by Lola Gabriel
Or especially when they were alone.
Ferren didn't have the mental capacity, the strength or the patience for a relationship at the moment, or ever, for that matter. But on the days when she felt low or lonely, Mike was more than willing to keep her company and make her feel whole again, even if it was only for a short while.
Ferren turned on the heat in her car, only now realizing there was a sub-zero degree chill in the air, and she shivered as she backed out of her parking space and drove through the monitored gate of the hospital’s staff parking lot.
Driving home from the hospital took about thirty minutes and because Ferren’s newly-bought house was in a less densely populated area of Seattle, the last few miles looked like a mountain road with lots of trees all around, but she enjoyed her house and its location. It was private and away from the hustle and bustle of the city life she had been used to for so long.
Ferren had lived in Seattle all her life, feeling at home in the cooler weather that seemed to engulf her soul. Not in a negative way, of course—she had just become accustomed to it. She remembered taking family vacations to Texas and Arizona, and the heat had been unbearable.
Ferren turned onto the last stretch of road before reaching her house and sped up slightly, anxious to get home. She could already feel the warmth of her bed, calling out to her tired body and mind. As she took her eyes off the road for one second to change the station, something suddenly moved in front of her car, and Ferren’s eyes widened as she slammed on the brakes. There was a deep thudding sound as her car hit whatever had moved out in front of it. She closed her eyes for a second, whispering, “Please, don't let it be human,” although she was convinced it wasn't. The figure she saw in front of her car as she slammed on the brakes did not resemble a human, which made her sigh a breath of relief. Causing the death of another person today would just be too much to handle.
Ferren opened her eyes when she heard the animal, or whatever it was, as it scurried off into the darkness. Her heart pounded in her chest and she opened the door. Knowing that it would probably be safer inside her car, she climbed out regardless and walked around to the front of the car. There was a large dent in her front bumper and a few splatters of blood on it. There was also blood on the road at her feet, trailing all the way across the road.
This was not the first time that Ferren had seen an animal get hit by a car. When she was about nine years old, during yet another torturous family vacation to Texas, her father had hit a deer with his truck. There was blood everywhere and Ferren had never forgotten the horror she’d felt at the sight and smells of the carnage.
The soft whimpering of an animal could be heard nearby and Ferren turned toward where the sound was coming from. She took a few steps forward and stepped onto the snow on the side of the road. She wasn't sure what she was going to do when she found the animal, but her natural instincts told her to carry on walking, although in her mind she screamed at herself to turn around and get out of there.
She gazed around her, not being able to see much, but noticed the blood in the snow. She was freezing, not exactly dressed for an excursion in the frigid temperature. She also wasn't sure what she was supposed to do when she found the animal she had hit with her car, if she were to even find it.
“This is madness,” she muttered to herself as she rubbed her freezing hands together and decided to return to her car.
She heard a growl behind her and whirled around. She tried to focus her eyes to see better, but her night vision wasn’t as good as it used to be. The soft sound of footsteps in the snow came closer and terror filled up every single inch of Ferren’s body. Her breathing was ragged and her heart pounded in her chest.
“Who’s there?” she called out, again not sure what she expected to hear in return. She stepped backward, but her foot slipped on the uneven ground and she fell backward onto the snow.
It was only when she had pushed herself up into a sitting position that she noticed the yellow eyes which glowed ominously, staring right at her. She tried to scramble to her feet, but her body was paralyzed at the sight of an angry wolf stepping out of the shadows. It bared its razor-sharp teeth at her, and when he pounced on Ferren, the only thing she could do was let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed through the open sky.
2
Winthrop, Washington
Kodiak Wylde was tired, but not in a conventional way. He had stared at the map of Washington and surrounding states for so long that it felt as though his eyes were being gouged out with swords, and the tension in his neck and shoulders, although a normal thing for him to experience, only added to his discomfort. There were three red crosses marked on the map in neighboring states and it made Kodiak worry.
A few months had passed since a few brutal attacks had occurred in the area, all by an unknown pack. Not only did this small pack attack only humans, but the bodies of the victims were never found again. This led Kodiak to believe that the pack either consumed them or recruited them for their own bidding. He just wasn’t sure which one of the two options was the more disturbing one.
Kodiak had been a wolf all his life, born into a wealthy and important family. He and his four brothers were the sons of the Alpha, and they were destined for greatness within the pack. If only they could have gotten along and decided to stick together rather than going their own separate ways.
Ever since Kodiak could remember, he had carried a deep hatred for humans, as he and his kind had to suppress who they were just to prevent the humans from finding out who and what they really were. Kodiak found it a bit hypocritical, but then again, everyone was a hypocrite according to him. He had rarely come across someone, whether they were human or wolf, whose words and actions didn't contradict one another. Even some members of his family. His brothers, with the exception of his older brother, Cole, often pretended to be something they weren't, and Kodiak couldn't stand it. Cole, on the other hand, was a brutal and aggressive narcissist who could do anything he wanted or put his mind to. As the first-born Wylde, he had the strength, the aggression and the fearlessness that Kodiak craved to have. Sure, Cole was a self-righteous asshole who only thought of himself, but he never tried to be something he wasn't.
