Marked (Howl #5)

by Jody Morse

  Samara hoped they would both be more open about it soon, though. At first, it had seemed like Emma hadn’t wanted to be caught dead dating the dorky kid from school and that was why she had been so reluctant to give Colby a chance. But based on the questions Emma had asked her on Christmas, Samara had pieced together that Emma was having a hard time giving Colby a chance because he was a nice guy and she didn’t think she deserved him. Hopefully, Emma would take Samara’s advice and give Colby a real chance soon.

  By the time the goblet got to Samara, all of the members of the pack had already drunk from it. As she guzzled down the tiny bit of wolfsbane and wine mixture that was left in the bottom of the wine goblet, Samara’s chocolate brown hair swirled in front of her as a strong gust of wind blew against her back. She felt a weird sensation take over her body and, for a moment, she was positive that she was going to be lifted off the ground. It surprised her when a purple cloud of smoke surrounded her, just as her vision started to blur.

  Before she even had time to question what was happening, she saw bright lights flash in her eyes. First, she saw Luke's face, smiling back at her. Even though his face looked just like he always did, Samara knew it wasn't really him. It was the image she had of him in her mind, sort of like a memory.

  Just as quickly as Luke's face had filled her mind, though, it disappeared. It was quickly replaced by the image of something far more confusing.

  Declan's face stared back at her. He had an intense look in his eyes as he stared ahead. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t look all that unhappy, either, in her mental image of him.

  Declan's face disappeared, too, leaving Samara staring in confusion into the purple fog that surrounded her. And then she felt a pain jolt through her body, and everything went black.

  *

  “Samara?” Luke asked. Even though she couldn’t see him, she could hear the note of bewilderment in his voice.

  She blinked in confusion. “Yeah?”

  "What just happened?"

  Samara glanced around at her surroundings. She was still in the same place she had been standing when they’d started initiation, but she felt different for some reason.

  She searched her mind to see if she could figure out what had happened, but the last thing she could remember was seeing Declan's face before she'd felt the intense, throbbing pain shoot through her body.

  Glancing over at Luke, who was still standing next to her in the circle they’d formed, Samara shook her head. "I don't know what happened. I felt pain, and then I blacked out . . .” She decided to leave out the part about seeing Luke’s and then Declan's face flash through her mind. The last thing she needed was for this to cause an argument between the two of them. “How long was I out?”

  “Only for a few minutes,” Luke replied.

  Colby stepped over to her and pressed a palm against her forehead.

  Samara raised her eyebrows at him in confusion. "Why are you feeling my forehead? I thought werewolves can't get sick."

  "It's rare," Colby agreed, nodding his head. "And even in the few documented cases in which werewolves are thought to have gotten sick, which you can read all about in a book called Werewolf Herbs and Medicine by John T. Fizmorris, the symptoms were way different than they are in humans. The symptoms usually included hallucinations and paranoia, rather than a fever or flu-like symptoms."

  "I swear this kid's like a walking werewolf encyclopedia," Steve commented.

  "For serious," Kyle agreed. "He puts me to shame. I can’t even remember human medicine and stuff for health class. That stuff is way less confusing than werewolf medicine, though.”

  Colby rolled his eyes at them. "Most of this stuff is just common knowledge, guys. Besides, I think I might want to practice werewolf medicine one day. Or maybe become a historian, in which case, I need to know about werewolf illnesses that happened throughout history. I don't know yet." He shrugged his shoulders before turning back to Samara. "The reason I checked your forehead was to see if your temperature is higher than usual. And it was.”

  “How do you know? You don’t always feel my forehead,” Samara protested.

  “It’s gotta be higher than usual. It’s a lot higher than any werewolf’s temperature should be. You’re burning up.” Putting it into simpler terms for her, Colby explained, “Normally, our body heat is about three to four times the average temperature of a human. Now, imagine a human fever times, like, twenty. That’s what you feel like.”

