Creatures: A Limited Edition Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, page 266
“That would be wise.”
I had to get out of there before my temper got the best of me.
“One last thing,” said James. “There was another attack by a rabid werewolf last night.”
Erik looked at him sharply. “Where was this, and why am I only hearing about it now?”
“The attack was at my house. I fought him but he got away. I’m also sure there was another wolf in the area,” James told him.
“Are you sure?” Erik asked.
“Yes, I heard them communicating. But I never saw the second wolf. I chased the one that approached the house into the woods but I lost his trail.”
“Were you hurt?”
“He was able to get a good bite out of my shoulder but it’s fine now.”
“That's two attacks in two days. It's unusually high,” Erik muttered.
“Do you have any idea what could be going on?” Chris asked him.
“I'll have to take some time to look into it. But I haven’t heard anything about increased rabid activity anywhere else. At this point I wouldn't expect it to be anything more than an aberration, but I’ll check it out.”
“And if it turns out to be more than that?” asked James.
“Then we’ll hunt down the were that has broken pack law and they will be dealt with swiftly,” Erik told them. By the look on his face I knew that he meant whoever was behind this would be hunted down and killed before they could do any more harm or put the pack in any more danger.
Erik stood up from his chair with Chris and James quick to follow his lead. I guess the meeting was over.
I stood up and clenched my hands tightly to keep them from shaking. Once again they were talking about taking someone’s life like it was no big deal.
“Well, thank you very much for your help. We should probably be on our way. I’m sure you’re a very busy man.” I told him.
* * *
“You're very welcome. And I do hope you take my advice. I'll talk to my sister, of course. But anything you can do to avoid provoking her would be in your best interest.
“Right.” I forced a weak smile and headed out the front door ahead of Chris and James.
It wasn't until we were out of his driveway and back on the road that I felt safe enough to speak.
“Your Alpha is an asshole. You guys see that, right?”
“Seline,” Chris warned.
“What?” I crossed my arms over my chest and flopped against the back seat. What was the matter with them, were they both blind? Where were those heightened werewolf senses I had heard so much about?
“He loves his sister,” James said as way of explanation.
“He warned me to keep away from you, just like his sister did.”
“I know,” said James. “I heard.”
“Well you’re not going to tell me to take his advice are you?” I asked with disbelief.
“No, of course not,” said James, reaching forward from the back seat to take my hand.
“And you won’t get in trouble for ignoring him, since he’s your Alpha and everything?” I asked, suddenly uncertain.
“I’m not in love with his sister. I have no interest in being with her. I don’t care what they think about it,” he told me. I wanted to be reassured, but he hadn’t actually answered my question.
“I know this has got you really stressed out,” said Chris, “but he's promised to talk to her. Let’s just cross our fingers and hope that he can talk some sense into Sarah and she’ll leave you alone from now on. If anyone can talk Sarah into or out of doing something its Erik.”
“Right,” I said with a sigh. “Well then we had all better hope that he uses that power for good instead of evil, because I have a feeling he really wouldn’t mind seeing me out of the way.”
Chapter 11
I lay in the dark, curled up in bed on top of the blankets in my cousin's guest room. I shivered slightly as a cool breeze blew in through the open window and reached out to pull back a corner of the blanket, eager to crawl beneath it and escape the sudden chill. A gentle tapping on the door broke the blissful silence and my hand froze. I closed my eyes, feigning sleep and hoped he would go away.
I heard the door open slowly but I didn’t move. All I wanted was a few peaceful minutes to myself. Was that really so much to ask?
“Seline?” Chris asked quietly.
I kept my eyes shut and my breathing even, hoping that he would take the hint and go away.
"Seline, are you asleep?" he whispered.
I didn't respond. He had to give up eventually.
"Seline," he said louder.
"Oh my god, what?" I asked, annoyed.
"So you were faking, I knew it." He came into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed beside me.
“So what if I was? What if I had really been sleeping? What's so important that you had to come in here and wake me up?" I threw an arm up over my head to cover my eyes against the glare of the light in the hallway.
"I just wanted to make sure that you were all right."
"Oh…” I dropped my arm and turned my head to look at him. Deep worry lines creased my cousin’s brow and I felt bad for stressing him out.
"I'm ok. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Is that a trick question?" He raised an eyebrow at me and smiled.
I couldn’t help but laugh. ”No. Part of me just wonders if maybe I’ve been overreacting. I mean. If I were back home in Silverlake and some guy I was seeing had a crazy ex-girlfriend, how would I have handled it? There wouldn't be some Alpha there to go running off to. I would have told her to leave me alone, told my new guy about it, and moved on. So why can’t I just do that here?”
“Maybe because your gut is telling you that it’s really not as simple as all that out here? It’s your survival instinct. You know that there’s a real chance of danger, because you’ve seen it. Besides, she did scratch up your car," Chris reminded me.
"I know, but Erik is also right, I don't have any proof of that. It's all circumstantial. It was in a parking lot right? So maybe it got side-swiped by another driver." I shrugged, and stared up at the ceiling.
