I check into a small town Inn that sits near the edge of a lake near a forest. Supposedly, the spirits of the forest are stronger around here because the poles diverge directly across the center of the forest, or at least that's what the cab driver told me during the thirty-minute drive from the airport.
Walking up the gravel road to the house that looks as if it was built in the eighteenth century gives me goosebumps and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. When I touch the doorknob, a strong needle-piercing pain shoots through my brain, almost bringing me to my knees.
The door opens from the inside, and an older woman with a large scar on her face appears before me.
"Can I help you?" She asks. I stand at five foot seven inches and probably tower almost two feet above her.
"Yes. Do you have a room available?"
"I do. Please come inside, and I'll get you situated," she walks behind the desk placed on the left-hand side facing the entryway, looking into the large living room. "What brings you all the way out here?"
"How do you know I'm not from here?"
"Honey, you're so tanned, and we do not get enough sunlight this time of year to look like you."
"I guess you're right. I'm visiting from Flordia." I say sheepishly.
"You're far from home. There must be something important out here that's brought you all this way." She reaches behind her and grabs a set of keys, sliding them across her desk.
"I'm a nature photographer," I pat my camera bag, "My parents were here a long time ago, and I want to feel connected to them again. Any ideas for the best places to take pictures?"
"How sweet, how long ago were they here?"
"I'm not sure, sometime before or near 2003."
The woman looks in shock and moves as fast as she can go, she shuffles up the steps and starts making a racket, which sounds like someone throwing around a bunch of things as if they are searching for something. She comes back downstairs with a small box in her hand, out of breath, and practically throws herself in the chair to take a rest.
"I thought your face looked familiar, especially those sparkling hazel eyes." She searches through the box and pulls out a photo.
"I'm sorry?" I ask, confused.
"Are these your parents?" She slides the photo to me.
It was a group photo of twelve. My parents are standing on the right, and when I look closer, I notice the older women standing beside them.
"Did you know them?" I slam my hands down and lean over the desk, wanting to know everything she possibly does.
She stares at me with wide eyes before cracking a smile.
"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. For now, you should get some rest." She stands up, causing me to stand back. Lifting the keys from the desk, she takes my hand and sets them in my palm. "Your room is the second one on the right."
In shock, I want to ask her so many questions, but the words can't leave my mouth. Instead, the woman is pushing me up the steps. On the landing upstairs, there was a small sitting area covered in books. There is also a girl who looks to be twelve coming out of one of the rooms.
"Hello," The girl says with a cheerful smile.
I give her a nod, then use the key to open the door. The small room looks eerily similar to my childhood one, down to the trunk at the foot of the bed. I set my bags down and pull out the journals again to see if I can find any more information on where to start looking now that I'm in Alaska.
The vile falls out of the bag along with the journals. As it clinks against the floor, the sound of it calls out to me. I pick it up, and it's almost as if it's glowing in my hands. My heart picks up speed, and the walls are closing in. Uncorking the bottle, I put it to my lips.
The knocking on the door stops me from titling the bottle back.
"Dinner time," a voice sings out from the other side. I close the bottle and shove it underneath my pillow.
"Coming," I call back.
Opening the door, I see the little girl waiting for me outside. She takes me by my hand and leads me down the steps and into the dining room.
"Grandma makes the best roast chicken on the planet. I hope you're hungry,"
My stomach growls from her words, reminding me that I haven't eaten anything since the diner almost two days ago.
"Starving"
"That's great. I'm Juliana, by the way, and my grandma is Marcy. My papa and brother should be joining us later. They're finishing hunting before the snow comes over the mountains." Juliana explains and talks her head off when we sit at the table.
Juliana speaks so fast and can hardly even get a breath in, although that doesn't seem to slow her down any. She rambles on and on, mostly about the other kids who go to school with her on the reservation and her favorite toys. It's only when she starts talking about the forest do I actually start paying attention.
"Papa and Luke should be here any second. Once the moon appears, they try and get here as fast as possible. It's really dangerous in the forest cuz nighttime is when the huge wolves come out to play." Juliana says while setting the table.
"Julie. Don't be scaring the poor girl. Giant wolves are just a legend we use to keep you kids inside. The forest is safe... well, as safe as it can be. There are wild animals out there," Marcy cuts off Juliana and begins plating us each some food.
"Wolves?" I look at Juliana, hoping she'll go off on a tangent and reveal something she might not even realize she knows.
"Yeah. There are some really big ones deep in the forest," Her eyes grow wide, " I saw them once a long time ago."
"No wolves this time," A man's voice calls out from the doorway.
