Chapter 10: Will

Chapter 10: Will

If I could shift into a wolf, I would have been able to travel from Bangor to Fiddler’s Green within half an hour. But that was an impossibility and a rather scary one. I was headed into dangerous territory. It wasn’t just vampires and Maurice that I had to worry about; I was concerned with the safety of all the pack members who had been dragged to the culling fields.

But thankfully, Lawrence’s Lexus proved to be a worthy ride. Having no regard for his car, I drove it like a maniac, occasionally fighting the impulse to crash it so that even in death, Lawrence’s soul would feel the humiliation of my wrecking his precious car. Oh, how I hated the man. What gall he possessed, wooing my mate like that under false pretenses, then attempting to assassinate her when her guards were down. Poetic justice, irony, the turning of the tables—whatever it was, having Lawrence’s rotting corpse in the trunk of the car made me feel satiated. Unlike the perverted satiations that I used to feel, this was a very rational satisfaction brought along by my psyche’s realization that I had killed the person who had dared approach my mate.

And now I was driving his car at 120 miles per hour. The road, thankfully, was smooth and straight, and at this dark hour of the night, there were no patrol cars to hinder me as I raced along the Penobscot river and headed into Fiddler’s Forest. I drove as if the devil was on my back.

I only hoped that the pack would delay their journey to the culling fields as much as they could. Once they’d reach the fields, wherever they were, they’d be faced with vampires ambushing them from every side. I had taught the pack as well as I could and was confident that they’d be able to hold their own for a while, but only for a while. What Ralph’s vampires lacked in skill, they made up for in sheer numbers. How long would the pack hold off the onslaught of the unending vampires?

I dared not ponder these dark thoughts as I steered the car at breakneck speed along the curvy road heading deeper into Fiddler’s Forest. I had come so far, but there was just as much further to go.

My mind strayed to thoughts of Alexis and what she might be doing and if she might be coming to Fiddler’s Green at all. Part of me thought that she’d make use of this opportunity to run away and hide. The other part, the one that had learned how to hope, was wishing she’d come back and somehow fight by my side.

But these were not my prime concerns. The shadow over my mind was regarding my inability to shift into a wolf. Was it a temporary hurdle, or was it something permanent rendered by the Wolf’s Bane potion that Blair had used? It drove a wedge of fear into my heart, thinking I’d never be able to shift into a wolf again.

Even this thought identified itself as a very selfish one, and my brain implored me to explore other avenues of reflection. So I turned my attention to the winding road once more, hopeful that I’d at least catch some glimpse of a familiar face or two heading in a somewhat familiar direction. This would guide me to the location of the culling fields. The Fiddler’s Forest was vast and stretched well into Maine. There was no way of ascertaining where such mythical fields existed in that deep expanse of trees and greenery.

But in this darkness, I saw no face nor shadow of any living creature. There was just the road stretching through the endless forest.

Now I was at the point of no return. The milestone marker for Fiddler’s Green had just appeared on the left. It was just a few miles away. It then occurred to me that I could make use of technology. Ah, yes, the phone that Vincent had slipped into my coat. I still had it. I pulled it out of my pocket, and after much fiddling, I was able to dial the only number saved on it.

“Vince!” I exclaimed. “Where are the culling fields? On that matter, where are you?”

“Will, it’s bad. It’s extremely bad. Maurice has gone into a religious trance, spouting nonsense about salvation and the evergreen pastures of eternity. The pack members are scared. We’re east of Fiddler’s Cove and are heading deeper into the forest. Maurice keeps saying that he’s going to take us to some promised land, to some revelation that he’s going to share in light of all the uncertainties that we have faced. At this point, everyone knows he’s spewing bullshit, but what other choice do we have? We can’t just disobey him,” Vince whispered.

“But someone can challenge him. That much is written in the bylaws that dictate the lives of werewolves. If someone can challenge the Alpha to a battle, then the challenger can be the new Alpha if he wins the fight!”

“Will, who do you think is strong enough to challenge Maurice at his prime?” Vince hissed.

“Every single one of you is strong! I trained you all to be that way. End this madness and stop him before you reach the fields. You do know that there’s an ambush lying in wait, don’t you?” I stated. Now I was driving past the Grimm Abode. Here, the asphalt road ended, and the dirt road began. The Lexus was not suited to running on dirt roads, and it was already showing signs of slowing down under the added strain of the uneven terrain.

