Ravensong

by TJ Klune

  “For the sake of asking.”

  She nodded, eyes darting away from the screen, like she was looking at someone else in the room. It was brief, but there. “I’m afraid there was nothing to be done.”

  “You killed them.”

  “I ended their suffering. There’s a difference. Ox understands, doesn’t he? That poor Omega woman. He helped her.”

  Gotcha. “And nothing could be done to save them.”

  “No. They were too far gone.”

  “And Omegas are those wolves who lose their tethers.”

  “Alpha Bennett, Alpha Matheson, is there a point to all of this? Or did you ask to speak with me simply to cover topics already well known to all?”

  “Humor us,” Ox said.

  Michelle sighed. “Yes. Omegas are wolves whose tethers are lost. Those wolves who have lost mates or packs and cannot find a way to latch on to something else.”

  “Richard Collins had dozens of them at his disposal,” I reminded her.

  “He did.” She smiled. “The Bennett pack handled them admirably.”

  “Richard himself had already turned Omega before he died.”

  “A terrible tragedy. I wish things could have been different.”

  “How?”

  “How?” she repeated slowly. “How what?”

  “Thirty-six in twenty-nine states,” I snapped at her. “Twenty-one in three Canadian provinces. That’s what Pappas told us. Those are the numbers of packs that remain in North America. And it bugged me when he said it. I couldn’t figure out why. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I realized. Richard had dozens of Omegas behind him. And there were others that came here without him. How are there so many of them? Where are they coming from? Unless packs and wolves are being exterminated left and right and you haven’t warned us, then how are there so many Omegas? They happen. Omegas. I get that. But not like this. Not this many.”

  “Where is Philip?” she asked again.

  “The Omega that he came for. You just said Ox helped her. You knew she was dead already.”

  She sat back in her chair. “Are you accusing me of something, witch?”

  “You said you last spoke with Pappas two days ago,” I said coldly. “And he arrived yesterday. And yet, somehow, you knew Ox had killed her. The only way you would have known would be if you lied about when you last spoke to Pappas, or if you sent him here strictly with the orders to have Ox take matters into his own hands. To see what Ox would do. To see what he was capable of.”

  The room was silent.

  Then, “Philip could have called me after he left the Bennett house.”

  “And did he?” I asked.

  Her gaze was calculating, but she said nothing.

  “Because I don’t think he did. You see, the reason I don’t think he did is because your second was too busy murdering the Betas traveling with him.”

  Michelle Hughes closed her eyes.

  Goddammit. I hated being right. “He tried to tell me. He spoke of fraying and breaking. And I didn’t understand what he meant. I know now. He was talking about tethers. His tether. Somehow he was losing it. And you knew about that.”

  She opened her eyes. The smile was gone. Regardless of what I thought of her, Michelle was still an Alpha. Even through the screen, she radiated power. “Not about him,” she said. “Never him. He must have—one of the others. He must have found himself infected. He was careless, somehow. Dropped his guard.”

  “With what?” Robbie asked, sounding slightly hysterical. “What the hell could infect a werewolf? We’re immune to almost everything!”

  She sat forward suddenly, eyes flashing. “Was anybody bitten? Was any other wolf exposed? Come into contact with the blood?”

  “Why?” Ox growled at her. “What would that matter if—”

  “Answer me. Was anyone bitten.”

  No. Oh fuck no, please, please, please—

  “What did you do?” I snarled, taking a step forward. “What the fuck did you do?”

  “Mark was bitten,” Joe said, glancing worriedly around the room. “And Carter cleaned his wound.”

  Before I could say anything more, Mark was in front of me, eyes blazing, hands frantically running up and down my arms and shoulders. “Did he get you?” he demanded. “Did he hurt you too?”

  I thought I was going to burst. “No. He didn’t. Mark, he didn’t. But he got—”

  You.

  He’d bitten Mark.

  “It only matters in wolves,” Michelle said tiredly. “Not witches. Even if Gordo had been bitten, it wouldn’t have affected him. Not with his magic.”

