A Curse So Dark

by Heather Davis

  He’d stolen the pendant and now, maybe Morgan’s real goal was to find my dad and finish him off. But the pendant. There was a reason Morgan was wearing it.

  A chill traveled across my skin. I’d just met my first werewolf.

  ***

  Twilight cast a blue haze across the valley as I drove up the long driveway that led to the Norths’ homestead. Tall grass, un-mowed pasture really, filled the first acre. Spindly apple trees pocked the field, stunted by a lack of sunlight. The property was in the shadow of a big hill my father referred to as the sleeping giant, though there was an official, more boring name I’d learned once. Past the orchard, rusted-out vehicles and farm equipment peered out from the greenbelt alongside the road—a round headlight here, a square car roof there—like iron tigers peering from the overgrown brush.

  As I rolled up to the mobile home with built-on additions, lights clicked on in the driveway, revealing a trimmed front lawn surrounded by a log and post fence and a deck with two Adirondack chairs that faced east. It was sweet, cozy almost, and seemed at odds with the haphazard feel of the rest of the place. Maybe Ivan took his morning coffee there.

  I parked next to Cooper’s work truck and got out. I’d expected to hear wolf-dogs barking, but it was eerily quiet.

  “Cooper?”

  The door swung open and Cooper stepped out onto the deck. He was dressed in an oversized red and black checkered shirt, one of Ivan’s probably, over his jeans. His hair was slicked back, like he’d just gotten out of the shower. “What are you doing here?”

  “You’re the only one I can talk to and you’re not answering your phone.”

  He shrugged toward the house. “Kind of busy cleaning up the wreckage here.”

  “Sorry. I’ve been texting you but you didn’t answer. I would’ve come over to help.”

  “Couldn’t start cleaning till today, anyway,” he said. “Sheriff took pictures of all the rooms, broken things.”

  “Stuff stolen?”

  “TV’s gone. Dad didn’t have much else someone would want, I guess.” Cooper sat in one of the chairs and folded his arms. “I suppose you’re here for help more than to help.”

  I nodded. “I had a few leads but nothing’s turned up. And now, the girls are going to go wolfy on Saturday night. I don’t know what else to do.”

  “I thought you had help,” Cooper said, hurt reflecting in his eyes. “I’ve seen you around town with that stranger. You were pretty quick to trust him.”

  I took a seat next to Cooper. “But I don’t trust him. That’s what I came to tell you. He had a lupine stone. I couldn’t see the design, but it’s round like ours.”

  “Surprise, he’s a wolf.” Cooper nodded, his lip curling a little. “Makes sense. Bad pack arrives, steal some lupine stones. Then they send in their best-looking one to romance you, soften you up.”

  “Don’t say that.” Goose bumps rose on my skin.

  “Think about that rival pack,” Cooper said. “From what I see it’s a small one, mostly male. They need numbers. They need you. They need breeding stock.”

  I grimaced. That wasn’t a happy thought—the twins turning sixteen, coming of age in werewolf world, apparently. I was already there. But it couldn’t be true about Morgan. He’d been genuine, I’d felt safe with him. Well, mostly. “Morgan can’t be from the original pack. I mean, he has an accent. And he’s young like me.”

  “Wolves are tricksters,” Cooper said. “You can’t trust anything he appears to be. Think of actors, they fake accents all the time. Do you even know anything about this guy?”

  I turned away from Cooper, staring out at the gnarled apple trees. I didn’t want to think that what he was saying was true. Maybe he was jealous of what I felt for Morgan. Or maybe he was still worried about his own father and wanted to blame any wolf for what might have happened.

  Cooper leaned in closer to me. “Use your own wolf senses, your own wolf intelligence. You must feel in your bones this Morgan is an outsider, someone who may not have your best interests at heart.”

  “That’s not what I feel about him. What I sense.”

  “You say you want the truth, but here it is and you can’t accept it. Why don’t you see that?”

  My face flooded with heat. “I came here for your help. Not a lecture. Can you be there at the party on Saturday? I really need you.”

