Romeo dropped Brody off closer to the town outside their community than anyone inside the Delta pack ever went.
“Amanda said she packed five vials in your luggage and while you only need one, she was afraid it would break. So she sent some backups.”
“Awesome,” Brody replied through a big smile, hopping out of the truck. Before he could start walking, Romeo stopped him.
“Do what you need to do and then get home, you hear?”
“I do,” he said.
“Good,” Romeo said, shaking his head. “Then get on with it.”
“See you soon,” Brody said. He gave Romeo a salute and a wink before he turned and headed to the main road that would take him deeper into town. Brody had the distinct feeling that he was walking toward something much bigger than he’d first thought, but either way, he was about to make history. Either the humans were preparing for war, or a haunted man’s wish had died with him and his direct offspring. Brody couldn’t help hoping for the latter. Sarina had seen enough war and all of the Delta pack had certainly had their fill of it. Whatever Brody did during this time, he wouldn’t take more war back to his people.
***
Brody noticed a fragrant odor that got stronger as he got closer toward the town. It was a bright sunny day, but he had walked all morning and was starting to wonder why he didn’t have Romeo drop him off closer. Just then, a red, extended cab Chevy Silverado passed by headed toward town. It pulled over just ahead of Brody.
“Use a ride?”
Brody approached the truck. The gentleman in the driver’s seat seemed genuine and happy to help.
“I sure could,” Brody said, stowing his bag behind the seat. Even with the vials snuggly packed between his clothes, he still couldn’t risk them in the bed of the truck.
“You look like you’ve been walking a while.”
“A fair bit,” Brody said with a friendly smile. “Started out this morning early. I thought I’d have made it to town by now, but it took me a little longer than I expected.”
“Well I’m glad to help,” the older man said, holding out his hand. “Kale Pearson.”
“Nice to meet you,” Brody replied, giving the man’s hand a strong shake. “Brody Duscene.”
“Nice to feel a good handshake again,” the man said with a chuckle. “Not too often that happens anymore.”
“My father taught me that you could tell a lot by the way a man, or woman, shook your hand.”
“He’d be right about that. Nowadays it’s not often I can tell much about anyone anymore. There’s some weird shit going on in the world.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Brody said with a chuckle, finding he liked this man, human or not, just fine. “Just out of curiosity, what is that fragrant smell in the air?
“Oh, you must be referring to the distillery. I’ve lived here so many years, I don’t notice it anymore. It’s the town’s major industry. The finest whiskey in the region,” said Kale.
Brody rode with Kale Pearson into town and checked into La Blue. The brochure online had said it was a modest bed and breakfast, a meal Brody hated to miss, and was perfect for the weary traveler. Stowing away his clothes and the vials, Brody headed for the local bar, hoping he’d be able to pick up any undertones about whether the humans closest to his pack were planning an all-out war, or the rumors had died with the man from the visions of the cabin.
***
“You look like you could use a drink.”
Brody turned to see a pretty little blonde take the barstool next to him. Thinking to himself, Brody was thankful to the gods of creation that he was mated to Sarina. His appetite for anyone else was dampened by Sarina’s blood that now flowed through his veins.
“I wouldn’t say no.” He played it light, already knowing what the girl wanted. She barely looked old enough to drive, let alone buy alcohol in a bar.
“Two whiskies, please,” the girl said, holding up her hand.
Brody accepted his drink and took in the finer details of the woman next to him. She was small, no more than five feet with blonde hair that wasn’t natural. He’d never understood why women always wanted to change things about themselves. The first thing that had attracted him to Sarina, once he got past the scent of her in heat, was her confidence. She knew what she wanted and damn anyone who tried to stand in her way.
“You got a name, sugar?”
“No, sugar isn’t my name,” Brody said with a smile. “I’m Brody Duscene. Nice to meet you.”
“Camille,” the girl replied. “Camille Anderson. My daddy runs the town… well sort of. He’s the mayor.”
Brody downed his drink and was pleasantly surprised. “Damn, that’s the best whiskey I’ve ever had.”
Camille smiled. “Would you believe that’s our own home town recipe?”
“You’re kidding me. This is from the distillery?” asked Brody.
“Yep, you just discovered this town’s best kept secret,” said Camille proudly.
“So what else do people do for fun here, Camille?”
