Chapter 14

Athena got a call and replied. “Hey, Mom, have—” She ceased talking, and her face tightened before she muttered, “Will do. Thanks for the heads-up.”

She hung up, and Grams barked, “What’s wrong?”

“A few things.” Athena eyed Charly. “We need to have a chat.” Her gaze drifted to Greta. “Alone.”

Grams had an idea. “Sweet thing, we could use some more apples from the cellar. Can you find me a couple fat and juicy ones? They’re in the big brown bag.”

“On it.” Greta scampered to the stairs going down.

Once she was out of sight, Athena hissed, “You should have told us your ex is a werewolf.”

Charly’s jaw dropped. “I—How?—”

“Some of his pack showed up at the farm in wolf form. Mom says she tried to call sooner, but their cell service has been spotty because of the storm.”

“Oh no.” Charly slumped into a chair as all strength left her limbs. “Did he hurt them?”

“Selene and Mom are fine, but chances are your ex and some of his pack are on their way here.”

“Good.” Grams pushed to her feet. “I’ll get my rifle. Someone needs to fetch Gramps from the barn.”

Athena shook her head. “No fighting. Ares said for us to get into the shelter.”

“You ladies can. I’m thinking I’d like a wolf coat for Christmas,” Grams’ feral reply.

Charly felt faint. They knew. Knew the terrible secret she’d been trying to hide. The one that haunted her and made her think she was crazy. After all, people didn’t turn into animals. Only, Barry and his gang did, not that she knew when she’d been with him. He’d only revealed himself her last night at the cabin. It had been the catalyst for her escape.

“Come outside with me,” Barry demanded in the doorway to her prison room.

Charlotte knew better than to argue. Her lip remained swollen from her last supposed failure to obey.

She rose, but when Greta would have followed, a silent and pale shadow since their capture, Barry snapped, “Not you. This is for your mother’s eyes only.”

Charlotte hated leaving Greta alone, but better that than her baby having to see whatever torment Barry had planned.

To her surprise, he had her head outside where all of his gang stood forming a circle around two people kneeling on the ground. The posse parted as Barry arrived.

“I’m about to show you why Greta belongs with me even if she’s not showing signs yet.”

Showing signs of what? Charlotte wondered but didn’t ask, couldn’t, not with fear paralyzing her.

The man kneeling on the ground had a bruised and bloodied face. He whimpered, “It was just a wrong turn.”

“Sure, it was,” drawled Barry.

“The GPS guided us wrong,” insisted the woman by his side, her features pale with fear.

“Wrong for you, but you’ll make a nice start to our evening,” Barry replied. “Right, boys?” A misnomer, which the two women of the gang didn’t take offense with.

“Moon’s coming,” informed Kyle, the youngest of the group. He’d joined the gang with his dad, a big brute of a man who leered at Charlotte when Barry wasn’t watching.

“Get ready,” Barry stated, which apparently meant strip.

Everyone, man and woman, with the exception of Barry, removed their clothes until they stood naked.

A discomfited Charlotte hugged herself, but it didn’t stem the shaking. Why get in the buff? Given a few men sported semi-erections, she feared the worst.

Orgy. Rape. Didn’t matter. She wanted no part.

When she would have fled inside the cabin, Barry gripped her arm tight. “Oh no you don’t. Time for you to see the truth.”

Kyle changed first, one minute a skinny, pimply-faced teen, the next, a mottled brown wolf. One by one, the others swapped skin for fur until only Barry remained dressed, but his eyes had a wild glint to them. His voice emerged in a deeper octave as he barked, “Show my bitch what we do to those who would betray us.”

It was beyond savage. Beyond bloody. Beyond horrifying.

The wolves pounced on the couple who’d taken a wrong turn. She closed her eyes at the first scream but couldn’t unhear the noises. The growls. The wet munching. The crunching.

The wolves savaged the poor man and his girlfriend, killing them and then desecrating the bodies by tearing them open to chew on the insides.

Charlotte didn’t resist when Barry dragged her back inside. As he marched her to her room, he muttered, “Now you understand why Greta belongs with me.”

“Greta isn’t a werewolf,” her faint reply.

“Not yet. I thought my blessing skipped her, but she carries the gene, according to the sample I had tested.”

“What sample?” she asked, rather than address the horror she’d just witnessed.

