A Symphony of Howls

by Val St. Crowe

  “No, I don’t want to,” I said. “I don’t like you that way. It just sounds very awful to have to do that. What I said last night about you and Tempest being together, I meant it.”

  “I told her what you said,” he said.

  “You did?”

  “She was all for it,” he said. “Even when I explained to her the danger to the pack, she didn’t care. But you care about the pack. You understand. That’s why you’re my mate, because you get it.”

  I sighed. “Okay, if we have to have sex for the pack, obviously, I’ll do it, but—”

  “No, forget that. I don’t want it to be that way. I would feel as though you weren’t really consenting, and then it would be… disgusting.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Good. Let’s not bring that up again. Can’t we bond in some way that’s not… romantic?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. He sighed. “You want to tell the council that we disagree with them?”

  “If there’s a danger, I think they should know.”

  “We just made everyone think that things were great for us at the dance.”

  “People have to have heard about Tempest. We ran out of there—”

  “Maybe,” he said. “But they aren’t sure. So, if we go out there and tell the council that our bond is weak, that’s going to cause panic. I don’t want to do that.”

  “So, we don’t tell them that. We come up with some other reason not to allow them to vandalize the bloods’ headquarters.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, I don’t know.”

  “I think we have to back them. We have to let them do this, and we have to work on strengthening our bond so that the spell is strong and so that the village is safe.”

  “Except we don’t know how to strengthen the bond,” I said.

  “We’ll find a way,” he said. “I’ll make some calls. For now, we need to go back in there and affirm the decision. The longer we deliberate, the worse it looks.”

  I wasn’t sure I liked this. But I didn’t know what else to do. If Judah thought this was the right thing to do, then I had to trust him. He had more experience than I did, after all.

  * * *

  The next day, Judah spent the day on the phone. First, he called Vivia, thinking she might know something since she had been so sure that we were meant to be together. What if she had been wrong, and that was why we weren’t bonded? I hated to think that was true. After all, I knew that I belonged with the pack, and I didn’t want to leave them behind. It was only my bond with Judah that didn’t seem right.

  But Vivia said that we were being ridiculous and that we just needed to give the bond time to grow stronger. She said we should go on a romantic getaway together, like a honeymoon. Also, she thought we should be mating like bunnies. I should get pregnant. That would make us very, very bonded.

  I rejected the baby idea immediately. I was not ready to be a mother yet. No way.

  Then Judah called another alpha, one of another pack, who were our allies. He was a little worried about doing this, because telling another alpha that our pack was weak might be dangerous. It wasn’t unheard of for alphas to try to expand to other packs. However, this alpha was happily mated and hopefully posed no risk to me. He also wasn’t ambitious, so Judah hoped it would be okay to speak to him.

  Judah and the other alpha spoke for a long time on the phone. At first, I listened in on Judah’s side of the conversation, which didn’t make much sense, but then Judah seemed embarrassed and went into his bedroom, shutting the door and shutting me out. He stayed in there, on the phone, for over an hour.

  When he came back out, he was troubled.

  “Well?” I said.

  “Well, I don’t know,” said Judah.

  “What did he say?”

  “He said that the bond is usually all-consuming, like the way that we feel about the pack. It should have worked, but it didn’t.”

  “Really? So, we did do it wrong?”

  “Well, he did say he’d heard of this kind of thing happening before.”

  “Oh, so why did it happen?”

  “Well, in cases where a female alpha is taken against her will, he said there’s a pretty big barrier to a bond forming.”

  “But it wasn’t like that with us.”

  “Or in cases where an alpha has been mated for a long time to another alpha, and then they only take a new mate because their previous mate died. In that case, sometimes, it seems, wolves can’t bond again.”

  “So… that could be it!”

  “No, that’s not what happened with us either.”

  “But you and Tempest.”

  “We’re not mated.”

  “Maybe you kind of are,” I said. “You’re bonded, anyway, and that’s the important part. The two of you are in love. You need each other. So, maybe there’s just no room for you and me to bond.”

  “But we have to,” he said. “The alpha said that if you and I don’t have a strong relationship, the entire pack will suffer. And not just the pack, you and I won’t be strong either. We’ll start losing our ability to affect the pack. It might already be happening. The other night, I couldn’t force Tempest’s shift. I needed your help to do it. Maybe that’s because our lack of a bond is chipping away at our abilities.”

  I bit down on my lip. “But Judah, we can’t force this.”

  He sat down heavily. He buried his face in his hands. “He thinks I should send Tempest away.”

  “What?”

  “He thinks she should meet someone else and mate into a different pack.”

  I didn’t say anything.

  Judah raised his face to look at me, and I could see how the thought of that destroyed him.

  My heart went out to him. “No, that’s… she would never agree to that.”

  “It kills me to think of her being gone,” he said. “When I think of her with someone else…”

  “We’ll find another way,” I said.

  “No, Camber, you don’t understand. There is no other way. It’s what I have to do.”’

