Feral

by Nicole Luiken

  “Pine Hollow needs to import more boys,” Ilona complained. She went on in that vein until they arrived at school.

  Brian raised his head and blinked a few times, but all he said was, “Hey, Marcus.”

  Chloe tugged on Marcus’s sleeve once they hit the sidewalk. Phase three involved getting Marcus seen by as many adults as possible. “We’ll start in the office. I bet there’s a bunch of paperwork to fill out.”

  The school secretary, Mrs. Hopkins, was firmly in the pro-logging camp, but her usual coldness to Preserve kids melted when she recognized Marcus. “Marcus Jennings?” Her gaze flicked behind him, looking for a second miracle.

  Chloe shook her head in a quick negative. No Abby.

  “Hi, Mrs. Hopkins,” she said with fake cheer. “As you can see, Marcus survived the plane crash after all. My parents are his guardians, so he’s staying at my house. He’s not ready to go back to school yet, but if you could print off all the paperwork that needs to be filled out I’ll collect it in a few minutes and give it to my parents. Thanks!” She backed out of the office before the woman could get her tongue back.

  If Chloe was really lucky the secretary would follow her suggestion. More likely, her mom would shortly receive a surprising phone call.

  The bell rang. Marcus flinched.

  “Come on, we need to make an appearance in class. We’ll pop in for five minutes maximum. Just stand by me and try not to growl. Everyone will stare, but when you do return to school later they’ll be over the worst of it.” She was determined to think positive: Marcus was getting better and would go back to school eventually.

  The teacher wasn’t there yet, but one of the townies immediately spotted Marcus and elbowed a friend. A chain reaction soon had five pairs of eyes trained on him.

  “Is that—?”

  “It’s Marcus Jennings.”

  “I thought he was dead.”

  After one glance at Marcus, Dean stared at her. “Are you insane?” he mouthed.

  “Hi, Marcus,” Kyle said, waving from his desk. “Come sit by me.”

  “We’re not staying,” Chloe said. “We just stopped by to say hello and get my homework assignments from Mr. Presley.”

  A knot of hard satisfaction formed in her chest. This story would make the rounds of the whole town by supper tonight. There was no chance Marcus could be quietly ‘disappeared’ after this. Mission accomplished.

  Mr. Presley bustled in late, dumped an armload of paper on his desk and started taking attendance without looking up. “Judy Frayne.”

  “Here.”

  “Chloe Graham.”

  “Here.”

  “Ah, back with us are—” Mr. Presley broke off as he noticed Marcus standing next to her. His eyes widened. “Marcus Jennings?”

  Marcus raised his hand, as if saying Present.

  The class laughed.

  “But … but … ” Mr. Presley shook his head, then cleared his throat. “Good to see you again, Marcus.” He was more subtle about it, but he checked for Abby, too, and looked disappointed not to see her.

  Chloe squeezed Marcus’s hand on a wave of sadness. This had to be twice as bad for him.

  “We’re not staying,” she told the teacher. “We just wanted to say hi. So, hi everyone. See you later.” She waved and Marcus copied her, then she steered him into the hallway.

  She’d hoped to get the admission forms from Mrs. Hopkins and then slip out, but they were waylaid by the principal, Ms. Kim. “Marcus, welcome back.” She extended her hand, and when Marcus gingerly did the same she held it for a moment. “I am so very sorry about your family. You have my condolences and those of the entire staff.”

  Marcus’s throat worked as if he were trying to saw something. Chloe held her breath, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he pulled free and went outside.

  Ms. Kim stared after him.

  Chloe gave a quick recap of the official story she and her parents had discussed—only survivor of the plane crash, lost in the woods, recently found again, but traumatized.

  “He doesn’t speak?”

  “There’s a scar on his throat. My dad—and the doctor—” she added quickly, “aren’t sure if his larynx is damaged or if it’s psychological.” She shrugged. “He went through a lot and then didn’t speak to another human being for months… . It’s not surprising he’s having trouble communicating.”

  “Hmmm.” The principal fixed her with a stern glare. “You shouldn’t have just sprung Marcus on us this morning without any warning. Why aren’t your parents here?”

