I really couldn’t see anything except forms crawling around the trees into the clearing. Night-vision goggles would have been nice. I couldn’t hear much because their voices and their movements were muffled. Several minutes of this, and I wondered if being covered by dead squirrel and myrtle smell was worth it.
Chapter Eleven
Fire flickered. Someone had lit a match. It floated through the darkness, then increased in size, eventually becoming a bonfire. I could see faces in the wavy light, but couldn’t discern who was who. Other than the pack, some adults were there. I only recognized Mr. Varden. The others must have been Nick’s and Aidan’s dads. I saw Jules’s profile and decided to watch her. I was here for her after all.
Mr. Varden, I think, stood up once the fire was full and crackling. “This is the night of Hunter’s Moon. When we remember our ancestors and look forward to the future.” He paused, looking over all the members present. “But tonight is different. Tonight we hand the pack over to the younger generation as we welcome a new member to the family.”
Jules.
I shifted on my branch, leaning as much as I could to hear.
“So, we will begin with remembering.” He took a deep breath and started speaking almost too quickly, reciting a story about the first wolf shifter. The recitation reminded me of folktales because they didn’t seem to know exactly how they’d come about.
“Our pack was begun by the generation before me. We came to this area, found it safe and unclaimed. Two families wanting to govern themselves set up den here.” He threw something in the fire, and it flared for a second. “The pack will always be safe here. Open to the packless, but secret and secure from those that seek to dictate and extort from the ones who choose freedom.”
What was he talking about?
“We follow human law, but we cannot be held to it. This pack will always protect the secret because the pack is everything.”
Everyone absorbed that during a long moment of silence.
“And tonight we have grown our pack. Juliet, please stand.”
She did. Her white streak of hair glowed in the darkness.
“Your history is unknown to us. Doesn’t matter. Your parentage is unknown. Again, does not matter. We adopt you as both human and wolf. You are family. You are pack.”
I heard murmured agreement throughout the group. Jules had a family. My eyes prickled with tears.
“Ezra?” his father said.
Ezra got up and strode to one of the trees enclosing the circle. He lifted something that flashed in the firelight. His back was toward me as he stood at the tree.
“We record our history here,” Mr. Varden explained to Jules. “You will be recorded on the tree. A new member of the pack.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was breathless.
Ezra returned. He stopped by Jules and gripped her shoulder, then sat.
“You can sit down,” Mr. Varden told her. “A new member and also a new Alpha.”
Someone else stood. Micah. He and Mr. Varden drifted away from the fire. My eyes weren’t good enough to follow. All I could see was black night.
But I heard…things. Grunts and hits. The sounds of a fight.
Mr. Varden and Micah were fighting. I covered my mouth to keep from calling out.
But no one from the circle jumped to help. Jules looked at whoever was next to her, but didn’t seem alarmed. I calmed down somewhat. The fight, if that was what it was, didn’t last very long. Both returned to the fire.
“I have been bested,” Mr. Varden said, his breathing heavy. “And I step down. Micah Reade, the pack is yours to lead. Do you accept this responsibility?”
“I do.”
“Who do you call as your second?”
“Ezra Varden.”
Ezra stood, and I heard a strangled gasp from those who were seated.
After a pause, Mr. Varden asked, “Ezra, do you accept this position of support and counsel to your Alpha?”
“I do.”
“You may sit.”
Quiet, Ezra did just that.
“Micah. Your life is no longer your own. It is the pack’s. Every decision you make must be for the good of the pack. Do you understand?” Mr. Varden spoke so gravely I got goose bumps wondering what would happen next.
“Yes.”
The fire leaped higher as if someone had thrown something in it.
“Your next decision is choice of mate.”
What? I scooted up a bit. The branch creaked, and I grimaced.
“To keep the bloodlines as pure as possible, you are required to choose a female shifter. Are you prepared to name her?”
“Yes. Juliet Ellery is the mate of my choice.”
“What?” Jules’s voice rose above Naomi’s, but both sounded outraged.
“Silence.” Micah’s voice shot through the forest with authority. “We will enter into a union at an appropriate age, but I am promised to her and she to me.”
