CHAPTER THREE:
~Avery:
The piece of sh** in a human body marched forward, straight into the river. He sank in further and further, as he trudged to the deepest part of the current, dunking his whole body below. My power felt like pure ecstasy, flowing through my veins. I wanted more. More obedience. More death. MORE. I stood at the shore, eyes wide, an evil grin on my face as I took it all in. The bubbles coming from the water stopped after some moments and I saw his body rise to the surface to get carried away by the current. I soaked it in, his life force. The darkness of his soul had me shivering in delight. My god, nothing could feel this good. I felt energized, and in desperate need for another. I pulled my hood back, freeing my hair and inhaled the pine scent, feeling incredibly alive. Turning on my heel to march back towards civilization, I was ready to hunt.
My boots crunched through the leaves. I could smell a bonfire up ahead and slowed my pace to quiet my movements. My magic coursed through me and I was still riding the high. As I continued forward I heard a woman’s voice squeal in delight. A wave of control moved through my skin, trying to rein everything in. But I fought it and continued forward. I creeped closer, feeling two people by the tent behind the trees. Male, and female. Touches of darkness in them both. I shivered in anticipation, imagining the air leaving their lungs for the last time, light fading from their eyes, sins seeping into me, making me stronger.
I was now behind their tent and I could make out their outlines on the other side, shadows flickering in the firelight. My power flared and I could feel the bits of darkness in them. The woman had a little more darkness than the man, and I shivered in anticipation. I inched forward and stepped around the corner. Before they could see me, I began my orders.
“Stay in your seats,” I hissed.
I could feel their heartbeats quickening and smell the fear in their skin. Delight creeped up my spine. I revealed myself, grin and all.
“What’s happening?!” the woman screamed at me, “Who are you?” She started to shake.
The anticipation before these kills had me on the edge. Maybe I could play a little this time.
“Silence, both of you,” I commanded.
The man tried speaking and no sound left him. The woman desperately tried to scream.
I walked closer, I wanted to see the terror in their eyes.
“You,” I said, pointing to the man, “Stand up.” He obeyed.
Not that he had a choice. They were both still trying to yell or beg, or something. How unoriginal.
“Grab that knife,” I commanded, motioning to the knife on the table.
He walked over, rigidly. His fear rose and it brought goosebumps to my arms. Oh yes, this was going to be fantastic.
“Walk over to her and press the knife to her throat,” I barked.
The woman urinated, I could smell it. How pathetic. The man was thrashing his head trying to stop himself. But he couldn’t help but obey. They never could. The knife pressed to her throat and she stilled at the contact. Metal against flesh.
“Angle it just a tad deeper,” I hissed and stepped closer to get the best view.
A sound startled me before I could continue. It was a phone on the table in front of them. Someone was calling. Something made me answer, accepting the call, without breaking eye contact with the woman.
“Dad?” called a child’s voice. I faltered. “Dad? Are you there? Grandma says I can’t go to Andrew’s house tomorrow but I told her that you and Mom said I could. Can you tell her?... Dad? Hello?” I blinked, turned my head and hit ‘end.’
Oh my god. The magic in me sputtered.
I had let it get away from me again. I had my magic under control for years, and now that I had let go for Amelia and her family - oh my god. I looked at these poor people in front of me and felt my magic cooling off.
But don’t they deserve it? A small voice in my mind said, my magic flaring back up. I fought it back down. I looked behind me at the forest ahead and closed my eyes trying to separate myself from the magic. It kept bubbling up before I could push it down, like a dam filled with cracks, water rushing through. I trembled, fisting my hands at my sides trying to pull back. I breathed out, opened my eyes and tried looking around for anything that could help ground me. I spotted the moon, almost full, and its light gave me pause. I focused my vision on it and continued to breathe. In and out. I started to feel the chill in the wind. I could hear an owl hoot far off. I started simmering down. My hair fell limp again, and my eyes returned to their normal green. I didn’t feel on fire anymore. My magic sank back down into my chest and I focused on letting it drain lower until it hit my abdomen. Control. I had control back.
I was me again. Turning around, I saw the couple still frozen where I had left them. Tears misted my eyes. But I couldn’t break down yet, I needed to fix this. I had one good shot at fixing this. I took another large steading breath and let a little of my power back up, inch by inch I held steady, keeping careful control. At last it was in my throat and I held it there until I was pretty confident it wouldn’t go higher.
“Step away from her and drop the knife,” I shakily told the man. I was pushing just a little power in my words, as little as I could. He obeyed.
“Sit back in your seat,” I added.
I shook. My power was rising up to my mouth and I gasped, trying to push it back down again. I needed to calm down or I would never finish this. I turned back around and used the moon again to help me. After a few minutes I felt back in control, magic returning to a comfortable level.
I walked back to the couple. They had fear and confusion in their eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” I said to them in a whisper.
