by Holly Hook
"Oh."
Inside, the others have gone back to sleep. Abigail's out cold on the couch.
"The phone," Callie repeats. "I imagine you two want to talk to each other without borrowing. The rest of the pack have theirs."
"Yeah." My mind swims as I retrieve Cayden's device from the kitchen table. "Here. And what about the Hunters? Did you contact them?"
Callie takes the phone. "Yeah. They're scattered all over the country, but my Uncle Alex will be here this morning. He's the most experienced Hunter in the family from what I've heard. I guess he moved away from Colling ten years ago and hasn't hunted since."
"He gets his chance soon."
"I don't know him too well. My parents are in New York because they wanted to give up hunting, so he's the closest link I have right now. If he decides there's a need, he'll call the other Hunters he knows. You might meet him later today. Depends on what he wants to do." Callie's eyes burn. She's finally going to have the chance to do what she was born to do.
"He'll find reason. So, is Cayden going nuts yet?"
"He's holding his own."
I have to get serious now. "How trained are you, anyway?"
"I've been doing archery and practicing with knives since I was five," Callie says. "My parents tried to get me to stop, but I didn't."
"You live in a different world," I say.
"Oh. Yes. You grew up in the normal world," Callie says, remembering my story. "Most Wolves don't. So, the plan?"
I force a smile, keeping up a happy wall. "We shouldn't attack just yet. For one, we need to know where the cult's going to be and how many Savages are around them now. For all we know, they could have increased their numbers after Matthew died. And I have to make sure I can keep a clear head." I level a look at her, hoping she gets it. Letting something slip could be bad. Lawrence will grab onto anything to push me out of power, and some of the Wolves could be with him.
"You do keep a clear head," Callie agrees. "Hunters are less likely to be detected going into the Savage territory than Noble Wolves. We can mask our scent. It's an art we've learned over the centuries."
"Oh." So that's how Earl hid in the tree stand. "Well, it works." I could have learned this stuff if my mother had survived. I could have remained human, working beside Cayden but forbidden to date him, even if I was a forbidden product myself. How different things could have turned out.
Callie leans close. "You look relieved."
"We have to fight, but I don't want to put these Wolves in too much danger. And fighting might...do things to me, especially if we have to attack humans. Even if they're crappy humans." It's not fair.
Callie nods a warning as she looks over my shoulder. We're on the same page. I even get the sense we could become friends.
"I get it," she says. "Tell the other Wolves it's best to wait, so no one gets hurt. Uncle Alex might have some good ideas."
"You're telling me what to do?" I ask.
Callie gives me a playful glare. "I'm not a pack member. So you have nothing on me. You'll see."
* * * * *
In my efforts to keep the new peace, I start breakfast again as the others stir. Abigail comes into the kitchen first, eyeing the assortment of pans I've put on the stove and the pile of bacon packages I've stacked on the counter.
"Callie stopped by," I say.
"Oh, I heard her as I was waking. Spunky girl, she is."
"She's a woman." I make eye contract with Abigail as she studies me. I'm the short blond who defeated her bodybuilder grandson. It's not like I can blame her.
"If you want to speak to your mate, I'll take over breakfast," Abigail says.
"But your leg—"
"Don't mind my leg. It works better when I stay active. How do you think I've survived this long?" She pinches my shoulder as if she were the grandmother I never had. "I used to be alpha, you know, before Lawrence challenged me."
I face her, but her smile remains. "You're the best sport I've ever met."
"He was stronger than me," Abigail says. "Oh, I knew it was coming. Our line of Wolves is almost as strong as the Royals. We descend from some of Remus's first Wolves. To fight his brother's darkness, he turned some willing warriors before he died."
"So your line is almost as old as mine," I say.
"That's why they call us Guardian Wolves."
"Well, I'm glad we're all reuniting. Happy family stuff, right?" I say, turning on the gas to the stove. The bacon starts to sizzle in the pan.
"Say, are the Russells still here in town?" Abigail asks. "Do they still practice magic?"