Jules jumped up. “Wait a second, don’t I—”
“Sit down!” Micah boomed. I didn’t know he ever raised his voice.
She sat, shaken.
“I am Alpha and my decisions are final.”
I heard a muttered curse and a consequent chuckle. Then quiet again, with tensions high.
“We conclude the Alpha ceremony with phasing. Wolf and human, we are both.” Micah took over as all members stood.
The bone-cracking sound echoed through the woods as they all phased, clothes thrown this way and that.
Then the howling started. I’d heard only one or two before, but ten wolves howling was haunting. Millions of goose bumps instantly rose on my arms and legs. The howling went on for several minutes.
Eventually it ended and the phasing sound began again. I leaned back against the tree, my heart slowing. The older generation left first, and Jules turned in my direction, her eyes searching for me. I scooted out of the leaves, so she’d know I was still there.
I lost my balance, gasping loudly as I stopped myself from toppling over.
I was an idiot.
Too worried about falling and breaking my neck, I didn’t notice that someone was at the bottom of my tree. A large hand grabbed me by the arm and tugged me down. I landed with an “oof” on my butt, which, though plenty padded, still hurt.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Aidan growled, his face skewed. He was changing before my eyes.
He completely turned into a wolf, his eyes glittering, then bared his teeth, stalking toward me.
Heart pounding, I scrambled away. “I didn’t…” I tried to speak, but fear took hold of my tongue.
A flash of white blocked my vision. Jules, in wolf form, stood in front of me. She snapped at Aidan, snarling and baring her teeth. Thumping footsteps approached, and soon the rest of the pack was there.
“Stop.” Micah grabbed Aidan by the scruff and pulled him back.
Jules backed up of her own accord.
“You two, phase back.”
Neither wolf moved.
“Now.”
Aidan changed easily, but Jules didn’t venture away from me, nor go back to human.
Ezra walked over. “Go on. I’ll make sure nothing happens to Sophie,” he said softly to her.
She eyed him, then trotted off to hide behind some trees.
“I’m guessing it was her idea, right?” Ezra asked.
“No, not completely.” It had been, but I didn’t want her to take all the blame.
He held out his hand for me to take. I took it, and he helped me stand. He didn’t let go of me for a few seconds. Jules was soon next to me. Both she and Aidan were dressed, but I was still glad for the dark.
“Juliet,” Micah said. “This was pack only.”
She didn’t say anything.
“She can’t know—”
“She already knows what we are, why does the rest of it matter? I had no idea what was happening tonight and I trust Sophie.” She shielded me from their eyes. “Y’all could have sacrificed me or something.”
Ezra chuckled, but no one else laughed. They were all so tense.
“And what the hell was that about the mating crap? I am not—”
Micah pointed at me. “She is not allowed to know any of this. To be a part of it. She’s human.”
“She’s my best friend.” Jules took a step toward him. “What is so scary about anyone else knowing?”
“It’s not safe.”
“We’re stronger than humans. I’m not scared of them.”
Micah growled low in his throat. “It’s not humans we’re wary of.”
Jules paused, then glanced at the rest of the pack. “It’s not?”
Micah sighed and turned his attention to me. “You heard everything?”
“Yes.” My voice sounded so little compared to the rest of theirs.
“Including the part where the pack is everything?”
“Yes.”
“You are more involved than you should be. Juliet has seen fit to disregard the rules.” He growled. “Which has consequences.”
“You gonna spank me?” Jules was mocking.
I heard a couple of growls, but Nick laughed. “Oh come on, we really need to lighten up here. So, Sophie knows more than any other nonmate human. So what? She’s not gonna blog about it.”
I shook my head. “I promised to keep it secret.”
Micah looked around at the rest of his pack. “It’s late. We’re tired. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.”
“You’re gonna just let her get away with it?” Naomi sidled up to Micah. “After all, she’s your mate now. Does that mean she can do whatever she wants?”
Micah grabbed her by the chin. Ezra started toward him.
“Back off, Ez,” Micah snapped. “Naomi. I am your Alpha. Everything’s changed now. I said there are consequences. And there will be. Tomorrow. You know better than to question.” He let go.
