by E. J. King
“What do you think left that bloody scene in the woods?” I asked Slade as we made our way to the square. I was quickly finding that the square was the focal point of Haven and you could get anywhere from that central location.
“Best case scenario, a supernatural creature we’ve never faced,” he said with surprising seriousness.
Luke chuckled uncertainly. “What’s the worst case scenario?”
“That’s the real question.” Slade nodded toward his office. “I need to go have a chat with our new guests. You two should try to get some sleep.”
It was only then that I realized we were just a couple of hours away from sunrise. Our hunt had taken up the entire night. Even more surprising, I suddenly found that I wasn’t very tired.
Luke followed me to my room and when I invited him in, he was more than a little surprised.
“We should chat about what happened tonight,” I explained, closing the door behind him. “What do you think would’ve done something like that?”
“I have no idea.”
I reached for my laptop, glad that my possessions had been returned to me. I was equally glad that Haven was equipped with speedy internet access.
The first thing I did was search for similar occurrences in the area. I came up empty.
“Something I don’t get,” Luke said. “Why did they care about this body? It was found hundreds of miles away, and by all accounts looked to be a Soul attack. What’s a group of Weres doing hunting Souls?”
“That’s an excellent question.” Immediately, I searched the news to find out more about the body that had been found. It didn’t take long to answer Luke’s questions. “Carter. Of course.”
“What’s the deal with this Carter guy?” Luke asked when I showed him the article on the screen.
I filled him in on everything I knew, which wasn’t much. My understanding was that Carter had been a threat to Haven, and now his dead body had been found by the side of the road, presumably drained of blood. What’s more, Slade had conveniently kept that information from me. I had just finished telling Luke everything when someone knocked on the door.
“Can I help you?” I asked Joy in an annoyed voice.
“Our newest guests claim to know you,” she said simply. “Perhaps you would care to join us?”
That was enough to intrigue me. I stepped out into the hall, not sure what to expect. Several yards away, where it opened to the community lounge, I saw familiar faces.
“Kaylie!”
Ethan’s face broke out in a wide grin. I noticed him first, but my gaze quickly fell on the man standing next to him.
His eyes locked on mine and I detected relief in them, mixed with love and a hint of joy upon seeing that I was okay. When Luke stepped out of the room behind me, all of that disappeared.
This wasn’t going to be a joyful reunion.
CHAPTER THREE
“These two claim to be friends of yours,” Joy explained as we approached them. “Is that true?”
“It’s not untrue,” I replied. Judging by the coldness in Rafe’s eyes, it was likely he was rethinking his word choice.
“I didn’t expect to find you here,” Rafe said, somewhat defensively. “Looks like you’re doing okay.”
His eyes narrowed threateningly at Luke who knew better than to say anything.
“Slade and the others were gracious enough to take us in.” I was well aware of the curious stares we were getting. Slade was standing a few feet away, watching our exchange with a curious look.
“It seems like you and your friends could use some time to reconnect,” he said. “We can talk after sunrise. In the meantime, Joy will find them rooms. If that’s necessary.”
I swore that I detected a glimmer of pleasure in his eyes before he walked away.
“I had no idea you were a Were groupie,” Ethan teased in a poor, but appreciated, attempt to lighten the mood. “Get over here and give me a hug, Hart.”
I laughed and pretended to squirm as he threw his arms around me.
“You stink,” I said, wrinkling my nose.
“I was out hunting violent creatures. Sorry if my aftershave wore off in the process.” Ethan squeezed me tighter as punishment. “You should be used to the smell after living in a den of Weres.”
“We haven’t been living here,” I said. “We were brought here yesterday.”
Rafe continued to stare, arms crossed over his chest. Whatever he was thinking, it was staying in his head for the time being.
“How did you find us?” It sounded like an accusation even though I hadn’t intended it that way.
“We’re Hunters, Kaylie. That’s what we do,” Rafe said. His words had never sounded so cold. “Do you want us to leave?”
“No.” I answered before thinking. Even though I had been the one to sneak away in the middle of the night, I couldn’t deny that it was good to see them. “Of course not.”
His face softened just a bit. That was when I realized that he had been waiting for me to tell him to leave. He had been waiting for me to reject him.
“I think we could all use a drink,” Luke said with a clap of his hands that cut through the tension.
“Where are we going to find a drink around here?” I doubted Haven had its own nightclub on the grounds.
“I spotted some beer in the kitchen earlier.” Luke started walking in that direction. “I’m sure they won’t mind if we borrow a few.”
The kitchen was empty. With just an hour or so until the sun would rise, even the night-loving Weres had turned in. With beers in hand, the guys started raiding the fridge for a bedtime snack. I was overcome with a sudden desire for space and fresh air. I remembered that earlier in the day I had seen people on the roof of the building and decided to check out the view for myself.
I took the stairs up six flights, panting breathlessly when I finally reached the top, but it was worth it. From up there, I could see everything. On one side of the building, I could look down at the empty square below. Across the yard, I could see the dark windows of the dormitory.
