Oath Keeper

by Shelley Wilson

  ‘Sounds fair to me.’ She giggled.

  I was about to lay out the terms and conditions of Sebastian’s sentence should he mess it all up when a large man wearing biker leathers and a bright red bandana sprinted up the path towards us.

  ‘Where’s Liam? Where’s the alpha?’

  A sheen of sweat covered his face, and from the deep creases on his brow, he wasn’t here to deliver good news.

  Like a game of Chinese whispers, the Somerset pack members passed the stranger’s arrival along the line until the alpha, Liam, a tall man with a quiet temperament, emerged from the front door. The biker wolf rushed to his side pulling him into a private huddle.

  I watched amused as the large man flung his arms in all directions, reliving the scene from whatever had him so spooked. I hoped that the academy hadn’t retaliated after our intercepting them in the woods earlier and looked around to see if Ethan was still with us. The black-haired hunter sat with his back to the cottage wall also watching the events unfold.

  I wandered over and sat next to him ignoring the stiffness in his posture at my arrival.

  ‘I’m not the enemy, Ethan. You do know that, don’t you?’

  ‘If you’re not a hunter then you’re my enemy, sweetheart.’

  ‘So that’s it then.’ I threw my arms in the air. ‘There’s no fine line, and no benefit of the doubt? You’re either a good guy or a bad guy?’

  He chuckled and pulled at a long blade of grass. ‘We’re not living in some superhero movie, Mia. The hunters and wolves don’t mix, it’s been that way for hundreds of years. If you followed the hunters’ oath then you’d understand that.’

  ‘Is that what’s bothering you, that I broke my oath?’

  ‘Doesn’t it bother you?’ He leaned forward and turned his body so he was facing me, his green eyes sparkling under the bright sunshine. ‘You trained alongside hunters, you lived and socialised with them, and you upheld the rules of the oath, but you lied to them. You turned your back on everyone and joined the wolves.’

  I was stunned by the passion in his voice. There was no doubt that he was a loyal hunter but I knew it wasn’t that black and white. Especially not at Hood Academy.

  ‘There was no malice involved in me leaving, Ethan. My friends understood why I had to follow the pack and they supported me.’

  ‘I could never support any friend who turned their back on the oath.’

  Ethan leaned back against the house and resumed watching Liam and the biker’s exchange. He obviously didn’t have anything else to say to me on the matter.

  ‘How the hell you have any friends at all is a mystery to me,’ I mumbled, standing up and dusting off my jeans.

  I REJOINED ELIZABETH and Adam. I didn’t want them to, but Ethan’s words had hit a nerve. I was about to talk to Lizzie about it when I caught sight of Liam and the biker man staring at me. The compassion in their eyes turned my blood to ice, and I slowly slid onto the bench.

  ‘What’s up?’ Elizabeth nudged me and then followed my line of sight. ‘Oh.’

  Liam approached, and I fought against the nausea that threatened to take over me. Whatever news the biker had delivered was either about me or for me, of that I was certain.

  ‘Mia, can I have a word?’ The gentle lulling of Liam’s voice put me at ease as I stood and followed him to the garden gate.

  ‘There’s been an incident at Hood Academy,’ he said.

  Relief washed over me. An incident at the academy wasn’t my primary concern, but as an ex-student and Sebastian’s daughter I guessed Liam felt obliged to tell me.

  ‘It appears that a rescue attempt was made, but the pack were low in numbers and were overwhelmed by the GA in residence.’

  I nodded my head as I processed this information. Why was he telling me this? Who had needed rescuing?

  ‘The alpha and his team swept through the grounds, but when they engaged with the GA, they suffered a great number of casualties. Many of the pack were injured but managed to escape, but a few were captured.’

  I listened to the words, and I watched the movement of Liam’s lips as he passed on the animated message from the biker wolf, but something failed to connect in my brain. Seemingly understanding my predicament, Liam filled in the blanks for me.

  ‘They have your alpha and his second, Byron, plus two others. We have no more information at the moment.’

