Chapter Twenty-One
By the end of the week, we’d spent as much time together as we did apart. And as the evening slowly gave way to a clear starlit sky, the three of us gathered on my front porch, ready to go.
“Are you sure about this?” Bree asked as she carefully removed her clothes, folding every single article before setting them on the porch beside me. “We could always sit inside if you’d rather—”
“It’s important to you,” I said as I took her hand in mine, “which means it’s important to me. Besides, we still have to tell Jackson as I’m sure he doesn’t know.”
“Know what?” Jackson asked as he removed his shirt.
“You’ll see,” Bree teased, pushing her brother around the side of the building to shield him from view.
“Shouldn’t you tell her that you won’t be able to talk—”
“Relax,” Bree said from behind the building. “We’ve got it covered.”
I couldn’t help smiling at that, and when the two of them joined me in their pelts, there was no way I could keep it to myself.
With Bree already knowing what I was capable of, I stepped off the porch and cautiously approached Jackson’s wolf. His ears swiveled as he focused on me, a slight flicker flashing behind his eyes.
Taking a breath, I fought back my anxiety and held out in my hand in hopes of showing I wasn’t a threat. I’d only seen Jackson’s wolf up close the one time, and that was during an attack. If his wolf associated me with such an event, approaching him too soon could destroy everything Bree and I had worked toward.
So I took my time, looking at Bree every now and again whose ears were perked and confident. Jackson was paying attention to her as well, following her example and sitting in place even though he clearly wanted to run.
“Wait.” A flash of purple entered my mind, followed by silver and blue as Bree stepped to my side, leaning against me just enough to form a connection.
Without saying anything, I did as Bree asked, waiting for the moment of panic to pass until she allowed me to approach Jackson again. Those colors flashed at me two more times until Jackson finally let me place my hand in his fur. As soon as I did, he leaned into me, panting as his tail swished behind him.
“Good.”
It was amazing just how much of Bree’s pride I could feel in that one word, and looking at Jackson, I realized he felt it as well. Especially when he looked at her and let out a low whimper.
‘What gives?’ I imagined him asking, which to that, I only had one response.
“Hi Jackson,” I said as I continued to run my hand through his fur. “Can you understand me?”
At first, I feared that maybe my tie to Bree didn’t transfer to him. However, when his ears went back and he looked in his sister’s direction, I knew that wasn’t the case.
But before I could reassure him, before Bree could try and do the same, he shifted into his other form, laughing as he did.
“Are you serious?” he asked, backing away to give us some space. “That’s what you’ve been so secretive about?” He was talking to Bree but had his eyes on me. “When? How? I mean, I’ve heard about it, but… sorry.” He covered himself up the best he could, then changed back into his pelt again. “I guess this changes everything,” his wolf said once I placed my hand on its back again.
“It really does,” I agreed, breathing a little easier as the two of them butted their heads against my palms. “Ready when you are, just don’t outrun me. I only have two legs.”
Something that I could only assume was a laugh came out of Bree’s muzzle, followed by a very similar chuff from Jackson.
“I’m glad you’re amused,” I said, shivering as much from my nerves as the cooler air around us. “Shall we?”
Bree was the first to move, keeping her pace close to my own as her brother ran ahead to scout the area. He never went out of earshot, always returning moments later so I could run my hand through his fur again.
From the house, we made our way to the outside of the property line and followed the road to our right, heading away from town. For as long as I’d known Bree, she’d never invited me to her home. Apparently, that wasn’t about to change now. Either because she was a private person or because of her brother, she veered away from the driveway leading to their house and took us along a winding path further up the way.
“I’ve never gone this way before,” I said as I ran with them. My heart dipped when the road narrowed. “You can barely fit a car up here.”
“That’s the point,” Jackson said when he made contact with me.
“It’s a deterrent,” Bree added a second later, moving to my other side so I was wedged between her and the hill to our left. To her other side, the mountain simply stopped, dropping down to the land below. “That’s why the road’s so bare.”
“And no one’s ever bothered to build up here?” I asked as we continued up the long path.
“The land up top is small. If they did want to build something, they’d have to level the mountain.”
Nodding, I couldn’t help the nerves I felt then, gripping her fur when she came to join me again.
