FINN
Now more than ever, I wanted to have Spencer close to me and have her in my view all the time. We belonged together, and the thought that someone was trying to take her away from me kept me on my toes.
When the night came, I couldn’t get enough of her. Holding her in my arms, feeling her beneath me, made me more and more hungry for the touch of her lips and her tender hands, for the heat of her body that pushed against mine, thirsty for more. And the biggest pleasure was the satisfied smile on her gorgeous face and the loving gaze in her dreamy blue eyes.
After I checked the friend finder on Spencer’s phone early in the morning, I went downstairs and woke Liam and James.
“They’re on the move.”
Liam pulled himself up, looking back at me wide awake. “We should get going then.”
Half an hour later, we were all standing in the front yard.
“Here,” said Spencer, handing the phone and charger to James.
“Do you have the oil?” Clare asked.
“Yep.” Grinning, James held out the small vial.
“Listen,” I bent over to Liam as he got behind the wheel. “It’s not like he’ll be checking on Spencer’s moves every five minutes. It might take some time before he notices that something is wrong. Drive slowly until you see him turning your way, then drag it out as long as you can. We just need you to buy us some time so we can figure out how to get that scroll.”
“Like Finn said, don’t rush, make a few stops,” instructed Alister, “but keep a good distance from them.”
“Liam, don’t do anything rash. The moment you see they’re closing in, or the pack sensed you, get away at once,” I added.
“We’re not the ones in danger, buddy, you are,” Liam’s face grew serious. “Keep her safe.” He held out his fist, and I bumped mine against his.
I rounded the car. “If they get too close, just turn off the phone,” I said to James.
“I got it,” he rolled his eyes. “I’m not an idiot.”
I smirked. “Sorry man, I had to check on that.”
“Please, be careful.” Spencer looked at the two of them through the open window.
Clare, Alister, Spencer, and I stood on the porch and watched them drive away.
“We have work to do.” Alister headed inside the moment the car took a turn and vanished behind the trees.
There was a new spark of excitement in his eyes, and I knew where it came from.
At first, Alister’s sudden involvement and willingness to help made me doubt his intentions, but it didn’t surprise me anymore. He was a hundred and thirty years old and in his long life he had never known freedom. Though he was rich and could afford all the fun money could buy, in the end, he became a loner. He didn’t have much interaction with our kind, or any kind of werewolves, and having all this power and hiding it, never fully using it, must’ve been too frustrating. And that’s what he became—frustrated, arrogant I-know-it-all-you-can’t-surprise-me type.
Now, however, it was like he grabbed onto this opportunity to do something meaningful, finally get some action in his monotonous life, and maybe even change the history that has been so unfair to us all.
* * *
ERIC
I was checking on Spencer every hour. Seeing her dot on the friend finder map made me feel closer to her, but if I checked on her more often than that, it would become an obsession, and I wouldn't be able to think straight.
I wasn’t even sure I was thinking straight now. It was 6 a.m. when we took off. When I looked at the map and saw her dot over that roof in those woods, I imagined her sleeping. But the thought that right at that moment she could be in bed with him boiled my blood.
“Father, we need to hurry,” I nearly growled. But the calm and confident look my father gave me made me realize I was overreacting.
“Don’t you worry, son. We’ll get her.”
I checked on her one hour later, and she was somewhere around the house. I imagined her awake. My mind flew back to the moment I met her on the bridge and my lips twitched in a smile as I remembered her blue eyes looking at me in surprise.
Another hour passed, and when I opened the map, I stared at it, not knowing what to think. She was near Asheville, and the first thing that burst into my mind was that they were running away. He was taking her away from me.
My wolf surfaced at once, releasing a low growl.
She’s mine. I can’t let him do that. We need to catch them.
Then I tried to find a different explanation. I don’t know anything yet. It’s morning. Maybe they need something for breakfast. Milk for their cereals. Who the hell knows?
Deep down, I knew it was the stupidest suggestion ever. They had closer places to buy food. But I had to tell myself something to calm down and get some time to think.
