Never Die

by N. L. Hoffmann

  It only took about a minute before I was moving around on all fours as a wolf. Shaking my fur, I started into the woods, allowing the smells of trees and other animals to fill my nostrils. The house was about a half a mile up the driveway, which was a little further back than I expected, so I increased my speed, jumping over downed branches.

  Smelling someone close, I slowed down, looking through the trees as light illuminated everything around the small house. The cruiser was empty in front of the garage, where there was a newer SVU parked. My gaze traveled along the yard, finding Hank coming around the far side of the house as he searched around the grounds with a flashlight. I took a step back into the woods, hiding behind a tree when he swept in my direction. My fur was white, which probably stood out in the dark. When he hesitated, my heart clenched, worried that he might have seen me.

  After a second he was moving again, turning to head up the walkway to the front door. The front door opened and a woman waved at Hank. “She just went to sleep. We heard some wolves howling nearby, and it scared her to death.” She chuckled, moving out of the way so he could get inside.

  When the door shut, I huffed out as I paced around. I didn’t know what to do next. It wasn’t like I could approach the girl, naked, in her room. That would be weird. Just as I was about to step out into the clearing, someone put her fingers into my fur. The scent was unfamiliar, making me spin around with a fierce growl as I lowered my head in warning.

  A woman stood in front of me. She was wearing dark pants and a long-sleeved, dark shirt. When I looked at her more carefully, I realized it was Fake Mary. She smiled down at me, eyes glowing like a werewolf’s. She flashed perfectly white teeth at me and stepped forward. I growled in warning, stepping back. Her hands went up in a gesture that meant she came in peace. Only, I knew better than that.

  “You found her. But we were already here, waiting.” She looked over at the house and then back at me, the wind coming through the trees to ruffle her hair. “You did what I requested. You found the girl—only a little too late. I’m surprised you didn’t smell us out here.”

  Why didn’t I smell them out there? Was it my inexperience as a wolf? Anger swelled in me. I hated not knowing what to do. Not knowing how to act like a wolf. There was so much to learn, and I couldn’t do it fast enough. I ran into danger without even knowing it. Had I been a more knowledgeable werewolf, I could have been more cautious. If Fake Mary had wanted me dead, I would have been as soon as I stepped into the woods alone.

  “You can rest easy knowing that Alex is safe now.” She lifted one arm, the hand up in the air as her eyes went forward, watching the house. Suddenly, she dropped it, as if signaling someone. There was ruffling in the woods from people running, breaking through the branches. They came through the trees, jumping out into the light with guns aimed at the house. Some wolves appeared, circling around when the front door opened with Hank looking around to see what was going on.

  I swallowed hard, realizing that Hank was about to die. I whined, looking up at the woman, who just smiled in return. Her gaze went back to the scene in front of us, a pleased expression crossing her beautiful features. “We’ll take care of the girl,” she told me.

  Not accepting that as an answer, I leaped out of the woods, tackling the first wolf I came to. It yelped in surprise as my teeth sank into its neck. Without warning, someone hit me hard on the back of my head, forcing me to stumble to the side, losing my balance. My vision swam, forcing me to lose my footing. Despite fighting to stay awake, darkness swelled around my vision, and all went dark.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Oh, God, she isn’t waking up!”

  The voices were garbled at first when I tried waking up. My head was buzzing, and the ringing in my ears was making it difficult to figure out who was around me. When I tried to blink through the haze of my vision, I was met with an extremely bright light. Groaning, I closed my eyes, pushing at whoever was standing around me.

  “Stop moving. You’re hurt, Riley,” someone said, and then I felt lips press to my forehead.

  “Why the fuck is she out here, Luke? My daughter is gone, and all that is left behind are Hank and the nanny’s dead bodies. You can’t tell me she doesn’t have something to do with this,” a voice several feet away said.

  I turned to see if I could tell who was talking, but their bodies were still fuzzy, and the light was harsh on my eyes. Groaning, I rolled to my side, smelling the grass. Then it dawned on me that I was probably naked. Trying to get up, I put my hands under me and began to move to my knees. Someone grabbed me around the waist.

