Chapter 8 - Broken Trust

Maddy set her plan in motion by hurrying back to where she and Rhydian had fought off the lone wolf. She turned into wolf form and thoroughly rolled around in the animal's scent, then morphed back into human before sprinting through the wood back to Maya's. By the time she made it back to the café it was almost closing time.

Moments after she walked into the warmly lit café, as soon as those double doors closed behind her, a voice slammed into her from behind.

"That's not very nice of you."

Maddy turned to see who'd spoken to her. He was a compact, muscular boy who wore glasses, and his eyes shone with a certain intensity. If her friend Shannon from Stoneybridge was the embodiment of 'geeky yet courageous' this guy seemed a close kin to her. He scowled at Maddy, but somehow it made him look more adorable than forbidding.

"Look, my friend Jared really likes you. If you're going to just ditch him like this…not cool. If you don't want to go out with him, just say so."

Maddy's memory gave her a jolt as she pieced it together. This had to be the other best friend Jared had spoken about….

"You're…Mason?"

"Just call me Mace."

Maddy nodded, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she peeked a glance over at the half-empty table where Jared and Lyssa still sat waiting for her. She sighed, feeling like the jerk Mace had just accused her of being.

"Mace, I'm sorry. I'm…ugh…where do I even start? Tonight's been full of surprises. I didn't mean to be rude, I really didn't. Can we start over?" She held out her hand.

Reluctantly Mace took it, muttering, "Maybe. We'll see." He sounded a little like a grouchy younger brother, and it kind of made Maddy like him that much more.

"All right, Mace, come on. Let's see if we can cheer Jared up." She snuck up on Jared from behind. Just as she approached she saw the cold pizza on the plates, the combination of restlessness, worry, and resignation on Jared's face. The sight made her feel guilty and she acted impulsively.

She plopped onto Jared's lap and leaned back, giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Hey you."

"Hey," Jared glowered. Where were you?"

"Sorry….I saw an old friend. I had to say hi and we went out to get some air and, uh, talk for a bit." She felt Jared shift restlessly underneath her, knew that her answer wasn't going to satisfy. So she decided to elaborate with a half-truth or two.

"Actually, as we were walking out by the woods we ran into a wolf and it tried to bite me."

Jared tensed, and for the first time he looked more worried than upset at her.

"I'm surprised you can't smell its stink on me. My friend and I scared it off, but not before I fell on the ground where I think it may have…um…marked its territory."

Jared rolled his eyes. "Are you serious?! You have wolf pee on you and you decided to sit in my lap?!" Lyssa and Mace were rolling out of their chairs laughing. Mission accomplished Maddy thought smugly. Damn I'm good.

The boy gently shoved her off of him and gave Maddy a close once-over before asking if she was all right. "You're sure you weren't bitten, Maddy? I can take you to the hospital if you want. My dad has had some close shaves with boars, wolves, and even bears, so believe me, I know that you can't be too cautious. A wild animal is a dangerous animal. That wolf might have had rabies. Are you absolutely sure he didn't break the skin?" Jared's concern made Maddy feel guilty about what she had to do, breaking it off with him. She wasn't looking forward to Monday, not by a longshot. But it could wait for now. She didn't want to break up with him right after treating him so poorly and ditching him at dinner.

"I'm fine, Jared. Look, see? Pristine skin." She held out her hands and twirled around. "I just feel bad for leaving you guys wondering what happened to me."

"As you should. I was about to go out looking for you." Lyssa nodded and Mace grunted his two cents.

"Lyssa told me I should just leave you for dead, but—"

"I did not!'

"Aww, cut it out guys," Mace groaned. "Can we just go back to your place, Jared? You promised a round of pool, yeah? Team play, you and your new girlfriend versus me and Lyssa." Mace eyed Maddy like she was prey, like he was looking forward to crushing her.

Someone has a competitive streak Maddy grinned. Her inner wolf bared its teeth. Bring it.

But she couldn't, not with Rhydian waiting for her and answers that needed finding. She had an appointment with a certain mum and dad, and she would get the truth out of them even if it drove her wild.

"Sorry, guys. I need to be home. Tomorrow I'm grounded, remember?"

