Winter's Pack (The Cursed Book 2)

by Lou Grimes

  “Now, open your eyes,” Arsen said in a hoarse whisper.

  She opened them, but caught Arsen’s eyes in a way that wasn’t a challenge. It was more of a way to avoid the sight of whatever had been placed in her hands. She was thankful to see he wasn’t on his knees when her eyes opened. Her eyes slid down to the thing, studying each detail.

  Resting in her palm was a small wooden box. A perfect way to gift any manner of jewelry. Louvette’s eyes flicked toward Arsen again.

  She opened it gently. Relief flooded her when she recognized the box didn’t have a ring in it. Inside the box, rather, was a silver cuff that had a raised floral design on it. Her fingers brushed against the cold metal.

  Arsen cleared his throat before speaking.

  “That bracelet is made out of the bullet that Campbell shot you with,” Arsen explained.

  Louvette gripped the cuff tightly in her hand before hugging Arsen as hard as she could.

  After the hug, he slid the cuff on her wrist. It fit perfectly.

  “How did you get it to fit without measuring my arm?” Louvette wondered.

  “During our nap together in the pack hospital bed,” he said, sheepishly since he had been caught peeping.

  “Thank you, this is perfect,” Louvette declared.

  “Are you sure? Because you were a little green when you saw it,” Arsen said.

  “No, I just thought it was going to be something else. I wasn’t ready for something else,” Louvette hinted gingerly. Realization dawned in Arsen’s eyes. A full belly laugh escaped him.

  “Are you serious?” he asked out of amusement. Louvette found herself joining in. Once her stomach ached painfully, she forced herself to stop so her abdominal muscles could have a break. Arsen wiped the tears from his eyes when he was done.

  “Maybe later, Winter,” he said, rolling up her hair in the same way as he would have done to a kid. Louvette punched him. She refused to respond to that comment.

  “Let’s go back to the party,” she told him.

  “Sounds like a great idea,” he agreed.

  They spent the next hour talking and having a grand time. After a couple of conversations with Arsen’s friends and family members, Louvette was going to lose her voice from lack of water at this rate. Arsen broke her away from the people they were talking to.

  “Can I get you a drink?” he offered. Louvette beamed at his sweetness.

  “Yes, please. I’m about to die of thirst any second,” Louvette teased, grabbing her scratchy throat.

  “Please don’t die. I couldn’t bear it,” he murmured, giving her a sweet kiss before leaving. The sudden loss of his companionship was a bit sobering, but he had left her inside to take care of her.

  Arsen’s mom snagged her arm and then pulled her off to the side.

  “Are you having a marvelous time?” Mrs. Whitecreek asked like the expert hostess she was.

  “I’m having a great time,” Louvette answered truthfully. Even though the Rivers’ had been a setback, she was still enjoying herself

  “I need to talk to you privately, Louvette,” Mrs. Whitecreek said.

  “What do you need to talk about?” Louvette asked.

  “Listen, I can tell Arsen really likes you because you are one of the few that I have met,” Mrs. Whitecreek said.

  “Yes, ma’am. I really like your son, too,” Louvette said brightly.

  “I don’t think you’re what my son needs, to be honest,” Mrs. Whitecreek said. Louvette’s stomach dropped. The warmness Mrs. Whitecreek had offered her when she walked through her doors made Louvette feel suddenly betrayed.

  “Why not?” she asked painfully.

  “Now, I don’t think that you are wrong as a person. You sound quite wonderful from what Arsen tells me. I just think you are wrong because of what you are,” Mrs. Whitecreek explained.

  “I’m wrong because I’m a Lupine?” she asked again.

  “Yes, you’re a danger to him. You will bring countless terrible people across his path that he would never have met if you weren’t around,” Arsen’s mom said gently. Each word she said stabbed Louvette like a wolfsbane-laced blade.

  “Judging from that warm display earlier, you haven’t told Arsen how you feel about me,” Louvette declared.