"Maybe we should invite them over for breakfast," I say. "No. We should invite them over. We have time before class." I'm alpha now. Abigail's wise and knows she needs to test me. I can't blame her for that, either. None of the new Wolves know me, either.
"It would be nice," Abigail says as Aunt May steps into the room. "And here's the other Royal."
"I'm the sister of Brie's father," she says, distracting Abigail. "I know I forgot to mention that the other day."
"Oh, so who did he marry?" She's salivating with curiosity. Abigail's proving to be a sucker for gossip.
Struggling not to tense, I flip three of the bacon slices with a knife.
"Her mother was Connie Hegeman, a Wolf who moved to Breckenridge after she met Brie's father. Oh, she got caught up in suppressing it all like my brother and I did. Didn't quite work for her, and I'm sad to see her go." The lie comes off her lips, flawless. Sometimes I forget Aunt May used to be passionate about acting, too.
I don't dare wink a thank you to Aunt May. I'll thank her later.
"Connie Hegeman?" Abigail asks.
"She was from Maine. Last of her pack, fleeing from Savages. Was hoping the Royals could protect her."
"That's always such a sad story." Abigail sighs.
Aunt May lowers her voice to a somber pitch. "The same happened to Brie's parents when a pack tried to take this territory. Brie and I are the last."
"Two Royals," Abigail says. "Yes. There is no excuse for Lawrence to stay out of it now. I'll need to have another talk with him."
"Thank you," I say. "And Aunt May, if you could call the Russells that would be great. I'm sure they'll be glad to know the Hunters are coming back."
* * * * *
The morning is more chaos. The house gets crowded with Leonora and her parents—the rest of the family didn't want to rise early—and the pack members already here. We finish our breakfast while Remo and Leonora sneak off to his room. I only get a chance to call Cayden in the tiny gap between dishes and having to leave for class. Callie must have driven back to Colling already, because when I call, he picks up right away.
"How are things?" he asks.
I stand on the back deck, not caring that the temperature's plunged again today. "Well, we're going to send the Hunters out to the Savage territory. We called and told Callie where it is. And don't worry. I guess they're good."
"I know that," Cayden says with a chuckle. "I'm keeping the peace here in Colling. If you need us, I'll know."
His words reassure me. "You felt what was happening last night," I whisper.
"I hated not being able to call, but then I felt that you were all right."
"Yeah. Everly hugged me. And don't call if there are other pack members around who can overhear my problem. That was smart."
"She hugged you?"
"Total shocker."
"Look, if I feel Romulus trying to take over again, I'm hopping on one of Lawrence's quads and running down the gas to get back. And believe me, I've checked them all. I have dibs on the green one."
"Cayden, I love you, but only do it if you can keep the curse away." I have hope for him, even if he's already on the other side of that wall.
"I don't care if it's right there. I don't know what I'd do without you, Brie. You make my life bearable."
I want to tell him so much more, that maybe he's the only reason Romulus hasn't taken me over yet, but I hold back. If Romulus does mana
ge to come through, his essence might infect Cayden first. His evil will take advantage of our bond, a bond we might have foolishly strengthened by making love.
"Just bearable?" I ask.
"Well, you know what I mean."
"I do. I'll call you after school," I say. "I'll see what ideas the Hunters have and I'll let you know."
Chapter Ten
Noah's struggling today. His arm is still in that black sling, but he grins when I walk up to our shared locker.
"How you feeling?"
"Awesome. Shoulder Crusher woke me up like eight times last night, but Super Energy Drink came to the rescue this morning." He lifts an eyebrow at me. "Did you...find anyone this weekend?"
I let Noah know we'd be looking for other Noble Wolves over the weekend. "I'll tell you about it at lunch if Ellie's not sitting with us." Lately, my other friend has grown more distant to me and I can't blame her. Sure, I apologized for driving Jansen away, and she's still texting him, but after the monumental jerk I was, we're not going to be as close as we were. Ellie will probably sit with Angela and Shauna, who fill their schedules with art classes. It's the closest she can get to her usual group of creatives when I'm around.
