by Mia Rose
Keith raised his head and lowered it in an awkward nod, and followed Declan and Gabriel deep into the woods. Gabriel kept his nose low to the ground, hoping to catch the scent of wandering deer or a bear cub.
The only sound that passed between them for an hour was the snapping of twigs and the wind whistling in between their legs.
Declan was the first to break the silence, “There’s a family of deer nearby.” He took a deep breath, and said, “Two does, one buck. Easy.”
Declan took off toward the family of deer, his legs pumped through the blur of bushes and tree trunks. Gabriel ran just behind him, and Keith trailed on Gabriel’s tail. Declan dug his paws into the dirt and came to a stop as the deer became visible. Just ahead, the doe leaned down and lapped up some rain water from an impression in the dirt.
The buck was distracted, sniffing near the other doe and scanning the area. Declan was more than confident that they could take all three of them down. However, the least amount of trouble that they ran into while training with Keith, the better. In the back of his mind, Declan still worried that they could be under the surveillance of a hunter.
Declan bent his knees, and sprang forward. His jaws connected with the thick neck of the doe, and tore the skin clean open. The buck reared up on its hind legs next to him, and readied his antlers to attack.
“Got it!” Gabriel said, and dragged his claws across the abdomen of the buck. The buck collapsed, and a pool of blood quickly covered the dirt. Gabriel pressed his paw into the buck’s neck and waited for the snap.
Declan knelt next to his kill and gestured to Keith with his head. “There’s one left for you.”
The young doe stared at the three wolves in front of her, with a traditional ‘deer caught in the headlights’ expression. Keith stepped forward, and cautiously glanced between Declan and Gabriel.
Gabriel pulled his lips back and bared his bloody fangs, “Go!”
Keith charged the doe, and although she tried to scramble away, her gangly legs flew about. Keith landed on top of the doe in a slippery mess, and underneath him the doe’s legs twitched and seized.
Declan commanded, “Put her out of her misery.”
Keith brought his paw down on top of the doe’s neck, and the sound of the snap rang through his ears. He raised his eyes to Declan and Gabriel, questioning if he was supposed to dig in.
“It’s your kill. Go ahead, this will fill you for days,” Declan said.
Keith knelt down and lapped at the blood underneath the deer, he took a hesitant bite out of the freshly separated skin. He took another bite, now savoring the taste of the remains.
“Human food will never taste the same,” Declan remarked, and Gabriel raised his head from his meal and nodded.
“Every piece of human food that you eat will never compare to this; there will never be anything more flavorful, or more satisfying than the blood of your kill in between your teeth,” Declan said.
Keith raised his head, his fur was splattered with blood. Declan nodded in his direction… indulge your wolf.
Just as Keith lowered his teeth to the deer, an arrow whistled through the air and landed in Keith’s abdomen. Gabriel broke into a distressed howl, and Declan’s furious growl tore through the air.
Declan’s grave voice rolled into Gabriel’s ears, “Get him out of here. I’m going after them.”
“Alone?” Gabriel questioned.
“Go!” Declan screeched, and blew past Keith, running so fast that he could feel the blood welling up in between the cracks of his paws.
Declan’s claws dug into the earth as massive pine trees, low hanging branches, and resting animals flew by in a blur. A vicious snarl parted Declan’s black lined lips, and his eyes moved from left to right. His eyes were wide, hoping to see a conspicuous human hunter lumbering away. If he found them, he would have their limbs in between his teeth within minutes.
He used what little air he had left in his lungs to send his booming voice throughout the woods, “Come out here! If you want a wolf, you’ve found one!”
Declan braced himself for the distinctive sound of an arrow tip sailing into the trunk of a tree. He rushed forward, moving toward a tree log that had fallen in the middle of a clearing further ahead. Declan narrowed his eyes, and a flash of color moved up ahead.
