by Jody Morse
“Take the damn ring!” Emma yelled. Samara heard the sound of metal clinking to the hardwood floor, and she realized that Emma had thrown the ring at Troy. Then, she felt her arm being tugged. “Come on, Sam, let’s go. We have better things to do than stand around here talking to him.”
“We’ll be doing Emma’s initiation tonight,” Samara told Troy over her shoulder. “So, don’t think we’re going to let you off the hook with this. She’s going to become an Ima, whether you like it or not.”
Troy shrugged his shoulders. “That’s fine with me. She’s just a pain in my ass. I’m glad you want her on your pack.”
Emma scoffed as she slammed the door shut. Once they were outside, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “Damnit, my mom just called. I must not have had reception in Troy’s house.”
As they climbed into the car, Emma called her mom back. Once they were buckled in, she said, “Mom? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
There was a long pause before Emma began sniffling. “I . . . I’ll be right there. I just have to drop Samara off first,” she managed to say through her tears before hanging up the phone.
“Is everything okay?” Samara asked.
Emma shook her head and pushed a piece of blonde hair out of her eye. “No. My stepdad was in a car accident. He’s in ICU right now.”
“I’m so sorry,” Samara whispered.
“It’s whatever,” Emma replied with a shrug, wiping away her tears, as she backed out of the driveway. Samara knew that she was trying to act strong, but she could see right through her.
They rode in silence the rest of the way to Samara’s house. The only thing that could be heard over the sound of the radio was Emma’s sniffling. When Emma came to a halt in the driveway, Samara leaned over and gave her best friend a small hug. “Call me later, okay?”
“I’ll try. If I don’t, I’ll see you in school tomorrow morning,” Emma replied.
“Um, about that,” Samara began, knowing that it was an awkward time to bring it up. “Me and the guys are going to Massachusetts. It’s a long story, but we have to find Jason, and that’s where he went apparently. I was going to ask if you could come with us.”
“I can’t,” Emma replied, shaking her head. “My mom . . . I can’t just leave her. She’ll be so lost without me right now, especially now with the accident and all. I’ll see you as soon as you get back. When will that be?”
Samara had half-expected her best friend to protest or admit to her feelings for Jason after what had happened at Troy’s, but she didn’t. It was probably because of the car accident; Emma’s mind was in more important places than an old flame, so Samara decided not to bring it up right now, either. “I hope soon. I don’t want to miss too much school, but this has to be done.”
“I’ll offer to bring home your homework,” Emma suggested. “Just to make it look like you’re really sick.”
“Good idea! Thanks. And thanks for being my best friend,” Samara said. “I’m so glad that you’re okay with giving up the ring.”
“It’s just jewelry,” Emma replied, waving her hand in the air. “Once I find my mate, I’ll make him buy me something just as nice.” She winked.
“Oh, boy,” Samara replied with a giggle as she climbed out of the car. She watched as Emma’s car backed out of the driveway before telling Luke, I’m home and we’re safe. I’m going to bed. See you early in the morning after my parents leave?
Sounds good. Sweet dreams, Luke told her.
As she lay in bed that night, Samara couldn’t help but smile. It seemed like Seth didn’t hate her anymore, her parents finally knew what was going on, and she wouldn’t be forced into being enemies with Emma. Everything was falling into place.
*
The next morning, Samara was woken up by the sound of her parents talking downstairs, as they were getting ready to leave for their cruise. When she went downstairs, they went over the things she was supposed to do while they were gone. Luckily, she would probably have time to finish most of her chores before her parents returned—as long as she and her pack got home at least a day before her parents were supposed to come home, which was Saturday. That gave her and her pack five days to find and kill Jason.
“Be sure to thank Aunt Rae for everything that she does for you while we’re gone,” her mom reminded her. “It’s so nice of her to do this for us.”
“Yeah, it is,” Samara replied. If only her parents knew the truth—that Rae would be lying to them when they called to check in with her.