  "So, I have a fever?" It was the first time she had ever heard that werewolves could have varying temperatures; she had always assumed that they all had the same temperature at all times.

  Colby shrugged. "It's not like a human fever. It probably doesn’t indicate that you’re sick. It’s probably just because you’re Alpha.”

  "So, I'm just hotter than the rest of you because I'm Alpha?"

  "Hey, I take offense to that," Steve said. "I'm pretty damn sexy if I do say so myself."

  Samara rolled her eyes at him. “You know what I mean.”

  "An Alphas' body temperature rising can indicate a number of things," Colby explained. "It might mean we're getting a new pack member no one knows about yet. It might also mean you've done something remarkable, which, in turn, is supposed to increase your werewolf powers." He frowned. "I don't think that's it, though. Combining packs is cool and all, but I don't think it's that out of the ordinary. Alphas do it all the time."

  "I have to disagree," Kyle commented. "We just united two packs who have always been enemies. That's a pretty remarkable thing in my mind."

  "Well, I guess when you look at it that way . . ." Colby hesitated, tapping his finger again his chin as he thought about it.

  “Oh, my God,” Silas said aloud.

  “What?” Everyone asked, turning to him.

  “I can hear your thoughts, Kyle! You’re my mate!” Silas squealed, excitedly, flinging his arms around Kyle in a tight embrace.

  Samara smiled in relief. She didn’t even want to think about how much of a disappointment it would have been for Kyle if Silas hadn’t been his mate. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

  “Thanks,” Kyle beamed. Grinning at Silas, he added, “And you’re not lying. You really are my mate. I just heard your thoughts, too!”

  Samara turned back to Colby. “So, do you think the reason my temperature is higher is because we combined packs, then?”

  Colby shrugged. “I guess it could be because of that. Or it’s because we’re getting a new pack member.”

  “Is there another way I’ll know?” Samara questioned. She had always wondered how she would know when they got another pack member. From what she understood, Alphas would be aware of new pack members, but what she didn’t understand was how. How would she find whoever her future pack members were, assuming there were any at all?

  “Yeah, you’ll know, but I’m not really sure how to explain it,” Colby replied, patting his short, blonde curly hair. “You’ll just feel it. And if you try hard enough and follow your heart, it will lead you right to the werewolf you’re looking for.”

  “Sounds easy,” Samara mumbled sarcastically. If there was one thing she had learned since she’d become a werewolf, it was that she never seemed to be able to trust her natural instincts. They always seemed to lead her in the wrong direction.

  “It’s not as hard as it sounds, I promise,” Colby replied. “You’ll be able to figure it out. Alphas always do.”

  “So, Samara’s the Alpha of our new pack, then?” Emma asked, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Because I’m going to be honest . . . I was thinking it might be me.”

  “Why would you think it could be you?” Josh questioned, eyeing her curiously, his voice full of disbelief. “I have a hard time believing that fate would choose such a nonsensical werewolf as our Alpha. It’s not like girls can be Alphas.”

  “Samara was Alpha for a while. It’s possible,” Emma insisted.

  “Samara’s special,” Josh replied, rolling his
eyes. “The last time I checked, your grandfather wasn’t the most powerful werewolf in history, so I highly doubt you could be our Alpha.”

  “Josh,” Samara scolded him. She wasn’t sure why he was being so mean to Emma.

  “Whatever.” Emma crossed her arms over her chest angrily. “I still think it might be me.”

  “Why do you think you’re Alpha, Emma?” Colby questioned, glancing over at her.

  “It’s hard to explain,” Emma replied hesitantly. “It feels like I drank, like, ten cups of coffee and accidentally overdosed on vitamins or took steroids . . . or something. I feel so much more energetic and like I have more strength. I feel more powerful. It’s the way I would imagine what it feels like to be an Alpha.”

  “I feel the same way,” Kyana said quietly, glancing at the rest of the pack. “It’s like I have this sudden surge of energy that I’ve never had before.”

  “I actually feel stronger, too,” Colby admitted.

