SWNOVELS Chapter 13 Silver
Armed with the silver haired woman’s location, Peyton and Sawyer hit the road. They were about two hours away from their quarry. The heat that burned in her chest filled the rest of her arms and legs. Her excitement rose and her wolf sensed they were close to the silver haired woman. She practically bounced in her seat with anticipation. “What exactly are you going to say to this lady,” Sawyer asked her. “Ya know, I’m not sure. I’ll figure it out when it happens. I’m too excited to think right now!” Sawyer wasn’t too happy about that, he was concerned that this silver haired woman may not be who Peyton thought she was.
The road ended so Peyton and Sawyer had to walk the rest of the way. Peyton’s wolf was overjoyed to be in the woods and so close to the silver haired woman. “Slow down Peyton, I can’t keep up with you,” Sawyer begged. A soft growl escaped Peyton’s lips, he was taken aback. “Come on, let’s go!” She called him. Peyton disappeared behind a tree in front of her. Sawyer called her name loudly. He ran frantically to catch up to her. He was terrified that he would fall too far behind and lose track of her. He was worried how the silver haired woman and her wolves would react. He had to keep Peyton safe. Sawyer almost slammed into her back. “Peyton! What’s gotten into you,” he demanded. She stood stock still and pulled him so he stood behind her. “SHH,” she muttered, “We are not alone out here.”
Three massive wolves materialized from the forest. A wolf with dark fur on the right, a wolf with light fur on the left and a wolf with a red stripe down its back behind them. The red stripe wolf growled loudly enough to encourage Peyton and Sawyer to move forward. “They are escorting us,” Peyton whispered to Sawyer. “Are we going to die,” Sawyer hissed back. “Eventually yes, but I don’t think they will kill us today,” Peyton responded. “That was not funny,” Sawyer snarled quietly. “Yes it was. It’ll be okay, they smell safe,” she chided. “What the hell does ‘safe’ smell like,” he asked snarkily. “You smell safe. Home smells safe. Just shush, we will be okay,” Peyton instructed.
Peyton and Sawyer walked in the midst of the wolves for about a half an hour. Peyton could smell more werewolves close by, the woods was permeated with the scent. Whatever burned in her chest and extremities began to tingle, like an electric shock. They finally came to a large clearing with a massive house in the middle. The backyard had a good size swimming pool. Peyton saw a huge wolf sitting in front of what looked like a deck lounger. The heat that burned and tingled Peyton disappeared suddenly. Then she saw her.
-*-*-*-*-
I opened my eyes to the bright sun. Quinn sat in front of my deck lounger, she was in her wolf shape. I smelled them long before they walked into my backyard. Her chest rumbled to warn me of the newcomers. “I smell them, Quinn, thank you,” I murmured. I stood up and put my hand on her shoulders, “Walk with me.” Quinn whined softly and strode beside me. Casey, River, and Ellis escorted the newcomers. A growl rumbled through Quinn’s lips. “Sh, Quinn, they are not going to harm us. I know we have been through a lot recently. I’ve told you my dreams about them. They are here to join our pack.” My inner wolf raised its head in my chest, it recognized the woman, but I had no idea who she was.
The man was clearly human and he looked like he should’ve worn his brown pants. I smiled as I remembered the joke I heard in an antihero movie. The woman was a werewolf, she smelled like one. She also smelled familiar, like part of my pack. It was a strange sensation. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers when she saw me. Her breath caught in her throat as the wind teased and tossed my hair. “You’re real?! I’ve seen you in my dreams….” the woman’s voice trailed off. I smiled, “I’ve dreamt of you too. Come on inside, I’m sure you have several questions.”
I led everyone into the house. Quinn, Casey, River, and Ellis stayed outside to dress but joined us after. I winced as I sat down on the couch next to Robin who was in wolf form. My ribs stung from when I was nearly killed by an enemy pack last week. Quinn took her place on the couch beside me, Ellis plopped down in a recliner. Casey and River busied themselves in the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink,” I offered them, “I think we have some pop and tea in the fridge, unless Casey drank it all.” They gave me a playful dirty look in response to my tease.
