It was nice being back in the cabin with my closest friends. Even having Simon around wasn’t so bad. Maybe I had been too quick to judge Emma’s choice of boyfriend. The two looked happy together.
Even if he was an old geezer.
The most surprising thing was that Simon, a total playboy, wasn’t bragging about his exploits with other women. It was obvious that he only had eyes for Emma. The guy was completely in orbit around her.
Of course, that didn’t mean that Simon wasn’t a total pain in my butt. He was the most annoying werewolf on the planet, but he was Emma’s werewolf. I was just going to have to get my head around that.
“I still think we need to focus on the smell impressions,” I said. “The different scents always mean something significant.”
“You think the smells could be clues to the ghost’s identity and lead us to the killer?” Cal asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Only you lot would follow a ghostly trail of smelly breadcrumbs,” Simon said, shaking his head. “I still think we need to watch that burial site. The Grabber may return.”
“What if we do both?” Emma said. “Calvin, can you ask someone from your pack to watch the place where Yuki found the skull?”
Cal looked thoughtful, then nodded.
“Yes, I’ll call now,” he said. “I also need to put a warning out on the network about a potential killer being in town. The Grabber may not be targeting werewolves, but my people need to be prepared.”
“Aye, I’ll fire up the computer and post a warning message,” Simon said.
Cal pulled his phone from his pocket, while Simon busied himself with the old PC in the corner.
We had learned the hard way that a phone and email messaging system was crucial to pack safety. In the past, werewolf leaders had preferred secrecy rather than keeping an open line of communication within the pack. When a psychotic killer who hated werewolves went on a violent rampage, there was no system in place for contacting members of the pack who may be in danger.
Together we researched member identities, made a list of contact information, created emergency protocols, formed a call circle, and designed a computer program for sending messages electronically to all pack members. Cal had only been pack alpha for less than a year, but he was already making improvements to ensure the survival of his pack.
Cal was gravely serious about his responsibility as pack alpha. Ever since we were kids, he’d been the deep thinking philosophical one. When Cal set his mind to something, he didn’t quit. Now his pack duties dominated much of his time, but he never shirked his duties. It was one of the many things about Cal that I found attractive.
I realized that I was staring at something else I found attractive about Cal, and blushed. There should be a law about looking that good in a pair of jeans. Turning to Emma, I lifted my empty mug in salute.
“Thanks for the tea,” I said.
“Hey,” Emma said.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“I just want you to know that you can talk to me, about anything,” she said. “Any time, okay?”
Emma reached out and gave me an awkward hug, crushing the mug against my chest.
“Okay,” I said.
That was weird. Maybe she was feeling guilty about our recent fighting? If so, she should relax. Most of our arguments were my fault. I had a short fuse lately, and Emma had been an easy target.
“Um, Emma?” I said. “Sorry about, you know, being so angry about Simon. He may be an old geezer, but you seem happy.”
“I heard that,” Simon said.
Pesky werewolf hearing.
Simon kept his back to me, focusing on the computer in front of him, but he didn’t go rigid or stop working. I was ninety percent positive that he wasn’t about to throw something in my direction. But I took a step to my left, placing myself behind Emma, just to be sure.
“We’re okay,” Emma said. “But if I find out you’re flunking out this semester, I’ll be extremely unhappy.”
Emma’s narrowed eyes tracked me as I moved to the other side of the room. Suddenly the cabin felt too small for the four of us.
Was it me, or were Emma and Simon a scary couple? They could make me run and hide without even twitching.
I found solace in Cal’s presence. I don’t know if it’s a soul mate thing, or just a Cal thing, but I always felt better when he was close.
I leaned on the arm of the couch where Cal sat talking to a worried pack member. His calm voice was soothing and I tilted my head to rest on his shoulder. The deep vibration of his voice vibrated up through my cheek and made me smile.
Enjoying the relaxing moment while it lasted, I let my eyes unfocus and allowed my mind to wander. I could smell roses over the scent of wet dog rising from Cal.
Roses, lanolin, and dark room chemicals.
The tang of chemicals always made my nose wrinkle whenever I had to work in the school darkroom. But there was something magical about images rising from the toxic liquid, faces appearing beneath the red glow of the work lamp. With school almost over, I’d probably never step inside a darkroom again. As far as hobbies go, I preferred charcoals and paints over film.
But some people do use darkrooms after high school. Professional photographers continue to work with those chemicals every day.
And the school hires professionals to photograph our graduation ceremony each year.