by Dean Murray
Eventually, Regan’s shoulders sagged. “Fine,” she agreed. “Charlie, get in.”
She opened the door and stepped back so I was forced to slide in first. I wedged myself into the middle seat, one leg on each side of the gearshift, and tried to ignore the claustrophobia I felt at being crammed into such a small space.
As soon as Regan pulled the door shut Carter hit the gas and flipped a U-turn. We passed a few more houses on the way out of the neighborhood and I did see a few people out and about in the yard or getting into their cars. Carter turned out of the neighborhood and we picked up speed. It was a back road, winding and narrow, with the forest closing us in on both sides. In less than a mile it opened back up again and I could see a small strip of businesses and buildings up ahead. Carter slowed as we neared.
“So, this is it?” I asked, swiveling right and left to take it all in.
“Welcome to Paradise,” Carter said with a wide arc of his arm.
Regan rolled her eyes. “This is town. Unless you want to drive twenty minutes into Hamilton City.”
“Which we don’t,” Carter put in. “Not usually.”
“On this side is the post office and the drugstore. On the left is the grocery and gas station,” Regan said. She pointed to each as we passed even though they were clearly marked.
“What’s that place?” I pointed to a broken-down building behind the drugstore.
“That’s the movie theater. It’s where I was when Mom...” Regan trailed off.
No one said anything. Carter sped up and pointed out his window. “There’s the high school.”
“I thought Dad said I was going to be taught by the pack or him?” I asked.
“You are. I started homeschooling last year,” said Regan. “All of the pack members are pulled junior year for homeschooling. It leaves more time for hunting and patrolling so the council makes it mandatory.”
Up ahead, the stoplight changed and we rolled to a stop. “A blessing in disguise if you ask me. The humans there are a migraine waiting to happen,” Carter said.
“That and you almost gave yourself away with that stupid flagpole prank last year,” Regan said with an eye roll. She propped her elbow on the open window, casual and somehow at ease in the middle of their traded barbs.
“Not my fault,” Carter protested. “They jumped me. Was I supposed to just stand there and take it?”
“Yes,” Regan said, leaning forward a little as her intensity increased. I got the distinct impression these two argued a lot. “If it’s a choice between showing off your superhuman strength and getting beat up, you get beat up.”
Carter only smirked. “You’re just jealous I took out all six of them without breaking a sweat.”
“Anytime, anywhere, Carter, you just say the word,” Regan said.
“My money’s on her,” I said, jerking a thumb at my new sister. I earned a laugh from the both.
The light changed and we passed the school building, brick and brown trim and looking every bit as institutional as my own school back in Oregon. Up ahead, the road forked.
“Home?” Carter asked.
“Home,” Regan agreed.
Carter took the road to the left and we sped up again. “What’s the other way?” I asked. I strained my neck but the road wound around and disappeared out of sight. Regan and Carter exchanged a look.
“That’s a story for later,” Carter said. He sounded angry, though I couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong except maybe Regan had promised me a tour of the town and all I’d gotten was a drive-by. But the air in the truck had thickened with something I didn’t recognize, so I decided not to mention it.
We rode in silence for a few minutes. The road continued to wind and straighten and wind again as we slowly climbed higher toward the house on the hill. I hadn’t realized we’d run so far earlier but I’d been distracted by the urge to compete.
“So have you figured out each other’s strategy yet?” Carter asked.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“The contest. You’re going to have to compete against each other.” He glanced over at me. “You do realize that, right?”
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
Regan didn’t say anything. She had her lips pressed together and her arms folded again.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” he said.
I looked over at him. He was staring at the road and shaking his head in disgust. “Our competition?” I asked, hoping I’d finally found an ally to talk them all out of it.
“The loser gets to be beta,” he said.
“Sad you’re losing your place?” Regan asked him.
“It’s rightfully mine. I should get a say,” he said.
“No, it’s rightfully the alpha’s choice,” she shot back.
“We both know—” His cheeks reddened and he stopped. “I shouldn’t have to lose it to a newbie,” he finished. They exchanged a glare over my head and I wished I could’ve sank into the seat.
No one said anything else after that.
At the top of the hill I spotted two large utility vans that hadn’t been there earlier parked in front of the garage.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Neither of them answered. I stole a glance at each of them, but they looked just as stumped as I was. We got out and Carter wandered off. I stayed with Regan because even though I didn’t exactly get a warm fuzzy around her, she was the closest thing to a friend I had made so far. I followed her around the side of the house. Workers in gray uniforms were carrying tables and chairs down a wide path that led straight into the woods.
“What the hell...?” Regan mumbled.
We fell into step side by side and a few minutes later the path opened into a wide clearing. Thick trees bordered all sides, but under my feet was thick grass. I looked down and realized it wasn’t even natural; it was some kind of fancy AstroTurf. The space was clearly being prepared for a party.
Fairy lights were draped from the branches of the trees that hung over the open area while long benches carved out of tree trunks were dragged into position on either side of a wide aisle. A couple of muscled men were ripping pine trees out of the ground where they came too close to the clearing and throwing them aside. They gave loud cracking noises as the roots were wrenched free of the earth. I flinched every time, more in awe of their show of brute force than the violent noise of the dying trees. I’d known my whole life we possessed strength like this—I’d never actually tested the limits. Or watched others do the same.
