Inheritance (The Dark Gifts)

by Willow Cross

  Each of them sat, some still growling, but obeying nevertheless.

  “Jason, come here,” she ordered. Sarah slowly opened the cage door and stepped out.

  Moving to her side, his eyes stayed focused on the others.

  The pack crouched and snarled, fighting to break her hold on them.

  Sarah had no doubt, worry, or fear. Something about this felt right. She knew they could not harm her without her permission. Her body tingled with anticipation. An overwhelming sense of power coursed through her veins. “Oh shut up, and sit still.”

  For the first time in her life, standing in the middle of vicious wolves who wanted her dead, she was completely sure of herself. “Which one of you is Aunt Shana?”

  The white wolf snarled and tried to lunge forward, but was unable to break Sarah‘s hold.

  “And which one of you is Uncle Thomas?”

  Without looking at her, the black wolf barked.

  Sarah‘s lips twisted into a grin as she straightened her shoulders. “The rest of you leave and do not come back here unless my brother and I ask you to.”

  Thomas took up guard with Jason as the others filed up the stairs and out of the door. Shana waited at the bottom of the basement stairs, still looking like she would love nothing better than to rip Sarah to shreds.

  ***

  “Let me out of here! How dare you lock me up like an animal?” Shana screamed.

  “Sounds like our guests are awake,” Sarah said to Jason.

  “Good. I’m ready for some answers and this time I’m not trying to be nice.”

  Sarah laughed and shook her head. “You call how you acted yesterday, nice?”

  Sarah yelled down the stairwell, “The door is unlocked doofus. I made breakfast, cover yourselves up and join us.”

  Jason curled his lips and muttered, “Waste of good food.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes at him and began putting plates laden with eggs and toast on the table for their guests.

  Thomas and Shana entered the kitchen wrapped in blankets. Thomas smirked, but Shana…Shana was furious. If looks could kill, they would both be dead.

  Thomas took a seat at the table and immediately started working on the abundant breakfast, smiling between bites. Sarah sat a huge cup of coffee in front of him. “Don’t forget to breathe.”

  He nodded and continued cramming food into his mouth as fast as possible. Shana still stood by the basement door glowering.

  “Oh for Pete’s sake! I made you breakfast--after you tried to kill me--I might add. Doesn’t that count for something?”

  Mouth full of food, Thomas mumbled, “Food‘s good, quit moping,” and motioned for her to join them.

  Shana sat, picked up a fork, and picked at the eggs on her plate. Her eyes darted between the food in front of her and Sarah.

  “It’s not poisoned. Would I feed my brother poisoned food?”

  “Humph.” Bringing the fork to her mouth, she took a small bite. Seemingly testing it for alternative ingredients.

  Jason finished and slid his plate back. Leaning back in his chair, he glared at Shana while drinking his coffee.

  Thomas leaned back in his chair as well, patted his belly, and belched. “That was good, Sarah, thank you. I’m always starving after a change. Something about the metabolism I think. I know you two must have a ton of questions,” Thomas glanced across the table at Shana as he sipped his coffee. “I’m sure you didn’t hear what you wanted or needed to hear yesterday, but I wasn’t invited to your little family reunion.”

  Shana coughed, but said nothing.

  Sarah refilled the coffee cups and sat down across the table from Thomas. “Would you please tell us what is going on?”

  “Look, you two seem like good kids, you always were. Your dad was my best friend my whole life, but I don’t think you’re ready to hear the whole truth. It’s not all cut and dry.” Thomas answered.

  Jason’s fist slammed against the table, sloshing coffee out of the cups. “I don’t care what you think we are, or are not, ready for. I want to know what the hell is going on. I’m sick of all this deception and secrecy. What was all that crap about last night? I know the rest of them were here to kill us.”

  Sarah’s eyes stayed focused on Shana, who kept her eyes on her plate and slowly continued eating.

