Secrets of the Willow

Chapter 34 - The impossible made possible.

We gazed at each other tenderly as I felt like I was in a different world, feeling the familiar sense of safety with this wolf who was in fact my protector and not my enemy. My heart was beating with even more affection and relief to know that I hadn’t fallen for someone evil, but instead for someone that had done everything he could to watch over me and my friends.

A sudden snap of a twig and the rustling of leaves tore us out of our gaze as both of our attention shot to the direction it was coming from. Conall instantly moved his head and nudged my hand with his snout, encouraging me to move, and with his warning I quickly ran back to the edge of the forest with him running next to me.

As soon as I made it past the trees and back out onto the high street, I turned around with relief, only to see I was standing alone and Conall was nowhere in sight. My heart pounded in a panic as I scanned the line of trees.

“Conall! Conall!” I called out in a hushed whisper so not to draw any attention to us. “Conall, where are you?” I spoke out again, pleading in my mind that he’d suddenly appear.

I was just about to head across the grass again and go back into the forest when I finally saw him emerge, but as Conall, not his wolf, only now all he had on his body was a pair of boxers hiding his manhood, and I gulped with amazement when I saw how toned and muscular his body was.

“Quick, let’s get inside somewhere”. He said as he rushed toward me, grabbed my hand and together we ran along the deserted high street.

We could hear low growls in the distance as we aimed for the town hall. Conall quickly swung open one of the doors and we rushed inside, locking it behind us.

“Do you think we’ll be safe in here?” I asked breathlessly as Conall secured the rest of the locks.

“We’ll be fine, we just have to wait it out until morning”. He assured me as he took my hand and we walked to the opposite side of the dark hall and sat at the far end wooden table.

“You don’t think it would have followed us back here?” I asked as I stared at the main doors, hoping they wouldn’t suddenly burst open.

“Even if he did, he won’t go indoors”. He replied keeping his voice to a whisper.

“Really, Why not?”

“Cause he’s afraid of the bright lights on his bare skin”.

“Wait! He? What makes you think it’s a he?”

“Uhh, Ev’s he was standing like two feet away from you when he tried to kill you, didn’t you notice the two giant pair of balls dangling between his legs?” He said with an amused grin.

“Well I was kind of fearing for my life that night so I guess I must have missed the big balls!” I jested in return as I looked at him and once again I noticed his blue eyes and the image of his wolf came into my mind. “I still can’t believe that you’re a person and a wolf! My mind feels blown, like I didn’t just see it happen”. I said with a smile. “How did you… why?” I stammered, feeling my head almost exploding with questions.

“We’re called werewolves. We can change into either form whenever we choose”. He so casually explained as if it was as normal as breathing.

“We?” I asked with intrigue

“Yes me and the other wolves in the Willow forest”.

“Oh! So all those other wolves that chased it away… they are human too?”

“Yes, every one of them”.

“Do I know any of them? I mean in their human form?”

“No. I’m the only one that’s come out of the forest and blended in”.

“Why? I mean, it’s not like anyone would have been able to figure out that any of you were wolves”.

“They just prefer their surroundings, it’s all they really know. And I only came out here because my alpha had asked me to”.

“Alpha? What’s that?”

“He’s our leader. Any male wolf that leads our pack is called an alpha and any female leader is called a Luna. For a while we’ve had both. They’re happily mated and really care about protecting our pack and humans too”.

“Wow! So… how long have you all lived in the forest?” I quizzed with fascination.

“I really don’t know, but I do know that my kind have been living there for generations”.

“So you’re a pack. Does that mean you’re a family? All related?”

“No”. He chuckled. “Some of them have come from all over the world and always have done, but in the past they’d come and go. They’d migrate to somewhere cooler or hotter throughout the year, but for quite some time now they’ve been stuck here”.

“Stuck? But why?”

“Because the bigger our pack is, the more chance we have of killing that thing. Unfortunately though it’s a lot faster than we are and as you’ve seen for yourself it can move in the shadows barely unseen”.

“And is it… is it like you? Is it a werewolf of some kind?”

“No! Definitely not! To be honest we don’t know what it is or why it came here, but over recent years it’s gotten more gutsy and greedy. So we know we have to act fast before it starts to s*******r absolutely everything in its path”.

“Oh”. I responded as I tried to take all this new extraordinary information in. “I noticed it’s always afraid of you, why is that?”

“Well, it’s probably because we’re the only ones strong and quick enough to kill it. That night you were in the forest, my pack got very close to it, that’s the first time we’ve ever had any real chance”.

“How? I mean, I get he’s fast, but if he lives in the forest too, couldn’t we find out maybe where it sleeps or something?”

“Ok, first of all there’s no ‘we’ it’s far too dangerous for you to get involved and second of all, he doesn’t live in the forest. That night I saw you, we didn’t expect any of that to happen”.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, whenever we’ve tried to catch him, it’s always been along the edge of the forest, but he always escapes onto the streets, and we lose him. That night was the first time he’d ever come so far in, but we knew the moment we smelt his scent”.

“He has a scent?”

“Yes, and a strong one too”.

“Like what?”

“Like musty old mould, copper and cologne”.

“Cologne?” I laughed. “Why would something like that smell of cologne?”

“Well that’s what we wanted to figure out. Before I had met you or even set foot onto the campus or town grounds, we were chasing it one night along the forest front. There was quite a strong wind that night and it helped us to catch his smell. It’s actually what led me to be out here and pretend to be like the rest of you. We had our suspicions and I’m here to know for definite”.

“Suspicions of what?”

“Just something we’re trying to connect the dots to”.

“Yea, but like what?”