  “No. I can tell it will push him away from me,” Mrs. Whitecreek said.

  “Why are you telling me this?” Louvette asked, needing to understand where this was going or what Arsen’s mother sought out of this conversation.

  “I need you to stop dating him,” Mrs. Whitecreek said. Louvette was shaking after finding out why she had chosen to talk to her instead of her own son.

  “Not going to happen,” Louvette replied.

  “Something is going to happen and it’s going to be your fault,” Arsen’s mother declared.

  “He’s perfectly capable of fighting his own battles,” Louvette said.

  “If he stays with you, he won’t be fighting his own battles. He will be fighting yours as well, and yours will be too much to handle for one person,” Mrs. Whitecreek replied.

  “I’m not going to let anything happen to him,” Louvette defended.

  “What are you going to do when you miss something or fail to protect him?” Mrs. Whitecreek asked.

  “Arsen is capable of making his own decisions,” Louvette said.

  “Arsen likes you too much to make the right decisions about you. He can’t see the liability that you bring, not only to the pack, but also to him. I can see it in your eyes how much you care about him, so I can tell you’re smart enough to make the right decision,” Mrs. Whitecreek continued.

  “How am I a liability to the pack?” she wondered.

  “Did he tell you they moved the last outside meeting to Bozeman a day before it took place to shield you?” Mrs. Whitecreek asked.

  “Yes, Arsen told me,” Louvette said.

  “Well, did he tell you that the Eastland Pack ambushed our pack before our guys got to Bozeman because they thought Bozeman was a trap for them?” Mrs. Whitecreek asked. Louvette paused, speechless as Mrs. Whitecreek wished her to be. Arsen hadn’t told her the truth about how bad the pack meet had gone.

  “I knew he wouldn’t,” Mrs. Whitecreek said, sighing.

  “So, where would you have me go if I’m a menace to the pack, too?” Louvette asked, grasping exactly how much Arsen’s mother expected Louvette to give up. This wasn’t just about her son. This was about the Northline Pack. This was about her husband, Kenneth Whitecreek.

  “Anywhere but here,” Mrs. Whitecreek said in a soft tone as if the words hurt her more than they hurt Louvette.

  Louvette said nothing because she had no defense at the moment. The two of them stared at Arsen as he headed their way after escaping a conversation he had been trapped in. Louvette doubted his exchange was anything similar to the one she had been caught in.

  “Please think rationally about this, for the sake of my son’s life,” Mrs. Whitecreek said, wrapping up the conversation.

  Louvette composed herself enough to flash Arsen a smile, but it was awkward and forced. She hoped he didn’t see through her façade.

  Mrs. Whitecreek’s words were poisonous as they dripped into her ear because they echoed her own fears. People were worried about war between the Eastland Pack and the Northline Pack because of her. Arsen’s fight with Campbell was because of her as well. Breathing became hard as all these thoughts hit her at once.

  “Ready to dance a bit?” Arsen asked, but his voice was distorted from the borderline panic attack she was now experiencing.

  “What did you say?” Louvette stammered.

  “You don’t look so hot, Louvette. Are you okay?” he asked, taking in her appearance. Louvette was sure her face was ashen white because every drop of blood had fled from her face.

  “I need some fresh air,” Louvette said, hoping the brisk cold of the night would shock her back to normal.

  “Come on,” Arsen said, leading her through the kitchen and out the
back door. The cold hit her with a force; it was much different from the cold she was used to. This cold was still, making the extremely low temperatures more bearable because the wind wasn’t constantly blowing.

  Her breathing returned to normal, but turmoil still boiled inside her. The wish to call Arsen on his lie filled her. A wish she didn’t surrender to. It was almost unbearable not to.

  “What’s wrong, Winter?” Arsen asked, charming her more than a snake charmer could ever manage.

  “Nothing, I think I need another run, but not today.” Louvette decided not to tell Arsen she was aware he had lied or what his mother was asking of her. That was the reason Mrs. Whitecreek hadn’t told her son how she felt about his Lupine girlfriend because he would have only pushed her away.