  “You want me to come to a party where your sisters are going to turn into werewolves in front of the whole town of Pioneer Falls. What do you think I could possibly do?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, frustrated tears springing to my eyes. “I just want you there. You’re the only one who knows the secret.”

  “You didn’t tell your sisters.” Cooper shook his head slowly. “You’re gonna repeat the same mistake your father made?”

  A lump formed in my throat. “He didn’t even tell my mother until I was three and that went over really well, since that’s the last time we ever saw her.”

  A beat of silence stretched out between us. All the pain I’d felt about Mom leaving us came flooding back, the feeling that we weren’t enough to make her stay, and the new knowledge that what we were had horrified her. It horrified me too. How could I even blame her?

  “You can’t help what you are,” Cooper said finally, his tone soft. “And it’s not your fault your father made mistakes. Mine made some too.”

  “But you’ve always known your family secret.”

  He shook his head at me. “Yeah, son of the Wolf Man. Great going through school with that hanging over my head. You saw how kids treated me.”

  “I couldn’t tell that you cared.” I glanced up at him through my wet lashes and then wiped my eyes with my sleeve.

  “Couldn’t wait to get out of town and away from that legacy. But sometimes, what we run from is what we need most. I missed my father so much when I was doing my tour. The friends I made there, the brotherhood, was important, but I worried about Dad here alone. I worried that this life might catch up with him someday.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s probably our fault he’s disappeared too.”

  He rubbed his arm, like the night air was seeping through his wool shirt. “We don’t know that. We don’t know anything for sure except the full moon is coming on Saturday, whether you’re ready or not. Tell your sisters. Prepare them.”

  I got up from the chair. “Will you come?”

  “I have to think about what’s best for me right now,” Cooper said. “I may need to keep my distance.”

  “And what if that rival pack had something to do with your dad’s disappearance? You’re just going to let them get us? You can’t do that.”

  Cooper stood up, his glare hot. “I’ll do whatever I need to do to protect myself.”

  He stood out there on the deck as I pulled away, watching me, and I hoped, thinking about what his father would want him to do. I needed Cooper. I needed someone to help us. I was running out of people I could trust.

  ***

  Soft piano music played, someone practicing a Beethoven piece I recognized. I flicked another pebble at Alex’s window. It glanced off the frame and dropped into the rhododendron bush below. Even if I couldn’t share the whole truth with him, I wanted to ensure Alex would be at the party on Saturday night. I needed some kind of backup if Cooper wouldn’t come. I tossed another pebble. The sound of the keyboard practice stopped. A second later, the front door opened.

  “About time! You’re not answering texts,” I complained, easing up the dark steps.

  “That’s because I took away his secret phone.” Mr. Bowman came out onto the porch and closed the door behind him. He cut an imposing figure, dressed in dark green and a flak jacket, his arms crossed.

  I paused on the steps, feeling my stomach drop. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

  Mr. Bowman took a seat on the porch steps and patted a spot next to him.

  “Um, I can’t stay.”

  “C’mon. This’ll only take a minute.�
�� He waved me over.

  I lowered myself onto the end of the bench, preparing for some sort of lecture. “Mr. Bowman...Alex told me—”

  “Rick. Call me Rick,” he said, smiling tightly. “I took away Alex’s phone for a reason. The fact that he bought another one did not make me a happy camper.”

  “See, that’s the thing. Alex is a good friend, and I—”

  “You’re not the type of friend he should be cultivating. He’s got schoolwork, music practice—he doesn’t have time to be playing in the woods with you.”

  A pit opened in my stomach. “I never asked him to do that. He wanted to help.”

  “I know you’re worried about your dad, I understand that you want to find him. But I won’t have you putting my only son in danger.” He pointed at me. “You don’t know what these animals are capable, but I do. I’ve spent years witnessing it.”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  He leaned closer, his eyes hard. “Pioneer Falls has a problem.”

  “I don’t get it, what are you saying?”

  “Right...” He was thoughtful for a moment. “The blood on that trap? You have no idea the genetic aberration the lab found?”

