Shadows Lurking

November 24th, 2005 – Thursday, 4:15pm

The car is quiet as Nicholas focuses on driving and Mattheo messes with his lacrosse ball. Neither of them looks ready for the family dinner, and that worries me. Earlier, they were arguing with one another over something involving Nicholas’ pack. Mattheo had wanted to the two of them to play lacrosse together at the dinner, but Nicholas mentioned he had a pack meeting after the dinner was over, and that’s when the fight started.

Now, I’m sitting in the backseat of the car with Mattheo, awkwardly glancing out the window. Finally, the car comes to a stop, and I rush to exit the vehicle. The ride was only five minutes, but it was a painfully long five minutes.

“Alright, boys.” Nicholas motions us closer to him. “Now, I want you both to behave yourselves in here. Mattheo, no fighting with your cousins and absolutely no sleuthing in the office. And Rylan, no biting or clawing anyone. Am I clear, you two?”

Mattheo nods once before looking away from him and I follow his lead. Nicholas sighs while muttering, “Of course. Now you two get along.”

Walking down the winding pathway towards the brown bricked home, my stomach twists sourly. New people, lots of noise, and most likely cheek pinching; I might die today.

The door opens to reveal a brightly lit entryway with three small children chasing after a hissing, fluffy, white cat. Two men stand in a living room area, drinks in hand, laughing at the scene. I can hear a group of women squealing from somewhere in the house and even more commotion upstairs.

The two men standing at the side rush forward upon seeing us enter the house. The taller one with dark hair and glasses raises his drink towards Nicholas while cheering. The other one, slightly shorter with dark blonde hair slicked back and a neatly pressed outfit, steps in to also greet us.

The blonde raises his glass. “Nicky! I’m glad you’re here. Elizabeth has been on me since one about whether or not you’d show.” He then crouches and looks up at Mattheo and I both with a bright smile. “Mattheo, my favorite nephew. And you must be Rylan.” He holds his hand out. “I’m James’ father, and Nicholas’ brother-in-law. Pleased to finally meet you, my soon-to-be favorite nephew.”

Mattheo nudges him while grumbling, “Jerk.”

I’m left alone now, staring at this random man’s hand. The room slowly dies out, no longer as bustling as before. I can faintly hear a few people whispering about me in different rooms.

“I don’t think I’m welcome here,” I mumble.

James’ dad smirks before replying, “Emelia wouldn’t care if she was welcomed. So, neither should you. You are my guest, my family, therefore have every right to be here.”

Hesitantly, I let my hand fall into the man’s. “Nice to meet you, Mister Sutton.”

His smile somehow brightens before releasing my hand and clapping my shoulder. Nicholas is behind us, quietly pleading with Arthur to give me space, but the man is adamant on continuing his behavior.

“Everyone!” He gains the attention of nearly thirty people bustling about in the living room and dining room. “I would like to introduce you to Rylan. He’s Nicholas’ son and my nephew. If anyone should have an issue with him attending dinner, then please feel free to leave. If not, then please enjoy the party.”

No one moves. Most of them offer a polite smile before continuing with what they were doing. A few of them make no show of looking away from me and continue staring at me as if I were some animal on display.

“Arthur, is something like that really necessary?” Nicholas is busying himself with stripping out of his coat while glaring at James’ dad. “I told you many times that he doesn’t enjoy being-”

“It’s alright.” I glance back Nicholas and reassure him, “I’m alright.”

“See, Nicky.” Arthur taps on Nicholas’ back. “He’s okay with it. Now, Rylan. You have some family members that are dying to meet you. Right this way.”

Escorting me through the group of people in the living room, we reach a back room. The space looks more like an office. There’s a desk, bookshelves, and another door that’s closed off. This house is huge.

A man with grey hair, short and pudgy, stands from the desk chair and greets us at the doorway. “Arthur. Nicholas.” He stares down at me. “This must be Rylan.”

There’s a hand on my upper back, it squeezes lightly, and I can feel the tremor behind it. Glancing back, Nicholas only looks off towards the other side of the room, staring at nothing in particular.

The man holds his hand out for me to shake like Mister Sutton had. “Maxwell Keenan. I’m your mother’s uncle, your great-uncle.”

