by Kat Zaccard
“Something like that.” He grinned. I smiled back awkwardly. This place was truly weird.
Jack looked at me with pity; he must have noticed my countenance shift to presumably a deer-in-the-headlights expression. “I suppose this is more than a little strange for you, huh?”
I didn’t answer, but nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down.
“Lucky for you, he called me for back-up!” a woman’s voice called from behind me.
I whirled around in time to see a tall, muscular woman with chocolate milk skin and raven black hair step out of the woods. She was dressed in loose linen trousers and a white blouse. Her face was beautiful with wide, high cheekbones, a broad nose, and a ready smile. Her long, dark hair flowed like a waterfall down her back. As she drew closer, I noticed her eyes were a deep purple. I turned back to look askance at Jack. His face had softened and a goofy grin had spread across it. He only had eyes for the mystery woman. I thought perhaps he’d forgotten I was there.
“Uh, hi,” I said with an awkward wave at the newcomer.
“Aloha.” She smiled briefly at me, but went directly into Jack’s arms. He grabbed her like a lifeline and twirled her around, ending in a bear hug. She squirmed to get free, swatting him with a laugh. He laughed, too, then released her.
“Princess Alice, may I present my incredible wife, Kulani Keali'i. She runs patrols and teaches chemistry.”
“The princess!” exclaimed Kulani, swatting her husband in annoyance. “You should have told me,” she admonished. She then turned to me and bobbed a curtsy, much to my embarrassment.
“Please, call me Alice.” I smiled at them, certain there was some huge mistake. I was pretty sure William and Kate were the only royalty who anyone cared about these days. Maybe it was a school sorority type of thing? That must have been it. If my parents were alumni here, I must have been considered a legacy student.
Kulani smiled broadly and embraced me. Kissing my cheeks, she said, “Welcome back to the Pack, Alice.”
Jack cleared his throat and said to me, “She’s here to help me explain things to you. Especially since you’re … American.”
I wasn’t sure what my nationality had to do with it, especially since the Midwest was nothing like Hawai’i. But I was glad to meet Kulani. She was open and friendly, and it warmed my heart to see the two of them together. Jack and Kulani seemed made for each other. They barely took their eyes off each other, even when addressing me.
We hopped in his Jeep and drove down the driveway to the main road, then turned toward the mountains on a private drive that wound its way up the northern side of the nearest foothill.
We wove our way up the mountain path, and I couldn’t help wondering why we weren’t just watching a film in an empty classroom. Whatever. If I’ve learned anything in my … what, sixteen hours here, it’s that Mt. Henley goes for drama. Jack and Kulani didn’t say much on the way so I kept the silence. We were all lost in our own thoughts. Them thinking, I don’t know … how to get this over with so they could have some time off together, maybe? And me thinking, okay, I’ll be honest, I was wondering why the hell Sir What’s-his-name had to take off like that over a little teasing? He could have stood up to Jillian and not let her razz the new girl. Logan had no reason to jump to my defense, I guess, and I shouldn’t have expected him to. But I had thought we’d hit it off, that is, until he learned my name and turned all frosty. Maybe he outranked me? I snorted to myself.
Okay, now I was being unfair. I had no idea what his motivations were, and I shouldn’t take his actions personally. So I determined to forget all about Sir Stupid-head (yep, I was as cool as a cucumber—totally mature,) and revel in the fact that I had made another friend. And we’d already gotten over the awkward “we’re just friends” conversation, which would make things easier when I peppered Shea with questions about whether or not she liked Adam. My thoughts were just starting to circle back to Logan with an inkling of guilt at the nearly forgotten Nick back home, when the Jeep pulled to a stop.
I hadn’t been paying much attention to the streaming forest outside, but as I looked up, I saw that we had wound up the foothills and had pulled over near the edge of a steep bluff. We all climbed out of the Jeep and took in the scenery. The view was incredible. I cautiously made my way to the edge, but not too close. I looked down over the valley that was ringed with mountains. Autumn turned the scenic view into a rainbow. We were standing on the east side. Beyond the valley stretched foothills and forests that seemed to go on forever, though a few tracks cut through the trees that, I guessed, were far-away roads. In the valley was Mt. Henley campus. We were looking at the back of it so I could see a lot of smaller buildings behind the main mansion and the château dormitories.
