Dammit! Will this guy really come after me?
Oh, gee, let’s see... you discovered his illegal blood brothel were he sells captive werewolves to any vampire willing to pay. I’d say you’re pretty screwed.
A grunt of frustration leaves me as I try to block the annoying voice in my head. What if I went to the local police? A recounting of yesterday’s events isn’t something any sane cop would believe. They’d probably lock me up as crazy, to boot.
Could I spin the story differently—like human trafficking—and get someone to listen? Only one way to find out.
I need a phone. A sign for a mall comes into view and I head there, hoping to find a wireless store for my carrier. Could Cecil track my calls on a new phone? Relaying my fears for identity theft to the sales rep at the store, he convinces me to just get a whole new number.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I get a new cell and a new number. Alone in my jeep once more, I do a search on my new smartphone for the nearest state park. If there are Weres in the area, I might get a whiff of their trail in a large expanse of woods. It’s a long shot but I’ve got to try.
Nagging unease slides down my spine as I drive the highway toward Little Bennett Regional Park. I reach for my phone once more, determined to at least attempt contacting my old pack for help. I call Elsa, reasoning my chances of getting information out of her are greater than if I go through Romeo. She answers on the third ring.
“Who is this and how did you get my cell number?”
“Elsa, it’s me, Jon.”
“Jon? Where are you? I’ve been worried sick.”
Yeah, so worried she didn’t even try calling me during the last month. “I returned to Virginia, but not my home town. A place much farther north. I’ve got a job and a place to live.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a smart place for you to be, but you’re on your own now. You left quite a mess here to contend with.”
I wince at her unspoken implications. “I’m not going to apologize for what I did to Kotsana.”
A snort sounds at the end of the line. “No, I guess I wasn’t expecting you to.” She sighs. “What do you need, Jon? I have a feeling you’d only call if there was a reason.”
The exit for the park appears and I take the next turn. “I ran into a really bad situation with the local pack.”
She chuckles. “They don’t want a young hotheaded alpha joining their ranks? Big surprise.”
I squelch the desire to defend myself. I never knew she thought of me that way. “No. I discovered the pack is being held hostage by a vampire with a Were blood addiction. He sells their bodies and blood to visiting vampires.”
“That’s horrible! Their alphas should have had no trouble containing the vampire. Two alphas against one vamp are usually enough.”
“Not when they hold your daughter hostage and then drain you to near death before killing her.”
“Oh God, that poor girl.” She’s silent for a moment and I wonder if Romeo is listening to both sides of the conversation. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do.”
Anger boils inside me at her quick self-interested response. “Cannot or will not?”
“Excuse me?”
“You and the pack could help, but you won’t. Isn’t that more accurate?”
Her voice sounds sad, almost resigned. “I may not be happy with the individual nature of each pack and their masters, but it’s how we live. Survival of the fittest, just like in the wild.”
I take one last turn, directly into the public area and maneuver to a vacant lot. “We aren’t wild animals. No matter what we gain from our wolf halves we are still human. Geez, Elsa, even humans look out for each other.”
“It’s not our fight. You can’t expect us to risk our safety for them. We have our own people to protect.”
“Whatever. Thanks for nothing.” I disconnect the call, disheartened it ended so badly. After stopping in the spot closest to the woods, I get out and take a deep breath, letting the feel of the forest seep into my bones.
The smells of old and new growth wraps around me. Rotting leaves, standing water, honeysuckle blossoms, and dark earth vie for prominence in the air. Slowly a calm energy eases into my veins. My inner beast stretches and pushes at my surface thoughts, eager to run. It’s only mid-afternoon. I should be able to run for a few hours without worry of vampires coming after me. I didn’t smell any humans on the mansion’s grounds, so hopefully it’s safe to assume Cecil doesn’t have a stable of human servants he could sic after me at a moment’s notice.
With a quick glance around, I strip and lock my clothes in the truck, then stash my keys in the spare tire. A light breeze moves the hair on my legs, offering a mild a respite to the choking humidity. I call my beast to the surface, a brief searing pain spilling over me as the transformation comes fast. I fall to the ground, my limbs altering as grey-tipped brown fur covers my skin. The subtle scents I noticed before now scream through my head. I take a moment to adjust, lifting my muzzle to the sky and savoring all the woods have to offer.