With a fierce growl, he pounced on top of the tree log and sunk his claws into the dying bark. He whipped his head to the left, then to the right. There was no rustling from the trees above his head, and the dirt that surrounded him was soundless. There wasn’t anything that tried to creep or slither past him.
Declan’s ears perked at the sound of metal tapping against the ground. He took a deep inhale, hoping to catch the scent of the unlucky hunter that would be lurking behind the bushes. Declan walked around a separate branch, and lowered his nose to the dirt. The smell of metal drove him toward a patch of fallen leaves. He raised his paw high in the air, and swept it across the bundle.
Reflected in his emerald eyes, was a six-inch-long arrow. The wooden shaft smelled faintly of cedar, and the recently shined tip gleamed underneath the moonlight overhead.
Declan closed his eyes, and the massive paws that rested on the dirt transformed into his human skin, he readjusted himself and swept his legs underneath him. Declan curled his fist around the shaft of the arrow and held it in front of his eyes.
This is all that’s left of them.
With a clenched jaw, his fist tightened so tightly around the wood that it threatened to snap underneath the pressure. He stood up, and heard the faint sound of Gabriel’s voice bouncing off the treetops.
He held the arrow at his side, and walked toward Gabriel’s booming screams. I thought we would be safe.
“You’re the scariest damn thing that could be waiting in those woods.”
Chapter 19
My Voice
“I would think that you’d remember the sound of my voice by now.”
Declan’s heavy footfalls snapped a twig in half as he approached Gabriel’s slumped form. Gabriel’s shoulders were drawn together, his hands were drenched in Keith’s bright-red blood. Declan filled his lungs with air and raised a trembling hand at Keith’s still body, the top half of the massive wolf was spread out on Gabriel’s lap.
“How is he?”
Gabriel raised his eyes to Declan, his gaze revealed the fire that had been lit in his belly.
“He won’t turn back.”
Declan nodded and stepped around Gabriel, brushing past his beta. He kneeled in front of Keith and ran his fingers over the blood-stained fur on his neck.
Declan turned to Gabriel and asked, “Is he healing?”
Gabriel shook his head, “I thought that he was for a moment, but then he collapsed.” Gabriel narrowed his eyes, “Why isn’t he healing? Why isn’t anyone healing?”
“I don’t know. Do you have the arrow?”
“It’s still inside.”
Declan sighed and pressed his palm against Keith’s body until Keith’s body rolled off of Gabriel’s lap and onto the dirt beside him. Declan caught the glimmer of the arrowhead, the tip was lodged just underneath his rib cage. Gabriel stood by as Declan pressed his foot into Keith and stuck his hand inside of the cavity created by the arrow.
Specks of blood splattered on Declan’s cheek, and a couple of drops fell just below his right eye. He didn’t raise the back of his hand to wipe it off. Instead, he held the arrow tip to his narrowed eyes.
“Gabriel!”
“What?”
Declan held out both arrows to Gabriel and said, “Have you seen arrows like these before? Wasn’t your father a big game hunter before you turned?”
Gabriel nodded and held his hand over the arrows, “Can I?
A humorless chuckle fell out of Declan’s mouth and he said, “Feel free. I’m not in a hurry to hold onto a potential murder weapon.”
He knelt down and peered into Keith’s face, his eyes were sealed shut, as if he was still bracing himself from
the impact.
Declan turned his head to one side and said, “I think that he’s still alive.”
Gabriel jerked his head up and away from the arrows that rested in his palms, “What?”
Declan reached around and rolled Keith’s neck the opposite way. He flicked his thumb against the damp surface of Keith’s snout.
“There’s a little bit of breath coming out of his nose. I think that his body is starting to heal him now I’ve removed the arrow.”
Gabriel set the arrows onto the ground beside him, “Should we carry him like this? We can get him back to the building, and we can see if he comes to.” He tilted his head down and took in the arrows beside him, “Are these arrows from a hunter?”
Declan shrugged, “Either from a hunter or a big game hunter. I don’t care about that right now.”