"Is that what you really think happened?" he asked skeptically.
“Oh of course not! I know she did it. Her brother knows she did it. We all know she did it, but there's nothing I can do about it. Maybe you’re right and this has got me so much more stressed out because I know it's not just some idle threat. People say they would love to kill people they don't like all the time. But here? God, Chris, out here you guys actually do kill each other!"
"Seline, no matter what you’ve seen over the last few days, we're not a bunch of blood-thirsty monsters."
"I know that, I know! But you don't even seem the least bit phased that there is a dead body buried out in the woods behind your house right now. I mean, don't you care?" I sat up in bed and looked my cousin in the eye. "You just... took it in stride. Bury the body and then it's back to beers and barbecue. How is that not crazy? That's crazy, Chris! Do you really want to live a life where you can kill and bury a guy one minute and then just go on with your life the next? What the hell is happening to you out here?"
Chris got off the bed and began pacing the length of the room. "Jesus, Seline, I thought you understood."
"I'm trying to understand, I really am. I keep trying to find my footing. But every time I think I've got a handle on things around here, some new kind of bat shit crazy pops up to remind me that I don't have a clue! From the moment I got here it's been nothing but trouble. I mean come on; I drove my car of the road just trying to reach the damn town. Maybe that was the universe trying to tell me to just turn around and go home because I obviously don't belong here."
"So what? You're just going to cut your vacation short and go home?" Disappointment clouded his face and I had to look away.
"Maybe I should. It's been nothing but stress anyway."
"You know Seline, I never took you for a coward," said Chris, coming to stand in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" I snapped.
"I mean, you're scared and confused, and things aren't what you expected so now you just want to go home."
"Chris, it's not like I want to quit the game because you're beating me at Monopoly. Werewolves have attacked. Not once, but twice. There is a pissed off ex-girlfriend out there that can, and would, very much like to tear my throat out before I could blink because I'm seeing the guy she's completely obsessed with. And I just don't know if I'm cut out for whatever the hell is going on out here. It's like I've stepped into some other dimension where the rules just don't apply. I need rules Chris. I need to understand how things work. This," I waved my arms around to include everything around us, “I don't understand how this is supposed to work. I know that whenever this wolf is caught he’s going to have to die. I know that there is no other way to deal with them. But I’m a long way off from feeling blasé about the idea.”
Chris sighed and sat down beside me, then threw his arm over my shoulder pulling me close. He radiated heat the same way James did. It was one werewolf trait that I could easily get used to. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. My cousin was a werewolf. I thought I was okay with it, but it guess I wasn’t as adjusted to the fact as I thought.
"I know it's hard,” he told me. “Honestly I was a little worried when you accepted everything so well right after the first attack.”
"You were?"
"Yeah. What you experienced could have been, maybe even should have been, traumatic. But you just... took it in stride."
"You mean after my little freak out?"
"Yes, but that was normal and to be expected. But after that, just a few minutes later, you just went on like nothing had happened. I was a bit worried that you might have been in shock and repressing your feelings. And it looks like I was right." he squeezed my shoulder and I patted his hand.
"I think I would have been okay if there hadn't been a second attack a day later." I shifted on the bed so that I could face him head on. My cousin's face was still clouded with worry and I took one of his hands in mine, hoping to offer him some comfort.
“I wish I could find some way to prove that Sarah was behind it.”
“I know you think it’s her but something about it still seems off,” he said.
“I’m telling you Chris, it’s her. It has to be. That chick is all kinds of crazy. She truly believes that she and James are meant to be together. When she confronted me it was like she was almost fanatical about it. Almost like she believed that it was destined to be. The girl is totally cracked.”
"Seline, I know it must have been really scary for you, but right now the best thing for us to do it so just let Erik handle it. A pack has a chain of command and we need to follow it. If Erik finds out that these attacks are tied to his sister in some way, he will put a stop to it. Whatever is going on is putting all of us at risk. He won’t allow it to continue, so just give it some time and let him get to the bottom of it. Until then all you have to worry about is trying to actually relax and enjoy your time off."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Did he really just want me to sit around twiddling my thumbs and doing nothing?
"How can you possibly have such blind faith in Erik, and just... just... do what you're told like some well trained dog?" I ask.
"Hey!" he snapped and I jumped in surprise. I instantly regretted my choice of words. Chris had never raised his voice to me before.
"A pack isn't some club, Seline. We're not just a group of friends that hang out and drink beer. When you're turned, a pack becomes your family. They become closer to you than your family. And that family has one leader. One. And he is responsible for making sure that everyone else in the pack falls in line. Our Alpha protects us. They keep us secret. They keep us safe. They keep us strong. And sure, maybe Erik isn't the most charming guy in the world. I know he can rub people the wrong way, but he's our Alpha, and he comes from a long line of Alphas. This is the first time in generations where his line hasn't sired any children. That's why there was talk of James possibly taking over as Alpha if anything were to ever happen to Erik. Erik's leadership has never been disputed or challenged and there has never been any need for it to be."
