Chapter 8

EMERICK

~Dammit. That was your chance, Emerick! Why didn’t you kiss her?~

I’d ached to kiss Sam. It had taken every bit of my willpower not to press her against the wall and claim her lips with mine.

It was certainly not how I’d seen the day going.

For starters, my plan had been to flirt with the mother of the future alpha, but certainly not the alpha herself!

But either way, my intention had been to get to know Sam and prove she could trust me. She’d need wolves she could depend on in the coming days.

But there had been a selfish reason, also.

I grew up close to Christian. From an early age, he knew he was going to be the alpha, and I knew I was going to be his beta. I had purpose.

Since his death, I’d been feeling utterly alone. Not only had I lost my best friend, but my role in the pack—in life—as well.

While I was still being treated as the beta for now, the new alpha would choose their own. I thought if I showed Sam how valuable I could be, she might let me keep my position.

If she fell in love with me along the way, it’d make getting the job that much easier.

But somewhere throughout the evening, I began to realize just how remarkable she was. Her physical beauty was evident to anyone, and her wolf was simply astounding.

I’d spent most of the day fighting to keep my wolf, Zef, under control. He had wanted to be near her from the moment he saw her.

After spending the night together, I was even more attracted to her. She was incredibly intelligent and genuinely funny.

What’s more, she possessed a strength I’d rarely seen.

Sam had only just that morning learned that werewolves were real, and that she was one no less, and she’d accepted the situation about as quickly and calmly as anyone in her position could have.

On top of that, she’d used her time with me to learn everything she could about our culture and politics before she would be thrown—quite literally—to the wolves the next day.

Sure, part of her reason for accepting the call was that she didn’t want Luke to have to do it, but even then, I could tell she cared about her success and the pack.

I walked down the road to where I could sense Jackson was stationed.

“Enjoy your evening, Beta?” There was a waspishness to Jackson’s tone that I didn’t appreciate.

“Anything I should know?”

Jonathan emerged from the shadows and shifted from wolf to man. “Nothing significant. It’s been a quiet night.”

“Good.”

The pair stared at me in the quiet, appraising way the twins seemed to have mastered. I fought to keep from fidgeting like a kid caught with his hand in the candy jar.

“Watch yourself, Stone,” Jackson warned. “I don’t think she will take kindly to being another one of your conquests.”

I bristled at his comment but bit back a retort.

In fairness, I had a reputation. And I respected Jackson too much to try to deny that my original intentions might have been selfish.

“Alpha Paulson is an impressive woman,” I told him honestly. “I am dedicated to serving and protecting her.”

Jackson eyed me a moment before nodding. “Glad to hear it. Because Jonathan has just heard from a few of the security detail back with the pack.”

“And?”

“We may have a problem.”

***

“Hey, you forgot my five-minute warning,” Luke teased as he entered the kitchen where I was scrambling the eggs.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry,” I replied.

The truth was, my mind was elsewhere.

After Emerick left, I was wide awake for the rest of the night, my thoughts racing like a runaway train. Without his solid presence to ground me, I was adrift in a sea of my own worries and fears.

Luke would hate me today, and possibly every day after.

My only hope was that he might view his newfound werewolf status as a gift, or even a superpower. He had always been fascinated by superheroes as a child.

~Could this be seen as cool?~

I scoffed at my own foolishness. Uprooting his entire life and separating him from his friends was anything but a thrilling adventure.

My heart ached for him. And for me.

“Tired after movie night?”

I nearly dropped the spatula I was holding. “What? No,” I said. “Just, um, a lot on my mind today.”

He smirked. “Whatever you say.”

A knock on the door made me freeze. That had to be Mom and Dad. Both had agreed to come over to lend me their support while I broke the news to Luke.

The butterflies in my stomach multiplied.

“Hey, Gran! I didn’t know you would be on pickup duty today too. You didn’t have to work?”

“Not today, sweetie,” she replied warmly.

I was on the verge of hyperventilating when my mom came up behind me and wrapped an arm around my middle.

“Hey, babe”—she kissed me on the cheek—“it’s going to be okay. Take a breath. I’m here. Okay?”

I nodded and tried to slow my breathing. I turned and saw my dad behind her. When he smiled at me, I looked away.