“Well there’s always pool,” she suggested. “But if you want some real fun, meet me here tomorrow night at eight.” Brody let her write an address on his hand and then watched as she bent over his palm to blow the ink dry. Brody could imagine the young woman getting plenty of catcalls if her mode of dress told him anything. It made him thankful all over again that his first two children were boys. If the baby Sarina carried now was a girl, Brody would have to learn to let go, in a totally new way.
Twenty minutes later, Brody headed back to his room at the bed and breakfast to write down the address and mark a time for tomorrow night. He needed to find out fast whether or not these people meant any harm to his pack.
***
“You made it!”
Brody saw the blonde headed toward him and smiled.
“I couldn’t miss the real fun,” he said, letting her take his hand and drag him through what looked to be a sea of people. His ears, much more attuned to conversation than a human’s, picked up several different snippets of information, nothing though that led him to believe a war was coming. “So, Camille. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Why? You interested in the position?” she teased.
Brody was liking her sense of humor. He was beginning to realize that while he may change into a huge, hairy dog during every full moon, humans weren’t nearly as bad as they seemed from a distance.
“I just want to make sure I’m not going to get pummeled for talking to you.”
“Mike,” she said, looking over Brody’s shoulder. Brody turned around and stopped short, noting a mammoth of a man behind him. He came around and stood beside Camille. Easily as tall as Brody himself, the man Camille had called Mike, was built like a refrigerator; wide and all muscle. “This is Brody Duscene. World traveler, come to check out our small corner of the map.”
“Hey, Brody,” the guy said, nearly shaking Brody’s arm off. “Nice to meet you.”
“Feeling’s mutual,” Brody said with a smile. “Camille tells me that this is where the real fun is.”
“She’d be right about that.” Mike smiled back. “We might be small town folk, but party is our middle name. So, I’m not sure what your preferred poison is, but you’re welcome to take your pick.”
Brody turned and saw a table with a huge assortment of ales, lagers, liqueurs, wine and hard liquor, just waiting to be taken advantage of.
“Well.” Brody tried to laugh. “Y’all certainly know where to make your score. Where the hell all this come from?”
“Everything you see on the table is made here and the surrounding area. Something to do with the water that gives it that special taste. It’s getting wide distribution that’s the problem. Rumors have been flying around town since forever that there’s a pack of real life werewolves just outside of town. No one wants to chance running into one so we never go west of here. Everything we make flows east, which you can imagine, closes us off to a huge market.”
“Um, yeah, that would be a shit kicker,” Brody said, trying to hang onto the jargon Sarina had gone over with him. Kids today talked so damn weird. “So you just ship everything east and forget about the market that’s just waiting for you out west?”
“Well now,” Mike said with a smile. “I didn’t say we were just sitting back, now did I?”
“Well, no.”
“It’s taken a while now,” Mike explained. “But we’re hoping that by pooling our resources, we can run a track of properties through the Delta region and make a safe way through that area where humans can travel without the threat that may or may not actually exist out that way. Considering no one’s ever seen a werewolf and brought back proof, it’s all still just a myth. Still, I’d rather be safe than sorry. It’s not like we can take the fight to them or anything. And who knows, maybe they’ll decide they like what we’re selling. It’d be nice to score some more home town customers, you know?”
“I do,” Brody said. So, if what he’d learned tonight meant anything, it wasn’t war these people wanted. It was buyers and lots of them. The unfortunate part was that they needed safe passage past the New Delta region. Brody thought it would be best not to increase the human traffic into their wolf dominated region. Convincing a bunch of money hungry young adults that bypassing the region was the way to go wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as just kicking their asses in a war. Brody knew though that he had to do everything in his power to make peace with these people. Helping them with their problem seemed the smoothest way to do that. At the same time, he could help convince them to go around the wolves habitat.
“Awesome, man.” Brody nearly died when Mike picked him up in a bear hug. If he hadn’t been inhibited by Amanda’s potion, he’d probably have killed Mike just to save himself the trouble. Wouldn’t that have been a bitch?
***
“What in the hell could be taking this long?” Sarina fumed, pacing in her parents’ living room. Having just put the twins down for a nap, she needed a moment to vent. “It’s been nearly two weeks and there’s been absolutely no word from Brody about anything he’s found out, or not found out.”
“Sweetheart, you have to be patient and give Brody time.” said Amanda
“I have!” she seethed. Sighing, Sarina ran a hand through her dark hair. “Oh, Mama. I’m frustrated that everyone here is so happy while I’m miserable.”
