"Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself."
-James Anthony Froude
"The hardest walk you can make is the walk you make alone, but that is the walk that will make you the strongest."
-Unknown Author
OoO
I jerked awake at the sound of my phone ringing. Blinking away the grogginess, I blindly reached for my phone, cursing as my phone fell off the nightstand and onto the floor, forcing me to yank the covers off as I snatched the phone off the ground and hit the accept button.
"Hello?" I asked as I ran a hand through my bed hair.
"Hey loser," said my brother as I rolled my eyes.
"Good morning to you too brat," I replied as I flipped the curtain aside and looked out at the steady morning rain that was coming down hard. "Are you guys almost here?"
"We uh— ran into a little bit of trouble in Portland," he said as I frowned.
"What sort of trouble?" I asked as I glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand, the time reading eight am. "Are you guys alright?"
"We're fine," he reassured me, "but we ran into a group of hunters earlier this morning, and not the nice ones either."
My eyes widened as panic surged through me. Ever since Gévaudan, the relationship between Hunters and Lycans had improved considerably after being forced to work together for a common goal, but even then, relations were still not the best and there was still a lot of animosity between the two groups. While most Hunters followed a Code that disallowed the killing of innocent Lycans, there were some Hunters out there who had the mindset of kill first ask questions later. They wouldn't blink twice about killing one of our kind, even if the Lycan was innocent.
"Are you guys okay?" I asked, worried about my pack.
"Yeah, but Mason's car isn't," he said before adding; "they blew the tires out with silver bullets."
"Do you think they're heading this way?" I asked, fearing that we would have to worry about more than just the man-eating Lycan. A group of angry hunters who hated our kind would just be the cherry on top.
"I don't know," he said truthfully. "It's entirely possible, but they could've just been the area too."
"How did they find out about you guys?" I asked.
"They must've had a tracker," he replied before adding; "they must've gotten it from an occultist or a witch. That's the only explanation I can think of."
"Makes sense," I replied as I ran a hand through my hair. "Dammnit."
There were witches and potion makers who could make a Lycan tracker if they had the rights ingredients such as Werewolf teeth and claws, which did hold magical properties. When a Werewolf died, it was customary to burn the body so that nobody, especially witches could harvest body parts for their spells and potions. But even then, sometimes not even that was enough to prevent it from happening.
"On the bright side, the car should be ready to go in a few hours. Mason's putting new tires on as we speak, and Brenda is asking around the hunter circles that we do know to see if they know who the group was. I know there will hunters on our side who won't be happy to hear that the Treaty of Gévaudan was broken."
"Good," I breathed out a sigh of relief, "how long till you guys can get back on the road?"
"We should be there around two or so," he replied. "You'll just have to sit tight until then."
"I'm sure I'll find something to do," I said as I plopped down onto the bed and turned the television on, flipping through the channels before the local news station came on, a man in a black suit and a yellow raincoat stood in front of Forks City Hall, a large crowd gathering behind him.
"As you can see, a large crowd has gathered behind me at Forks City Hall where Mayor Greene, Chief Swan of the Forks Police Department, and Sheriff Wilson are prepared to make a statement about the vicious mauling that took place late last night on a service road that left one teen dead and another fighting for their life. Eighteen-year-old Adam Sudekis, a Senior at Forks High and Captain of the football team, was pronounced dead on arrival by Paramedics while seventeen-year-old Lisa Baker was taken to Forks General with severe injuries. Her condition has been reported as stable by medical staff and authorities as of early this morning," he said as the camera panned out to another woman in a grey pantsuit, who was seated behind her desk at the news station.
"Shay? What are you listening to?" asked Ezra as I felt my stomach drop.
"The news," I said before adding; "there was another mauling last night."
"How many?" asked Ezra as I shook my head.
"One dead, another in the hospital," I said putting the phone on speaker as I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater that I picked up in a souvenir shop here in town. "It happened late last night."
"Shay—"
"I have to go," I said as I grabbed my wallet and my keys. "I'll see you guys later today."
With that, I ended the phone call as I ran out to my car, the rain starting to come down heavy by then as I piled into my rental car and made my way to City Hall. I found upon my arrival there that there was indeed a large crowd of people there, all the local residents of the town who were concerned. I knew what this gathering was about. The people of Forks were angry at the local Law Enforcement for their inaction and the authorities were running around with their heads up their assess with no idea what they were actually dealing with.