He bent his knees and scooped his muscular arms underneath Keith’s body. Declan groaned as he heaved Keith onto his right shoulder. He turned his eyes over to Gabriel’s wide-eyed stare, and thrust his arm forward.
“Move. We’ve got to get him back to the building so that we can keep an eye on him,” he said, in between shallow breaths.
He forced one foot in front of the other, his heavy footfalls thumped against the matted earth as he led Gabriel to the opening of the woods.
The sun shined overhead, the bright rays felt like a much-needed wash over Declan’s skin. His skin soaked in the sunlight, a drastic difference from the dried blood that soaked his shoulders only twelve hours before. Declan tugged the bottom of his plain white t-shirt down over the back of his navy-blue jeans. He’d uncurled himself from Cassidy around eight that morning, and spent an hour standing under the hot spray of the shower. There were constant reminders of the night before appearing everywhere. It didn’t seem real. Whether it was the small pattern of blood spatter that he’d missed in the shower and noticed while shaving, or the dirt and blood-caked bottoms of his shoes.
While his initial instinct told him to either glue his ass to his desk chair or to go stand over Keith, he knew that he would never be able to step back and examine what had happened last night. Especially, if he didn’t at least get out of Clifton Towers for a few hours. Whenever he stood in between the aged walls of the apartment building, his mind scrambled his thoughts. He couldn’t piece together who made rent on time this month, much less who could have been lurking in the woods.
Declan hoped that going along with his normal morning routine might allow him some sort of breakthrough. He pushed the door of the Arden Cafe open and kept his eyes low as he approached the counter. Declan had hardly uttered a word to Cassidy or Gabriel before leaving that morning. Small talk with the flirty barista behind the counter couldn’t have been more off the table. He did know, that one person in particular could bend his ear after last night and get more than three words out of him.
Noelle’s face, her smell, and the sound of her voice had been on his mind since he stepped out of the shower. Declan couldn’t help but feel that the mess of a situation that he hoped to lead his pack through… would at least feel like a tightly contained mess if he could speak to Noelle.
You have her email. I bet that her number is on the caller ID from the other day, too.
Declan stepped forward in line and manufactured his best fake smile, “Good Morning. I’ll have a mocha; make it strong, please.” He flashed an innocuous smile at the barista, “I’m in for a long day.”
He paid and wandered to the edge of the cafe while he waited for one of the baristas to call his name. Declan slid his phone out of his pocket and dangled his thumb above the email icon on the screen.
I can spend all day moping about what I’ve done to Cassidy or I can at least use whatever this is to my advantage.
“Declan!” The nasally sound from behind the counter shook Declan out of his thoughts.
He slid his phone back in his pocket and lifted his drink off of the counter. The blended smells of milk chocolate and vanilla filled him with some relief.
Declan walked back out into the sunlight and dragged his feet as he made his way back to Clifton Towers. He pushed open the front door and stepped into the thick, stale air of the main floor. He tipped his head back and peered up the staircase. The walkways above him were completely abandoned. The renters and pack members had already filed out for the day, finding ways to take advantage of the brilliant sunshine outside. The muscles in the back of Declan’s neck stiffened when he reminded himself that Gabriel was still inside of the building, watching over Keith. Cassidy was still upstairs, probably peeling the wallpaper in an attempt to keep herself busy.
Declan took a long sip of coffee and made his way upstairs. He climbed up to the fourth floor, and paused in front of Gabriel’s apartment.
Right, he didn’t want to get Keith’s blood all over the carpet in his place.
Declan reached down to the belt loops on his jeans and unhooked his set of keys; the keys that gave him access to every apartment inside of Clifton Towers. He stopped in front of a recently repainted door; the forest-green paint on the wooden door didn’t carry the same unsightly chips as many of the other apartments in the building. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, wrinkling his nose at the smell of oxidized blood.
Declan called out, “Gabriel?”
When he was met with silence, he opened his mouth to call out to Gabriel again but the sound of fast paced footsteps stopped him in his tracks.