  “But it’s not just you, Judah,” I said. “I don’t feel anything for you either. So, maybe it’s not just because of Tempest. Maybe…” I took a deep breath. “Okay, we need to talk to someone else. There’s got to be something else we can do. We’ll make this work. I know we can.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  I went over to him and patted his shoulder. “Hey,” I said, “let’s focus on the raid on the bloods’ headquarters for now. Maybe if we’re thinking about something else, then we’ll get a brilliant idea to solve this problem. Sometimes, if you let your subconscious work on a problem, it figures it out.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “Fine. Okay. But not because I think we’re going to solve this. Because I can’t stand thinking about losing Tempest.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “And that’s how we leave it,” Henry Sharptooth was saying. “We leave everything in disarray and we make our getaway.”

  I was back in the main lodge, but this time it wasn’t for a council meeting. Instead, it was a strategy meeting for the upcoming move against the bloodhounds’ headquarters. Not only was the council present, but also a large number of the younger generation of the pack. The younger wolves would be the ones to carry out the raid on the bloods. All of the wolves here had volunteered. Most were guys, but there were a few women as well. They listened eagerly as Henry told them what to do.

  “The only other thing that needs to be done is the messages spray-painted on the walls,” said Henry. “Do I have a volunteer to do graffiti?”

  A ripple of laughter went through the gathered wolves, and a few hands went up.

  “Great, thanks, Ewan,” said Henry. “I’m sure you’re the right man for the job.”

  “Hey,” said Ewan, “are you ever going to let that go?”

  “Nope,” said Henry.

  More laughter. I didn’t know what they were laughing about. I sus
pected that Ewan had a history with defacing property, however.

  “Well, okay, then,” said Henry. “Any questions?”

  “What if they come back while we’re there?” called out someone.

  “Run,” said Henry.

  “We’ll make you run,” spoke up Judah. “Do not engage with the bloodhounds under any circumstances.”

  “Exactly,” said Henry. “We’re sending a message, not trying to get ourselves killed. Any other questions?”

  No one said anything.

  Henry waited a bit longer. “Well, okay, then. I guess we’re ready. Tonight, meet here, 6:00 sharp. Dismissed.”

  Everyone started to get up, and conversations began to buzz through the room.

  Judah went over to talk to Henry, and I was by myself.

  Ewan approached me, holding out a hand. “Hey,” he said. “I’m Ewan Fursteeth.”

  I shook his hand. “Camber Fordham.”

  “Oh, I know who you are. Everyone knows.”

  “Sure, but I haven’t really met a lot of people. You’re the first person to just come over and introduce himself.”

  He grinned at me. “Yeah, well, you looked lonely, and besides, I have an ulterior motive.”

  I raised my eyebrows. Was he flirting with me? Because, he knew I was with Judah, right? I mean, as with someone as I could be. I couldn’t deal with having more male drama in my life. I was full up on that front.

  “You were out at Vivia’s house before this, I hear?”

  “Um, yeah?” I said. Maybe he wasn’t flirting after all.

  “I hear there was another female wolf there, someone about our age,” he said. “I also hear that you have her phone number, because you talk to her on the phone.”

  “Uh… what is this about?” I was really confused.

  “This is about there being really slim pickings in the pack for mates. I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve dated all the girls, and now they’re all taken, and I want your friend’s phone number.”

  I didn’t answer. I just laughed. He didn’t know anything about Sinead.

  “Oh, you can tell her that the thing with the spray paint, it was one time, and it was years ago, when I was fifteen. I’m much more mature now.”

  Well, Sinead did want me to find some guy to introduce her to, didn’t she? “Look, I’ll ask her if I can give you her phone number, okay?”

  “You will?” He beamed. “Excellent.”

  “You don’t even know her,” I said.

  “That’s the point. Fresh blood,” he said. He winked at me.

  Well, he was cute, anyway. Sinead would like that. “No promises,” I said. “She might not be interested.”

  “Oh, come on, talk me up,” he said. “You can convince her. Besides, you want her in the pack, right? This way, everyone wins.”

  “The only way she ends up in the pack is if you two mate, and the only way you mate is if she falls for you. That’s a lot of ‘if’s.”

  “I have a good feeling about it,” he said. “When you’re a werewolf, you learn to trust your gut.” Then he looked embarrassed. “I mean, I’m not trying to tell the alpha how to be a werewolf. That would be really stupid of me. I’m sure you know all about, you know, everything.”

  “The truth is I wasn’t called all that long ago,” I said. “And I did grow up within the fences, outside of the woods. There’s a lot I don’t know. Judah’s explained a lot, but anything you can pass along, I appreciate.”

  He smiled. “All right, I will do that. Now go call your friend.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh again.

  * * *

  I asked Judah about Ewan, and he said that Ewan was a good enough guy, but that he had a bit of a reputation when it came to girls, and that he wasn’t generally the greatest guy to date.

  Apparently, Ewan had been mated to a girl in high school, but sleeping with two other girls on the side, and when they all found out about him, his mate slept with someone else to break the bond and the other two girls dumped him.

  That didn’t sound great, I had to admit.

  So, I was wary when I talked to Sinead about it.

  She was less wary. “This is kind of great. It’s exactly what I wanted, for you to find someone for me to mate with so that I could join your pack.”