  ‘No! They can’t. Zak’s my brother. They’re my friends. Why would they go to the school? I don’t understand. Cody! What about Cody?’ I could hear the desperation in my voice.

  ‘I’m sorry, Mia, I don’t know anything more than what I’ve told you, but I want you to know that you have the full support of my pack. If you want our help you only have to ask.’

  I COULDN’T DIFFERENTIATE between the roar in my head and the roar of the waves as they crashed against the rocks. Both sounds were angry and loud. I’d allowed Adam to take over the conversation with Liam as my distress erupted into full-blown hysteria. Lizzie led me away clinging to my hand like a frightened child, the pair of us trying to comprehend what had happened since our departure.

  For the next hour or so I’d screamed, cried, and ranted at Sebastian as if he was responsible for my brother’s capture. It hadn’t helped when my dear old dad began explaining the probable procedure Parker would use on my brother to Liam’s assembled pack members.

  I’d stormed out slamming the door so hard I’m sure I heard glass break somewhere.

  The sea air didn’t have the calming effect I’d hoped for, so I set off at a brisk pace across the sand towards the small lighthouse. Why had Zak advanced on Hood Academy? The only people who needed rescuing when we were there had returned home already. The biker wolf confirmed that Ari had made it back with the other children and they were all accounted for. We’d left nobody behind.

  I shivered against the cool breeze that hinted at the end of summer and kicked myself once again for leaving my coat behind. My coat. My scent. A slow-motion film began to play out in my mind. The images were of me climbing down the trellis from my bedroom window and dashing through the woods, arriving at the barn in search of clues as to Sebastian’s whereabouts. The inner pictures flashed to our descent into the laboratories to rescue the children and then our subsequent ascent into the school.

  Ari had left us in the basement rooms, but anyone following my scent would arrive at the science classroom to find my discarded coat and a missing wolf, driven away in Sebastian’s SUV. Shit! Zak had no idea that we were working together, he didn’t know Adam was with us, he had no clue that Sebastian had helped us do so much including destroying the Evermore warehouse. To my brother, I was missing, and I knew what that feeling was like. For years I hadn’t known where my brother was, but he had always kept tabs on me, until now. I slumped onto the sand burying my head in my arms and let the sobs wrack my body.

  I was aware of someone standing behind me and was surprised to find Ethan kicking at the sand a few feet away from me.

  ‘I’m sorry about your brother,’ he said.

  If I hadn’t felt so desolate I might have laughed.

  ‘No you’re not.’

  He chuckled and crouched down beside me.

  ‘I’ll never understand you, Mia, but I’m not totally heartless. Family is important and even though your brother is a freak, I get why you would care about him.’

  I stared at him. In his own warped way I think he was trying to be nice, but nice wasn’t what I needed right now.

  ‘It’s all my fault,’ I said. ‘Zak took the pack to Hood Academy to rescue me.’

  If anything happened to him, Byron, or the other wolves, I’d never be able to forgive myself. I realised how foolish I’d been to leave without a word. I should have at least taken my phone with me so I could stay in touch with Cody. He must have been going out of his mind with worry. Cody was the rock I clung to when the rapids swirled around me and yet I’d left without saying a word. Ethan was right. I did turn my back on everyone.
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  A sob caught in my throat and I jumped up from the sand and swiped at the tears on my face.

  ‘We need to go,’ I said with more determination in my voice than I felt. ‘I have to return home and fix the mess I’ve made.’

  Ethan joined me as I ran back along the beach. Rushing back towards that small cottage on the seafront I felt a crushing sensation in my chest. What if I was too late?

  THE SUV’S ENGINE hummed in the background as we said our goodbyes to Liam and the Somerset pack. I had decided to go on ahead instead of waiting for the pack to assemble. Liam assured us that if we needed their help, his pack would make their way to Nottingham and join us in the fight.

  Evermore Pharmaceuticals needed to be stopped before any more children were harmed, or killed, but right now, Parker and the GA were the problem.

  Adam and Elizabeth walked up to where I stood shaking hands with Liam and his wife, who nodded their greeting to the pair before moving off to speak with Sebastian.