There were no lights, no signs, and no guardrails of any kind. It was just a dirt trail, a very narrow one at that, leading right up to the top of the mountain. It was hard to tell due to the fresh vegetation that had started to pop up all over the place, but it seemed as though it wasn’t the only mountain in the area. The ridge was barely visible against the night sky with a hint of light coming from the very top.
Being so far away from the street lamps and paved roads were enough to make me sick to the stomach. However, considering how easily Bree and her brother were able to navigate the dimly lit road, they were right at home, probably because they’d walked the path a thousand times before.
Then, just as we reached the crest of a hill, the world opened up, revealing a clearing in front of us with large pines surrounding it.
“What is this place?” I asked once we finally reached the top.
There were too many trees for us to see over the cliff, so they obviously hadn’t brought me here to stargaze. Looking at the large trees as they loomed overhead, I wasn’t sure where we were at all.
Was it a campground for wolves? The path had clearly been put in place with them in mind.
“It’s a resting ground,” Bree said when she nuzzled my hand.
“A resting ground?” For what? I wanted to ask. However, when she and Jackson turned away, I knew. “Oh god, I’m so sorry.”
Bree shook her mane as though to rid herself of the discomfort while her brother continued under the trees.
“No one comes up here?”
“If they do, they don’t stay long. Very few places are sacred anymore, this being one of them.”
“And the ruins in the woods near my home?” What used to be there?
“A neutral ground for all wolves. Anyone could go there and rest without the fear of being found out, caught, or attacked.”
“A safehouse.”
“Pretty much. Sadly, only a small handful exist anymore. Most have been torn down by humans looking to rebuild the area into something more to their liking or by a pack that decided to claim it for themselves.”
“Can they do that, though? The wolves, I mean. If all packs know it’s a common ground—”
“Some still try to profit off of it. It didn’t used to be this way, but every wolf has to make ends meet somehow. With most of our territory taken over, there’s only so much one wolf can do.”
“You’re second-class citizens,” I said as she lead me in the direction her brother had gone, breaking through the trees to an even smaller clearing with flowers and bows strewn across the ground.
“If you can even call us that. If that town knew we were out here?” A low growl made its way up her chest as she took her place in front of one of the dirt mounds.
Realizing the flowers had likely been displaced by the recent weather along with the fact that both Jackson and Bree did whatever they could not to shift in front of me, I knelt in front of the graves and rearranged the flowers so they were all sitting in the same spot.
“This is the only place where you can truly be left alone,” Bree told me when I sat beside her. “Jackson and I come up here whenever we can, usually in our pelts, as it’s the most sacred and protected place we know.”
“And is it okay for you to bring me here?” The way she made it sound, this place was for wolves only. I shouldn’t have been here at all.
“You belong here as much as any other wolf does,” Jackson said when he padded over to join us.
“There’s no other way for me to introduce you to the spirits,” Bree explained, lowering her ears the slightest bit as she looked at the graves again. Either because she lost her hold on her wolf or because she wanted to be close, Bree shifted back to her other form, leaning into my embrace as soon as I opened my arms. “They might not be with us, but it still comforts me.”
I nodded gently, then kissed her on the forehead when she went to hide her face in my hair. “The flowers are lovely,” I said as I stroked her hair.
“They grow in the meadows on the other side of our property,” she said with a cough, wiping away her tears before speaking again. “Our mother used to have them on the kitchen table all the time. This is my way of continuing that tradition. It’s small, and it might seem insignificant—”
“It’s beautiful,” I said as I helped her to her feet. “There’s no need to explain or apologize. I’m honored you felt safe enough to bring me here. You didn’t have to.”
“No,” she agreed with a slight nod, “but if I can’t share my joy with other wolves outside of Jackson, who am I supposed to tell?”
She had me there. I didn’t blame her for all of her secrecy, but just being able to tell my sister had made things a lot easier to process. Greta was my sounding board and who I went to for support. Without her help or subtle push, I probably wouldn’t have been with Bree at all.
“I don’t care if you choose to be human or to stay in your pelt,” I told her, “just so long as you don’t hide away from me. Relationships are built on trust, which I’ve obviously earned from you and your brother.”