  “Me, too,” Steve agreed. “I feel like the Hulk!”

  “Dude, you’re lame. No matter how hard you try, you’re never gonna be a comic book character,” Chris said with an eye roll. “I am feeling stronger than usual, too, though.”

  “I am, too,” Seth spoke up.

  “We are, too,” Silas said, motioning to Kyle, who nodded in agreement.

  Samara turned to Luke, who was still standing next to her. “What about you?”

  Luke nodded. “Yeah, I feel . . . different, that’s for sure. Different in a good way . . . I think.”

  Samara glanced over at Declan. “Are you feeling stronger, too?”

  Declan nodded. “Yes I’m feeling stronger.” There was a long pause before he mumbled, “And weaker.”

  Samara was going to ask him how he felt weaker, but she froze as she realized that Declan hadn’t said that second part out loud. He’d said it in his mind.

  Chapter 7

  “Let’s take a break. I’m not feeling too well. I think I need to sit down,” Samara said aloud, trying to figure out what was happening. She sat down on one of the logs around the campfire. No one bothered to ask her what was wrong; they all sat down on the logs that surrounded her.

  When she heard Declan’s thoughts, it was different from the times she’d heard her pack members’ thoughts in the past. Usually, they knew to block her out; the only way she could hear them was if they were trying to speak directly to her because they wanted her to hear them. It rarely happened.

  It was obvious to Samara that Declan hadn’t wanted her to hear him; he hadn’t allowed her into his thoughts. Hearing his thoughts had nothing to do with the fact that she was his Alpha . . . if she even really was his Alpha. No one had even determined that she was Alpha of the Tala pack yet.

  Luke sat down next to her and grabbed her hand, intertwining his fingers around hers just like he always did, but everything felt different this time for some reason.

  Samara’s skin brushed against Luke’s leg, and she noticed the icy hot feeling that he gave her even through the denim that separated his skin from hers. The cold warmth of his skin radiated through the fabric, affecting her more strongly than it had ever felt before.

  It didn’t matter, though. Even though Samara felt more physically attracted to him than she ever had before, she also felt another magnetic pull—and it was pulling her in a completely different direction.

  As much as she wanted to be near Luke, to run her hands through his light brown hair and to kiss his lips, her body was also drawn to someone else, someone who sat down on a log across the camp fire from her, studying her with his intense brown eyes that took on a light cappuccino color by the fire that was reflected in them.

  When Samara met Declan’s eyes, she could tell that he felt drawn to her, too.

  What was going on? How was it possible for her to feel attracted to both of them?

  Luke’s hand tightened around hers, sending a tingling feeling down her spine, as Declan’s eyes pored through hers.

  God, I want her so bad, a voice filled her head. Samara’s eyes widened as she realized that she hadn’t heard things wrong the first time; the voice that filled her mind didn’t belong to Luke; it belonged to Declan. There was a jealous look in his eyes, as he stared at Luke’s hand on hers.

  Confused by what was happening, Samara pulled away from Luke. As soon as she did, she could feel the confusion that washed over Luke’s body; he didn’t know why she was pulling away from him, and he was afraid that it was a sign of her rejecting him.

  I’ve never felt more connected to you, Luke said, speaking directly to her, even though Samara knew he was being honest, there was a slight uncertainty in his thoughts. He wanted her to reassure him that she still felt the same way.

  Samara gave him a small smile, but she felt herself panicking. How could she respond to Luke without Declan hearing her? The idea that they were back to the way things had been before she’d decided to become an Ima worried her.

  But then she realized something.

  Judging from the expression on both of their faces, it was easy to see that neither of them could hear each other through her thoughts, the way they had been able to before. She hoped that would mean that they wouldn’t be able to hear her thoughts if she directed them towards each of them individually.

  Keeping her eyes locked on Declan’s, Samara thought to Luke: I’ve never felt more connected to you, either.