  “Hold on, darling. You can’t be moving yet.” I recognized the voice as Luke’s.

  “Clothes.”

  “You’re hurt, and all you can think about is being in your birthday suit?” Lance asked, laughing, but not at all amused.

  “Shut up, Lance. She’s hurt. Go get her something to wear,” Luke barked.

  I heard boots moving across the gravel, and finally disappearing. When I turned to look at Luke, I tried to force a smile. “Thanks.”

  Luke nodded once, trying to help me to my feet. “Shit, Riley. Why the hell are you out here? This doesn’t look good.”

  Sighing, I grabbed his bicep to get my footing. “I followed Hank out here. Fake Mary was already in the woods, but I didn’t know until she snuck up on me. They took Jenny.”

  “Fuck! Are you fucking kidding me? Son of a bitch!” Luke looked around, as if he was trying to find Lance. “I still don’t understand what you have to do with all of this. My brother can’t know they’re the ones who brought you down here. He might begin to think this is all happening because of you.”

  I went to object, but he shook his head hard, eyes filled with anger. “You and me, we have to fix this.”

  “I have to fix this. This might be because of me.” My breathing started to increase as I began to panic. All of it could have been my fault. I just couldn’t figure out why.

  Lance appeared, holding a shirt and some sweatpants. He was trying his hardest not to blow up at me. He knew the truth, even though I wasn’t saying it. Ever since I showed up, his life had been one complication after another.

  “She saw someone following Hank out here, and tried to stop Jenny from being taken,” Luke lied, putting the shirt over my head and bringing it down. I tried to grab it from him, but he slapped my hands away.

  “You should have called us.” Lance balled up his fists. “Whoever did this will pay with their lives. I’ll rip their throats out.”

  I looked uneasily at Luke, who just ignored me as he stared at his brother. “We will get her back, Lance. I promise.”

  Lance pulled out his phone and began to slide his finger across the screen. “I’m calling everyone to a meeting.” He gave us both a hard look. “From this moment on, you’re in the Pack.” The way he said it meant there was no room for argument.

  Luke’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. We all turned when there was movement near the garage. Hank was digging his fingers into the gravel, his glassy gaze on us. Hurrying over, Luke bent down on one knee, taking his deputy’s hand. “We didn’t realize you were alive.”

  “My body hurts. Something is wrong. I keep passing out,” Hank gasped.

  “Shit. He’s changing.” Lance ran a hand through his golden hair.

  “I didn’t change that fast,” I pointed out.

  Annoyed, Lance pointed in several locations of Hank’s body. “He has multiple bites. The change will come faster.”

  Swearing, Lance walked away to make his phone calls. Luke looked around, as if he was trying to find something. “We need to get him into the bed of the truck.”

  “Dude, I’ll help.” Lance looked at Hank and frowned. “We’ll all help.”

  Hank was heavy, and he didn’t have control of his limbs. He started to change, body jerking all over the place as his bones snapped. When he screamed, it echoed through the woods, startling the animals. Then he started kicking, his foot going straight
into my stomach. I grunted, keeping ahold of his legs. Even though I had more strength as a werewolf, the man was still hard to carry.

  “We should have left him on the ground until his change is over,” Lance grunted, lifting Hank so we could slide him onto the back of the truck.

  Finally getting Hank into the truck, we all stepped back to watch as he went through the torment of becoming a werewolf. I felt bad for him, and it was even worse watching it actually happen to someone else. Did I look the same way? I shuddered thinking about the pain I’d endured. So far, I had yet to see a good reason for being a werewolf.

  Cars were coming up the driveway, so we all turned to watch the first one approach. Lance’s wolves were arriving, though I had no idea what they could possibly do. The numbers helped, but we didn’t know where the other Pack was hiding. Shifting uncomfortably when the first wolf arrived, I crossed my arms over my chest to cover my breasts over the baggy shirt. Luke pulled me to him, placing an arm over my shoulders. The wolf nodded in greeting, turning his gaze to the alpha.