“Both of you forget you ever saw me, you never experienced what I made you do,” I said in a rush then jogged off back into the woods to regain my composure. I watched them from a tree for about half an hour, just making sure they were okay. They spent that time assembling s’mores and pointing up at the stars. I cried watching them. I cried because of what I had almost done. I cried because I could never have what they had.
I made it back to my apartment before dawn and packed a few things along with my go-bag that held some emergency cash and my next three identities. I felt so empty inside after a good cry all the way home, and I had felt lighter letting some of it go. I took out some cash for my landlord and put it in an envelope along with my keys. I kept the place pretty clean so all they would have to deal with was my furniture and stuff. I stopped in Amelia’s apartment and cleaned it up a little. I left a note. I hope she and her family will only be happy from now on, and I wished that for them in the note. Lugging my suitcase and bag down the stairs I stopped at the mailboxes and put the envelope for my landlord in his mailslot before continuing down to my car.
I had been prepared for this day since I had first come out here but I wasn’t honestly expecting to burn through the Emma identity this fast. I sent a quick resignation email into work and loaded my bags in the car. I drove. I wasn’t sure at first where I was going. The gas light went on and I pulled over to fill up and grab a snack. It was early in the morning and the sun was clearing the trees. After pumping gas I walked into the store and grabbed a few things before walking back to the car. I filed through the IDs and settled on my next name - Amy Ryan. Now to figure out where to go. I got back into my car and took off, still heading west.
The sun followed me as I drove and I played several songs on my phone before pulling into a run down pharmacy to buy new hair dye somewhere in Utah. I grabbed a dark chestnut this time around, a nice break from the reds I had been sticking with. I could barely remember my real color at this point. Hitting the road again I continued on for another few hours until it got dark enough to start looking for a motel.
I checked in, used a little magic to get him to forget me in advance, and got to work in my room. I dyed my hair and showered then gave myself a cut, shoulder length. I rifled through my go bag for brown contacts to match my new identity. Next I would need to ditch the car.
The next morning I left, wiping everything down and taking my own trash with me. I junked my current ride and phone, switching it for another beater at the junkyard, and using my magic very carefully to get the junkyard guy to forget me. Back on the road with a new phone. This may all be overkill every time, but I was far more concerned with getting this right every time than I was with taking chances. Not with my life. Not with others. Who knew what I could do to someone if they tried to come after me?
Twenty-six deaths now. I ruined my no-murder streak. At least it wasn’t twenty-eight.
Something in me guided me further west and I spent half the day going through Nevada. I stayed over in another motel and by the next morning I was in Reno. I scoped the town out as my next place of residence, but something made itch for a place a little more remote. I opened my phone and played around on Maps, seeing Lake Tahoe. I got in my car and continued until I got to Truckee. Something here felt right.
I spent the night camping at a site and went on my phone looking for places to rent. The bad thing about picking a place like this was the limited options. Especially when I am starting fresh with a brand new identity and don’t have a credit score or prior paychecks, or - anything. I expanded my search to include in-law apartments and… I found a good lead. Maybe this place could work.
CHAPTER FOUR: ~ Drake: I showed up to the pack entrance by Kyburz to find a small group of werewolves I was mostly unfamiliar with. Shifting behind a tree a few paces away, I quickly changed back into my shirt, jeans and boots. I walked out to see the Alpha of Silver Moon walking toward me, hand raised in greeting. He was dressed well, black slacks and a dark button down shirt. “Beta Drake, great to see you. I see Alpha Rafael has sent his best representative to show us around?” Alpha Logan of Silver Moon was a friendly guy, and he shook my hand with vigor. Silver Moon had a great reputation and their Alpha was a huge reason. While they were a fairly small pack their warriors were fierce, and they often came to the aid of their neighbors in need. They never stood down from a fight with a purpose. I wondered again what they were after here. In other packs the Alpha would likely convey that to his Beta, but not mine. I was going to have to find out while pretending to already be
CHAPTER FIVE: ~Avery: “Hey! I’m up here, one second!” A female, melodic voice called from above. There was rustling up on top of the garage roof. I heard leaves crunching and a bucket or something hit the ground. “Uh, are you okay?!” I called. “Yeah, no worries!” The voice assured. Blond hair popped up into view and a cheery, pink face grinned and waved. “Just give me two minutes!” I looked down at my new phone, at the posting in the town’s Facebook page and compared the posted pictures with the small home I was looking at. The few photos didn’t do it justice. Thisplace looked like a Swiss Chalet. It was adorable. This was still looking up. I sent a silent prayer to no one that she would pick me. Elizabeth Meyers, the owner, came around the corner introducing herself. She had dazzling bright eyes and long blond hair that was tied up in a messy low bun. She had gloves on and looked like she had been working outside. “Sorry about the delay, I really thought I would be well done