“Is that the way you see it?” Amanda said, smiling. “Because I see a vigilant and diligent wife who loves her husband and simply wants everything to return to normal for once in her complicated life.”
“Have I mentioned you’re my favorite?” Sarina said, returning the smile.
“I remember feeling much the same way as you when your father and I met. I’d gone from this comfortable co-ed to a werewolf and witch nearly over night. I’d been all but told I’d have to marry Romeo, whether or not I liked it, if I wanted to stay alive and nothing felt as if it was any of my choice.
“Even the first time I slept with him, as much as I chose to do it, the decision still didn’t feel completely mine. I had all this hanging over my head and no one to talk to about it. My parents were dead and these people who kept demanding my cooperation weren’t any more familiar to me than Adam from the garden.”
“I have to admit, I don’t often think about how hard it must have been for you, going through all of that alone.”
“Alone?” Amanda scoffed. “I couldn’t have been less alone if I’d tried. Someone was always checking on me, asking me how I was doing, and demanding answers from me I wasn’t even sure I could comprehend. And much like you I suffered through my own kidnapping. Of course, I did meet your Aunt Penelope that way, but still, I’d have liked a say in the matter.”
“Will you tell me the story?”
Sarina sat at her mother’s feet, smiling when Shawna and Gina came to sit with them as well. Newly married, Gina and Turk would soon be heading to a different part of the world for a while, but Sarina knew they’d eventually return here and become an official part of the Delta pack.
“It all started when I was contacted by my Aunt Mabel’s lawyer to tell me that my only living relative, whom I knew absolutely nothing about, had passed away; leaving me her entire estate.”
Amanda retold the tale of how she and Romeo had come to be the rulers of the Delta pack and Sarina sighed as she listened, knowing just how much love she and Brody had, because she’d seen it in her parents first. Still, when she went home, she went without her mate and that was the hardest thing she’d ever done. If she’d ever wanted a glimpse of what life would be like without Brody, she’d gotten that glimpse and it wasn’t a life she would ever like to have.
Sarina tucked her boys into bed with warm kisses and bedtime stories about a werewolf who saved his people from war, then she turned out the lights and sought the solitude of her bedroom. She’d tried in the past several days to reach out to Brody in her mind, but the potion that made him mostly human, must have blocked his ability to hear her as well. Every message she sent out, never received an answer.
She showered and tucked herself in for the night, choosing the center of the bed so she’d sleep at least partially where Brody lay when he slept. Tucking her hand under his pillow, Sarina fell quickly asleep, but rest eluded her. In sleep, Sarina dreamed of Brody and what he must be experiencing in the human world.
“You’re not going to want to build a road that way,” Brody said to a broad, muscular man. Nearly as tall as her mate, the man seemed kind, but Sarina couldn’t help sense the tinge of anger that boiled beneath the surface of his skin.
“Why?” the man asked, his curious eyes roaming over a pretty blonde who stood close to him.
“Trust me, friend. There are some things you don’t know about that area. Weird shit happens around that place and it’s not somewhere you’re going to want to risk your stock.”
“What sort of weird shit?”
“The sort that people only whisper about because there’s never any proof,” Brody said, downing the last of what looked like beer.
“Oh yeah?” the man snickered. “And how exactly do you know this?”
“I’ve seen it,” Brody said, smiling. “I’m short of details, for obvious reasons. But I’ve seen what lurks around that area and trust me, you don’t want to go there.”
“Then find me a way around and I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Deal,” Brody replied confidently. “You’ll need to give me some time to work it out, but I’ll make sure you have a relatively safe and easy way to get those to the people who want them. My fee is twenty-five percent.”
The man nearly spit his beer out. “Twenty-five? I can’t do more than fifteen without cutting into my own profit.”
“Well,” Brody said with a sinister smile. “Just think about how fast you’ll recoup the missing ten percent when you can reach all the way to the west coast. Certainly the short term loss is worth the long term gain.”
“Maybe,” the guy said. “I’ll think about it. Let me know when you’ve got a plan and what you need to get started.”
***
It was the wee hours of the morning, when the moon’s light still shone bright in the sky, as Sarina brewed herself a cup of coffee. She normally preferred tea, but with Brody gone, she found herself longing for him so badly that the smell and taste of coffee soothed her soul some. What the hell was Brody doing over there?
Was he really trying to set up a way around the New Delta area for humans to traffic drugs? Was that the sort of man she was married to? Werewolf or not, her kind had manners and morals, morals Brody obviously didn’t share. She needed to talk to her parents and fast. As soon as the boys woke up, Sarina grabbed granola bars and juice and packed them up for a trip up the hill.
