Chapter Twelve
The next morning, I woke with a headache. Apparently, the all-night cryfest was going to mess up this day as well. I sighed, remembering the encounter last night, and unsure how to take it. I knew Cade was mad, but was it just at me? The training? What exactly were they making him and Brody do? And why were they there at the fight? So many questions that I didn’t have answers to, and I was getting pretty tired of always being in the dark.
I grabbed my shower things since I didn’t take one the night before. Walking out of my room to go to the bathroom, I saw Ian and Clint sitting at the kitchen table with coffee in front of them. Both looked up, probably surprised to see me up so early. They both looked haggard, but I didn’t think I looked much better. Clint was the first to speak up.
“How are you feeling this morning, Kendra?”
“Fine.” I shrugged. “I need to take a shower.” I went to take a step toward the bathroom, then turned back to them. “I feel like making breakfast, if you guys are sticking around?” I asked. Both nodded, so I turned back to the hallway and made my way into the bathroom. My reflection looked a little rough, I could just imagine that was the reason behind Clint asking me how I was feeling. Sighing, I stripped down and jumped in the shower, hoping the hot water would work wonders. A few minutes later, I was at least feeling more human. Ha, that thought made me chuckle. I wasn’t human, but I guess old expressions die hard. When I emerged from the bathroom, Jason had joined Ian and Clint at the table.
“Is Patrik coming too?” I asked as I dropped my stuff in my bedroom then moved toward the kitchen.
“He might be by in a few minutes.” Clint answered.
“Okay. How do pancakes sound?” I asked, already pulling the ingredients out.
“Sounds great. What some help?” Jason asked, already headed in my direction.
“Sure. You can do the bacon.” We worked in tandem as Clint and Ian continued their conversation around us.
“You think they’ll have a fair trial?” Ian asked, he appeared really worried which was not a normal expression for Ian.
“What trial?” Clint scoffed. “We won’t see them again.” Ian looked crestfallen at that opinion. Clearly, I’d missed the important bits of their conversation.
“Who are you talking about?” I asked, pulling down a bowl to mix the pancakes in.
“The fight was busted last night. A lot are being held in custody.” Clint looked at me pointedly. I bit my lip. Cade said he was there for training, was he involved?
“I suppose Cade has something to do with that?” I asked, knowing the answer in my gut.
“He was part of the Enforcer group there last night.” Ian offered softly, trying to read my expression. “Shortly after we left, the Enforcers moved in and arrested the fighters and many of the bidders. No wolves though.” He added as an afterthought, seemingly unsurprised. I, on the other hand, was outraged.
“There were wolves there too!” I protested, knowing I saw Jake there and there had to have been others. Ian shrugged.
“It’s the way it is. They don’t arrest their own unless there is irreversible evidence that they were guilty.” Clint answered.
“And being seen at a fight isn’t evidence?” I argued.
“Who’s going to identify them? Non-shifters would be charged with lying and being present at an unsanctioned fight, while any other wolf would just get a slap on the wrist for being at the fight in the first place.” Clint replied.
I sighed, not wanting to fight that battle. “So, Cade warning us to leave was just in time.”
“He knew what was going down.” Clint agreed. “But he could have said something. We could have got the word out and some of our other friends could have escaped.” He glanced over at Ian.
“I’m sure he wanted to, but his hands were probably tied. He wanted us out, and it sounds like things went down fast after we left.” I said.
Clint added, “If you weren’t there, we would have been caught as well.” I couldn’t argue with that logic. Cade and Brody would have had no reason to warn any of the shifters about the upcoming raid.
“I’m worried about Damian.” Ian commented. He was rotating his coffee mug absently, his nerves getting the best of him.
“Isn’t that the bear who beat you up a couple weeks ago?” I asked, with raised eyebrows.
“Yeah, but it was just a fight.” Ian shrugged. “Damian’s a great fighter and a good friend.”
“So, he was arrested with the others?”
“I think so. I haven’t been able to get a hold of him.” Ian answered.
“Where do they take them?” I asked. Clint shrugged.
“No idea. Maybe one of your wolves would.” Clint said, with a hopeful expression.
“I can do some checking,” I offered. Thinking I could ask Hunter, whose dad was once a High Council Enforcer. He wouldn’t be happy about it, but maybe, if I got Bree on the line too, he’d be more willing. “Is this the first time they busted a fight?”
“Yeah, at least around here.” Ian shrugged. “We are usually careful and keep the location low-key. But there were a lot more there last night than ever before. Someone talked and news of the fight got out.”
“How many were arrested?” I asked, I poured the last of the batter on the griddle and waited for one side to cook before flipping them over.