  Luke put his hand on her knee, which let her know that he had heard her. Nothing registered in Declan’s eyes, though. Samara was pretty sure that he hadn’t heard her thoughts to Luke.

  Now, the real test would happen. Declan might be capable of hiding his feelings and his emotions from her, but Samara was positive that Luke wouldn’t be able to do the same. And even if he didn’t actually let her know that he’d listened in on her thoughts, Samara had a feeling that she would be able to sense the emotions that ran through his body, which would let her know either way. Because the truth was, she really did feel more connected to him than she ever had before.

  Declan? Can you hear me? Samara thought.

  A look of surprise registered on Declan’s face. Yes, I can hear you . . . but why can I?

  Samara didn’t answer him. Instead, she glanced over at Luke. His face remained unchanged and, even more surprisingly, she didn’t feel any unusual emotions wash over him the way she had moments before. The only emotion that she could sense was his contentment.

  Luke wouldn’t be content if he knew the truth . . . which was that, somehow, everything had changed during the new pack initiation, and Samara had two mates now. And to make things even more confusing, she wasn’t just drawn to both of them; she also felt more attracted and more connected to Luke than she ever had been before.

  How was it possible, though? It didn’t make any sense. Everything Samara had learned about werewolf mating said that there was no way a wolf could have more than one mate in their lifetime.

  Except for Colby, she reminded herself. Things had been different for him and he’d been given two mates because he’d acted as the Alpha placeholder until she took over.

  Maybe there were reasons why Samara’s situation was different from other werewolves’ situations now. Maybe she was different from other werewolves in general; she had been the Alpha of the Ima, after all, despite all odds. Even though it wasn’t supposed to be possible for a girl to become Alpha, it had happened for her. It seemed like anything was possible, no matter what the odds were.

  Maybe this was happening because Luke and Declan had both been her potential mates, and everything had gotten confused when their packs had combined. It was as though fate didn’t know who her true mate was supposed to be, so she had been given two instead of one.

  “Earth to Sam,” Colby said, rolling his eyes at her lack of focus.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she mumbled, realizing that Colby must have been talking to her for quite some time for him to get annoyed at her. Colby didn’t normally get annoyed. If only he kn
ew the reason why she couldn’t seem to pay attention . . .

  “We need to figure out who the new Alpha is,” Colby said. “And there’s only way for us to know for sure.” He pointedly rolled up his sleeve, motioning for everyone else in the pack to do the same.

  Even from across the fire, Samara could see Colby’s tattoo clearly in the bright light of the moon. The tattoo, which covered the place where his old tattoo that represented the Ima pack had once been, consisted of three paw prints. The paw prints were a shade of purple, which matched the cloud of smoke she’d seen when they’d initiated and she’d blacked out.

  “So, our new pack color is purple?” Steve asked, as he examined his own tattoo.

  “It’s so lame. Of all the colors in the rainbow we could have gotten, we get purple. Why don’t we just morph into purple dinosaurs named Barney instead of werewolves, too?” Chris complained.

  “Well, the reason our tattoos are purple is pretty obvious,” Kyana said, as she pulled her jacket back on.

  “Why are they purple?” Samara asked, glancing over at her.

  Kyana ran a hand through her silky black hair as she explained, “Because the Vyka pack color was red, and the Ima pack color was blue. When you mix red and blue, you get purple.”

  “Oh, that makes a lot of sense, actually,” Colby agreed. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself.”

  Samara watched as Declan glanced down at the tattoo that covered his shoulder. Now that she was mated to him, she couldn’t help but notice how muscular his arm looked. She wondered what he’d meant when he thought to himself that he was weak. It didn’t make sense that he could feel stronger and weaker at the same time . . .

  Actually, Samara realized, as she pulled off her sweatshirt so she could take a look at her own tattoo, Declan wasn’t alone. Even though she felt the same energy surge her pack members spoke of, she also felt sort of weak. It must have been the temperature thing she had going on; she had broken into a thick sweat, and she was feeling anxious . . . and confused.