josh
“Her car is gone,” Caleb said, pointing to the empty spot where his Mini was parked.
- Yes. She quickly fled after my little revelation.
"Any idea where she might have gone?"
I made my brain work. Would Allora have gone deeper into the forest?
No. I remembered what she had said about her previous boyfriend, how he had an accident and died in the woods. If she was upset, she wouldn't stay here among the trees and the memories. She would go back to town, find someone to talk to, maybe that guy she visited the other day.
"She's at DownMoor," I said. “She had a friend there, Derek. I bet she went to see him.
- Let's go. Caleb opened the door to my truck and got in. - Keys?
— Why are you driving?
“Because you're too upset to think straight. And you are a shitty driver.
“I can just feel that love, cousin,” I growled, but there was no time to argue. I climbed into the passenger seat and tossed him the keys.
Caleb started the engine and we took off down the road. Behind us, Ruth came running towards us, the policeman from the other day at her heels. Ruth waved her arms wildly, screaming something I couldn't hear. As we hurried past, the wheel of the car sprayed mud straight into her face. I would laugh if I wasn't so scared.
We turned the corner, past the rotten oak tree where I had shown Allora what I really was. We bounce along the road, every second seeming like a lifetime. The trees passed quickly in a blur. Rain pelted the windshield.
- Who's that? Caleb pointed his finger at the road ahead. We were coming to a junction, the left fork that led into town, right, deeper into the woods. Ahead of us, a car sped through the junction, down the forest path. My stomach twisted. It was Allora's Mini. But a black haired guy was driving. I couldn't see anyone else in the car.
Something isn't right. Allora loved that car. She never let anyone drive it.
"Follow that car!" I yelled, leaning over and yanking on the steering wheel. The truck staggered into the ditch.
"I fucking know!" Caleb pushed me away, grabbing the steering wheel and steering the truck back onto the road. He floored it. I grabbed the door handle as we walked towards the Mini.
We quickly overcame them, but the black haired driver showed no signs of stopping. All I could make out was a large shape slumped over the back seats. Was that Allora? My stomach twisted. The Mini skidded around a corner, fighting for control in the mud. The right front wheel lost traction on the dirt road and fell into the ditch. The hood hit an oak and bent.
“Allora,” I yelled.
- Cum! Caleb slammed on the brakes. I opened the door and jumped out of the car before it even stopped.
I landed hard on my feet, flailing my arms to keep my balance. The air stank of the big bad wolf. I ran towards the Mini. When I got to the back door, I caught another glimpse of that slumped object on the back seat. It definitely looked like a person, tied with ribbon. I noticed Allora's boots flapping in the air. I grabbed the doorknob. Something big, black, and furry jumped out of the front window and slammed into me.
I hit the ground hard, my back slamming into the road. The wolf's claws dug into my shoulders, its sharp teeth snapping just millimeters from my face. Warm saliva trickled down my cheeks. Its black fur glistened from the rain.
As I struggled with him for control, I forced my own transformation, my limbs breaking and shifting under the wolf's iron grip. When my snout grew out and my teeth sharpened, I snapped back at him. I grabbed her cheek, tearing a piece of skin. He yelled in surprise, then slashed at my shoulder. I winced as he drew blood, pain searing through my body.
As suddenly as the wolf was on top of me, he was gone. I heard him scream as he sailed through the air, his vicious claws flailing for balance. Another shape appeared in the air, with a distinct reddish hue.
Caleb.
He slammed the black wolf to the ground, his teeth sinking into black fur. The black wolf howled as blood spurted between Caleb's teeth. As quickly as I could, I got up. My front leg shot up with pain as I put weight on it, but I had to forget about the pain. I needed to get to Allora.
Caleb and the wolf tumbled down the road, teeth bared, claws locked in each other's flesh. Blood staining the floor. I couldn't worry about them now. I grabbed the Mini's door and pulled. It wouldn't open. It must have been blocked.
My heart sank into my knees when I noticed the huge dent along the side of the car. The door was so badly damaged that it was now locked.