My chest tightens. “I- I have living relatives?”

“You do.” He nods with a smile. “You have me, your mother’s parents are still with us, and a few cousins. Surely, you’ve met some folks on your father’s side-”

“Max.” Nicholas glares at the man before turning towards me, his hand creating a rubbing motion. “Rylan, would you mind giving us adults a moment to chat? Go on and find the boys out back. I’m sure they’re eagerly playing Lycan lacrosse.”

Not bothering to look back at him, I nod and walk towards the open door. The moment I fully exited from the room the door closes tightly shut behind me. Walking through the living room and into the dining room, a few onlookers offer me a nod or polite smile before returning to their idle chitchat.

As I enter the brightly lit kitchen, filled with aroma of honey ham and freshly baked bread, the ladies standing around the middle island counter immediately quiet themselves and stare at me. A tall brunette with a string of pearls and bright blue eyes crouches down in front of me. Her long blue evening gown touches the floor as she does so.

“Rylan, right?” I nod. “I’m James’ mother, Elizabeth. You can call me Aunt Lizzie.” She pulls me into an embrace. The hug is warm, unexpected, but nice. She smells of lavender perfume and baking oils. “The boys are just through those doors there. They’ve decided to ignore my warning of getting dirty before dinner, so feel free to join them. Should you need to change clothes I’m sure James’ would fit you fine.”

“Thank you,” I barely mumble.

Walking past all of the women staring at me, I reach the double glass doors. Before I can turn the handle, a hand touches my arm.

A feminine voice behind me asks, “Do you recognize me?”

I turn and stare up at the older woman. She has long grey hair bound in an updo and a long brown evening gown that looks similar to Mrs. Sutton’s. Her pale blue eyes look eerily familiar, but nothing else stands out.

“No, Ma’am.”

Despite how polite I had been, her eyes begin to water, but she doesn’t cry. Her voice wobbles as she nods and says, “That’s alright, dear. Go on and enjoy yourself. Dinner will be ready shortly.”

“Thank you.” I give her the tiniest of smiles, barely lifting my lips. It’s more than anyone else would get from me, but something about seeing those unshed tears in her eyes caused my heart to stutter.

The air is nice and cool outside. I can just barely see my breath being carried away by the breeze. Just a few yards from the house a small group of boys are roughing around. Two wolves run towards the tree line and back to the group before two more exchange places with them until they’ve created a type of routine game.

A part of me wants to just turn around and go back inside the house, find Nicholas, and demand we go back to his house, but that would be wrong. Mattheo seems to enjoy spending time with his family, and they seem like nice people. I’m just not used to the idea of spending time with kids or listening to adults talk overhead about random unimportant things.

“Rylan!” Mattheo calls out. “Come on!”

From the group of other kids, James’ head pops up and a smile brightens his face. “Hey, Evans! Get in here!”

The boys all stop their play time and roughing around to meet me in the middle. One of the boys is still in wolf form, chasing after two smaller children as they giggle and scream in delight. The one clinging onto James’ leg rushes away and clings to Mattheo’s now. He looks like a younger version of Mattheo, but rather than green eyes his are brown.

“Hey, man” James slaps my upper arm. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Mattheo called and said you were with them, but I didn’t believe him. Had a change of heart, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” I give him a small grin. “Nice house.”

He blushes now, his entire face flushed. “Yeah, well it’s alright. Just don’t go shouting about it at school, yeah.”

“Deal.” I look at the little boy clinging to Mattheo’s leg still. “Am I already being replaced?”

Mattheo laughs before mockingly replying, “Hey, you made a joke.” He huffs while struggling to peel the child away from him, but there’s no luck. “This is our cousin, Theodore. He’s Dad’s sister’s kid.”

“Right.” I crouch down at the kid and offer him my hand. “Hey. Rylan Evans.”

The kid shakes as he reaches out and grips my hand, trembling as he stutters, “Th-Theo Bidge.”

“Bridge,” James laughs. “His last name is Bridge. He can’t really pronounce his R’s that well.”

