Marked (Howl #5)

by Jody Morse

  Samara. What’s yours?

  The girl stared back at her, a frosty look in her canine eyes. Penelope. Not that it’s any of your business. Once I find your Alpha, though, I’ll be sure to tell him that Samara lied to me.

  Penelope turned around and darted off in the other direction, deeper into the woods and away from Samara.

  It left Samara standing there and hoping only one thing—that Penelope wouldn’t go snooping around and find the talisman before she and her pack members got the chance to.

  *

  “What do you mean you think the talisman is in the woods?” Colby asked, shaking his head in disbelief. “That wouldn’t make any sense. Who would put it there?”

  “I agree, Sam,” Emma said, quietly. “Why would whoever has the talisman leave it in the woods? It seems like a really dumb hiding place.”

  “Actually, that’s exactly why I think they would hide it there,” Samara replied. “Why would we even bother to look for it in the woods? It seems like such a stupid place for it to be hidden. It’s right under our noses, so they would think we would never suspect it. If they’re as smart as I think they are, they want us to be thrown off guard.”

  “So, you want us to go look for it?” Luke questioned.

  Samara nodded. “Yeah, I was going to go look for it last night until I got interrupted.”

  “What did you get interrupted by?”

  “This werewolf who was wandering around in the woods.” Samara shrugged. “Her name was Penelope, and she insisted on joining our pack. I guess she doesn’t have a pack of her own yet. Anyway, after she left, I was worried Darren or some other wolf would find me. That they were connected to her somehow. I was too afraid to risk it alone.”

  Luke nodded, running a hand over his light brown hair. “I’m glad you were smart about things, at least. Do you want us to call a pack meeting? You know, round up the whole pack?”

  Samara shook her head. “No, actually, everyone says they’re busy today. I guess it’s just the four of us.”

  Emma tapped her finger against her chin. Hesitantly, she said, “Well, Declan’s not busy. He and I have plans today.”

  “You do?” Samara asked, surprised.

  “Yeah, we were going to see that new Adam Sandler movie. It’s not a big deal, so I’m sure Declan will be fine with rescheduling for another day. But he already made plans to hang out with me, so we might as well bring him along. He can be our lookout person. You know, keep an eye out for unwanted visitors.”

  Samara nodded, even though she couldn’t help but feel slightly betrayed. Why hadn’t Emma and Declan invited her to go to the movies with them, too? It made her feel left out.

  The feeling quickly passed, though, as she realized what this meant instead. Declan was going to be hanging out with her today instead. Samara glanced over at Luke. His face was stony; it was obvious that he hadn’t sensed how happy it made her to know that Declan would be going with them today.

  It’s not that she wasn’t happy to be around Luke, too, because she was. Being in the same room with him made it difficult for her to control herself; there were times when their skin brushed, and she just wanted to make out with him, despite the fact that there were other people in the room. But the difference was, she spent time with Luke all the time. It was rare for her to get to spend time with Declan. They only occasionally bumped into each other at school when she was with Emma, and the other times when they were around each other, the whole pack was usually there. They hadn’t had much one on one time since before she had been turned.

  Maybe today would be different, though. Maybe she could find a way to get Declan alone so they could talk. Actually, it didn’t even matter if they talked. All she wanted was to feel his presence when they were alone, without Emma or another one of her pack members hovering over her.

  Samara wanted to know how Declan felt about being mated to her. Was he happy, or did he feel confused by the whole situation, just like she did? Or did he just want it to go away because, even though things had changed between them, Samara was still engaged to Luke?

  As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

  “That’s probably Declan,” Emma mumbled, rising to her feet. “I’ll go let him in.”

  When Samara turned to Luke, his eyes were already on her, an amused look in them. “What?” she asked.

  Luke shook his head. “Nothing, you just look really pretty today.” He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. As their skin brushed, a feeling of happiness radiated throughout her whole body.

  “Thanks,” she whispered, as Emma came back into the room, followed by Declan.

