Page 26 of A Pack of Pumpkins
Bram: Hey Ghost, I really need you to answer me, please.
I want to wait. Not turn into some crazy, stalker alpha. But I just can’t. My alpha is clawing its way to the surface. I need to know she’s saferight now.
I press Clara’s number again. It rings. Everyone’s watching me. Even Victor. We hold our breath.
Voicemail. Again. We don’t speak. We just move.
We’re out the door, down the stairs. Victor grabs his leather jacket, but he’s following.
We cram into the car. Usually Jack drives, but not this time. I need to be in control. The drawing feels like a message. I don’t know if it’s a warning, a threat or something else. But either way, I have to find her.
I’m flying down the back roads, way over the speed limit. When I get into town I scan every storefront. We haven’t been into town yet. Only to Suttons Bay. I have no idea where Dandy Stuff is.
Thankfully, I don’t have to wonder long. The sign is huge, colorful, and covered in polka dots.
I whip into a spot and jump out, the pack at my heels.
A bell tinkles as we enter—
—and a high-pitched screech has all of us growling, snapping forward, hackles raised. It’s a plastic animatronic witch. Glowing purple eyes. Screeching.
Now everyone in the store is staring at us like we’ve lost our damn minds. An older couple. A few teenagers who definitely look like they were about to shoplift. A freckled woman behind the counter.
And Clara.
Clara is standing beside the woman behind the register like they were mid-conversation when we came crashing in.
“Are you okay?” Victor blurts. We all stare at him. Clara gawks.
“Obviously,” she says, gesturing at herself.
Victor clenches his jaw but says nothing.
I walk straight to her, crowding close, needing to be near her scent. Apple pie. Home.
“Can we talk to you for a minute?” I whisper, voice low. My fingers brush the back of her hand. The contact sends a shiver up my spine.
She nods.
“I’ll see you this weekend,” the woman behind the counter says, giving us all a long, appraising look. I don’t have time for whatever small-town bullshit that is. All I have time for is my omega. And whether she’s really, truly okay.
Finnian
Hewillnottaunther. She has strength but I'll expose his weaknesses.
Clara
Theguyswereprettytight-lipped in town. It wasn’t until we started back toward the house that they told me what happened. Bram went through the events methodically. Dagan added his two cents here and there, giving the whole thing more emotion, while Victor translated but didn’t add anything himself. Jack sat to my right and slung an arm around me, pulling me close as if sensing my rising unease.
Once we reached the house, I followed them up to Victor’s room. Looking around, I could understand why they were so freaked. It’s a catastrophe. The window’s still open. I lean out to spot electronics scattered across the lawn.
“No one could’ve climbed out the window,” I observe. We’re two tall stories up. There’s no ledge or tree or anything to hold onto to make a descent.
They all glance at each other.
“We know,” Dagan signs.
“So, what does that mean?” I press. “Where did they go?”