  Cold dread snaked around my lungs, making it hard to breathe. “I don’t understand,” I choked out.

  His gaze paused on my eyes, as if he were trying to read me. “That body you were asked to identify? His injuries resulted from an animal attack. They’ll compare trace DNA in the wounds to the blood found on the snare. I’m pretty sure it’ll be the same species.”

  “But what does—”

  “Understand this,” he said. “I’m not going to wait for any official clearance to shoot any aggressive wolf, hybrid or otherwise. They’re a danger to our community.”

  I let out a slow breath. All I could think about was my father. If he was out there somewhere, in wolf form, then he could be shot. “You want to shoot the wolves?”

  “If it’ll prevent another attack? Absolutely.”

  “That’s barbaric.”

  “It’s necessary.” Rick raised his chin. “I want Alex safe from getting caught in the crossfire. That’s where staying away from you comes in.”

  “I don’t have anything to do with wolves.”

  He smiled tightly and shook a finger at me. “See, that’s what I don’t quite believe.”

  “What? I don’t know what you mean.” My voice sounded weak, even to my own ears.

  He leaned back, giving me an appraising glance while he drew a cigarette from the pack in his pocket. “You carry on with that denial and you’re likely to get yourself killed.”

  Ice filled my veins. It was his tone, the look in his eyes that did it. Determination, accusation. He wasn’t coming right out and saying it, but I had the distinct impression that he knew. Knew my father’s secret. Maybe knew mine.

  “You seem so sure of this,” I said, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. “But you’re a forest ecologist. That makes you an expert on trees.”

  Rick laughed. “No reason to get nasty. I have no beef with you, as long as you keep my son out of it.” He lit the cigarette.

  “But you’re no expert on wildlife behavior.”

  “I’ve spent years tracking this type of activity,” he replied.

  “Excuse me, but you don’t know anything.” I got up from the bench to leave.

  Rick caught me by the arm. “Know this. I’ll be watching. Those freak wolves are dead.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The meadow again. I’d dreamed of it so often I knew its boundaries. On one end I’d find the town, and across the field, the beckoning woods teemed with wolves. Rough grass scratched my feet. The smell of fresh-cut cedar and fir rose from the mill in the distance along with the faintest hint of woodsmoke from nearby fireplaces. Bright moonlight illuminated the field. Surely the dark wolf or some of its companions lay in wait in the trees.

  A cry rose in the distance. This time, a single wolf was wailing. It wasn’t the chorus I’d heard before, a pack howling together, summoning the energy in for a hunt. No, this wolf’s song was mournful and desperate, compelling me to move forward. Pleading for me to comply.

  My dress rustled against the stalks of grass as I picked my way across the expanse. I needed to get to the wolf singing its pain before others appeared. Ahead, a greener patch of grass spotted the brown landscape. Nearing, I could see it bordered a small pond I’d never noticed before.

  Willow trees dipped their low branches toward water lapping at large rocks along the edge. Somewhere beyond the rushes at its far end, the pool trailed out to a trickling spring. As I stood at the water’s edge, I found it was bigger than I’d realized. A pond with no stones to step across, no tree fallen to create a bridge. There was no telling how deep it might be.

  The mournful wail sounded again from the woods ahead. My instinct to move toward the sound urged me forward. My toes touched the water, easing into the mud below. I glanced down to find a safe place for my next step. The light on the water turned dark.

  I blinked at the image reflected. Silver blue eyes was the first thing I noticed, then dark fur, and finally a tongue lolling from a wide mouth filled with sharp teeth. I whipped around. Where was the wolf hiding?

  The field stretched wide and silent behind me. Confused, I squished my toes in the mud. But now, I looked down and saw sharp curved nails meeting the muck—claws, not nails. I looked down at the water again, catching a glimpse of shock in the animal’s eyes. My eyes.

  I threw back my head and yowled. My ears rang with the pining cry. I am the dark wolf. I have always been the dark wolf.