Cole was quite a bit older than Kodiak and his younger brothers, and Kodiak had looked up to his older brother for a long time, until Luther and Cole started to have secret meetings in Luther’s office. Normally things like that wouldn’t bother Kodiak or the other brothers much, but as soon as Luther had the office walls paneled with nickel, making it impossible for River, who could hear a penny drop on a carpet fifty miles away, to hear anything, they started to wonder what Luther and Cole didn't want the others to hear.
Kodiak studied the map once again, even though he perfectly recalled the position of the red crosses in his mind, but an unsettling feeling swept over him. He looked around him and his jaw clenched as his eyes caught sight of the crescent moon which shone brightly through the window.
The attacks on the humans had become worrisome for Kodiak, as well as for the members of his Washington pack, and although he had done everything in his power to track the movements of the small pack that made the Northwest their playground, they always eluded Kodiak’s grasp.
Kodiak didn't have the amazing sense of smell that Wren had, or the incredible hearing sense that River had, but he had his own sense that some felt was one of the most valuable and terrifying abilities of all.
Kodiak Wylde was bestowed the sense of touch, and not only was he able to determine the deepest feelings of anyone within a hundred-mile radius, but their feelings and memories also became his own, plaguing him throughout his most peaceful times. He had once been a calm, collected wolf with a strong sense of self, but after the fire and the decimation of his family and everything he had loved and held dear to him, he became lost, without direction.
His own feelings became obsolete and he turned into a cold and merciless leader who would not think twice about punishing any one of his pack membe
rs, or non-members, for that matter, with death. Kodiak was not a fan of torturing people either, and their deaths were usually unexpected, quick and painless. He had enough feelings and emotions inside him, waiting to erupt from their prison, and he didn't need to feel anymore, especially not those feelings that came with knowing death was near. He’d been tortured enough in his life, and suppressing his feelings at the risk of becoming a cold-hearted leader seemed like the better option.
Who was the hypocrite now, Kodiak? he wondered to himself as his jaw clenched in disapproval.
Kodiak focused his attention back on the map in front of him and ran his fingers along the top edge, folding it over to reveal an old sepia photograph of the Wylde family. It was the only photograph of the entire family that existed, to his knowledge, of course, and he had kept it safe after all these years. It was three days after the fire when Kodiak decided to go back there, still lingering in the area but keeping himself hidden in a wooden shack, along with a trunk filled with Crescent coins that Cole supposedly stole from the Crescents. Either that, or Cole was working for the Crescents, but that was an even more bitter pill to swallow.
The Crescents were a massive pack which originated in France in the early 18th century and had traveled to New Orleans a few years after it was founded. The pack families settled into the lush plantations in the area and they were much happier, free from the persecution which had almost led to the extinction of the pack. They weren't the friendliest bunch, and in the mid-19th century, another pack threatened to take over their lands. In an attempt to establish supreme dominance, the Crescents' Alpha and Betas slaughtered the entire pack, burning their bodies in a pyre. They were brutal and terrifying. Definitely not a pack to mess around with.
Kodiak often wondered why Cole would want to be affiliated with the Crescents in any way, but he’d definitely not put anything past Cole. Cole was not the smartest of the brothers, and he was reckless, only thinking of himself.
The four younger brothers had soon learned that going hunting with Cole was a big mistake, as his manner of sneaking up on an animal was less than subtle. His overbearing nature also made the others feel like slaves and subordinates rather than his brothers or hunting partners.
Kodiak gazed at his mother, Skye, smiling happily at the camera, her hand on Wren's shoulder, who was crouched in front of her. Kodiak stood beside her, with River sitting on the ground by their feet. Cole, Luther, and Scout were on the other side, seeming like they were in their own little clique.
Kodiak smiled slightly as his finger traced over Skye’s face and he couldn’t help his emotions from bubbling up inside him. He had had a great relationship with his mother as she had the same ability as he did. She felt the things he did, and taught him how to prevent his emotions and the emotions of others from consuming him. She had taught him how to manipulate his own emotions in order to manipulate others, but she made him promise that he’d only use it if it were absolutely necessary.
His mother had the purest heart of anyone he had ever met in his life, and he wondered how she had ended up with someone like Luther, who was stern, pensive and rarely smiled. Mother Nature had a twisted sense of humor, and it was proven again and again.
Loud footsteps spun him out of his bubble of nostalgia and he folded the map back, covering the photograph just in time. The door abruptly opened and his Beta, Jett, glided into the room. Jett was as graceful as they came, and she knew it. With her long, glossy black hair that flowed down her back, her piercing, electric blue eyes and her curvy hips, she was the envy of every female and the object of desire of every male. She was confident and ruthless, and her ability to extract information out of anyone made her one valuable and irreplaceable Beta to have.