  “What is this?” Ox said, stepping toward the monitor.

  “We don’t know where it came from,” Michelle said. She wasn’t even looking at us. Instead she was staring down at a tablet, typing furiously onto it. “Or when it started. The first that we know of was a wolf in South Dakota shortly before Thomas died. He couldn’t hold his tether. He turned Omega. We thought it was a fluke. An anomaly. We had no way of knowing at the time if there were others. Not every wolf is registered or even known to us. There are outliers, packs that operate outside of our control. Omegas, too, that are packless. Loners.”

  “And you didn’t think to tell us?” Joe demanded. “You didn’t think this was information we needed to know?”

  “We did,” she retorted. “Thomas knew. And it was only days later that Richard came and Osmond betrayed us all. Whether or not it was intentional, it served as a distraction. And it certainly didn’t help matters when you left, Alpha Bennett. You were meant to take your father’s place, but you decided revenge was more important than pack.”

  Of course Thomas knew. Of course. “And there was nothing he could do about it?”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Mark said, voice flat. “All of us were injured at one point or another by Omegas. The wolves. The humans. Gordo. All of us.”

  Michelle glanced up from the tablet, eyes narrowing. “And nothing?”

  “No,” Ox said. “Nothing.”

  “Thomas fell years ago,” Robbie said. “And Richard Collins died last year. Why haven’t you said anything since then?”

  “Because I didn’t know who could be trusted,” Michelle snapped. “A human Alpha? A Bennett Alpha who refuses to accept his place? You, Robbie. You who were sent to do a job and ended up joining the pack you were to investigate. For god’s sake, there are humans in the pack. They hunt us. Tell me, exactly, at what point was I supposed to give information to a pack who seemed to exist to only serve themselves? You made a mockery of the Bennett name.”

  Joe’s hands were in fists at his sides. “Say that again. I dare you.”

  Ox put a hand on his shoulder, fingers digging in.

  Michelle ignored him. “And then there’s the fact that your witch is the son of Robert Livingstone.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What does my father have to do with this?”

  She sighed. “Do you think it’s a coincidence that when Robert Livingstone escaped custody, Richard Collins followed shortly after? Or that the wolf in South Dakota became infected? I believe in many things. I believe in pack. I believe in the strength of the wolf. I believe in the superiority of our species. I don’t believe in coincidences.”

  “You think my father did this.”

  “Yes. I do. I think he’s been playing a long, slow game. After the first wolf, we didn’t see anything like it for a long time. It’s only been… recently that there has been a rise, and it has become a much quicker process for an infected wolf to turn feral. Add in the fact that your father has all but disappeared. That being said, I have no proof. And since I can’t be sure you haven’t had contact with your father, you can see why I would be hesitant to share information with your pack.”

  “Don’t you dare try and put this on him,” Mark growled.

  “By process of elimination, it’s the only possible explanation. Occam’s razor says—”

  I was pissed. “I don’t giv
e a flying fuck what you think. I would never turn on my pack, you goddamn bitch—”

  “You didn’t trust me?” Robbie said, sounding hurt. “You were like my family. I never did anything to give you reason—”

  “How long?”

  The voice came from behind us.

  I glanced over my shoulder.

  Carter stood in the doorway, shoulders squared, jaw set. Kelly stood at his side, eyes wide and wet. Elizabeth was behind her eldest son, head bowed, forehead pressed against his back. “How long?” he asked again.

  She had something almost akin to sympathy in her eyes. I thought it was a lie. “Two weeks. Give or take a week. But two is usually the median.” She looked down at her hands. “At first there’s nothing. But within a few days, you’ll begin to feel it. It’s like electricity underneath your skin. A low current. An itch. Like the pull of the moon. A few more days and the current will grow. The itch will intensify. You’ll shift, but it won’t be sated. It’s like… bloodlust. Becoming feral is always about bloodlust. You won’t be able to stop it. There will be rage. You will lash out without meaning to. And the more you shift, the worse it gets. It’s an addiction. Sometimes there’s a lull, after. You’ll feel better. Stronger. More in control. But that only signals the beginning of the end. You will become feral. And there is nothing you can do to stop it.” She looked back up at us. “I am truly sorry that this has happened to you. To your pack. I never meant for it to get this far.”

