Greg nodded stiffly, his eyes trained on the ground. He crossed his arms over his chest, his shoulders hunched.
He was probably equally as livid as my family was with me. I was the one responsible for all of this, but I hadn’t been able to find a tree. The pain from the headache had been crippling; I’d barely been able to see anything except the flashes of the vision.
I wanted to cry, to curl into a ball and disappear.
This was wrong. He should have left me.
“You okay?” a member of Collin’s team asked me.
I shook my head, unable to use my voice.
“Don’t worry about it, Collin is tougher than you think.”
“I know what I heard. It sounded like every bone got crushed. And I don’t even want to know what happened to his organs. There’s no way he’ll be okay after that.”
“He’s in great hands. Take it easy.”
“It’s my fault.” My voice cracked.
“No, it’s not. Stop thinking like that.”
He got up and went over to Greg.
They spoke softly, concern etched on their faces. The women were also worried, and the one who I thought was his cousin kept sending glares my way.
I deserved it. I’d almost gotten him killed.
Her mother, who I assume was Greg’s sister, stroked the woman’s back and whispered into her ear.
The woman shook her head. “I don’t care,” she hissed and hurried out of the waiting area.
“Lee!” the older woman called after her, but Lee didn’t even turn around. Greg went to his sister’s side.
The nagging feeling returned that told me there was something strange about these hunters.
“Huck,” Greg called and my father walked over to him.
“Greg, I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know what I’ll do if that boy doesn’t make it. If he hadn’t—”
“Don’t think like that.”
“He saved my daughter’s life.”
Greg smiled. “That’s our Collin. The boy might be a bit messed up, but he has a heart of gold.”
Liz burst out bawling and Theo pulled her into his side, hugging her tightly and rubbing her arm to calm her down.
My father didn’t acknowledge her.
“Huck, take your family home. You don’t need to be here.”
“Greg,” my father protested.
“I’ll call you when all this is over. I promise.”
After a few moments of silence, my father nodded.
He crouched in front of me. “I’m taking you to the doctor tomorrow, Ru. This has gotten dangerous now.”
I nodded and he stood up.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“Are you sure, Dad?”
“It’s a time for family, and we’re not Collin’s family. Lee is upset, so it’s best that we leave.”
I got up with a sigh.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Liz mumbled stubbornly.
“Liz.”
“No, Dad. I’m staying.”
“It’s not your place anymore. You need to get over this. Now move.” My father’s voice was stern.
Liz scoffed and stormed to the exit.
I couldn’t even look at Greg or any of the other members as I followed.
The drive to the farm was silent. Liz drove with Will and Uncle Fernus, and Theo and I were with Dad.
The minute we parked, I jumped out of the truck and rushed through the door. An arm grabbed me roughly as I entered the house, spinning me around.
My sister sneered down at me.
“What the hell happened tonight, Ru? What was going on? Don’t tell me it’s nothing!”
“Liz—”
“Dad, stay out of this. Collin almost died tonight. He still could, Ru. I will never forgive you if he dies. What is going on with you? Tell me the truth.” She was hysterical, her fingers digging into my shoulders so hard it was almost painful.
I was her fucking sister, but she only cared about him. Not me. “What do you want me to say, huh, Liz?” I shoved her off. She didn’t see it coming.
“Stop!” My father tried to step between us, but I shoved Liz back another step.
“Do you want me to tell you that I’m as crazy as Grandma Marie?” The words slipped from my mouth without a thought.
My sister froze, and my father slowly lowered his hands down to his sides. Will, Theo, and Uncle Fernus all turned to stare at me.
I laughed like a maniac. “Not what you expected, was it? I see things! I’ve seen things nobody would be able to deal with. I’ve seen you dying over and over, Liz. Do you know what that does to me? No, you only care about fucking Collin! I’m your sister!” I yelled. “Go ahead, Dad. Call the people in white coats. Have me committed. I know you want to.” I turned and ran upstairs.
“Ru,” my father called, but I ignored him, slamming my bedroom door so hard, the window rattled.
I could hear the murmuring of their voices from below, and I burrowed my head into my pillow.
Despite everything, a weight seemed to lift from my shoulders. My family finally knew what was going on with me.
Whatever happens, happens.
I was about to drift off to sleep when I heard a knock on my door. Before I could respond, my door opened and my father stepped into my room.
He sighed and sat at my desk. He didn’t speak. He sat unmoving, the creases on his face deepening with every tense second.
“I’m not sick, Dad. At least, not like you think. Grandma Marie wasn’t crazy! Everything she saw was real.”
I didn’t know why I was trying to get through to him.
His eyes shifted to mine. “I know.”
My jaw dropped. “But you—”
“Because she begged me, Ru. She couldn’t cope with the things she saw. She begged me to take her to a place where they would stop.”
“Dad,” I gasped.
“What did you want me to do? Watch her suffer every day? She wasn’t my mother, but I did love her.”
“You… you don’t think I’m crazy?”