"Great," Noah says. "How are things with Mr. Saffron?"
Oh. "He's still freaked out." Though a member of the pack now by default, our Drama teacher refuses to take part in any of our business. In fact, he barely talks to me during rehearsals now. Or Cayden, for that matter. I have the power to boss him around, but I won't. I infected him, so I'll do my best to not be a jerk. Especially since the Savage King has showed no signs of possessing him again.
Noah and I walk to class, where he seethes from the pain his busted shoulder gives off again. "You know, I envy your healing," he says. "If you could shift and bite me, I'd be rid of this in no time."
"But would your girlfriend like that?" I ask.
Olivia stands near the front door, waiting for us. She waves to me and then makes a kissy face at Noah.
"Sure she would," he says, extending his left arm to her. Noah wraps Olivia up best he can and they head inside. At least he has something to make him feel better, because I'm never bringing Noah into this life, just as Cayden and Aunt May didn't want me to get swamped in this. He's better off letting his shoulder heal normally.
I hike up my backpack, but just as I'm about to enter Mrs. Connors's classroom, I smell something out of place. A human scent, but like leather and with a hint of metal.
There's a man standing at the corner of the hallway, near the parking lot doors. A middle-aged guy leans into the corner, wearing a leather hat, jacket, and a belt lined with empty holsters. If the principal sees him, the cops will get called for sure, even if he's carrying no weapons. A beard hangs down over the front of his coat, and this guy looks like he works out with Lawrence. As our gazes meet, he gives me a warning nod to stay silent.
This might be Callie's Uncle Alex. Every inch of this guy screams Hunter. And even though we're supposed to be on the same side, the serious look he drills into me makes me shudder.
The man turns and slips out of the school, drawing no attention. The door slips shut behind him, and after a blink, he's gone.
And my gut screams that something's wrong. I don't know why—this guy is supposed to be a relative—but the bad feeling won't quit.
But instead of feeling secure and protected, every hair stands on end. These people could end me if they figured out the truth. And maybe that's why everyone pretended the Noble Royals were dead.
* * * * *
"Hey. Can you two walk out of the school with me today?" I ask Noah and Olivia once I finish telling them about my weekend. I leave my lunch tray in front of me, untouched.
A feeling of stupid sweeps over me. I'm freaking out over a human and don't know why. And worse, Everly and Remo are listening on the other side of the cafeteria. Leonora sits with them, waiting for a rundown of what I'm saying. She's been sitting with Everly lately, which I guess is like me sitting at the same table as Olivia.
Noah and Olivia must know, too, because Olivia glances over to them and back to me. At least her fear of Noble Wolves seems to be vanishing.
"How come?" Noah asks.
"Well, do you remember how my mother's family were Hunters?"
"Well, yeah. Still kind of weird, even if they didn't hunt the good werewolves," Noah says.
"They're here now," I say with a gulp. I sniff again, but I pick up nothing but the usual scents of the cafeteria. "You didn't see the guy earlier. I know he's going to meet me after school and I got serious bad vibes from him."
"How did you know he was a Hunter?" Noah asks.
"His belt. The way he nodded at me. But I learned this weekend from Callie that I'm not supposed to be here. Noble Wolves and Hunters aren't supposed to marry. I'm some kind of freak. If the new Wolves or the other Hunters know, things could get bad. I don't know if they still know it today, but the Sterlings came from Romulus and didn't want those bloodlines mixing."
"Man, Brie." Noah frowns and his eyes widen. "That's no pressure at all."
"I don't smell the guy now," I say.
"We'll walk with you," Olivia says, though she's pushing out the words. "A Hunter might not do anything in front of normal people."
"Thanks. I'll let you know when I'm good." I take out my phone to look for any of Cayden's texts, but it seems he's busy wherever he is. And I haven't felt any signs he's in danger.
But once I finish lunch, I sneak off to the bathroom and text him the deal. Even though I'm still alpha, a part of me feels I need to tell him rather than just deal with it on my own.
Cayden texts me one bold message back:
DON'T LET THEM SEE ROMULUS.
