by Lola Gabriel
“Mike, is that you?” she called out, not sure whether she was expecting to hear his voice, but who else could be in her house?
She slowly stepped out of the bedroom and made her way down the hallway, stopping at the top of the staircase. She listened for another few seconds and called out to Mike again.
“Mike! I know it’s you,” she huffed as she went down the staircase and stepped onto the fluffy white carpet. To her horror, she noticed there were small droplets of dried blood on the carpet and she crouched down, touching it.
“What the hell?” she whispered and heard footsteps behind her.
She stood up and turned around. “Mike, this is not funny anymore. Where are you?”
Ferren was beginning to get annoyed and stomped down the hallway to the kitchen and the living area. “Do you know why there’s blood on the carpet?” she called out to him as she made her way to the kitchen.
Finding it empty, she looked around her in annoyance and ran her fingers through her hair.
“Seriously, this is not funny anymore,” she muttered.
The floorboards creaked behind her in the living room and she slowly walked in the direction the sound came from. As she entered the living area, a strange feeling crept up her spine, but before she could act upon it—or the feeling that something terrible was about to happen—she felt a pair of strong arms grab her from behind. They flung her backward against the sharp corner of the doorframe and everything went black again, the darkness enveloping her once more.
4
Kodiak nervously paced around the living room of his house and kept glancing at the large wooden clock on the wall. It had been nearly ten hours since he had sent Moss and his team out to locate the wolves who were responsible for the attacks on the humans around the area. Frankly, if Kodiak could personally go search for them and look them in the eyes while he ripped them all apart, he’d definitely feel better, but right now he needed to trust that Moss and the others were more than capable of handling it without him.
Ever since he was a young wolf, he had a very hands-on approach to everything. If his mother wanted to teach him something, he’d have to do it first, and oftentimes had to repeat it a few times before grasping it completely. He even tried to teach his brothers, especially Wren, to control their abilities as much as they could. It was only Wren who truly tried to, which was especially helpful the night of the fire. By turning off his smell ability, he couldn’t smell as their parents burned in the fire, or the disgusting stench of the marsh water as they hid from whoever wanted to kill them in that fire.
Sadly, he also recalled the pain and the heartache that ripped through Wren, and it was something that Kodiak would never be able to forget, or unfeel. It had been one of the most heart-breaking things for him to experience in his life to watch his brothers go through emotional turmoil, fear, panic, self-loathing, and helplessness.
On the other hand, he was also there to experience their happiness, their love and their celebratory moments as they mastered their abilities and overcame their fears.
As the second oldest Wylde son, there were often times when his father took Cole out into the woods to hunt, or whatever they were doing there, and Kodiak had to help his mother look after his brothers. Kodiak never complained as this meant spending time with the people he cherished the most. Sure, he still loved his father, which was more respect than love, to be honest, and Cole, which was more tolerance than love, but their secret meetings in the woods and the study gave Kodiak the distinct impression that there was something illicit going on.
Which presumably meant that either Luther was getting ready to announce his retirement and make Cole the next Alpha, or they were doing something that could compromise the safety of their pack, as well as their family.
Kodiak heard Moss’s truck park on the driveway, and he sighed a breath of relief. A few seconds later Moss entered his house and Kodiak approached him.
“And?”
“And it’s done.”
Kodiak’s eyebrows shot up and he placed his hands on his hips. “You found them all?”
“We found one. We couldn't track the others, but it’s only a matter of time before they come looking for their missing pack member.”
“Great, where’s Jett?” Kodiak inquired.
“She’s still at the Underground.”
The Underground was a network of underground tunnels and chambers which resembled a medieval prison, with impenetrable doors and walls, all lined with silver and nickel to keep anything from getting out—sound included—and prevented anything from going in.
For years the humans who stumbled upon it while hiking through the woods thought it was a prison for vampires and witches, but wolves were never even considered. The wolf community was rather insulted that they were excluded from the tales, but also grateful that they could continue to live a free life.
Those tales were spread by humans across the country and often groups of curious—and foolish—humans would venture out to the Underground. Unfortunately, someone, whose identity was still a ‘mystery’, decided to get rid of the tourists once and for all. The next morning the bodies of nine people were found inside all the cells, mauled and ripped apart.
The Winthrop Police Department and even the Federal Bureau of Investigation did extensive tests to determine who or what it was, but it quickly turned into a cold case.
Kodiak and his pack members eventually found the culprit, who was a member of their own pack, and had him executed, as he had drawn too much attention to the area and almost caused a panic amongst the pack.
The Police Department sealed off the area and no human had been there ever since. Ridiculous tales of hauntings and paranormal activity had been spread, but that was merely an attempt to warn people not to go there.
“You did capture it, right?”
“Of course. That’s why Jett is still there. She’s trying to get her to talk,” Moss responded.
“Her?” Kodiak asked.
“Yeah, the wolf is a she. Who would have thought, right? A real heartless bitch, but she did kill almost fifty humans, so you should probably thank her before you have her executed.”