“And do you trust us?” she asked with a sideways glance, stepping away before taking on her pelt again.
“I do,” I said, walking between them as we made our way back through the trees.
We never made it to the other side. Even as Jackson turned back in our direction, the air shifted. I wasn’t sure if it was the wind or something I picked up from Bree, but the moment her fur bristled under my hand, my heart lodged itself in the back of my throat.
“Go back,” she ordered, blue, silver and purple images flashing in my mind.
Alarm. That’s what those images meant. Just as the red and gold were pride and happiness. But Alarm? For what? What did she smell? What did Jackson see?
Squinting at the trees, all I saw were shadows and the hint of pine.
The newcomer’s voice found me first, followed by the rustling tree branches and Jackson’s low growl as he placed himself in front of me and Bree.
“Well, will you look at that. It seems the rumors about you taking on a human mate are true.”
“Looks like,” a second man said as he followed the first, his eyes gleaming as the newcomers emerged from the bushes.
Bree shifted and ushered me behind her. “We were just leaving.” Bree spoke through gritted teeth. “Consult with your spirits and leave us alone.”
“But this is so much fun,” the first wolf said, his eyes fixed in my direction as he slowly closed the distance between us.
I spoke before Bree could do the same, taking my place beside her when she tried to mantle in front of me. “Like she said, we were just leaving. This space is all yours, so why don’t you respect those who were buried here and let us leave in peace? There’s no need to add more spirits to this place, is there?”
“Carley,” Bree said under her breath.
“It speaks,” the main instigator said as he took another step toward us, laughing when his comrade finally decided to join him. “And here I thought she was your pet.”
“At least a pet would know its place.” The second man’s eyes were on me, the slight lisp in his voice most likely caused by his wolf.
“Enough.” This time, the voice didn’t come from either one of us, and it wasn’t until I broke eye contact with one of the outsiders when I realized Jackson had shifted out of his pelt as well. “These grounds belong to no one. As such, anyone is welcome here, including the humans we desperately try to keep away,” he looked at me then, his voice harder than before. To the others, he said, “There are plenty of houses at risk of getting torn down, so if you’re looking to start a territorial war, you can go there. This ground is sacred, so either come and talk to the spirits or go home. Let others mourn in peace.”
The outsiders looked at one another, likely sizing us up before finally taking on their pelts.
“Carley,” Bree said in a low voice, “run.”
If she said anything else, I didn’t hear her. In that moment, among the darkness and the trees, four shadows came together in the center of the clearing, every single wolf just as fearsome as the last.
Bree and Jackson didn’t waste any time, taking on their pelts as soon as I was clear. Jackson got in the first hit, attacking one of the outsides as the other went for his flank. He never succeeded, coming face-to-face with Bree instead.
Not knowing what to do or where to go, I backed away as much as I could, shrinking behind one of the trees in hopes of shielding myself from any attacks.
All the while, all I could think about was the single wolf that had come onto my property. The same one that had injured Jackson not so long ago. At the time, I didn’t expect it to happen again, but in my panic, I’d still had the foresight to keep the emergency contact in my phone.
Something snapped behind me, pulling me out of my trance. A second later, someone leaped through the trees, placing themselves between me and the wolf that had uncovered my scent.
“Bree?”
In the dark light, it was hard to tell, but when she growled from deep within her chest, I knew it was her. And looking at her flank…
“You’re hurt.”
She snapped as she looked back at me, causing me to fall back into the trees.
It isn’t her. It’s her wolf, I reminded myself. No doubt everything came across as a threat.
On the other side of the trees, Jackson ran at his own attacker, grabbing him by the back of the neck before throwing him in the other direction. It was a glancing blow and only enough to daze the other wolf. As soon as it got to its feet, it was on Jackson again, placing a mark of its own by hitting Jackson’s old wound.
“Jackson!”
Bree reacted just as quickly, starting toward her brother before returning to me again.
“Protect him,” I said over the warring wolves.
“But it’s my job to protect you.”
“And it’s mine to love both of you. If you lose him by protecting me, I’ll never forgive myself. We have to fight.” Searching one of the nearby trees, I tore off one of the smaller branches and held it in front of me as I made my way back into the clearing.
“Together?”
“Together.”