“Hey, Kodi,” she smirked as she closed the door.
Kodiak cringed at her nickname for him, which sounded juvenile and weak, and his jaw clenched. “Jett.”
“Watcha doing?” she sang as she leaned against the desk. Her face immediately fell as her gaze landed on the map, and she sighed. “Not this again.”
“What?” he asked her and placed his hands on the map. “People are getting attacked.”
“Exactly, people are getting attacked. If it were any of our pack getting attacked, that would be a different tale altogether. Who cares about those stupid humans?” Jett scoffed.
Kodiak gazed up at her and cocked his head to one side. Jett’s hatred for the humans had started even before his had, and it was a deeply rooted loathing.
“If you ask me, there are too many of them around for my liking. That pack is actually doing us a favor. Less for us to kill,” she grumbled nonchalantly as she admired her perfectly manicured nails.
“We don’t kill humans unless we have to. We’re not that kind of pack,” Kodiak stated firmly, hoping his insinuating glance would convince her that the Washington pack was not like the Crescents. Kodiak would rather die of starvation and have his eyes plucked out of his skull by ravenous crows than even remotely resemble the workings of that evil pack.
“You’re no fun,” Jett muttered, grabbing the remote control from the desk and pointing it at the wall. “Were you any fun when you were younger?” she inquired as she pressed a button on the control and two panels in the wall moved aside, revealing a flat-screen television.
“I guess not.”
Jett smirked and switched to the news channel. “There was another one. Last night.”
“Another attack?”
“Yes. In the woods on the outskirts of Seattle. Northeast. There was blood in the snow, a lot of it, but no body,” Jett responded.
“Do they know who it was?” Kodiak inquired.
“Nope, the police department is urging people to check in with their loved ones and relatives. Yada, yada, yada…” Jett blabbed and rolled her eyes.
“Jett, this is serious, you know.”
“And why is that? Good riddance, I say.”
“It risks the exposure of the pack.”
“You’re being totally paranoid.”
“No, I’m not. People are getting desperate, and when humans get desperate, they do foolish things.”
“Hopefully it kills them in the process.”
Kodiak sighed and shook his head. “If the humans eventually find the wolves and capture them, they’re going to wake up the next morning to find them transformed into humans. How are they going to explain that? And what if those wolves are Crescents? That means they know about us and they won’t hesitate to inform the authorities about our existence. We’ll all get captured and it would mean the end of the life we’ve built here,” Kodiak explained.
“Wow, hold up there, Kodi—”
“Could you please stop calling me that?” Kodiak grumbled.
“Can I suggest something?”
Kodiak glared at her and raised an apprehensive eyebrow. Jett was not always known for making sensible decisions and suggestions, but Kodiak didn't want her to feel like he didn't value her as a Beta.
“I think you should assign all the Zetas to patrol around the area. There are enough of them, and it’s what they were trained to do,” Jett answered.
Kodiak gazed at her for a second, considering her suggestion. It wasn't a bad idea to get the Zetas involved in the protection and patrolling of the area, but Kodiak wasn't sure whether the Zetas would be happy with that. Sure, the Zetas were the protectors of the pack, but if they were willing to travel across the state away from their families, Kodiak also knew that they would not contest his decision as Alpha.
“I’ll do that,” he muttered and ignored the surprised expression on Jett’s face. “Call for a meeting, right away.”
“But it’s after—”
Kodiak glared up at her angrily and his green eyes flashed. “Call a meeting, Jett.”
“Okay, okay.” She held her hands up in the air and slid off the edge of the desk. “Sorry for being a pain in the ass.”
“I thought I’d be used to it by now, but clearly I was wrong,” he g
rumbled.
Jett narrowed her eyes slightly and left him alone in his study.
About an hour later, Kodiak stood in front of the large conference room in the rented space that they used to hold all their meetings. It was situated in an old warehouse just outside Winthrop on Wolf Creek Road. Obviously, Jett didn't arrange a meeting with the whole pack, so only the Epsilons were invited. There were about fifty wolves sitting on the comfortable couches scattered around the conference center. His two Betas, Jett and Moss, sat in the front, looking at the crowd.
“With the recent attack so close to town, I’m getting a bit worried,” Kodiak said to his pack members. “I’ve been tracking the attacks for months now and according to their hunting formation and killing method, I’m still convinced they are Crescents, but of course, I could be wrong.”
“So, what you’re saying is that you think it’s them, but you’re not sure,” one of the Epsilons pointed out with an apprehensive expression on his face.
“I plan on getting a small team together to capture one of them to interrogate,” Kodiak announced and scanned the room. “I also want all the Zetas to patrol the entire area of Washington. Those with families have the first option of patrolling closer to Winthrop, but the others I would like to patrol the entire state. There are enough Zetas to do so, and as soon as we capture the pack causing all this chaos and panic among the humans, we can find out exactly what their deal is.”
“And what if we don’t? What if this pack, however small it may be, keeps terrorizing the humans?” another Epsilon inquired.