  “It was a spur of the moment decision. I needed to pick up some textbooks and Marcus wanted to come along.”

  “Tell your parents to make an appointment so we can put together a learning strategy,” Ms. Kim said sternly. “Mrs. Hopkins has been trying to get ahold of them, but apparently your mother’s cell phone is turned off, and your father’s dealing with an emergency.”

  Huh. That was odd. Chloe’s mom was usually fanatical about keeping her cell phone on and charged. Oh, well. When her parents eventually got their messages, she was going to be in deep trouble. For now she seemed to be off the hook.

  Chloe hurried outside.

  Her heart lurched. Marcus wasn’t in sight.

  It was a relief to be outside again.

  In the woods, Marcus had learned to be silent and to listen for signs of danger—for birds that suddenly stopped singing, for stealthy movement behind, for thunder. It grated at his nerve endings to be shut inside a sterile environment.

  Being outside expanded his senses. The kiss of air moving against his skin, the mixed scents of town and nearby field, traffic and birdsong, the vibrant green of growing things instead of white walls… . It all helped, but his collar still felt too constricting. He wanted to tear it off. He itched to Change.

  But if he did so, he’d get in trouble, and Chloe would be sad.

  To remind himself to stay a boy, he climbed a large, four-trunked poplar and sat on one of the branching limbs, legs dangling six feet off the ground.

  A few minutes later, Chloe came outside. “Marcus?”

  He gave a soft yip to attract her attention. She spotted him and came to stand at the foot of the tree.

  He tensed, expecting a scolding, but she sighed and climbed up to join him on the branch. After a moment, she reached for his hand and they sat together in harmony, faces lifted to the breeze. Marcus sniffed the air blowing across the sports field: grass starting to turn yellow, dogs that had passed this way and stopped to urinate. A vee of honking Canada geese flew by overhead …

  Chloe started speaking. Marcus concentrated. What she said was important; what others said less so.

  “It’s nice out here. Thank you for showing me this.”

  He gave her a small smile.

  “You did really well today. Do you think you’ll be ready to go back in a few weeks?”

  He lost his smile.

  Marcus didn’t want to go back to school. The old Marcus had spent hours upon hours cooped up in the dusty building, learning things, but it all seemed so meaningless now.

  The sun would go down in a few hours and the dark would come. It was autumn, and sunlight was precious, not to be squandered.

  The things learned in school was stuff the old Marcus had understood. He dimly remembered that learning was like a squirrel saving nuts for the winter, something to be taken out and used later in life. But that future that the old Marcus had taken for granted — university and a career in engineering — was gone now. Burned up.

  The wolf part of him no longer believed in a future. Had stopped believing when the plane went down. There was only the present, here, now, sitting in a tree with Chloe.

  Chloe sighed. “Sorry, but there’s no way my parents will let you drop out. But we don’t have to think about that today. Let’s go home.” She turned onto her stomach, then dangled from her hands for a moment before dropping to the ground in a crouch . Marcus copied her.

  She started to pick up
her backpack, but Marcus grabbed it first.

  “I can carry that.”

  A whine slipped out of his throat. Didn’t she understand? He wanted to carry things for her, to show his respect.

  Chloe rolled her eyes. “Fine, but we’re going to take turns.”

  They had just finished crossing the parking lot when a new vehicle turned in and he recognized the man inside.

  “Crap! That’s Coach!” Chloe grabbed his hand and tried to pull him into a run.

  Marcus resisted, every instinct telling him not to turn his back on this particular werewolf.

  “He’s seen us,” Chloe said. She pulled on his hand and he broke into a reluctant jog.

  A car door slammed. “Chloe Graham!” the werewolf bellowed.

  Chloe ignored him and ran across the field toward the woods.

  “Come here and explain yourself!”

  Marcus slowed, turning to see if the werewolf was pursuing, but the blond man still stood by his car, glowering at them.

  Chloe yanked on his arm again and hustled him into the woods.

  Once they were screened by spruce trees, Marcus tore off his shirt, preparing to Change and fight.

  “No!” Chloe caught his chin and made him look at her. “We’re still too close to town for that. There’s not going to be a fight. Look, Coach isn’t chasing us.”