They knew I’d come back. But I never thought they would flee. Honorable wolves don’t do that. And he seemed pretty determined and confident. I thought they would gather some help and prepare for a fight. Was it possible that there were just the three of them, and he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance and he preferred to get her away than give her up?
I didn’t say anything to my father. We were heading to Asheville anyway so there was no need to alarm him, at least not yet. I just had to keep an eye on the map to make sure they’d go back to the house.
But after another half an hour, it became pretty clear that they were leaving NC and heading to the Kentucky border.
“Father,” my teeth clenched as I showed him the map. “I think we need to change the route.”
***********
FINN
Once again, we were in the library, deep into the research, looking for more information on the scroll. Alister told us the Alpha’s Council possessed it, but he didn’t know exactly where they kept it, and that’s what we needed to find out.
My phone buzzed from somewhere under the books on the table. I fished it out and saw a message from Liam: They took the bait.
“It’s Liam,” I answered Spencer’s questioning look. “The plan is working.”
I typed the reply. Don’t let them get too close. Keep us posted.
After another half an hour, I shut the book I was looking through and dropped it on the table.
“This is pointless. We’re wasting time. That information has been kept secret for centuries, so we wouldn’t find anything in the books or online.”
Alister tore his eyes from the computer screen. “I have to agree with you.”
“We need to find people who know people who would have access to packs and can help us figure this out. Do you know anyone you can trust?”
Alister sighed. “No. Maybe a few decades ago, but not anymore.”
“Maybe someone among witches?” I looked at Clare.
But she shook her head.
“I was thinking.” Spencer dropped her book on the couch where she sat curled up. “You said that the compass will sense me, which means I have a connection to it. We could try finding it using magic. We could do—”
“A locator spell,” Clare said with excitement. “Spencer is the heir, and that compass is made to reveal her presence. So yes, it could work if we use her blood.”
“Brilliant idea,” Alister got to his feet.
“Finn, do you have a map?” Clare got up too.
I walked to the cabinet next to my desk and rummaged through one of the drawers.
“Got it.” I pulled out the map, and we all moved to the living room.
“Mom, we’ll need the powder too.”
“I have it.” She rushed upstairs.
While Spencer unrolled the map on the dining table, I went to the kitchen to get a knife.
Clare came back holding a small jar with black powder and a marker. She drew a circle around Asheville and then sprinkled the powder over the map. As I was the one holding the knife, she looked at me, waiting.
Spencer held out her hand, but I glanced at her then put the knife down.
“I’m not doing it.”
“Seriously?” Spencer laughed.
Alister chuckled, but I didn’t care if he would see it as a weakness. The thought that I would be the one to hurt her made my own palm ache.
“We’re witches.” Clare picked up the knife. “We’re used to it.”
She took Spencer’s hand and deftly ran the blade along her palm. Spencer clenched her teeth. Then she cupped her hand and held it above the map. The blood trickled into the red circle around Asheville.
The cut on Spencer’s hand was her first injury after she became a wolf, and she smiled as she watched it heal right in front of her eyes.
Clare fixed her eyes on the blood and started chanting. As she muttered the incantation, the drops of blood moved toward each other and became one big blob. But that was it. Nothing else happened.
Clare kept chanting for another minute, but nothing changed. We all looked at each other and not one of us tried to hide our disappointment.
“Why didn’t it work?” Spencer muttered to herself, pacing up and down the living room. “Maybe . . .” She stopped and looked at Clare. “Let me. Maybe I should do it myself.”
With both hands, she grabbed the edge of the table, leaned forward with her eyes fixed on the blood, and began chanting.
Accipies sanguinem meum
Ego sum heredis et magni
Accipies sanguinem meum
Ostende mihi viam
Ostende mihi circino
The blood wobbled. Spencer paused for a second, then repeated the incantation.
Accipies sanguinem meum
Ego sum heredis et magni
Accipies sanguinem meum
Ostende mihi viam . . .
A red stripe grew out of the side of the blob toward the south. I held my breath. The four of us watched it move all the way down to Tallahassee.
Clare gasped, looking at the map with wide eyes. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
We all stared at her.
