“Take my hands,” he whispers.
Oakley would have a field day if he saw me holding hands with another man. My guys never ask to hold my hand. I do as he says, taking his hands into mine. The awkwardness of the situation dissipates and a rush of calmness washes through me.
“Abel, you can open your eyes now.”
I’m sitting in the same position with the exception of my hands; they’re resting on my thighs. “What happened?”
“I gave you the skills you need to meditate,” he states.
I check my watch and twenty minutes have passed.
“You doubt me? Close your eyes and concentrate.” Quinney says and stands up.
I’m amazed as I close my eyes and I know how to meditate. “How?”
“You’ve had it inside of you, I brought it forward to the front of your mind. You have many talents, you’ll figure it all out,” he admits.
“Do you think Pru’s going to be hurt?” The thought hadn’t crossed my mind that anyone would ever abduct her.
“Abel, it doesn’t matter what I think. I’m not cluttering your mind with any one-way thoughts, you need to consider all options. I’m sorry,” he shrugs his shoulders.
“Will I always be alone? I mean, you say I can’t talk with my pack-mates, but will I ever be able to tell someone? Does the Great Wolf get a mate?”
“Oh yes, Abel, you’re going to have the most caring mate. She’s going to challenge your thinking, hold you when you lose good friends. She’s quite a young lady. My visions for you are clear, and yes Abel, you’re going to find the true love of your life. She will help carry your burdens, but she’s just a wolf and won’t have the capacity to carry all of them with you. She will love you with a passion fit for a king.” Quinney smiles to himself. “You’re a lucky man. One thing you’ll need to remember in the dark times, it’s better to have loved and lost, than never to love at all.”
I lump forms in my throat, “You mean she’s going to die?”
“Yes. Keep in mind, things can change. Abel, life is a gift and living isn’t always measured in years, its measured on how you lived. I could talk all day about the philosophy of life, right now; you need to concentrate on your friends and enjoying the Olympics. Good luck my friend,” he says and pulls me into a hug. Oakley and I don’t hug much, so this would be another one of those things the guys would tease me about.
“Thank you, your candor is refreshing. I’ll watch Pru, this will work out, I won’t allow anything to happen to her.”
****************
Chapter 5 Olympics
“Oakley has this in the bag, he’s the fastest shifter I’ve ever seen,” I say to Brianna. Her father gave her permission to sit with me during breakfast since we haven’t seen each other in three days.
“Azezal is competing too. He’s one of the fastest shifters in Ireland. He was brought into our pack when I was a little girl, I think he’s 23.”
She looks adorable in her team uniform; it’s green and white with orange lettering with her pack name. She smells like she’s fresh from the shower. Our warm up suit/uniform is blue with a red stripe down the side and white lettering with our pack name. I insisted we keep The Phelan Pack, since they are the founders of the pack.
I cut a blueberry muffin in half and hand it to her. We sit in silence as we eat our muffin. She’s bouncing her leg up and down nervously and I’m ticking off events in my head. Pru is whispering to Oakley, probably giving him a pep talk. It’s noisy in the makeshift cafeteria. I close off everyone around me with the exception of Brianna.
“Your dad actually let you sit with Abel this morning? I’m surprised since he keeps a tight leash on you…pun intended,” says Brianna’s friend Violet. Her uniform is white with green and orange lettering.
“Ha, ha, you’re funny, sit your skinny butt down,” Brianna says and flicks a crumb at her. “Abel, do you remember Violet?”
“I do,” I reply.
“He’s not a moron, how could he possibly forget me? I mean, I’m unforgettable,” Violet says sarcastically.
Pru would have had a conniption fit if she heard someone compare me to a moron. It isn’t as though she called me one, but Pru would have found it annoying. After spending the day around Violet, I’ve come to realize she’s obnoxious, but harmless.
“You did not just compare him to a moron,” Brianna whispers in Violet’s ear.
“COMPETITORS IN THE MALE SHIFTING EVENT YOU ARE TO REPORT TO THE WEST FIELD IN FIVE MINUTES. AGAIN, MALE SHIFTING EVENT COMPETITORS, YOU’RE TO REPORT TO THE WEST FIELD IN FIVE MINUTES.”