  And the fucked-up thing was that I believed her when she said that. I doubted she ever thought her second would go feral. “There has to be a cure,” I said hoarsely. “A spell. Something. If this was my father, then there has to be a way to reverse it. Whatever he’s done, it can be fixed. Magic isn’t one-way. Whatever he’s given, it can be taken back.”

  She shook her head. “There’s nothing that we know of. Our witches have spent two years trying to find a remedy. There’s no significant changes in the blood, aside from decreased levels of serotonin and increased adrenaline and noradrenaline. The Omega literally becomes flooded with rage. And it doesn’t matter the strength of the pack or the call of an Alpha. Your tether, no matter what it is, will begin to shred. Eventually it will break. You will become an Omega. You will become feral. It cannot be stopped. And the full moon coming will surely hasten the process.”

  “Then you don’t know us at all,” Ox said quietly. “Because we aren’t like any pack that you’ve ever seen before.”

  “Oh, how I wish that were true, Alpha Matheson. If Carter and Mark are infected, they will turn, just as everyone else who has come before. You’re right that there has never been a pack like yours before. You are… an anomaly. But even you can’t stop this. There are those that believe lycanthropy is a disease, given that it can be spread by the bite of an Alpha. The way it alters the body down to a cellular level. Unfortunately, this… this thing appears to be similar, though it’s not only cellular. It’s more than that. It’s metaphysical, existing only to tear the bonds away from the wolf.” She frowned. “It’s the perfect weapon. And who better than Robert Livingstone to inflict it upon us? He who must hate tethers most of all. For what is more poetic than a man who lost everything because of a tether to lash out at those who still have one?”

  “I don’t give a damn what you say,” I said harshly. “There’s a way to fix this, and I will find it. You may not give a shit about us, but Ox is right. You don’t know the first thing about our pack. We are more than this. We are better than this.”

  “Be that as it may,” she said, tapping another button on her tablet, “I must do what I have to in order to ensure the survival of our species. As with any infection, the first step is to contain it as soon as possible to prevent it from spreading. To those of you who were not exposed, I will extend an offer. Leave Green Creek. Join us. You have three days to do what is necessary.”

  “And what exactly is necessary?” Ox asked, taking a step toward the monitor.

  Michelle barely blinked. “You know what, Alpha Matheson. Carter and Mark cannot be allowed to infect others. They must be put down.”

  “And in three days?” Joe asked, eyes red.

  She looked at him. “In three days I will take matters into my own hands. Bennett pack, I wish things had turned out differently. But surely, if you were in my position, you would do the same. If we are to survive, then the infection must be quarantined. And then eradicated.”

  The screen went black.

  Then Rico appeared behind the others and said, “Oye. Why are you all standing around looking like someone died? Oh god, someone didn’t die again, did they? We just got done burning more dead things. I refuse to smell that again tonight. Or for the next eight months. Find someone else to do it. I refuse to be your bitch.”

  “Read the goddamn room,” Chris muttered.

  Ox snarled and smashed his fist into the monitor.

  THE PACK dispersed throughout the house. Joe and Ox went down to the basement to check on Pappas. Elizabeth took Carter up to her room and shut the door. Robbie stood in the living room, watching Kelly pace back and forth while ranting, arms waving wildly. I didn’t see where Mark went.

  “This… isn’t good,” Tanner said succinctly, standing in the office, staring at the broken monitor.

  “Understatement, papi,” Rico said, rubbing a hand over his face. “It’s a fucking mess, is what it is.”

  “We can figure this out, though, right?” Chris asked. He stood next to Jessie. She laid her head on his shoulder. “I mean, there’s gotta be something. If it can be spread, it can be stopped.”

  “Something,” Jessie agreed. She lifted her head. “You just have to work your way backwards. You get to the source, you might find the cure.”

