Chapter Twenty-Two Matt
Iwas feeling a bit nervous and out of place when Ace and I pulled up to the Fourth of July party at the state park. A part of me wanted to sneak around the building and out to the beach so I could hide from everyone. The only people I knew at the party were Sam and Andy. The rest of the two dozen people were wolves I’d never met. Ace said they were all wolves that had been helped by Sam. Some were at the hotel right now, while others had chosen to stay in Shifter Grove after they got their lives back in order. He said they weren’t really a pack, but they looked out for one another regardless.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he was right that I should get to know them. With the way our relationship was going, I wasn’t planning on leaving Shifter Grove anytime soon. It would probably be a good idea to know at least a few of my neighbors. When I came to the hotel, I never expected to join a family. But, by the way everyone was conversing and carrying on, it looked like that’s exactly what it was. Sam, by helping all these rogue wolves, had inadvertently created a close-knit community.
It was oddly comforting to be part of it.
Ace stayed by my side the entire time, sensing my nervousness. He laced his fingers through mine and kept hold of me while we made our way through the crowd. The moment that Sam caught sight of us, he pulled me aside and started introducing me to everyone. I met several wolves whose names I forgot almost immediately, although they were nice enough. Andy was there, of course, and there was a muscular wolf named Vincent who ran the small pizzeria in town that I’d already eaten at several times. Apparently, he and Andy had some sort of rivalry over who was the best baker. In my opinion, they were equally matched.
More faces came and went until, finally, Ace pulled me away, telling Sam to give me some room to breathe. He took me out to the beach where we could have some peace for a few minutes. But that didn’t last long because the food smelled too good and I was starving to death.
With plates in hand, we found a space at one of the picnic tables to eat. Before we got more than a couple bites in, several other people joined us, including Sam and Andy. I thought it was going to be super awkward, but the afternoon flew by with easy conversation and laughter. In fact, I was completely surprised when sunset snuck up on us while we were still chatting and munching away under the pavilion.
“Well,” Sam said, slapping his knees in true Midwestern style. “I guess it’s getting about time for fireworks, don’t you think?”
“Is this like Walmart fireworks or a real display?” Andy asked, giving him a bit of side-eye.
“Andrew,” Sam replied, feigning insult. “I haven’t purchased fireworks from a grocery store in nearly three years! How dare you insinuate such a thing!” He looked over his shoulder, calling out to one of the other guests. “Hey Cory! Get the fireworks ready, will you?”
“You got it, boss!” a random blond man called back from the other end of the pavilion.
Sam looked back at us, a big smile on his face. “I hired them out this year.”
“So… you hired Cory to go buy them from Walmart?” I joked, glancing over at Andy, who nearly spat out his drink.
“Oh…” Sam cooed. “You can be a little sassy.” He looked over at Ace. “Better be careful with this one. He’s sassy and a little bit stabby.” He rubbed his shoulder where I’d gotten him with my pocket knife, a playful smile on his face.
“I’m not worried about it,” Ace replied. He took my hand, giving it a squeeze. “But the rest of you should probably watch out. Matt’s not afraid to cut a bitch.” He gestured up at Sam. “Case and point.”
Everyone at the table laughed as Sam pulled Ace away from the pavilion, tackling him playfully onto the ground. The two of them rolled around like a pair of pups, one trying to outmaneuver the other. Of course, Ace had the upper hand, being the Alpha, but he gave Sam a fighting chance. It only took a moment or two for the pair of them to get exceptionally dirty, but I figured there was going to be some running around later anyway. With so many wolves around and darkness coming on, they were bound to start shifting sooner or later, and wolves always ended up dirty. There was just no way around it.
“Will you watch these two idiots for me?” I asked, looking over at Andy. “I’ll be right back.”
“Yeah, I’ll watch,” he laughed. “Wouldn’t want your man getting too roughed up.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about him.”
“Good point.”