Mattheo nods towards the two little kids still being chased by a wolf. “The shifted one is Daniella –we call her Dani- and she’s chasing her little brother and sister, Michael and Michelle. They’re the twins.” He motions towards the two boys tossing the ball to one another. One looks older than us while the other looks younger. “The tall one there is Kendrick, he’s your cousin, and the smaller one is Billy. Billy’s human and Sheriff Goodey’s kid, also your cousin.”

Kendrick has a buzzcut of brown hair and darker brown eyes while Billy has short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Both boys look towards me, unsure of whether they can approach safely. I’m sure there have been rumors spreading through this family about me, and I doubt they’ll go away anytime soon.

“Wait.” I look to Mattheo for answers now. “I’m related to the sheriff?”

“He’s married into the Keenan family. He’s married to your uncle Max’s daughter, Maddison.” Mattheo offers a faint smile. “It’s a bit much to take in during one dinner, I know.”

James rubs my upper back as Nicholas had. “Come on, meet your family.”

There’s hesitation in my steps, and he notices. He glances at Mattheo before nodding and walking off towards the two boys. Slowly, Mattheo finally peels little Theo off him, and the kid runs for James’ legs now. Mattheo’s arm drapes over my shoulders, leading me away from the small group of kids and towards a stone bench just under a giant aging oak. Without saying a word, we both sit, hands tucked beneath us and breaths forming in front of us as we huff in the cool air.

“They’re nice kids, you know.” He stares off at the small group. “Kendrick is a bit mouthy, and he’s a Lycan like us. He goes to Rienridge but he’s in his fifth year. Billy’s human like his mom, but he knows about us Lycan’s. He’s a bit shy when it comes to new people, kind of like you are, but Kenny’s not.”

“You know more about them than I do.” The words seem innocent, but even I can hear the venom behind them. Jealousy is eating at my insides without even realizing it.

He nods. “That happens when you’re raised with them.” His hand squeezes my shoulder. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t get to know them like I have. You could even be closer to them than I am. You just have to try.”

Mattheo stands and shouts, “Hey, Kenny!” He then motions the kid over. Once Kendrick is standing in front of him, he points at the spot where he had been sitting. “Sit and talk with your cousin. I’m going to check on food.”

Mattheo walks away from the two of us, leaving us completely alone under the oak tree. The stone bench beneath me is cold, causing my hands to become numb almost. Kendrick lazily kicks at the grass below, not giving me one ounce of attention. So far, he doesn’t seem like the mouthy, good kid Mattheo had made him out to be.

Finally, Kendrick sighs as he faces me. “So, you’re Aunt Emelia’s son, then.”

“Yeah.”

He nods. “Everyone thought you were dead.”

“I’m alive.”

“No duh.” He laughs a bit. “Mom and Dad said that you were either dead or missing. I guess it was missing.”

“Something like that,” I say, dodging the truth as much as possible. “Was there a funeral or anything?”

“Nah.” He shakes his head. “Not that I can remember anyways. I do remember Aunt Heather being super torn up about it though. She’s been slowly reliving it all again now that everyone knows you’re alive.”

At least there were people out there mourning my death, even I wasn’t dead. Well, a part of me did die. I’ll never be the Rylan they envisioned when Mom was pregnant. I’m rude, quick-tempered, and could care less about getting to know any of them. They were better off just mourning me and still believing I was dead.

“I won’t lie to you, kid.” Kendrick stares off at the house. “A part of me wishes you weren’t found. Only because it’s caused all the adults to go crazy again.”

“What do you mean by ‘crazy again’?”

He shakes his head, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I barely remember everyone being on edge when you were missing. The adults had been gathering in secret and whispering dark things to one another. They’ve started doing it again. They’re all locked up in the office right now, gossiping.”

“Then maybe we should find out what they’re gossiping about,” I suggest.

Kendrick’s brown eyes widen significantly. “You mean eavesdrop on the elders?”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Eavesdropping is when you-”

I hold my hand up, cutting him off. “I know what eavesdropping is. I meant; I don’t know what you mean by elders.”

“Oh.” He shrugs. “The elders of the pack. Each family is basically a pack, and the grandparents, great aunts, and any elder friends are considered the elders. They practically run the entire pack on their own, only, our pack has an actual alpha as the head.”