“Right,” Kodiak muttered.
“She put up quite a fight when Geo wanted to dart her. When we eventually got her into the truck she almost clawed her way through the metal,” Moss told Kodiak.
“That’s not comforting,” he murmured.
“Don’t worry, we put her in the last cell,” Moss assured him.
“Good. I’ll head over there right away. I’d like to be present when Jett interrogates her.”
Moss stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Can I just say one thing?” he asked hesitantly, and Kodiak nodded. “If you can get her on our side, she’d really be an asset. She’s really strong.”
“I don’t invite that kind into my pack; you should know that. Being reckless and dangerous without a cause is not the type of wolf I want in my pack,” Kodiak glowered.
“I know, but she’s...” Moss’s voice trailed off as he searched for the right words. “She’s something else.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Moss. I appreciate your help.”
“No problem, Boss,” Moss nodded and held his fist out to Kodiak.
Kodiak pounded his fist against Moss’s and grabbed his jacket and his car keys from the counter. He slipped his jacket on, and he and Moss left his house. They both climbed into their cars and drove in opposite directions.
The drive to the Underground was about twenty minutes, and as Kodiak parked his SUV in the underground tunnel they had made especially to keep their vehicles concealed, he noticed Jett’s black sports car. He climbed out of the car, walked to the large iron gates and quickly went down the stairs. He found Jett sitting on a couch in the large front area, painting her nails a bright shade of red.
How inappropriately appropriate.
“Hey, is everything okay here?”
Jett turned to him briefly and no
dded. “Of course. Why wouldn't it be?”
“Moss told me that you guys had a hard time getting her here,” Kodiak pointed out.
“We handled it,” Jett said nonchalantly and admired her freshly painted nails. “Do you think it needs another coat?”
“What?” Kodiak frowned.
“My nails. Does it need another coat or does it look good?”
“Honestly, I don't care.”
“Don’t be rude. I just got that little bitch locked up with a chain as you requested. The least you can say is ‘thank you, Jett. You’re amazing’, you know?” Jett pouted.
“You’re looking for validation in the wrong place,” Kodiak muttered and suddenly glared at her. “Moss said you put her in the last cell.”
“Yes,” Jett answered. “She put up quite a fight too, hence the chain.”
“You really put a chain on her?”
“Yeah. Was I not supposed to?”
“It’s a bit inhumane, don't you think?”
“Are you kidding me?” she exclaimed and stood from the couch. “This girl hunted and killed a bunch of humans and you’re the one preaching to me about being inhumane? Newsflash, Kodi. We’re not exactly human either, so I apologize that I don’t feel any remorse for chaining her to the wall.”
Kodiak rolled his eyes as he turned to the door and opened it. “I’m going down there.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
“No, I’m going down there,” he uttered with a little more insistence.
Jett held her hands up in the air in defense and stepped back. “Fine. She’s a pain in the ass anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“She keeps saying she didn't do anything and she didn't know where the blood came from. A bunch of bullshit if you ask me.”
“Well, I didn't.”
“What is with you today? You’re more intolerable than usual,” Jett pointed out. “What’s going on?”
“I just didn't sleep well,” Kodiak muttered, “or at all.”
“No wonder. You get cranky when you’re tired, and when you’re hungry, and when it’s new moon,” Jett pointed out. “You get cranky a lot.”
“Now’s not the time for this again,” Kodiak growled.
“Come on, Kodi. You can tell me what’s wrong. I thought we were past all the secrets,” Jett told him and he turned to her.
Jett was right. They were past that. She was the only person from his past that he still had contact with. After the fire and the split of the Wylde family, Kodiak went to her house and hid there for a few days, gathering his thoughts to figure out where he was going from there. Because Jett was a good friend of his, she agreed to go along wherever he went. He wasn't sure why she would leave her family to start a new life with Kodiak across the country, but she did. Loyalty like that didn't come easily nor often, so he grabbed the chance. He often confided in her, telling her things that no one knew about him, not even his mother or his brothers. It was easy to talk to her, although he was convinced sometimes she used her extraction abilities to force him to talk about things. Mostly he was glad that she at least took the initiative to get him to open up, but there were times when he resisted. He couldn't tell her everything. It was either too shameful or too painful for him.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about my mother lately,” he responded after a pause. “I had a dream about her a few nights ago, and it feels like she wants me to know something. I don't know what it is.”
“Look, I know you miss her. I miss her, too. She was really great, but she’s gone, Kodi,” Jett told him and placed her hand on his shoulder, “and I’m sorry for whatever it is that you’re going through again. No one deserves to suffer like you are, suppressing your feelings and your memories, but you can’t let that devour you. It’s eating away at you, and who you are. You need to let it go, and I mean that in the kindest possible way.”
“I don’t know how to let her go. I’m afraid that I’ll forget her.”
“That’s not possible. Her blood runs through your veins. She will always be a part of you, and you will always be a part of her, wherever she ends up,” Jett answered and slid her hand off his shoulder.