On the other side, the vast forest beckoned. The moon had already begun its descent, but it was still bright and full.
“Running away from me again?”
Even though Rafe’s words were harsh, my body still warmed in a pleasant way at the sound of his voice.
“I didn’t run away from you, Rafe.” I sucked in a deep breath and turned, fully prepared for him to yell at me. It wasn’t like I didn’t deserve it.
But Rafe didn’t yell. He didn’t say anything.
In the dark night, the only emotion I detected in his face was sadness.
“I was trying to protect you,” I explained helplessly.
“It’s not your job to protect me, Kaylie.” He took a step forward and I instinctively did the same. “I thought we were in this together.”
“We are.” But I knew that it was a lie. There was no doubt that Rafe was committed, and I knew without any reservations that I would die for him, and he would for me. But I wasn’t willing to let him risk his life for me. “You know that I love you, James.”
Just the slightest twitch of his cheek told me that I was wrong. No matter how many times I said it, my actions had planted seeds of doubt in him. “Do you, Kaylie? Or do you just feel like you have to say that because you know how much I love you?”
“You know that’s not true.” My voice caught in my throat. “How can you even think that after all we’ve been through?”
“Maybe because I woke up and you were gone. Maybe because you left with your ex-boyfriend.” Now he was mad again.
“It wasn’t like that.” I felt desperate to make him understand. “Luke found her, Rafe. He found my mother.”
That made him pause. “Violet?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “He found out where she is and I had to try to find her.”
“Did you?”
“Not yet. We didn’t make it there.” I knew it was a lame answer. “We stopped to
hunt and ended up at Haven.”
Rafe looked at me with unblinking eyes. “He was in your bedroom.”
“We were just talking,” I insisted. Urgently, I tried to explain. “I think they are hiding something here. There’s this building that they keep guarded, and Slade told me about some of their former residents that left. Then we found that dead body drained of blood. I don’t know what’s going on, but Luke and I are going to find out.”
“You and Luke?” He nodded slowly. “What am I even doing here?”
It was a rhetorical, exasperated question. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Are you? Because I can go, Kaylie. If that’s what you want, just tell me. I only came after you because I was worried. But if you don’t want me in your life, I’ll go.” His eyes searched my face as if he was trying to read the answer.
“Don’t go,” I pleaded.
“It’s been a long night,” Rafe said, looking off in the direction of the setting moon. “We should pick up this conversation once we’ve both gotten some sleep.”
“So you’ll stay?” I couldn’t hide my hopefulness. “You’ll give me a chance to make things right with us?”
He looked at me again. “I’ll stay until tomorrow. After that… I don’t know, Kaylie.”
Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. It was a perfect reminder of how little we could control the world around us. But this felt like something I could change, something I could make better.
“I’m not letting go without a fight, Rafe. Don’t forget, I’m a badass Hunter.”
His lip curled in the smallest of smiles. “Forgetting you has never been an option, Kaylie.”
After that talk on the roof, I’d been certain I would never be able to fall asleep. But I was more exhausted than I realized and the next thing I knew, I woke up in my bed, alone, and half the day was gone.
To shake away the fog in my brain, I pulled on my running shoes and headed outside. At the edge of the forest, I found a dirt path that was perfect for a jog.
I ran until my mind cleared and my legs burned. I ran until my lungs were on fire and my heart was about to pound its way out of my chest. When it felt like I couldn’t run another step, I turned around and ran back to Haven. I was a disgusting mess by the time I made it back. The first thing I did was grab a sandwich from the kitchen, which I inhaled in four bites. Then I stripped out of my sweaty clothes and took a long shower.
I was only in my room a few seconds, still wrapped in a towel, when someone knocked on the door.
“Hey.” Rafe looked surprised when I opened the door. “Is this a bad time?”
“It usually isn’t for us,” I joked, looking down at the towel. When he laughed, my heart soared. “Did you want to come in?”
“Actually I was hoping you might want to come outside with me. This place is a little too institutional.”
He had a point. “Alright. Just let me throw on some clothes.”
We both paused awkwardly. Should I shut the door on him? It certainly wasn’t like he had never seen me naked. But we were fighting, weren’t we?
“I’ll wait in the lounge,” he said, making the decision for me.
I hurried into some clothes and pulled a brush through my nearly-dry hair. It had started snowing since I’d finished my run and I had to dig under my bed to find my boots.
As promised, Rafe was waiting in the lounge, staring blankly into the fireplace. Someone had gotten a good blaze going.
“It’s nice and warm in here,” I commented. Part of me hoped that Rafe had changed his mind and we could just curl up in front of the fire.
“Ready?” He seemed guarded again, less like the Rafe I knew.
It was just as cold outside as I’d thought it would be and despite my warm jacket, I shivered. “I can’t believe it’s almost the New Year.”
“Just a few days.” Rafe led the way, a few inches in front and to the side of me. Close enough that we could touch, but the distance between us wasn’t physical anyway. “I really hope we aren’t still here when the year changes.”
My heart skipped a beat at his use of the word “we.”
