"Haim?" Lillth reached out, placing a hand on Hamish's shoulder. He was crouched next to Bela's phone, in the same position he'd been in when he called Lillith to ask her to meet him outside.
He looked up at his friends. They were gathered around him, concern etched across their faces.
"You heard it, didn't you?" Hamish's voice was quiet as he looked back down at the phone in front of him.
Randall nodded. "The ringing, when we were in the club?"
"I should have known - should have come to check on her. She was out here, alone. I didn't..."
Lilith shot Randall an uneasy look. Hamish was the Knight's fearless leader, he was always decisive and assertive, the first to lead them into battle or come up with a game plan. She'd never seen him like this before. He looked so lost.
"Hamish, buddy?" Jack said slowly, "You blaming yourself isn't going to help anyone."
Hamish stared at the phone a moment longer and then moved his gaze to the object sitting a few inches away from it. As much as it pained him to admit it, Jack was right.
He picked up the small shiny item and then pocketed Bela's phone and straightened up.
"Can you track this?" He held the grey plastic button out to Alyssa.
She took it from him. "Yes - I just need a few things for the spell."
"Ok," Hamish nodded. "Jack, get Alyssa to the Den, we've got supplies there. Lilith, Randall, we're splitting up. We can cover more ground as wolves. The first one to find anything calls the others."
They all nodded, falling back into the familiar routine of search and rescue.
As Jack and Alyssa took off in the direction of the Den, Randall placed his hand on Hamish's arm.
"Don't worry," he said, past the lump in his throat. "We'll find her."
Hamish squeezed Randall's hand and offered him a weak smile. "Of course we will," he said, ignoring the gnawing pit in his stomach.
- - - - -"You're sure this is the place?"
After 40 minutes of attempting to track Bela's scent and coming up empty, Jack had called Hamish with a location. Now the two of them were standing under a shroud of trees with Alyssa, watching the entrance to a derelict building on the edge of Belgrave's campus.
Alyssa showed him the bowl in her hand. A small stick balanced in water with the button tied to it was pressed against the edge, as if pulled by an invisible hand in the direction of the front door.
Jack sighed. "Why does this campus have so many creepy buildings? It's like they're asking for students to get kidnapped by evil magic practitioners from secret cults."
"We don't know that this person is part of The Order." Alyssa said, her voice low. "Maybe it's a magic tourist."
Hamish ignored their comments as he scanned the area around them.
"Right," he said, focusing his gaze on the entrance. "You guys go round the back, I'll take the front. When we find Bela I'll create a distraction while you get her out."
"We don't know how many are in there," Jack shook his head "Shouldn't we hold on until the others get here?"
"Randall and Lillith are on their way but we can't wait, we don't know what they're doing to Bela."
Jack opened his mouth as if to disagree and then thought better of it when Hamish glared at him. He took Alyssa's hand and they headed towards the side of the building, leaving Hamish alone.
Hamish took a deep breath and walked straight through the front door.
- - - - -His footsteps were silent as he moved slowly down the hallway, muffled by the thick layer of dust covering the floor. In the weak light filtering in through the grime-smeared windows from streetlights outside, Hamish could make out further passageways and doors branching off into the darkness.
Before it had been abandoned, the location must have been used as a storage facility for the University at some point. Mouldy cardboard boxes and forgotten paper files lined the rooms Hamish passed, but he didn't stop to explore them as he pushed deeper into the heart of the building, drawn towards a faint orange glow.
As he crept closer to the end of the hallway a cavernous room emerged up ahead. The space had been cleared, office desks and chairs pushed against one wall. In the center of the room, starkly lit by the uncovered bulb hanging above, was a metal operating table.
Hamish felt his pulse stutter as he saw Bela's form strapped to the table. She wasn't moving.
Terror flooded his mind. He took a deep breath, struggling for control as Tundra's growls filled his head. Suddenly, a door on the far side of the room opened and someone walked in.
Hamish recognised him immediately.
Tanner leaned over the table, examining Bela, and then gave the restraints a sharp tug.
"I was wondering when you'd show up." He said, without turning. "Don't worry, I took care of your friends. They won't be bothering us."
Hamish stepped out of the shadows and into the room, keeping his eyes on Bela.
"What did you do to them?" He asked. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded strained.
"They're ok, for now." Tanner walked around the table to face Hamish, placing Bela between the two of them. He lifted his right hand and steel glinted in the light. "Just in case you get any ideas."
Hamish hesitated when he saw the knife hovering above Bela. "So, The Order is sending Acolytes to murder students now?"
Tanner's smile set his teeth on edge. "Oh," he said, "is this the part where I tell you my motivation?"
When Hamish didn't answer he clicked his tongue impatiently. "Fine. This one is just bait. I admit it's a bit of a waste to kill her, but worth it to get the real prize."
Hamish watched as Tanner lowered his arm slightly, the knife hovering just inches away from Bela's abdomen.
"The Knights?"
"Yes. The Knights." Tanner's face twisted with disgust. "The great champions. Monsters hiding in our ranks, poisoning The Order from the inside."
"We're part of The Order." Hamish growled.
"A mistake," Tanner's eyes darkened. "One I'm going to fix. I'll be a hero."
Hamish's heart stopped as Tanner plunged the knife downwards. He barely had time to inhale the scent of blood before the change ripped through him, his panicked thoughts giving way to Tundra as the wolf took control.
