4. Emma

FOUR

Emma

The door clicked shut behind Trudy. I turned to the others, my pulse pounding in my ears. "Did any of you know about this?"

If they did, I was sure they would’ve told me. I don’t know why I even asked them. Probably because my head was spinning, and I felt strangely upset and unsafe thinking about werewolves running loose around Mystic Hollow.

Beth shook her head, strands of blonde hair falling into her face. "No, we didn't."

"Same here." Deva crossed her arms. "First I've heard of it."

"Me neither," said Carol, biting her lip.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "So, what now?" I settled on the couch at the back of the main room, trying to make sense of it all. "You thought people were just getting mugged?"

Like me , I almost said, and held back. Somehow, mugging made me feel safer. Maybe because it meant that it was a person who wanted something, like money, rather than a wild animal that could attack and infect any of us.

"Exactly," Carol said. "It's been happening for weeks. We figured it was some thugs."

"Or desperate folks," Beth added. "Times are tough. This economy sucks."

"Okay." I took a deep breath. "But werewolves? Really? Are there many in town?"

Did they have a whole community like the mermaids, vampires, and shifters? Or what are we working with? I need to wrap my head around this whole thing.

"There are only two that we know of in town," Carol answered quickly.

That was a relief. Two, I think, I could handle. It also gave us a small list of suspects.

"The two werewolves have been around for years." Beth leaned back in her chair. "They're sort of local legends."

"It just doesn’t make sense for it to be them though. They should have better control than this." Carol frowned. "Infecting people isn't something that just happens ."

"Control?" I tried to wrap my head around the situation. "You mean they can stop themselves from... what? Biting people? Infecting them? Both?"

"Exactly," Carol nodded. "They've been werewolves long enough to manage their urges."

I was so confused. Were werewolves like snakes that can control when they release their venom? If they scratch someone, do they become werewolves? I have no idea how this works.

"How does someone even get infected?"

"Through a bite," Deva replied. "But only when they're in their werewolf form."

"This isn’t some kind of virus you catch from a sneeze or something."

"No, it's much more direct than that," Beth added. "And a lot rarer, because of the control thing."

"Is it just during the full moon, then?" I leaned forward, elbow on my knee.

"Initially, yes." Deva pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Only the first few transformations are tied to the lunar cycle."

"Like in the movies," I said, half-joking to mask the unease settling in my stomach.

"But after that," Carol picked up the explanations, "they can change at will. It's not just full moon business anymore."

The idea of werewolves roaming around by choice wasn't comforting.

"Yep, any time they want." Beth reached for her mug, took a sip, and set it down with more force than necessary. "But there's a catch."

"Which is?" I asked.

"Newbies have to be chained up during the full moon," Beth said. "For the first few months at least. Until they learn to control it."

That sounded awful, the image flashing through my mind.

"Like animals," Beth said, her face darkening. "It's ugly, but it's necessary. Otherwise, they're a danger to themselves and others."

I sat back, my hands trembling. "Chained up... that’s awful?" I glanced around, half expecting chains to appear out of thin air.

Beth's face softened. "I know this is a lot to take in. But you don't need to worry about this tonight. It’s not like anyone who is out at night is being attacked. We’re still safe. We just have to be careful. Why don’t we all head home and try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Sleep?" I scoffed. "How can I sleep knowing?—"

"Hey," Buster, the cat, cut in, his voice low and gruff. "We've got bigger things to worry about than fairy tales. Python's been eyeing us all night." His gaze darted across the room.

"Python?" I followed his stare, and there he was—a white mouse, glaring at us from under a chair with beady little eyes.

I internally groaned. Everyone always talks about the hatred between cats and mice, but I’ve gotten a whole other view of their relationship since animals can talk around Beth. And their fight? It was ridiculous. Python was just a tiny little mouse. He wasn’t some evil mastermind like Buster thought.

It’s too late for this.

"See? He's planning something," Buster muttered as the mouse took off, a flash of white disappearing into a hole in the wall.

"Planning what, an escape?" I tried to laugh it off, but the tension in the room twisted my insides into knots.

We had bigger things to worry about than their cat and mouse game. Worries about things like werewolves and infections. Things concerning people being attacked, seemingly at random.

Beth reached out and gave Buster a gentle pat on the back. "Buster, you need to chill about Python. He's just a mouse."

" Chill ? That furball is up to no good, and you’ll all regret not listening to me," Buster grumbled, but he leaned into Beth's touch despite his words.

"Let him scheme." I tried to find some humor in it all. "Worst he can do is nibble on some cheese."

"Or cables," Beth added with a smirk, her hand moving rhythmically as she soothed the upset cat.

"Or our toes," Deva joked, and we all let out a reluctant chuckle.

"Feisty little thing, isn't he?" I watched the hole where Python had vanished.

I just needed to take deep breaths and remember that we’ve faced a lot of challenges in Mystic Hollow, but I was given the powers of Karma for a reason. This werewolf case was important, and I was going to right the wrongs of whoever had been infecting innocent people… and make them pay.