***
“Sarina?” said Shawna when she opened the door. Clearly she’d just woken up and was surprised to see the sister who’d just left the night before. “Everything okay?”
“I hope so,” she said. “Where are Mom and Dad?”
“In the kitchen, probably.”
Sarina headed toward the kitchen feeling better when she heard her parents’ voices.
“Sarina, what’s wrong?”
She always loved the way her parents could tell, with just a look, that something wasn’t right.
“I had a dream about Brody last night. I think he’s trying to find a way around the New Delta area so that the humans can traffic drugs to the west without coming through here.”
Sarina felt as if she had two heads the way her parents looked at her.
“I know it sounds crazy,” she rushed on. “But I can’t shake the feeling that whatever trouble we could be potentially facing, it’s not so much a physical as it is that which will battle every area of our lives.”
“Alright,” Romeo said. “Then we need to call Brody back and figure out what’s going on. Then we’ll reassess whether or not we can send him back.”
***
Brody woke from a nightmare the next morning and cursed the hangover that pummeled in his head, like a battering ram jackhammer. He could have set a clock by it, the throbbing was so consistent. Mixing up a cocktail of orange juice and pain killers, Brody choked it down and hoped he’d be able to see straight within the hour.
After a long shower, he felt somewhat better and began to dress for his next visit. He needed to figure out who the man in the vision was and track down his descendants. He made it to the library without dying and figured that was as good as it was going to get today.
***
“May I help you?” asked an elderly librarian.
“I’d like the archives room, please,” said Brody.
“Sure, Sonya will be able to help you with anything you might need.”
“Thank you,” Brody replied before heading downstairs. For a small town, the library was huge and when he hit the landing of the staircase, Brody knew why. Above the passageway to the archives room a plaque read: In Memory of Mr. C. Henry and Mrs. Elena Whittaker. Perhaps C. Henry Whittaker was a descendant of the man in the vision, Brody thought to himself.
He entered into the secluded room and had to admit that for archives, it was pretty nice. Neat and organized, much like Sarina preferred, it wouldn’t be hard this way to find what he was looking for.
“May I help you?”
Brody turned to find a stunning woman standing close by. Not so long ago he would have thought it a shame that a woman like her was stuck in a place like this so many hours of the day. Now though, his thought centered on his job and the incredible woman waiting for him at home. She’d been all it took to turn him into a family man.
“Um, yes. I need to know if there’s any record of a double murder happening somewhere around here. It was quite a long time ago so I’m not sure there’s any record of it, to be honest.”
“Well, if we can narrow down the time, that would help a lot.”
“I’m guessing at least a hundred years ago, maybe even more?”
“Alright,” the young woman said. “I’m Michelle by the way. Most people just call me Chelle for short. We’ll start with nineteen hundred and work our way up from there. Hopefully we’ll canvass what you’re looking for.”
Brody sat down at the microfiche machine as Chelle brought him pile after pile of slides. By lunch he was nearly cross-eyed and blind from reading so much. He had found, though, some interesting information. It seems C. Henry Whittaker was married to Elena Michelle Walker. Ms. Walker, before she married, had a father, one Elijah David Morris-Walker. Elijah’s mother was none other than Martha Amanda Walker. She’d married Jackson Walker and they’d had a baby they named Abigail. Later, after their deaths, it seemed Jackson had been able to move on and he married Lena Matthews. It seemed that, while they never had children, they lived out their days together. With no divorce on record, their marriage lasted some fifty-six years, only ending because Jackson died of natural causes at the age of one hundred and one.
The story that made the town paper way back when stated that Jackson Walker had returned home after a night of drinking to find his wife and daughter torn to shreds by a huge dog-like beast. Brody had to wonder about what Amanda had been told, if anything, about her great-grandfather, Elijah. Elijah grew up and dropped his name to Elijah David Walker. His son, Adam Scott Walker married a beautiful woman named Scarlett. Their children Mabel and Joshua Walker became Amanda Walker’s aunt and father.
“Thank you,” Brody said as he left the archives room. He headed back to his room and packed. The sooner he got home with this information, the better. The full moon would come that night and Brody drank one of the vials to keep himself from changing. It’d mean another month of being just this side of werewolf, but it couldn’t be avoided. He couldn’t risk the change when he was still among this many humans.