* * * * *
I endure my final class by grasping the edge of my desk and looking at the clock like any nervous person. The Hunters will meet me outside. I know it, even if they haven't told me exactly where. I just hope Callie shows up.
But under all the worry they'll find me out, I wonder if they can keep any Wolves from having to fight Romulus's little cult. Will Hunters fight other humans?
And most of all, help to keep me out of it?
I don't dare get out my phone as I walk towards the most obscure exit doors students are allowed to use in the school: the Science wing doors. I push through them with no one else watching to find no one on the other side. But the Hunter is here. I can smell him lurking in the woods Cayden and I have taken so many times from school. Leather and sharp metal. Now he's armed.
That's what his nod meant. I'm to meet him out here. Hiking my backpack up, I nod to myself. I'll keep my thoughts on Cayden. Happy things. Love. The Savage King doesn't know anything about that. It's not compatible with him possessing me.
No shadows dance at the sides of my vision, not Mr. Hayde's and not the dark veil. I wait by the door for Noah and Olivia to catch up. A Noble Wolf, needing a guy in a sling and his former-bitch girlfriend. It looks stupid.
But I wait just outside the doors. And Noah and Olivia step out to join me, as promised.
"The woods," I say. "He's waiting out there."
"Is this a good idea?" Olivia asks.
"The Noble Order doesn't attack regular people," I tell her with a nod. But as we lock gazes, I see the memory of Romulus's attempted attack on Olivia's car that night. She's not getting over that any time soon.
I sniff again to confirm Everly and Remo have positioned themselves on the trail that leads to the park. That's upwind from the Hunter, so their reassuring scents wash over me.
"Brie," someone whispers from inside the school.
I turn my head, though Noah and Olivia don't hear at first.
Mr. Saffron stands on the other side of the double doors, peeking through the crack with one gray eye. Since turning, he's been able to walk a lot more quietly, and even I didn't hear him sneaking up on us.
Noah whirls. "Is that someone—"
I don't need this right now, but another sense of re
sponsibility washes over me. Mr. Saffron hasn't wanted to take part in pack business, so why approach me now? I have to go back in for a second.
"Be back," I whisper to my friends, knowing Mr. Saffron can hear me.
I re-enter the school, knowing Noah and Olivia have a Hunter watching over them. Mr. Saffron waves me down the hall, which is just about empty at this point. I can't read his expression.
"Brie, how long is this going to last?" He looks at me with worry and veiled anger. I did this to him, even if he wasn't Mr. Saffron when I bit him. But at least Romulus abandons his bodies for good if it looks like they're dying.
"For the rest of your life?" I ask. Happy thoughts. Cayden. I'll see him tonight if I can drive my fixed car to Colling. It's not far. "It's not so bad. Have you noticed your better senses? Or that you heal faster?"
"Well, I had a hernia that's resolved, so—"
"There you go," I say.
"But...the full moon is in two weeks again. Is that going to cause—"
"Yes. Every time. That's the only time you won't be able to fight shifting." No one's here and I can say this out loud. Wild power sweeps through me. Mr. Saffron is technically part of the pack. He smells like us, like an open field of grass, but during the last full moon, he became a terrified gray wolf running around the woods outside of town. And he refused to let us near him. If I want, I can order him to the pack and he'll have a hard time resisting. His wide eyes tell me he senses my power, though he doesn't know pack law yet.
But I won't.
If I tell myself I brought him into a bad situation...
If I let myself go to a negative place...
"Then what do I do?" he asks.
I need to leave before I tell myself I ruined his life, or something. My teacher has no clue what he's doing to me. Balling one fist and focusing on my fingernails digging into flesh, I speak. "Change your schedule once a month to deal with it. Shouldn't be hard. And if you want help, come to the Lowe cabin and ask for it. We'll all be happy to help you."
He pulls at the knot of his tie. "I don't know if I can do that, Brie." It was hard for him to muster the bravery to talk to me. It's not like I've apologized, even if I've given him sympathetic looks. At least he understands that I saved his life. I saved his life.
