Wolf Hunted, page 14
Whose fault was it? It was difficult to tell at this point.
Was it mine? After King murdered Loretta, I’d launched into a full-blown quest for revenge that ended badly. I rubbed my arm where the talisman was hidden. Look where that’d led me.
Or could it be Sloane’s? All she’d been guilty of was being born with the ability to turn at will. She had no say over who her parents were or what she would become.
Blame could definitely be left at the feet of Anthony Marini, the late Fortitude alpha. His bloodthirsty schemes had brought the Hollow Men down on the pack, hard.
The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if we were all to blame in some way or another.
The sound of splintering bone cracked through the common room, silencing my inner brooding. Everyone fell silent as Spike fell to one knee, grunting in pain.
“Is he…” Sloane began as I edged in front of her.
“He’s turning,” Ratchet exclaimed.
“But the full moon is a week away,” Sloane said, her eyes wide. “He shouldn’t—”
“Get out of here,” Spike rasped as his spine snapped.
Everyone took a step backwards, but it was too little, too late. His transformation accelerated and in a blink of an eye, Spike’s body twisted, and the human was gone. An enormous, black and brown brindle wolf stood in his place.
“Bloody hell,” Watts whispered.
Sloane stared at the wolf, her heart beating a fast, staccato rhythm, and she took a step towards him.
“Sloane, stay back.” I grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
Glaring, she wrenched out of my grasp. “No.”
The wolf growled, moving his gaze around the room. He looked confused, his hackles rising.
“You don’t understand,” I murmured. “He’s not in control. He could hurt you.”
Sloane looked bewildered for a moment, as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her before, then shook her head. “No, you don’t understand.”
She faced Spike and moved towards him. Her steps were bold and unafraid. She held herself like…like an alpha.
The pack watched in stunned silence as she reached her hand towards Spike’s snout. The wolf’s eyes focused directly on her, shining intelligently as her fingers brushed his muzzle.
“Spike?” Her voice was soft, tentative. “It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”
The wolf growled, the sound rumbling in his throat, and bared his teeth.
“I know you’re confused,” she went on. “But I’m here to help you. It’s okay.”
The next minute passed more agonisingly than the last century. I watched Sloane kneel before Spike, his wolf form a hulking knot of hard muscle and his mouth full of sharp incisors. They stared at one another, her fingers brushing his muzzle, her gaze never leaving his.
Then, just as I was about to pull her back, the wolf sat on his haunches and lowered his head in submission. He let out a long sigh that seemed to break the tension in the room.
“Bloody hell, give us a scare next time, hey?” Sloane grinned and buried her fingers into the fur below Spike’s ears. “There’s a good boy.”
The pack began to murmur as the wolf placed his paw on Sloane’s knee.
I watched Spike’s movements closely, ready to strike if his muscles coiled to attack, but as they sat there in the middle of the common room, I realised he was in control. It wasn’t like a full moon, when the pack had to lock themselves away to contain the wild beasts within. He knew what he was doing. His human side had merged with the animal.
“What the hell just happened?” Bones asked, his face white. “He turned. He bloody turned.”
“And he’s sitting there like a bloody lapdog,” Watts added. “How the hell does that happen?”
“I thought Sloane was the only one of us who could turn whenever,” Ratchet said.
“It’s her,” Wren said, edging through the wall of werewolves. “It’s Sloane.”
“What do you mean?” I demanded.
“When she became alpha, it stands to reason her abilities passed down to the pack.”
I looked at Sloane and Spike, taking in how calm the wolf was. Who knew how wolves were first created or what magic ran through their blood?
“So we’re all like that now?” Watts asked. “We don’t have to change on the full moon anymore?”
“Theoretically,” the witch replied.
“Try changing back,” Sloane said to Spike. “It took a bit to figure it out, but I managed it.”
Spike edged backwards, glancing around the pack, who were all staring at him. I sensed his anxiety over being watched and narrowed my eyes. Turning was excruciating at the best of times; snapping every bone in your body in front of forty men, the alpha, and the witch I suspected he had a crush on, was a personal spectacle he didn’t want to share. He had little choice, though.
Lowering his head, he closed his eyes…then he began to change. Slowly at first, then all at once—just like Sloane had done at DeLuca’s cottage.
Spike collapsed to his knees, his naked chest heaving, and cursed. Bones tossed a blanket around his shoulders as Sloane knelt before him again.
“Spike?”
He scooped up the pieces of his torn T-shirt. “Man, I loved this shirt.”
“Are you okay?” Sloane asked. “What happened?”
“I just…” He looked up at her with wide eyes. “I was just thinking about it.”
She nodded and rubbed her palm over his shoulder. “That’s all it seemed to take when I transformed for the first time.” Her gaze moved to mine. “I willed it and it happened.”
“You haven’t noticed any changes?” I asked the wolves. “Strength, smell, that sort of thing?”
“Honestly, we’ve been pretty flat-out,” Rhodes told me. “I know I haven’t had time to scratch my—”
“Watch it,” Spike hissed, glancing at Wren. “There’re ladies present.”
