Destiny Binds (13 page)

Oh. That was probably Jase.

Of course.

And it explained the animosity between Jase and Alex. According to all of my extensive research, coyotes and wolves arenʼt exactly BFFs.

So, my brother had a habit of turning into an animal once a month. I already knew some people had a tendency to do that. It hadnʼt changed my opinion of Alex that much. If I was being completely honest with myself (which I wasnʼt totally fond of doing), Alexʼs werewolf status made him sorta sexy.

But being a were-coyote did not make Jase and Charlie sexy. It made them foreign, different from the boys I thought I knew. It was as if I had been betrayed in some deep, irreconcilable way.

How could they keep a secret like that from me?

I was getting angry, as was my usual emotional response to being hurt and confused. I donʼt know what I might have done if I had been left to my own devices, but it wouldnʼt have ended well. I imagine it would have involved me screaming some wild accusations at my brother in the wee hours of the morning. In fact, I was on my way to do just that when my phone vibrated.

I stared blankly at the bedside table. Who would be calling at 2:47 AM?

I checked the caller ID, but didnʼt recognize the number. Panic started to bubble up inside me. Someone knew that I knew. They had been keeping tabs on my computer and realized I finally figured it out. Now I was going to be eliminated for knowing. Or, maybe I would be carted off to some juvenile delinquent facility for computer hacking. I would have to share a cell with one of those scary metalhead chicks with all the piercings and tattoos.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the phone in my hand beeped. I flipped it open to find a text message that read, “Itʼs snowing.”

Weird.

I went to the window, cupping my hands around my face to peer into the darkness. The night was pitch black, but I could see a few tiny flakes blowing underneath a utility light.

I could also see the boy who stood underneath it, looking up at me.

Thankfully, I took the time to throw on a coat and boots before racing into the wintery night air. Of course, if I had known I was going to be hiking through the woods, I might have taken the extra thirty seconds to make sure they were actually mine.

Alex had yet to say a word, his only greeting a heart melting smile. When he took my hand and began leading me down a well-worn path that wound through the forest, I let him. Since Iʼm not a complete idiot, I understood that sneaking off into the woods in the middle of the night with a known werewolf was not the best idea I ever had. Somehow, though, I couldnʼt be bothered to care. It probably had something to do with those hormones my mother was always warning me about.

“Where are we going?” I asked, breaking the silence.

He stopped walking and looked around, staring in the direction of my house for a long time before declaring, “Hereʼs good.”

“Here” was a patch of forest that looked identical to every other patch of forest we had walked past. At least there was a giant log I could set on. My feet ached from trekking up and down hills in Jaseʼs boots.

“So” I said, plopping down on a sturdy looking brach, “to what do I owe this visit? Was no one in Montana up for a snowy midnight stroll?”

Alex sat on the trunk opposite me, close enough that our knees brushed against one another. “Donʼt know. I never made it that far.”

“You couldnʼt make it to Montana in a month? What was your mode of transportation?

Horse and buggy?”

“Burrow, actually. Damn thing wouldnʼt go any further than Effingham.” I waited for that sentence to make sense. “Ham? Is that the name of an actual place, or do I need to access my urban dictionary app?”

Alex laughed. “Not fʼing ham. Effingham. One word. Itʼs a town in Illinois whose singular claim to fame is a 198 foot tall cross.”

“So, you got bored with your ginormous cross and thought, ʻHey, I bet Scout will be awake.

Maybe we could go for a walk?ʼ”

“Close. I finally convinced Liam into giving me what I wanted for Christmas.”

“What was that?”

“To come home,” he said. “We just got into town a couple of hours ago. I had some business to take care of on this side of town, but then I saw your light on and got distracted.” He was staring at his feet again. I noticed he was still wearing the same pair of Adidas shoes, despite the fact that their little swim in the creek left them a bit worse for the wear.

“You had business to attend to at three in the morning?”

“I canʼt really talk about it.”

“Because itʼs werewolf business?”

“Yes, itʼs werewolf business.”

We sat in silence for a few moments. Once again, I questioned the logic of being alone in a darkened forest with a werewolf. Amazingly, I still wasnʼt afraid. It was Alex Cole, for Peteʼs sake. The boy couldnʼt go more than five minutes without flashing a million watt smile or cracking up over some stupid thing I said. He wasnʼt going to hurt me.