"I hear your concerns," said a man into a microphone behind a makeshift podium. I could see Chief Swan standing next to him as well as the County Sheriff as they addressed the crowd. "But I can assure the citizens of Fork's that we are doing everything within our power to hunt this animal down."
"You said that after Molly was killed!" yelled an angry woman from the crowd. "And you're still no closer to catching the thing!"
There were shouts of agreement as the man in the suit, who I assume was the Mayor waved his hands in the air in an attempt to calm the angry mass down. "Please, everyone if you could just raise your hands—"
"I'll tell you what you need to do!" yelled a bearded man in dirty overalls. "You need to start Deputizing a hunting party! I know I and a lot of other hunters in this town wouldn't mind getting the job done if you let us!"
I looked over at a group of men dressed in camo attire with NRA hats and couldn't help but roll my eyes. I understand where they were coming from, but these men were no match for a Werewolf. Their bullets wouldn't have any effect on it. Instead, they would probably just end up killing an innocent Wolf—
My thoughts drifted to the beautiful Wolves in the forest. What if one of these hunters killed one of them?
The thought alone made me ill as I looked back towards the podium.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," began the Mayor as he dabbed his forehead with a cloth, "I can understand your frustration and you can rest assure that we are doing everything within our power to make it happen. The Sheriff's Department and the Forks Police Department are working diligently together to ensure the safety of everyone within this town as well as the County. We will catch the animal responsible. One way or another."
I looked away from the town meeting, my eyes drifting over the crowd until they settled on the familiar form of Officer Brenton near the back. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I walked over to him and smiled at him.
"Oh hey," he said. "You're still in town, huh?"
I nodded, "will be for a while. I uh, heard what happened on the news. Crazy, right?"
"Oh yeah," he said in agreement, "things are pretty hectic around here with all these animal attacks. I don't think we've had this many in a single month ever before."
"I heard on the news that there have been other similar maulings all along the peninsula," I said nonchalantly as he nodded in confirmation.
"There have been," he said as he dipped his head, "but it's unlikely that those were done by the same animal that killed Molly and Adam."
"Do you think you're dealing with a pack?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing.
"It's possible," he took off his uniform hat and scratched his head, "we do have a lot of Wolves in the area, but even then I was surprised to hear that a Wolf in the area would do something like this."
"Really?" I asked, curious. "Why?"
"We, uh usually just get mountain lion attacks and a few bear attacks around these parts," he said before adding; "but Wolf attacks seem to be rarer, which I say is surprising considering the stories some of the town people have been sharing about oversized Wolves in the area."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise, "oversized Wolves?"
"Yeah," he said shaking his head, "it's kind of like an urban tale around here. Some people claim to have seen them in the woods around La Push and Forks. Wolves as big as bears if you can believe it."
Oh, I could definitely believe it, but I kept that to myself.
I pretended to laugh, "seems kinda farfetched if you ask me."
He shrugged as he pulled his belt up, "who knows, maybe. Wolves on their own are very large creatures. But Wolves the size of grizzly bears? I don't know."
I nodded, trying to keep the conversation as lively as possible, "so what makes you guys think it's a Wolf responsible?"
"That was the coroner's report," he replied before adding; "apparently they found some weird stuff on the vic that indicate some kind of Wolf."
"What do you mean by weird?" I asked as I shoved my hands in my pockets, eager to hear what he had to say.
He frowned as he looked at me, as if he couldn't decide whether to share the information with me or not as he shifted his weight, "you know, I'm really not supposed to be discussing the details of the investigation with anyone."
I reached into my wallet and retrieved my badge before showing it to him, "I'm in Law Enforcement too. You can talk to me."
He raised an eyebrow at me, "you're a Bounty Hunter?"
"Oh, don't look at me like that," I said with a grin before adding; "I know not all of you guys think we're just wannabe cops, but I went to the Academy too and I was with the LAPD. You can talk to me."
"Why'd you quit? Couldn't make it as a street cop?" he asked as I internally rolled my eyes.
"It wasn't my thing," I said before adding; "I wanted to hunt criminals down and bring them to justice. Not sit around in a patrol car waiting for someone to commit a crime and hand out speeding tickets. But now that I'm a Bail Enforcement Agent, I can chase fugitives across state lines in my own car and work on my own schedule."