I patted Andy on the shoulder as I got up from the picnic table and headed across the grassy park. The bathrooms were on the far side of the mown area, tucked against the edge of the woods. After drinking at least half a dozen beers in the past couple of hours, my bladder felt like it was about to explode. That, combined with the laughing, meant I was an accident waiting to happen if I didn’t answer the call of nature now.
Glancing out over the parking lot, I saw the sun had already sunk below the horizon. There was a bank of high, fluffy clouds in the sky, the undersides of which were still illuminated by an unseen sun. A look over my other shoulder showed me a dark horizon slowly spilling across Lake Huron. Night was coming on fast, and the fireworks show was about to start. I didn’t want to miss it.
As I approached the bathrooms, I noticed the glow of fireflies illuminating just inside the woods. They seemed to pop up out of the grass everywhere, their green light bursting into life in the most unexpected places. I didn’t want to tear my eyes away from them, but I couldn’t hold it any longer.
However, when I grabbed the door handle, I found it was locked. Knowing I couldn’t wait, I just ducked around the back of the building and into the woods. I didn’t stop to see if anyone else was there, I just unzipped my pants and relieved myself.
Across the park, I could hear the others still laughing and carrying on. Their sound seemed somewhat hollow inside the trees, but I didn’t need to know what they were saying. When I heard a sudden burst of shouts, I knew someone had emerged victorious in the wrestling match between Ace and Sam. And my bets were on Ace.
Just as I was finishing up, I heard the first pops of the fireworks show. Zipping up my pants, I darted back out of the woods and around the side of the bathroom. A bright flash lit up the sky as the first big rocket went off. An explosion of gold and red lit up the park. I stood there, my mouth hanging open in a wide smile as I watched. I had no idea how Sam had gotten permission to do this, or if he had at all, but one thing was for sure, these were not cheap fireworks. Whoever this Cory guy was, he’d done a professional job. And clearly, he’d spared no expense.
As the golden sparkles died away, I heard the snap of a twig behind me. I spun around on the spot, expecting one of the other guys I’d met to be coming out of the woods the same way I had. There was a figure, but it was so dark that I didn’t recognize them immediately. I just gave them a small wave and turned back toward the party. Right then, another burst of color in the sky, this time blue, pulled my attention upward.
“Bathroom is locked, huh?” a deep voice said.
“Yeah,” I replied, still staring up at the sky. “Hopefully I didn’t flash you by accident.”
“Oh, I saw everything.”
My brows furrowed. That was a weird thing to say.
“Sorry,” I said, turning back toward him. “I didn’t mean to–”
I stopped dead in my tracks, my throat seizing up as I laid eyes on the hulking figure standing less than a foot away from me. Anxiety streaked through my chest as I recognized him.
“You… You’re the guy from the farmer’s market,” I said, not really sure why I spoke at all. All I could think about was how unnerved I’d been by him. And that hadn’t changed. The entire vibe was weird, though I couldn’t place my finger on it. “Are you a friend of Sam’s?” I asked, hoping he wasn’t some creep like I thought.
“Not a friend of Sam’s,” he said, a smile curling over his lips. “But we have friends in common.”
The wind shifted, carrying his scent toward me. The moment I took a breath, my blood ran cold.
“You… You’re the wolf from the beach… on the full moon…”
“That’s right,” he smiled. “And the one in the truck.”
My heart was pounding so hard I couldn’t hear myself think. I knew I should run and shout, drawing as much attention to myself as possible. The others would help me, I just knew it. But I was frozen in fear, my feet practically glued to the ground.
“W-What do y-you want with m-me?”
“Nothing much. Just to settle some unfinished business.”
“What unfinished–”
I never finished my sentence. The moment I began to speak, his hand flashed out, a small blunt hunk of wood clutched where I couldn’t see it. I felt it connect with the side of my head, and there was a bright flash of white-hot pain.
Then there was nothing.