“Who?”

“James’ dad,” he hums. “Arthur went through Rienridge like we are, and he had extensive alpha training. He even went through the boot camps and stuff. He’s tough, smart, and according to my dad, a bit too outspoken at times. He’s nice though. I like him.”

I remember now when he introduced me to the rest of the party and mentioned that if no one liked me being there they could leave. No one left. I guess he’s a powerful alpha then.

“Is it a bad thing to eavesdrop on elders?” I ask him, truly curious.

He tilts his head from side to side, as if debating on the correct response. “It really depends on who you ask, and which elders they are. Our elders aren’t that bad, not with Arthur being the alpha.”

“Then let’s do it.” I stand on my feet. “If you really want to know the truth about something, don’t let anyone stop you from learning it.”

Kendrick stares at me a moment before sucking air through his teeth and nodding. “You’re right.” He stands on his feet, meeting me in height. His hand plops down on my shoulder, causing a hollow growl to fill my chest, but it doesn’t escape. “I think I’m starting to like you, kid.”

He then shouts out towards the other kids, “Hey! Need some assistance.”

Without an explanation, Mattheo and James both come rushing towards us. Both are panting as they give us both a once over, but when they find nothing wrong or out of the ordinary, they begin giving us questioning looks.

“What’s wrong?” James asks while struggling to hold himself upright as Theo continues clinging to his leg. “What happened?”

“Are you alright?” Mattheo asks while brushing nothing at all from my shoulder.

I swat at his hands as he continues attempting to dust me off. “Stop that, Mattheo. I’m fine.”

“Jeez, Matt.” Kendrick shakes his head in disbelief. “You’re taking this big brother thing a bit too seriously, aren’t you?”

“Hey, I don’t tell you how to look after your family.” Mattheo’s eyes trace over me once more and he attempts to touch me again, but I swat him away successfully. “Now, what do you want?”

“A diversion.” Kendrick offers a wicked smile, much like the one Mattheo often gives me. “James, do you know of any way we could eavesdrop on the office without being noticed?”

James, Mattheo, Theo, the twins, and a young girl with long brown curls gasp in shock at his words. The girl must be Dani, the chasing wolf. Her clothes were once pink, but they’re nothing more than mud and pawprints now. Her pale green eyes keep glancing between me and Kendrick.

“You want to listen in on their meeting?” James asks, still astonished. “Have you lost your mind?”

“It was my idea, not his,” I immediately defend Kendrick. “Besides, we all know they won’t be all that surprised with me doing something like this. I’m new to the whole Lycan thing.”

“He’s right,” Mattheo admits. “As much as I hate the idea of my little brother getting in trouble with the elders-”

“Stop calling me little.”

“-it might be worth it to know what they’ve been buzzing about lately.”

James sighs now. “Well, if we’re serious about this, then I’ll take blame. And I know the perfect place to get the drop on them.”

“Move over,” James complains to Dani.

Dani wiggles over, nudging Mattheo. “Sorry,” she squeaks.

Mattheo rolls his eyes and pushes me over more. “Move some.”

“Stop touching me,” I growl out.

Kendrick laughs on my right. “Matt was right, you really do hate being touched on.”

My chest tightens and I face left, giving Mattheo the best glare I can muster. The kid only rolls his eyes once again, before shushing all of us. The air is cold as the wind nips at my exposed face. None of the other kids seem to notice the chill in the air. They’ve developed the ability to stay warm unlike me.

“Matt,” Kendrick grunts. “Come over here and help me lift this.”

Mattheo slowly rolls over my entire body to reach the other side. His elbow digs into my back a bit and presses my stomach harder into the roofing tiles. A growl leaves my lips fast, and he mutters a half-hearted apology. As he moves, there’s a shift in the tiles and the slope we’re on doesn’t seem to help with keeping balance.

There’s a whimper as Dani’s body begins sliding down the slope. James curses as he reaches for her, but he misses her hand completely. Not thinking, I immediately slide myself down the roof and grab her by the arm. Her small body dangles three stories. Dani’s face is contorted into fear and her small whimpers are most likely only just covering the scream that wants to escape.

