Wolf: To Your Bones (Wolf series Book 2), page 31
Josh was as desperate as I, for he too kept silent. His eyes fixed the tabletop as if he were looking for a solution there.
“Are you deaf?” It was the first time in years that my father had raised his voice at me.
It frightened me so much that I flinched in my chair. I tried to suppress it, but the tears came. Suddenly I was terribly afraid of losing my parents. What if they never spoke to me again? I couldn’t tell them the truth, but maybe I had no choice. I searched in vain for a story that seemed at least remotely plausible.
However, Josh beat me to it. He suddenly left the table and straightened up in front of us. Before I could react, he grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head.
Both my parents pulled in a breath simultaneously. I almost choked on my protest, which would have come too late anyway, and my parents’ mouths were wide open. Their eyes found the wound as soon as Josh had uncovered his chest. The midday sun cast a shadow over the dark scar and made it appear even more intense. It was standing out from Josh’s skin. The dark veins were visible under the skin and stretched almost to his collarbone. Unlike his bite wound from earlier, the burn of the silver chain hadn’t yet healed and stretched around Josh’s throat like a dark red collar.
I felt the urge to jump up and cover his injuries. Something in me believed I could simply undo them if nobody else knew about them.
For a while, there was a dead silence. My mother was the first to make a sound, and her sob echoed through the kitchen. She covered her mouth, hurried to Josh, and hugged him. Her movements were erratic.
“Josh,” she said in a fragile voice. “What happened?”
He looked at me like he was about to tell the truth, so I shook my head and formed a silent no with my mouth.
My father bent forward and examined the wound.
“That looks bad.” His tone was appalled. “Was that high voltage?”
I had no idea what my father was getting at. Josh seemed to understand, though. Something flashed in his face—an idea, or a realization. It disappeared quickly, though, and he nodded cautiously.
“Yeah. I went to Alberta to visit my adoptive parents and to help at the construction site. I had an accident there.”
I knew he hated having to lie, but his feelings of guilt about it made his story convincing.
“A cable came loose,” he added, shrugging his shoulders. “I can hardly remember the rest.”
Mom had turned pale. She had to sit down to regain her senses.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” she muttered. “Why did you hide it?”
I could’ve sworn she was angrier than before, so I stayed silent. She just needed to recover from the shock.
“I don’t understand either,” Dad mumbled. “We would’ve come to help you immediately. It’s no big deal.”
I realized Josh was doing it again. He was about to take all the guilt, just like after the Jetta accident. It made me so irritated that I wanted to hit the table. Josh had made up a story that blamed him—I just had to confirm it to be off the hook. A year ago, the pack had given him the idea of a hit-and-run, but I had no doubt he would’ve preferred to claim to have fallen asleep at the wheel if necessary. I didn’t want this. Just the thought that my parents might think less of him now made me sick.
Josh saw my face, but he left me no opportunity to intervene as he defensively shook his head. “I was in intensive care.” He slipped his shirt back on and resignedly sank back onto the chair. “I didn’t know if I’d make it. The doctors didn’t give me much hope.”
I wondered if this story was plausible. Based on the facial expressions of my parents, though, the plausibility didn’t seem to be so important. The wound on Josh’s chest spoke for itself.
“I didn’t answer Ruby’s calls and didn’t stay in touch.” Josh rubbed his forehead. “I just couldn’t tell her. I thought it best to not let her know.”
His words flooded my eyes with tears. This wasn’t just some made-up story to explain his disappearance. There was a grain of truth in it. Josh was thinking about how hard he had fought not to die, and how he’d feared he would never see me again. I felt his emotions so clearly that I reached for his hand and held it tight. Josh gave me a cursory glance, hooked his fingers into mine, and rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb. That helped me to calm down.
My parents were at a loss. They sat there and stared at us as if all their anger had vanished. Mom let her shoulders droop and looked only discouraged.
“I didn’t know what had happened to Josh,” I said softly. It wasn’t a lie, so I could watch them openly. “At some point, I couldn’t take it anymore and I just went out to find him.”
As I spoke, I saw myself standing here in the kitchen, getting ready to leave, the morning sun in my eyes and my backpack on my back. A memory that seemed to be much older than just a few days.
“I should have told you. I’m sorry.”
My apology finally seemed to get through the shell of anger that my mother had built around herself, as her face straightened out. Dad was still fixing his gaze on the tabletop.
“That must have been intense.” He seemed really shaken by Josh’s wound, and I was sorry to have to do this to him. I knew how much he liked Josh.
“I’ve seen many accidents like this, even with electricity,” he admitted. Now his pupils flitted to Josh’s face. “But an injury that bad . . . And that scar . . .”
“Carl,” hissed Mom. She gave Josh a worried look.
“Are you allowed to sit already?” She seemed to be thinking about moving him to the sofa. “Do you need anything?”
His smile was gentle and disarming.
“No, thanks,” he said. “I’m almost well again.”