“Five fighters, then a handful of others that were betting or running the ring.” Ian replied. “At least, that’s the word right now.”
“I see.” I nodded. They continued to talk about who was missing, where they were, and who needed to be notified of the raid. I passed the full plate of pancakes to the table, Jason doing the same with the bacon. We sat down and I pulled out my phone to send a text to Bree, asking her to ask Hunter about places they take people they arrest. Patrik walked through the door then and after saying a brief hello, he sat down to fill his plate with everyone else. We all dug into our food, with little conversation as we stuffed our faces. Amber ambled out to the smell of food and sat down to fill her plate without a word. A morning person, she was not.
“When will we leave for your place?” I asked, looking at Amber. She looked up at me questioningly. “To Luke’s?” I reminded. I saw the moment the thought clicked in her brain.
“Oh, yeah. We can leave in an hour or two. It doesn’t take more than two hours to get there and I told him we’d stop by this afternoon.” I nodded, hiding my grin behind my mug. She had a set of pop tarts she was munching on with her bacon and pancakes.
“Who’s all going?” I asked, referring to the trip later that day.
“I am.” Ian replied. “He raised me so I’m going with. It will help him adjust too.”
“Okay.”I nodded.
“Clint and I are going,” Amber said. “The rest aren’t invited.”
“Man, way to knock a guy down.” Jason mock grimaced.
“You’ll survive.” Amber grinned around her cup of coffee.
****
Three hours later, we were pulling into a driveway at the bottom of a remote mountain. The lane was full of potholes and narrow, just about the most unwelcoming lane I have ever seen.
“So, you’re sure Luke wants to do this?” I asked, uncertain of our welcome.
“I talked to him about it,” Ian replied. “He wasn’t thrilled but agreed to a few hours here and there to see if he could help.”
“He’s the only post-latent shifter around here that we know of.” Amber added.
“We’d have to travel a lot farther to track down another.” Clint said.
“And they may not be so inclined to help a wolf.” Ian mumbled.
“So why is Luke okay with helping me? Does he have anything against wolves I should know about?”
“Nothing you have to worry about.” Ian replied, which was not reassuring in the least. We drove around a bend and the small log cabin came into view. It was similar to the one I drew from time to time, but the details weren’t exactly right. We stopped in front, a cloud of dust rolling past us, obscuring the front porch for a minute. When the dust cleared, a tall and broad-shouldered man stood on the front steps. He was rugged looking, and even from a distance I could see a scar across his face. I wondered what kind of damage a shifter would have to take to have a lasting scar.
Clint and Ian stepped out of the front and made their way toward who I assumed was Luke. I glanced over at Amber, trying to bolster my courage.
“Luke’s a good guy,” Amber said softly, no doubt not wanting the other shifters to hear our conversation. “Just remember what we said. He may be gruff at first, but once you get to know him, I think you’ll like him.” With that, she stepped out of her side of the car and approached Luke. He didn’t smile but did give her a brief hug before turning his attention to me, still inside the car. Well, this was awkward. I sighed and reached for the door handle to get out. All the shifters were watching me as I stepped out. As soon as I closed the door and turned to look up at Luke, I saw his eyes widen slightly, as he took me in. I was curious what he thought when he saw me. An eighteen-year-old girl, little knowledge of shifters, unsure of her path in life. Yeah, inspiring rebellions left and right here.
By the time I picked my way across the yard and stood in front of the group, Luke’s face had returned to its impassive, watchful state. He’s eyes traveled swiftly down my frame and back up, assessing. Again, his face gave nothing away, but I could just imagine he found me lacking.
“Luke, this is our friend, Kendra.” Amber said. “Kendra, this is Luke.”
“It’s nice to meet you Luke. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us.” I stated politely. He stared at me for a few more seconds before giving a non-committal grunt and turned to enter his house. Leaving all of us standing outside, looking after him. Ian sighed.
“Come on, that was an invitation.” Ian motioned for us to enter. I raised my eyebrows skeptically, because I didn’t know in what world that was considered an invitation. Ian led the way into the cabin, followed by Amber, me, and Clint. The inside was small, nothing compared to Cassie and Cade’s family log cabin. Although, theirs was more of a mansion in the woods, so hardly a comparison. Luke’s place was homey, and I could see how there was just enough room for him and raising Ian over the years.
Luke stationed himself beside the unlit fireplace, one hand on the mantle leaning toward the fireplace, not looking at any of us. Ian stood on the opposite side of Luke, watching him. The rest of us, hesitantly sat down on the only couch as we waited for someone to say something.