“Oh, and one more thing,” her dad said, walking over to the counter. “This is that book I was telling you about. The one Grandpa Joe left for you. I found it last night.”
Samara reluctantly took the book from him and smiled. “Thanks, I’ll look over it while you’re gone.”
“That’s probably a good idea. I don’t know what his motives were, but there must have been some reason he left this behind for you.” Her dad shrugged. “Maybe it’s meant to help you figure out all the changes you’ll be going through right now, like your guide to werewolf puberty or something.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Samara muttered. Having the book in her hands and just knowing that it once belonged to one of the world’s most powerful werewolves somehow made her feel more powerful, too. Knowing that her grandfather had left this book to her for a reason almost made her feel like she had some sort of advantage over other werewolves.
“Well, we should really get going or we’re going to miss our flight,” her mom said, rising to her feet to kiss Samara on the cheek. “Promise us that you’ll call if anything goes wrong while we’re gone.”
“I promise,” Samara said, but she knew that it probably wasn’t true. If something went wrong while she and her pack were in Massachusetts. . . . She didn’t even want to think about it. Realizing that this could be the last time she might ever see her mother again if Jason had any say in it, she threw her arms around her mom in a tight embrace.
When her mom pulled away, shocked Samara’s sudden affection, Samara said, “Have fun and just relax, okay? Try not to worry too much about me or Seth.” She knew that her mom thought that she was talking about during her vacation, but Samara was actually referring to the rest of her life . . . in case something did go wrong.
“We will,” her mom replied with a smile.
Samara hugged her father goodbye, and deciding to offer him one last piece of advice in case something went terribly wrong tonight, she told him, “I hope that once you’re home, you can start to forgive Aunt Rae a little.”
Her father grunted and lowered his eyes to the ground. He shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“Dad!” she scolded him. “She was just trying to protect you from getting hurt and honoring your father’s wishes. You have to give her credit for that. Imagine if you had been the one in her shoes. What would you have done?”
“I suppose you’re right,” Mr. McKinley replied, looking up at her. “I’ll talk to her once we get back home.”
“Good. It’s really important to me,” Samara told him. She knew that she couldn’t tell him that this would be her last wish for him if something bad happened, but she hoped that she was putting enough emphasis on it that he would be able to figure it out on his own.
“Bye,” both of her parents called as they stepped outside, closing the door behind them.
Glancing out the window, Samara watched as they pulled out of the driveway before telling Luke, I’m ready for you to come pick me up now.
I’ll be there in about ten minutes. By the way, stop thinking you’re going to die this week. Everyone’s going to be fine. Jason’s going to die . . . not you. I’ll keep you safe.
Thanks, Samara responded, smiling to herself. Knowing that she would only start pacing nervously around the house while she waited for him to get there, she flung herself down on the sofa instead and flipped through the pages of the book that her grandfather had left for her.
Since she knew she wouldn’t have e
nough time to read the whole book before they left, she skimmed over the words. Certain pages had been highlighted in yellow or underlined with blue pen. Nothing looked out of place or even the slightest bit unusual about the book’s contents, though. The book didn’t even seem special. It looked like it was some sort of history book for werewolves, similar to the ones she’d found in the Jackson’s family library. There was a section about werewolf origins, werewolf mating rituals, and Alphas.
When she got to the back of the book, Samara found something scribbled in sloppy handwriting:
Stucci’s Self Storage
1289 Harlow Lane
Ashertown, Alaska
#402
It took her a minute to realize what the address meant, but once she did, Samara let the rest of the pack in on her thoughts. Change of plan, guys. We’re going to Alaska.
Chapter 6
Five minutes later, all of the Ima guys were sitting in her living room, staring at her like she was a four-headed alien.
“It’s obvious that my grandfather wanted me to go to this storage company,” Samara explained. “He must have left something there for me, and that’s why there’s a number written down in the book. It’s probably the storage unit number or something.”