The wolves scoffed and began laughing, jostling him.
“This changes everything,” I said to Gasket as the pack teased Spike. “We don’t have to rely on the full moon.”
“We’ll have an edge over Rocket and the renegades,” the old wolf murmured. “But we need to test this theory. If we can turn when we want, it may be the twist that wins the battle.”
“Don’t forget the Hollow Men,” Sloane reminded us. “The fight will be more evenly matched.”
I nodded and looked around at the pack. They seemed excited, the prospect at not having to transform on the full moon was a dream come true…but adjusting to a new ability this close to an all-out war…? It made a dicey situation even more tenuous.
“Be careful,” I warned Gasket. “It’s a blessing, but it could also be a curse.”
The old wolf nodded, his forehead creasing. “Bloody oath, don’t I know it.”
Chapter 23
Sloane
I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Glad for the moment of silence, I thought about everything that’d happened that day.
My head spun with the plan Gasket and Chaser had cooked up and with Spike’s unexpected transformation.
I’d knelt before him, my hands in his fur, and I’d felt… I didn’t know. Powerful? At peace?
His wolf eyes were full of human understanding, and I knew he was in control. The whole werewolf thing was still new to me, and the alpha part was a complete mystery.
If they could control their transformations, then they wouldn’t have to go through all that pain every full moon. They would have a choice.
It was a big deal, and I wondered what that meant for me and for Gasket’s position as stand-in alpha. Chaser was right about that part—I killed Marini, so I was top wolf until someone came and knocked me off my pedestal. After what happened with Spike, I’d probably be on the throne for life.
Sighing, I rubbed my eyes. There had to be magic involved. Magic seemed to have touched everything in the supernatural world and held it all together, forming connections I didn’t think I’d ever understand.
I lifted my head at the sound of knocking at my door. “Yeah?”
It creaked open and Wren’s blonde head appeared. “Is this a good time?”
I sat up and gestured for her to come in. “I’m sorry, Gasket said something about you wanting to talk to me. It’s been so crazy…”
“That’s okay,” the witch said, hugging a leather-bound book against her chest. “Is it always a mad house around here?”
I shrugged. “In the couple of weeks I’ve been here, sure. But I think it’s all been one big, isolated incident.”
She closed the door and sat beside me. “Today was unexpected.”
“God, the last thing I thought would’ve happened at that meeting was a spontaneous wolf transformation,” I replied. “Do you really think they’ve inherited my abilities?”
“Sure. They’ll need to verify it on the next full moon, but Spike transforming like that… I’m fairly certain they can control their werewolf sides, but they’ll need to be careful. Otherwise, it’d be quite the sight to see a person change into a wolf at the local supermarket.”
“I’ll say,” I said with a snort. “What’s that you’ve got there?”
“Actually, that’s why I’m here.” Wren set her hands on top of the book. “I wanted to show you something.”
“The book?”
“It’s called a grimoire.” She opened the cover, the spine cracking, and leafed through the pages. “It contains all the spells and knowledge passed down through my coven from the witch who created it.”
I stared at it with interest. It must be the spell book Gasket had mentioned.
Spidery writing and strange symbols filled the discoloured pages, and I gazed at it in interest. I didn’t understand any of it, but all the runes, sigils, and drawings looked magical enough. Some reminded me of old alchemy formulas and zodiac charts I’d seen on artwork hanging in new age stores. These had actual practical applications, though.
“How old is it?” I asked.
“This one was started by an ancestor in the 1800s. She brought it to Australia from England. Something about escaping witch trials.”
I raised my eyebrows. “In the 1800s?”
“Sure. The hysteria was long over, but there was still persecution amongst real supernaturals. I guess she wanted to start a new life away from all that.” Wren ran her fingers over a detailed page, tracing the inked words. “This is the spell I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What does it do?”
“This is the ritual.”
My expression faded. I didn’t know what to say. Wren had access to the ritual King was so desperate to perform? I blinked. Of course, she did. Her coven had written it. “Your ancestor…”
“It was her attempt to reverse engineer the spell that created the first vampires,” she explained. “It wasn’t intended for King or his plans to become immortal because it’s not quite right for that.”
“There’s something wrong with it?”
“King wants true immortality, right?” I nodded and she continued, “But he’s already a vampire. This spell was intended for a human. A mortal. I can see how everyone missed it…it took me a long time to figure it out.”
I frowned. “So, it won’t work?”
“Oh, it’ll work,” Wren told me, “but I don’t think it’ll end up exactly how he planned.”
“What do you mean?”
“The ritual, as written, needs the blood of a founding vampire—one of the first, but apparently, there are none left…”
“That’s why they want to substitute mine?”
“Yeah, and that’s the problem. Instead of creating another founding vampire—a true immortal that can’t be killed—I think they’re going to create a hybrid instead. Half-vampire, half—”
“Wolf,” I whispered.
“Unless there’s some twist I haven’t foreseen. Maybe the quirk that separates your blood from regular werewolves is the binding agent they need to separate King’s blood from his vampirism…” She shook her head. “If I had more time, maybe I could figure it out.”