A voice booms overhead.
Oakley and Pru stand up abruptly. All of us at our table stand and applaud as they walk by. Dolly is behind them, she’s beaming as she leaves to join the women competitors who are competing right after the men.
“Your pack really likes each other, don’t they?” Brianna asks.
“We do,” Bryon answers. He puts his hands on my shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. “You ready to get over there?”
There being the field. It occurs to me that Pru has left. Shit, I think to myself. “Yeah, we need to go. Bri, I’ll see you at lunch?” I’ve never asked her if I can call her Bri, but it happens without me thinking.
“My dad said I can, I’ll see you then…bye,” she smiles at me and my heart jumps a beat.
“Bye.”
Walking away with Bryon and Shaynie, I find I’m already counting down the time until I see her again.
“You really like her; it’s all over your face,” Bryon says.
“I suppose I do. I’m trying to remind myself we’re leaving soon, but that’s tough when she’s around.” The competition is about to begin. Everyone has to sit in the bleachers. Two screens as big as the kind in a drive-in are set up so we can see the activity on the field. One of the screens is for the women’s shifting and one for the men’s shifting contest. I check my watch, it’s 6:29 am.
“This should be epic, Oakley is faster than anyone I’ve seen compete before. He could win the gold,” Shaynie says as she flanks my other side.
“He will.” I look out onto the field to get a visual of Pru. “Everything okay? How’s Oak doing? Is he freaking out?” I think to Pru.
“He’s pumped. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started prematurely shifting before they start timing them. I saw Shaynie and Bryon sit with you. This place is secure, I’m not picking up any bad vibes. Oh, gotta go, the MC is about to blow the whistle. See you soon!” Pru replies and I see her turn around and face the judges.
Argentina has only one pack and their superstar is a guy named Alfredo Castro. He could be mistaken for a horse jockey if seen at a racetrack. We saw him out at one of the pubs one night and the girls were flocking to him. Alfredo is going up against the alpha of the Cary Pack. It has to be about thirty two degrees out and their only article of clothing is a pair of shorts.
The fans in the bleachers are chanting for their favorite pack. I take inventory of who’s here and can tell there are witches, faeries, and other shifters here. One of the judges is fae. Their eyesight has the ability to track every moment of every day. Nothing is too fast for them to register. The judge is from the Seelie Court and has a reputation of being fair.
Everyone stands for the Werewolf Games prayer and opening announcements.
I STAND BEFORE MY LIEGE WITH HONOR
I SWEAR TO MY PACK TO SERVE THEM WITH THE GIFT I’VE BEEN GRANTED
TO RESPECT MY COMPETITORS BY COMPETING WITH ALL OF MY WILL
TO SERVE WITH DIGNITY
TO PROMISE NO BLOOD TO BE SHED WITH ILL WILL BY MY HAND
I MAKE THIS VOW BEFORE GOD, MY PACK, AND THOSE WHO’VE GONE BEFORE ME
FOREVER AND ALWAYS I’LL BE A WOLF WITH PRIDE
Every wolf, including the children, throws their heads back and let out a howl. How the witches were able to silence our howl to the world is beyond me. In my head I only hear the cry of my pack.
Shaynie loops her arm throu
gh mine and whispers, “the pledge always makes me cry. Isn’t it amazing to hear us all howl as one?”
“It was pretty amazing.” For an instant, I don’t see Pru. My eyes are scanning the field until I get a visual on her. Next up is Oakley, he’s cool as he walks out onto the field.
Shaynie grabs my arm and is squeezing my elbow as we wait for Oakley to perform. “Shaynie, you’re going to break my arm if you squeeze any harder,” I tease.
She lets go of my arm and laughs to herself. “Sorry Abe…. I’m trying to be calm but my wolf is antsy. Are you doing okay?”
“My wolf is jittery too, this place is intense with energy.” I drape my arm over her shoulder and pull her close as we wait for the whistle to blow. Inside of my head, I’m chanting, “you can do it,” over and over.