Allora!
I barked at the limp figure, tapping the window with my paw. The shape on the floor squirmed. I heard a tense grunt.
Was her. His eyes met mine, wide and full of terror. In an instant, I reverted to my human form.
"Try to get away from me!" - I screamed. She got up and leaned forward, presenting her back to the window. I could see her hands tied to her sides with duct tape, her mouth also closed. My stomach clenched when I saw blood trickling down the side of her face.
I slammed my fist against the window. Pain splintered my arm when the glass
broke into pieces. Allora screamed through her gag as glass fell on the car. I grabbed a rock from the side of the lane and used it to destroy the rest of the glass.
I leaned in, barely feeling the jagged glass on the window ledge as it ripped into my chest.
"This is going to hurt!" - I screamed.
Allora screamed when I pulled the tape that held her mouth shut.
“Josh,” she sobbed. “Take Derek. He was my friend, but he's actually...
"I know," I growled. - Hold tight.
I changed back to wolf and jumped out the window. I dug my claws under the tape that held Allora's arms in place and cut them off with ease. She flexed her fingers, wincing in pain, as I released her legs. She leaned forward and unlocked the opposite door, sliding across the seat and out.
I leapt after her, just as the black wolf—Derek—skidded across the road, Caleb's jaws tightening on his foot. As the wolves raced toward us, Derek's body shifted, and he became a naked man, his huge muscles taut as he dragged himself across the earth, blood seeping from his wound. Caleb growled, trying to sink his teeth deeper into Derek's leg, but Derek grabbed the wolf around the neck and, muscles tense, tossed him aside like a cuddly toy. Fuck, he was strong. Caleb hit a tree across the road and landed in a heap. He didn't get up.
“Caleb? Allora murmured. His voice sounded strained, weak. What did that bastard do to her?
“We finally meet, Lowe. Derek got up. He spat out my name like it was poison. “I'm glad you and your cousin fell for my trap. It will make my work even easier to complete.
"And what job is that?" I demanded, placing my body between his and Allora's. She wrapped trembling fingers around my forearm.
“I'm here to finish what my grandfather started,” Derek hissed. “To utterly destroy the Lowe clan, so that DownMoor will once again belong to the Peytons, wolves who are unafraid of their wild nature, wolves who are ready to take their rightful place as human rulers…
While Derek was talking about his plan, like all criminal masterminds, I could hear Allora getting into the car behind me. I didn't dare draw his attention to what she was doing, but I hoped she wasn't being obvious about what she was planning. I had no idea what it was until I felt something cool and smooth against my hand. It was a long piece of glass. A weapon.
- Because now? I demanded, trying to keep him talking. “Robert Peyton killed my family, as far as I know. Why didn't he settle his pack here and rule DownMoor with a heart of iron, as he clearly always intended to do?
“After he destroyed his pack, the church decided he was too excited for this sleepy village,” Derek scoffed. “They sent you to Ireland to root out the infidels there. He was killed in a bar fight and his brothers weren't fit to follow in his alpha footsteps. They dishonored our name by drinking and gambling, and our family heritage was reduced to a shadow.
Behind Derek, Caleb was getting to his feet. He began to transform, his limbs slowly twitching and clicking into place. Were his injuries slowing down his transformation… or was that intentional? Blood oozed from a cut along his leg, but how bad was it really? I still couldn't shake my nagging feeling that Caleb and Derek were working together…that Caleb wasn't a Lowe, but a relative of Derek's. That their whole fight was just a ruse to force me to trust Caleb.
If it's a ruse, it was very well staged. He looks seriously hurt.
Derek was still talking.
“… his son, my father, became a teacher and tried to live among humans. He taught me nothing but shame for my heritage. When I started digging into our history, I knew I had to come back here, to wait for the best moment and recover our lands. And then Allora found the paintings and I smelled her on her. I knew a Lowe had returned, and that now was the perfect time.
“It certainly is,” I said, tightening my fingers around the shard of glass. I jumped on Derek.
