“I took that into consideration, which is why I asked Dillon and Oliver to join us. As high-ranking wolves, they should be able to withstand it for a minute or two if something happens. But I really don’t think there’s any reason to worry. As long as you avoid howling when you’re upset, then everything should be fine.”
***
Oliver and Dillon came trotting up a short while later, both panting from their run out to the clearing.
“Thanks for joining us,”Caelan said.“Are you both ready to give this a go?”They nodded, and I hesitated a moment, trying to clear my mind and think of only good things as I tossed back my head and howled.
I stared at them as I finished, searching their faces for any sign of distress, but there was nothing. Not a twinge of desperation or despair. They were fine.
I leapt around the clearing, howling in short, joyous bursts.“I can howl!”Luckily, the boys were equally enthusiastic andjoined in, allowing me the opportunity to lead my very first group howl.
This means the curse doesn’t have the hold on my life that I thought it did. It’s just another part of me. I’m not some uncontrollable killing machine. I’m simply Shade. A wolf who can howl.
Caelan froze suddenly, raising his muzzle to the air. I stopped, my fur standing on end as I caught a whiff of the same unknown scent.
“What the hell is that?”Oliver asked, his hackles rising as we dove into the trees to track it.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t like it. Everyone on high alert, just in case,”Caelan replied.
We stumbled through the brush to find three Dark Moon scouts sauntering through the woods, not even trying to hide that they were on our territory. Dillon snarled as we circled them while Caelan shifted so that he could speak with them.
“You’re trespassing on Harvest Moon Pack lands,” he barked. “State your business.”
The one in the center shifted, a cocky grin on his face as he squared off against the alpha. “We’re here to deliver a message.”
“From who?” Caelan demanded.
“Alpha Huxley. The Thunder Moon Pack has fallen,” he scoffed. “Alpha Butch Mallory is dead.”
“What?!”I cried, something breaking within me at the news. My father may not have been loving, but he was still my father.
Caelan’s eyes darted toward me. He could feel my anger radiating through our bond, and his face pinched with worry.
I glared at the three wolves from Dark Moon.He should be worried. They should all be worried.
“Run,”I growled to Caelan, Dillon, and Oliver.
“Shade, I’m not leaving you,”Caelan argued.
“I’ll be fine. Now get out of here,”I spat.“You’ll want to make sure you’re far enough away for what happens next.”
Caelan huffed but shifted and nodded for the others to follow him.“We’ll be back in five minutes,”he assured me as they darted into the trees.“Be careful.”
“You should have run with your friends, little freak,” the scout taunted. “Pity the alpha wants you brought back alive.”
He laughed like he’d won, but I knew better. All he’d done was sign his death warrant. I let my rage, sorrow, and desperation fill me, bracing myself as I threw back my head and howled.
The sound was low and bitter, nothing like the ones I’d emitted in the clearing earlier.
The three of them began to paw at their heads, dropping to the ground as though they could escape its somber tone. They twitched and screamed, scratching at their chests as their eyes rolled back and blood pooled from their mouths.
I stopped as they dropped, their voices forever silenced, and stared at them without an ounce of remorse. They had deserved their fate, and if I ever got close to Huxley, he would suffer the same if not worse.
Caelan, Dillon, and Oliver returned to find me lying on the ground in my human form, too exhausted to maintain my wolf any longer. Caelan shifted and scooped me up, holding me close as he carried me back toward the pack house.
“Do you think it’s true?” I managed, my throat dry and scratchy from the force of my howl. “Do you think my father’s dead? What about Sunny? Would he kill her too?”
“I don’t know,” Caelan admitted with a heavy sigh. “But I intend to find out.”
