Page 89 of Wolf Cursed
I’d taken a roundabout way here.
After Drake had left, I’d gone for that run after all. Jogging a good portion of the way up the road—my stamina only made possible by Idrissa’s training—and then cutting through the trees before anyone from the pack could recognize me.
Drake hadn’t been lying about the barn. There were definitely wolves here. I’d watched and waited until cars began to drive up. Not many. Most of the people I’d seen arrive had also come from the woods. Cade. Devon. Tiffany. I recognized quite a few of the faces.
Luckily, none of them had passed close enough by where I’d hidden for me to be discovered. Some had loped along as wolves until they’d reached the edge of the trees. I’d watched several of them shift back to their human form before heading to the back of a pickup where someone had apparently stashed extra clothes for them. No one seemed concerned with nudity, which was a whole new level of weirdness in itself. Still, watching the wolves was fascinating. I would have been lying if I’d said it wasn’t cool as hell, watching the change come over their bodies.
Like magic.
Life was wild.
I still wished Dad had told me instead of keeping his secrets and then drowning them inside a bottle. But I also wasn’t entirely sure I would have believed him. Not without seeing it like this.
My fascination turned to nerves as a familiar white car drove off the main road and bypassed the bar. I watched as the Mustang parked in the grass and Isaac and Idrissa got out and hurried toward the barn doors.
My heart twisted at the sight of them disappearing inside. They’d lied. Both of them. And they’d ditched me for…whatever this was.
More secrets.
It never ended with these people.
I waited as a few others arrived and the moon rose high overhead. The night air was chilled but not cold. My goosebumps were more from nerves. I had to get inside, and that meant sneaking past a hell of a lot of wolves in the process. If it was a trap, it was a terrible one. I mean, it was obvious I was walking into the den of my enemies.
From inside the barn, voices rose to a yell, and my curiosity won out. I had to know what it was Drake wanted me to see.
I crept closer, keeping low and hurrying across the open field toward the back of the barn. When I reached the back wall, I dropped to the ground and waited, sucking in deep breaths of air to calm my racing heart. My ears strained for any sound that meant I’d been discovered, but so far, so good. When I was fairly certain I wouldn’t hyperventilate, I lifted up slowly onto my knees. The barn wall was made of wood that was probably newly constructed at least half a century ago. Time and age had left gaps between the boards, and I scooted closer and peered through the largest one.
Inside, I saw a small crowd gathered. Several were faces I recognized. Idrissa and Isaac. Silas. Drake. Presley. And Oscar.
I felt the sting of betrayal all over again as the sight of him registered. More secrets. More people keeping things from me.
Why had I ever expected any different?
The crowd stood assembled and facing me. For a panicked moment, I wondered if they’d all spotted me through the gap. But then a pair of legs moved into view just inside, and I realized they were looking at whoever stood facing them now.
There was a grunt and a shove and then another figure stumbled forward. The legs strode ahead, and I recognized the back of Silas’ head as he grabbed at the shirt of his prisoner before the man could stumble and fall on his face.
When he turned his head to the side, I recognized the prisoner too. Even through the dried blood coating his face and clothes.
The hexerei.
“This asshole says he wants to defect,” Silas called to the crowd.
The crowd booed, and even from out here, I could feel their energy building toward something dangerous. The hexerei seemed to know it too. His eyes were wide with fear through the swollen bruising around them.
“But hey, rules are rules,” Silas said with a devious smile playing on his lips. “Anyone’s welcome to join us so long as they fight for their place among our pack. Am I right?”
Cheers sounded, and my stomach clenched at what was to come. They were going to make the hexerei fight? In his condition? As a human? It wasn’t fair. Which was obviously the point.
Shifting my position, I searched the faces for someone who might actually be sane enough to put a stop to this. But Idrissa and Isaac were no longer visible at the front of the crowd. Neither was Oscar.
Figured.
They all claimed to be against this cruel idea of forcing people to fight, but when it mattered, they disappeared.
“As you all know, new challengers are paired with who we deem their equal. Gotta keep the fights fair,” he added, and people snickered.
Silas turned to the hexerei and put his hand on the guy’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, man. We’ve paired you with someone your speed. Gordon, come on up, man.”