“Shhhh, you’re going to break his concentration,” Pru mentally says to me.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize I wasn’t blocking my thoughts to you guys. I’ll keep my thinking to myself.”
One minute the stands are full of chatter and cheering, the next, the place goes silent. Everyone is watching Oakley, it’s as though they expect him to self destruct. He shakes his hands at his side, releasing his nervous energy.
The whistle blows and within 90 seconds, Oakley has successfully shifted. The other wolf doesn’t complete his shift for another five minutes. Oakley is now the #1 contender; the second closest shift is 4 minutes 17 seconds. There’s one more guy shifting and he’s fast, just not fast enough.
The judges add up their scores to decide who’s won. They judge on style, grace and speed. Within two minutes they announce overhead that Oakley has won the gold, I didn’t pay attention to the other two names. We just solidified that we’re here to win.
I watch the men head to the make-shift dressing room and put on their packs’ suit. Dolly and the other women head over to their field. There aren’t any bleachers for their field hence the giant movie screen for us to see everything up close. There’s only six women competing.
Over the next twenty minutes we watch the women get smoked by Dolly. She shifts in 75 seconds, beating Oakley’s record breaking time. Two gold medals for the Phelan Pack before 8:00 a.m. and we’re proving to be the pack to beat.
The men vs. women event is optional for the winners of the same sex competition. Dolly and Oakley didn’t sign up, so they join us in the stands.
****************
Lunch is almost over. Brianna wasn’t allowed to sit with me, her brother is pissed about Oakley winning and convinced her father to renege on his promise. Like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, our forbidden relationship is driving us crazy. Minus the fact my pack doesn’t care who I spend my time with, they do worry more about my heart getting broken.
Dad comes over and takes the chair next to Mom. He hands out the schedule for tomorrow.
Tuesday -
5:00 a.m. - Everyone weigh in
6:00 a.m. - Breakfast
6:30 a.m. - Agility
11:00 a.m. Award Ceremony for Agility
12:00 p.m. Lunch
2:00 p.m. Pack tag team Hunting
5:00 p.m. PeeWee hunting
7:00 p.m. Hunting Award Ceremony
“I guess the Seeker event is Wednesday,” I say to Bryon. He’s busy shoving a brownie in his mouth.
“You’re so nasty,” Shaynie exclaims and bops Bryon on the shoulder.
“You love me,” he replies with a mouthful of brownie. “Have you made up your mind who’s competing? If I were you, I’d go in and take me with you. We make a pretty badass team.”
“We would,” I simply state. “We’d also die because we’d be laughing so hard.”
“He’s not taking you silly rabbit, he’s taking me,” Shaynie says and spins around.
“Hey guys, I need to go talk to Dolly about Kane. Have you heard anything about him?”
They shake their head no.
I walk into the lobby and see Brianna sitting in the chair she was in the morning after I met her. She’s typing on her cell phone, probably texting. From behind me before I see her, I smell her perfume, Violet is here.
Pru and Oakley stay in the lobby with me as everyone else heads to their rooms.
“I’m going to ask Quinney about Kane, he’s on his way in from the van,” Pru says as she pulls on Oakley’s hand to follow her.
Brianna looks up at me shyly. “I’m sorry about lunch today, me brothers were being jack asses. I brought some junk food and a movie if you’d like to hang out. Violet is my chaperone, and my alibi.”
“Alibi huh? They don’t know where you are?” My wolf nods in approval. She took a risk to be with me.
“What movie….you know it’s all about the movie,” I try to sound serious, but it’s hard to do when you’re grinning from ear to ear.
Violet bounces over and gives me a once over. “Nice uniform, so American.”
“He is American you doof-wad,” Brianna corrects. “I brought the Bourne movies.”
“I love those movies, I guess I’ll let you stay,” I give her a wink. She blushes and it sends my wolf into a frenzy. He’s partial to her shyness.
****************
Even though I know there’s a van full of supernaturals outside protecting the hotel, and half my pack is discreetly hidden along the perimeter, in this moment, it’s just us.
“It’s a good night to sneak out, I’m happy you came over,” I say with a grin.