Kodiak smiled weakly and let out a slow breath through his mouth. “I don't know what’s going on with me, Jett, but it has to stop. I’ve suppressed the feelings for so long, that it feels strange and overwhelming to actually feel something for a change. I don't like it.”
“Neither do I. Alphas aren't emotional.”
“You sound like my father. He was convinced I was never cut out to be an Alpha,” Kodiak cringed and pulled a face, imitating his father’s voice. “An emotional Alpha is a weak Alpha.”
“Your dad was an idiot. He didn’t know you, and he never will,” Jett scoffed and turned to him, her expression suddenly serious and sincere. “You know who you are. You’re a badass Alpha who ripped three wolves to shreds with your bare hands when you were a kid. You’re not afraid of anything, or anyone, and don't you ever forget that, okay?”
“Okay,” he chuckled. “Thanks, Jett. You’re amazing.”
“Ah, finally,” she joked. “Can I come with you downstairs then?”
“That’s still a no.”
“Damnit. So close,” she muttered and shook her head.
“I’ll see you in a bit.”
“I’ll be watching.”
Kodiak stepped through the iron door and followed the stairs down into the inky darkness. He walked along a wide hallway, passing the empty cells. He came to a stop as soon as he saw the young woman sitting in the shadows. He could only see her feet, one of them shackled to a thick chain, the rest of her concealed by the shadows.
“Come into the light.”
She didn't respond, and he shifted his weight. “I said, come into the light.”
“Why?” her voice came from the darkness.
“Because I want to see the person who is causing all this chaos.”
Kodiak heard her sigh heavily, but she moved into the light slowly.
As soon as her face came into view, Kodiak stepped back and stared at her. Her copper hair tumbled down around her shoulders and her blue eyes were luminous, and it was difficult for him to look away. Then the strangest thing happened. It felt as though the world stopped spinning and that time stopped. Every cell inside his body began to vibrate, creating a warming feeling inside him, and within a few seconds, it felt as though he was going to burst out in flames. Her eyes were focused on him and their blue brilliance was entrancing and mesmerizing. He felt himself slip out of his body for a moment, soaring through the clouds before crashing back down into a large body of bright blue water. He felt invigorated, terrified, and free.
Then, as soon as the moment appeared, it was gone. Kodiak stepped back again, pulled out of his entranced state, and he turned away as he caught his breath.
Kodiak knew what had just happened, though. He wasn't oblivious to the feelings that started to wake up inside him; he just didn't like it one bit. He had spent such a long time locking them away that it was overwhelming and terrifying to him. The young woman didn't seem to be affected at all by this whole thing, but he gathered that her fear was clouding her mind completely. It was never possible for one wolf to imprint and not the other. It happened in pairs, which was why Kodiak was perplexed by her unfazed expression. She had to have felt something, right?
What was she afraid of? Did she know that she would be executed as soon as she told him which pack she belonged to and who her other two buddies were? Or was she genuinely afraid, he wondered, as that was the only explanation he could think of.
Fear was the one thing that could shut down even the toughest mind on this planet, whether it was felt by a human, or a wolf. Fear wasn't picky about which race it chose. If it had you in its clutches, it would either shut you down, or wake you up.
Fear woke Kodiak up, and he was capable of things he could never have imagined. He once took down three Betas who tried to kidnap Wren and River. Kodiak l
iterally ripped them apart with his bare hands while they were in their wolf form. Wren had told him that he was like a man possessed, not listening or reacting to anything anyone was saying. He just lowered his head like an animal and protected his brothers. He was also only a kid when it happened, which was why it was such a big deal to him. When Skye and Cole eventually showed up there, they were horrified at the sight of the three boys playing catch with a wolf head.
“It’s official,” Skye had said. “My kids are weird.”
A sad smile formed on his lips, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and he sighed. His mother was as much on his mind as his brothers were, even after all this time, although he knew it would be better if they didn't reunite.
Kodiak took a deep breath, composing himself, and turned back to her. “What’s your name?” he demanded, his voice gruff and serious.
She looked away for a few seconds, clearly unwilling to answer his question, and he sighed. Another long and tiresome night lay ahead of him.
Maybe he could get her to talk if he channeled her fear, sympathizing with her instead of seeming threatening. Maybe then it wouldn't be necessary for Jett to come down and force the information out of her. Somehow Kodiak felt very protective of this girl, but he knew why.
That feeling he had when he saw her for the first time was his imprinting. At first he thought he was having a stroke, or that this girl had the ability to make his heart stop beating by merely looking at him—which had happened before to a wolf, as written in their archives. That ability was very rare, though, and took many centuries to perfect.
Typical, he thought to himself. I imprinted on a human killer.
He shook his head, silently berating himself for allowing his thoughts to run away from him and distract him, and he glared at her again.
It could have been worse; she could have been a human.
5
Ferren stared up at the guy standing on the other side of the cell door. He was hot, like raging-fire-pillaging-through-a-village hot.