Tanner watched the man before him transforming. He ran the blade across his palm a second time, sending another rush of blood spattering across the metal table below.
"Mutatis," he bellowed. In an instant his body stiffened. He doubled over, his spine snapping forward at an unnatural angle as it lengthened and warped. His skin split, thick, dark hair erupting all over and his hands spasmed as his fingernails lengthened into claws.
Tundra turned to face Tanner and found himself staring into the jaws of a hulking black wolf.
- - - - -Bela was snapped back to consciousness by a sickening pain in her legs. She blinked, groggily, as a large dark shape was yanked off her and sent hurtling into a nearby wall. The deafening crunch of plaster and glass sent bells pealing through her temple - she felt like her skull was about to split open.
As her vision cleared and the room swung into focus she realised with a start that she didn't recognise the bare, water-stained ceiling above her. What the hell was going on?
The last thing she remembered was being at the club with her friends, she was supposed to meet Hamish outside but that guy… Tanner, was it? He asked her to help with his car.
Maybe there had been some sort of accident. Was she in hospital? She tried to sit up and groaned as her movement was met with another sharp ripple of pain through her thighs. She went to run her hands over them and realised that she couldn't move her arms. She was stuck.
Before she could gather the energy to yell out her vision was taken up by Hamish's concerned face.
"Bela? Thank God." He looked on the verge of tears.
"Urgh," Bela croaked, finally finding her voice. "Am I dead?"
"No, you're very much alive." The corner of his lips quirked up.
"Haim, I can't move. My legs-"
"Oh. Wait a second." He disappeared from view.
Bela heard ripping sounds, like fabric tearing, and the pressure around her forearms and legs released. She sighed in relief and lifted her hands to feel for damage. As far as she could tell, she was still in one piece, which was a small mercy.
"Careful," Hamish reappeared at her side as she sat up and gingerly pulled her legs over the edge of the table.
"What the..?" Bela's eyes widened as she took in her surroundings.
"Hamish, where are we? What was that big black thing?" As she turned towards him her voice rose a few octaves. "Where are your clothes? Is that… is that blood? Are you ok?"
Hamish looked down at his blood spattered chest and then back up at Bela, a frown wrinkling his brow.
"I'm not hurt. I can explain everything, I promise."
"Start talking." Bela pushed herself up onto her feet and then fell backwards against the table. She gasped as white hot agony shot through her legs, turning them to jelly.
Hamish grabbed her waist and lifted her gently onto the table again. As Bela squirmed out of his grasp she caught the look of hurt that crossed his face. He stepped back and raised his arms, palms outstretched towards her.
"You're safe." Hamish bowed his head. "I'm going to explain, we just need to get out of here first, please-"
He broke off as a loud bang echoed off the walls, spinning towards the door on the far side of the room as Jack and Alyssa strode through it.
Bela saw his shoulders relax as he recognised his friends.
He met them half way, gratefully accepting the jacket Jack handed to him. "Are you guys ok?"
Alyssa nodded, "Yeah, it was just a holding spell."
Bela frowned. Spell?
"Hey, are you ok Bela?" Alyssa started towards her but stopped when Hamish blocked her path. She gave him a funny look.
"Jesus Haim, chill." Jack pulled Alyssa back towards him. "Where's Tanner?"
Hamish pointed to a large opening by the door behind them. "I put him through that wall."
Jack disappeared into the hallways and then emerged a moment later, shaking his head. "He's gone."
Hamish growled under his breath. "I should have ripped his fucking head off."
"Get in line." Jack huffed. "I can't believe that idiot was behind this. He barely even made it in to The Order in the first place."
Alyssa glanced between the two of them. "You put him through a wall Hamish, how did he walk away from that?"
"He used a transformation incantation." Hamish's voice was low but anger punctuated every syllable.
"What?" Alyssa's head snapped up. "That's way above his skill level. What did he turn into?"
"A wolf."
"A werewolf?" Jack's brow furrowed. "I thought that was impossible?"
"Not quite a werewolf -" Hamish ran his fingers through his hair, shaking out some of the dried blood,"- but big enough to give Tundra a run for his money."
"Do I have a concussion, or did you just say werewolf?" The three of them turned towards Bela and stared, as if they had just remembered she was in the room.
"Both, probably." Jack shrugged. "I mean, I'm not a Doctor."
Hamish glared at him.
Bela pushed herself up from the table. "Don't." She said, holding up a hand when Hamish made a disapproving noise and moved towards her. She bit down on her lip as her legs throbbed in protest.
She was exhausted, and furious. She'd woken up scared and in pain, strapped to a table in a creepy room with a very naked, blood-covered Hamish. Now they were talking about spells and incantations and werewolves. Enough was enough.
"Explain. Now."
The three of them looked at her, mouths open.
"Ok." She rounded on Hamish. "Start talking, Haim. What the hell happened to me? Was that thing Tanner? What did he do to me? What did you do to him? Why are you talking about spells? Where are-"
Hamish caught her as a cloud of white powder enveloped her head.
"Was that really necessary." He hissed at Alyssa as he scooped Bela's unconscious form up into his arms.
"You can't have a secret society if it's not a secret, Hamish"
"Fine," He nodded. "Whatever. Let's get her back to the Den."
"What about Tanner?" Jack frowned.
"I'll take care of him later." Hamish said, his words more of a threat than a promise.