Probably.

“I donʼt suppose your werewolf business has anything to do with my brother being a were-coyote, does it?”

That certainly got his attention.

“He told you?”

“So, Jase really is a were-coyote?” The look on his face was the only confirmation I needed. “Is that why you guys canʼt get along? Are werewolves and were-coyotes mortal enemies or something?”

My assessment seemed to amuse Alex. “I think ʻShape Shifterʼ or ʻShifterʼ is the politically correct term,” he said. “Iʼm not sure ʻwere-coyoteʼ is even a word.” My eyes narrowed. “You know what I mean.”

“Itʼs true that my kind has a little trouble getting along with our cousin species, but thatʼs only part of the problem. When the local pack found out we were here, they sent a few delegates over to talk to us. A treaty was agreed upon, allowing us to stay. If we failed to keep up our end of the bargain the Hagan Pack has the right to challenge us.”

“What did the treaty entail?”

“Liam and I must stay within a predetermined boundary during the full moon. Also, weʼre to have no contact with those under Pack protection, especially you.” I was under Pack protection? Okay, so I guess I already knew that from my super spy mission, but still. What made me so special? Why was I being singled out?

“What delegates?”

“The Pack Leader, Jase, and Charlie.” Alex ripped off a piece of decaying bark and began turning it into sawdust with his thumb. “You already knew your boyfriend is a Shifter too, right?”

“If youʼre referring to Charlie, then yes, I had already guessed that he was a
Shifter.
But he isnʼt my boyfriend.”

“Are you sure Charlie knows that?”

After the intel I got from Jase and Charlieʼs earlier conversation I found I didnʼt really know how to answer. I kept opening my mouth, but nothing came out. Luckily, Alex was too immersed in dismantling the tree to see my fish out of water routine. Finally, I managed to get out, “Charlie has a girlfriend. I mean, heʼs dating a girl who isnʼt me.”

“That didnʼt stop him from getting you that for Christmas,” Alex said, jerking his chin towards the hippo that peeked out from the top of my coat.

“How do you know itʼs from Charlie?”

Alex, who had been leaning on his elbows towards me, pulled back, and shifted his knees shifted away from mine. “I can smell him on it. Either he gave it to you, or heʼs been wearing your jewelry.”

“You can
smell him on it
?”

“Did you know that a wolfʼs sense of smell is one hundred times greater than a humanʼs?”

“Actually, yes. I did.” I didnʼt mention that was because I had read everything I could find on wolves over the last month. “I just didnʼt expect that you would be able to do that when you were, you know, a biped.”

“Not always. I can only do it now because we just had a full moon a couple of days ago.

The closer we are to a full moon, the more wolf-like we are. As the moon waxes, our hearing, sense of smell, physical strength and all that wolfy stuff gets stronger, more sensitive. When the moon begins to wan, the extra-sensitive senses go with it, until weʼre almost wholly human during the new moon.”

Interesting. “So, the day of the full moon...?”

“I can hear every heart beating in a classroom and smell a pizza from a mile away.” And impressive. “Itʼs like you have super-powers.”

“You mean other than being able to turn into a wolf?”

“Oh, like that makes you special,” I said with mock ease. “Everyone I know can change into a dog of some sort.”

A growl emitted from Alexʼs throat. “Dog?” he snarled. I caught a glimpse of predatory eyes as he lunged for me. My heart and breath both abandoned me as I prepared for the impact of teeth and claws. I managed to grab him as his body slammed into mine, using the force to flip us over as we fell back so I landed on top. I quickly leapt to my feet.

The body on the ground shook all over. I might have been able to best Alex in human form, but there was no way I could take on a wolf. I contemplated whether or not I could run fast enough to make it to the house before the transformation was complete.

“That will teach me to attack a ninja,” Alex said between gasps.

Laughing. He wasnʼt changing into a wolf, he was laughing.

“You jerk!” I roared. “I thought you were going to turn into a wolf and eat me!” I gave into temptation and planted my foot in his ribs.

“Ouch. Hasnʼt anyone ever taught you not to kick a man when heʼs down?”

“Hasnʼt anyone ever taught you not to scare a girl to death for no good reason?”