“Hello, girls.” William Vuk walked up, nodding politely in the way a dinner guest might. He stood with his hand at his sides and his chest out, the picture of confidence and power. He was watching the work with a keen eye that said he didn’t miss a single detail. None of it was familiar or even affectionate. I noticed Regan was just as detached in the way she stood half-facing us, half-ready to bolt.
“Dad, what’s going on?” Regan asked.
“We’re getting ready for a wedding,” he said, the words so matter-of-fact, I was surprised Regan didn’t already know. It felt like everyone knew what was going on but me.
“It looks like a pretty big deal,” I said. “Who’s going to be married?”
“You are,” he said. And then, turning to Regan, added, “Or maybe it will be you.”
I felt all the blood rush out of my head. The world spun around me, and I had to grab one of the benches to stay standing. “Excuse me? I’m … You’re joking. This is a joke, right?”
Regan was pale and deathly silent beside me.
“Not a joke,” he corrected. “Rather a pledge. Tonight, we are hosting an engagement party for the impending marriage of the next alpha. Whichever of my daughters that turns out to be.”
My half-sister stiffened behind him. Her eyes went round and her nostrils flared.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I protested.
“It makes too much sense, and there’s the logic in it that can’t be overlooked, unfortunately. No matter our .
.. feelings,” he said with a pointed look at Regan that sent a ripple of dread through me.
“Dad, what did you do?” Regan asked.
“It’s time for both of you to learn about the treaty,” Dad said. “Sit down.”
I did what he told me to, but not because I wanted to be obedient. I just didn’t have any other choice. My legs wouldn’t hold me up anymore. Regan didn’t budge, but she was breathing hard, and I guessed she hadn’t known any more about the marriage thing than I did.
Marriage? Was he crazy? Had living out here in isolation amongst only werewolves rotted his brain?
“Look, whatever you’re trying to do, traditions to uphold and all that, it’s not for me. I can’t get married,” I said, trying to sound as calm as possible while my brain whirled in hysteric circles. “I’m not old enough. I’m not in love. I’m not—”
“An organization as old and noble as our pack has enemies,” my dad began as if I hadn’t even spoken. “This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. But in this modern day, we can’t openly wage war anymore. If we spill blood across the forest in the heat of battle, humans will notice, and there could be ... problems.” Dad kind of looked wistful about that, like he thought it was a shame he couldn’t maul his enemies. “We’ve been forced to find better ways to resolve disputes. Negotiations, politics, acts of good faith toward peace.” He said the last word with distaste.
“What does this have to do with a wedding?” I asked.
“The Council of Elders and I have been working to arrange a marriage that benefits all parties. This goes back to before your mother was killed, Regan,” he warned. “This is the best way.”
“All parties? What does that even mean?” I demanded. All his talk of wars and elders and disputes was making my head spin.
“It means whichever daughter assumes the role of alpha will wed Owen Rossi.”
My exclamation was drowned out by a resounding, “Hell no,” from Regan. I wasn’t sure who this Owen person was, but he must be pretty horrible. It was the first time I’d heard her disagree with anything Dad said, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth her face reddened and she dropped her eyes. “Sorry, sir. But I mean, isn’t that a bad idea? No, a horrible, wretched, unthinkable idea? They killed Mom.”
“We don’t know who killed her, Regan, and that’s what I intend to find out.” Dad looked back at the wedding preparations like a drill sergeant inspecting a bunker. “One way or another,” he muttered. “But that’s not your concern. A marriage between our families will bring goodwill and peace at a time the pack needs it most.” He frowned. “This is purely political. You don’t have to like it. You just have to do it.”
I looked at Regan, hoping she’d say something, anything, to convince our dad he was being crazy. I couldn’t be expected to marry a complete stranger, especially one so horrible Regan suspected him of murder. Who was this guy? Another werewolf, I assumed. But Regan wasn’t giving up anything; she’d recovered from her earlier outburst and was tensely silent. She met my gaze and I could see the burn of temper underneath the surface, but she didn’t speak. I was on my own.
“You can’t expect me to be a part of whatever political game you’re playing,” I said. “This is stupid!”
Dad gripped my shoulder. His hand was heavy and it clenched down tight on my clavicle, but not painfully so. His glare hurt more. It sliced right through me.
“I expect you to do what you must to save the lives of the pack. You are a Vuk. I expect you to act like it.” He included Regan in his glance. She stared back for a half a second before her gaze fell away. I could understand that; Dad wasn’t the type you could stare down.
My silence must’ve satisfied him because he let go of me and stepped back, eyeing the progress of the workers again.
“Hey, that doesn’t go there,” he snapped at a harried-looking boy with glasses.
The boy was balancing a stack of chairs in his arms and they were wobbling side to side while he tried to figure out where Dad was pointing. “I’ll see you both at the meeting later,” he said, barely glancing at us as he strode toward the now frightened-looking boy.
