“You do?”
I saw her babies move. My gaze must’ve darted noticeably. She moved her hand a little, protectively.
She’s too big to be only having one. At least, that’s what I think. Her fingers soothingly smoothed the flesh in a repeated motion. I think it was absentminded, that she didn’t even realize she was doing it.
Kayty smiled, “You’re wrong, Fera. What you perceive as my weakness is my one great strength. You see, I don’t think I could kill a friend--if it weren’t for my babies. Kinda changes my perspective.”
“Can you read minds now?”
“No.” She got up, stretched her back, peered out into the dark. “It’s too quiet.”
“They’re hunting it.”
“You should be afraid,” she said. “He is coming for you.”
“You are the only thing I’m afraid of.”
She smiled again. I saw it in her profile. Then she shook her head, and I knew if I fell to the floor, she wouldn’t pounce me. I sent a prayer up to Gaia.
And I wanted to cry. Emotions up and all that. Maybe a little relief, probably a little guilt mixed in.
Suddenly, howls went up. They echoed through the woods.
Kayty told me, “Bitches are coming in.”
“That doesn’t sound like they made a kill.”
“No.” She giggled. “But you’re starting to reek.”
“Ah. They’re coming for the show.”
“What did you expect, Princess?”
She knew I didn’t like being called that. Hood dubbed me with it, back when I was a pup.
“You know, after tonight, I think you won’t have to look away when others call you that.” She was amused. “Yeah. I think there will be a little respect when they say it.”
It was always said with a sneer. I’d confided to Kayty, the first time she’d used the word on me, that I didn’t like it. She was the only one who hadn’t kept it up.
“You’re really changing.” Kayty tipped her head, watching me. “It’s all good.”
“It doesn’t hurt.”
She let out a little laugh. “Good breeding, what can you say?”
“It’s supposed to hurt.”
“Who says?”
“It always hurts. Everyone says so.”
“Did Hood have any trouble?”
“Who knows? He never talks about things like that.”
Outside, a female voice asked, “Can we come in?”
“I don’t think so.” Kayty--you know--she really is great. She pulled herself up to her full height and said, “The only person coming in here is Leer.” And, as an afterthought, she said, “And maybe Hood.”
The voice said, “You cheat her. She gets this one night.”
“She’s not going nuts.” Kayty put her hands on her hips. And, really, she was magnificent--everything I wanted to be. Standing there with the moon shining on her. I really admired her at that moment.
“She will.”
Snickers, crack comments. They couldn’t wait.
Kayty asked, “Anybody seen Leer?”
“He and Hood are setting up a trap...for the unnatural.” I told her that. Every now and then I got thoughts passing between them.
Coming up from behind Kayty, I peeked out, and asked, “Have they figured out who caused it?”
A bitch said with irritation, “One of the losers.”
“Oh.” I sniffed the air. “That’s what I figured.”
Everyone else put their noses up, too.
“Hey,” the bitch that had been talking to Kayty said, “How come you’re--” She backed up, eyes bulging, like she was afraid. And behind her, all the rest backed up, too.
That’s when I realized--I towered over Kayty. Well, not towered. Had her by an inch, though. She and I looked at each other. And you know what? She smiled again, and this time, she said, “Told you.”
I don’t have a conscious recollection of standing up, human like.
I won’t lie. For a minute, I thought, damn if I’m not gonna see about snagging Leer. And I knew, if I was gonna do it, that was probably the night. I had to give the bitches the slip. Like I said before, I hadn’t worked through the earlier scene, where he’d told her to put me up--like a dog.
“I need to relieve myself.”
Kayty chuckled. “Right.”
“And I’m getting hungry.”
The other bitch said, “That’s the bloodlust coming on. It’s gonna get worse.” And then, as if she and Kayty were old friends, she said, “Remember the night you--”
Kayty cut her off, though. “Yeah. Let’s not talk about it.”
But we damn sure thought about it.
“Why not?” Talk about your insistent bitches. I think she was looking for a little stimulation, to stir me up, maybe.
“We need to pay attention, listen, keep our eyes out.” Kayty had a no-nonsense attitude.
I asked, “So you think I’m done?”
Chapter Five
It looked like I’d gone through the change without any of the pain, or real mood swings. I’ll be honest, none of us could believe it. I felt a little let down. And part of me was angry. I wanted to shift all the way to human form.
I also wanted, more than anything, to hook up with somebody that night. I was lonely as hell, and it seemed like my big night was all over. I was under watch. And I didn’t seem to be out of control. It was total bullshit.
But I guess Gaia must’ve heard my inner complaints. All hell broke loose.
The losers, in a band, ran past the council cave--like they were being chased. They broke through the trees, yelping, growling, leaping rocks--all in lupus.
After the shock, all us bitches laughed. I mean, they were there, practically killing themselves, and then gone.
“What the hell was that all about, do you think?”
The bitch who said that went to the edge of the rocks at the left of the den’s opening, climbed up and tried to see. “Idiots.”
“Maybe they ran off the unnatural,” I shrugged.
But that was wrong. Way wrong. The unnatural broke through the trees, too.
And...Oh. My. Gaia. More man than wolf. Crinos with a high human input. Not so hairy.
He flexed his hands, looked both ways.
We were all speechless. Damn, he was fine.
Oh, my Gaia, he was fine.
I know the moment was only that, a moment, but he looked through the dark, right at me, with green laser light eyes. Right past Kayty, and all the other females. And then the corner of his lip went up. Fucking confident smirk. That’s all I can say.
Then he took off. A leap, a bound. Gone.