  ‘Are you sure you’re not going to come with us?’ After hearing about an Evermore delivery heading to the packs in Cornwall, Adam had decided to travel south and try to get his old school to help. It was at the Cornish Academy that Adam had met Miss Ross and formed a friendship that would see her call on him to help us.

  I understood the need to help his old friends, both hunter and wolf, but I felt sad for Lizzie who had to say goodbye to her boyfriend once again.

  ‘I need to see if there’s anything I can do. Liam has called ahead and warned the packs to stay clear of the Evermore team, but if none of the alphas bring their children forward, I’m worried the academy will send a team out to force it on them.’

  We’d started to hear similar stories trickling in over the past day or two, where the alpha had refused the cure and teams of soldiers had swept through their homes taking the children against their will. The incident with Ethan and the Somerset hunters wasn’t an isolated occurrence and the packs needed all the help they could get.

  Fights were breaking out all over the country as the packs began to rise up, but without any structure, these small skirmishes wouldn’t make any difference. It was becoming clear that Parker had the entire resources of the GA at his disposal while using Evermore as a cover for his despicable plan. That meant he had access to weapons, funds, and hunters.

  None of us had yet established if the GA were also involved. They were holding Hood Academy under review but Parker was smart; he could hide in plain sight if necessary, leading the GA into a game they weren’t aware they were playing.

  ‘With the new school term around the corner we can’t risk the younger students getting caught up in a war,’ Adam said. ‘They’re training to be hunters and will be brainwashed into believing that all the wolves need to die rather than keeping the peace. I need to try and make a difference.’

  I understood exactly how Adam felt. The hunters’ oath was clear; to every pack, a cub is born. Unleash the hunter to protect and serve. Protect and serve, not kill. Over time the true meaning of the academies had been lost somewhere. The role of the hunters was to protect their community from the wolves, not to seek them out and destroy them.

  The origins of Hood Academy may have been to assist Queen Victoria in ridding the country of lycanthropy, but the modern teachings had been much more sympathetic in their dealings with the local packs.

  Perhaps it was me, but I’d read Dr Neale’s book at Sebastian’s request and found the message of tolerance to be the stronger theme.

  ‘I wish you didn’t have to go,’ Elizabeth said, wrapping her arms around Adam’s waist and dropping her head on his chest. ‘But I understand why you do. Just promise you’ll stay safe.’

  They kissed, and I averted my eyes, glancing out across the beach and the ocean beyond. I made a vow to return here when all this was over. Being by the sea made my heart soar and filled me with that sense of freedom that I’d longed for all my life.

  Yes, when this mess was cleared up I’d be back.

  ‘Time to go,’ Sebastian called to us from the SUV, and we ambled over shaking hands with the assembled pack members as we went.

  There was a sombre mood hanging in the air, mixed with anger, trepidation, and fear. It clung to me like a physical entity, a burden upon my shoulders.

  Elizabeth slid into the back of the car, and I climbed in the front next to Sebastian, giving a final wave to Adam, Liam, and our new friends. Before Sebastian could pull out of the driveway, the back door swung wide and Ethan jumped in.

  ‘What are you doing?’ I snapped. I had little patience for the boy as it was, despite his attempts to comfort me on the beach, but the thought of a long road trip with him didn’t fill me with joy.

  ‘I’m coming with you,’ he said clicking his seat belt into the clip. ‘You’re not leaving me with a bunch of wolves. I’m a hunter, and I belong with other hunters.’ He gave me a sidelong glance as if that last comment wasn’t fully meant to include me.

  ‘We might not agree on certain things, Mia, but I can help you.’

  I twisted around so I could look into his eyes.

  ‘How can you help us? You don’t even agree with what we’re trying to do.’

  He gave me a wide smile and I almost believed it was genuine.

  ‘I’m a hunter, just like Elizabeth.’ He jerked his thumb in Lizzie’s direction and she rolled her eyes. ‘I can fight and hunt.’

  ‘You hunt werewolves, Ethan. That’s who we’re going to help. What does your oath-obsessed conscience say about that?’