Instead, my eyes settled on my bright, beautiful son, and I watched his expression twist with concern.

“Mom? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” I held up a hand before he could protest. “Everything is fine. But we need to talk.”

“Okay…,” he said cautiously.

My mom looped her arm around him and steered him to the table. “Let’s sit.”

She kept a comforting hand on Luke’s while Dad and I joined them. Dad’s face was grave, his body taut—like a rubber band stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

Luke looked like a young child again, his eyes wide with anticipation. “Umm, what’s going on?”

“Well, I don’t really know how to start, so I guess I’ll just tell you. Lukey…” I paused, searching for the speech I had prepared in my mind the previous night and coming up empty.

~Screw it. Here goes nothing.~

“We—as in Pops and I…and possibly you—are werewolves.”

~Yep, definitely sounds like I am losing my mind.~

I braced myself for the questions or denials I was sure were coming.

Luke looked around at each of us. All of us wore serious expressions and stared back at him.

“Okay, so we are all werewolves then?”

Dad and I nodded.

“Cool, I thought I was going crazy.”

“What?” I asked, shocked and confused.

My mouth hung open. “Wait, what?”

“Well…I’ve been hearing a voice in my head and, somehow, just like, ~knew~ it was a wolf in my body.

“To be honest, I was pretty sure it was schizophrenia or something, but I wasn’t sure how to bring it up. This is a way better explanation,” he said, sounding eerily calm about it all.

Dad could barely keep the anger from his voice. “Are you telling me you’ve been hearing a wolf in your head and didn’t think to mention it?”

“Excuse me,” I snapped, “you are the last person who gets to be upset with anyone for not being open and honest.”

“He’s been hearing voices and wasn’t going to tell anyone!” Dad yelled back.

“He’s a kid! You’re an adult, and we are all here because you kept a secret for thirty-three years!”

“Woah,” Luke interjected calmly, “thirty-three years, Pops? That’s not cool.”

“No, it isn’t, is it?!” I pursed my lips at my father. “Not cool at all.”

Luke twisted his mouth and opened his eyes wide. “Okay, clearly, there’s something going on with you guys this morning. Did something happen yesterday?”

I shot a sarcastic smile at my family. “Let’s just say, I only found out yesterday myself, and I did so in a room full of strangers who also transformed just as I did—”

“Woah! Mom, no way! That’s amazing. How did you do it? How do ~I~ do it?”

“It won’t happen until you turn sixteen,” Dad answered.

Luke seemed disappointed immediately.

“To be honest, your mother and I couldn’t be entirely sure you were a wolf before your shift,” my dad said. “But if you’ve already heard your wolf…

“That’s very odd, though. I’ve never heard of anyone having contact with their wolf before shifting.”

“Oh, cool. Maybe I’m special,” Luke said, seeming pleased with the information. Then a realization hit him. “What about you, Gran?”

My mother shook her head. “Nope. No werewolf here.”

Luke squeezed her hand. “That’s probably why you’re so much nicer than they are.”

My mom giggled and winked at him.

Luke paused for a moment, then looked at me. “Is that who those men were yesterday? And Emerick?”

“How does he know Emerick? I thought they were supposed to stay out of sight,” Dad interrupted.

He turned to me, and I shrugged.

“It’s a long story. Emerick ordered pizza,” I answered innocently.

“They watched movies all night together,” Luke interjected.

“Luke!” I gave him a pointed look.

“What? I didn’t know it was a secret,” Luke grumbled and then seemed to have a revelation. “Wait, so there are others, right?”

“That’s right, kid,” I said, thankful for the change in topic. “They took me to their pack house, not far from here, in the heart of the woods. Apparently, I’m sort of their leader.”

“The alpha, right?” Luke said.

My face turned to ice. “How do you—?”

He shrugged. “It’s in all the nature documentaries. ‘The alpha wolf’ is the leader, yeah?”

~Jeez, this kid is bright when he puts his mind to something.~ “That’s right.”

“But like, how?” Luke looked between Dad and me, waiting for a satisfying answer. “Why you?”

I tried to think how I could keep the explanation as simple as possible. “Well, it turns out I had a cousin who was the previous alpha. When he died—”

“How’d he die?” Luke asked.