“Mom?” Spencer raised a brow. “This is good news.”
“Yes.” Mom swallowed. “It’s just . . .” She looked at Alister. “You said it’s the biggest pack. How are we going to . . .?” But then, she managed a little smile, and said, “It’s nothing. We’ll figure it out.”
“You’re right, Clare.” Alister nodded thoughtfully. “It won’t be easy. I’m afraid we’ll have to use magic.”
“Alister, the alpha would be able to sense the magic.” I pointed my hand at Clare and Spencer standing next to each other. “I can’t put them in such danger.”
“It’s okay, Finn.” Clare’s voice was firm now. She turned her back on us and walked to the window. “Give me some time to think this through. I’ll see what we can do.”
“In the meantime,” Alister folded his hands behind his back, “we can consider other possibilities.”
“Whatever we do next, Spencer needs to be prepared. She’s not ready to go out there. She needs a few lessons to learn to fight. Also,” I walked to Spencer and said quietly, “I know that after such a shift, you don’t want to even think about doing it again. But I’m afraid you’ll have to. And I promise it wouldn’t be half as hard.”
Spencer’s sad eyes looked up at me. “Why now?”
“Spencer, the longer you wait, the rustier your body will become,” said Alister. “But if you turn a couple of times right away, it will become painless.”
Her deep sigh squeezed my heart.
“I’m sorry.” I pulled her to my chest. “But we still have a way to go, and we don’t know what’ll happen next. You need to learn how to protect yourself. You wouldn’t be able to use magic for that; it will give you away. And what if you need to run? You can’t outrun a wolf in your human form. You need to be fast, act quickly.”
“Okay,” she nodded.
She pouted, and I wanted to kiss her so badly.
“We don’t know how much time Liam and James can buy for us. Come on, let’s take a walk, and maybe you could give it a try,” I threw my hand around her back and led her outside.
* * *
SPENCER
Wrapped in each other's arms, we stood kissing under a tree on the edge of the clearing. I pulled back first.
“Okay,” I sighed. “Let’s do this.”
“Don’t be afraid,” Finn said, taking off his shirt. “Trust your wolf, don’t fight her.”
To encourage me, Finn dropped off the rest of his clothes and shifted. His huge silver wolf drew closer and licked me on the shoulder.
My wolf couldn’t wait to come out, and I could feel her confidence, like she was saying Don’t worry, I know how to do it now. She growled in anticipation.
I wished I could share her excitement. But I also knew I had to be strong to get out of this fight alive, and I took off my dress, preparing to shift.
Preparing my ass. Before I even thought of it, my wolf was already making her way out, dropping me on all fours. My blood boiled and my whole body ached, and I could feel my bones expand and grow, except this time, they didn’t tear my flesh open.
Spencer, you’re doing great, I heard Finn in my head. You’re almost there.
After the last painful stretch of my spine, I felt a hot wave run through my body covering it in dark blue fur that shimmered under the sunlight.
My wolf jumped toward Finn and circled him as happy as a puppy could be.
You did it. It wasn’t that bad, was it?
No. It all happened so fast. I can’t believe it.
Finn brushed his furry head against mine. Come on, let’s go for a run.
I took off at once and I heard his warning in my head as he ran after me.
Just don’t leave the property, it's the middle of the day.
I’ll try, I teased him. But instead of running away, I turned around, crossed the bridge, and stormed toward the house.
Spencer, where are you going?
Mom must be worried. And she hasn’t seen my wolf properly. All she remembers is a giant animal attacking her in the middle of the night.
You remember that?
No. But I know. Liam told me.
The moment I reached the front yard, I slowed down and walked through the open door, followed by Finn.
Mom, who sat on the couch with a book in her lap, jumped to her feet. She gasped and tears flooded her eyes. My wolf was as tall as her, and I stared right into her eyes. Beaming, she drew closer and wrapped her arms around my furry neck.
“You are so beautiful,” she sniffled next to my ear.
“Absolutely gorgeous,” smiled Alister, looking at me from the study’s threshold. “And very brave, I must say.”