The Wolf's Song

Playing With Fire

Michael

I pace my office as the chief of police continues his briefing with me. There have been more murders, but they managed to keep them under wraps so far. However, his missing reports list is growing by the day.

This is madness as I feel like these deaths are connected to whoever has entered my territory, and since I currently have no idea who that could be, my worry doubles. Ruling Damien out doesn’t help matters, as it would be easier if it were him--then I would have two reasons to end him, since trying to bring the man that I once called brother back is an impossibility.

I no longer have the patience for it, especially not with Diana refusing to go home still. I admit that I want her here, but her closeness doesn’t ease the stress over her safety. After her lapse in judgment, she has agreed to stay close to Andrew or whoever I send with her; her displeasure rolls off my shoulders as it doesn’t change the fact that she’ll be safe.

Learning how she was able to her necklace to save herself meant there is no denying her nature anymore. That doesn’t mean I would be turning her anytime soon. For now, she is human, and while she remains human, training her would be the most she got out of me.

Having no other instruments other than a piano, I had her order what I hope will be enough to get started. They are set to arrive within the hour.

“Michael, did you hear me?” says the chief.

I get close to the phone and lean over it, forgetting Diana isn’t my only responsibility, just my most pressing one.

“No, repeat,” I say.

“I said, last night a new body was found. No one has called to claim it. From what we’ve gathered so far is he’s a traveler He has passports but seems to have been sleeping out in the woods. His body has been sent to the morgue. By this point, we can name cause of death without an examination. Whatever has arrived in Bamberg is on a mission,” he finishes.

He is an old man and has seen more than his fair share of horrors, and that only makes me respect him more. He doesn’t know my nature, but he also never questions how I know what I know. He is like my own Martha, seeing me without saying a word.

“Ok. We need to close off the wood entrances and not just the main paths. I’ll get my guys on the furthest ones, while you stick to where any drunken wanderer can access. I’ll send Laura to get into the surveillance of the CCTVs around town so I can monitor them from here. Whatever is doing this will be caught, hopefully sooner rather than later,” I give the plan.

He agrees and hangs up. The death toll has risen since the last full moon, and though it has been a few weeks since then, another moon is upon us, and I doubt we’ll be lucky enough to only have two or three new shifters. They way this wild one has been going, I’m looking at least twelve new ones. My pack is mighty but even we might be out manned with that many.

A door closes and I turn to see Diana exiting the car. She can feel my eyes on her and waves up at me. I chuckle as she bounces into the house. I gather my papers, knowing I’m her first stop and I don’t want to worry her just yet, though talking with her these past weeks have been nice, like a having a sounding board that asks questions neither I nor Francis would think of. I hate to admit, she has become an asset in this mystery, even if she doesn’t know it.

She enters and drops her take-out on the table; it smells like a roast beef sandwich. She crosses to me and kisses me quick. I try to deepen it, needing more of her, wanting to forget the weight on my shoulders, but she pulls back.

“Before that, we need to talk. No, not that kind of talk,” she jumps in when I raise my brows at her, my heart thudding in my chest. “Um, so it seems you are being investigated,” she blurts out.

I shift my gaze, confused, having just been on the phone with the police. “The police are investigating me?” I ask for clarity.

She shakes her head and huffs a quick, anxious filled sigh. “No, Christopher, brother to Lorenzo. Seems he’s made some connections between you, your associates, and these murders. Maya says he’s been at the library piecing everything together. I don’t know, maybe there is a way to veer him off course. With Damien lurking shouldn’t you try to stay under the radar? I don’t really know how this secret business works,” she rambles.

“Damien cannot expose me without exposing himself, and sense he has personally been responsible for recent murders--maybe not the most current, but in the last decade or so--he wouldn’t be willing show his face. No, he will strike again so only I will rip the woes of his blow. As for Christopher, we know of him. I have Robert watching him. He has learned more than we’d like, but so far, he hasn’t created too much noise about his findings,” I say.

“And what happens if he starts getting noisy?” she asks. I find her eyes and she read them. “Well, let’s hope we come up with a solution before we give that family another reason to mourn. Has my instruments arrived yet?” she asks, shifting gears, needing a lighter topic.

“Not yet, but soon,” I answer, reaching for my phone checking the shipment location.

“How is this going to work actually?” she asks, heading to the table with her food and opening it.

“That’s where I come in,” Clarissa says, joining us abruptly.

Diana jumps and nearly drops her sandwich. “You’re still here?” she says in between chews.

“Of course, this meathead finally has some female associates that aren’t toxic like Laura,” she teases and Diana chokes on her laughter.

“Laura does a fine job,” I defend, but nearly regret it when Diana shots a glare at me.

“Anyway, I’ll be your guinea pig. I may be wild as Michael tries to paint me, but I’m more far along than Robert, and Francis has that cute wife of his. Free agent,” she turns toward me. “I’ll take my payment in forms of information,” she adds and I know exactly what she wants.

She is more than wild, more like feral; her bravado a defense mechanism and she knows it. She hunts for those who r***d and turned her, but whenever she gets close, she comes running back here, gathering her strength. Pretend as much as she wants, she’s still a kid, gifted, but a kid regardless.

“Does it hurt when I play? I don’t want to harm anyone?” Diana worries.

I start to answer when the teenager disappears and the mature woman, she was forced to embrace far to young emerges.

“It’s feels like a hug, or a caress. Not pleasant necessarily but it touches you, awakens something. It’s scary but you won’t hurt me,” she finishes.

She blows out a breath and I notice her nerves in that instant. She is still haunted by her turning, but as she says, she is who I need now. Diana’s worry is evident, but her need to know more outweighs it.

My phone dings and it’s my security system alerting me someone is on the property.They are still about ten miles away since if they were any closer and I would be able to smell them. I replace my phone and stare out the window.

“Finish up Diana. Your training officially begins,” I say to the window.

I didn’t like it, but I can’t deny it would be beneficial to know what she can do. Her ability to get into even an Alpha’s head is a gift I need to know more about.