"That actually does sound kinda nice," replied Brenton as I grinned. "How much of the bail do you get when you bring in a bounty?"
"Twenty percent," I said as he let out a low whistle. "I'm lucky. Most other Bounty Hunters I know make only ten to fifteen percent of the total bond."
"Just curious, how many cases a year do you average?" he asked as I shrugged.
"Eh, around a hundred to a hundred and fifty," I said before adding; "the bail bondsperson I work for always keeps me on my toes. She has a lot of clients she posts bail for who decide to skip outta town. Perks of living in a big city with lots of crime, I guess."
Which reminds me, I should probably call Cheri and tell her where I was and to not expect me back in LA for at least another week.
"Well, it might be hectic in the big city, but up here in Forks we don't get very much crime. We do, however, have a lot of maulings."
"So, what did the coroner find on the bodies?"
Brenton looked around as he shifted uncomfortably, "well, they did find hair which they sent off to the lab for testing."
I already knew where this was going, but I nodded for him to continue.
"And they found that the hair on the bodies didn't belong to any known species of Wolf," he said before adding; "or any member of the canine family for that matter."
"That's—" I shook my head, trying to sound as shocked as possible, "How is that even possible?"
"Who knows," he replied before adding; "there are other things they found as well, but I haven't heard those details yet. I think they're bringing in some experts from the University of Washington or something like that. They think they might be dealing with a previously undiscovered species of Wolf, which is bull if you ask me. I think there must've been a mix up at the lab or something, or we're dealing with a Werewolf."
He chuckled at his little joke, unaware of just how right he was.
"So, the attack last night," I began, "it was by the same animal then?"
He nodded, "we think so. They found more hairs on Adam Sudekis's body and they're sending them off to the lab. We're hoping that we can get a statement from Lisa Baker now that her condition is stable."
"Is she awake yet?"
He nodded, "she woke up early this morning, but she's really out of it. Poor kid, I don't blame her. I heard from the paramedics who took care of her that she kept mumbling about the Wolf."
"The Wolf that attacked her?" I asked as he shook his head.
"No, the Wolf that saved her," he said as I felt my eyes widen. "Apparently, she claimed that a Wolf, well actually a pack of Wolves rescued her from the monster," he said making air quotes around the word monster for an added emphasis. "And that's not all she said. Get this. Apparently one of the Wolves turned into a man who then carried her to safety and called 911."
I froze as Brenton chuckled, clearly amused by the poor girl's rant. "Can you imagine how much blood she must've lost to have hallucinated that?"
"Yeah, uh— that is quite the tale," I said, chuckling as I tried not to internally panic. I looked around at the crowd of people as I cleared my throat, a weight settling at the bottom of my stomach. "I um, I should get going. I have a lot I need to get done today."
"Oh," said Brenton, clearly disappointed that I was leaving so soon. I could sense his attraction for me, one that I, fortunately, did not share. "Well, hey. It was nice to see you again. Shay, right?"
I nodded, "yes, now if you'll excuse me—"
"Before you go, I was kinda hoping to ask whether or not you'd be interested in maybe grabbing a drink sometime. You and me?" he asked as he gave me a charming smile that I'm certain worked on all the ladies. Officer Brenton was a nice-looking guy and I'm sure he was very nice, but I was not interested. Like I said earlier, I don't date.
"That sounds nice and I'm flattered, but I'm leaving town soon," I said, leaving no room for further discussion as I watched him falter.
"Well, it doesn't have to be like a date or anything," he said as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "We could just, I don't know, talk? I know we haven't known each other long, but you seem like a nice gal."
"Look, I'm sorry," I began, "I'm just not in a position to be dating right now."
"Oh, well okay then," he said before he reached into his pocket and handed me his business card. "In case you change your mind."
"Um, thanks," I said as I shoved it into my pocket. "It was nice talking to you. Have a nice day."
I hurried back to my car and piled into the driver's seat as my phone buzzed in my back pocket. I pulled it out and frowned at the unfamiliar number displayed on the screen before hitting accept and holding it to my ear while I buckled my seatbelt.
"Hello?" I asked, hesitantly.
"Hi, is this Ms. Collins?" asked a vaguely familiar male voice on the other end as I frowned.
"This is her."