“I… I think I’m actually going to see if I can sense if it’s followed us”. He said, changing the subject, and just as he was about to get up from his seat I grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“Conall, what’s your suspicions? I asked sternly.

“Eva, it’s too much. I can’t talk about it right now”. He answered, avoiding eye contact with me.

“Well, is it something you think I should know?” I questioned as I tucked my finger under his chin forcing him to look at me. “Well do you?” I pressed again, hoping he’d relent.

“Yes”. He sighed. “Yes I do”.

“Then tell me”. I urged, keeping my gaze on him.

“f**k sake”. He said in a whisper”. Ok, well here comes another shock for the night”. He stated as he braced himself with a heavy exhale.

“I’m ready, so tell me, what is it?”

“That thing.. he… the one thing he does have in common with my kind is that…. s**t I can’t believe I’m about to tell you this”.

“Tell me what, Conall? What is it?” I pressed impatiently as my stomach fizzled nervously.

“That thing has… it has a human form too”.

“WHAT!” I exclaimed as I felt like I just had the wind knocked out of me. “What the hell do you mean he has a human form too? Are you telling me that it can blend in, look and act like the rest of us?”

“Well, we weren’t sure at first, but I’ve been able to identify the smell and…”

“And what? it’s definitely human?”

“Yes”.

“Wh… what human? Who? Is… is it someone we know?” I rambled as my head spun.

“Eva, I know a part of you wants to know, but I don’t think you should”.

“f**k that! Tell me now!” I almost shrieked as I stood up from my seat.

“Eva, this is just too much on you to take in, in one night”. He replied with hesitation.

“Conall, at this point I wouldn’t be shocked if you told me aliens or trolls lived in the forest, so I doubt much more can really push me over the edge, now tell me!”

“If I do, you have to promise me, you won’t say a word, not until I have proof”.

“Ok… I guess. But if it comes down to me having no choice, then I’ll shout it from the rooftops if I have to!”

“Fine! But only if it comes to a point where my pack alone can’t kill it”.

“Ok, ok! Please just rip the bloody band aid off and tell me”.

“It’s…. It’s …….” He sighed heavily as he ran his hand over his face. “s**t, I hope I’m not going to regret telling you this. It’s Malcom. Malcom Kinley”. He blurted out, making my heart feel as though it had plummeted to the floor as I stared wide eyes at him in utter disbelief.

“The… The f*****g mayor?” I said as my voice shook.

“Yes! I’m sorry”.

“No”. I responded, shaking my head. “No, you’re wrong, it can’t be. There’s no way”.

“Eva, I’m pretty certain”.

“Well…. Well what the hell makes you think it’s him? I know him, he’s a good man, he has a wife!”

He let out a heavy exhale as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his thighs and looked up at me. “You remember that night you left Kristina’s party, and I came after you?” He asked and I mutely nodded with a gulp. “Well, I did actually leave the party to see where you were when I couldn’t find you, but as soon as I was standing out on the road I could smell it! I knew instantly it was the same scent. I followed the smell hoping I’d catch him, then I saw you! And… and all I wanted instead was to get you away from him”.

“Oh my gosh!” I said in a breathless whisper as that night came flooding back of Conall’s insistence that HE walked me back instead and rushing to pull me away from mayor Kinley was all starting to make sense. Conall wasn’t being rude, he was afraid. “This… this can’t be true!” I whispered as I slumped back onto my chair and stared blanky into the darkness of the hall.

“I’m sorry Eva, but I’ve scouted this town several times and the only person with the same scent, is him. And when I saw him that night with you, I looked at his eyes and I could see the sinister look behind them that he tries so hard to hide”.

“But… but if it’s him, then we need to tell the Sheriff, we need to tell everyone”.

“And who do you think they’ll believe? Me and you? Or a man that leads the town? Someone they trust and has given them no reason to suspect him? Face it Eva, he’s clever enough to always leave trails along the forest! So everyone in this town thinks it’s all because of some wild animal, not a mayor that can turn into an absolute monster! If you walked into the Sheriff’s office, especially with no real proof they’ll all think you’ve gone mad, or that you’re just severely traumatised. Can you honestly say to yourself that someone in this town will believe you?”

I didn’t reply as I took a moment to consider what he was saying, and I had to admit that he was right. I looked at him and just stared at him completely dumbfounded. If I told anyone what I knew now, they would just look at me like I should be sectioned or dosed up with loads of medication.

“I’m sorry Eva”. He spoke softly as he wrapped his hand around mine and gently squeezed it. “You’ve had a hell of a lot to take in tonight, and it took a lot to convince my alpha to let me show you what I really was, but there’s no way he’s going to agree with me acting brashly and killing someone that’s known all over this town without strong and undoubtable proof”.

“So… so what do we do now?” I asked, feeling so overwhelmed and shocked to my core that I didn’t know if I needed to cry or scream.

“We don’t do anything! You need to stay safe while I alone keep working on getting some evidence so that when the time comes for me and my pack killing him, everyone in this town will know the truth about what he really was”.

“He’s killed and hurt people I care about, Conall. If we don’t figure this out together, then I’ll go and figure it out for myself. You or anyone else won’t stop me from knowing for sure, and… and I have to know”. I told him as my voice cracked.

“Hm”. He grinned. “I had a feeling you’d say that”. He said as he looked tenderly into my eyes. “Then I guess we’re doing this together”. He agreed as he grabbed my other hand in his and I turned in my seat to face him. I steadied my breath as we sat quietly in the dark and I tried to mull over everything that had come to light tonight. Never in a million years did I think that the answers I was searching for would come to this.