  Lance reached out a hand, shaking the other man’s. “Jenny was taken. We need all wolves on the scent to see what direction they went in. Whoever finds Jenny’s location will be rewarded, big time.” He glanced in my direction, as if debating how much he wanted to say in front of me.

  Frowning, I looked up at Luke, who was staring at me, too. It wasn’t like I was the enemy. I didn’t plan on taking off and telling everything to Fake Mary. Helping people was what I did, so I opened my mouth to say so, only Lance interrupted me. “You’re part of the Pack now, Riley. You get to know everything.”

  He looked back over to the other man. “This is Skinny, my second in command.”

  Skinny did not look skinny at all. The man was huge, towering over Lance and Luke, which was saying a lot, considering they were both around 6’2”. He had a long goatee that reached the top of his stomach with streaks of gray. The bandanna he wore over his long hair was red, darker in some areas from sweat. He made me more nervous than I cared to admit. I got a stranger-danger vibe from him, and my wolf wanted to keep her distance. It was like I could feel her hackles rising up in warning.

  Luke ran a comforting hand down my shoulder, trying to calm me. He seemed aware of the tension inside of me, and wanted to let me know that I was protected. Not that I needed protection. I felt confident that I could hold my own—though, how long I would last was another thing.

  I didn’t like feeling vulnerable. My wolf knew that she had a lot to offer me, but I had no idea how to use it. She was strong and wanted to lead by asserting her dominance with this man, but I didn’t know what to do with it. I just ignored the itching feeling that I needed to sink my teeth into his throat until he surrendered. Why I didn’t get that feeling with Lance or Luke was beyond me. With them, I became passive. It was a horrible feeling.

  My wolf was pacing inside me, like we were two different beings, and she was the one trapped. Did the others go through the same feeling? It was something I would have to ask Luke about, but it had to wait until we were alone. When that would happen, I didn’t know.

  “There is another Pack in the area that is claiming our territory. According to them, we moved into their zone without permission. They are challenging me to take over the Pack so that they can combine all of us into one. Well, all of you. I will most likely be dead if their alpha wins.” Lance explained, his face not giving away any hint of being nervous.

  Skinny shook his head in anger. “They have no idea who they’re dealing with.”

  Lance chuckled, patting his second in command on the shoulder. “Actually, this Pack is pretty badass. I called a friend in Colorado about them. Apparently, they have been going from state to state, trying to claim territory. They’re expanding their Pack, and so far have been successful.”

  I admired the changes in Lance as he shifted into leader-mode. He spoke with such confidence, his Pack surrounded, looking up to him for the answers to their problem. It was weird to see, some of them growling as their eyes glowed, far off into the distance. There were more of them than I thought. Some of them I’d never seen before. How many did he actually have in his Pack?

  “Makes you wonder how long they’ve been watching you,” I murmured, stiffening when everyone turned in my direction.

  “Probably for a while. Who knows, we may even have a double-agent in our Pack,” Lance said, looking over all his people.

  Everyone growled, not liking the idea that their Pack might have been infiltrated. They looked at each other like they were trying to identify the one who might be the betrayer. No one could be trusted, and that was bad news.

  “What’s their Pack name?” someone asked from inside the crowd.

  “The Blood Moon Pack,” Skinny replied.

  The Pack all started talking at once. Obviously, they knew who the Pack was, and suddenly realized how serious things were. Unfortunately for me, I had no idea what that meant. Were they the most feared? Did that mean we were doomed? Did I even want to be part of a Pack that was in deep shit?

  Frowning, I shifted my weight onto my other leg, rocks biting into the bottoms of my feet. What I didn’t understand was why I had been brought down here. Was it to find Lance’s daughter? Anyone could have done that. Why me, specifically? Why hunt down someone who ran away from Luna Hill? There were too many questions, and not enough answers. Luke was the only one that could help me figure it all out, but I knew he probably couldn’t provide the answers, either.