"Yeah, sorry to bother you but it's me, Earl. I wanted to call you and let you know that something came up unexpectedly and that I won't be able to finish the repairs on your car," he said as he wheezed. His voice sounded weird as if he was in pain or something.
"Is everything alright?" I asked, concerned.
"Well yes, and no. I managed to find myself in the hospital yesterday after I had a small heart attack," he said as my eyes widened. "I guess my old age and diet finally caught up with me. I'm stable now, but I won't be out of the hospital for a while and I have to have surgery here in a few days, so I won't be able to fix your car."
"Are you alright?" I asked as I switched my phone to the other ear and set my wallet down on the passenger seat.
"Oh, I'm fine, thank you for asking. The reason I called you is that while I won't be able to finish the repairs on your car, I know a few guys down on the Reservation who can finish the work for you at no extra charge. I already called the owner and explained the situation to him, and he'd be glad to tow your car down to his shop if you'd like."
"Well that's very thoughtful of you, Mr. Biggers," I said before adding; "thank you for arranging that for me."
"Wonderful!" he wheezed. "The name of the shop is Lahote's Auto Repair Shop. The guy that owns it is great. A little young, but he's a good kid and so are the other guys that work there. I can go ahead and give you their number and tell them to pick your car up when they can."
"Sounds great to me," I said as I grabbed a pen and napkin out of me console before jotting down the number to the shop.
"And again, I'm really sorry about all of this," he said as I chuckled.
"It's alright," I reassured him before adding; "it's not like you planned this all out."
He snorted, "yeah that's for sure."
I grinned, "well, you have a nice day. And I hope you get better soon."
As soon as the call ended, I rested my head on the headrest as I groaned in frustration. I wasn't mad at Earl for having a heart attack, but it certainly did make things more difficult when it came to fixing my car. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the rental car that I had, but boy did I miss my baby. I couldn't wait until she was fixed and I was able to drive her again.
Starting up the car, I drove to the nearest place that I could get some coffee before deciding to make a quick stop back at the hotel room to grab a few things before I headed to the hospital. I parked my car and stepped out, shrieking as my foot landed in a huge puddle that came almost all the way up to my ankle thanks to backed-up drains. I glared down at my soaked feet as I slammed the car door shut, a torrential downpour of rain soaking me as I yanked my hoodie over my head and booked it to back to my room.
I ignored the amused look the owner of the Inn had on her face as she watched me from the lobby entrance, a cigarette in her hand as I heard her mutter disapprovingly under her breath, "Californians."
I rolled my eyes, but I knew there was some truth to her words. It was true people from Southern California had no idea how to function in the rain and I was no exception.
Fumbling for the key, I cursed as I struggled to get the key to turn in the ancient lock before the door finally opened and I barged in, happy to be out of the rain as I shivered, the warmth from the room washing over me as I froze, my eyes traveling over the three people sitting on my bed as if they owned the place. At first, I stiffened, my hand grasping the doorknob as the three figures turned to look at me. And then the smell hit me, the combined unique scents that I had grown used to over this past couple of years as I flipped the light on and sighed in relief.
Because standing there, in front of me, was my pack.
OoO
Ezra was the first to react as he walked over to me and enveloped me in a bone-crushing hug, his arms wrapped tightly around me as I allowed myself to breathe in his scent. We pulled apart after a few moments as I took the time to properly look at him for the first time in over a month.
"What the fuck did you do to your hair?" I asked as I ran my fingers through his now short locks, marveling at the fact that his once long and unruly curls were gone. He looked older now, especially with the stubble that was beginning to grow on his face.
"I cut it," he said as he wrestled my hand away, "stop touching it. You'll mess it up."
I laughed, "I leave for one month and you finally get a haircut. I'm shocked, Ezra. Truly shocked."
"Yeah well, that's what happens when you up and leave us," said Mason as he stepped forward. He looked as stoic as usual as we stared each other down for a few moments. I wondered if he was still angry at him for disobeying his orders, but if he was, he made no mention of it as he cracked a smile, dark eyes softening.
"Come here you," he said as he enveloped me in a ginormous hug, his bulging muscles pressing around me like a big, warm vice as he lifted me up off the ground and shook me. Remember when I said that I was by no means a small person? Well, I was small compared to my half-uncle, although he was not as large as—
I grimaced as I pushed Paul as far out of my mind as possible, not wanting him to ruin this moment.