I still maintained my course on the dirt road until I came to the end of the path. From here, the car could go further no more. Before I ditched the car, I opened the trunk and slipped a pistol into my belt. Then I locked the trunk and headed into the northern part of the forest. The air here smelled of stale blood. This was vampire territory, close to the cove.

Even in the dark, the faint moonlight lent me enough sight to make out the footsteps in the dirt. There were hundreds of them, all of them heading deeper into the forest. This was my trail to follow.

With bated breath, I waded deeper into the forest till there wasn’t any moonlight left at all, but here, my hearing came to my aid, as I could hear the sounds of my pack members coming from far up ahead.

If I were to reveal my identity, it would have to be at the most opportune moment. Right now, secrecy and stealth are my biggest allies. I knew not how many vampires were lurking around the forest. My wolf senses were robbed of me. All that mattered was that I didn’t lose the sounds that were coming from ahead.

As I advanced further, I could make out the lights coming from lanterns, mobile phones, and flashlights. These were my pack members, all of them uncertain about what was going to happen yet resiliently following their Alpha into the unknown.

I flanked the procession so there would be no chance of my getting caught. Once I was on the right, I saw the big field ahead of me. It was not an old field. I had been to this part of the forest before, once or twice in my wanderings with Ariana and then with my walks with Alexis. This was a new field created just south of the cove. All the trees had been rooted out unnaturally, leaving a mulched ground in their wake. It was horrendous to look at as if the entire field had been turned into a makeshift grave for all the people assembled there.

He had led them to their deaths.

I could not stand idly in the corner as the last of the pack members assembled in the field. They were all huddled around each other, holding their torches aloft. Maurice stood atop a tree stump, elevated from the rest of the crowd. Wherever I looked, I could not see Fred. Of course, with his being in the wheelchair, it must have been impossible to drag him here.

“My dear brethren, family, friends. There is a reason I have gathered you all here in this field,” Maurice spoke. I could not bear to look at his loathsome face. His visage resembled melting wax, and each word that came out of his mouth sounded like the hiss of a slithering snake. “We are here to mourn those who have passed. And to discuss how we can shape our future.”

Now that every eye in the field was fixated on him, I came out of hiding and joined the crowd from behind. No one noticed me as I walked through the crowd, parting through it. They were too focused on what Maurice had to say, asking themselves why he had dragged them all out here instead of just assembling them in the commune.

“You must all be wondering why we are here, out in the middle of nowhere,” Maurice said. He was holding his hands and rubbing them impatiently. His eyes were wandering from left to right, undoubtedly looking for the ambushers.

It was at this moment that I came out of the crowd, facing Maurice directly. “I was just wondering, Maurice, what lie did you tell these folk about my passing?”

Sudden gasps emitted from the crowd, and people began talking in hushed murmurs that suddenly grew into a loud collective sound embodying the rage and confusion that the pack members were experiencing.

“You told us he died!” someone screamed from the pack.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” I called out, relishing the look on Maurice’s face. He had gone as pallid as the moonlight above, his lips quivering wordlessly and his arms tremoring in shock. “This man is nothing but a sleazy liar! He shot me in cold blood and laid me there to die. He is nothing but a conspirator, working with a vampire and a madman in an attempt to bring down the Grimm pack and sell this town to the bloodsucking smugglers who have been wreaking havoc on the innocents who live in this otherwise peaceful place!” My voice was charged, each word clear, the delivery robust. The crowd gathered behind me was utterly silent, paying heed to each word.

Maurice stood there with a deranged look on his face, whispering something.

“Speak up, you fucking coward!” I yelled.

“You were supposed to be dead,” he finally managed to say.

“Ah, alas, how splendidly that would have worked out for you. But sadly for you, while I still draw breath, I will defend this pack with every inch of my life. So what’s the plan, Maurice? Where are your reinforcements?”

He didn’t even bother replying. Maurice immediately jumped off the stump and headed in the opposite direction, running haphazardly with his legs and arms flailing comically.

I turned my attention to the pack, now occupying the place where Maurice had been standing just a few seconds ago. “He invited you all here to kill you. He has been working with the vampires all along. He intends to destroy the Grimm lineage and hand over our sacred commune to the vampires. There has been a massive conspiracy underway.”

“How are you still alive?” a voice rose from the crowd.