  Marcus growled. Every instinct he had told him the other werewolf was an enemy.

  “I know Coach shot you, but he thought you were a feral at the time. You have to get past this.”

  Marcus shook his head, vehement. No. No. No.

  “Yes,” Chloe insisted. “He’s a member of the Pack. He’s Dominant to both of us, and he works part-time at the school, teaching Phys. Ed. You’re going to see him often and you can’t challenge him.”

  No. No. No.

  “Ugh. We’ve got to work harder on your voice exercises, this lack of communication is driving me crazy. Look, let’s just go.” She started walking.

  Frustrated, Marcus followed her. More than ever he resented having to take this form.

  If they were wolves, he would’ve been able to convey what he meant. That the other werewolf, Coach, was a danger to them both.

  Coach didn’t smell like Pack. He smelled almost right, but some elusive half-note was off.

  More than that, a black shadow of memory stirred whenever they crossed paths. Something to do with Abby. Something bad.

  chapter

  15

  Chloe’s heart thudded unpleasantly when she got close to the house. Her mother’s car was in the driveway. It was only eleven o’clock. Her mom ought to still be at work.

  “Stay outside,” she ordered Marcus. He was in wolf form and had been since they left the town limits.

  Her mother was waiting for her in the kitchen. “Mom?”

  “Oh, Chloe,” her mother said, her eyes hollow and sad. “What have you done?”

  Chloe kept silent.

  “What on earth possessed you to defy the Alpha so blatantly?” her mother asked, despair heavy in her voice. “She specifically said Marcus wasn’t ready to be out in public. By taking him to school, you risked exposing our kind.”

  Chloe’s chin came up. “Our secret’s safe. We only stayed for a little while and Marcus did really good.”

  Her mother’s lips flattened. “No remorse, Chloe? You’re not five years old. The fact that nothing went wrong this time doesn’t excuse taking the chance in the first place.”

  “Marcus’s life was at stake!” Chloe defended herself, not only against her mother’s word, but against the pinch of guilt. “You heard Olivia. She only gave Marcus one week to improve—which is up in two days. I couldn’t allow her to rule him a feral.”

  Her mother sighed. “The Alpha said she’d reassess the matter in a week, not that she’d kill Marcus if he didn’t show improvement. And he has shown improvement. Your father and I can testify to that.”

  “But what if they said that wasn’t enough? You didn’t see Nathan’s face when he found out Marcus was marking his territory.” Chloe trembled. Tears started in her eyes, and her hands clenched into fists. “I couldn’t take the risk that they’d execute him.”

  “You should have talked to me about your worries,” her mother said. “I could have gone to Olivia and Nathan and asked for an extension. But this? Going behind the Alpha’s back and disobeying her order? You’ve Challenged her authority, Chloe, for the second time in a month. She has no choice now but to smack you down hard, otherwise she’ll look weak.”

  Chloe’s stomach sank, but she didn’t back down. “I’ll gladly take whatever punishment she dishes out to save Marcus.”

  “But, darling, don’t you see? Your actions may have jeopardized Marcus’s chances.”

  The words hit like a body blow. Panic bloomed like a bruise. “But all the teachers have seen Marcus now. They know he’s alive. She can’t disappear him.”

  Her mother shook her head as if mortally tired. “It will be more difficult, but if they tell everyone Marcus had to move to live with a relative, do you really think anyone will question it?”

  “You’d do that?” Chloe whispered. “You’d let her murder Marcus and lie?”

  Her mom’s eyes widened, and her hand clutched her throat. A new necklace rested there: a purple crystal on a silver chain. “I—Your father and I will do everything in our power to protect Marcus.”

  But if the Alphas overruled them, she’d swallow it. For the good of the Pack. Because she wouldn’t have a choice. The Alpha must be obeyed.

  “Your hands might be tied,” Chloe said, “but I’ll go to the cops if she tries it. I’ll make sure there’s an investigation.”

  Her mother gasped, hand still at her throat. “Chloe, please. Whatever you do: don’t tell her that tonight. Don’t threaten the Alpha.”

  Because threats got put down, ruthlessly.