"So this one guy just has absolute power over you and what you do?" I asked, shocked.
"In a way, yes," he said with a shrug.
"But how can you live like that? You're not your own man. You'll always be at the beck and call of someone else. If not Erik, then some other Alpha. How are you ok with that?"
"I have to be ok with it because that's just the way it is. Seline, wolves without packs, they don't last. We need a pack to be grounded, to stay straight. A wolf without a pack has a greater chance of going rabid like the ones that attacked you. I don't have a problem with having to answer to an Alpha. Being a part of a pack is being a part of something greater than yourself and that's an incredible feeling."
"But what if someone wants to leave the pack?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean, what if someone doesn't want to be a part of the pack anymore? What if they just want to be their own person and not answer to anyone else?"
Chris shook his head no. "The only time a wolf leaves a pack is if they have done something bad enough to be forced out of the pack or if they move away."
"What if a werewolf from somewhere else moves here and doesn't want to join the pack?" I asked.
"This is Hidden Falls Pack territory. Any were that relocates here knows that they are expected to present himself to the Alpha and join our pack. It's the same rule in any area that is home to a local pack," he explained.
I wrapped my arms around myself and let out a deep breath. "I don't know if I could handle living with all of those rules," I told him.
"You'd be surprised at how quickly it becomes second nature. I know that it seems strange to you, cuz, but I promise you that I'm happy out here with them. Happier than I've ever been. Was it scary and strange after I was first bitten? Yeah, of course it was. But now it feels like the best thing that has ever happened to me, and a large part of that is due to Erik being such a great Alpha."
"I just don't like him," I said.
Chris laughed and patted me on the shoulder. "I know. I didn't like him much at first either. I thought he was arrogant and kind of a smarmy jerk. To be perfectly honest, sometimes I still do. But you just have to get to know him. Once you do you'll see that he's actually a really nice guy. But hey, you probably won't have to see much of him anymore anyway."
I smiled at him but I still felt uneasy. It was impossible for me to picture having to live by so many rules and never really being able to live for myself. Sure, I loved order, but this all sounded like a bit much.
"I know what will take your mind off of this for a while," he said with a wide smile. "Why don't we go into the city tomorrow night with Lisa and Kevin? Grab some dinner, go dancing. You still love to dance, right?"
I laughed and hugged him. "You bet I do."
"Then let's do that. Maybe it will help you unwind and you can finally feel like you're on vacation."
"You're the best cousin ever, you know that?"
"Of course I do," he said with a laugh. "But feel free to remind me whenever you like."
Chapter 12
"I'm so glad you wanted to come out tonight Seline!" Lisa shouted over the pounding music, her speech was slightly slurred. It was Saturday night and the dance club they had brought me to in Lincoln was packed. While much smaller that Silverlake, Lincoln was a virtual metropolis when compared to the small mountain town of Hidden Falls. And while I had loved my week of fresh mountain air, it was nice to feel the familiar buzz of the city again, even if it was a very small one.
The table in front of us was filled with the empty glasses and beer bottles that had yet to be cleared away. Even with their enhanced metabolism Chris, Lisa and Kevin had drunk enough for even them to be feeling the effects of the alcohol. If I had tried to keep up with them I would have been passed out already, or fighting off a serious case of alcohol poisoning.
"Thanks for agreeing to come with us," I told her. "I love my cousin, but I have a feeling I would have ended up spending a lot of time by myself if it was only the two of us here tonight.” I gestured in the direction of the dance floor where my cousin was currently dancing with a cute local.
"I don't think he would have abandoned you if you guys had come alone. He's a really nice guy," Lisa said generously.
I laughed and took a sip of my beer. "I know he is. Which is probably why he's had the attention of one girl or another the entire time we've been here." I smiled at her. "It's nice to know that other people see how great he is. I mean even as a kid he's always been a charmer, but growing up he and I were really close. So it's nice to see that other people appreciate him as much as I do."
Kevin came back from the bar with a fresh round of drinks and sat down next to Lisa on the white leather bench we shared. "What are you guys talking about?"
Lisa smiled at him and gave Kevin a quick kiss. "Oh, Seline and I were just commenting on what a heartbreaker her cousin had become."
Kevin scanned the dance floor and laughed when he spotted Chris. "Yeah, the guy has a way with the ladies for sure. And speaking of ladies..." He stood up and turned to Lisa. "May I have this dance?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.
Lisa giggled and placed her hand in his. "Why, yes, kind sir, you may."
My heart melted as I watched them head for the dance floor hand in hand. They were the sweetest couple I had ever seen. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have someone you were that comfortable with, and that understood you so well.
I leaned back in my seat and took another sip of my drink as I scanned the crowd. The dance floor was packed with people letting off steam from a long workweek, and while I wanted to join them, I didn't mind sitting on the outside looking in.