Jack stood beside me and started to point out some of the smaller groupings of buildings. “See the path behind the high school dorms and gardens there? That path leads to the college dorms in the next valley. Beyond that is a smaller cluster of homes for staff. Dryden, our little village, is tucked away in the valley down the middle path and to the northeast a few kilometers,” he said, pointing. “It’s basically a town square and a few streets. There is a general store, a few local businesses, and some clothing stores, though I’ve been told by several girls that the clothing is ‘beyond inadequate.’” His tone was a perfect imitation of Jillian’s, and he pretended to flip his hair. Kulani gave Jack a disapproving look, but I laughed out loud. I was grateful that, while he’d never outright tease a student, he was observant enough to pick up on the people’s basic attitudes.
Jillian had ditched me that day and done her best to embarrass me. I had an uncomfortable feeling that, had I understood her taunts better, I’d be even more annoyed with her. But I also suspected she’d done me a favor. I was glad to be outside on a hill with Jack and Kulani, taking in the admittedly impressive campus grounds. Jack was also my connection to the real world, since he’d dragged me to this isolated, albeit beautiful place. Even though we’d just met, Kulani seemed warm and open, so it was easy to relax around her.
“Where do those paths lead?” I pointed to diverging pathways that wound away from the arena and into the woods.
“Ah, that’s the main road that leads back to the college dorms and then on to Dryden. Some paths split off to private staff properties, and a few senior staff have a several acres of their own to run around in.” She grinned, but I missed the joke.
Jack pointed at the various trails. “Some of those paths are simply hiking trails. Those lead to the northwest ridge, and that one goes into the drumlins to the east. That path to the left leads to more training areas for outdoor education. There are also paths that encompass the property for maintaining border patrols.”
I hadn’t been to P.E. yet, but besides the outdoor arena and extensive training fields, there was a huge gymnasium inside the school, along with a pool, since I’d smelled the chlorine while passing the basketball courts earlier. “Are sports a big deal around here?” I asked, because sports were almost always a big deal in any high school.
Jack grinned, though I didn’t know what was funny. Kulani said, “Yes and no. Physical activity is highly regarded, and sporting events are a fun way to blow off steam, but you may have noticed that we are rather reclusive out here. We don’t have nearby schools to hold tournaments with, and there aren’t a lot of neighbors to help us out if there’s a bad snowstorm or a kid gets lost on a trail. So we do our best to teach survival skills to all students and staff. It takes a high priority, given that we spend so much time outdoors in all forms … of weather.”
I looked questioningly at Kulani and Jack, certain they were leaving something out. I also hoped some of the shops in the Dryden had good hiking boots.
“Okay, survival skills. Well, I was a Girl Scout. I can find north and build a fire,” I said, mustering my confidence.
I hadn’t meant it as a joke, but Jack laughed. I folded my arms, feeling a little cross. Kulani smiled at me, then scowled at Ja
ck. She was so strikingly beautiful that even her frown was lovely. It was more than her features, though; something about her energy radiated warmth.
Jack covered his amusement, schooling his face, if not his eyes. They twinkled as he went on, “Yeah, I’m not trying to discredit that, and it will help you. But there are other things to contend with out here: bears, avalanches, arctic temperatures that drop on you like a pail of ice water. Don’t worry, city girl, we’ll toughen you up.”
I could tell Jack was trying to be complimentary as well as cautionary, so I decided to give him the courtesy of believing he knew what he was talking about. I was really more of a small-town girl, but in his eyes, I was a city girl. He wasn’t trying to insult me, just impress upon me the danger beyond the beauty of this place. And for whatever reason, I trusted him. He had that “big brother” feel about him, and I usually had pretty good instincts about people. Maybe excluding certain Sir Won’t-be-thinking-about-or-mentioning-his-name-again.
I was about to ask about winter, when another thought dawned on me. “Hey, how come you and Shea have the same last name? She told me she’s an orphan, so is it just a coincidence or are you somehow related?”