“You’re worth it, or so my wolf tells me,” Brianna admitted.
My wolf’s ears perk up. Ruh-ro
“My wolf is happy your wolf is so bold.” I watch her face for any humor, but she’s as into the moment as I am.
“Abel, I don’t know if they’ll let me see you for breakfast. In case they don’t, I brought something for you.” Brianna holds out her hand and she has what looks like a coin. She hands it to me and I look at the Celtic symbols on the front and something in Gaelic is written on the back.
Cha reub lain thu,
Cha mhuill muir thu,
Cha teum, mnaoi thu,
Cha treann duin thu
“What does it say?” I ask.
“No spear shall rive thee, No sea shall drown thee, No woman shall wile thee, No man shall wound thee. It’s a protective talisman. Per the rules, we’re allowed to wear a talisman as protection. Many of the Catholics will wear a crucifix and the others will wear something from their belief system. You can either wear it in your shoe or taped over your heart, per the rules of course. Our family has an avid belief of the protection this coin provides. I’ll have one on me too.”
“Of course.” I stand there, lost in her eyes, allowing the silence of the night to envelope us. It isn’t an awkward silence, it’s filled with electricity. We’re lost for a moment, no one around, no games to be played, no thousands of miles between us, just two people daring to break the rules. “Bri, this is the kindest gift I’ve ever received. Thank you,” not waiting for her to say anything…I pull her to me. The space between us is gone; my arms wrap around her and my lips find her mouth. The kiss starts gently, but the moments are awakening something inside of me that can’t be stopped. Like standing on the edge of a cliff only to peer over the edge and a gentle push sends you over the side. Falling, grasping for anything to stop the descent, until you realize how free you feel and the warmth of another person’s arms are your salvation.
Something drastically changes between us, we escape the moment of casual dating because we opened the door to the unknown. There’s no turning back, my wolf has said his peace to me. We both agree that she is the one. Her lips are sweet and soft, her hunger as we kiss is obvious. We pull away, my heart is frantically beating against my chest, hers is too.
“I guess you like it, huh?” She smiles up at me, her arms are still on my shoulders and her fingers are gently running through my hair.
“Oh, the kiss was damn good.”
“Not the kiss…the coin.”
I knew what she was saying,
she’s easy to tease. “Oh, the coin, I like it too.”
We laugh at the sound of coughing coming from behind us. Pru and Oakley are here to remind us we have a curfew.
“We were just saying good-bye,” I say to them.
“Is that what they call it these days? We call it making out,” Pru says through her fake laugh.
I lean down to kiss the tip of Bri’s nose. “Good-night, tell Violet I said thank you.”
“Will do, I hope to see you in the morning.”
Violet appears from the shadows, “You’re welcome. Good luck tomorrow.”
****************
Chapter 6. Through the Heart
“How do you think you’ll do today?” Pru asks me with a mouth full of toast.
“He’ll do just fine, don’t stress him out,” Oakley says. For the last minute he’s been fiddling with the lid to his Greek yogurt. Shaynie reaches over and opens it for him.
Across the room, I see Brianna. She gives me a half smile and cautiously shrugs her shoulders. Sitting down at the table with the rest of her pack, she immediately averts her gaze. Marc and Denny are watching her like a hawk, which I’m sure is why she didn’t come over to sit with me. These two guys are going to be the death of me. Oak and I will have a talk with them later. I don’t want to cause any rift between her family, so I let it go for now.
“Her brothers are stressing me out, not the competition. I’m going outside to stretch…I’ll see you in a while.” I turn to walk away and Parker appears out of nowhere. “Let me guess, you’re going to go stretch with me.”
“Yeah, and Storm is going to help me,” Parker replies. Storm is his rowdy mini-me, or mini-Parker. He turned five last month, which in his head makes him twenty-five. His mom, Sapphire, is Native American and her wolf is incredibly intuitive. She hunts and protects like she’s been a wolf her whole life. She was bitten by a disgruntled rogue werewolf and left to die.
The Great Wolf: A Legacy of Kilkenny Novel Book Three (The Legacy of Kilkenny Saga) Page 5