  “Yeah, but this guy has a history,” I said. “He hasn’t treated his previous mates that well. And, you know, before all this, I always thought werewolves mated for life, so knowing that it’s not that important to him, it’s a bad sign.”

  “You said he was cute, though, right?”

  “He is cute,” I admitted. “And he seemed nice and funny as well. But maybe he’s charming when he wants to be, and a jerk the rest of the time.”

  “Well, it’s only my number, Camber. I’m not agreeing to bear his children or anything. Give it to him.”

  “You sure?” I said.

  “I’m sure,” she said. “I want this to work out. I miss you.”

  “I miss you, too,” I said.

  * * *

  “So,” I said to Ewan the next day as we were preparing for the raid, “Judah says you treat women like crap. That true?”

  Ewan’s eyes widened.

  We were standing outside the lodge, all getting ready to leave within a few minutes. The plan was to shift into wolf form to move through the woods quickly and easily, and then stay in that way to trash the bloods’ headquarters. A few people, like Ewan, would have to shift into human form in order to perform their tasks. Wolves couldn’t hold cans of spray paint, after all.

  Judah and I would be facilitating the shifts. He’d be with the wolves at headquarters. I’d be the lookout, circling the place and making sure no one was coming to interrupt us.

  “That’s not true,” said Ewan. “I definitely don’t do that. I don’t even know why Judah would say that.”

  “Uh, he said something about some girl from high school…” I furrowed my brow. “I can’t remember her name. Rosa?”

  “Ramona?” he said. “Oh, man, that is so not fair. No one understands what went on with Ramona and me but the two of us. Maybe it looked bad—”

  “Judah said you were sleeping with two other girls at the same time you were mated to her.”

  “I was seventeen,” said Ewan.

  “So, that’s an excuse?”

  “Kind of,” he said.

  “I’m only nineteen,” I said. “I don’t think that two years ago, I would have done that.”

  “Well,” said Ewan. “I’m twenty-two. And girls mature faster than boys.” He gave me a helpless smile.

  I glared at him, but he was charming.

  “Anyway, trust me, I’d never do something like that now. I didn’t think through the consequences when I was younger, and then I got hit with them like a punch to the gut. It was a bad time. I regret it.”

  “That’s good,” I said. “Regret is good. Saying you won’t do it again is good. But if you hurt my friend, I will break your face.”

  “Noted,” he said.

  “She said I could give you her number.”

  “I guess you told her all about my youthful indiscretions too?” He cringed.

  “She still wanted to give you a chance,” I said. “Don’t blow it.”

  I gave Ewan Sinead’s number and then Henry was calling everyone to order. He wasn’t coming on the raid, but he gave a little speech, wishing everyone luck and telling them what an important message they were sending for werewolves everywhere.

  Then Judah and I helped everyone shift and shifted ourselves. We took off out of the town and through the woods.

  Running with the pack was exhilarating. I’d never felt anything like it. We could go so fast, and touching all the other wolves’ minds was amazing. We were so wild and free. I threw back my head and howled, and then the others did too—a symphony of howls. I felt alive and at home and at one with everything. It was beautiful.

  It seemed to take barely any time at all to race throug
h the woods to the bloodhounds’ headquarters. When we arrived, I began to circle the place and the others went inside.

  I couldn’t see what they were doing, but I could hear the noises. Basically, they were just making a mess. Pouring out all the food, overturning the beds, unrolling all the toilet paper, spray painting on the walls… It was like a high school prank gone wrong, and it would have seemed juvenile if the stakes weren’t so high.

  As I circled the place, my senses were all on high alert. I was listening for any approach, sniffing the air to see if anyone was nearby. If there was danger, I would alert Judah, and together, we would make the pack move. We could use our alpha powers to force the pack to move as one.

  Supposedly, I could do it on my own, but I had never tried. I wasn’t sure how it would work.

  Abruptly, I stopped.

  There.

  Something was—

  Landon leapt out of the woods, landing in front of me on all fours. His voice was a growl. “Vampires.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  And then I could smell them. Their scent was like something musty and long dead. I could smell the strange blood that moved in their veins. They were unnatural. They didn’t belong.

  I had to get to Judah!

  I turned to run, but Landon grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and stopped me. “There’s no time, Camber. You need to run. Now.”

  Turning, I sank my teeth into his arm.

  He recoiled, swearing.

  And I could smell how close the vampires were, and there was no time, so I just reached out into my connection to the pack, and I sent out my will to all the wolves. There were a few in human form, including Ewan. I made them shift back. Now, we were all in wolf form.

  I made them run.

  Immediately, they came out of the headquarters, bursting through the doors and leaping through windows, glass shattering everywhere. They came out and they ran into the woods, and I joined them, and we ran together as one.

  It was an ecstasy of terror now, because I could smell the vampires behind us and they were fast. So fast.

  We had planned for the eventuality of being discovered before, although we thought it would be the bloods who would come after us. We knew that we couldn’t go back to the village. We wouldn’t want to lead anyone there. Instead, we had another place to head towards, an abandoned house in the opposite direction of the village. I had never been there, so I had to rely on the knowledge of the pack to steer us there.