  “Okay, so I explained to Declan what we’re doing,” Emma said, pulling a knit hat on over her blonde wavy hair. “And he said he’s in.”

  “Emma, why are you putting on a hat?” Colby asked. “You’re a werewolf. You do know that makes us warmer than humans, don’t you? You’re going to get overheated.”

  Emma rolled her eyes at him. “I won’t get overheated. And of course I know we’re naturally hot. I’m wearing it to accessorize.”

  “Oh.” Colby shrugged, pulling his own trapper hat out of his coat pocket. “I’m accessorizing, too. We already have the whole dressing like a couple thing down.”

  Samara burst into giggles, and Emma shot her a glare.

  “Alright, let’s go then,” Luke said, heading for the door.

  They all followed him out of the room and to his car. He drove them to Samara’s house. Once they got out, they walked around to the back of the house and began their way down the path that led them into the woods.

  “Remember to keep your eyes open. The talisman could be hidden anywhere,” Samara told them. She stepped into place behind Luke, and she knew that Declan was following behind her. Even though there was at least a foot in between them, she could feel his hot breath against the nape of her neck. It made her wish she could be even closer to him than she already was . . .

  “Okay, so let’s start looking,” Luke said once they reached the clearing where they normally built their campfires and had their meetings. “Declan, you go stand over there near the opening of the lake. Make sure no one’s coming.”

  Declan nodded. “Will do.”

  “I’m going to go and check out the Vyka’s old campground,” Luke went on. He turned to Emma and Samara. “The two of you check around here and through those woods over there,” he said, pointing to the trees behind them. “Remember to check under every inch of the forest. Every hole in the ground, under every rock, you name it.”

  “Yessir,” Emma said, jokingly giving him a military salute.

  Luke frowned before heading off in the opposite direction. Colby followed close behind, talking to him as they went.

  Samara knelt on the ground and began to check the floor of the forest. She turned over a few rocks, but there was nothing underneath but dried, cold dirt. She looked inside the logs that surrounded their campfire, but those, too, were empty.

  After a few moments of searching, she rose to her feet. “I’m going to go look in the woods over there,” she said, pointing to the trees that Luke had told her to look through. “You keep checking things out here, okay?”

  Emma nodded. “Aye, aye, captain.”

  Samara began to check under rocks and behind the shrubs on the other side, keeping her eyes on Emma’s back. Emma didn’t turn around to face her. Samara couldn’t tell from a distance, but it looked like Emma was digging through the leaves to see if the talisman was buried under them.

  It gave Samara the time she needed to tiptoe across the sticks and old, dry leaves that covered her path. Once she got closer to Declan, who was watching the lake, she thought: Turn around.

  Slowly, Declan glanced over his shoulder. When he saw her, his eyes lit up with a look of happiness. Okay, why am I turning around?

  I want to see you, Samara told him. Come over to me. Quietly, so no one hears you.

  As Declan crept over to her, he thought: It feels like
we’re sneaking around.

  Well, even if we do get caught, I guess it doesn’t matter. We’re just looking at each other.

  Declan raised his eyebrows at her. Okay, do you want to tell me why we’re looking at each other?

  I just want to see you. Samara frowned, knowing how ridiculous she probably sounded. It’s the first time we’ve really seen each other. You know, since we’ve been mated.

  We’ve seen each other a few times, Declan replied, seemingly confused.

  Not when we were alone.

  Oh, so you just want to get me alone, huh? Declan asked flirtatiously.

  Samara smiled. I didn’t say I was going to do anything with you.

  But you want to, Declan insisted.

  Samara didn’t respond. Admitting that she did want to do something—that she wanted to reach out and touch him or kiss him—would also mean that she would be admitting that she wanted to cheat on Luke. And that really wasn’t the way she felt. She didn’t want to cheat on Luke; she didn’t want to do anything that would hurt him, not when he was committing to be with her for the rest of his life. Even so, Samara couldn’t deny the fact that she had this irresistible urge to be close to Declan, too. It was all so confusing, and she couldn’t tell if it was just because they were mated to each other.