“Turns out there’s a way to check if someone inherited lycanthropy. I had Martha volunteer at her school and collect some spit and hair. Turns out, she does take after me.” Martha being the petite blonde who’d hated Charlotte on sight.

“Your test was wrong. She’s not a werewolf.”

“Not yet. While I’ve always known what I am, I found out only recently that some who carry the gift don’t shift until their teens, meaning I gave up too quick.”

“She’s nothing like you,” her scratchy reply.

“She will be,” an ominous statement.

Barry shoved Charlotte into the room, but before he slammed the door shut, he smiled and said, “Count yourself lucky I’ve decided to let you live. After all, a child needs some siblings.”

“No.” She recoiled.

The sadistic bastard laughed. “Not tonight. Tonight, the moon calls, and I must answer.”

With that, the door slammed shut, and she heard the lock engage.

Greta stared at her wide-eyed, but rather than console her, Charlotte flew to the window in time to see Barry emerge from the house, naked. As he approached his gang huddled over the hunks of meat—the bodies torn to pieces—he changed.

Changed into a wolf and she knew in that moment she had to escape. That night. And disappear.

“Is Greta a lycanthrope?” Athena asked, snapping Charly back to the present.

She shook her head. “No. She’s just a little girl.”

“Whose father is a werewolf. She might not have changed yet, but she has his genetics, meaning she might eventually shift.” Athena had a serious mien.

“What would you even know about it?” Charlotte blurted out.

“Because I’m a werewolf, too,” Athena stated.

Charlotte blinked. “You’re like Barry?” She took a step away.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, I’m not going to suddenly go four-legged and eat you. Your ex and his pack might be psychos who kill, but that’s not the norm for our kind.”

“How would you know?” It hit Charlotte suddenly. “You know more wolves.” The revelations kept happening. “Your sister, Ares, your mom…”

“Ares and Selene, yes. Mom, no. We inherited our lycanthropy from Dad.”

Charlotte put her face in her hands. “I can’t. This is too much.”

“Now’s not the time to fall apart,” barked Grams.

“Are you a werewolf?” her sarcastic reply.

“No, but my grandbaby will most likely be, and I’m fine with it.”

Charlotte glanced at Grams. “But they’re wolves.”

“So what? Will you love Greta any less when she starts to change?”

“Of course not. I probably won’t even fight when she tries to eat me.” Her lips turned down.

Athena snorted. “For god’s sake, no one’s eating you, unless it’s my brother, and that will be the kind of eating you like, not the OMG-I’m-dying kind.”

A hot blush flushed Charlotte’s cheeks.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, Ares and the others aren’t ravening beasts.”

“Maybe not in their human shape,” Charlotte pointed out.

Athena rolled her eyes. “Even as wolves, we don’t lose control and kill wantonly.”

“But you do kill.”

“I hunt, yes, rabbits and other small creatures. It is, after all, in our nature. But we don’t go after humans unless they’re trying to harm us.”

Slightly reassuring. But still… “I can’t believe my boyfriend pees on trees.” Charlotte tried to wrap her head around the fact the man she’d touched, the man she was falling for, had a hairy side.

Grams slapped her hand on the table. “While we’re yapping, time is passing. Athena, go fetch Gramps. He’s out in the barn with the horses. We’ll meet you in the shelter.”

“On it.” Athena threw on some boots and a plaid jacket by the door before heading out.

Grams spoke gently. “This changes nothing. Ares is still the same man you fell in love with.”

“I don’t love him,” a quick retort, but not entirely true. Charlotte had been falling for him. Hard. Only to discover that, once more, she hadn’t spotted the monster inside the man.

“Don’t you lie to me, girl. You’re head over heels for him and him with you. He’s a good man. His whole family is. Do you think I’d let my grandson be with Athena if they weren’t? Just because you met one bad werewolf doesn’t mean they’re all shitheads.”

Conversation ceased as Greta appeared, holding several apples. “Found them!” she chirped.

“Fantastic. Put them on the counter. We’re going to have an adventure,” Grams stated softly. “In my special room under the house.”

“With Mama?” Greta glanced at Charlotte.

“Yes, with your mama. Shall we go check it out?”

Grams rose and held out her hand. Greta took it, and things were fine as they went down into the cellar. Remained fine until Greta realized what Grams meant by special room.