“D-Don’t let go,” she whimpers.

“I got you,” I grit out. “Just swing your lower body to the right.” She does so, but only barely. “Harder than that.”

Finally, her legs get closer, and I grasp one of them, pulling her entire body back up onto the roof. Her small body lands directly on top of me, leaving me laying on my back, panting and contemplating life.

“T-Thank you,” she whispers.

I sigh, clearly having nowhere to go. “Yeah, you’re welcome. Just try to stay on the roof this time.”

“Okay,” she rushes out. She pushes herself off me and begins crawling back up to where the boys are.

Taking a moment for myself, I stare up at the sky. There’s a faint outline of stars now across the dark blue. It’s getting late, closer time for dinner to be done, and none of us are out there with the twins and Theo, playing like we’re supposed to be. I’m sure someone will check and then we’ll get into trouble for sneaking away, but we’re curious about what’s going on.

Staring at the darkened clouds as they gently move around, creating different shapes, Faye crosses my mind. Why? I’m not sure. Something about laying here and watching the clouds move makes me wonder what she’s doing right now, whether she’s watched them today or if she even watches the stars. Does she like sunsets and sunrises as much as I do? Would she if I asked her to?

“Rylan,” Mattheo hisses out. “Come up here. We got the hatch opened.”

Grunting, I roll over to my stomach once more and crawl up the roof to settle back in-between Kendrick and Mattheo. The spot I had been attempting to stay in seems to have a slick spot, and I keep pushing myself back into position. Something braces against my back, and I glance over my shoulder to see Mattheo’s arm planted on my back. His hand holds the other side of where my side is, gripping the tile, as if creating a type of safety belt so I no longer slide around. As much as I’d like to tell him off, I’m more concerned with the hushed voices below us.

“...on from him. I’m done discussing the topic of my son,” Nicholas growls out. “There are bigger things to worry over.”

“Yes,” Mister Sutton hums out. “There’s the matter of Collin, and his interest in Rylan.”

My skin crawls upon hearing my name mentioned in the same sentence as Corey’s dads. That coward is most likely shouting at his son now, treating him like he’s nothing more than the dirt he walks on.

“What do you mean?” Maxwell Keenan asks.

I glance down through the opened hatch and notice him sitting at the desk beside Nicholas. Arthur sits behind the desk, showing that it’s his office, his meeting. Another man stands just off at the side of the room, calmly assessing the entire conversation. He’s too far in the shadows to see his face.

The door to the office opens without anyone knocking. A figure enters the room and the men around the desk seem to grow tense. Well, Maxwell does. Arthur is relaxed as he smiles at the new member.

“Gentlemen. I was surprised you started the meeting without me.”

Maxwell hangs his head in obvious disdain. “That is no surprise considering you are not welcomed here, Phineas.”

Phineas Finley steps farther into the room, just in view of the hatch. His blonde hair seems longer than before, tied back in a low ponytail at the base of his neck. His stride is long and sure as he waltzes in as if he owns the place.

“That is not your decision to make, Keenan.” Phineas smirks now, a devilish grin. “That would be Alpha Sutton’s say, and he has said numerous times that his territory is open when there is need for any discussion. Isn’t that right, Arthur?”

Mister Sutton sits up straighter in his chair, leaning forward, head rested on interlocked fingers as his elbows rest on the desk. “I did say this, however, this is a private meeting. Pack matters. Surely, you understand.”

Phineas walks closer to the desk. “I do understand, Arthur, but you see-” He flashes a smile while loosening his gloves. “-there have been issues arising at Rienridge that need urgent attention before the academy is started back.”

“Go on.” Arthur motions for the man to continue.

“Gladly.” Phineas places himself in a seat between Nicholas and Maxwell. Both men look uncomfortable with the seating arrangement, but neither moves. “It had come to my attention as of late August that Rienridge had welcomed an invalid into their academy. I have tried my best to reason with dear old Kerum, but he insists on the boy being a true Lycan. However, I have evidence that the boy has injured multiple students on separate occasions. Something like this must be dealt with immediately, rather than sitting and waiting for him to hurt another student.”