“I thought ninjas eschewed fear.” Alex sat up, brushing twigs and grass from his hair. “And, for the record, I canʼt Change unless the moon is full. Iʼm not a Dominate.”

“A Dominate?” My curiosity overpowered my agitation.

“Shifters, like natural wolves, have a hierarchy based on strength. The stronger the wolf, the higher their social standing. But with Shifters, itʼs based on more than the ability to smack down all the other wolves. You have to have control over your animal. Every Shifter has to Change during a full moon. Whether they want to or not, theyʼre on four legs from dusk to dawn. Dominates, though, can change other nights.”

Alex sat on the ground, a la criss-cross-applesauce, and I paced in front of him. “You say that like itʼs an enviable quality. Why would someone want to Change?”

“Besides the dominance issue?” I shook my head. “Itʼs hard to explain. Being the wolf is...

Itʼs amazing. Itʼs more than the strength or the super-powers. Running through the woods, being part of nature in some primitive way humans canʼt manage, itʼs liberating. Intoxicating.” His entire body became animated. “And the chase. You wouldnʼt believe how thrilling the chase is. The moment you finally close the distance between yourself and your prey is the single most satisfying thing you could imagine.”

I could see delight written all over his face. The mere memory of it seemed to make him giddy.

I felt nauseous.

“You enjoy killing,” I managed to choke out. “It doesnʼt bother you that youʼre taking away someoneʼs child or brother or mother...” My voice broke over the last word.

“You think I kill people?
”

Instead of answering, I decided to gnaw a hole in my bottom lip.

“How can you think that about me?” He bounded off the ground in one graceful move and began pacing along the forest floor. “What about Jase? Do you think heʼs a killer too?” He stopped directly in front of me. I shifted my body, ready to fend off an attack. “And what the hell do you think youʼre doing out here with me if you think Iʼm a murderer?” I gritted my teeth and forced myself to meet his steely gaze instead of cowering, like I really, really wanted to. “Are you a murderer?”

“That depends, are you one of those animal activist that believes meat is murder?”

“No.” I was born and raised in the rural south. Hunting is practically a religion.

“Then, no, Iʼm not a murderer.”

“So, when you were talking about the chase and your prey...”

“Rabbits mostly. Occasionally Liam and I can take down a deer together.”

“Rabbits and deer?”

“Rabbits and the occasional deer.”

“Never a person?”

“Iʼm not a monster, Scout.”

“What about homeless meth heads?”

“What about them?” He started to move away, but I grabbed onto his shirt. It smelled like Waffle House, that unique blend of smoke and grease.

“Did you kill him, Alex?”

He brushed my hands away. I watched him walk back over to our original spot and sag back onto the trunk of the fallen tree. “Does it matter?” I thought about how it felt to trapped on the ground, the body of my attacker on top of mine.

“Please, tell me what happened.”

“I chased him as far as I could. Once he got into the more populated areas, I had to let him go. Anyway, I needed to make sure you were okay. I didnʼt mean for you to see me. I just wanted to be certain that you hadnʼt been hurt. I was watching so closely for some sign that you were about to fall apart I forgot I was supposed to be hiding.” His grey eyes bore into mine.

“How did you know it was me?”

“It was the eyes.” I would know those eyes anywhere.

“You really are amazing, you know.”

He would have to settle for a blush as a response.

“Anyway, after I left you, I went back and tracked his scent. Liam got into town just before dawn to find me slinking around the tent city near Centennial Park, which made him furious.

He tried to force me into the Jeep, but I wouldnʼt budge.

“He had to wait almost thirty minutes for dawn to come so I could Change and tell him what was going on. Liam went to take care of things while I recovered. By the time I could walk, it was clear he would never be able to hurt anyone again.”

“What did Liam do?” My voice sounded foreign, as if it was coming from another place, another person.

“Liam didnʼt attack first.”

“What did he do?” The alien voice was devoid of emotion.

“Iʼm not a doctor, Scout. How am I supposed to know?” My mouth opened to repeat the question for a third time. It seemed, though, that he was as unwilling to hear it as I was. “His right hand was crushed. His arm, nose, and collarbone all looked broken, too. He was coughing up blood, so there was probably some internal injuries. I donʼt think it was anything fatal, but, like I said, Iʼm not a doctor.”