CHAPTER SIX:~Drake: This is outrageous. I would not do this. No matter how many times I let my Alpha hand me my a** out here in front of the packhouse. I wasn’t going to disgrace the mating bond by just getting with someone else. No way. A kick to the head. I wince. “YOU WILL OBEY BOY!” Alpha Rafael yells at me. I know I’m covered in bruises and blood that will start healing soon. I don’t fight back. Just pray to the Goddess that my parents don’t hear about this and come running. “Please, Alpha!” Too late. My mom is on her knees in the mud and leaves calling for mercy. He looks at her and I flinch, thinking he will hurt her next. But my dad stands between them, and I tell myself that if he goes for them I’m blowing my cover. He will not lay a finger on my parents, or I will kill him. Alpha Rafael howls and marches back to me, spitting at my body laying all twisted on the earth. I’m okay mom, I link her. “Pathetic. You both raised a pathetic wolf,” Alpha Rafael says to hims
CHAPTER SEVEN:~Avery: My first night here and while I felt safe, I was restless. I had fallen asleep earlier but had woken up a few times. Now at 4am, I wasn’t going to fight it any longer. I crept out of the sleeping bag on the floor, and picked up a pillow. Setting it on the floor next to one of the big windows I made myself a temporary chair. I looked out at the woods, pulled my legs under my arms and sighed. The sun would start rising soon. It was very cold out there, although you couldn’t tell just by looking. A breeze came through the trees, rusting the pine needles on the trees close by. I spotted the slight movement of an owl in a tree. We stared at each other for some time. I rolled my neck and looked into the moon, searching it for strength. The moon had helped me regain control of myself when I had nearly lost it. It would maybe be too much to ask for it to help me again?There was knocking on the door.“Amy? Sorry! Are you up?” Beth called from behind the door.I must h
CHAPTER EIGHT~Drake: I was getting hammered. I couldn’t seem to stop drinking. And it took a lot to get a werewolf drunk. But I was feeling it. A lot. I don’t know how Archer found this place or why it was so packed tonight, but the energy in the place was contagious. I came in here expecting to find a sad, dilapidated building and older regulars from the area. Instead it was full of singles and couples dancing, dark booths, and a large variety of drinks. It was more of a club than a bar. Archer and I were honestly having a really good time. There were plenty of attractive girls on the dancefloor and we ended up hanging around a group of girls in town for a bachelorette party. Archer wasn’t as into them as I might be. But it could be lonely as an older werewolf with no mate on the horizon. One of them in particular seemed into me and we went back and forth between dancing and picking up new drinks at the bar. I bought a round of shots for the group and we gathered at their booth.
CHAPTER NINE:~Avery: It wasn’t so bad here. And as bars go, this one seemed pretty different. I was still on guard, trying to avoid the dark corners where seedy behavior could be going on, but I was maybe starting to have fun? The place was more of a dance club that happened to be set inside an old school bar, something you would picture in this woodsy town. But the dance floor, the music, the sound system, the lighting, it was all very modern. And I couldn’t fight it for long. Music sang to me, to my blood. A small dose of what it felt like to control someone, to make them do things. It hasn't always been easy for me to distinguish the two. But thankfully I had grown from those days. The base thrummed and Beth and I twirled around with some girls who had immediately taken to us when we got here. Beth had a handsome tall, lanky guy dancing around her for some time who set my alarms off but after a few looks from me he seemed to back off. Some. After a few songs we went with the ot
CHAPTER TEN:~Drake: “Drake?” Archer said again at my side. My heart beat frantically, faster than the beat of the music thrumming through the bar. Everything felt too hot, too loud. Go to Mate, Dane ordered me. And my foot moved forward before I stepped back for a second. This couldn’t happen to me. I was too restless, too different and dark - and in too much sh*t with my Alpha. GO, Dane ordered again. He whined when I stood still. “I can’t-” I began to say, turning to Archer. “I can’t have a mate.” Archer moved to stand in front of me and grabbed hold of both of my shoulders. “Holy Goddess Above,” he said breathlessly. “She’s here? Where?” He looked around the bar. I pushed him away. “I can’t have a mate Arch. You don’t understand.” I looked at my shoes. Fighting Dane’s barking and howling in my head to go after her. “Drake, I can’t pretend to know what you’re feeling in this second. But you know that we are both - different. Put into other roles, and we’ve had to preten
CHAPTER ELEVEN:~Avery: Hurt came over the handsome man’s - Drake’s face. Oh. My. God. He’s serious. I mean, I guess I shouldn’t be this surprised. I exist. Why wouldn’t other otherworldly creatures exist? I felt a need to comfort him, to take away the hurt I caused. “I’m sorry,” I reached out a hand to touch his cheek but thought better of it when it was halfway up and yanked it down to my side. Why would I touch a stranger? “I just didn’t know… I’ve never met a werewolf…” He smiled. I thought my insides would melt. My God, how could he get even more handsome? My insides felt like they were glowing. “And you are a-?” he asked me again. I almost pushed back again before I felt the need to tell him. “I don’t know,” I said in a whisper. I guess it was his turn to look confused. “I, um, I’ve never met anyone… like me,” I told him. The phone in my pocket vibrated. I looked down as I took it out, Beth was calling me. I forgot about why I had come out here, and that she had b