  So, what is looking at each other supposed to accomplish? Declan questioned.

  It’s supposed to let me know how you feel about this.

  About being mated to you?

  Samara nodded. Yes, about being mated to me.

  Why do you need to look at me to know? Why don’t you just ask me how I feel? Declan asked, his eyes dancing with amusement.

  Okay, fine. How do you feel?

  It’s a secret, Declan replied, his eyes taking on a mischievous look.

  That’s not fair. Why is it a secret?

  If I told you, then I’d have to kiss you, Declan replied.

  “Sam? Where did you go?” Emma called from somewhere behind her, but Samara didn’t move. She only stared in Declan’s eyes, noticing the way the golden brown flecks stood out against the pools of chocolate brown. Even though he claimed his feelings towards her were a secret, his statement had just told her everything.

  Declan was just as happy about being mated to her as she was about being mated to him.

  There was only one difference between the two of them; Declan only had eyes for her right now, whereas hers seemed to drift back and forth between him and Luke.

  Chapter 14

  Samara tore her eyes away from Declan as Emma approached her.

  “Sam, we found it!” Emma said, breathlessly, nearly tripping on a stick as she ran over to her. “We found the talisman!”

  “You did?” Samara questioned. She felt surprised, though she wasn’t sure why. Even though she’d assumed that the talisman had been hidden somewhere in the forest, she hadn’t been expecting for it to be that easy for them to find. She had expected it to take at least a few hours before anyone came even close to uncovering it.

  “Yes. Well, not me, per se. Colby found it. It was sort of in between the Vyka’s old camp site and our camp site,” Emma explained. Glancing over her shoulder, she added, “He should be here any minute to show us.”

  “That’s so great,” Samara said. “I’m so excited!” And she really was. One of the things that made her the most upset lately was the fact that the talisman had been missing. She had a feeling that her grandfather wouldn’t be too enthusiastic about the fact that she had allowed it to get stolen. But now it was back, so she didn’t have to worry about what her grandfather would have thought.

  As expected, Colby came running over to Samara. “It’s right here!” he said, holding up the blue sapphire ring. “I found it buried under some leaves.”

  Samara shook her head, feeling sort of annoyed. “Here, I thought they had this amazing hiding spot for it, and it turns out that they just hid it in the forest.” She turned to Declan. “What I don’t understand is how you and Seth didn’t know Jason hid this here. Didn’t he say anything about it?”

  Declan shook his head. “No, he didn’t. Jason was a really secretive Alpha. I think there were a lot of secrets he kept from all of us. Usually, the only way we found out about them was if we accidentally caught him in the act.” He cringed at the memory.

  Samara was pretty sure she knew what Declan was talking about. He had mentioned to her once before that he no longer supported Jason as an Alpha because of some of the things that he’d found out that he did—things he didn’t agree with.

  Does it have to do with the sacrifices? Samara questioned.

  Declan met her gaze. How did you know that’s what it had to do with?

  Just a wild guess. Of all the things I know about Jason, it’s one of the things that bothers me the most.

  Some of the sacrifices were really horrible, Sam. I mean, it’s horrible to kill anyone, but . . . I feel like he would choose the weakest and most vulnerable people he could find. You know, old people with no families to protect them in the middle of the night . . . babies. That sort of thing.

  Samara felt a wave of nausea wash over her. Thinking about the killings that Jason had committed made her feel sick to her stomach. I’m glad it made you lose support for him. If you had been able to go along with what he wanted without feeling any bit of remorse, you wouldn’t be the same Declan I’ve always known.

  A small smile tugged at Declan’s lips, just as a strong pair of hands came down around Samara’s waist. She glanced over her shoulder to find Luke standing behind her. He rested his chin on her shoulder. “This is an awesome day, don’t you think? We should probably call a pack meeting to celebrate tonight.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Samara agreed. Taking the blue sapphire ring from Colby, she said, “I wonder what we should do with this.”

