Chapter 12 - The Offer She Can't Refuse

Maddy dashed out of the furniture shop. Sniffing, she quickly picked up Jared's scent and bolted after it. The little main thoroughfare through Swan Hill was lined by a jumble of modern-looking shops, but beyond that there was only the occasional rustic-looking mom-and-pop storefront and two-story houses spread farther and farther apart.

It shouldn't be too hard to find them she thought. Her pretty face scrunched up with concentration as she scanned the area, making sure which scent was Jared's when it looked like he and his friends had diverged. It was strange how a scent trail could come so strong to Maddy's wolf. It was like the wolf could see and smell the scent at the same time.

Swan Hill wasn't named by accident, and a steep hill dominated everything north of Main Street. She was fast on the heels of Jared's scent, certain she could catch him, when it hit her like a moving brick wall—a scent that reeked of danger.

There was no mistaking it. A faint cloud of yellowish-green appeared to her wolfblood senses, trailing up the hill in the direction of the dense forest beyond the edge of town. A wolfblood's scent, and not anyone she knew. An interloper, an invader in her family's territory. She stood there licking her lips, unsure.

The safe, smart thing to do would be to go home straightaway and tell Mum and Dad. But what if it's a wolfblood out of control? People could be in danger. There was no right choice, she just had to make one.

She darted uphill, her wolf keenly aware and probing for any ambush. Don't try to be a hero, Mads. Just spot it, make sure it's not a threat and then quietly withdraw. Easier said than done if her wolf shouldered its way to the forefront. She almost had herself convinced by the time she reached the northeast corner of town.

A few lonely outbuildings stood dwarfed by tall oaks and pine trees. The lingering cloud of scent snaked around the corner of a caved-in shed maybe 50 meters off. Maddy felt her skin prickle as a mangy wolf with vivid glacier-blue eyes rounded the corner of the shed. It stared at her relentlessly.

It sent chills down her spine and before she knew it her wolf was out, refusing to be denied. She morphed in broad daylight—as if the mesmerizing blue eyes of the invading wolf had cast a spell on her. The unknown wolf turned and ran, gliding through the tall grasses and vanishing under the dense tree cover.

Maddy didn't even hesitate. She spurred ahead full-tilt, picking up speed as the pine trees flew by in a blur of muted colors. Her wolf senses homed in on the interloper, a growl of dominance preceding her as she ran. This is my territory…my pack. Trespass at your own peril. The alpha in her sang, her muscles rippling as she ran surrounded by the wildness of the woods, and for a fleeting moment Maddy felt invincible. If only Rhydian were beside me now.

Maddy's indestructible aura evaporated the second the blue-eyed wolf finally turned to make his stand. He was noticeably larger than Maddy, standing a good hand-span higher at the shoulders than the wolfblood girl. The wolf's lips curled back in a snarl, and she answered in kind. The two wolves circled one another, tails rigid—probing for weakness. Maddy's tawny coat was sleek and fine while the blue-eyed wolf looked like a mangy brute, his mottled fur covered in burrs from kilometers of travel through the wilderness.

He's bigger but he's also weakened from the journey. It's more than a fair fight Maddy realized. She lunged, looking for an opening. Blue Eyes snapped at her, fending her off and dancing out of range. She attacked again only to have him dodge behind a fallen tree. Maddy had anticipated it though, lunging through an opening just barely large enough for her sleeker figure. The blue-eyed wolf stumbled as she butted him in the chest, knocking him over and straddling the wolf in one fluid motion. She bared her teeth and growled as he squirmed on his back and showed her his underbelly.

Satisfied, Maddy mouthed him on the nose for good measure, wolf-speak for Don't forget who's boss! She slowly sat back on her haunches and only changed back into her human self after the interloper had done the same.

"Why are you trespassing in my pack's territory?" Her tone was harsher than sandpaper.

The wiry young man had a light beard and blue eyes not quite as vivid as his wolf's. He looked at her uncomfortably and said the one thing she hadn't expected.

"You're Maddy, right? I have a message for you. Ceri sent me."

"Ceri?" Maddy frowned. "You have a name?"

"Nathan. Look, I'm just the messenger. I'm not some rogue invading your pack's land. I'm just here to talk."

The wind bit at Maddy's arms, her t-shirt ruffling as her hair flew wildly to one side. She pushed it angrily out of the way. "Well? What's this message and why couldn't you just show up at my parents' place like a normal person?"

"Because this message is for you alone. You are forbidden to tell Rhydian or anyone else."

Maddy stalked forward, her eyes narrowing. "And who are you to make demands of me?"

Nathan gave her a surprisingly human look, his wolf more submissive than she'd thought. He seemed almost…apologetic, and it made her fear what his message might hold.

"As I said, I'm just the messenger. I come from Sebastian's pack in the Northwest Territories. Ceri's the female alpha now, rules alongside Sebastian."

That sent a chill through Maddy that had nothing at all to do with the piercing wind. A storm was coming, the sky darkening as the wind cut through the forest like millions of tiny darts.

"Why couldn't Ceri come herself?" That would make more sense. Wouldn't she want to visit her son?

But Nathan shook his head and his eyes shifted uneasily. "She had other commitments. Just listen carefully. Ceri has a task for you and it's crucial that you agree to it."