  Thomas sighed. Moving his gaze between the two youngsters, he began, “For as long as our history is remembered, there has been a pack leader. The leader, or Alpha Male, has complete control over the pack. If the leader dies, then the second in command takes charge.”

  Jason pushed his chair away from the table. “Then why the attack last night? You could've stopped them.”

  Thomas slapped his hand against his knee. “I couldn’t stop them. The moment you two stepped foot on this land, my status was broken. The only thing I could do, I did. That ought to count for something.”

  Jason’s eyes wandered over Thomas’ face. He saw no lie lingering in the older man’s eyes. Briefly, he cast his gaze toward the picture window. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Please continue.”

  Thomas leaned back in his chair. “Thank you. As I was saying, your family has lead the pack for generations. Your father was pack leader. Just like there is always a leader, there is also a seer. The seer, unlike the rest of the pack, has visions of the future and sometimes even our enemies in the present. The seer is second in power only to the Alpha. Always a female, who comes into this power at seventeen before transformation occurs. This does not always work like it should. It is required for the seer and pack leader to mate and become partners.” Thomas paused and gulped some coffee.

  “And?” Jason asked.

  “I’m getting to it, I just don’t know how to word this. First off, understand this…there are laws we must be follow, simply because it is instinctual for us to do so. Sometimes a leader begins to worry more about his human life, than the lives of his pack. When this happens, the leader is removed. Your father should have married Shana, as pack leader it was his duty. But he had already fallen in love with your mother, Shana’s older sister, and we mate for life.”

  A slight movement from the corner of her eye drew Sarah's attention. Shana must have shifted in her seat. No longer staring at her food, her angry eyes fixed on Thomas. Face set, and teeth clenched, she glared at him.

  Sarah's gaze met her brother's.

  He raised his eyebrows, and after glancing at Shana again, turned to face his uncle.

  Seemingly unaware of Shana's deepened hostility, Thomas continued, “There is no divorce among the pack, it simply cannot happen. In taking your mother as mate, he broke with tradition. This caused dissent. Phaedra, was the acting seer at the time. She warned if the union were allowed to take place, there would be staggering consequences.”

  Sarah’s eyes filled with tears in anticipation of what Thomas was about to tell them. She didn’t need to hear his words; she already knew what was to be said. “They died because of us, didn’t they?”

  Thomas sighed. “Yes. Phaedra told us if they united the pack would be torn asunder. For the first time in pack history, there would be an Alpha Male and Female of the same lineage.”

  Taking in the information, both Sarah and Jason remained silent.

  Leaning in, Thomas spoke with heavy emotion, “There has never been an Alpha Female. Not in the history of our species. You two should not exist in the same family. It goes completely against the laws of nature for siblings to be both Alpha and seer. You were completely correct in your assumptions last night, Sarah. No one in this pack can disobey your wishes. Even though you haven't transformed yet, you control the pack as long as they are in wolf form. Your brother was destined to take your father’s place. He was to be the most powerful pack leader in history, until your birth.

  “When you were born, the clan leaders wanted you put to death before your power evolved. Your parents would not allow it. They gave you to Edna. She went into hiding and turned you over to the humans. None of us have seen her
since the day she left with you.”

  For a brief moment, the siblings felt guilty. Not that they weren't grateful for the house and minimal inheritance, but neither had realized what great lengths their aunt had gone to in order to keep them safe.

  Realization sunk in and it was Sarah's turn to glare at Thomas. “How could you let them kill our parents? You said our dad was your best friend.”

  Sighing, the man rubbed the center of his forehead. “At six years old, Jason’s Alpha status was already established, breaking your father's. I had nothing to do with it. It all happened against my wishes, when I wasn't here to stop them. They could have listened to reason. No offense, but you could have at the very least been sent away, Sarah. You wouldn't have been the first wolfling put down. Others have had to endure the same pain. They should have followed with tradition, regardless of their parental feelings. The fact remains, your parents were sentenced to death for their blatant disregard of the packs future.”