  “No matter what you do, don’t let Emma wear it,” Colby said. “She doesn’t need to, anyway. I bought her a blue sapphire ring which is way prettier. Well, I think it’s prettier than the talisman at least. I’m not sure if Emma does.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “Listen, Colby Jack. I wear the ring you bought me every single day. That should show you how much I like it.” Turning to Samara, she added, “Don’t worry. I don’t want that talisman anywhere near my finger. It sort of freaks me out to know that I wore this jewel that’s supposed to make me crazy powerful. I don’t want it to change me. And besides, I blame that thing for the way my life has turned out.”

  “I blame it, too,” Samara replied. “I don’t think the talisman will do any good if someone is wearing it all the time. I think we need to hide it for now.”

  “Why would we hide it?” Luke questioned.

  “We don’t want anyone else to try to steal it. So, we need to put it somewhere where only the members of our pack will know where to find it,” Samara explained. “And it can’t be in my house.”

  “I guess we can figure that out tonight at the pack meeting,” Colby said.

  *

  Later that night, as they all sat around the fire, its flames blazing in the dark night, waiting for Seth, Samara could feel Declan’s eyes on her. She glanced over at Luke, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

  Luckily, he wasn’t looking at Declan or at her. He cleared his throat. “Guys, while we’re waiting for Seth to get here . . . I need to ask you all something.”

  “What is it?” Kyle asked, running a hand over his coppery hair. Silas, who was lying on the ground next to him and resting his head on Kyle’s lap, looked intrigued.

  “I was wondering if you will be my groomsmen,” Luke said. “All of you.”

  Samara raised her eyebrows. “Isn’t that a lot of groomsmen? Emma and Kyana are going to be my only bridesmaids.”

  “You want me to be a bridesmaid?” Kyana asked, surprised.

  Samara nodded and grinned. “If you want to, that is.”

  “Of course I want to!” Kyana beamed. “I’ve never even been to a wedding before. Not in the
traditional sense. Our pack always went through with the traditional marking ceremony.”

  “What’s that?” Samara questioned. She didn’t know much about marking. The only thing anyone had ever told her was that she would get her mark after she got married. She’d always assumed that meant that werewolves had to go through a traditional wedding ceremony, but was there a ceremony of their own they had go through, too?

  “A traditional marking ceremony is very much like a wedding except it’s usually done in werewolf form,” Colby explained.

  Emma laughed out loud. “Werewolves in wedding dresses?”

  Colby shook his head. “No, Emma. They wear their fur. Werewolves don’t have specially made wedding dresses. Some of the traditional packs—like the Koto—still practice it today. The rest of us have adopted human wedding ceremonies instead. There’s really not that much of a difference, though. We get our mark when we say our vows, which can be done during a traditional werewolf marking ritual or a human wedding ceremony.”

  “Hmm, interesting,” Samara murmured.

  Luke glanced over at her. “Anyway, yes, it is a lot of groomsmen, I guess. But it doesn’t matter. I can’t just choose one or two when the whole pack is like my family.”

  “Okay.” Samara shrugged. Frankly, she didn’t care who Luke’s groomsmen were. This wedding was what he wanted; if he wanted the bridesmaids to be outnumbered by the groomsmen, who was she to protest?

  “Well, I appreciate you asking, Luke, but unfortunately, I’m going to need to decline,” Silas said, politely. “It will be a little bit of a challenge for the wedding planner to be in the wedding, too. It’s going to be such a hectic day for me already.”

  Luke nodded understandingly. “Okay, that’s cool. No problem.”

  “I would be honored to be in your wedding, though,” Kyle said with a smile. “After you guys are married, it will make us cousin-in-laws, after all.”

  “You can count me in, too,” Steve said. “Just promise me I don’t have to wear no girly shit. There’s no way I’m showing up to your wedding in a pink tux.”