Midnight Wolves

Chapter Twelve: Beast

Callie woke bathed in blood.

Not her own, she realised after a moment of frantically checking her body.

She searched for the source, her wolf lending her night vision to help. To show off, Callie realised, as she spied the glassy eyed head resting against the foot of the bed. Grant. She'd killed him.

Her wolf uncurled inside her and Callie knew she felt different, stronger.

Swinging her feet from the bed, she stood and stalked out of the tent, bathed in the light of the moon. She drew strength from it. Lounged in it.

Memories still flickered in the back of her head. The echo of the taste of the man's blood in her mouth mixing with the very real tang of Grant's blood that she knew coated her mouth and chin.

She smiled wide, feeling the strength of her wolf, feeling invincible.

And, without further thought, she headed for Shadow Valley territory.

Because if their alphas truly betrayed and killed Callie's parents... Well then, it was time for them to pay.

So she headed for the beast – and could only hope that she could convince it to not to kill her and to hand over the document instead.

Easy, right?

*

The pack perimeter scorched across Callie's skin as she carefully, slowly, made her way through the overgrown packlands. It was clear that whoever lived here – be them deadly or otherwise – did not want visitors. The tarmac path that had once cut through the middle of the land, separating the dense forest into two halves, was bubbled and blistered by weeds, growing tall until they towered over Callie and shadowed her every step.

Wildlife rustled around her, though she couldn't make them out through the tangle of veins and thick, leathery leaves. She felt their eyes on her, curious, as she made her way towards a thin stream of smoke escaping from the top of a brick chimney.

It was the only building not shrouded in veins and weeds, though it slanted to the side, its wooden walls split and crumbling. Whoever lived here wasn't much for house maintenance or gardening, it would seem.

A shallow clearing had been formed around the wooden hut, a pile of logs stacked up, some split and an axe still resting against them. It was only as she stepped out of the camouflage of weeds, that she realised her mistake. She hadn't noticed when the wildlife around her went silent, as though all life had disappeared from the area.

Hadn't noticed the predator only metres away from her.

Not until his growl rumbled over her – through her.

How had he appeared so quickly? How hasn't she sensed him?

Her wolf lunged for the surface until her world slipped into monochrome, claws burying through her human skin. Her wolf drew in a deep breath and her stance lowered, ready to fight. It took her a moment to spot him again. Hidden within the shadows of the trees that leant haphazardly towards the small hut. She found his eyes first. They watched her with an intensity that sent her heart skittering through her chest.

When he stepped towards her, it was as though the shadows followed him. His fur so dark it looked like it was made from night. His anger rippled over her as he sent a wave of dominance towards her. Had she been weaker, she'd have faltered and fallen to the floor, an easy victim for this merciless predator.

But for the second time tonight, a man underestimated her.

Callie let her wolf have total control, easily slipping into her wolf form, Grant's blood drying on her fur. Matching his wave of power, she raised her hackles and drew her lips back, exposing the tips of her teeth.

He paused for a moment, an indecipherable look flicking across his face before he doubled down on his power. His growl, that had been humming beneath his skin, turned into a roar as spittle flew from his mouth.

He had been holding back. Callie realised. Last night, he'd been holding back too.

That first wave of power was crippling but was nothing compared to him unleashed.

Callie winced as he increased his wave of dominance, she matched it with her own – both of them locked in a strange, internal battle. Callie's wolf whined as he sent another wave towards her, but would not give in. She began to strain, to feel her energy sapping from her, but he was not done. She'd never met anyone this powerful before, had never met someone strong enough to make her wolf submit.

She would not start now. Not now with the memory of Grant's hands around her throat so fresh.

Gritting her teeth, Callie's wolf remained on her feet and threw her own power back at him.

His leg shook but he regained his footing. He took another step towards her, another growl slipping from between his teeth. She wondered if he was going to attack, bored with this silent battle.

Neither were going to win, she realised. They were locked in a battle where the only prize was exhaustion, maybe even death if she gave in first and he went for the kill.

So, despite the agony that tore through her as she released her dominant waves, Callie transformed into her human form, landing on all fours as his power raked over her.

But, the moment she transformed, his power fell. Releasing her from the silent battle, she slid to the ground and panted hard at the exertion.

His paws hitting the ground had her looking up through a curtain of hair. He'd prowled closer, but stopped just far enough away to give her room. She grabbed blindly for her clothes that had been abandoned during her shift and quickly yanked a top over her head, relieved that it fell long enough to cover most of her.

"I'm not here to fight," she said, her voice weaker than she'd intended. She cleared her throat and tried again when all he did was stare. "I'm here because I need to talk to you. I was sent to get something. Please. I need your help."

To his credit, the half-crazed wolf didn't go to attack her, or even move. He simply watched, round yellow eyes trained on her every breath. A vicious scar ran down his face and even in her human form, with full colour vision, Callie couldn't believe how dark his fur was.

Part of her longed to run a hand through it. She shook the vision from her mind. Trust her to meet a creature so deadly that her entire uncle's pack refused to even come near him, and she thinks of petting him like a domestic dog.

"My name is Callie," she offered, when the wolf made no move towards her.

His power waves fell again, though still it buzzed against her skin. He didn't look angry though. Not anymore. Perhaps he didn't realise that he was still exuding power. Perhaps he had lived alone long enough not to care.

The wolf sat.

She flinched but slowly drew herself to her knees and watched as in the blink of an eye, midnight black fur was replaced by human skin.

He looked even fiercer as a man.

Shaggy black hair that hung long and limp in his eyes. He brushed it away out of habit, but it fell straight back into place. Her eyes traced his arms, the muscles that lined every inch of him. She blushed as her eyes dipped lower and looked away to give him his dignity.

But the intensity of those eyes drew her back. Even human they still appeared to glow. They were dark – so dark she might believe they were black – and fully trained on her, and only her. His face, a mixture of sharp edges and hard lines, was fixed into a permanent scowl as his eyes assessed her with a calculated look.

"What are you doing here?" His voice grazed against her senses. It was hoarse, as though he didn't speak a lot, and low – so very, very low. She shivered and dragged the rest of her clothing towards her.

"I need your help. I'm sorry to intrude, I didn't know how else to speak to you, I-"

His head snapped to the left.

It was the only warning she got.

A shout. A shot. A flash of fur barrelling into her.