by Dena Christy
A chorus of “ayes” echoed throughout the room as every board member voted to follow Dany’s plans. Not that he had given them much choice. Albert had been the strongest voice on the board, and with him gone, there didn’t seem to be any more desire for descent in the ranks of the other members. They all kept their gazes respectfully down cast as Dany made his way back to his seat. Dany had always tried to tell his father that collective thinking was not the wolf way. Wolves needed to follow a decisive leader, whom they could see as the Alpha. The pack mentality was a hard thing to break in the span of a few short years, after centuries of living in a specific hierarchy. Each wolf knew their place in the grand scheme of things, which was the way it should be. The board of directors would never work as his father had intended, because weaker wolves would always be more inclined to follow the strongest. And now that Dany was the strongest they would follow him, and he could do things his way from now on.
“I realize that the interference from the Order has caused some disruption for us, but remember that we have also caused some disruptions of our own. We’ve successfully swayed two members to our cause, and while both of them are dead, I have every confidence that we will succeed in penetrating the Order again. They won’t be a threat for much longer.”
“How do you intend to do that?” said Richard Williams from the far end of the table, in the spot right next to Alberts. Dany looked at him sharply. “With the utmost respect sir, I only meant that we would like to hear more about your plans so we can understand, and hopefully offer our help.”
Dany relaxed a small amount, but kept his gaze on Richard. “As I’m sure you are aware, my son Lee works for the Order as a physician. I must admit that I have always professed my disappointment that he didn’t want to follow in my footsteps and one day take over the leadership of Faolchú Dubh, but perhaps I was hasty in those thoughts. My son is now perfectly placed in our enemy’s camp. I’m sure he can help us work to destroy the Order from the inside.”
“And what of our experiments with turning females, sir. How is that coming?” Frank Chambers spoke quietly from Dany’s left. Dany took note of the respectful use of sir, and knew without a doubt that the board was on his side, and would never think to defy him again.
“I will admit that there have been setbacks on the breeding stock end of our project is concerned. It was certainly much easier to get the wolves to bite, so to speak, than it has been to get the females to turn. Statistically speaking the odd are not in our favor, but I have two rather encouraging developments to share. First is, as I’m sure you are aware, Alex Tremblay managed to have the assassin Samara turned, although she is far from pure. I can see now that our attempt to take her against her will was a mistake, as it only brought us further attention from the Order. While it would have been nice to have access to the baby she is carrying, as it is three quarters wolf and one quarter demon, and would have made a nice addition to our army regardless of sex, we have turned our attention to other plans. We have managed to steal some of her blood, and we are hoping to find antibodies in her blood that helped her go through the change, and we are also hoping that we can use such antibodies to help other females transition.”
“What of the other woman, sir?” Richard asked, and Dany looked at him sharply. He seemed to know more about the project than he ought to. “I feel I must remind you sir that we are privy to all the same reports that you are. I only ask because I think I and the rest of the board would like to hear about your plans for her.”
“In the event you haven’t read the reports that Richard is speaking of, there was a woman bitten by Rowan Johnson three months ago. Kate Townsend, who we managed to get away from him before he killed her. We’ve been housing her in our facility for females, and much to our surprise, she managed to transition. We’ve been keeping her heavily sedated but we have plans to cut the sedation so she can begin her integration into wolf society.”
“And her breeding program, how are we going to implement that?” Richard asked again, and Dany looked at him, longing to brush him away like an annoying fly. He was disrupting his flow, and he didn’t care for it at all.
“I intend for her to breed the future generation of Cavanaughs,” he said. As soon as he had seen the woman who had successfully transitioned, he’d known she would be the future mother of his family.
“Are you saying sir, that you intend to breed with her yourself?”
Dany sighed as Richard interrupted him yet again.
“I really don’t know why you feel you need to know everything about my plans at this date, but to answer your question, no I don’t intend to breed with her myself. Lee will breed with her. And before you ask, no Lee doesn’t know this yet. It is my intention for them to meet rather innocently, and then I’m sure nature will take it’s course.”
“How will they be able to meet if she is housed in the facility and your son is in Kingston with the Order?” Frank spoke this time, and for the hundredth time Dany wished his father had never incorporated. He really hated the boards insistence on questioning everything.
“She is no longer in the facility. She was weaned off the sedation, and she escaped. As far as I know Rowan Johnson is in Kingston, and as he is the one who bit her, she will be drawn to him. Considering his brother Nick is involved with the Order, I’m sure she will be taken to their headquarters, which will put her in my son’s path.”
“And how do you know that your son will be interested in her?” Richard asked, seemingly emboldened. Dany picked up his stiletto, which rested beside his right hand, and drove it into the table in front of the wolf who seemed to endlessly question him. Richard blanched, and Dany knew he’d gotten his point across.
“I know my son better than he knows himself, and trust me, she is perfect for him.”