“I know it’s not normal, sweetheart, but no, I don’t. What happened tonight?”
“I was seeing things, and I was trying to fight against it. But it kept forcing me back in. I think I have to let it happen.” Tears filled my eyes.
I buried my face in my hands. Dad walked over and wrapped me in his big, strong arms.
“Ru, it’s okay,” he murmured against my hair.
“What if he dies, Dad?”
“Something tells me Collin is stronger than he seems.”
“That wolf crushed him.” I shook my head. “It’s all my fault.”
“Greg doesn’t blame you, sweetheart.”
“He should. I shouldn’t have been there.”
“Hush.” My father stroked my back, his lips planted firmly on my head. “Have you really been seeing our hunts?”
I nodded tightly. “Every single time, we died. It scared me, Dad. I tried to prepare us as best as I could, but I was terrified you’d realize what was going on and send me to the asylum.”
My father chuckled.
I looked up at him with knitted eyebrows.
“I know it’s no laughing matter, but at least now some things make sense.”
“What do you mean?”
“My gun was always right next me, when I was sure I hadn’t put it there. We never picked up on you arranging things like that. There were times that I thought I was losing my mind.” He cupped my face. “These visions are not a curse, peanut. You’ve saved our lives countless times. Thank you.” He tightened his arms around me, and tears of relief rushed over my cheeks. “Do you only see hunts?”
I nodded, swallowing the truth. The smoke hadn’t even cleared from the bomb I’d dropped. I wasn’t ready to tell my father about everything else.
“You saw this hunt, didn’t you?”
I nodded.
“So, I’m guessing we have you to thank for the updated intel Greg gave u
s?”
My head went up and down as if on a hinge. “We all died. Every single person. I had to warn them. No wonder Grandma Marie hadn’t coped with it. I don’t want to see it anymore.”
“Grandma Marie didn’t see what you did. She saw things about a war, things that made no sense to her.”
I swallowed. I knew that war.
“You are dealing with this much better than she ever did. Your gift has been keeping us safe. I will never have you committed, not unless you asked me to. I love you, Ru.” He looked down at me warmly. I was pissed at myself for ever thinking my father would lock me up. “Have you told anyone? You must have told Greg.”
I shook my head. “Collin. He’s known since our first hunt together. Apparently, he’s seen it before. And he sought me out, not the other way around.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me that it’s not as uncommon as I thought it was. It is rare, but there are people who see things. It’s just… most of them end up where Grandma Marie did.”
My father nodded, his eyes glazing over as he mulled everything over.
“I’m so sorry, Dad.”
“Don’t apologize.”
“Liz…”
“Your sister will grow used to it. You sprang something big on us tonight.”
“I know, but she made me so angry. She’s been so bitchy since Collin ended it.”
“Yeah, she isn’t dealing with it well. I guess that’s her one flaw.”
I chuckled involuntarily. With a shake of my head, I wiped the tears off my cheeks.
“She’ll be okay, Ru. She loves you, and she’ll come around soon. But we need to be careful with this.”
I pursed my lips, picking at my thumbnail as I waited for him to continue.
“Others will see you as an asset, especially a group like Greg’s. And that could be dangerous. I still have a feeling they’re hiding something from us… I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ve had the same feeling.”
A heavy breath left my father’s nostrils. “I don’t want to lose you.”
I snuggled into my father’s side and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now get some sleep. We’ll have a talk with the family tomorrow, once we’re all rested and energized.”
I nodded.
He brushed a kiss over my cheek before he got up and left.
I couldn’t fall asleep.
My worry for Collin was all-consuming. I could still hear his bones creaking under the wolf.
That was when the vision had finally stopped, bringing me back to reality to kill the wolf.
I don’t even know where I’d gotten the strength from. It must have been pure adrenaline from seeing Collin die a second time, except this time, it was real.
Although I had told my father that I had a strange feeling about Greg and his group, it was getting harder to see them as a potential threat. Collin had saved my life without a second thought tonight.
I wondered what he was going through.
Headlights swept through my window. Seconds later, there was a knock on our front door, followed by the murmur of voices.
I crawled out of bed, tiptoed quickly to my door, and opened it as softly as I could manage.
“—to be fine. The healing process will be long, but the doctor said everything went well. He’s scheduled for another surgery in a few days, but the boy is strong, and he’ll do fine.”
“Thank you for updating us, Greg,” my father said. My sister let out a cry of relief.
“Is Ru awake?” Greg asked.
“She’s sleeping. Completely exhausted and devastated about what happened tonight, feels like it’s her fault.”
“Well, tell her she shouldn’t.”
“I’ll make sure I do. Please give Collin my deepest thanks. When I see him again, I’ll thank him properly.”
“Will do. Good night, Huck.”
“You too, Greg.”
The door closed and I was about to close mine when my father spoke. “Liz, you need to get control of these outbursts.”
“Dad, he almost died tonight!” my sister’s whiny cry floated up the stairs.