Turning to face the voice, I'm taken aback when I see the tall, handsome man appear. There is a miniature him standing on the left with him, holding several fish on a string. The boy comes running over to Marcy's arms, and she bends down to give him a big hug.
"We have a guest?" Marcy shouts to the man.
"A guest? I thought tourism season was over, Ma." He blows out a breath.
"She's not a tourist. She's a photographer," Marcy corrects him.
Standing from the table when he enters the dining room, I extend my hand.
"Hi, I'm Freya. Did you just come from the forest?"
"That's where the lake is," he remarks off-handed while taking off his coat and hanging it on the hook.
"Matthew, I didn't raise you to be rude," Marcy says, then looks between him and me, "Actually, he can take you tomorrow while I take the kiddos to see the new Dreamworks movie."
Matthew grits his teeth, making the vein in his forehead pop out. "I don't have time to show some outsider around the forest."
"It's alright, I can find my way around-"
"Nonsense." Marcy cuts me off, "Plus, you're not an outsider."
"Ma," Matthew groans.
"She's not. She's the daughter of Jenny and Robin. You remember them, don't you?"
His face turns white as if he's seen a ghost. He squints his eyes, looking me up and down as if he's studying me.
"Be ready at nine. We'll leave then," Matthew directs. Then he grabs a plate Marcy prepared and takes it upstairs without saying another word.
"Don't worry about him. He was there the day your parents passed, and he hates himself for it. Ever since that day, he's been a shut-in until he met Nicole, that is," Marcy places a hand on each of the kids' shoulders. That's their mom. She left Alaska almost three years ago, and I'm afraid he's gone back to his old ways."
"He was there the day my parents died? What about you?" I ask.
Grandpa never told me the story of their passing, just that it was a car accident. I hadn't really ever thought about it as I got older, only the fact that they were no longer with me. Once I was old enough to look more into it, the dreams had me too distracted to even think about it.
"I was," Marcy hangs her head low.
"Can you tell me?" The words leave my mouth before I have a second to think about if I really want to know how they died.
Marcy looks at the kids and tells them to take their food to the living room and watch TV. She takes a seat at the chair across from me and pours us each a glass of tea.
"There's not much to the story. They were leaving for the airport, and their taxi hit a patch of black ice, causing the car to slide off the hill. The car went up in an explosion, killing them and the cab driver."
"Why would Matthew hate himself for that? It seems like it was a complete accident."
"He stepped out on the street, and the cab swerved to dodge him. It's when the car swerved that it hit the black ice." Marcy takes a sip of her tea.
I sit back in my chair, unsure how I'm feeling. Unable to speak I eat what's on my plate and then go upstairs to prepare for the journey tomorrow.
"Hello? Are you awake?" A loud banging on my door wakes me up, "Hello?! I'm not waiting all day!" My eyes heavily open and only spring awake when I see the clock is a little after nine. Jumping out of my bed, I shove on my shoes and grab my jacket and photo bag, rushing to the door to open it. "I'm sorry," I say for being late and bumping into his stone wall chest, "Sorry," I say again, fixing the messy hair out of my face. Matthew doesn't say anything. Instead, he just grunts and moves to the stairs. I follow behind him. Marcy is at the bottom of the steps with a picnic basket in her hands and gives it to Matthew, who reluctantly takes it. "Have fun, you two," Marcy coos. "Whatever," Matthew mumbles in a barely audible whisper. Marcy gives me a smile while I run behind Matthew to keep up with his pace. "Can you slow down a bit?" I yell out to him.Matthew doesn't say anything, he just stops in his tracks, not even bothering to look back. Coming up beside him, he sneers at me,
Marcy and Matthew took two hours to get the kids ready. While they did that, I organized the living room and had the fireplace ready for a photo shoot. I'm still against the idea, but seeing Marcy smile when I told her what Matthew asked for made it hard to stay mad.The kids came down first, both dressed in their Sunday's finest. Marcy followed behind them in a simple purple dress and wearing the same house slippers she had on earlier."Can you shoot from the waist up?" Marcy asks, fixing her hair in the mirror that's located in the hallway.The two kids begin arguing over something random, which has Marcy yelling at them to settle down. Marcy calls out for Matthew but he doesn't respond."Do you mind getting him dear?" Marcy says, looking at me with tired eyes.I simply nod and keep my head down as I go up the stairs. I arrive at his door and knock, but when there is still no answer, I gently turn the handle and peek my way inside. The room is empty, but a light is shining behind on