“So, it’s a fifty-fifty chance,” I mused. “I don’t care to know which.”
“Me neither, but if it comes down to it, his shock may be the moment you or Chaser need to finish him. There’s also one other thing…”
I groaned. “There’s always another thing, isn’t there?”
“This one isn’t that bad.” She looked down at the spell again. “They don’t need to kill you to complete the ritual. All they need is some of your blood, not all of it.”
“You’re kidding me.”
Wren shook her head. “You don’t have to die, Sloane, but King will kill you anyway to make sure no one else can use you against him.”
It was a sick joke, but by this point in the whole mess, I wasn’t actually that surprised.
“Then we have to make sure we win tomorrow,” I murmured, my heart heavy.
Wren closed the grimoire and tried her best to smile reassuringly. “I thought you deserved to know everything. To be prepared.”
“I’d feel better if you came with us, but it’s too dangerous. Chaser and I understand what we’re getting into, but I can’t ask you to risk any more than you already have.” She’d lost her entire family to the Hollow Men. As the last of her coven, I knew her life was precious—bloodlines and all that. “Thanks for being honest.”
“I’ll be there tomorrow,” she told me after a moment. “There isn’t much I can do against a whole coven, but if I can help, I’ll be ready.”
I felt tears prickling in my eyes, and I pulled her in for a hug before she could see them.
“Thank you,” I murmured as she embraced me. “Thank you.”
Tomorrow night.
I stared at my reflection in my bathroom mirror, hardly recognising the woman looking back at me. The last few months had taken their toll, shedding weight from my body and replacing some of it with muscle. Whoever she was, she looked tough. Toned, dangerous, determined.
Betty was gone. Sloane was gone. So, who was I now? I was Sloane, Mark II.
My stomach churned as I thought about our plan. Would I have the guts to pull the trigger if I came face-to-face with King? This wasn’t like facing my father. This was that moment in the bush, amplified times a million. This was the end game.
I swallowed hard. Yeah, I could do it, and it had nothing to do with pulling a trigger. I would take King down any way possible. He deserves it. I was taking his game, turning it back on him, and shoving the ragged remains right up his backside. See how you like it, then.
One way or another, in twenty-four hours, everything was going to change.
The door opened and Chaser appeared, moving silently across the room. He leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms over his chest.
I narrowed my eyes at him in the mirror. “How’s Spike?”
“He’s pretty pleased with himself,” the vampire replied. “He can control his wolf now and remember.”
“I never knew that,” I murmured.
“What?”
“That they couldn’t remember what they did while in their wolf form.” I sighed, recalling what it was like the first night I’d turned out on the Nullarbor. “I remember everything. I was myself, but I wasn’t.” I frowned. “It’s strange…I can’t find the right words to describe it.”
“You were the wolf.”
I looked up at Chaser and nodded. “I suppose I could control it because of my abilities.”
“And now you’ve passed them to the pack.”
I turned and wiped my palms on my thighs.
“You look uncomfortable.”
“A little. I spent most of my life hiding, and now it’s like I’m their saviour. I saved them from their curse.”
“That’s exactly what you did,” Chaser told me.
“It’s a supernatural loophole.”
“Even so, it’s a welcomed one. How’s planning going with Gasket?”
“He’s delegated men to each team,” I replied. “Bones, Hopper, Stewie, Ringer, and Davis are on mayhem duty at the Halcyon. The rest are going with Gasket to confront Rocket. Seems like the Hollow Riders have taken up residence in a certain diner.” I air quoted the renegades shitty new name and curled my lip in distaste.
“Monroe’s?”
I nodded. “He isn’t very happy since he still owns the place.”
“Obviously.”
“He’ll get it back,” I murmured, checking my hair in the mirror. “We’ll all get back what we’ve lost.”
“To a certain extent.”
I looked at Chaser’s reflection in the mirror and held in my sigh. We didn’t need this right now. Strength was in short supply, and we had to gather all we could find for the climax.
I frowned. “Are you okay?”
“I feel…raw,” he murmured.
“You’re evolving, too,” I whispered. “Stings like a bitch, doesn’t it?”
His lips twitched. “Everything’s progressing on schedule,” he said, avoiding the question. “All we have to do is wait until tomorrow.”
I moved past him, stepping inside the bedroom and sitting on the bed. Suddenly, I felt weak in the knees. The air was so heavy with the incoming storm that all I wanted to do was grab Chaser and never let go. I wanted to draw him into a little cocoon and stay there forever. Just him and me.
He sat beside me, his arm circling my waist. Just his touch was enough to send a bolt of longing into my heart.
“What do you hope for, Chaser?”
“You want to know about my hopes and dreams?” he asked with a laugh. “Shit.”
“Yeah. So?”
He grunted.
“This has to do with after. We’ve talked about it, but not seriously,” I said. “So, let’s make a concrete plan, something to get us through the next couple of days. Something to look forward to.”
Chaser lowered his gaze and picked up my hand. Rubbing his fingers over mine, he nodded. “You go first.”
“I want to go see Yvette,” I said. “I want to see how Sam’s doing. Besides, I made her a promise.”