“And what of Rowan sir?” Frank asked, his eyes glued on the table in front of him. “I know you find our questions tiresome sir, but I’m sure you can appreciate our concern, as this brings us very close under the Order’s radar.”
“I’m sure when the time is right Lee will eliminate any rivals there may be for Kate’s affection. And don’t worry about the Order, they won’t be a threat for much longer. Now, I think this adjourns this meeting.”
The board’s members all stood in unison, while Dany remained seated. He looked at the end of the table where Albert remained slumped. “Oh and could someone send in the cleaning crew to clear out the garbage.”
Chapter 2
Rowan Johnson stood beneath a tree as dusk fell on City Park. There were very few people in the park and once night fully fell, the only ones remaining would be the students cutting through to get downtown. He came to the park nearly every night since he’d woken from his coma and been cleared to go home. Every night he was drawn here by some force beyond his control. The place where it happened. Where he’d bitten the woman. He knew that much, and while at first he’d thought he killed her, now he was not so sure.
Sighing he pushed away from the tree, deciding to go home. What he was looking for wasn’t here, at least not tonight.
It didn’t take long for him to drive home, and when he walked into the house he noticed he had company. Both his brothers, Nick and Eric, sat on his couch as if waiting for him. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. He figured he’d need it since those two definitely had a purpose for being here. His relationship with Eric was still shaky, despite efforts on both their parts to repair the rift that had grown between them over the past six years. And Nick, the level headed one, waiting calmly for him to come home did not bode well.
Rowan walked back into the living room as he twisted the cap off his beer and threw it onto the coffee table.
“Is this an intervention?” he joked as he took a swig from the bottle.
“It might be, it all depends on what you tell us.” Nick spoke first, and Rowan looked from him to Eric, and realized they were serious.
“What exactly is it that you want to know?”
“Where you been?” Eric intoned in his deep gravely voice.
Rowan was silent, hesitant to tell them that he’d been at the park again. He didn’t want to share that part of his life, especially when even he wasn’t sure what it meant. How could he explain to them what drove him to go there?
“You’ve been to the park again haven’t you?” Nick asked as he stared at him hard. Rowan silently nodded. “Why do you keep torturing yourself by going there? You’ll never be able to heal and move on unless you let it go and stop obsessing with that goddamn park.”
“I’m not obsessed with the park.” Rowan paced the room, searching for a way to explain what was drawing him to the park. “I need to go there, to wait for her.”
“Wait for who?” Eric asked as a frown drew his brows together.
Rowan looked over at his twin, and decided to just come out with it. “For the one I bit.”
Silence descended on the room as both his brothers looked at each other.
“Rowan, she’s not coming. She’s dead. I know it must be eating you up inside, what happened when you went feral on Horn’s formula, but you have to forgive yourself. You didn’t know they were going to infect you with junk when you agreed to their experiments. You’ll drive yourself insane if you keep this up.” Nick stood and put his hand on his shoulder. Rowan shrugged it off.
“You don’t get it. I know she’s alive because I can feel her. You know the legends that say when a wolf bites someone and they become a werewolf, they feel each other, and are drawn together until the bitten wolf goes through their first transition.”
Eric rolled his eyes. “That’s an old wives tale. No one has ever been able to prove it.”
“How many wolves have you known that have actually turned someone? I’m telling you that I feel her, and that feeling has been getting stronger every night.” Rowan raked his fingers through his hair, hardly able to contain his frustration. This little intervention was their idea, if they didn’t want to hear what he had to say, then why the hell were they here. He let out a growl and his brother Eric stood as if to accept his unspoken challenge.
“For fuck’s sake, can’t you two get along for five minutes,” Nick exclaimed as he stood and stepped between his two brothers. “Eric, sit down and shut up if you aren’t going to be any more productive than this. Rowan, tell me exactly what is happening with you.”
Rowan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, thankful that his brother Nick always seemed to be the voice of reason. He and Eric had always scrapped, even when they were kids. Nick always made peace between them, usually after knocking their heads together.
“When I got out of the hospital, I didn’t feel anything. But once I started to mend, the feeling was small, just on the edge of my consciousness. It started coming and going after that, but it felt weird, like it was coming at me through a fog. Now it’s so strong, I can feel her inside me, and I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s like she’s right here with me, only she isn’t. I can feel her getting closer. The feeling amped tonight, and it’s like an alarm bell clanging in my head.”
Nick was silent for several moments, as he appeared to digest what Rowan was telling him.
“We never found her body, and I guess we assumed that she died because it’s rare for females to make it through the change. Samara has been the only exception that I’ve ever seen, and I think that could be chalked up to her being half demon.”
“Do you think it’s even possible for the chick to be alive?” Eric piped up, and Rowan took a menacing step towards him.
“You’re not helping,” Nick said as he glared at him. “I would think that considering we are all werewolves, and your mate is half wolf and half demon, you of all people should believe that anything is possible. And to answer your question, yes, I believe that she may very well be alive. I think it’s possible that whoever is behind the Dark Wolf formula could have scooped her after she was bitten, and may have even been holding her somewhere.”