Lyssa made a pouty face and Mace just grunted sympathetically.

"Yeah, that sucks."

"Rain check?" Lyssa said hopefully. "You can't suck nearly as bad as Sabrina."

"Guys. Please, no more Sabrina references!" Jared's protesting tone made Maddy smile. She liked the dynamics of this group, the familiarity and the closeness. A group that could tease one another and make fun of each other without resorting to anger, that had the makings of a good pack.

Maddy suddenly found it hard to know what to do with Jared. She was just getting to know him, to make a few new friends here in Swan Hill. Would breaking up with him make him want to totally reject her? How could she make him understand that really she just wanted his friendship, that that was meaningful and enough for her? If he was truly as self-assured as he claimed, he should be OK with that. But he was a boy… and even from Maddy's admittedly sparse experience in the realm of romance, she knew that boys and egos could be as brittle as glass.

"OK, let's go." Jared got up from the table and took Maddy's hand. Even this brief contact skin to skin made Maddy feel a renewed surge of guilt. If Rhydian were here right now... and the thought made Maddy shudder.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just cold." Maddy groaned inwardly as Jared draped an arm around her shoulders and helped her zip up her fleece. His eyes lingered on her tank top for just a second longer than necessary.

"Better?"

Maddy nodded.

She accompanied Jared to his car, riding shotgun with Lyssa and Mace in the back. Tiny snowflakes drifted under the starry night sky as the temperature continued to plummet. Jared blasted the heat vents, pointing them in Maddy's direction. The closer they got to her house to drop her off, the more she gnawed on her bottom lip.

She knew what she had to do, but she was frightened of what she might find. When they finally arrived at the cobblestone driveway Maddy jumped out before Jared could try to kiss or even touch her. She glanced at him guiltily.

"See you tomorrow." She turned, didn't look back to see the boy's disappointment. Her mind was already focused elsewhere.

When she opened the front door Daniel was in the kitchen making his favorite chocolate chip nut cake recipe. The kitchen aromas caressed Maddy's nose, nearly derailing her resolve. Meanwhile Emma was shoving in a fresh batch of sugar cookies—prepared from scratch. The whole damn place smelled of sugary baked heavenly goodness. Maddy reeled with the intertwining scents. Her wolf was salivating.

Focus!

Sometimes her parents had these little bake-fests together. It was one of those bonding activities for them that Maddy thought was really cute. Her parents truly did love each other and this was one of the ways they showed it. But tonight of all nights, with her needing answers, ugh, it just seemed to make it all that much harder. Maddy knew that she'd feel like the bad guy for ruining the tranquil atmosphere. Sometimes you had to make sacrifices though.

"Hey kiddo," Daniel said. "You're back early."

He and Emma exchanged a look.

"How did your night out with Jared go?"

"Good for the most part. I really like Jared's friends. They're…different." She grinned as she realized that the idea of hanging out with them definitely raised her spirits. "But that's not what I need to talk to you about."

Before she could say another word though, that was when the stench of the lone wolf hit both of her parents at full-force. They both dropped what they were doing and stared at her.

"It's OK, guys. Don't freak out."

"We're the only wolfbloods supposed to be in this town, Maddy," Emma said. "It's not freaking out when we have an intruder. What happened?"

Maddy sighed. So much for her game plan. "It was a normal wolf, not a wolfblood Mum! And I scared it off before it could hurt me."

Daniel wrinkled his nose and made a gagging sound. "Did you scare it off before or after you wrestled with it? Maddy, you reek of its scent!"

"I know, I know. Look, I'll go up and shower and get a change of clothes, but then I really do need to talk to you guys about something important. Okay?!" Maddy's impatience must have shown through with crystal clarity because both of her parents dutifully nodded.

"OK, Maddy. We'll be here when you're ready."

Maddy skipped upstairs two to three steps at a time and flung her clothes in the hamper as soon as she could wriggle out of them. A quick, cleansing bout in the hot shower later, and she was in her joggers and an old Bradlington High photography club t-shirt. She walked down the stairs just as her dad was checking the oven temperature and staring impatiently at the chocolate chip nut cake. The sugar cookies were also baking, and both of her parents could give her their undivided attention.

