Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
T he next day, when the doorbell rang, I felt an immediate rush of dread. Maybe it was Nathan. Curtis and my mother had gone out, dropping Rose off at a friend’s house, and Aiden was in the shower—the pipes were rushing in the ceiling—so I had to be the one to answer.
When I opened the door, my next-door-neighbor Joseph leaned in the doorway. He flashed me a smile that used to make me melt when we were both younger. “Hi, Amy.”
“Did you come over to ask if Aiden can come out and play?” I asked him.
“Rude,” he said. “But yes. I need a fishing partner.”
“How’s your sister doing?”
“Still immensely pregnant.”
As soon as I heard the word pregnant, I regretted asking.
He added, “She’s doing great though. And you wouldn’t believe how smart June is…she’s already sounding out some words, and she can count to twenty.”
“That’s awesome!” I couldn’t help smiling, but I wasn’t impressed by June; Lawson was an adorably proud uncle.
Later that day, I savored the silence as I walked through the empty house. I made my mother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe—she wasn’t great as a mom, but she made some amazing cookies—and then lit candles in the bathroom, deciding to take a long bath with a book.
For an hour, I soaked and floated in relaxation until an odd, unsettled feeling came over me. I sat up in the now-cool water, my nostrils flaring as I tried to scent what was wrong. I couldn’t place it, but I scrambled out of the bath and clicked the lock closed on the bathroom door. I hastily toweled off. I’d brought my clothes with me into the shower, thankfully, and I dragged them on over my still damp body.
I opened the door to find Curtis standing there. He wore a scowl, as usual, and he smelled like moonshine.
My stomach twisted with a sense of impending danger.
"What are you doing back already?" I asked him cautiously. “Where’s mom?”
“Out with friends,” he said. “I ran into Nathan Longroad today. He’s convinced you’re cheating on him.”
“What are you talking about? Nathan and I aren’t together!”
He didn't answer me. Instead he lunged forward, grabbing me by the arms. I pushed him away, but his grip felt like steel. His hands roamed lewdly over my body as he tried to kiss me, but I fought him off and ran for the door before he could overpower me.
Curtis followed close behind, shouting obscene things at me in a slurred voice. I stumbled out of the house and across the street towards Lawson's house, feeling Curtis' hot breath close on my heels like an angry dog ready to sink its teeth into my flesh if given half a chance.
The lights were off in Lawson's house. I hoped that he and Joseph had home anyway but when I reached the front door and pounded on it, no one answered. Curtis was right behind me.
"You're running around with someone like a slut," he said. "I can smell it on you. But why do you think you're too good for me?"
I tried to run from him. My motorcycle was hidden in the woods, if I could get there... and I was fast as a wolf.
I transformed into the wolf and raced away from him through the woods.
Curtis followed, but he wasn't as fast as me.
All my wolf wanted was to reach Brennan.
I raced through the woods, trying not to make a sound, my paws quiet. I caught a glimpse of Curtis behind me and ducked behind a large tree.
Then I saw something move on the ground, and I realized I wasn't alone.
The slender form of a big wolf, black and sleek, was curled up in a ball. The wolf was whimpering, lying in its own blood.
I crouched down and touched my nose to it.
The wolf had been beaten, but it wasn't dead.
We stared at each other for a long moment, and then I knew. It was Nathan.
I looked up and saw Curtis standing in front of the tree, and his beady eyes gleamed. "Your new boyfriend is trying to take what's mine to protect. How dare he fucking mark you."
I staggered back in shock, realizing he knew I was marked. How had he learned that?
I looked down at Nathan as he raised his head, but his eyes were unfocused.
Curtis stalked forward. As he lunged toward me, Nathan suddenly rose and attacked him. Curtis let out a shout as Nathan ripped into his leg, and as Curtis staggered back, Nathan collapsed to the ground again.
“Than you,” I gasped to Nathan. I wanted to help him, but Curtis was already hobbling toward me, his hand pressing the bloody gash in his thigh. The best thing I could do for Nathan was lead Curtis away.
I ran, not looking back.
My motorcycle was in the clearing. I got on and glanced over my shoulder to see Curtis lurching through the woods. I revved the engine and took off toward the road, driving faster along the winding path through the trees then I would’ve liked.
Somehow, Curtis got ahead of me and he leapt from the trees. I swerved just in time.
I kept driving, faster and faster. Curtis was still close behind, transformed into a wolf now and moving with sickening speed.
If I could just make it to the cabin, Brennan might be there waiting for me.
If he kept his promise.
If not… my lips pressed together tightly at the thought of battling for my life out at the cabin, off pack lands where no one would look for me.
The night air whipped my hair as I drove past trees and hills. My heart raced with fear.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the familiar silhouette of the cabin rose on the hill above.
I pulled up and quickly shut off my motorcycle lights. But before the lights flickered and died, they illuminated a big, masculine figure on the porch. Panic fluttered at the edges of my vision.
“Amelia?” The shadowy figure rose, and Brennan’s familiar deep voice pierced the darkness.
I ran to him. He wrapped me in his arms and we just stood there for a moment without saying a word.
Suddenly, Brennan noticed the bruises and cuts on my body and he frowned. I hadn’t even felt the injuries I gained while I was fleeing. “What happened?”
I stammered, trying to explain what had happened. He looked angry and concerned all at once, even though my story was a mess.
He put his hand on the small of my back and led me up the steps. “Let’s get you inside and warmed up. I’ll deal with any danger.”
Curtis appeared behind me, his face twisted into a sinister grin. “Oh, Amelia. Do you know who this is?”
Brennan stepped in front of me, shielding me from Curtis' glare. "That's a good question," he said with a low growl in his voice. He squared his shoulders and looked directly at Curtis. "Do you know who the fuck I am, old man?"
“A dead man, for taking what belongs to me,” Curtis said. “And no one will blame me for killing anyone who threatened my stepdaughter.”
The tension in the air was palpable. Energy and rage radiated from them both.
Curtis and Brennan leapt toward each other at the same time. They fought as men, fists flying and legs kicking, throwing each other around like rag dolls. I gasped as the two of them wrestled and felt a rush of relief when it was Brennan who threw Curtis to the ground. Brennan leapt forward to stomp on Curtis’s face, but Curtis rolled frantically aside, and he managed to scramble to his feet.
Curtis shifted into wolf form, snarling. Brennan transformed in a second too, his enormous silver wolf even bigger than Curtis’s. The two wolves stood there for a moment, sizing each other up with their eyes before they lunged at each other in a flurry of fur and claws.
They raced away toward the woods, their growls echoing through the night air like thunder clapping in the distance. They tumbled over each other before they reached the forest, but this was not like the playful attacks we packmates launched on each other. The two of them snarled, teeth peeled back, flashing forward at each other and drawing blood. Brennan was quick and agile and fierce, but Curtis was wily and dangerous.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Brennan managed to grab Curtis by the throat and with one swift movement, ripped his throat out.
Brennan stood triumphantly above the limp wolf, raising his head to let out a long, fierce howl. His fur was matted with blood and his body shook from the intensity of the fight.
Then his gaze swept to me. He ran toward me, and as he ran, he shifted back.
I ran over to Brennan and embraced him tightly, thankful for his strength and courage. His arms wrapped around me as if he would never let me go again.