  He shrugged his shoulders and nestled down into the car seat. ‘If I help you rescue your brother then maybe you can owe me. That hybrid power has to be good for something.’

  ‘Oh, so now it’s all about what I can do for you?’ I could feel my pulse starting to throb as my anger and irritation grew. The kid was infuriating but I couldn’t deny that an extra pair of hands would be welcome.

  ‘Exactly. It’s a win-win situation.’

  I huffed and sat back in the seat.

  ‘Do you think I could have my phone back now?’ he added. ‘I want to listen to my music while we’re in the car.’

  Glaring at him I dug his phone out of my pocket and tossed it at him. At least if he was listening to music he wouldn’t spend the entire journey winding me up.

  Sebastian caught my attention, and I rolled my eyes in an attempt to convey my unhappiness but acceptance of the situation. Luckily Sebastian got it and moved the car forward.

  It didn’t matter if Ethan came with us, or that Sebastian was driving us, I was going home to help my family, and that was the only thing that counted.

  THE JOURNEY WAS subdued; Elizabeth buried her head in a book and Ethan plugged his earphones in, the muted sounds of some rock band echoing around the car.

  ‘Did you manage to read that notebook about hybrids?’ Sebastian broke the silence, pulling me out of my jumbled thoughts.

  ‘Not all of it, I’ve only read the main references to hybrids, but it does sound similar to my situation.’

  ‘Do you know who wrote it?’

  I hadn’t given it much thought if I was honest. The word hybrid had stood out for me like a neon marker and stripped away any curiosity.

  ‘It was Dr Neale.’

  ‘You mean Queen Victoria’s werewolf hunter?’

  ‘The very same. He was recruited by the crown to defend the country, but he was also a scientist and had a thirst for finding answers.’

  ‘Hmm, bit like you then.’

  Sebastian huffed, and I remembered his inability to express emotion faltered on occasion. His little huff was the equivalent to laughing out loud, something I’d adopted as a trait too, I realised.

  My forehead crinkled as I drew my eyebrows together.

  ‘What else do you have in common with an ancient hunter apart from both being the head of Hood Academy?’

  ‘Do you remember the conversation we had when you first arrived at the academy? You commented on the cool
stuff I’d collected.’

  Pushing aside my amazement that Sebastian remembered any of our conversations, I did recall talking to him about the building and its impressive collection of old furniture and books. The place never felt cluttered; instead, it was safe, warm, and cosy. I’d remarked on this right before telling Sebastian I wanted to leave.

  ‘Yes, I remember. You told me you’d inherited most of it.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Sebastian’s shoulders lifted as he mirrored my reaction. We both apparently appreciated the fact our conversations were memorable.

  ‘Well, the academy and its contents were handed down the family line, passing from generation to generation. I’m one hunter in a very long line, and you, Mia, are part of that history.’

  ‘I don’t think I’m worthy of inheriting anything as I’m not a fully fledged hunter. In fact, I’m fairly certain that dear old Dr Neale would turn in his grave if he knew you were entertaining a hybrid in his precious academy!’

  ‘That’s where you’re wrong, Mia. If you’d managed to read the notebook you’d have found some interesting information about our family line.’

  ‘So why don’t you tell me,’ I urged, starting to lose patience in Sebastian’s cryptic ramblings.

  ‘Dr Neale was my great-great-great-granddad.’

  My head spun as I processed what he was saying.

  ‘You mean I’m descended from Queen Victoria’s hunter?’ I laughed. I laughed so loud it made Elizabeth jump and Ethan snarl at having his music interrupted.

  ‘What’s so funny about that?’ Sebastian’s face crumpled at my reaction.

  ‘I’m sorry, but if Gramps knew about me, he’d excommunicate you for fraternising with a werewolf.’

  Sebastian did huff at that.

  ‘Everything is not always as it seems, Mia. Dr Neale wrote about the hunters’ oath in 1862 when Ravenshood was overrun by wolves. He was a bit like Mr Parker at the time, adamant that the wolves were evil and desperate to destroy the packs. With money from the Crown, he opened Hood Academy in 1866 and began training those students who had come into contact with the wolves.’