"So, what's this all about sweetie?" Emma sat at the breakfast bar and Daniel took a seat beside her. For a second, seeing both of her parents in such good humor made her feel bad for even suspecting them. But with a sigh she bit her lip, closed her eyes, and said to herself Maddy you've got to do this.

"I need to ask you guys about Dr. Whitewood."

"What about her?" Daniel said.

"If she wasn't a threat anymore, we could go back, right? Back to Stoneybridge."

Daniel scratched his chin and looked away. Maddy could tell that Emma had just kneed him behind the counter because he suddenly jolted and met her eyes.

"Maddy, of course if Stoneybridge was safe again we'd go back. We know you miss your mates and your teachers there. We know this is hard and if there was any other way, believe me, we would go back to live where our ancestors have lived for centuries." He paused. "Where is this question coming from exactly?"

Maddy slowly tilted her head, giving her parents an odd look.

"Wait…. You didn't answer my question." She upped her look to a pointed stare. "I asked about Dr. Whitewood and you changed the subject. What if Dr. Whitewood were no longer a threat? Her specifically. We could go back. Right?" Maddy folded her arms and looked at her parents expectantly. Her heart sank even before Emma replied.

Emma got up from behind the counter and came over to Maddy. She put an arm around Maddy's shoulders and stroked her daughter's silky hair with her other hand as if to soften the blow Maddy sensed coming.

"About three weeks ago, Maddy, we received some news." Maddy stiffened. "It happens to be true that Dr. Whitewood has been effectively gagged. She's working for wolfbloods now and her success is bound to them. She herself is not a threat, sweetie. But it's not that simple."

"It is that simple," Maddy bit out stubbornly. She looked up at her mum, eyes flashing.

"Honey," Daniel joined in, "even with Dr. Whitewood out of the picture, things in Stoneybridge are far from ideal. Your classmate Liam and his family still live in the area."

Liam…the creep who broke into our den and nearly exposed us. Maddy had managed to fool Liam by having her parents pose as 'tame' pet timber wolves, but it would be presumptuous to say that he'd been completely convinced. The obnoxious sod claimed a 'werewolf hunter' as an ancestor. There was no telling what Liam believed or if he secretly hoped for another chance to expose Maddy and her family.

All that swirled through Maddy's mind, but somehow it didn't add up to what her parents had chosen for her—and the calculation in Maddy's head took other things into account, things her parents were blind to.

"Mum. Dad." She tried to gather in her anger. "You should have told me about Dr. Whitewood."

Emma rubbed her shoulder and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "We didn't want to upset you, Maddy."

"Well, epic failure on that one, yeah?" Maddy shrugged angrily out of Emma's embrace and put a meter of space between them. "Look, you guys are trying to protect us, but you can't protect us from everything. Risks are everywhere we go! We can't be constantly on the run."

"Mads, we'll get settled here. You're adjusting. We all are. Just give it some time," Daniel offered.

Maddy exploded, throwing her arms out wide. "Time? Is that the difference between us? I think time is precious. Every second we sit here, hunkering down in fear abandoning our hearth and home and pack, I don't call that 'adjusting' or 'settling in.' I call it failure. I call it broken." Maddy wiped a glistening eye, preventing the tear. "You two lied to me. You're protecting me from things when—guess what?—I'm old enough that it's no longer just your decision to make!"

The wolfblood girl felt her wolf growling, crying out. She harnessed it, barely, using it to fuel her next words.

"Take us back, or if you won't go back then let me go back, finish up my schooling and be with my mates."

Daniel shook his head sadly. "You know we can't do that Maddy."

Maddy glared at them both. Her chest felt ready to burst. Her hands curved inward like claws. Listen to your wolf Maddy thought. Let it free.

She took a deep, steadying breath.

Emma's eyes were yellowing. Sensing her daughter's displeasure, she was asserting her own dominance.

"Maddy…" Emma warned.

Maddy's eyes turned the same shade of skin-prickling yellow. She let out a hiss, pulled back from the brink just barely.

"Go to your room young lady."

"No." And just like that, Maddy gave her wolf free reign. Growling and snapping, she morphed into wolf form and leapt.