“So,” Luke’s voice was low, like gravel, as he finally looked over and locked eyes with me. I suddenly couldn’t breathe, caught up in his fierce gaze. “You’re the latent wolf shifter everyone is talking about.”
“Um,” I forced my lungs to expand in order to respond. “I’m not sure what everyone is saying, but yes, I’m apparently a latent wolf.”
“Where are you from?” He asked.
“This last year I moved to Cave Junction with my foster parents.”
“Foster parents?” His eyes narrowed, regarding me closely. “What happened to your parents?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. I didn’t feel like going into the details with a total stranger. He gave another one of those non-committal grunts and returned his attention to the fireplace.
“I was reserving judgement until I met you, but I need to know if you are on board with this rebellion if you turn out to be a white wolf?” His direct question took me off guard.
“Rebellion?” I glanced around at the others there and only Ian met my eyes. “No, I don’t want a fight.” I shook my head and sighed. “Do I think things are unfair for non-wolves? Absolutely. Should something be done to give all shifters equal rights? Definitely. But I don’t want to see people get injured or die. I’m not looking for a war. I just want to understand my heritage, shift, and live my life. I hope the rest will improve with time.” I didn’t know Luke’s point of view on the so-called rebellion, but I had to share my true feelings. I might disappoint everyone in the room, but I wasn’t going to lie to them or myself. I wanted everyone to be safe and hope change would come in time. Without my so-called pre-destined fate leading the charge.
I glanced at Clint to see him tight-lipped, but not saying anything or meeting my eyes. Amber looked unhappy but at least gave me a small smile. Ian wasn’t looking at me, but his eyes were focused steadily on Luke’s reaction. Luke turned his body fully toward me and we waited in silence for a few moments before he responded.
“Good.” He stated. My eyes widened in surprise. “I’m not teaching you to shift so you can run off halfcocked and die trying to take on the High Council.”
“Luke,” Clint started, “If she is the destined white wolf-”
“That has yet to be seen.” Luke cut him off sharply. “Even if she is, she’s eighteen years old. She shouldn’t be forced into this. From what you’ve told me, she’s barely known about shifters for a year. This isn’t her fight.”
“I don’t know about that,” I mumbled, garnering Luke’s sharp gaze. “Look, I’m not keen on this fight, or war if it comes to that. But I am a shifter, latent yes, but a shifter, nonetheless. The shifter world is my heritage, I have as much stake in it as anyone else. I won’t be left out if it comes to a fight, I just won’t be leading it.” I stated firmly. I swear a small grin formed on Luke’s face before he wiped his expression clean.
“We are all talking about something way in the future.” Amber reminded us all. “Luke it took you two years to learn to shift. Kendra could take that or longer. We shouldn’t stress about things when we don’t know the timeline.”
“But that’s precisely why we should plan,” Clint argued, standing and pacing in the small space. “If the timeline is unknown, we have to be ready for any eventuality.”
“This isn’t the time or place to debate such topics.” Luke ground out. He looked back at me. “What do you know about shifting?” I told him the basics that Amber and I had been working on in the last few weeks and how my senses had improved as well.
“Good, that’s good.” Luke nodded. “You’ve come a long way in such a short time.”
“Does that mean-” Clint started to ask, but Ian cut him off.
“Don’t jump to conclusions, Clint. Just let Kendra learn at her pace.” Ian defended. Clint nodded stiffly before sitting back down.
“Are you willing to help me?” I asked Luke hesitantly, I didn’t want to impose if he really wasn’t interested.
“Yes.” There was a collective sigh of relief around the room and that faint grin returned to Luke’s face but disappeared just as quickly. “But not with an audience.” He turned abruptly and headed for a back door off the kitchen. “Kendra, follow me.”
Bossy much? But I didn’t say anything as I stood from the couch and with a quick glance at the others, followed Luke out the back door. He was waiting for me in the middle of the backyard, regarding me with a steady gaze. It felt weird to be one-on-one with him when I’d just met him, but I brushed that off to focus on the here and now.
“How much do you feel your wolf?” He asked, jumping right in.
“Well,” I considered his question before answering. “I think it’s different than what my friends have been telling me. They say they are one and the same with their animal. Mine, I don’t think, is like that.” I admitted.
“How does it feel?” Luke asked patiently.
“I can feel her emotions when we are running through the forest. Her wants and needs to chase or follow a scent. She doesn’t like crowded places. When Cade’s around, she feels content and-”
“Who’s Cade?”Luke asked sharply.
“Oh, um,” I stumbled over his fierce look. I guess no one mentioned my adopted pack yet. “I’ve been adopted into the McCoy Pack, last spring.” I took a steadying breath before adding, “Cade is a friend in the pack.”
