Page 101 of Whispers of Helena
Genesis 1:26
Standingat the edge of Bennett’s yard, I feel the weight of destiny pressing down on me. The six have given me the time I needed, just enough to summon the wolves. A quiet call was all it took. Ten of them flank me, five on each side, their glowing eyes locked on the scene before us, their low growls vibrating through the earth, and Bennett’s face pales. His fear is palpable, rolling off him in waves as his back collides with the house.
The six turn toward me, their hollow eyes drilling into mine, but I don’t waver. I lift a steady hand and rest it between the ears of the wolf beside me, my gloved fingers threading through its thick fur. A silent declaration. I control them. I lead them.
“Caroline, go home.” Silas’s voice is raw, trembling. Not with anger, but fear. Real, bone-deep fear.
I meet his gaze, unwavering. “Do not fear, Silas.”
His expression hardens. “This is my fight, Caroline. Go. The. Fuck. Home.”
I shake my head and take a step forward. The wolves move in sync with me, their powerful bodies rippling under the moonlight.
“There’s no longer you and I,” I whisper. “There is only us. I fight for you. I fight for us.”
Bennett flinches as the wolves prowl closer, his breaths shallow, frantic.
“I can’t let you kill him, Silas.”
Silas’s whole body goes rigid. “Caroline, this is your final warning. Go.”
Lee Everly steps forward, his voice patronizing. “You heard your husband. Leave. This is no place for a woman.”
The wolf beneath my latex lined palm releases a guttural snarl, saliva glistening as it drips from bared fangs. Lee stiffens.
“I wouldn’t move if I were you, Lee.” My voice is soft, but the threat in it is razor-sharp.
“Caroline—” Silas begins to protest.
Shhhhhhhhh.
I throwthe sound to Silas, my eyes locking onto his. He stares back, pleading. But I only smile, slow and assuring .
“Lee,” I say, stepping toward him. “You and your brother took our lives in the name of greed. My husband. My child. Myself. You have paid your debt, but your brother’s debt is still owed. And tonight, I’m here to collect.”
Confusion crosses Silas’s face as he watches.
I lift my hand from the wolf, and the world stops.
The breeze stills. The trees cease their whispering. The crickets fall silent.
The only sound left is the deep, steady breathing of the wolves beside me, their anticipation mirroring my own.
I turn to Silas.
I love you, Bronco.
A single tear slips down his cheek.
No fear. No sadness. I’ll be back soon.
He nods, jaw clenched.
And then?—
I throw my head back, inhaling deep into my chest before releasing the command my mother once taught me.
The Gaelic word directing the wolves to send Bennett to his grave tears through the night like a blade, slicing through the stillness.