  Jolting awake, I fought my way out of the covers and scrambled to the full-length mirror on my closet door. Trembling, I touched my bare arms, my legs, my face—reassuring myself it was only another nightmare.

  “It’s not real. It’s not real,” I kept telling myself.

  Through the window, the moon smiled, almost full. One more day. I yanked the curtains closed. I rejected the urge to see if there was anyone near the house, in the yard, on the street. Wolves peering at us from the trees. But I knew there was no need to fear the monsters outside.

  The one inside me was terrifying enough.

  ***

  The next morning, Fawn plopped down into the chair next to Rose, sloshing milk from her bowl of oatmeal onto the table.

  “Hey!” Rose mopped at the mess with a paper napkin. “You okay, Lily? You’re quiet.”

  I shook my head. I was rattled by the dream I’d had and by Rick’s threats. Cooper had been right, there were hunters around. Rick was one, I was sure of it. “I’m going out to look for him again,” I said. “Can you guys come?”

  Fawn held up her spoon. “I can’t skip. We’re making cinnamon rolls in my third-period class today. It’s part of the grade for Creative Living.”

  “Wait—you don’t want to mess up your grade?” I asked.

  “It’s my best class,” Fawn said.

  “I’m guessing if they grade for cleanliness, that’s gonna be an issue.” Rose shot Fawn a wink.

  “Take Morgan on your search.” Fawn took a bite of raisin-studded oatmeal.

  “No. I can’t see him anymore. Come on, guys. We have to find Dad. Tomorrow will be too late.” I tried not to show my frustration, but tears started rolling down my face. I was more exhausted than the twins could understand. “You have to trust me. I swear he’s out there. I can feel it.”

  Rose put an arm around me. “We miss him too.”

  “You can’t just keep driving around the woods for hours and hours. You’re getting obsessed, Lily. I mean, even creeping around by yourself in the dark alone last weekend,” Fawn said. “That’s extreme.”

  “I told you that wasn’t why I was out there.”

  “Okay, so tell us what it was really about then,” Fawn countered.

  I took my bowl to the sink. “I really don’t think you’re prepared to hear this.”

  “We’re not little kids anymore. We�
�re going to be on our own when you leave us to go to college. You were planning to leave us anyway.”

  “I wouldn’t leave you,” I said quietly.

  Rose shared a glance with Fawn. “Yeah, you would.”

  “Please. I need you guys today. There’s no time left.”

  “No time left for what?” Fawn said.

  Cooper’s insistence that I tell my sisters the truth surfaced in my mind. He was right. I had to tell them. If no one else was going to help us, then they had to know the truth. “I can’t even articulate this. It’s ridiculous.” I rested against the sink, steadying myself.

  “Then we go to school,” Rose replied.

  “And you can skip and go drive around in the woods looking for Dad for hours again, wasting your time,” Fawn added.

  “It’s not a waste. Finding him is our only way out,” I said, anger burning in my chest.

  “Our way out of what?” Rose prompted.

  I paused for a moment, weighing my words carefully. “Dad is sick. I didn’t want to tell you. It’s something in his blood makes him lose it from time to time if it’s not controlled. I think he could have run off during one of those spells.” It was the kindest way I could put it. Telling them the whole truth would have them laughing in disbelief. I could hardly bring myself to even say werewolf, that was for sure. “Cooper told me it runs in our blood. He knew about it.”

  “Cooper told you...” Fawn’s jaw twitched. “Wait, you first talked to him days ago. You knew all this for a week and didn’t tell us?”

  “Wait, what does Cooper have to do with any of this?” Rose asked.

  “It’s a long story,” I explained. “But Dad is friends with Cooper’s dad Ivan. That’s how he knows about us.”

  “And we have this blood mutation, or whatever?” Rose asked.

  Fawn’s eyes flashed with warning. “Did you tell the sheriff?”

  “No, it’s not something I can tell her. Or that you guys should tell anyone, either. It’s not safe for people to know. Not the Carters. Not Alex. No one.”

  Rose chewed her lower lip. “Are we going to need to take medicine for it?”

  “It’s not that kind of a disease.”