It all added up—a visit to Alberta, a vague story about an accident during construction, and the hospital. Even the fact that Josh had become thinner fit perfectly into his story. It was a dubious gift, but Josh was a masterful liar. As much as I disliked lying to my parents, Josh’s excuse contained enough truth for me to live with. Yeah—I wanted them to worry about Josh. I wanted them to know what he’d been through, because he more than deserved every care. Mom and Dad were going to forgive him for his reckless actions, I could see already. Right now, they were just relieved that things hadn’t gotten any worse.
“But you’re not going to work yet, are you?” Mom asked. Her brow was furrowed. “That would be way too soon!”
Josh grinned in agony. “No. My work . . . is done.”
His words puzzled me. Josh saw my questioning glance, so he sighed and shrugged.
“My boss sent me a text. I’m fired.”
“What?” Mom and I both said.
My father’s mouth was open again. For them it had to sound as if his boss had simply heartlessly resigned Josh because he had fallen ill. In truth, though, Josh’s boss’s actions made sense. There had been some tension between them last year because Josh had missed out on too many shifts due to the full moon and the fights with the pack. His sudden disappearance for several weeks had just been the last straw.
“Josh,” I murmured, feeling desperate. Werewolves had such a hard time finding jobs, and Shatterlake wasn’t so big that there were many choices. I was thinking about giving him my job at Harrison Sports, but Dad seemed to have a better idea. He leaned forward and laced his fingers together as if plotting something.
“Now you have time to get well.” His eyes were sharp. “After that, you can start working in my workshop.”
Three heads turned to stare. For once, Dad enjoyed the attention and nodded contentedly.
“I made a deal for you,” he continued. Dad had never made a secret of the fact that he didn’t think much of Josh working in the sawmill. “I could get you in there, on one condition.”
Josh was all ears. I could see how excited he was. From the looks of things, Josh’s childhood dream of becoming a car mechanic may be coming true after all.
Dad frowned. “You won’t eff up anymore. If you have any problems, just say so.”
It was Dad’s way of putting his foot down. He did it pacifyingly but also clearly. Next time he would probably drive to Alberta himself to bring Josh back. I couldn’t help but smile about it. My parents had been very worried and even enraged, but that was only because they loved me. I also had no doubt that they cared for Josh. Dad’s efforts for him made that obvious.
Josh couldn’t do much more than give my father a serious look. “I promise.”
It was a reconciliation that dissolved the tense atmosphere. It felt like a ton of rocks slid off my shoulders. Even Charlie seemed to notice the change. He brought out his loudest squeaking toy to drown the conversation with cheerful, unbearable noise. I could see his tail wagging with excitement.
“Fine,” Dad said. I hardly understood him because of Charlie’s noise. He wanted to get straight down to business. “I need your work certificate, school reports, and all that stuff.”
He rubbed his dark moustache. Lately I thought I could see some gray hair in it.
“I can’t promise you I’ll get you a place in the workshop where I work. You may have to commute to the next town.”
Josh shook his head quickly. “No worries. I’d be really happy if this works out.”
I exhaled with relief. For Josh, it was a rescue in time of need. After buying the Toyota, there was certainly not much money left in his account. As much as I hated to let him out of my sight at the moment, he needed a job. That he would never have to go to the mill again was almost too good to be true. His new car, the workplace, his scar—since Josh and I had met, so much in his life had changed.
While I was pondering my thoughts, Mom got up. She carefully pushed the chair back to the table before she left us. Her steps led her to the front door. I saw her walk onto the terrace without taking the dogs with her and settling on the bench under the window. It was the place where I had sat with her right before I left. I was stung by the sight. She didn’t seem to be angry anymore, but she still seemed sad. For this reason, I got up and made my way to the kitchen counter to make some tea.
When I took it to her, Mom raised her head. She saw the cups in my hand, and she moved aside to make room for me. It was just like the evening before I left, only this time I was the one who was looking for the conversation. I knew it was necessary. We had something to work out.
I lowered myself onto the bench and handed her the tea.
“Thanks,” she said.
The drink sent wispy steam into the air. It was actually too cool for us to be sitting outside, but I wanted to keep Mom company. I found it hard to get the conversation started. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d hurt her feelings. All I knew was that I wanted to make things right as soon as possible.
“Looks like you grew up pretty fast.”
I threw a glance at her. Mom held the teacup and had crossed her legs while she watched the edge of the forest. Threatening as it might appear at night, there was nothing to see in it during the day. Nearby, Romeo and Snow White seemed to be enjoying the cooler temperatures. They raced across the paddock, leaving a cloud of dust carried by the breeze toward the house. When they stood next to each other, they looked like Yin and Yang—black and white, just as Josh had described the werewolf and the hybrid.
To be able to think of his words without fearing for his life was an incredible feeling.
“Mom,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head.
“You’re an adult, Ruby,” she replied. “If you want to go somewhere, we can’t stop you.”
She was right. However, I didn’t want her to see it that way. I didn’t want her to think that she was losing me just because I was making my own decisions.
I sat back and drank my tea. It tasted like hibiscus and raspberries.
“I just wished you would trust me more.” She tilted her head to look at me. “We were sitting here together, weren’t we? You could have told me what was going on.”