I turned back to Regan. She was standing rod straight and staring hard after Dad. “How bad is it?” I asked. She blinked, almost like she’d forgotten I was there. “This wedding,” I prompted when she didn’t answer. “Owen what’s-his-name.”
“Rossi,” she muttered. “It’s beyond ridiculous. That’s what it is.”
“Did he really kill your mother?”
“Well, not him personally. I mean, he could’ve but I doubt he’d get his hands dirty with mercenary work. He’d send someone. That bodyguard of theirs is high on my list.”
“He has a bodyguard?” Her explanation was getting more and more confusing. Who was this guy? If his family was so powerful around here, how come no one had mentioned him on our tour of the town? Maybe he was from a different pack farther away.
“His whole family does.” She smirked. “They just don’t want me to catch them alone.”
I thought of the men yanking trees out with their bare hands. Of Carter fighting off six human kids at school without breaking a sweat. I could only imagine what Regan was capable of in a fight. “What did they do to make everyone hate them so much?”
She rolled her eyes, like the answer should’ve been obvious. “They don’t have to do anything. It’s what they are.”
I shook my head, thoroughly confused. “Which is?”
“Hey, Vuk,” someone called from the other end of the field.
Both Regan and I turned and I immediately felt my cheeks flush at reacting to the name. Carter was coming toward us, and he was clearly talking to Regan. Why would anyone here be calling out to me? “Bevin just called. She said to tell you she’ll meet you at the training field tomorrow at seven,” he told her.
“Thanks,” Regan said.
Carter’s brow quirked. “What’s that about?”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You meeting my sister at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning.”
“Oh.” Regan shot me a glance and I got the feeling I was suddenly unwanted. I looked around, but it wasn’t like there was anywhere for me to go. “She’s going to help me get some training time in. For the competition,” she said, shooting me another glance.
Light dawned on Carter’s face. “Gotcha.”
I kept my gaze averted, like I hadn’t just heard all of that, but it was insanely awkward. So Regan was already setting aside time to practice to beat me in the competition? Clearly, she’d already bought into the whole duel idea our father had planted. Was I the only one who thought this was crazy? Or outdated?
“So, what’s the deal with your old man, anyway?” Carter asked. “I just heard about the Rossi thing. This wedding idea is bullshit. Even he has to know that.”
“You would think.” Regan shook her head. I followed her line of sight to where Dad was still berating the kid with the chairs and making sure he placed every single one of them perfectly. “I don’t know. He seems to think they’re innocent and that we should unite our families to end the feud. Blah, blah, blah.”
Carter’s brows furrowed in what looked like genuine concern. “You think losing your mom pushed him over the edge?”
“I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. He says the Council agrees with him, and it’s not like we could argue anyway. Don’t forget he’s the acting alpha right now.”
Carter scowled. “How could I forget? But seriously, marrying Rossi? That’s just insane. What are you going to do?”
“I’ll figure something out,” Regan muttered.
Carter continued to talk to Regan about names and events I’d never heard of. I tuned it out and tried to think of a good reason to excuse myself. I was dying for a reason to leave and they both spoke like I wasn’t there anyway. I couldn’t believe Regan was going to train the next day. Had the entire day—all of our time spent getting to know each other—been a lie? Did she ev
en want to know me? Or was she just trying to get information from me, to find out how to take me down? I’d had enough.
“I’m going back to my room,” I said, abruptly cutting off whatever Carter was saying about patrol schedules and the party security. Both of them just looked at me like they’d forgotten I was there.
“Give me a second, I’ll go with you,” Regan began.
“I can find my own way,” I said, cutting her off. I turned and walked off, leaving her and Carter to discuss my demise in private.
Chapter Six
Regan
My wolf muscles burned and screamed, protesting against the strain, but I didn’t let up. In front of me, my friend Bevin was a furry outline with pointed teeth. The gray dawn mixed with the soft gray in her fur—Carter always teased it ended up that shade from dying her human hair too often—until the only thing I could make out were her black eyes and her razor canines. Both of us were panting heavily. Bevin’s mouth hung open just enough and I knew if her jaw found purchase against any part of my wolf, she wouldn’t hesitate to bite.
Neither would I.
That’s what I liked about Bevin. She never went easy. As a wolf, at least. As a human teenaged girl, she sometimes got too dramatic for me. But like this, we were a good match for me to let off some steam.
I growled as I blocked Bevin’s next attack, forcing myself to refocus. Part of me was too cocky to admit I needed the practice, especially against someone like Charlie. But there was a small voice way down deep that wondered…
“You’re distracted,” Bevin said a few minutes later when I’d managed to block her but not launch any successful attack of my own.
She backed away and began to shudder at the edges of her form. I did the same, managing to concentrate long enough to be certain my clothes stayed with me as I shifted back to two legs. Bevin shook her head.
“You better get it together before the contest,” she said.
“Don’t remind me,” I muttered.
“Some of the pack are saying your dad has lost it,” she admitted.
“They might be right.” I sighed and swiped my hand over my face. “It doesn’t make any sense. The Rossis have to be behind Mom’s—it doesn’t make any sense,” I repeated.