It took the bitches about two seconds of looking back and forth at each other before they went after him.
All I can say is--maybe there’s a whole lot more bullshit in the things we’d been taught about the mutants. I mean, we’d been told to stay away, to hunt them down, never to create them. But I was thinking, damn, if that wasn’t all wrong.
I turned to Kayty and said, “Okay. I’m rethinking what I’ve been told.”
“Don’t.”
I know what she meant. Don’t even think it. Don’t go against the pack’s rules.
Don’t even think it.
I couldn’t help it. I thought it. I stood there, looking her in the eye, letting his image run back and forth in my head.
Leer mind talked to Hood.
It’s set. Where is he?
Bitches are chasing him.
We could hear them. They were having a great time, it sounded like.
Leer reached out with his thoughts to one of the better bitches.
Bring him to me, baby.
I told Kayty, “Leer’s telling them to bring the mutant his way.”
“Thanks.”
Kayty stepped out of the den’s opening, tipping her head so she could hear the nuances in the howls better.
We lost him.
When I heard that, I almost laughed out loud. A whole damn pack of bitches, and they lost one quarry. It was funny.
Hood’s growling thoughts were broadcast loud and clear.
So, find him. Use your damn noses. Fuck.
Then, to Leer, he said,
What do you want to do now?
One of us is going to have to go after him, I think.
I thought that was priceless. Superman Werewolf to the rescue.
Hood asked me,
Fera! How are you doing?
I didn’t answer. I know if he ever gets a hold of me, he’ll wring my neck. Instead, I turned to Kayty and said, “Leer needs you.”
“What? Bullshit.” She bit the inside of her cheek and looked away.
I know, I was lying through my teeth, but I had a real, sudden urge to get the hell out of Pack City. To see if I could hunt down the unnatural on my own.
Wouldn’t that be about the best kill of the century? The perfect shift gift.
Leer might have to trade Kayty out, if I could catch the guy and kill him.
“No shit. The bitches lost him. Leer and Hood are going to try and trick him around to their trap.”
“What trap did they set?”
I was itching to move, but I knew I had to do the chat to get her to do the walk. “They have that pit between the rocks.” They’d been prepared, just in case other werewolves from other packs got a whiff of me. But for the most part, I’d been watched for a while now, kept where the wind couldn’t pick up my scent and carry it too far.
Pack City sits outside of a human town, in the middle of a wildlife reserve, in a canyon of boulders and caves. Entries are easy to guard. But, like any good fortress, there’s more than one way out.
“I’m wondering how he found his way here in the first place,” Kayty was thinking out loud. “I mean, you damn near have to get directions to this place.”
“Maybe he heard the losers talking, before they bit him.”
“Maybe.”
“Leer really thinks you’d be some help.”
It didn’t really jibe. I mean, he was pretty protective of her, now that she was getting close to having her young. I had to be convincing.
“You’re alpha female, Kayty. He thinks you’ve got what it takes to flush the guy out.”
“It might take a little longer, but the other bitches will pick up his trail.”
I was sure of that, too, and, in fact, was a little surprised they hadn’t set up a wail already. I said, “Seems eerily quiet, don’t you think? I mean, for a full scale hunt being underway.”
“Yeah. I don’t like it.” I could tell she was getting nervous. She asked, with her eyes on the edges, “You sure Leer wants me out there?”
I hesitated, pretended like I was asking him silently. “Yeah. He’s not real happy with the bitches. They’re taking too much time. Kinda scattered.”
“Man, I wish I could mind talk.” She bit her lip.
Prodding her, I said, “Have I ever lied to you?”
“No. But I can’t leave you alone.”
“I’m fine. Remarkably, irritatingly, fine.”
She turned her head to look at me. “It’s unnatural.”
“What?”
“The fact that you’re not even moody.”
“Believe me, I’ve been pretty bitchy today. Feeling a little irritable with you. You need to go.”
Still, she refused. “Let’s go back inside.”
“You’re supposed to be an alpha female, Kayty. You’ll lose respect if you don’t get in on this.”
“No.”
“He’s calling for you again.”
Her jaw worked overtime. “Tell him I can’t come.”
That was funny. I said, “Bet that’s the first time he’s heard that one.”
She snickered, too. Then said, “Your brain’s in the gutter, Fera.”
“I kinda like this gutter.” I sat down, stretched, arched, looked up at the moon. The cloud covering had run off. “I wonder if that whole myth about mutants and full moons is true.”
“Moon’s full. My bet is yeah.”
I shrugged. I pretended not to really care, even though I was the one that had posed the question. Then, I pretended like I was going to pass out. “This night’s made me tired.” I closed my eyes. A few seconds later, I murmured, “He’s still asking for you, wondering where you are.”
“Tell him I’m right where he told me to be.”
I smiled. “He told you to take me to the other place.”
“He didn’t mean that. It was a ruse, to confuse. We worked it out before what to do with you.”
Rolling my back to her, I said, “Figures.”
Not very much time passed while we were having that conversation, but it seemed like forever. Finally, she said, “Tell me you didn’t go to sleep out here.”
I thought about ignoring her, but instead I said, “I would, if you’d stop talking. I’m not kidding, I feel like I’ve been through--”
“Go inside. I’d feel better. I wasn’t supposed to let you out at all.”
Sitting up, I said, “Look. I’m fine. He wants you.”
She held her ground. “Go inside.”
I didn’t wait for her to order me again. Old habits die hard. But it grated. I slink-crawled into the cave, and slumped against the wall, wracking my brain for a way to get past her.
Hood showed up, demanding, “Where is she?”
“Inside. Why?”