“If you’re referring to my nephew-” Arthur slowly rises from his seat, hands splayed on the desk. “-I would suggest taking your complaints elsewhere.”

“I was hoping to solve this internally, rather than voicing my concerns with the council.” Phineas’ voice is cold and dripping with malice.

There’s a cracking sound from down below, and James’ dad stares at Nicholas. His voice sounds strained as he says, “Nick, step out of the room.”

Slowly, Nicholas stands and exits the room, nearly limping as he does so. Maxwell begins chuckling while tapping his chair, clearly amused by something.

“Oh, Phineas.” He stands now, and the pudgy man taps the back of the chair he had been sitting in. “I’m more than sure you have no idea what you’ve just started.”

“And what does a useless human like you know,” Phineas growls out.

Maxwell clicks his tongue. “I know that Rylan is in the process of becoming Nicholas’ son. He has already claimed the boy within the pack, meaning he’s protected by this pack.” Phineas Fletcher now grips the arms of his chair, a quick movement you’d miss if not staring at the man intently. “And even as a useless human, I know not to speak ill of an alpha’s cub. Especially a King cub, yet here we are. A smart and powerful alpha such as yourself has made that very mistake.”

Standing, Phineas nods towards Arthur. “I can see my presence is not wanted here. I’ll shall take my leave.” He opens the door but stops and turns back to face Arthur. “I made no mistake here, Sutton. That boy will bring nothing but pain and death to the academy. He has hurt children. What shall we cover up and defend him of next- Murder?”

With that, the man walks from the room, the door swinging shut behind him. Mister Sutton slowly sits back down in his chair, breathing out a long and heavy breath of relief. There’s a slack in his face, showing just how draining that conversation was for him.

There’s movement in the corner of the room. The figure in the shadows now steps forward, a stern and stone-like expression on his face. Two beady little eyes that are constantly judging my every move back at the academy. Helman.

“Perhaps Phineas is right this time,” he says casually. “The boy has hurt students, Arthur. Who’s to say he will not kill a student next.”

Maxwell stands to his feet again and points a stern finger at Helman. “Don’t you begin speaking ill of my family-”

“Max,” Arthur sighs out. “Give it a rest for a moment. We both know that Caleb means well when he speaks of Rylan.”

Helman’s lips quirk for a moment as he steps closer towards the desk. “Of course, I do. I whole-heartedly expect the boy to murder a student, but only out of accidence. He’s not in control of his own actions, even with Kerum’s training. Something does need to be done to protect the rest of the students, and the boy as well.”

The idea that Professor Helman cares for me doesn’t sink in at all. There’s something about his tone, the way he’s carrying himself, that suggests he’s only playing the part. My distrust in him may sway my thinking, but it can’t be helped.

Mattheo grips the tiling harder, causing it to crack. “You don’t really think they’ll kick Rylan out of the academy, right?”

Kendrick shrugs. “It depends on if he hurts someone else, I guess.”

“How can you be so calm about this?” Mattheo growls. “He’s your cousin. Do something to change their minds,” he hisses.

“How about this-” He starts sliding down the roof and we follow. “Why doesn’t Rylan just focus on not killing anyone for the rest of the school year? That might change their minds.”

We reach the bottom of the roof and Mattheo jumps, landing perfectly. “Or, as his family, we help him for once. Or am I the only one who actually cares about him?”

Kendrick steps closer towards the black-headed boy. The two of them stare at one another for a moment before Kendrick finally looks away and huffs out, “Fine.” He stares at me up on the roof now. “When school starts back you and I will be training. You’ll have training with Kerum in the mornings and training with me at nights. We’ll get you shifting in no time.” He looks back at Mattheo and bumps his shoulder as he walks past him and towards the house. “Don’t ever say I don’t care for the kid.”

Dani and James land on the ground below, and I follow them. My legs ache just a bit, but I’ve felt worse in them. James taps me on the shoulder and makes his way for the house, and Dani quietly thanks me again before chasing after him. Mattheo and I are left standing in the yard.

