but when the massive black and brown wolf stepped forward and licked his chops he got up on his feet quickly, held his hands up defensively. “Okay, okay Korban. Well played. Good game.”

  Sophie sat up, coughed and sputtered to catch her breath, her hand going to her throat to rub it. Korban moved alongside her and offered her a hand up as he kept his eyes on Davey. Still light-headed, it felt like a dream until she took his warm hand in hers. “Korban,” she whispered his name, her throat still raw from being choked, “my Korban.”

  He pulled her up to her feet and she flung her arms around him. She couldn’t hold back the tears as she clung to him, buried her nose into his throat and breathed in his scent as he held her just as fiercely. Pine, forest, animal fur and musk. Home. The familiar scent, peppered with sweat, dirt, remnants of pain and relief, but even more than that she could smell his power. Strong but gentle, it added some spice to the air and filled her heart. He was solid and real in her arms again at last. She wouldn’t lose the chance to tell him now. “I love you Korban,” she confessed into his ear.

  “I know,” he murmured in return, “I love you too Sophie.” He squeezed her tightly in his arms as a wild and warm fragrance radiated from him now, his power enhanced by her words and his bond with the wolves.

  The two wolves stepped ahead of him and toward their quarry. Davey kept his hands up and glanced to his two human comrades for help, but Odin and Skoll kept them firmly pinned to the wall. He narrowed his eyes and his eyes lit up a little, the feeling of ants crawling on her skin made Sophie turn around and Korban growled at him again. “No. Your game is over, Davey.” He kept an arm around Sophie as he stepped forward. “I told you I’m the better man. You didn’t see that I’m also the better wolf. You brought nothing but pain, hunger, loneliness and fear to them. These wolves will never follow you again.”

  The white wolf’s dark lips curled back and those sharp teeth snapped at him, caused Davey to take several steps back. The gigantic dark furred wolf lunged and Davey reeled backwards, until he found himself in the cage that smelled of Korban. His eyes widened in realization but Korban moved closer, Sophie at his side, and he slammed the cage door on him. This time the metallic clang held a far more satisfying sound.

  “What should we do with these two?” Skoll growled out as Jimmy continued to flail against him.

  “Lock them up. Let them see how it feels for a while,” Korban suggested.

  “Good idea,” Skoll smiled, yanked Jimmy away from the wall and shoved him towards an empty cage.

  Odin dragged a protesting Earl over to a cage of his own and they snapped the cages shut. “Where are the keys?” He asked.

  Sophie smirked pointedly to Davey as she revealed what she’d slipped from his pocket during their tussle. She gave the keys a taunting rattle and watched as Davey
’s surprise turned once again to rage as he realized he’d been truly defeated. “Don’t worry, you’re not going anywhere.” She kept her eyes on Davey the entire time she locked his cage then tossed the keys over to Odin, who was happy to secure the two other cages.

  Her attention moved back to Freki now that the threat had been contained. She took Korban by the hand and led him over to the others, his warm hand a welcome comfort after missing him for so long. She wasn’t sure she would ever let him out of her sight anytime soon if she could help it. “Freki, is he…?”

  “His heartbeat is slowing down,” Val somberly reported. “It won’t be much longer now, but… I don’t think he’s in pain. He’s lost consciousness at least.”

  Sophie turned her head away and buried her face into Korban’s shoulder, her heart broken. He wrapped his arms around her again and held her close. “I’m so sorry,” Korban said softly to her and to everyone gathered there.

  “Let’s get him outside, out of here.” Odin said and bent down to help scoop his body up. “We’ll try to get him home while there’s time. He shouldn’t spend his last minutes in this dungeon.”

  Geri helped Odin lift Freki carefully from the ground and they headed out the door. Val stood up, stared at Freki’s blood that dripped from her hands. “This isn’t how it was supposed to end,” she shook her head solemnly. “We’re supposed to go home as a pack.”