  Sarah let out an agonized gasp. Tears flowing, she bolted from her seat and ran out the door. As the screen door slammed shut, Jason rose to stop her. Thomas placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let her go. She needs to figure this out on her own.”

  “You don’t know her. You have no idea what she needs.” Jason jerked from Thomas’ grasp and followed after her.

  Chapter Five

  Surrounded. Howling echoed through the trees, but she couldn’t see any of them. Twigs snapped to her left, then more crackling on the right. Growling and snuffling came from every bush and thicket. Franticly, her eyes darted back and forth as she turned in a circle searching for a place to hide. There was nowhere to run or hide. Sweat poured down her face into her eyes, stinging and burning as she repeatedly wiped it away. Tremors racked her body. She tried to slow her breathing and gain control of her pounding heart. She knew she couldn’t stay where she was for long. More sniffing and rustling noises came from behind. Her eyes locked on the large tree in front of her. The only hope was to go up. Climb a tree and pray morning would come quickly. Surely, wolves couldn’t climb.

  The moon broke free from the clouds holding it prisoner. Pale blue light cascaded over the valley illuminating everything. The howling became frenzied then, as if the sight of the moon had driven the wolves over the edge of sanity. It beat down on her with the intensity of the sun, warming her body as it caressed her skin and called her into it.

  Pain coursed through her, rending bones and flesh, remaking her into something new…something unnatural. Without warning, her head flew back as her voice raged at the hateful moon, breaking into a ravaged primeval scream that pierced the night and quieted the howling of the others. Then she was new and altogether powerful. It was as it was meant to be. For the first time in her life, she knew she had finally found home.

  Sarah woke with a scream. It took a moment to realize the scream had come from her own body. Drenched with sweat and still exhausted, she fell back on her pillow. Jason burst through the bedroom door and she bolted upright again.

  Both hands raised, she said, “It‘s okay. I’m okay, it was just the dream again.”

  He exhaled and sat on the side of her bed. “You’re killing me here, Sarah.”

  “I know, I can’t help it. I know the transformation is going to happen. I don’t understand why it scares me so.”

  “I know how hard this is. However, you have to get used to the idea. You’ll be okay. I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

  Sarah sighed and patted his arm with gratitude. “I’m going to take a shower and calm down.”

  As she left the room, Jason returned to the kitchen where he'd been making breakfast. Thomas should be back soon and he had many things to discuss with him.

  Sarah had not been her normal self ever since her return from the woods three weeks ago. Her joy was gone. She rarely laughed now, and didn’t bother teasing him anymore. He used to frequently wonder if she would ever shut up. Now he wondered if she would ever start talking again. Other than answering direct questions, she rarely communicated with anyone. According to Uncle Thomas, her transformation should have been at least a year away, but the signs were clear. Her first transformation would come on her eighteenth birthday.

  They had been spending time with Thomas every day. He taught both of them the ways of the pack, and groomed them for their leadership roles. Thomas didn’t like leaving them at the cabin alone and had asked them several times to move in with him. But Jason refused. Regardless of the weirdness of the situation, he wanted things to be as normal as possible for Sarah. Even knowing their uncle had nothing to do with their parents deaths, she bristled under his fatherly guidance.

  Jason was already pack leader. The law stated the strongest among them would lead. Anyone was free to challenge Jason and fight him to the death, but none of them were that stupid. It was obvious his strength exceeded even the best of the pack. Thomas had already informed the others he would be stepping down as soon as Jason felt ready to take on his new role.

  Jason wanted nothing to do with leading the pack. He had no use for the job or responsibilities it held. However, he had no choice in the matter. If he did not take command, then another leader would rise up to challenge Thomas. If the leader was with those against Jason and Sarah, he could sentence them both to death. He wasn't worried about himself. His size alone made him a formidable opponent. But Sarah? The only way to keep her safe until her transformation was to take his place in the pack and do what must be done.

  Sarah joined her brother in the kitchen and ate quietly. She glanced at the clock. It was 10am and Thomas hadn’t arrived. “Something’s wrong.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know what I mean. Something feels off. Something is wrong with Thomas.”