He groans and stares up at the roof. “We forgot to shut the hatch.” He waves me over. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

He climbs the roof and reaches down to pull me up and I let him. My legs are still somewhat sore. Slowly, we crawl our way up towards the open hatch. Mattheo grips the edge of it and starts to bring it down but stops himself. I shimmy my way to his side as he lays flat against the roof like we had moments before.

“...mean anything. He’s not once mentioned them,” Nicholas argues.

Arthur places his head in his hands and sighs loudly. “Whether he has or not is not the issue at hand here, Nicky. There have been reported sightings of the shadows around Rienridge. If things are starting again-”

“They’re not,” Nicholas groans. “If they were Kerum would have told us so. I implore you, Arthur- Do not make me choose between this pack and my children.”

“I would never,” Arthur assures him. “But I had spoken with Lenora, and I know the truth of his disappearance. I know about Noah Evans and the stunt of Rylan’s wolf. I also know that she warned you he was not ready to leave the academy grounds.”

“Well, you’ve said it yourself,” Nicholas chuckles darkly. “There have been sightings of the shadows around town. Is he truly safe there, in the academy? Phineas thinks my boy, my son, the danger. What of Lorcan? You’ve heard of the murders around town. He’s the only one that could’ve done them. Even Adam is starting to realize the truth.”

My skin grows tight, and there’s an unsettling feeling in the bottom of my stomach. The shadows I had been seeing, the conversation I had with Gill- All of it connects back with Lorcan.

“He’s dead, Nicho-”

“Are we sure about that?” He asks. “Gill thinks otherwise.”

Now, Arthur seems to be contemplating his answer. “If -And this is a big if, Nicholas- If Lorcan truly is alive, then he wouldn’t attack the academy. Mattheo and Rylan both would be safe there.”

“You can’t believe that.”

Arthur nods. “If I didn’t, I would be pulling James out. He would be in just as much danger as them. If you remember correctly, I also played a part in his demise.”

The man now takes a seat and stares at his friend. “Alright. I will trust you, Arthur.”

“Good,” he hums. “Now, please refrain from killing Phineas in any future meetings. You nearly shifted right here in this office when he mentioned Rylan.”

“He should know better than to mention a cub of mine,” Nicholas growls. His face then relaxes, and he smiles before chuckling, “But did you see the look on his face?”

Both men laugh now with one another and then they’re gone. Mattheo sits on the hatch, a sour expression on his face. His verdant eyes train on me for a moment before turning away and staring off at the trees in the distance. His entire body is stiff and rigid, and he seems ready to shift.

“Lorcan really is back,” he mutters. His arms tighten around his knees. “Corey was right. His brother was right. Lorcan’s real.”

“Yeah,” I mutter back. A part of me wonders now if I should tell him about the shadows, but another part worries that he’ll think differently of me. We’ve been getting along and growing closer, and I’ve been keeping things from him this entire time. “I guess they were.”

He grunts as he stands, staring at the sky now. “If Lorcan really is coming back, then we need to know everything we can about him. I say we take a closer look into those murders around town.”

“What- Why?” I stand after him.

He glances at me with his signature smirk. “Because if the adults are mentioning the murders and Lorcan in the same conversation then they know something we don’t about the connection between them. If we can find out why those people were murdered, then we can figure out why they’re so terrified of Lorcan coming back.”

“I overhead Professors Bingum and Lorne talking about him,” I admit to him. “They mentioned something about him killing a bunch of students before and that his kid attends our school now.”

“So, if we find the kid-”

“We find Lorcan,” I finish. Ignoring the burning in my chest, I start making my way down the roof. “We just have to wait until we’re back at school, and then we can start looking into the murders.”

“Yeah, every murder from the start of the year would be better.”

I lose my footing and drop off the roof, hitting the ground hard. Every murder. If they look too closely at the murders, they’ll see that Noah was murdered the same day I came into the academy. It wouldn’t be hard to put two and two together. I was placed in the academy as a foster right after my father was mysteriously murdered and the murderer was never caught.

“Rylan!” Mattheo shouts from above. “Are you okay?”

I stare up at the sky, watching as a star zips across the night sky. “No.”

No, I’m not okay, Mattheo. Because before the end of the school year, all my new friends will know I’m a murderer and I’ll lose everything I just gained. I’m not okay.