“Me, too.” Before I knew what was happening, I reached over and took his hand. It was the kind of thing I’d done a hundred times, but this time it caused panic inside of me. What if he pulled away?
At first, he didn’t react at all. After a second, he looked at me and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. Snow was falling all around us, but I only noticed how his eyes glimmered the way they used to whenever he looked at me.
“Are we going to be okay?” I asked, scared that maybe I was imagining everything.
He brushed a snowflake from my cheek and his touch was as gentle as I remembered.
“I sure hope so,” he said.
A loud alarm blasted from the speakers, interrupting our pleasant moment. It was the first time I’d heard anything pipe through the speakers and I wasn’t sure what it meant.
The doors around us all flew open as people streamed through the square. Ethan and Luke appeared, looking slightly less confused than us.
“We’re supposed to meet in the lounge. The council is making an announcement in ten minutes.” Luke noticed my hand, still clutching Rafe’s. He looked away quickly, but not before I saw the hurt in his eyes. “We should hurry.”
It didn’t make a difference; the room was packed when we arrived. Someone had put out the fire and now the warmth could solely be blamed on the dozens of bodies packed into a confined area. I spotted Slade at the front of the room, looking serious.
When he raised his hand, the entire room went silent.
“Impressive,” Ethan muttered in my ear. Several heads nearby swiveled in our direction.
“Many of you have heard about the events of the past couple of days.” Slade spoke loudly and clearly. Everyone in the room was riveted to him, likely because of the whole Alpha thing that I still didn’t understand. “I can confirm that Carter Merrick’s body was found, drained of blood.”
Excited murmurs rippled through the crowd. A stern look from Slade was all it took for silence to return.
“The council sent a small team to investigate and we can confirm that it was not a Soul attack. Whatever is responsible for Carter’s death wanted us to believe it had been a Soul, but evidence shows that is not true.” He took a deep breath and his jaw clenched. “Carter’s pack turned against him. He was killed in an Alpha Trial, and his death was staged so that we would be unaware of the change in leadership.”
This time the crowd reacted even more strongly. I didn’t know what an Alpha Trial was, but it didn’t sound like a good thing.
“We have reason to believe that the pack is now preparing to challenge us for Haven.” He didn’t pause long enough this time for the crowd to react. “They will make their move in three days. All residents of Haven should start preparing for battle immediately.”
CHAPTER FOUR
After a dramatic pause, everyone began to react as one. People moved quickly, but in an organized fashion to the corners of the room. Everyone but us.
“What do we do?” Luke looked very uncomfortable. “I wasn’t planning to go to war today.”
I noticed that Slade was another person that hadn’t moved. He was still at the front of the room, watching the organized chaos with an unreadable expression.
“I’ll find out,” I said as I headed in his direction.
“Kaylie.” He looked surprised to see me. “I take it you heard the announcement?”
“Preparing for battle?’ I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Is it really that serious?”
Slade’s dark eyes grew even darker. “It’s worse. You and your friends should leave Haven as soon as possible. You don’t want anything to do with this.”
“What is an Alpha Trial? You said Carter was killed in one.”
“When a pack member wants to challenge the Alpha, they fight until one of them dies.” Slade didn’t seem very bothered by the violent tradition.
<
br /> “And Carter lost?” I thought about the conversation I’d overheard between the two Haven women. They had seemed to think that Carter was their biggest threat. “Isn’t that a good thing? I thought Carter had gone rogue anyway?”
“He did. But so did the rest of his pack. Whoever challenged him definitely isn’t a friend of ours.” Slade gestured to the activity around us. “We need to be prepared for what is coming.”
“How do you know this? Do you have a spy or something?” I had meant it as a joke, but his abrupt flinch was undeniable. “Really? An inside source, huh?”
Slade grabbed my arm- hard- and pulled me out of the room. When we were in the hall, he said, “You must not tell anyone. This has to remain a secret.”
“I get it.” It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this was sensitive information. “Your source is sure about this attack?”
“Yes. Which is why you should leave now.” He froze and looked over my shoulder.
“Everything okay?” Rafe glared hard at Slade.
I had to admit that a little piece of me was glad that Rafe still got jealous when it came to me. “It’s fine. Slade was just suggesting that we all leave Haven.”
“Leave? It sounds like you guys are going to need some help.” Rafe looked at me. “You don’t want to leave, do you, Hart?”
“Not a chance.” I smiled. “I never turn down a good fight.”
Slade looked unconvinced, but he relented. “If you’re going to stay, you need a squad.”
“A squad?” Why did they keep coming up with more terms I’d never heard?
“The pack breaks down into small teams when we fight. Each one is a squad, and they have specific responsibilities. Since you guys all have hunting skills, I’ll have you join the Searchers.”
Searches was just a fancy word for suckers. We were the ones sent out to prowl the woods and make sure there wasn’t a group of Weres about to attack Haven.
The Searcher squad worked in shifts, three of us for four hours at a time. Four hours on, four hours off. I was partnered up with Ethan and a Were named Trevor for the first shift.