She rubbed her jaw. “Whatever.”
“Everyone back to the house.” Micah walked up to me, with Jules still between us. “This will never happen again, Sophie. What is only pack, will still stay only pack. OK?”
“OK.”
He looked at Jules. “Female shifter is always promised to the Alpha. It is the way of things.”
“Over your dead body,” she snapped.
He smiled. “We’ll see.” He patted Ezra on the shoulder, then left.
When Micah had gone, Ezra said, “So…dead squirrel perfume.”
I groaned and leaned my head against Jules’s shoulder.
She stroked my back. “Told you I’d protect you.”
“Thanks for that. Now I have half a pack mad at me.”
“Better than the whole pack,” Ezra said.
“Who cares?” Jules glared at him. “Ezra. This mate thing.”
He raised his hands in surrender, backing up. “Nope, you and Mic have to discuss that. I’ll let Mom know that Sophie’s crashing.” He laughed. “Dead squirrel. That’s pretty impressive.” He jogged off, leaving Jules and I alone.
Realization dawned. “Aidan was going to hurt me,” I said.
“At least you’re not mated with some full-of-himself, tyrannical leader.” She patted my head. “You need a shower.”
I gave her a “duh” look. “No kidding.” After a long moment of quiet, I asked, “What does all this mean?”
“No idea. Who or what are they scared of?” She led me back to my car while I pondered the same question.
* * *
I took the longest shower I’d ever taken in my life. After scrubbing my skin raw, I towel-dried my hair and slipped on my PJ pants and T-shirt. I opened the door into the darkened hallway, hesitating at the sound of footsteps on the stairs.
Ezra clattered up the stairs then paused in front of the open bathroom door. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
After a silence, he said, “You smell better.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I bet. Um, would Aidan have hurt me?”
He clenched his hands into fists for a split second. “You did freak us out.” He sounded defensive.
“I’m sure I did…I just…he phased and growled. Big teeth. You didn’t phase or growl.”
“’Cause I knew you were there.”
“What?”
“I’d caught your scent before you nearly fell out of the tree.”
“But you didn’t say anything.”
“You’re not hard to trust, Sophie.” He slipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
I waited for a few seconds, hoping he’d come out soon and I could ask what he’d meant by that, but I heard the shower turn on.
And I was tired. Spying had worn me out. I stumbled into Jules’s room.
She looked up from her journal on her desk. “All clean?”
“Ezra said I smelled better.” I sat on the floor.
“Ezra?”
“He’s in the bathroom.”
“Oh.” She closed her notebook and looked at me. “So.”
“So.”
“I will not ever be with Micah. Ewww.” She shuddered, plopping down from the chair onto the floor. “They can’t force me.”
“Whatever appropriate age means, I guess that means it won’t happen now.”
“It’s the twenty-first century. No way in hell.” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Besides, I think I could take him. He’s not that strong.”
“Really?”
“If it was fight him or you know…not even saying it out loud. Just gross. So, you OK?”
“Sure. Not processing much at this point actually. I feel like everything has been happening so fast that I’m just going and going and not thinking too much about anything for long periods of time.”
“Yeah.” She sat quietly for a second. “Like how really weird it is that we even exist?”
“Yeah.”
“Sometimes I just stare at my reflection in the creek when I’m a wolf, like somehow it’ll all be a really out-there dream. But not so much.” She stared out into nothing for several seconds.
“You have family now, though. That’s good.”
“I like about half the family…if that.” Her eyes focused back on me.
“You don’t get to choose your family, just your friends.” I smiled. “Although, you know, most of the guys seem all right. Gil’s nice.”
“He, Nick and Ezra are fine. Naomi’s a brat. Alpha Evil is evil. And Aidan…I dunno, just don’t like him. And the dads? Stupid mating thing is their idea.” She listened for a moment. “He’s out of the bathroom. I’ll be back.” She jumped up and left the room.
I stayed, my mind going through the massive amount of information I’d just learned. I was really too tired for it. I looked around the room, and noticed the green notebook on her desk.
Her journal. The notebook I’d given her, actually. From that very first day when I’d seen her at Walmart.