"I just want you guys to know I didn't just up and leave," I said as I rolled my eyes. "I had a job to finish."
"That's no excuse," said Brenda as she stepped forward and enveloped me in one of her famous hugs, the smell of her perfume smacking me in the face as I inhaled the scent in, my arms wrapping around my best friend instinctively.
I suppose know would be a good time to let you know that while my pack annoys the shit out of me, excluding Brenda of course because she's an absolute gem and I'm glad she's with us, we all still love each other very much. Pack dynamics among Lycans is extremely intimate. We depend on each other, for love and support and for survival. In fact, a common saying among the Lycan community was that a Wolf without a pack was nothing more than a lost soul. But even then, there was no denying that there was wild, rugged beauty to be found in the Lone Wolf. They had the courage to walk their path alone, and the strength to face their fears alone.
"I'm sorry," I said as I pulled away from her. "I'll try not to take so long next time."
"You better," she replied as she glanced down at my outfit and let out a disappointed sigh. If there was one thing to know about Brenda, it was that she was the Queen of fashion. She was the sort of person who could easily grace the cover of Vogue with her delicate features and her pristine outfits. Right now, she was dressed in dark wash skinny jeans and a white halter top paired with a grey colored peacoat and black leather boots. Her straight black hair was partially covered by a violet-colored beanie that matched her scarf. She wasn't wearing any makeup, but she was still effortlessly beautiful.
I looked down at the oversized grey sweater that I had bought from the local shops, the words Home of the Spartans plastered over the front along with a pair of ratty jeans and tennis. While I had thought that I had looked fine this morning, I knew I probably looked like a drowned cat with my sopping wet hair.
She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, "I hope this little town has a shopping mall because you need it, girl."
"I'm happy to see you too, all of you," I said as I looked around at my pack as I inhaled. "I'm glad you guys are here. Things around here are starting to get pretty hectic. The townspeople are on edge. Two people are dead, not including the deaths in the surrounding towns. We need to act fast before things get any worse."
"What did you find out?" asked Mason as he crossed his arms over his chest.
I licked my lips, "the attack last night left one dead and another in the hospital. I went to City Hall this morning and I spoke with an Officer. They know the hairs belong to a new species of Wolf and there are some people very eager to study it."
I watched as all of them stiffened before sharing uneasy looks. While it wasn't the worst news in the world, it wasn't that great either. So long as we kept these experts from finding out too much information about our kind, then hopefully it wouldn't cause too much trouble.
"The people want the authorities to Deputize a posse to hunt the animal down," I said as Ezra frowned.
"That's a fucking terrible idea," he said as both Mason and Brenda nodded in agreement. "If they do that, they'll just piss it off even more. Their weapons are no match against one of us."
"Not only that, but the wildlife will be in danger," said Brenda, forehead creased. "The native Wolf populations—"
"I know," I replied, heart heavy as I thought of my beautiful Wolf. "All they want is a hunt and this, unfortunately, gives them a good excuse to go out into the woods and kill any Wolf they see."
Brenda shook her head in disgust, her love for animals very apparent at that moment. "Don't they know that Wolves are an endangered species?"
"I don't think they care," said Mason before adding; "two of their own are dead. The people want security."
"So? That doesn't give them the right to kill those animals," replied Brenda as I nodded in agreement as I remembered something else that Brenton had told me.
I swallowed, "you know, this reminds me. He told me about some of the local Wolves…"
I trailed off, uncertain whether or not I should be sharing this news as I felt the expectant eyes of my pack on me. I sighed, realizing there was no going back as my Wolf's face flashed across my mind, the desire to protect him strong.
"What about the local Wolves?" asked Mason.
"Remember how I said I almost hit a Wolf?" I asked as they all nodded. "Well, there was something strange about him and his packmates. They— they were very big."
"Yeah, most Wolves are pretty big animals," said Ezra in confusion as I shook my head.
"No, you don't understand," I replied as I inhaled deeply. "These Wolves… They were the size of bears."
They all blinked in surprise.
"Bears?" asked Brenda, skeptically as I nodded.
"I kid you not. They were huge and there was something about them… Something unnatural."
Ezra shook his head, clearly not buying into my story, "that's impossible. No true Wolf is the size of a bear and neither is a fully transitioned Lycan. You must be mistaken."