  “Let’s go on a run, then,” Arsen said. There was no resistance. Any request that Louvette made, Arsen would have tried his best to complete it.

  “Just the two of us, like we used to,” Louvette said.

  “That sounds like something we both need,” he seconded.

  “You know what else I need? I need to head home. The night is catching up to me,” Louvette said.

  “When would you like to go for a run?” Arsen asked.

  “I’ll call you,” Louvette teased.

  “I’ll be waiting for it. I’ll walk you out if you’re leaving. Are you up for saying goodbye?” Arsen asked, motioning toward the house full of guests.

  “No, I’m just going to go home. My head kind of hurts from all the noise. I didn’t leave anything, so I’ll head around to the front yard.” Louvette responded hastily because the last thing she sought to do was to see Arsen’s mother again.

  She was thankful when Arsen didn’t push the subject further. He took her word that it was all she could handle.

  “I’ll walk you around, then,” Arsen said. Judging from the lack of reaction, he didn’t comprehend she was avoiding someone.

  After they got to her car, he pulled her into a wolf hug that made her bones creak.

  “Thank you for coming. I’m so glad you and Mom got along so well,” Arsen said. Louvette tried not to flinch.

  “Thank you for inviting me. I had a blast. Does your mom not like any of your girlfriends?” Louvette wondered.

  “No, but there haven’t been that many. She’s so over the top sometimes that I’d rather not put anyone through that unless I plan for them to stay,” Arsen explained.

  Louvette took that to heart. She had some hope that his mother might simply be crazy overprotective.

  “I know I’m staying. Who said you were, though?” Louvette asked teasingly.

  “Well, you have to decide now if I’m staying,” Arsen said.

  “I guess you can stay,” Louvette said airily.

  “Thank you,” Arsen replied.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll see you later,” Louvette said.

  “Not if I see you first,” Arsen countered, giving Louvette a sweet kiss on the forehead. She closed her eyes as the action relieved the pressure of her headache his mother’s words had induced for a brief moment. She sighed as she melted like putty.

  He opened her car door for her. She slid into her seat.

  “Be safe,” he said.

  “Safe’s my middle name,” Louvette shot back. Mirth exploded from Arsen.

  “More like trouble,” he clarified.

  ”What is your middle name?” Arsen questioned.

  “We’ve been together this long, and you don’t know my middle name?” Louvette mocked, aware of the fact that she had never told him.

  “What is your middle name?” he asked again, nudging her gently.

  “It’s a secret,” she said.

  “If you won’t tell me, I’ll just have to find out myself,” Arsen warned.

  “Go on, but you can’t use Ian,” Louvette said.

  “What do I win if I find out on my own?” Arsen wondered.

  “A kiss,” she said. He paused for a few minutes as if contemplating the true worth of her kiss.

  “I’m down. Goodbye, Winter,” Arsen answered.

  “Goodbye, Arsen,” she said before driving off.

  Her mind was in turmoil as she drove off. She flipped on some appropriate music to accompany her thoughts. Breaking Benjamin’s song “I Will Not Bow” was blaring through the car as she hauled her butt home. At least she wasn’t a bad girlfriend as Arsen’s mother had deemed her to be, for a bad girlfriend would have done as she had been told and slunk off into the night. The more she thought about it, the more activated her defensive attitude became.

  So, her boyfriend’s mother wanted her to leave town, but that was usually how things went down. It was common that no one was ever good enough for someone’s son or daughter. Louvette laughed quietly because her mother was the complete opposite. She essentially threw Louvette at Arsen’s feet. Her mother probably believed the chances of someone picking a girl who had been constantly fighting were slim.

  She had failed what she had set out to do but Louvette was far from giving up on telling Cara the truth. She’d try again, and again, and again. At least until she succeeded, or until Cara found out on her own. Louvette preferred the first option to the latter one.

  Louvette strolled through the door to find no one around, but she was cognizant of her mother being home.