“As much as they tried to kill me, fate had other plans for me. I arrive at the turn of the tide to aid you in this fight. Stand with me, fight by my side, defend this town. The vampires are coming!” I said.

Just as I had uttered these words, a horde of vampires broke through the tree line behind me, rushing towards the werewolves. Their numbers were far more than ours. As I braced myself for the charge, Vince came up by my side and shifted into his wolf form. Behind me, all the pack members shifted and howled furiously, planting their paws deep within the ground, preparing for war.

At this exact moment, three more flanks of vampires appeared from all sides, completely surrounding us. The werewolves, who had just established their position, were attacked from every direction. Maurice had pulled all the stops in planning this attack. He had meant to kill every last one of us.

And it seemed, at this particular moment, that this was exactly what would happen. There were five vampires for each werewolf present, and they were fighting dirty, attacking the werewolves with knives, and machetes, shooting at them with guns and digging their teeth into their skins.

I saw Vince being dominated by ten vampires, all of them prodding their makeshift spears at him, piercing his skin. Hurriedly, I took out my pistol, aimed it at the vampires, and unloaded the magazine on them. But this served no purpose, as the ten who had fallen were replaced by ten more.

Before me unfolded a sight of utter despair. All the wolves being subdued by the frenzied vampires. I had never felt so helpless in my entire life. When it had just been me whose life had been in danger, I had persevered through the worst of tragedies knowing that no matter how terrible it got, it would just be confined to me. But this concerned my entire pack, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Such helplessness overcame me as a swarm of vampires broke upon me, grabbing me by my limbs and my head and wedging their nails and teeth into my torso. Overwhelmed, outnumbered, and outmaneuvered, I fell to the ground, experiencing what I thought were my final moments on earth.

Something happened to me as I fell, covered by aggressive vampires striking me from head to toe. My body contorted painfully as if every bone in it was breaking. The blood in my veins began seething till it was boiling, and I felt like I was burning alive. I could feel the tears in my muscles as each fiber was being impaled, rent, and stretched.

The sound of the howling wolves rang in my ears till it was the only sound I could hear. When I opened my eyes, I did not see the vampires but a total redness, as if blood had been dumped on my face.

And then I howled. A bloodcurdling howl came from deep within me as my body rose, throwing aside every single vampire who had been clinging to me. My nails grew into claws, but these were not anything like the claws I used to have before. These new claws were the size of small daggers. I kept growing and growing in size till I was taller than every single wolf on the battlefield, and even then, I did not stop growing. By the time my transformation into my feral form finished, I was left feeling like I was born anew with the strength of all the old gods flowing through me.

There was no more weakness in my system, far from it. I could feel the strength of the moon surging through my veins. Before tonight, I had only heard legends of this transformation. The old wolves used to call it “the wolf within.” Witnessing the agony of my pack members had somehow unlocked the wolf within me, allowing me to shift into the most powerful version of myself I had ever been.

All the vampires cowered below me, my shadow covering them from head to toe. When I opened my maw, I didn’t just howl; I roared fiercely. The vampires fled as my wolves came to my side. Here we stood, all the wolves behind their new Alpha and all the vampires on the other side.

Then he appeared. He was wearing a cloak and wielding a spear drenched in blood. Ralph looked formidable as he parted the horde of vampires and stepped into the clearing between the two clans.

“Resurrection suits you, Wilhelm,” Ralph said, aiming his spear at me. “But this is the end of the line. I have endless men. You have but a hundred-something wolves. Come now. Surrender. Let this end with some dignity.”

My forearm stretched past the clearing and swiped at the vampires standing in the front, tearing open their bodies, and sending them flinging in the back. I could see them writhing painfully as death embraced them. This angered the formation of the vampires who had gathered behind Ralph, but Ralph held up his hand, prohibiting them from fighting.

“No, no. Will and I have some unfinished business, have we not? What say you we fight each other one on one?”

I drew my breath in, then howled so loud that I could feel the air around me resonating with raw power. It was a howl so fright-inducing that half the vampires standing behind Ralph turned on their heels and ran for their lives. My wolves, emboldened by my battle cry, charged without warning, turning the tide of the battle in their favor, rending apart the flesh of the remaining vampires, attacking them mercilessly. I advanced on Ralph, who was no match for me, even with his tall spear.