  Hati whimpered, his tail curled beneath him to his stomach. “Let’s go.” Val turned and headed for the door.

  “Wait! You’re just going to leave us here, like this?” Earl asked in a panic.

  “Don’t worry, guys,” Korban said as the others headed outside. “Lucky for you I am a nicer guy. I won’t leave you here to starve and rot. I’ll be calling the authorities,” he paused and smiled, his arm around Sophie as he gave one last look to Davey and his minions, “and I’m sure they’ll be on their way to pick you all up in a day or so. Whenever we make it home I’ll be making the call. Until then maybe you should sit and think about what you’ve done.”

  “He’s joking, he won’t leave us here, not like this,” Davey chuckled, but his laughter faded as they turned and headed out the door. “Korban’s a good guy; he won’t just abandon us like this. He’s better than that.”

  “Korban is a good guy,” Sophie said, stopped at the exit to reach for the lights, “but I’m not. Not after what you put him through, and your silver bullet ending another really good man.”

  She clicked off the lights, and squeezed Korban’s hand. “Let’s go home.”

  They ignored the swearing, bellowed protests, and the howl of rage that came as they closed the door and headed around the corner towards the exit, the two wolves silent sentries at their side.

  18: GAME OVER

  The sun had started to sink behind the mountains once more as they stepped out into the twilight together. Korban breathed in the mountain air deeply in a long, shuddering breath. The sky was clear, a beautiful pink and lavender that faded into a dark violet. Stars began to twinkle and a sliver of moonlight revealed a growing crescent moon. He stared up at it and felt a new appreciation for his favorite time of the month, and another reason to celebrate it now.

  Sophie kept her hand in his, and put her head against his shoulder as they walked outside. Their fingers intertwined, he leaned over and breathed the scent of her hair. This wasn’t a dream, this was real. He was free at last. Sophie had saved him with a little help from her friends.

  Spike brushed against his leg as they walked toward the others, and he reached down with his free hand to touch his dark fur. The massive wolf’s shoulder came up to his hip and his muscles sang with tension. Power. He still felt his own strength, like some invisible lead that connected him to Spike and Blaze, and even more loosely Hati nearby. Now that things were quiet, he had a new dilemma to face. How were they supposed to turn back to normal? He wasn’t sure quite how they had turned back themselves after they’d been forced to transform. Still, as Spike whimpered at his side he wondered how he could help them now. Worse yet, what if he couldn’t help them and they were stuck like this? He couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t let Davey ruin the rest of these men’s lives.

  He stopped and both Spike and Blaze paused and looked to him, waiting obediently for a command. He looked to Sophie who smiled to him and squeezed his hand again. He could do this.

  With his free hand he reached again for Spike, ran his hand over his thick, dark mane of fur. His fingers trembled a little, but not from fear. He took a deep breath in, his eyes locked with Spike’s. “Spike,” he said his name like a command. “It’s okay now. We’re going home.” He glanced to Blaze. “Blaze, it’s safe now. You both can rest, until the moon is full again.”

  The two wolves stood there for a moment in the quiet of the forest, the night song beginning to play again as crickets chirped in the reeds nearby. An owl hooted from the safety of a tree many yards away. Then a soft whimper came, and Spike’s body tensed then shuddered. Korban and Sophie watched as they turned back. It was strange to watch the wolf vanish, the fur recede into the skin as bones and muscle melted back into its human shape.

  After a few minutes, instead of a massive wolf a large, naked hairy man with long dark hair and a full beard knelt and shivered. He blinked in confusion for a moment, fear in his eyes as he glanced around, disoriented. He looked up to Korban and the fear melted away as he spoke, his voice hoarse but heavy with relief, “Korban?”

  He nodded, and the big fellow’s eyes darted around anxiously. “Is, is D-Davey still around here?”