I shifted uncomfortably as I thought back to what Officer Brenton had told me about the girl. He had told me that she had been coherent enough on the way to the hospital to tell the Paramedics that a Wolf who had turned into a man saved her. Most people would chalk her words up to shock and blood loss, which would be understandable considering the circumstances, but I knew that there was more to the story than even I knew. I could feel it, a pull at my natural instincts that told me she hadn't made it up.
Ezra noticed the shift in my attitude as he crossed his arms over his chest, "there's more, isn't there?"
My brother always had a way of reading me, and this was no exception.
I nodded, "I—I don't know what to make of it, but he told me something else. Something disturbing."
"What?" asked Brenda as I cleared my throat.
"The girl, the one that survived. While she was in the ambulance, she told the Paramedics that it was the Wolves who had saved her from the monster. Her words not mine, but that's not all. Apparently, she said that one of the Wolves turned into a man and carried her to safety."
They stiffened involuntarily as a tense silence settled between the three of them. I didn't blame them for being shocked seeing as I was still trying to understand it myself. There were simply no explanations for it unless one was willing to open their minds to the wider picture.
"That's— strange," said Ezra under his breath before adding; "are you sure there are no other Lycans in the area besides us and the man-eater?"
"I would know if there were," I said as I shifted my weight yet again. "Look, I know it's strange and I'm still trying to make sense of it all, which was why I was planning on going to Forks General today and talking to her myself while she's still awake."
I wondered whether I should mention Paul and his friends and my suspicions of them, but something inside of me told me no. At least, not yet.
Mason nodded, "good idea. You and Brenda can go to the hospital while Ezra and I start canvassing the woods. How does that sound?"
We all nodded in agreement as we quickly gathered up our things and exited the room, my eyes falling immediately on Mason's truck as my eyes widened. There, along the back of the car were bullet holes. The evidence of their encounter with the Werewolf Hunters in Portland apparently.
I let out a low whistle as I knelt down and examined the damage, my fingers tracing a couple of the little holes, "holy guacamole. You weren't kidding when you said they shot at you guys. How many of them were there?"
"Just three," muttered Mason under his breath.
I raised my eyebrows, "not nearly enough to take on three Lycans."
"Well they were prepared," replied Mason as he reached into his pocket and threw something at me. Instinctively, I caught it as I hissed, the familiar burning and tingling sensation enough to catch me by surprise as I looked down at the silver bullet shell casing in my hand. "Found it in the bed of my truck a few hours later."
"I'm not surprised," I said as I dropped it to the ground and wiped my burned hand on my jeans before looking down, watching as my skin began to heal itself. "I'm just glad none of them hit you guys."
Unlike the Others who had almost no known weaknesses, Lycans were different. We had weaknesses because we were more human than Vampires could ever hope to be, but that didn't make us any less fierce.
There was, after all, a reason why the Vampires feared us. They wouldn't have tried to wipe us out if they hadn't.
"We'll meet you guys back here later," said Mason as I nodded. "And let's try to keep a low profile while we're at it. I don't want those Hunters finding us again."
With that, Brenda and I piled into my rental car while Mason and Ezra headed off into the woods. The rain was finally beginning to die down as I drove, for which I was thankful. I pulled up in front of the hospital and parked while we both made our way in, the sterile smell enough to want to make me gag as I scrunched up my nose in disgust.
We got directions to the patient rooms, which were on the third level as we made our way up there. Stepping out of the elevator, I ignored the smell of blood and sterility as I inhaled deeply, my eyes traveling over to the fourth door on the right. I could smell the Werewolf still on the girl as both Brenda and I glanced at each other before glancing at the Nurses station, where a few people were at.
"You go," whispered Brenda before nodding towards the station, "I got this."
"Thanks," I whispered as I watched Brenda saunter up to the counter, heels clicking on the floor as she smiled widely at the male nurse and began to flirt away. The other Nurse was distracted with her charting and there was no one else there as I quietly slipped into the room.
There, lying on the bed and wrapped head to toe in bandages and gauze, was a young girl. Her eyes were open and she was awake, but I could tell that she was on a morphine drip as she stared blankly at the wall, not having noticed my presence yet.
"Um, hello," I said, as softly as I could so as to not startle her, "are you Lisa Baker?"
She looked at me with glassy green eyes as she gave me a weak nod.