He dashed to the side, clearly anticipating my move. I tried to spin toward him, but he slammed his fist into the side of my skull.
My head vibrated. My vision blurred. I hit the ground hard, the shock of it paralyzing me.
In an instant, Derek grabbed Allora, holding her around his neck, pressing her body against his. With his other hand, he dug into the back of the Mini and pulled out my crowbar, which he held aloft.
“You didn't even realize it was missing from your truck. If you come any closer, I'll stick it in her head.
Fear raced through me, mixing with the pure, hot rage that flooded my veins. He wouldn't do that to her. I still had the glass in my hand. I was gripping so tightly that my own blood flowed between my fingers.
“Just do what he says, Josh,” Allora cried. “He'll let us go if you'll just give him the caves.
“Josh,” Caleb muttered, waving his arms. - Here.
He was in the perfect position. I could throw the shard at him when I attacked Derek. If I could get the crowbar, Caleb could cut his throat before he even knew what was happening. But that nagging doubt wouldn't leave me. Why hadn't Derek checked to see if Caleb was really out of it? If I threw the knife at Caleb, and he really was part of Derek's scheme, I would be handing him the means to kill Allora.
Don't believe anyone.
My father's words burned into my mind. My father lived by that motto and kept us safe together in the woods all our lives. How could I now trust this wolf who said he was my cousin with the most precious thing in the world to me?
But then I remembered Allora's words.
“You have to learn to trust again, to love again. It's the only way for you to be truly free.
“Fuck it,” I said and threw the glass.
Caleb took it in his hands, and as one we lunged at Derek. He came out with the crowbar, aiming for my head, but Allora chose that moment to sink her teeth into the flesh of his arm, and her swing faltered. I grabbed the bar in midair, using the momentum to spin his body, just as Caleb's arm went across his throat, the glass slicing into his skin.
Derek let go of Allora to grab the crowbar with both hands.
"Allora, get out of here!" - I screamed. She ducked under our raised arms, running to the car. Caleb grabbed Derek's face, his hands slick with blood, his face twisted into an ugly frown as he dragged the glass down Derek's throat.
Derek's grip on the crowbar slackened, and I pulled it from his hand. Her eyes widened when I held the end of the crowbar against her cheek.
“Time to say good night,” I hissed. “You will not see the full moon again.
“Don't kill him.” Allora's voice penetrated my anger. “Please, you're not a murderer, Josh.
The wolf inside me surged, begging for meat. Derek's wild eyes met mine, begging me to finish him off, to give him the dignity of a true werewolf kill. But behind him was Allora, her back pressed against the Mini. Her eyes wide with fear, her hand clutching her heart. The pain in his voice ripped through my soul. Her whole life had been death, she couldn't take it anymore.
I lowered the crowbar. Derek collapsed against Caleb, his body too weak to fight any longer. Caleb kept a firm grip on Derek, pulling him down to earth. I dropped the crowbar into the dirt and crouched down beside him.
I wiped the bloodstain from his eyes. Derek looked at me with pupils blazing, wild and defiant, as his body shook with weakness. I leaned closer and said:
“I claim this territory for the Lowe pack. You challenged my pack and failed. You have attacked my mate, and therefore I will not grant you the benefit of an honorable death. Thou must return to his family in Ireland and tell his disgrace. You can tell them that the Lowes once again rule DownMoor. And if I see your face around here again, I won't be so soft.
Derek spat in my face. His hot drool rolled down my cheek. I wiped the insult away and laughed, laughed right in his face. Caleb joined in, it was the final insult, draining Derek of his last burst of defiance. He fell to the ground, hands clasped around the wound in his throat. He was seriously injured and completely defeated.
Someone hit me.
“Josh… oh, Josh. Allora sobbed as she held me, her small body rocking against mine. I wrapped my arms around her, relief rushing through me. “It's all over, it's all over.
Allora was safe, the wolf was neutralized; my family's honor would be restored. All was well in the world.