  “We locked him up in there, he’s not going anywhere except prison,” Korban said, then reached out and pat his shaking shoulder. “He’s not going to hurt you ever again. Not if I have a say in it.”

  Spike’s eyes filled with tears. “He’s r-really… he’s the one that’s t-trapped in a cage now?”

  “Karma’s a bitch, and so am I,” Sophie smiled gently to him, “I’ll see if I can find you guys something to cover up with while we head back to camp.”

  “Th-thank you,” Spike stammered. He wrapped his arms around himself and glanced around the clearing anxiously.

  The white wolf completed his transformation and Korban offered him a hand up. “Thank you doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Blaze said crisply, accepted his hand and stood up. He brushed the dirt from his pale skin. “Where’s this camp of yours?”

  “It’s maybe a mile or so away from here,” Sophie said.

  “Well, if I may be blunt, I’d much rather be as far from this place stark naked than to bring anything with that monster’s scent on it anywhere near my person, ever again,” Blaze sniffed.

  Spike nodded in agreement. “W-what he s-said.”

  “Okay. Let’s keep moving then,” Sophie said as they turned and headed toward the forest where the others had headed.

  Spike shivered as he walked, and would stop and glance back periodically, as though afraid they were being followed. Korban stayed at his side as they met up with the rest of Hati’s pack. “I got these guys back to normal; it’s your turn Hati if you like.”

  The tan wolf slunk over to him; his head hung low with a dejected look in his eyes. The blond man and woman looked to one another, their expressions lined with grief. Korban blinked in surprise. “You’ve got the same eyes as me, too.”

  She smiled grimly. “I guess we’re the lucky ones, to stand out the way we do. You must be Korban. Sophie’s told us a lot about you.”

  Korban grinned at that and even blushed a little. Sophie gestured to the pack and as they walked she introduced everyone. “Korban, this is Valkyrie, Odin, Geri, Skoll and…” Her voice trailed off when she laid eyes on the man who’d been shot. “Freki. He was… is my friend,” she corrected when she could still hear his heartbeat, slow and strained in his chest.

  She frowned, remembering how bad the silver burned her when she simply touched the picture frame on Lucas’s desk. As painful as it was, she couldn’t imagine
being shot with a silver bullet. It would be agonizing, and the thought of what Freki was going through made her heart ache. Still something nagged her. The pain would be incredible if the silver bullet was still in there. The bullet…

  “Wait, stop!” Sophie said suddenly, a fleeting hope filled her. “The silver bullet, we have to get it out. It’s killing him!” She looked to Val. “If we get it out, maybe he can heal. Maybe we can save him!”

  “It’s worth a shot,” Geri agreed, looked to the others. “Not like any one of us is a doctor, but not like it matters either way. It’s a chance, let’s do it. It’s what Freki would want. Just a chance.”

  “He’s still fighting,” Sophie said.

  Blaze looked to the group. “I could try. I’m no surgeon but I was trained as a medic. I can get it out of him. Does anyone have a knife on them?”

  “Sure, I do,” Geri said, then retrieved a pocket knife from his pants and handed it to him.

  They lowered Freki onto the ground between a circle of trees and stepped back to give Blaze room while he cut open Freki’s bloody shirt to examine the wound. The bleeding had started to slow, but his blood was everywhere, including all over most of his pack mates. He’d lost so much blood that only a little more seemed to spring up as Blaze used the blade to pry into the bullet wound.

  Spike winced and turned away, looked back to the barn. Korban gently pat his shoulder to comfort him. “Don’t worry; they’re locked up in there. Sophie’s got the keys, and we’ll turn them over to the police as soon as we get home.”

  “The p-police? I c-can’t, I mean, they’ll put us in qu-quarantine if we go to them! For what we’ve d-done!” Spike looked panicked.

  “I have a friend with an open mind on the force, when we get back to Syracuse I promise it will be okay. They’ll lock Davey and the others up for good. He won’t hurt anyone else ever again.” Korban reassured him.