The humor in Jack’s eyes faded and he looked a little sad. I immediately regretted asking. Kulani stepped closer and held his hand.
“Actually, we’re both orphans. Whenever a new student comes to Mount Henley, we do our best to trace their genealogy and figure out their family history so we can determine which Clan they come from. Sometimes, we just can’t find it. We use genetic testing to the extent we are able to sequence our DNA. We don’t have a complete genome to work off of yet, and there are so many anomalies we haven’t figured out, so sometimes we just don’t know. When we can’t find a family connection, we give the student the last name of Winterstone. It’s not meant to be derogatory; it’s meant to give orphans a sense of family name with the other unclaimed, but unfortunately to some it becomes synonymous with bastard.”
I was pretty sure the human genome had already been sequenced, but maybe he meant they hadn’t figured out how each gene was expressed. I didn’t think you could trace your family name by DNA.
“We have a few Winterstones at Mount Henley, though Shea is the only one in your grade. I hope that Shea has an easier time of it than I did. I try to look out for them, but who wants an old man for a friend? Especially if it’s just a reminder you don’t know where you came from.”
His explanation sprung ten new questions; however, I chose to exercise tact and bit my tongue. I could understand avoiding the uncomfortable memories of an unwanted name. And I couldn’t ignore his pain. “That’s sad,” I said. “Why do people care so much about family names? I guess I’d be a Winterstone if my parents hadn’t adopted me.” So much for tact.
Jack chuckled wryly. “Oh, no, you’d be a Luna. You are the last of your Clan. No one will forget that.”
I looked askance at him. “Why do I feel like everyone knows something about my birth parents except me? And what do you mean by Clan? Is that a Canadian thing?”
I’d said it lightly, but by the look in his eyes, I knew I’d hit upon something. Kulani let go of Jack’s hand and gave me her full attention.
“Well, that’s kind of why we’re out here, Alice. I have something to tell you, and well … seeing is believing, so bear with me on this. It’s a little complicated.”
Clouds cast shadows across his face as they passed the sun, and the lightness of the mood faded as well. Suddenly I felt nervous and truly curious and aware of how odd this scenario was. I was out in the woods with these random people I’d just met? I took a deep breath and had to trust that my parents wouldn’t send me to a school without thoroughly checking out the staff, as they’ve done for me since Kindergarten. They’re a little overprotective, which made everything about my current situation all the more strange.
Kulani, who had let Jack do most of the talking, cleared her throat. “I think this next bit will be easier if it’s just us girls.” She smiled at Jack and squeezed his hand before releasing it.
“There’s a lovely clearing up ahead,” said Jack, turning away from the bluff and pointing out a path behind the overlook. “I’ll hang back while Kulani fills you in.”
I looked from one to the other, an eyebrow raised. Had I mentioned this place was weird? I followed Kulani toward the path lined with yellow-leaved birch trees glowing in the afternoon sunlight.
“Look, there’s no easy way to do this. Believe me, we’ve tried a hundred ways to break the news to new students not raised in the Pack. Here’s the deal, Alice. I’m going to ask you to trust me. I consider it a sacred honor to tell you the truths I am about to lay out for you.” Kulani stopped for a moment and looked at me solemnly. “Do your best to really listen to me. It’s going to be hard to believe. Follow me.” Kulani headed down a trail away from the overlook and through the tall stand of birch trees.
I glanced back at Jack, who made a “go on” motion with his hands. “I’ll wait here,” he called.
I followed Kulani through the woods, winding our way to an open clearing tucked away in the foothills and covered in late fall colors and tall grasses. Red dogwood branches stuck out starkly against the backdrop of buttercream grasses and drying straw flowers. “Kulani, you’re kind of freaking me out.” I was going for light-hearted, but realized I meant it as my words fell like boulders.
“I know.” She grinned, but not unkindly. “Come on, it’s better if we take this at a bit of a run.” She jogged a few paces into the meadow, then looked back. “Trust me.” I jogged after her into a clearing of prairie grasses and wildflowers.