“Your sister could’ve died tonight. You haven’t shown an ounce of concern about that. You’re focused on a boy who doesn’t even feel the same way. He isn’t family.”
“I can’t help the way I feel about him. I can’t switch it off, Dad.”
“You’re in love with the illusion of him, honey. Collin isn’t the guy you’ve made him out to be in your head.”
“Dad, he saved Ru’s life, for crying out loud.”
“I know, and I’ll be forever grateful for that. But you need to deal with this, Liz.”
“I’m doing the best I can.”
When her footsteps thumped on the stairs, I quietly shut my door, leaning my head against the wood.
She slammed her bedroom door behind her, and I flinched from the force of it.
I didn’t know how to feel about anything. I was glad Collin was alive, but was he really out of danger? What if he didn’t make it through the next surgery?
If he didn’t, I’d lose my sister forever.
Nine
COLLIN
* * *
I woke abruptly.
Ru’s existence was now mine. Her life was written on my back as a tattoo. The mark was hers—her life’s markings.
As long as I was alive, Ru would always exist.
It was never good when a wolf locked onto a human. But Ru carried a gift that belonged to the she-wolves. They were all blessed with the sight.
It was a pity that so few humans understood it. They thought they were mentally ill, like Ru’s grandmother.
Ru’s brother also carried the mark, though the family didn’t realize what it signified.
It was the mark of the wolves.
If Ru or Theo got bitten by a werewolf, they would survive it.
Irrationally, instinctually, I wanted to track her down now and change her. But soon, it will be the only way to keep her alive. The visions were too strong. Her human body was too weak. She needed the wolf. Greg was right; I had no choice.
With the strength and ability to heal, her body could handle the visions without deteriorating.
I finally opened my eyes and saw Lee sitting next to my bed.
I cleared my throat. “Lee?”
She jumped up and started swatting softly at me with her hands, until her face crumpled and sobs wracked her body. She hugged me awkwardly.
“You could’ve died!” she screeched.
I firmly pushed her away. “Lee, you need to stop this.”
“I can’t, Collin.”
“They think we are cousins. And things aren’t like that between us, Lee. You know that.”
“Oh, so screwing me meant nothing to you?”
“Lee.” I sighed. “I have a true mate. Don’t make me be nasty to you.”
Lee sneered at me. “She is human, and a hunter at that. She’ll never understand what that means.”
“It doesn’t matter. I can’t help how I feel about her. So please… Leave.”
She plopped back into the chair.
“I was heartbroken when you went for Liz. You didn’t even take my feelings into consideration.”
“Lee, you’ll find another wolf. Hopefully even your lockpass. I don’t love you. It was just hormones on steroids.”
Her face twisted in rage. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Yes. It was nothing but sex.”
“I hate you!” She stormed away.
“Good,” I replied.
Greg barged into my room and took the seat Lee had been using.
“Don’t start with me, please.” I fully expected him to tear into me because I’d pissed his daughter off.
Greg laughed. “I know what the lockpass does, Collin.” His face turned serious. “You okay?”
I nodded.
/> “You have to sit the hunts out for about three months. The doctor said that’s how long it would take for you to heal as a human. He’s gonna come in and put you in a cast and a sling, and who knows what else.”
I groaned. “Please no.”
“You need to play the damn part and heal for the next three months.”
“I can’t. What if she dies?”
“If you’re that worried, you’ve got to change her. The visions won’t be kind to her body.”
“I know. But… Ru’s a hunter.”
“A hunter that should’ve been a wolf. That entire family has wolf in them.” He shook his head thoughtfully. “I think she might’ve told her father about the visions.”
I tried to mask my surprise. “She did?”
“He’s protecting her. He told me she was asleep when I could hear her listening to us. Do you think he would—”
I shook my head. “Huck loves his kids. He’d never have her committed. But he’ll never agree to turn her. He thinks we are monsters, abominations. He’d rather kill her than allow her to become a wolf. That much I can promise you.”
Greg ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll speak to Huck and find out what he plans to do with Ru now. I’ll tell him she’s in danger with the hunts and that she needs time out as well. It will give you an opportunity to change her mind about all this, Collin.”
My lips curved. Maybe this pretend-healing wouldn’t be so hard after all.
Greg huffed and shook his head, but a grin stretched over his face. “You can thank me later. Now get some sleep like the doctor ordered.”
He got up but paused at the door. “For what it’s worth, you scared the living crap out of me. You need to be more careful. Without you, the wolves will be lost, Collin.”
I nodded and he left.
While I almost completely healed over the next few weeks, the hunters were told I was still barely holding on.
Being a werewolf was amazing. We had exceptional healing abilities, which was present in our saliva, so we were good after a few licks, but it was also in our blood.
During my extended stay at the hospital, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ru. I was certain I was driving Greg up a wall with my incessant request for updates on her.
He’d been right about Huck knowing the truth. Her father was keeping her close. The news about her was vague and delayed. It made me want to get out bed and track her down so I could see for myself if she was okay.
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