As soon as the woman saw Ellis sit down and Kai walk up behind him, a look of terror crossed her face. I glanced from the newcomer to the twins and back to her, the man looked furious. My voice was low and dangerous, “Kai, Ellis, what happened?” This was certainly not the reaction I wanted to see from the new girl. Kai and Ellis hung their heads, “Well, it was back when we were all at Quinn’s house,” Ellis began. Kai continued, “We were new to the pack and we were wary of strangers.” Ellis picked up where Kai left off, “We…maybe…kinda…scared her…a little.” Kai carried Ellis’ train of thought, “No, we terrified her. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as what Jules did to her.”
“Let me assure you, the twins know better than to behave like that now. And Jules has been…dealt with…,” I said forcefully to the girl. “I’m sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Reese. Casey and River are in the kitchen.” My voice dropped a bit, “It seems you’ve met the twins, Kai and Ellis.” I gestured to Robin, my voice returned to its normal pitch, “This is Robin, she preferred to stay a wolf. And my girlfriend, Quinn, is on my other side. The girl sat down, the guy remained on his feet. He still looked angry. I glared at the twins until they properly apologized to the newcomers.
The girl finally found her voice, “My name is Peyton and this is my boyfriend, Sawyer.” Quinn eyed them suspiciously, I took her hand in mine and squeezed it twice. She begrudgingly returned the gesture. Peyton looked like she was about to burst from all the questions. “Tell me how you came to us,” I prompted. Peyton’s words poured over themselves as she told the story how she was bitten after a werewolf devoured her little dog Princess. She gave details on her interactions with my pack. I was angry that they had treated her so poorly. The twins apologized again.
Phoenix happened to walk into the room right as Peyton explained how Jules had abused her. Tears twinkled in her eye as she remembered Jules and how viciously yet deservedly he had died. She had truly loved him. She apologized over and over for his terrible actions. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore, he is dead,” she whispered through her tears. Peyton’s expression softened. Peyton continued her story of how she felt this heat in her chest that urged her to me. She told us about her road trip and how she ran into her dad who told them he had made a deal with me to save the werewolf. “You are Chance’s daughter?” I exclaimed. “He is nice, I like him. He treated us well!”
Quinn glared at me, “He tried to kill all of us! His hunters poisoned both of us!” I nodded, “Yes, his hunters attacked us. He dealt harshly with them. They are dead because they assaulted us without his instruction.” “Like father, like daughter,” Quinn spat. She stood up and stormed to the backyard. I watched her shred her clothes as she shifted into a wolf and disappeared into the trees. “I’m sorry about her. I was nearly killed by a rival pack recently and she is extraordinarily protective of me,” I filled the silence after Quinn’s unseemly exit. A distant howl pierced the air, I shivered. I felt her pain and anger, Quinn had a right to feel the way she did.
“So you all are werewolves? How does that work,” Sawyer spoke for the first time. I chuckled, “That is an interesting story.” I launched into a vivid description of how I was bitten, found Casey and River. I spun the tale of Chad and his horrible leadership skills and how I took half of his pack due to his ineptitude. I shared how we became a misfit pack of werewolves. I made a point to emphasize how they elected me as Alpha and that, over time, we became a family. River brought me a glass of water, from which I took a long drink, before I explained the story of how Chance saved our pack, and unfortunately how Quinn and I were poisoned. I gave details of my quest to find the cure, but I kept the gargoyles out of it. They would decide whether or not to show themselves to Peyton and Sawyer.
I told Peyton and Sawyer of the leather clad tree hugger who called her Artemis. She had tried to make me give up my pack and join her cult of man hatred. I skipped the part of how Kai had temporarily fallen for Artemis’ garbage, it was her story to tell. I retold the tale of the grand battle between Artemis’ small army against me as I stood alone. “Why were you alone? You have so many people around you who have fought for you before,” Peyton asked. “Once I trust you more, I may tell you that story. Or maybe ask someone else too. Regardless, it is for another time.” Phoenix dropped her gaze. “The sun is about to set. Do you have accommodations for the night,” I asked them.
Kai volunteered her room because she stayed with Drew most nights. She sped off to put clean sheets on her bed. I asked Casey to give them the tour and show them to Kai’s room. They agreed and took Peyton and Sawyer on a tour of the house. Casey left them in Kai’s room. Peyton and Sawyer were absolutely exhausted both physically and emotionally. They decided to turn in and get some sleep.