I flinched, thinking about the circumstances.

“Let’s table that conversation for another time. When an alpha dies, a new one is ‘called,’ often a family member.”

“Normally, the alpha is male,” my dad continued. “But in this case, it’s your mom.”

Luke’s eyes brightened once more. “Nice, so you’re doubly special!”

I shot him a sad smile. ~Now for the really painful part.~

“The thing is, Luke… No, I guess it’s more than that. We’re required to live on pack lands. Which means—”

The moment Luke understood was frozen in his despondent expression. “Which means we have to leave.”

I sighed. “Right.”

“Everything? My friends? What about school? My team?”

I nodded and watched as his shoulders slumped.

I ran around the table and threw my arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry, Luke. It’s not what I want for you. I really—”

“Hey, Mom.”

I looked him in the eye and saw he was smiling at me.

“It’s okay, really. Actually, it’s kind of exciting. I mean, we have werewolf powers, right?!”

My mom laughed first, then Dad, and then finally I joined in too, relief washing over me. ~How did I get so lucky to have such an amazing kid?~

“Can I see your wolf?” Luke asked all of a sudden.

“Umm, I guess?” I replied. I didn’t really know. I had only shifted the once, and that had been as much a surprise to me as it was to everyone else.

~Can I do it on command?~

Ayisha was suddenly front and center in my mind. ~“Just step back,”~ she said, sounding excited.

~“Like, physically?”~ I asked. I hadn’t needed to step anywhere before.

She seemed amused. ~“No, your consciousness. Just pull your consciousness back so I can take over.”~

Somehow, I knew exactly what she meant. I focused and started to do as she asked.

Dad cleared his throat. “Uh, Sam? Just so you know, there’s a spell around the pack house that allows wolves to transform and keep their clothes, uh, intact. It’s convenient.

“But generally, your clothes will rip when you shift. Which means you’ll be, umm, naked when you shift back.”

“Oh, right.” I turned to Luke. “One sec.”

I made my way around the corner and into the living room. After stripping, I once again focused on stepping back to allow Ayisha to take control.

Faster than I could blink, my perspective shifted, and I was standing on all fours.

~“Wow, that was much easier than before.”~

I heard Ayisha chuckle in my mind. ~“The first shift is always the hardest. The more you do it, the more we interact, the more natural everything will become.”~

I trotted back into the dining room where my family was sitting.

“That is so fucking cool,” Luke exclaimed.

~“Language!”~ I thought, and Ayisha let out a low growl.

Luke waved me off and came to stand before me. I stared up at him, but to my shock, I didn’t have to tilt my head very far. I was a very large wolf, probably about four feet at my shoulder.

Luke reached out, and Ayisha tilted her head into his hand, rubbing against him.

Luke giggled and gave me one last pat before stepping back. Ayisha seemed disappointed but trotted back to my clothes in the living room so that I could shift again.

~“We can run later,”~ I told her.

I could tell that’s what she wanted, and she seemed pleased.

When I returned to the kitchen as a human once again, Luke, Mom, and Dad were all sharing an expression of concern.

“What’s wrong?” As I approached, I turned to see Emerick, Jackson, and Jonathan standing in the doorway.

“Did you tell him?” Emerick inquired, his voice stern and curt.

“Uh, yeah. He just saw me shift.”

“Good.”

“We have a situation,” Jonathan announced. “There’s going to be a challenge.”

Dad spun around, spilling coffee all over his hand and onto the floor. “Fuck!” he exclaimed, setting the coffee down and shaking his hand.

I couldn’t tell if the curse was due to the hot coffee or Jonathan’s statement. Mom grabbed a washcloth and started helping to clean up the mess.

“What do you mean there’s going to be a challenge?” I asked.

“Another wolf is going to challenge you for the alpha position,” Jackson explained. “There’s a small group that’s currently refusing to accept you.”

“But challenge how? What does it mean?” I asked the question to Emerick, but my eyes drifted to Luke.

He looked pale and frightened.

Emerick took my hand in his. “It means you must fight another wolf for the right to rule. If you lose”—he looked away and swallowed—“it could mean your death.”