CHAPTER 17
I could feel the '20 Questions' coming in 3... 2... 1...
"What are we gonna do once we get there, Dean?", Sam whispered right on cue after hours of driving down the dark highway. We had just crossed into Arkansas and had less than a day left to save Lydia from a cruel Alpha werewolf that was bent on killing me so he could claim my mate. And, like what usually happens, Sam was caught in the middle. Middle of my fight. A fight he had no business being involved in.
"I'm working on it", I groaned back.
"You wanna share with the rest of the class, Dean? Sam just sat there with his eyebrows raised and his lips pursed in that way he knew I hated. "Inquiring minds want to know."
"I said I'm working on it!", I finally yelled. Great! Now he's glaring at me! "Hey! I have no idea if he's gonna be alone or if he'll have other wolves there backing him up, ok?"
"Well. we have to assume he will, right? I mean, you don't think he wouldn't be stupid enough to be there all alone, do you?" I turned to look at him and he was looking at me with the big, puppy-dog eyes, like he was praying desperately that I had all the answers and that I had a plan. I did have a plan, but it was a flimsy one at best.
"No I don't, Sam. Which is why you're gonna hang back when we get about a mile from the cabin."
"WHAT?!", Sam bellowed, cutting me off before I could lay out the whole plan. "NO WAY, DEAN! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU WALK INTO A POSSIBLE PACK OF WEREWOLVES ALL..."
"SAM, WILL YOU SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH?!", I growled back. His mouth snapped shut and he glared down at his fists in his lap while his nostrils flared. The car suddenly filled with the sour scent of his agitation, but he stayed silent. Guess I was gonna have to get used to being able to smell his moods. I took a deep breath and sighed before I continued. "I'm gonna drop you off a mile away and your gonna walk the rest of the way."
"But why?", Sam whispered through clenched teeth.
"Because you're our secret weapon." He didn't reply, he just stared at me in shocked confusion. "Gonna try to catch them off guard."
When my brother found his voice again, it came out in a choked off whisper. "But... but isn't he expecting me to be with you?"
"Don't worry about that, Sammy. I'll just tell him you chickened out." Sam started shaking his head and I knew what he was going to say before he said it.
"This is the dumbest idea you've ever had! He's never gonna fall for that!"
"I don't need him to fall for it, Sam. All I need is for him is to have doubts." His face scrunched up in dismay and I could see that he was having his own doubts about this plan. "Look, this Lucius asshole is just biased enough against humans, thinks he's so superior to them, that it'll make him wonder if it's a lie."
"And you're sure this is gonna work", Sam hissed. I could suddenly smell a hint of fear mixed in with the anger.
"At this point, I'm not really sure of anything, but we're running out of options. The second we lose the high ground, we're both dead."
"The high ground, Dean?" Sam chuckled humorlessly. "How do we have the high ground?"
"We have something that they don't", I said with a mischievous grin. He got that confused look on his face for a moment.
"What are you...?" The pieces suddenly clicked into place and his eyes went wide. "Dean, no! You know I can't control it! I could get us both killed!"
"That's a chance we just have to take. And even if you can't go all 'Carrie' on their asses, just the fact that they don't know you're a werewolf, gives us the edge." Sam got quiet again and that angry fear smell got so overpowering that I had to crack a window. "Now, when I let you out, you're gonna follow the road for about half a mile until the blacktop ends and the road becomes dirt. The cabin is at the end of the dirt road. Try to stay as close to the trees as you can and don't approach the house unless you're down wind."
"And then what? Am I supposed to come bursting through the door, guns a-blazin'? I have silver bullets in my gun."
"Get close enough that you can hear what's going on inside. I'll tell you when to make your move."
"Got it."
"And don't hesitate, Sam. We're only gonna get one shot at this."
"I said I got it!", Sam snapped irritably. There was a beat of silence before Sam let out a long breath. "What happens when I break down the door and come to your rescue?"
"You kill the nearest Big Bad! Unless, of course, it's Lucius. He's mine", I growled.
"Ok? How am I gonna know which 'Big Bad' is Lucius?"
"He'll be the only other Alpha in the room," I said. "Trust me. You'll know."
"Right." Sam shifted in his seat and there was a long moment when he just stared out at the dark road in front of us. "I sure hope you know what we're doing, Dean", Sam said, shaking his head again, finally turning his head to look at me.
"Don't I always?", I said, trying to keep my voice light and confident.
Sam's only response was a snort of laughter.