“I’ve heard of Cade McCoy.” Luke ground out. “I don’t know much about him, but he comes from a decent family.”
“Yep.”
“And your wolf feels at home with the pack?”
“Yes. Especially when Cade is around.” I shrugged. I figured I might as well tell him since it might have bearing on my wolf.
“Hmm,” He considered before motioning me to continue.
“I can feel her agitation at crowds, though that might be my feelings as well, I’m not big on groups of people.”
“Your feelings and your wolf’s will be similar.” Luke answered. “You’re right to think that your relationship with your wolf is different than natural born shifters and theirs. They had the luxury of always being one with their wolf, and therefore never knew a time when the human and the animal were out of sync.”
“So that’s what’s wrong with me?” I asked. “I’m out of sync with my wolf?”
“There’s nothing wrong with you.” Luke ground out. “Your relationship with your wolf just developed differently than other shifters. The same happened with me.”
“How come there aren’t many latent wolves?” I blurted. I was surprised at my question, but since it was already out there, there was no taking it back. I waited to see if Luke would answer or if he had a reason why.
“No one has been able to prove it,” he started quietly after a brief pause, “but I believe latent wolves are being destroyed at a young age because of the threat they pose to shifter society.”
“Destroyed,” I repeated slowly, “You mean murdered.” There was no other way to interpret his meaning.
“Yes.”
“But why?” I asked frustrated. “Only the white latents come with the prophecy. What danger could other latents pose if they are other colors?”
“It comes down to genetics. More latent wolves would breed the same. Heightening the chance of a white wolf to threaten all that the High Council holds dear.”
“You’re saying the High Council systematically murdered all latent wolves to avoid the possibility of a white latent wolf from being born?”
“It’s never been proven.” Luke replied, without confirming my suspicions.
“But how could they tell? I mean, I know Elder Nicolas said there was a way to know, but he didn’t tell me how-”
“You’ve talked with Elder Nicolas?” Luke seemed surprised by that fact.
“Yeah, you know him?”
“From a long time ago.” Luke said softly and sighed. “The Elders of each shifter race is graced with knowledge, and the time to learn about shifter history, that many others do not dedicate their lives to.” I didn’t know other shifters had Elders, but I guess it would make sense. I had so many more questions about that subject, but I was going to have to keep them for later.
“So, you’re saying only the Elders can recognize a latent?”
“Most likely.” Luke replied. I didn’t like what he was implying.
“No, no way,” I denied shaking my head. “No way would Elder Nicolas identify latent wolves with the knowledge that the High Council would kill every one of them. He wouldn’t.”
“How well do you really know him? Besides, people have the capacity to do harm without knowing the consequences or if they are forced into it.” Luke replied, looking at me steadily.
“Elder Nicolas is too smart for that.” I argued. “He was so nice to me. I can’t see him voluntarily giving up latent wolf babies.”
“We could argue about this forever, but neither of us have the facts, only theories. Come, we need to get you closer to your wolf.” He turned and walked farther into the woods, and I reluctantly followed. We didn’t say anything for a few minutes, which gave my mind rampant time to argue both sides. Nicolas couldn’t possibly do such a thing, could he? He was a sweet old man, and he didn’t rat me out to the High Council, well that I was a white wolf anyways. He did tell them I was a latent wolf. But that was kind of obvious with my faint wolf scent and some of my senses coming online. So, if the High Council doesn’t allow latent wolves to live, why was I still alive?
“This will do.” Luke said, startling me out of my thoughts. I looked around and saw that we were surrounded by trees with nothing else in sight.
“Okay.” I said, thinking this was a random spot. Horror films flashed in my mind how a stranger lures people into the woods to kill them. Right, follow the stranger into the woods, Kendra. Trust the stranger, Kendra. I shook my head and hoped Ian was right that Luke could be trusted.
“We needed to be far enough in you didn’t hear your friends, and you can concentrate on your surroundings.”
“Gotcha.” I nodded, turning to give him my full attention and hide my nerves. He watched me for a minute, assessing me. I shifted my weight side to side to dispel some of my pent up energy.
“Now, I want you to center yourself like you’ve been doing.” Luke said and I nodded, closing my eyes, glad to finally be doing something. After a few minutes, he continued. “Instead of looking outward and hearing everything going on around you, look inside you. Feel your wolf under the surface. She may be resting, prowling, or ready to meet you. Depends what mood she is in and how close to the surface she is.”