I grabbed his spear between my teeth and pulled it off him. Then I bit on his neck and flung him as far back as I could. He hit the trees and collapsed limply on the soft ground. While he was busy getting up, I swiped and slashed at the remaining vampires, and, aided by my wolves, I killed dozens upon dozens of vampires, all thanks to my new, terrifying, feral form. With each slash, I was killing six or seven vampires. Those who were foolish enough to engage me in combat got their heads bit off, the flesh ripped off their bones, and their bodies dismembered brutally.

This would be a night every vampire, every werewolf, and even the moon would remember as the night Will Grimm attained his true form and stood up for his pack. I would make sure of it.

The vampires’ horde was thinning till only a few handfuls of them remained. They were retreating behind Ralph, who was slowly advancing toward me.

But now, the battle was ceasing in favor of this new proceeding. The vampires were behind their leader, and my pack was behind me. A circle began forming around Ralph and me.

I stared fiercely at my foe, remembering the events that had taken place in Beckett Tower. He, Maurice, and Blair were responsible for the rift between Alexis and me. It was his conspiracy that had prevailed chaos over this town for so long.

Not anymore.

There was no match. This was a one-sided fight. Whenever Ralph attacked me, I simply pawed him away. He had no strength compared to my new form. At times, he flew to slash at me with his knives, but even then, none of his blows hit me, and the few that hit me didn’t even pierce my skin. It felt like he was tickling me.

When I grew tired of his flimsy attempts at fighting, I howled at his face and watched the life leave him as he realized that this was his end and that he’d die a horrible death. My wolves howled in unison with me, our sound an ethereal wolf song reaching into the cosmos, rousing the moon to shine its resplendent beams upon us, nurturing us with strength.

Ralph and I raced toward each other one last time. Before he could pull the spear off the ground to impale me, I leaped into the air, opened my mouth, and collided with the vampire in mid-air, tearing away his head from his body and feeling his cold blood gush through my mouth. When I landed, I was holding Ralph’s head in my mouth. I spat it out and stomped on it, howling one more time to announce my victory.

Upon seeing this, the wolves leaped onto the remaining vampires and tore them to shreds.

The culling field, it turned out, would be used as a graveyard after all, just not for the werewolves.

I shifted back to my human self and felt the surge of strength rush through my body as I realized that not only had I managed to attain my wolf form again, but I had also unlocked the latent wolf within to my advantage. I had used this newfound ability to turn the tide on an otherwise doomed night.

I watched as the stray vampires tried to flee the field but were stopped dead in their tracks by the werewolves. Vincent was at the forefront of this last leg of battle, pinning down the vampires one by one, usurping their lives from them, tearing their limbs apart.

I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Alexis in the crowd, but she was not there. I did not let this thought bitter my mind right now. This was a victorious night. It had started in the most uncertain way, but by the end, I had managed to get revenge on one of the three culprits of my calamity. Now only Maurice and Blair remained.

I would see to them in my own time.

As the last of the vampires were dealt with, the wolves gathered around me, shifting into their human forms. They cheered loudly as they lifted me on their shoulders and began chanting my name as they whistled, howled, laughed, and celebrated.

“Quiet now,” I said once I had gotten off their shoulders. I stood facing them all, staring into their eyes as they stared back into mine. “This has been a hard-earned victory. But we must not rest now. The vampires, though leaderless, are still out there, and we may have to face their retaliation. Now is the time to strengthen our defenses and brace for any attack that might come our way!”

“Will, where were you?” a pack member asked. “We all saw your body at the burial. Tell us what happened!”

“Aye! Tell us!” More voices like this rose from the crowd.

“I can tell you this. This town has been used and abused by powerful people for the longest time. Maurice was one of them. Ralph was too. And now, Blair Beckett, the son of the madman who imprisoned me, remains. They tried to kill Alexis and me, but clearly, they failed in doing so. All I can say to all of you is that I am back, and this time, I am not leaving your side. Your Alpha has resurrected and returned!”

Upon hearing this, the crowd broke into hurrahs and cheers again, and this time, I did not stop them. They had earned this. As had I. I threw my head back and let loose a loud howl that rang through the clearing. It felt good to win for a change.

But it felt best to be back in control once again.

The only thing that stung was the absence of Alexis. The question remained. Where was she? I wanted to tap into our bond and find out where she was or how she was faring, but I drove off this temptation in the face of the victory I had just achieved. If Alexis had indeed chosen to run away, then that was her choice, and the least I could do was respect it and let her be.