I stepped closer to her, my eyes traveling over her as I assessed the damage. She was pale and I could tell that she was struggling to stay coherent, her dull eyes widening before going slack, as if she was trying to stave off sleep as she licked her chapped lips.
"Who are you?" she asked as I cleared my throat.
"My name is Shay," I began, "I'm here to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?"
"I already told the police—"
"I know," I said as she closed her eyes. I hated to make her relive her trauma like this, but I needed to know everything that happened out in those woods. "But I'm not like the other cops you talked to. I'm different."
"How?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes.
I leaned forward, "because I know that it wasn't a Wolf that attacked you last night, despite what everyone else is saying."
She stared at me for a few long moments before she started to shake her head, "no, no. It was a Wolf. It had to be."
She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than she was me as she stared at me with wide, open eyes. I could see the pain in them as well as the denial. The denial of what really happened out in those woods.
"I think you and I both know that it wasn't," I said after a few moments, by voice low and calming. "I know that you think no one would believe you if you told the truth about what you really saw out there. I also know that you did try to tell the paramedics, but they all thought that you were delirious."
"And you don't?" she asked before adding; "do you know how much blood I lost?"
I nodded, "probably quite a bit, but that's not the point."
She gave me an uneasy look. "What is it you want to know?"
I glanced out at the Nurses station where I could see Brenda still flirting away. None of them had noticed us yet.
"Did it bite you?" I asked as she frowned. She obviously thought that the question was weird, but it was important that I know. Actually, scratch that. It wasn't important that I knew, it was imperative.
"It attacked me," she said as I nodded.
"Yes, but did it bite you?" I asked again as she shifted in her bed, eyes traveling down to her arm that was covered by the blanket before she looked up at me and nodded.
"Before, it just— sort of scratched me up," she began before adding; "I thought it was going to eat me like it did Adam, but it looked at me and…"
"And?"
She swallowed, "it looked at me and said mine. Then it bit me."
She trailed off as I gently lifted the blanket up and stared at the skin
"Shit," I muttered under my breath as I stared at her, realization dawning on me.
"What?" she asked, nervously as she looked down at her arms, eyes widening.
"Where did it go?" she asked as she marveled at the smooth skin, unable to see any sort of indication that she had ever been bitten there in the first place. It was already healed, which meant that she hadn't rejected the bite. It had already taken and by the next full moon, the transition would be complete. She would be a Werewolf.
"Lisa," I said, slowly, "what happened next?"
Her eyes darkened, "you wouldn't believe me. No one did."
"Try me," I challenged as I put my hands on my hips and stared expectantly down at her as she swallowed.
"And then I was saved," she said before adding; "by a Wolf who turned into a—"
"What are you doing in here?" asked a female voice from behind us as I cursed under my breath. I turned around to see an older Nurse in blue scrubs staring at me expectantly as she placed her hands on her hips. "Visiting hours are over. No one except medical staff is authorized to be in here. Who are you?"
I could see Brenda behind her as she whispered an apology, mouthing the word sorry under her breath as I nodded to let her know it was alright. I would deal with the Nurse on my own.
"I'm sorry, I appear to be in the wrong room," I said before glancing back at Lisa. I mouthed the words we'll talk later under my breath before swiftly walking past the Nurse and making my way out of the patient ward, Brenda hot on my heels.
"I am so sorry," she said. "I did not notice her."
"It's alright," I said as we both got into the elevator. "I got all the information I need and more."
"I know," replied Brenda before adding; "I overheard everything."
"We need to tell the others. If it's true… If he's doing that then we're in a lot more trouble than we originally thought," I said as the elevator door opened and we made our way to the exit, my eyes traveling over the lobby before something— or rather someone made me stop dead in my tracks.
Instinctually, I stiffened as I stared at him, my eyes traveling over his broad chest that was accentuated by a form-fitting black henley. He looked just as surprised to see me as he stopped, our eyes never once leaving each other as I exhaled.
Oh boy. Here we go again.
OoO
Coming Next: A look into Shay's past, a long-awaited apology, and the business of imprinting
AN: This one was a long chapter, almost 16 pages! But rest assured, Shay and Paul will finally have their long-overdue talk in the next chapter. I know you guys have been waiting anxiously and I was going to include it in this chapter, but I decided to split it up into two chapters. Also, I would really like to thank everyone once again for your support. I am very thankful to have received the feedback that I have :)
Also, Happy Holidays!