They all continued to stare at her, quiet, and she knew that she didn’t have them all convinced yet.
Finally, Josh sighed. “I don’t doubt that your grandfather left you something. It’s a pretty well-known fact that he was going to leave the first female werewolf in his family line his belongings. I’m not sure how he knew it was going to be you, but he must have known somehow.”
Josh paused, running a hand through his brown hair, which looked pretty scruffy today. “But here’s the thing. How do we know this stuff is still there? It’s been years since your grandfather died. What if the storage company got rid of everything when no one came to claim it? If he didn’t pay the yearly storage fees, they probably just dumped it somewhere.”
Samara shook her head. “I don’t think they got rid of it. I don’t know why, but . . . I have this feeling that it’s all still there.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I just feel like we need to go with my intuition on this one. There’s something there that can help us win this battle with Jason. It’s crazy to explain, but I can just feel it.”
Colby met her gaze. “I think you should trust your gut, Sam. Let’s go do this thing.”
Before she could say anything, Luke spoke up, too. “I agree with Colby. Let’s go.”
“Really?” Samara could feel her eyes light up. She hadn’t been expecting them to agree so easily. “Are you sure?”
Luke nodded. “If you think it will help, it wouldn’t hurt for us to swing by Alaska on the way to Massachusetts.”
Samara frowned. “How are we going to get there, though? We can’t just drive like we would to Massachusetts. We’d need to take a plane.”
“Don’t worry . . . I already got it covered,” Colby replied. He didn’t look up from his cell phone, which he was tapping on frantically. “My dad has connections with someone at the airport. He already ordered our tickets. We leave in two hours.” He stood up. “Come on. We have to leave now if we want to make it on time.”
Swinging her duffle bag over her shoulder, Samara climbed into Luke’s car with Colby, Josh, and Kyle. Steve and Chris following close behind.
Samara picked up her cell phone and texted Emma. How’s your stepdad doing?
Her cell phone bleeped back right away. It’s not looking so good.
I’m so sorry, I hope he pulls through. We’re making a stop in Alaska. Are you sure you can’t come with us?
Alaska? Ur joking right? Emma texted back right away.
No, it’s a long story, but we have some important business to take care of there. So, are you in or not? Samara wrote back.
A moment later, Emma texted back, Sorry, no can do, chica. I’ll see u soon.
Okay, I understand. Just be careful while I’m gone. Jason might come back. I’m not sure if he knows you’re a wolf yet, but if he does, he might try something. Or he might try to find out where I am. Don’t tell him, Samara texted back.
Got it. I’ll stay away from Jason, Emma replied, but Samara wasn’t convinced. She just hoped that Jason would stay in Massachusetts until she and her pack got there. Shoving her cell phone in her pocket, she glanced over her shoulder at Colby. “Does our flight land in Ashertown?”
Colby shook his head. “No, we land in Anchorage. We’ll need to trek through Alaska to get to Ashertown. It looks like it’ll be a half hour trip on foot, at our ultra-fast werewolf speed. Not too shabby, if you ask me.”
“We’re quicker than humans?” Samara asked. She knew that in werewolf form, they were pretty quick, but she didn’t notice any difference between walking by foot as a werewolf than she had as a werewolf.
Colby nodded. “Yeah, brisk walking as a werewolf is like jogging for a human in terms of speed. It just doesn’t feel like exercise because it’s what we’re meant to do.”
“Interesting.” Glancing down at her duffel bag, Samara sighed. “I just wish I thought to pack warmer clothes. I’m going to be freezing in Alaska.” She had never been to Alaska, but she was pretty sure it would be way colder there than it was in Pennsylvania in November.
“I’ll keep you warm,” Luke offered, his green eyes flitting over at her.
“Unless you can turn your body into a coat instead of a wolf, I don’t think that will work the whole time we’re there.”