  I stared at them. “Are you all really that stupid?”

  They looked startled. “How’s that now?” Chris asked.

  “You need to get the fuck out of here. Right now. Leave and don’t look back.”

  Jessie snorted. “Yeah, okay. Sure, Gordo. We’ll get right on that.”

  “I’m being serious!”

  “Oh, since you’re being serious,” Tanner said. “Guys, look. We have to listen to him now. He’s being serious.”

  “That’ll change my mind,” Rico said, shaking his head. “Thank you, Gordo, for telling us what you think we’re supposed to do. Should we ignore you right off the bat and move on to something productive, or do you want to fight us on it?”

  “What the hell is wrong with all of you?” I asked incredulously. “Weren’t you listening? Carter and Mark are going to go fucking feral unless we can find a way to stop it. They’ll be just like the Omegas that came before. You remember that? When you had to fucking kill them? And that’s not even taking into consideration the other Omegas out there that could be making their way here right now—”

  “We remember,” Chris said. “Because that was the moment we stood with our pack. Do you really think we’re going to leave now? That’s not what pack does, Gordo. They wouldn’t leave us, so we’re not going to leave them. Just because you forgot what pack meant doesn’t mean we’re going to.”

  “Too far,” Rico murmured, even as I moved in front of Chris, my chest bumping his.

  “I don’t know that it was,” Tanner said, rubbing a hand over the back of his head. “He needs to hear it at some point, right?”

  “Damn right,” Chris said, jutting his chin up at me defiantly.

  “You’re so goddamn stupid,” I snapped in his face. “You’re going to get yourself killed. And for what?”

  He didn’t even flinch. “For my pack. If you think we’re just going to abandon them, then you don’t know us as well as you think you do.”

  “You’re human. What chance do you stand against—?”

  “Are you leaving, then?” Jessie asked. “Because last time I checked, you’re human too.”

  I glared at her as I stepped away from Chris. “It’s not the same. I’m a goddamn witch. I have magic—�
�

  “And I’m pretty good with a staff,” she said. “Ox’s crowbar too, since he can’t use it anymore. You know, silver and all.”

  “Rico and me got our guns,” Tanner said.

  “And I’ve got my knives,” Chris added.

  “And we’ve been trained to fight wolves,” Rico said, standing firm. “For years. So what if we end up having to kick Carter’s ass? He deserves it for making us run laps. You know I hate running laps. I get shin splints.”

  I gaped at them.

  The stared back at me.

  “You’re all out of your minds,” I said faintly.

  “Probably,” Chris said with a shrug. “But we’ve stuck by you this long. And hell, we’ve faced crazed Omegas, a wannabe Alpha with big teeth and an even bigger ego. What’s a disease that makes our friends lose their marbles in the long run? Just another thing we’ll deal with.”

  Rico laughed but covered it up quickly with a cough. “Sorry,” he said, wincing slightly. “That wasn’t funny. Fear response.”

  “You’re going to need us,” Jessie said, and the others fell silent. “You most of all.”

  I scowled at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She smacked me upside the head. “Men. You’re fucking idiots. Why the hell do you think, Gordo? Look. I don’t pretend to know a thing about you and Mark. I don’t care what happened to you guys or what turned you into this asshole who’s so used to pretending he doesn’t hurt like the rest of us that he doesn’t see that we’re absolutely done with his bullshit. If this happens, if what that bitch told us is true, you’re going to need us, Gordo. We’re your friends. You need us as much as we need you.”

  “Team Human for the win,” Chris said, smiling fondly at his sister.

  “We can do things the wolves can’t,” Tanner added. “If they’re going to go feral, then they’re going to need us to watch over them until we can figure out a way to get them back.”

  “And besides,” Rico said, grinning wildly at me, “it looks good for my street cred when I kick so much ass.” His smile faded a bit. “Even though I can’t really tell anyone about it. Because werewolves are secret.” He was frowning now. “Why the hell am I doing this? I’m already getting laid.”