  “If she orders Marcus killed, she’ll have to kill me, too,” Chloe said baldly. Turning on her heel, she fled to her room.

  The tension at supper was oppressive.

  Her dad got home just in time to eat. Apparently, her mom had already filled him in on Chloe’s misbehaviour, because he shot her a black look and barely spoke a word all through

  the meal.

  Chloe doggedly chewed and swallowed, alternating bites of rice with bites of pork chop to remind Marcus the proper way to eat. He ate neatly, using his utensils correctly, but scorned the salad.

  “What time do we need to be at the Alphas’ house?” her dad asked.

  “Ten minutes from now.” Her mother served dessert to her dad and Marcus, pointedly leaving Chloe out. The punishment, which her mom hadn’t used since she was a little girl, stung.

  Marcus silently offered her his cookie, but she just shook her head.

  Her dad touched her mom’s new crystal necklace. “What’s this? You don’t believe that crystal therapy nonsense, do you? Olivia got better because she’s a werewolf, not because of any mumbo-jumbo celestial harmonies crap.”

  Her mother studied her cookie. “It’s a gift from the Alpha, a thank you. Considering how much trouble Chloe’s in, I think it would be a mistake not to wear it.”

  Chloe’s lips parted. “You’re not sick, are you?”

  “No, sweetie,” her mom said, “I’m not. I promise.” She touched the necklace and grimaced.

  “Why do you keep touching that? Is the metal giving you a rash?” her dad asked.

  “No. The chain is silver. We need to go now if we’re not going to be late.” Her mother rushed to put away the leftovers, then herded them out the door.

  This time they drove. “So they can see Marcus has made progress,” her father said.

  Gratitude thickened Chloe’s throat. Her parents might be angry at what she’d done, but they were firmly on Marcus’s side.

  All too soon, they arrived. Instead of the full Pack, only the other teens and Dean’s dad were present. Were the other kids in trouble, too?
/>   Nathan stood in front of the house, arms folded. Judy huddled against the wall, looking sick. Chloe didn’t see Olivia.

  “Marcus, stay with us. Chloe, approach the Alpha and beg forgiveness,” her mom said.

  Dead silence reigned as Chloe walked across the lawn.

  She braced herself to be raked over the coals again, but a white-and-grey she-wolf came out of the house and confronted her. Olivia.

  The Alpha snarled at her, and Chloe’s knees weakened. Her heart hammered. She’d expected to grovel, but also to have a chance to justify her actions. The she-wolf sent a very different message. Had she gone too far? Was she going to be driven from the Pack?

  Behind her, her mom gasped.

  “Marcus, no!” Her dad growled.

  Chloe glanced back. Her dad and Dean had a firm hold on Marcus. He growled and snapped at them, but retained his human form.

  Good. She didn’t want him getting hurt. This was her trial. Her sin.

  A rumbling growl snapped Chloe’s gaze forward. She locked eyes with the Alpha’s wolf eyes. The healing crystal still swung around her thickened ruff.

  Nathan stepped forward. “Chloe Graham. Submit to the Bite or leave the Pack.” His voice was heavy with portent.

  Fear formed a cold lump in Chloe’s throat. Once Olivia bit her, Chloe would have to obey her. Her instinct screamed that it was a bad idea to submit without knowing what her punishment would be or what the Alpha intended for Marcus.

  But a glance at Nathan’s closed face told her he wouldn’t negotiate.

  Chloe swallowed. She had to make a choice now. Bend to the will of the Alpha and possibly lose Marcus. Or lose the rest of the Pack. Her family.

  One glance at her parents’ strained faces, and her defiance crumpled.

  “I submit to the Alpha!” Chloe dropped to her knees on the damp grass and fumbled to pull the collar of her shirt aside. She inclined her head, symbolically offering her life.

  Jaws wide, the white and grey wolf lunged toward her. Fangs bit deep—into her shoulder, not her neck. Chloe would live through this.

  Her mouth opened on a soundless gasp, and tears of pain ran from her eyes, but she bit back her scream. The hardest part was keeping her body still as the Alpha mauled her when her instinct urged her to Change and fight back.