Maddy scoffed. "She can wish for the moon for all I care, but I can't guarantee it."

"For your sake I hope you're wrong," Nathan said sadly. Maddy felt her heartbeat pounding now.

"Enough with all the bloody hop-footing around. Spit it out, you mangy mutt."

"You and Rhydian need to join our pack in the Northwest Territories, at Grey Haven. You need to convince Rhydian and your parents that this is what's best for everyone."

Maddy chuckled. "May as well ask me to convince them the sky's mint green. We've already had that discussion and Rhydian and I have decided it's not for us. You can return to your compound and your hybrid pack. Send Ceri a hello for me, yeah?"

Nathan bit his lip, his eyes turning hard. "I guess I'll have to tell you the full truth so you'll realize what's at stake." He gave her that pitying look for the second time, and Maddy was starting to feel annoyance intermingle with her fear.

"The truth is that Sebastian facilitated everything so that Rhydian could come to Canada and see you in the first place."

That informational nugget hit her like a fist. "Wait…what?"

Nathan sighed. "Rhydian doesn't know. He asked for his mum's help, and Ceri gave Rhydian the financial aid to come over here and live for a while—but it was all set up by Sebastian, and it was more than just the money. She approached Sebastian not only about financial help but also about finding someone to impersonate a fake long-lost birth father here in Canada so that Rhydian would have the excuse he needed to convince his foster parents to let him come over."

Maddy grunted. "And I care because…?"

"Sebastian gave his help to Ceri because he wanted her to be his alpha," Nathan growled. "Think what that means for a moment."

Maddy stiffened.

"Sebastian wants a strong pack, and that means the alpha female of his choice assured by his side. As long as Rhydian is outside of the pack, there's the chance that Ceri won't stay. Sebastian isn't having any of that. The only solution is for you and Rhydian to join his pack. To join us."

The wolfblood girl felt her heart fluttering. Her stomach churned. "And if we don't?"

Nathan shrugged. "Then Sebastian plans to offer evidence of how you revealed your wolfblood secret to two human friends in Stoneybridge."

Which would be evidence of me committing the ultimate taboo. Oh God. Tom and Shan. No.

The blue-eyed wolfblood grimaced, and she could tell he didn't relish telling her any of this.

"Of course that means that there would be an investigation by the alpha committee here in North America. You and your family would be put under house arrest pending the decision and Rhydian wouldn't be allowed to stay in your territory. He'd be strongly encouraged to join our pack in the meantime. If the charges are proved, you and your family might stay under house arrest almost indefinitely, at least until the committee is satisfied that you no longer pose a danger."

House arrest? Maddy suddenly felt faint. Her parents had only hinted of such cases a handful of times. Usually when a wolfblood was convicted house arrest lasted for years. And Maddy didn't even want to think about what might happen to Tom and Shannon! Nathan's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Sebastian will get what he wants, one way or the other. It will be better for both you and Rhydian if you join us willingly." Nathan's tone took on an oddly pleading tone. "If not for yourself, do it for your family and for Rhydian too. You don't want to be separated, do you? It would tear him apart. Ceri's told me all about you two, about how important you are to him."

The wolfblood girl suddenly felt tiny and terribly alone. She felt like one of those saplings on the periphery of the forest as the storm came in, howling louder, stronger, and scarier by the moment.

"Is this what Ceri wants, then? Is this her idea of happily ever after?" Maddy couldn't keep the bitterness out.

"No, Maddy." Nathan shook his head. "Ceri doesn't want this, but Sebastian has told her of his plans. Ceri doesn't feel she can refuse him, not when he's started to successfully build a new world for wolfbloods safe from humans. She's placed too much hope in him and what he can do to turn her back on him now. She's bought you some time, convinced Sebastian that even though you're the thing preventing Rhydian from joining the pack, you can be reasoned with, that he doesn't have to set his plans in motion. Not yet."

Maddy wrapped her arms around her stomach, feeling as if there was somehow a gaping hole in her chest. She stared listlessly at the ground, her wolf shrinking back. Her anger had somehow evaporated, replaced by numbness.

"So how much time do I have?"

Nathan shrugged. "At least several weeks, a month. Beyond that I can't be sure. You would be smart to just assume that time is of the essence. Ceri will send you another message if things reach a critical point, if she thinks she can't hold Sebastian back any longer." Nathan looked up at the darkening clouds, the slate-gray sky thrown like a shadowy tarp over the world. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and it reminded Maddy of finality, of being helpless.

"Look, Maddy, I need to go. I have to return to my pack. For what it's worth, I'm sorry you've been put in this position. I'm sorry for all of it, the whole situation." He gave her one last glance as he turned to go. "Please don't tell Rhydian. Think what it would do to him, to find out that he unwittingly played a role in this mess."

Maddy's face clouded. Rhydian would be enraged at Sebastian for trying to manipulate his mum. He would probably challenge Sebastian's authority, maybe even accidentally get himself killed, and Ceri would be helpless to protect his son if Sebastian was as powerful an alpha as it seemed.

"Go. Get out of my sight." Maddy directed all of her pent-up bitterness at Nathan's departing form as the semi-wild wolfblood morphed into his four-legged guise and vanished deeper into the woods.

What am I going to do?

Maddy tried to think, shell-shocked as the enormity of her choices weighed on her like the aftermath of an avalanche.