  She focused on her sense of hearing until she felt her ears develop tips. The sound transformed into deeper vibrations and tones. A thousand taps met her ears. For a second, Louvette thought that it was raining until she heard a humming near the drops.

  Her mother was in the shower. Louvette’s ears returned to normal.

  Louvette knocked on her bathroom door.

  “Just so you know, I made it back,” Louvette called.

  “Thanks, honey. I’ll talk to you in the morning. Goodnight,” her mother hollered back, carrying her voice over the sound of the water.

  “Goodnight,” Louvette said as she headed to her room.

  All the rooms had that old cabin scent to them, but hers was the most noticeable. Louvette had often wondered if that was because no one had lived in them for so long except her and her mom over the past several months. Declan had been away for so long. Wilder wouldn’t have hung out in his son’s room, reminiscing about the old times that were now gone. Her grandfather had been gone as long as his son had, basically.

  Her life had changed so much since she arrived here. She had added an art table, with various pieces of paper and pencils scattered about. Now, décor peppered the room where there had previously been none. She had a few concert posters her mother had gotten her over the years. They were concerts she had never been to, but not because she didn’t wish to go. They hadn’t stayed long enough to go to one or she couldn’t afford to. A tall mirror framed in carved wood that she had obtained to make sure her outfits were up to par now sat in the corner. The cedar bed, dresser, and side tables still remained.

  She had no idea what her father liked, so it was easy to imagine him doing anything. This was especially true when they had nothing to go off of. He was a sore subject for her mother. His best friend might be his murderer, so that didn’t have Louvette asking Hollows a whole lot of warm and fuzzy questions about what her dad liked or what hobbies he’d had.

  She walked over to her bed and plopped down. She stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Life might have been different if she had grown up in Whitefish. Arsen’s mother probably wouldn’t object to her. Her mother and father would still be together. She might not have gotten into so many fights throughout her life. Her Lupine education would have taken place over a greater period of time; instead, she had to force everything into her head within a year. Louvette was still learning something new every day. The significance might be the size of breadcrumbs one day, and then the next she might learn something exponentially larger, like about the magical creatures that had been hiding in her world.

  Louvette exhaled more audibly than normal. She got up to change for the night, then
got back into bed. She thought if she tried to process the whole shebang the way she needed to, she’d never have time to do anything else.

  Though her mind had much to process, the need to sleep took over eventually.

  Chapter 4

  School blurred in and out of focus for Louvette the following day. She was prepared to dart out of her seat as soon as the bell rang. Her grades had taken a tiny dip from the constant distractions she was facing from everything going on in her life, especially when it came to the subject of Thomas Hollows. However, she was nowhere near the poor grade point average she had when she first arrived at Whitefish Academy.

  All her work was being completed. She had tons of free time to do her schoolwork since she had promised not to run on her own, though she would have rather spent her free time with Arsen. But Arsen was still busier than the number of hours in a day.

  Louvette had decided against telling Arsen about his mother cornering her at Thanksgiving. Finding out would stress him even more than he currently was in the midst of the messy pack politics.

  The number of things left untold between her and Arsen were stacking up every day. She hated not telling him everything. She wondered if Arsen felt the same pain from lying as she did. Louvette could only hope he did because if he didn’t, their feelings for each other would be unbalanced.

  “Louvette, will you stop that?” the teacher asked, annoyed. The teacher caught her off guard, so it took a second before Louvette answered. She barely comprehended that the teacher was talking to her.

  “Stop what?” Louvette asked, frowning. She had no idea what she was doing to earn a reprimand from one of the nicest teachers in school.

  “Stop hitting your pencil on the desk,” the teacher snapped. She didn’t believe Louvette was oblivious to what she was doing.

  Flicking her eyes to her hand, Louvette saw she did indeed have a pencil in it. The death grip she had on it was a sign she had been knocking her pencil into her desk. Louvette was impressed the pencil hadn’t snapped from the force of her fingers. Her face went red with embarrassment.