She summed it up in a nutshell. Of course, she hadn’t forgotten that I had left right after our conversation.
My voice trembled.
“I couldn’t do it.” I tried to be as honest as I could without divulging too much. “I didn’t know what was going on. I just sensed something was happening with Josh.”
I looked in her face. I wouldn’t find forgiveness there immediately, but I hoped for understanding.
“I couldn’t tell you until I knew for myself.” It was hard not to start crying again. “I felt I had to see it for myself first and somehow bear it myself.”
I was afraid my words wouldn’t make sense, but Mom nodded as if she understood. She must have picked up on my true feelings, because her arm suddenly wrapped around my shoulders. I almost spilled my tea as she buried her forehead in my neck. She held me tightly, almost as if she wanted to punish me with a hug.
“Never do that to me again.” Her voice was betraying her tears. “Understand?”
She stayed close, so I nodded obediently.
“Next time you plan a crazy venture, tell us about it,” my mother said. After a minute of silence, she added, “Don’t shut us out just because you’re an adult.”
I wanted to tell her. She should know that there was nothing I would’ve liked better than to finally tell her everything. It would be so much easier if my parents knew the truth. No more weird questions around the full moon. No more keeping the bite marks on my shoulder concealed. No more lies. Here and now, I was ready to throw all reservations overboard and spill it all.
In the end, however, I didn’t. I just sat with my mother, the smell of tea in my nose, and watched our horses.
“Okay. I promise.” It was the only answer that seemed appropriate and the only one that would give my mother peace of mind. After I pronounced it, though, I decided I would tell my parents the truth—someday, after the danger to the werewolves was over. I had no idea when that would be, but I could wait.
“Good thing Josh is back.” She let go of me so she could drink her tea. We could her the men talking because the kitchen window was slightly open. They were having a lively discussion about the advantages of the new job.
“Do you have any experience in that area?” Dad wanted to know. The quiet clicking in the background revealed that he was playing with the pen again. “It would help me get you in.”
Josh thought hard. “I had metalwork in school. Is that good?”
“We can do something with that.” Dad sounded delighted, but I had no doubt that he would’ve said the same thing if Josh had said he’d taken a sewing class in school. Dad couldn’t wait to get Josh a job. I was infinitely grateful to him for that.
“And Ruby.” Mom now bent over to look sternly at my face.
“Yeah?” I asked nervously.
“Next time I’ll cut Josh’s hair. He looks like he just broke out of jail.”
Her words made me laugh. “Okay.”
Chapter 27
A week later, Josh and I were in Hunter’s living room again. As far as I had noticed, his parents had still not come home, so Hunter again had the opportunity to play host. He was stingy with the snacks, but otherwise I liked to visit him. The house radiated an open, pleasant atmosphere and offered enough space for four adult werewolves. I sat on the armrests of Josh’s chair, just like last time. Keith, Liam, and Hunter took up the remaining seats.
“I’ve reviewed all the documents,” Liam said. His tone was knowledgeable and also a little excited. He was obviously eager to share the information with us. At first, I had not been sure how many useful things he would actually find in the documents. Looking at his face, however, pacified my fears. The sparkle in his eyes was unmistakable. Liam had found out something. It was also visible that he’d sacrificed a few nights for the research.
“Out with it,” mumbled Keith. “Don’t keep us waiting.”
The alpha leaned back in the chair across from me and crossed his arms. His leg was still wrapped in bandages. Just as Josh had predicted, the wound was healing poorly. It was probably only thanks to Liam’s good care that Keith was able to walk right now, albeit on crutches. While almost of us waited tensely, Hunter shoved two handfuls of chips into his mouth. The crunching hurt my ears.
Liam seemed to need a moment to get started. He spread the documents out on the table. I only saw them from a distance, but I recognized the tabular forms immediately. They were the list of all the captured werewolves and what had been done to them. The thought of it made me freeze.
Burnt, poisoned, starved to death.
I reflexively reached for Josh’s hand. These experiments were unsurpassed in cruelty. I couldn’t help thinking how much I’d feared finding Josh’s fate on this list. I had found his number, but Josh had still been alive—something I would never forget. Josh probably didn’t completely understand why I was suddenly so emotional, but pushed he his arm protectively around my body anyway. He waited until no one was looking to pull me inconspicuously onto his lap. I gratefully clung to him. Being so close made it easier to cope with this subject.
Liam took a deep breath and looked at me.
“First of all, you should know that my thesis was right,” he explained seriously. “The werewolf virus is transmitted from saliva to blood. To be infected, the victim must share the same blood type as the werewolf.”
He nodded to himself. “In addition, even with the right blood type, only seventy-five percent of women become infected. The scientists suspect that the Y chromosome is more susceptible than the X chromosome, but they have not yet been able to prove it.”
My heart was pounding. For an eternity I just stared at Liam without being able to answer. When I did it, my voice broke. “That means I’m not infected?”
Josh squeezed me so tightly I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t believe it. My fears about my bite were history. I had dodged a bullet. I was so relieved that I twisted around to give Josh a hug.