“Okay, here goes. Alice Nacht Luna, you are the last of your Clan, the royal line Luna that bridged the Clans of the North, the Middle lands, and the South into one Pack.” This nonsense again? I wanted to interrupt, but we were jogging at a good clip now and I had to focus on my breathing. Kulani, who apparently had more stamina than me, went on effortlessly, “You are the last Luna, the Lost Princess, the rightful heiress to the throne, head of the council of nations, and the leader of the Great Pack. Princess Alice, you are also a werewolf.”
I stumbled as I burst out laughing, but kept my footing. A sweat broke out across my forehead and palms. She looked so serious! What was with this place? “Okay, Kulani, enough teasing. What’s the real deal out here?” I was starting to pant with effort and really wanted the exercise portion of orientation to be over.
She looked at me with a smile and shook her head. “This is the real deal, Alice.” Her eyes begged me to believe her.
I was annoyed now; I didn’t like being teased. “Okay, seriously, what do you mean?” I hadn’t meant to sound so shrill.
Kulani kept her eyes on me. She slowed her pace a little but continued jogging. “Keep jogging, it’ll help process the shock. I’m going to show you. Please, try not to freak out.” A glimmer of her previous humor glinted in her violet eyes, but she was also unbuttoning her white blouse.
“Kulani, what are you doing?” I didn’t know why, but I just kept running. Part of me trusted Jack and, by extension, Kulani. They would never hurt me, but this was beyond strange.
“I’m going to shift, so you’ll believe. And I am sorry, I know how hard this is.” She took off her shirt. “Just keep running, Alice.” I looked into her deep purple eyes that were the color of amethyst in sunlight. Suddenly, they were gone. Had she bent down or fallen? One minute I’d been looking in her eyes and the next it was as if the reception was fading in and out, and in one wild whir of motion, a large black wolf darted past me and ran ahead, glancing back at me with violet eyes.
The wolf was twice the size of a normal wolf. She had Kulani’s shirt in her mouth and shook it playfully. I tripped and fell on my face. I turned and saw the enormous wolf approaching. Without time to think, I clambered to my feet and ran as fast as I could. I didn’t know where I was going or why. All I knew was that … my teacher? tour guide? some random chick I’d just met, a
ctually, had just been mauled by a wolf. That was it. She was lying in a pool of blood somewhere, and I just ran. Some hero, I’d make! I slowed, thinking to go back to help Kulani.
I heard the snap of a twig. With a gasp, I saw those same violet eyes peering at me from the nearby brush. She’d been on my tail ever since I took off. How stupid was I to think I could outrun a gigantic wolf? I froze in a panic. I literally could not move. In that instant, all I could do was curse the biology teacher who’d told me about adrenaline responses of flight-or-fight. Why had he neglected to mention freeze?
The wolf stepped forward, and I swayed. I still couldn’t move. In fact, I wasn’t even breathing. I took in a shaky breath before my vision turned blurry. Then I watched in slow motion as the wolf took another step forward and shimmered as it turned into a dark bronze woman. Then the world went dark.
I woke up in the arms of a naked lady. The first naked lady, besides myself or my mom, that I’d ever seen, come to think of it. Kulani seemed unaware of her nudity as she carefully examined my face.
“Alice? Are you okay? You fainted. Not that I blame you, but I did catch you, so I think you avoided a concussion, at least.” She smiled nervously, chattering like my mother, which unexpectedly put me more at ease.
“Kulani.” I focused on her face. “You’re naked.”
She grinned. “Right, hang on.” She gently set my head back down onto the forest floor, then shifted into a wolf and took off through the multicolored trees. Had I not just seen the transformation three times, I probably would have spent the next five minutes convincing myself I had some sort of fever or extreme jet lag. As it was, I just lay there and tried to remember how to breathe normally.
In a few moments, I heard movement through the trees, and Jack gently called my name. I had the impression he could have snuck up on me easily but was being considerate to let me know he was nearby. He stepped out from the forest with Kulani— clothed, thank God—and waited a few feet from where I was. I sat up slowly and looked at him hard. He met my gaze and waited.