Gabriel came stomping through the empty apartment, Declan took in his grim expression once he stood across from him.
“What’s wrong?” Declan asked.
“The wound from the arrow is healing, I think that he’s going to live, at least.”
Declan brushed past Gabriel and walked across the newly installed carpet and into the bedroom. Keith was in the center of the room, lying on top of a blue tarp. One of his paws lifelessly dangled off of the edge of it.
Declan turned toward Gabriel and asked, “Has he been like this all morning? He hasn’t changed back?”
Gabriel shook his head, “No, he’s been like this for hours. I’ve seen the wound start to sew itself shut but I think that he’s stuck like this until it’s healed.” Gabriel fell back against the wall and asked, “Do you think that this is another run in with silver?”
Declan shook his head. While Keith’s injury was gruesome, it still didn’t compare to the nasty gash on Cassidy’s back.
“I think that if that arrow tip were made of the right kind of silver, we wouldn’t have been able to bring him home last night.” Declan clapped his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, “Get some rest. We’ve had a wild night.”
Gabriel pointed at Keith, the faint sound of Keith’s snores not missed by Declan and Gabriel’s sharp hearing.
“What about him? Who’s going to watch him?”
“Leave him. If he can snore, he probably doesn’t need to be watched anymore. I’m going to work on some paperwork downstairs and try to figure out what we’re going to do about the hunters.” Declan left the bedroom, and Gabriel followed him as he moved toward the front door.
“So, we’re going to do something about this then? We’re going to go after them?”
Declan pressed his fingers against either side of his forehead, “Not quite. We don’t have enough information and I’m not risking the pack on a whim and a thirst for revenge.”
They paused outside of Gabriel’s apartment and Declan waved him forward, “Rest. You’ve done more than enough.” Declan offered Gabriel a genuine smile, and headed downstairs.
Once he made it to the main floor, he pushed open the door to his office and stepped inside. His eyes landed on his desk phone; he imagined himself picking up the tan colored headset and casually dialing the number of a huntress.
It doesn’t matter that she’s a hunter if she can help, Declan.
He sighed, his intentions were mostly pure, to see if she could offer any information. However, a wave of embarrassment passed over him at the realization that
he desperately wanted to see. He wouldn’t mind if she decided to lie in his arms for the afternoon.
Declan walked around his desk and eased himself into his chair.
When did I become the type of man that pines over anyone? I can’t say that I look forward to sliding into bed with Cassidy.
Declan scanned the caller ID, flying past a bevy of 1-800 numbers from possible vendors or one-time callers that sought to check the availability of the apartments. Declan skipped past it at first, but pressed down on the opaque colored down arrow that would make the screen glow with a contact’s info from two days ago.
The words Scott, Noelle were in big, blocky letters on the screen, with a ten-digit number was just underneath it. Declan pressed the flat, gray, redial button and lifted the phone to his ear. He drummed his fingers across the desk while the phone rang in his ear. After the fifth ring, he lowered the phone from his ear.
A voice squeaked from the speaker, “Hello?”
Declan pressed the phone to his ear, “Noelle?”
“This is Noelle, who is this?”
Declan smirked and said, “I would think that you’d remember the sound of my voice by now.”
There was a small gasp that passed through the speaker, “Declan? I didn’t think that you’d call.”
Declan cleared his throat and said, “I wouldn’t have to if I didn’t run into something a little… weird last night. I was thinking about how you said that we don’t have to end what’s going on with us, and that you’d stay out of our way.”
There was a brief pause before Noelle replied, “As much as I can, yes.”
Her voice had taken on a clipped tone, he pictured her tucking her phone in between her neck and shoulder, searching for a place to talk. Somewhere she wouldn’t be heard.
Declan looked toward the door, and strained his ears to try and capture the sound of Cassidy’s soft footsteps against the floor.
“I need to see you. Is there anywhere that we can meet?”