  “Okay, remember what he told you to do? Close your eyes. Feel the air around you. Use your senses to get in touch with your surroundings. Okay, can you feel it?”

  “I don’t know. I feel…something. I feel…I don’t know what I feel! I just feel like something is wrong.” They sat in silence as she tried to force the power within her to the surface. She could feel it pooling inside her. She drew on its strength allowing it to infuse her. Her eyes grew wide and filled with tears. “Don’t answer it. Please don’t answer it.” Sarah begged.

  “Answer what?”

  The ringing telephone blared through the silent house and Jason bolted from his seat. His eyes moved between the phone on the cabinet and his sister’s terror-stricken face.

  “They are coming. They've locked him up and are coming. We have to get out of here now!”

  ***

  Trees swaying in the mild breeze gave a false impression of serenity. Hidden in the woods encompassing Thomas' cabin, the siblings argued over what to do next. Sarah's feeling of wrongness had grown stronger. Unable to find an explanation, she remained certain their uncle desperately needed their help.

  “You have to change, Jason, it's the only way,” Sarah whispered.

  “I don’t think I can.”

  “Listen, you fight this all the time, the moon doesn't have to be full for you to shift. Thomas already told you that!” Taking his face in her hands she ordered, “Change now.”

  He rolled his eyes and groaned, “Uhgg, this is not going to work. You haven’t come into your full power yet, and we don’t have to listen to you unless we're in wolf form. What do you plan on doing when we get in there?”

  “We'll just walk in and free Thomas. With you in wolf form, no one will try to stop us. Now quit fooling around and shift. Why is it when I don’t need you to go all big brother on me, you do, but when I need you to do it, you act like you’re twelve?”

  “Ouch! Don’t pinch me, I hate that.”

  “Quit acting like a nine year old.”

  “I thought I was twelve?”

  “You’re regressing!”

  A commotion from the front of the house quieted them. They had a perfect vantage point hidden in the trees surround
ing the cabin. Shana stood on the porch arguing with two men.

  “I’m telling you they will come. I’ve seen it.” She bellowed as she shoved one of the men out of her way.

  “If they are, what do you propose we do when they get here?” The older of the two men asked.

  “We kill them. Are you a complete moron, Mark? Did you pay any attention at all to what was said in the meeting?” Shana lit a cigarette and scanned the tree line in front of the cabin. Inhaling deeply, she let out an exasperated sigh with a white plume of smoke.

  Mark waved the smoke from his face and took a step back. Gritting his teeth, he hissed, “I know we're supposed to kill them, I’m still trying to figure out how we're going to accomplish that.”

  “You two need to settle down. If they're already out there watching, it doesn’t do us any good to fight out here in the open and give them information.” The other man chimed in.

  “Shut up, Pete,” both Mark and Shana said in unison.

  “I’m just saying…if they can hear you guys talking, there will be no element of surprise.” Pete shrugged and stepped onto the yard, also searching the trees for some sign of life.

  “Oh my God. You are all idiots! Of course, they know we are going to kill them. If they didn’t already know, then why did they leave the house? Why are they hiding? How am I supposed to work with a bunch of imbeciles?” Shana’s tirade went on as stomped back inside. The two men looked at each other, shaking their heads.

  “Do you think they're already here?” Mark’s jaw twitched. His wide eyes remained focused on the woods in front of him.

  Pete‘s head raised as he sniffed the air. “Yes. Even in her human form, I can feel her. I can’t pinpoint where they are but they're here somewhere.”

  “I don’t know about all of this. This just don’t seem right to me. Why is it such a bad thing for them to lead? Thomas likes them, even with duct tape over his mouth he's having a fit in there. If he were ten years younger, those ropes wouldn't hold him to the chair.”

  Pete shook his head and spit, then with a muffled voice said, “Because she-bitch in there can’t run the show if the others take over. When the Rashuck clan leader challenges Thomas, all hell is going to break lose.”