Luke laughed. “I’m sure they have clothing stores in Alaska. We could always buy you a heavier coat once we get there.”
“And fuzzy pajamas,” Colby chimed in.
Samara stifled a giggle. “Fuzzy pajamas?”
“Well, yeah. We’re going to be camping outside.”
“Oh, fun,” Samara muttered. “The perfect place to sleep in the freezing cold.”
*
When they arrived in Alaska later that night, Samara was exhausted. She convinced Colby to splurge on hotel rooms for the night, but since they wouldn’t be in Anchorage the next day, they’d be camping outside then like he had originally planned unless they could find another hotel with vacancies.
When they entered the hotel, she felt relieved. She figured that she should at least enjoy one last night in a warm, cozy bed before she might be forced to live in the wilderness. Ideally, they’d be able to leave before they had to camp outside.
Luke led Samara to the hotel room that they’d be sharing; since no one had wanted to share the same room as the ‘lovebirds’, they were all on their own. It made Samara happy that she was at least able to spend some alone time with Luke, even if it was for the night, before they went on this crazy mission that lay ahead of them.
“What do you think my grandfather left me?” Samara asked as she flopped down on the bed and pulled a pair of pajamas out of her duffle bag.
“I don’t know,” Luke shrugged. “Rumor has it that there’s his legendary talisman, but sometimes rumors are just that . . . rumors. I guess we’ll see once we get there.”
Samara frowned. “I hope there’s nothing too fragile . . . and nothing that’s going to put my life in danger.”
“The talisman will,” Luke admitted, pulling off his shirt and climbing under the covers. He patted the blanket next to him, and Samara curled up beside him.
“What do you mean? Why will the talisman put me in danger?” she questioned, even though she was pretty sure that she already knew the reason why.
“It’s sought after by a lot of wolves,” Luke replied. His answer had been what she was expecting. “They think that having the talisman that Joe McKinley had will make them more powerful.”
Resting her head on his shoulder, which felt more muscular than usual, Samara asked, “Do you think that’s true? That it will make whoever has it more powerful?”
Luke shrugged. “It may or may not be true. My bet is that strength has more to do with your
genes than some dumb necklace, but a lot of werewolves feel differently.”
“But that doesn’t explain why Seth’s not powerful,” Samara pointed out. “Strength is in his genes, too.”
Luke paused. “We don’t know that yet. He might be. He’s still just a pup. And he could be hiding his strength.”
Samara hadn’t considered this before. Maybe her brother really was powerful, but he hadn’t let it show yet. Or maybe he was still getting a handle on his abilities, just like she was. Either way, she knew that she shouldn’t underestimate him.
“I know I feel powerful, though,” Luke said quietly, his emerald green eyes flitting over at her. “It’s not every day that someone gets to say they’re mated to Joe McKinley’s granddaughter.”
Samara raised her eyebrows. “And why would that make you feel powerful?”
“Well, there’s gotta be some reason I was the wolf who was chosen to be your mate,” Luke replied.
She glanced away from him. “I hope that’s not the only reason you’re interested in me . . . because I’m supposed to be some powerful, kickass werewolf.”
“Of course not,” Luke replied, running a hand through her hair. “Your power just makes me know where I stand with you. I know I can never piss you off or I’d probably get my ass kicked.”
Samara wasn’t convinced that he wasn’t just interested in her because she was Joe McKinley’s granddaughter. She rolled over onto her side, away from him.
“Hey,” Luke said, pulling her closer to him. “I’m joking. I really care about you. It doesn’t matter who your relatives were.”
Samara turned back towards him, her leg brushing against his. The touch of his skin against her own flesh sent a tingly feeling up her spine and delightful shivers traveled down her body. When his skin touched hers, it was so hot that it almost felt as though it was burning her.
When she met Luke’s gaze, she could tell that touching her had made him feel the same way. His eyes poured into hers, so longing and desperate.