Alarm raced through Rowan at that thought. He couldn’t even remember what she looked like, since that night was one big red haze, but he felt bonded to her.
“We have to get her, Nick.”
“Calm down, I think the reason the signal was hazy before was because she may have been sedated. It could be getting stronger because she is getting closer. Despite knucklehead’s assertion,” Nick said as glanced over at Eric. “There is a very good reason why wolves who turned someone feel them so strongly. A new wolf needs help through their first transition, and the only way nature can guarantee that will be successful is if both the maker and the made are drawn together for the new wolves’ first transition. She’s got to be feeling you too. She may be on her way here already, you just don’t know. The last thing she needs you to do is go off somewhere looking for her. You need to stay put since you are the beacon, and she’s following it like a homing pigeon. You need to stay here so she can find you.”
Rowan mulled over what his brother said. The fact that the feeling was getting stronger could indicate that she was on her way here. But how could he be sure?
“She’ll come,” Nick said as he clapped him on the back. “Eric let’s get out of here. Rowan looks like he could use some sleep.”
Nick turned toward the front door and look expectantly at his younger brother.
“I’ll be there in a second. I just want to talk to Rowan for a few minutes.”
Nick looked back and forth between them for a moment before he shrugged and walked out the front door.
“About what I said earlier, I’m sorry man. I was trying to get a rise out of you, since I hate seeing you look so defeated all the time. I know the bullshit of the past few months has put you through the wringer, but you need to shake it off.” Eric looked him in the eyes, and Rowan nodded his head.
“I know. It’s just not knowing where she is and if she’s safe. I’m responsible for her, responsible for what I did to her. She didn’t ask for any of this, and if something happens to her, that’s on me.”
“I know, man. Trust me, I went through this when Samara went through the change, and I still feel it now that she’s going to have my babies. All I can think of is what mom when through, what a hard time she had with babies. What a hard time most of the wolves I know have had with babies. If something happens to her because I got her pregnant, it’ll kill me.”
Rowan digested his brother’s words in silence, as he remembered another woman who died having a baby. Losing Chelsea and their baby had started him off on the destructive path that had led him to this moment, when he’d endangered another woman. Something must have shown on his face because his brother winced.
“Christ man, I didn’t mean to dredge up the past for you,” Eric said, remorse evident in his voice.
“It’s okay. It’s more disrespectful to her if we pretend that she never existed. I don’t want another woman to die because of me.”
“Another one won’t. If this woman you’re feeling doesn’t turn up, we’ll tear this country apart until we find her.”
“Thanks man,” Rowan said, feeling better now that he had a clear focus on what would need to be done if the woman he’d bitten didn’t find him. He started when his brother put his arms roughly around him, since Eric wasn’t one for displays of affection.
“I really missed you, man,” his brother said to him as he gave him a firm squeeze. Eric let him go and strode from the house before Rowan could reply.
* * *
Kate rubbed her eyes as she stepped off the train in Kingston. She didn’t know what drove her to this destination, all she knew is that she had to come here. She’d ditched the stolen car in Brockville, after driving south in it for an hour and a half. The institution she’d been housed in was outside of what she now realized was Ottawa. She decided to get rid of the car, since she didn’t want to leave a trail, and in hindsight even Brockville might be too close.
She walked into the station, and fished through her
pockets to see how much money she had left. The train ticket she’d purchased had eaten the bulk of her meagre supply of cash. She was left with a crumpled five and a couple of loonies, and looking at the sad and expensive selection at the sandwich bar, she didn’t think she would be getting much here.
She settled for a bag of chips and a bottle of water, and sat in one of the seats in the waiting area as she tried to figure out her next move. She was close to where she needed to be, she could feel it. Maybe she should just walk and follow the signal in her head until she got to where it was telling her to go.
She finished off the last of her snack, tossed her garbage and wiped her hands down the side of her jeans. She walked out of the station and closed her eyes for a moment. She zeroed in on the direction she had to go and started walking.
If asked she couldn’t explain why she was set on following the beacon. She felt like she had to follow it, and her life had taken a turn for the bizarre since she’d woken up in that room, and she decided to go with it.
She walked from the train station for about forty five minutes, and she came to a quiet residential neighborhood. She walked a quiet side street until she came to a white house with green shutters, and a black SUV parked in the driveway. She stared at the house for several moments, not quite sure what she should do. What if this was some piece of craziness her mind was spinning for her? Did whoever lived in the house in front of her deserve to be subjected to a babbling nut job?
She tried to turn away, but her body refused to move. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the front door and pressed the doorbell. After a minute the door opened, and a tall, dark haired man answered the door. His slate grey eyes widened slightly when he saw her. Kate experienced the weirdest sensation, like she knew him, but she was sure they’d never met. Some fog of a memory lurked in the back of her mind but she couldn’t quite grasp it.