  Someone came running up behind Lance, carrying something in her arms. Eyes wide with fear as she approached Lance, the woman seemed unsure about what she was doing. She didn’t smell like the others. The musky smell, I figured out, were wolves, which wasn’t part of her scent.

  “I found this in Jenny’s room.” She handed him a brown stuffed bear. On its chest was a note, a knife holding it on.

  Lance clutched the bear, his face slowly turning into one of pure rage. He lifted it up in the air. “In one week, we meet for the challenge. For now, we will prepare! Do not rest until you find my Jenny.”

  Howling erupted all around us, causing my skin to break out in goose bumps. My wolf shifted uneasily as she pricked her ears forward in interest over what was happening around us. I accepted the hand Luke offered me. Clutching it, I turned to find Lance staring at me intently, his face unreadable.

  Luke leaned over to me, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered, “Let’s head back to your hotel. Things are about to get rowdy here, and they tend to get violent.”

  Just as he said that, I heard someone scream, “Let’s fuck!”

  “What the hell?” I looked around in bewilderment.

  Lance grinned, his teeth reminding me of the big bad wolf. “Better take her away, Luke. We’re about to let off some steam before things get really serious.”

  Growling erupted around us, causing the hair to rise on my arms. How could they think about sex at a time like this? I didn’t get it. But I immediately shook those thoughts away when Luke ran a hand over my lower back. Shivering, I glanced up at him, our eyes meeting knowingly.

  “We better leave,” he said, gruffly.

  Nodding in agreement, I accepted the hand he offered me. We entered the woods, heading down the path I came in on. Why wasn’t he going to his truck? When I looked up at him questioningly, he explained, “I came in with Lance. He thinks he’s the better driver.” He rolled his eyes, giving my hand a good squeeze.

  My mind was racing a million miles a minute. I was excited that we were holding hands like a normal couple. Of course, being a female, my brain started asking questions, like: are we together now? Will he come back to Chicago with me? What happens next?

  We came up to my car, and I went to the gas tank to grab the key. I didn’t know where else to put it since as a wolf I didn’t have pockets. Just as I was about to climb into the driver’s side, Luke wrapped an arm around my waist and looked down at me with concern-filled eyes. At least, it appeared th
at way to me. Maybe I just hoped it was concern. Hoped that he thought about me in that way.

  “I think you and Annie should stay with me. I don’t like you hanging around that motel with all those construction workers in town. Who knows if any of them are part of another Pack?” He tucked my hair behind my ear.

  Inhaling his scent, I briefly closed my eyes, thinking about all the things we could be doing at his house. In his bed. God, I wanted him more than ever. I could definitely see how Lance’s Pack could be so horny. It was like they flipped a switch and poof, you’re rearing to go. Part of me wanted to take him on the hood of my car. Let him go so deep—

  “Riley? This doesn’t mean that you and I are something.” Luke’s words cut into my thoughts like a knife.

  “Then why are you touching me all over?” I demanded, shoving him away. He knew exactly how to douse the fire in me. He said one thing, and then did another. It left me confused and irritated. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to strangle him or keep trying to make him see that we could work. Why the fuck couldn’t I take the hint? Maybe I should. I shouldn’t chase after him if he made himself clear.

  At that moment, it was like my mind completely cleared. I watched as confusion filled his face when he sensed the change in me. My nostrils flared, smelling something sour. My mine told me it was fear. He was afraid of what might have changed. I was done. I would find out what the hell was happening around here, and then I would be gone. Never again would I set foot in Luna Hill.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Luke told me the directions to his house. He didn’t live too far outside of town, but it was secluded enough that no one would bother him. The driveway was about a mile long, made of gravel. My rental car objected to a couple of the holes, hitting hard when we came to a larger one that couldn’t be avoided. I gritted my teeth with every bump, ignoring the sidelong glances from the sexy beast in my passenger seat.