I turned my attention inward, blocking out all the sounds and noises from the forest. I pictured myself walking through my mind, seeing images of my past filter past the corner of my eye. Suddenly, I felt fur brush up against my arm. Startled, I almost lost concentration but took a deep breath and looked down. A snowy white wolf looked up at me with a cheeky smirk before trotting off ahead and disappearing around a corner. Shocked, I came to a complete stop, but shook myself off and picked up my pace to follow her.
She waited around the corner, next to a memory I’ve had for many years. The house in the woods. She looked from me, to the image, and back again. I glanced back at the image and saw the subtle changes compared to my last drawings. There was a wolf in the memory now, who had black and white markings on her fur. She was standing, staring at the house, while we watched from a few feet away. The door to the house was opening, but the image faded before I could see who was coming out.
“No, bring it back!” I cried out, desperate to understand the memory that had plagued me since I was little. The white wolf looked up at me with sympathy in her eyes, before moving on. I followed, wiping tears from my eyes that I didn’t know I had shed. The next image we stopped at was familiar to me. Cade was in wolf form, with his head lying in my lap. It was the first day my pack had shifted in front of me and everyone else had run off, while Cade stayed with me. I watched the white wolf whine toward the memory, clearly hurting for some reason. She looked back at me with a look of longing in her eyes before looking back at the image. Cade was standing now, looking at us in wolf form. His steady gaze seemed to be focused on us, even though I knew he couldn’t see us. That same sense of comfort and peace washed over me, the same emotions that came every time I was with Cade. I even heard my wolf sigh in contentment.
“Kendra.” A voice sounded around me. I looked around, trying to figure out where the voice had come from. My wolf backtracked and rubbed against me, as if saying goodbye.
“Kendra, can you hear me?” The voice was low, but familiar. I slowly became aware of other sounds. The wind, squirrels scampering, leaves rustling. The images around me began to fade, and my wolf with it.
“Will I see you again?” I asked, afraid this was a mistake and I’d never figure it out again. My wolf looked up with a gleam in her eye, before trotting off and fading from view.
“Kendra. Come back to us.” The voice was louder now, and I took a deep breath before opening my eyes to my surroundings. Luke was kneeling in front of me, surprising me with the concern written all over his face. “Are you okay?” He asked.
“Yeah,” I cleared my throat since my voice came out rough. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”
“You were gone for a while.” Luke replied, looking around. I finally noticed that we were no longer alone, and my friends surrounded us. Ian looked the tensest, with Clint and Amber looking on with concern too.
“A while?” I asked, standing up unsteadily. Ian grabbed one of my arms to steady me. I smiled at him gratefully. “It was only a few minutes.”
“Kendra,” Amber said hesitantly, “You’ve basically been comatose for two hours.”
“What?!” I exclaimed, seeing that the sun had moved significantly since I last remembered. It didn’t seem like that long.
“What happened?” Clint asked. “I’ve never seen anyone do that before.”
“I was just,” I hesitated, unsure what to say. I looked to Luke who nodded encouragingly. “I was just meeting my wolf.”
“Meeting her?”Amber asked confused.
“Yeah.”I shrugged.
“It’s different for latents.” Luke explained. “Our animals are not one and the same as natural born shifters.”
“How come you didn’t tell me that before?” Amber asked, a little miffed.
“You didn’t ask.” Luke answered plainly. Amber crossed her arms, clearly not impressed.
“So, can you shift?” Clint asked. His question killed my buzz and I turned to glare at him. “What? It’s an honest question.”
“Kendra has made huge strides today.” Luke replied, much more calmly than I would have. “She can continue to work on knowing her wolf and the shifting will come after that.”
“But how do you shift?” I asked. None of the natural born shifters were really helpful in that department.
“When the time comes, you and your wolf will figure it out.” Luke replied. I scowled at him in return. That was not very helpful either. “In the meantime, why don’t you all go for a run? Burn off some of that energy I know you have. I’ll have food ready when you return.”
“You don’t want to come with us?” Ian asked.
“No. I’ve been out recently. You all go ahead.” He turned to me and asked, “I assume you can hold your own?” I nodded with a grin. “Good.” With that, he turned and disappeared into the cabin.
“Come on, I was hoping he would allow us to run while here.” Clint was already half undressed and working on the last bit of clothing to shed. I promptly closed my eyes and the sound of clothes landing softly on the ground sounded around me. I felt a wet nose nudge my hand and opened my eyes to see Ian beside me. He rolled his head against my leg.
Ready to run?He asked.
Let’s do this. I nodded and took off after Clint and Amber. The run through the forest felt good and allowed me to rid myself of my thoughts for a few hours. My wolf never made an appearance, but I could feel her watching as we darted through the trees and raced across streams.