Hidden Creek

Chapter Ten

Haven

“That was so cool!” Lyla spun in a circle, her short curly hair caught the breeze and lifted her scent into the air. 

Davidee smiled at me as he pulled a pair of pants on he grabbed from a nearby stash. “It’s always like that. You never really get used to it. The wind in your fur as you run faster than you ever could have dreamed.” He inhaled deeply, turning his face up to the breeze.

“Good.” She smiled contentedly as she collapsed on the grass. “That was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced.” She gripped the grass in her fists and let out a little squeal. “I always knew there was more out there. I knew that wasted life I was living couldn’t possibly be all there was.” 

“There’s a lot of excitement and freedom with this life, but there’s a lot of danger and responsibility too.” I sighed, hating that I had to ruin this moment for her. Why can’t she just have a couple of hours of feeling like this? She’s just a pup... “A war is potentially coming, Lyla. You’re in a unique position now because you have connections to the human communities that want this life. Small town lifers who hate the humdrum droll of everyday life. People like the person you formally were. We need you to bring them back here. Understand?”

“Uh...” Her eyes narrowed, and she turned back to me. “No. Why would I do that? I don’t care about your war.”

I opened my mouth to snap at her, but Davidee cut me off. “Haven is your Alpha. Showe her some respect. In any case, you’re part of this pack now. If a war does break out, you die too. The more numbers we have, though, the better our chances of survival.”

She chewed on her nails as she gazed up at the sky. “Okay... I’ll do it. How many do I have to bring back?” 

“As many as you can.” I shrugged. “Once you bring them in, if they survive the bite, they’ll be recruiters too.”

“What do you mean ‘if’?” She scoffed.

“Surviving the bite isn’t a guarantee. There’s... It’s complicated. For those of us who are born wolves, it’s just our genetics. A bitten wolf has to go through a complete metamorphosis, though. That shift is brutal on the body. You’re young and healthy, there was a very high probability that you would be fine. Someone older or with a chronic illness is a lot less likely to survive such a chaotic shift in biology.” Davidee struggled to explain.

“Oh... I’ll keep that in mind.” She nodded slowly.

I walked over, and crouching, placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “You can smell it. Illness. A healthy person smells nice, like a warm breeze. Someone who’s sick or close to death smells like turned milk or moldy bread.” 

“I won’t let you down.” Lyla smiled up at me. 

“I know you won’t.” The smile I returned was genuine.

***

Nik

I paced across my apartment, wishing I had gotten Haven’s number. “So stupid.” I muttered as my phone buzzed on the end table next to my beaten down couch. Lawrence. “Hey, man. What’s up?” 

“That girl is at the book store in town.” I could hear the smile in his voice. 

“What am I supposed to do with that?” I sighed. “If I show up there, she’s going to think I’m stalking her or something.” 

He chuckled lightly. “Listen, if you want to join a s*x cult, I’ll support you. I’m going to give her your number.”

“Wait-” Before I could say anymore, he hung up. “Lawrence?” Oh, fuck... I tossed the phone on the couch before throwing myself down on it. He’s going to ruin this for me. She’s going to think I’m a total weirdo.

***

Davidee

“No rest for an Alpha, huh?” My finger ran along the spines of the books as I trailed behind Haven.

“This is the least stressful thing I’ve done in months, Davidee. This is rest.” She chuckled. For once, she looked so relaxed and at ease. 

“So, what are we doing here?” 

“Meeting Parsa to buy her books for school.” 

“And if she doesn’t get accepted?” I asked.

Haven shrugged. “Then she’ll have to go to the pack school. We don’t have the pull to get her accepted into a human school. She has to do this based on her own merit.” 

“Why does she need books if she hasn’t been accepted yet?” 

“She wants to get a jump start.” Haven and I rolled our eyes simultaneously. 

“So... Parsa is...” I mentally searched the pack list, going through each name on the roster in an attempt to put a face to the name. “Oh, s**t. She’s the one that was rejected by Mato because of her rank.” Wait... “Is she trying to rank up to Iota so that Mato will rescind his rejection?” 

“I doubt it. Either way, a rejection can’t be rescinded.” She shrugged.

She doesn’t know... Does Bammiuk know? “Haven... Rejections can absolutely be rescinded.”

“What?” She scoffed. “How?”

“A blood oath. It’s relatively simple. But basically a normal wedding ceremony but with a blood pact in place of the knot tying ritual.” 

“Hey, Haven!” A short girl called from the other side of the library. Oh... Oh, my god... She smells like the ocean... Her eyes clouded over as her gaze moved over me. “Hi...” She whispered.

The world narrowed until it was just the two of us. “Hello.” A smile lit up her face as she took a tentative step toward me. “Do you wanna get out of here?”