Matthew's hand trails up my thighs, making my legs part to give him better access. His fingers slip into my already wet folds before he pushes them inside me, causing me to let out a moan. His lips kiss mine almost as a reminder not to be too loud and wake the others, then moves to my neck, then down to my breast. My hand reaches down to feel his cock, which is already ready for me. Even after a few drinks, Matthew didn't have any problem keeping up with me, something I hadn't experienced in a very long time. The idea of him inside me has me pulling him on top of me as I'm no longer able to wait.Matthew lets out a low chuckle and positions himself between me, then presses his thick member inside me. He pushes himself as far as he can go inside me, my body reacts instantly, wanting to clasp down on him to never let him go. Almost as if instincts kick in, I flip us over so he's now on his back, and I'm on top. My hands reach down and are placed on the headboard to give me leverage wh
Dinner time came and went. I grabbed my plate of food and came back to my room, as I was still upset with Matthew. Marcy could sense the tension, while the kids were none the wiser. I continued reviewing the journals, hoping something new would pop out of me, but I had no luck, making me even more frustrated.I slam them shut and pace back and forth, trying to think of a way to get back out there on my own without the asshole tour guide. How can he sleep with me one day and be an ass the next? I scoff."Now he's starting to remind me of Jackson." I search the room, hoping I might find something that will help me get back out there. As I rummage around the dressers and closet, I manage to find a flashlight, a few batteries, and a thick jacket. I walk over to the window, open it, and contemplate jumping out. During my internal debate a knock on the door stops me.I set the jacket and flashlight on the chair, then go to answer the door to see Matthew standing behind it. "What do you wa
Jackson POVFour Days AgoLeave! How could she fucking leave?! I've wasted these last few years kissing up to that bitch, waiting for her to become that damn wolf, and she just leaves! As if I would have stayed with her this whole time if I didn't expect to get something out of it."Damn it!" I yell.I pick up the bottle I took out of the fridge just before she left and throw it against the wall. My rage doesn't end there. I rip apart the couch, throwing the pieces all around the living room, then pick up the TV and slam it down on the ground. "Fuck!" I scream with my fist raging in the air."Hello?" a woman's voice calls from behind the front door, "I'm trying to work over here," she continues, annoyed as she bangs on the door.Perfect, I can go for a snack.I open the door, and the blonde, busted woman drops the bitchy attitude and changes her whole demeanor to something more seductive. A typical move for any human that comes across me. Humans are unable to resist the aura I exude,
Freya POV My body aches from Jackson dropping me on the floor. I panic, unsure what to do. In my condition, there's no way I can fight him off, and I need to get to the kids to make sure they're safe. I notice the camera on the floor and reach over to grab it and quickly turn it on. Jackson always hated me using it when he was around because he said he hated the way the flash bothered his eyes. Before it can turn on, Jackson lifts me back up by the throat. I clutch onto the camera, holding it for dear life and counting in my head the seconds it takes for it to turn on. My body starts to go limp. I look down at the camera and notice the red light, which lets me know it's ready to go. With every last bit of energy I can muster, I lift the camera, putting it directly in his face, and take a picture of him. The flash caused Jackson to release me and scream in pain as he uses his hands to cover his eyes. As quickly as I can, I run upstairs and shout for the kids and search for them un
Cole POV "We've been contacted by a small group of survivors seeking asylum," Derek remarks, standing up from his seat at the round table. "How many are we expecting?" Alyssa asks, taking a drink from her wine glass. I placed them both together and gave them a seat on the council because of their yin-yang personalities. Derek is a strong fighter and an expert warrior in battle; he's also the most strategic in bringing back survivors alive. Alyssa is more of the nurturing type and has a very gentle touch that helps with dealing with survivors who just made the dangerous trek here. While they both despise each other, it doesn't stop them from working well together—in more ways than one. They don't think I know about their affair, but it's obvious, at least to me, it is. "They started with ten, but now they are down to six," Derek says in a more somber tone. He knows the loss all too well from making the journey himself once before. "We can't keep taking in every stray pack that c
Freya POV "I don't think I caught your name," Justin turns to me. When I don't say anything, he continues, "So what is it?" "Freya. It's Freya," I say. Justin has been showing me around the town on our way to meet this Alpha person, and I'm amazed at how it reminds me of the stories grandpa used to tell me. The area kind of reminds me of the Wild West, but only if the Wild West was brought into the new age and had internet and running water. There was a small shopping center, but all the lights were off except for the ones out in the storefronts. The hospital is next to a police/fire station that looks to be up and running. We keep walking and pass the park that leads into a neighborhood. We continue straight, and a big house that looks more like a mansion appears. All the lights were on inside, and this place seemed to be the most active thing in the whole area. I'd think that they are throwing a party inside, as I see so many people coming and going with smiles on their faces.