“There’s no windows,” Greta remarked, peeking inside the shelter.

“To keep us safe,” Gram murmured.

Greta glanced at the door, thick metal, with bars that would slide across to keep it shut. Her daughter’s face shifted to her stubborn look, and she shook her head. “No. No special room. Won’t go back.” Greta bolted away from the bunker and up the stairs.

“Greta, come back!” Only her child didn’t reply, and it hit Charlotte that Greta thought they’d be imprisoned again.

Grams grumbled. “We’d better go find her.”

“Sorry. I didn’t realize the bunker would trigger her memories of when her father had us captive. We spoke about it a little when we escaped, but given her age, it seemed easier to just let her forget.”

“Kids never forget anything. Like elephants they are,” Grams muttered.

They reached the kitchen. No Greta.

“I’ll search this floor; you check upstairs,” Grams suggested.

Charlotte started with the room Greta had used. Looked in the closet, under the bed, all the while calling her.

No reply. No sign of her daughter.

She checked her room next, then the one Derek and Athena shared, all the while aware they wasted time.

She’d just about given up, ready to join Grams in her search downstairs, when she peeked in the bathroom. Not many places to hide, but the shower curtain was drawn over the tub.

Charlotte crouched before pulling it back, the rings holding the plastic sheet rattling.

Greta sat huddled in the tub, hugging her knees. “Not going. No wanna be locked in a room.”

“Oh, munchkin, the bunker in the basement is different. It’s to protect us.”

“From the bad man?” Greta asked in a little voice. She’d never called Barry dad, no matter how many times he told her he was her father.

Charlotte nodded.

“Is he coming?”

She didn’t want to lie. “He might be.”

Greta whimpered, and Charlotte’s heart broke.

“I won’t let him hurt you.”

“He hurt my mama,” she whispered.

Charlotte couldn’t deny the claim. She’d tried to fight, but Barry had the strength and the mean streak to counter. But she knew a man who wouldn’t be daunted. A man her daughter admired. “Ares is on his way back. He’ll keep us safe.”

“I don’t want the bad man to hurt Ares.”

“Oh please,” Charlotte exclaimed. “Ares is a hero. The bad man can’t hurt him.” Words that struck a chord. The man she’d grown to care for wasn’t an ugly bully. He didn’t mistreat her. Didn’t make her afraid. But would that change when he turned into his wolf?

“Ares is a hero,” Greta repeated. “He won’t let the bad man take me,” Greta stated with confidence, standing up in the tub. Charlotte held her hand as they exited the bathroom and headed downstairs.

Before she could lead Greta to the bunker, a rumbling sound from outdoors drew their attention.

“Ares is back!” Greta chirped, yanking free and racing for the door.

It seemed too soon for him to have returned. An ugly feeling knotted Charlotte’s stomach, and she bolted to catch Greta.

Too late.

She emerged to find her daughter in none other than Barry’s grip. The bastard had arrived on a brand-new-looking snowmobile, and he didn’t come alone. She recognized Hughey, Ivan, and Amir.

At the sight of Charlotte, Barry smirked. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find you?”

Chk-chk . A shotgun armed behind Charlotte, and Grams snarled, “Unhand the child.”

“Or what?” Barry drawled as he tucked Greta to his chest. “Gonna shoot me?”

Grams uttered a low growl, making Charlotte wonder if she told the truth about not being a werewolf.

“I didn’t think so.” Barry laughed. “Drop the gun.” When Grams hesitated, the bastard tightened his hold, and Greta squeaked.

Grams set the gun down.

“Don’t hurt her,” Charlotte pleaded.

“The pup will be fine, but as for the rest of you…” He offered a nasty smile. “Get inside and don’t try anything, or I might decide fatherhood isn’t my thing after all.”

Grams hobbled in first, murmuring softly, “Don’t mention Athena or Gramps. All is not lost yet.”

Funny, because it sure felt as if it were. Charlotte saw no way out of this. The best she could hope for was Barry would leave and not harm anyone. But that would leave Greta in his clutches. Better Charlotte die trying to save her.

Barry herded them into the living room, a wide-eyed, lip-trembling Greta still tight to his chest. Amir stood behind him, arms crossed.

“You had a lot of nerve leaving,” Barry stated. “You made me look bad in front of the boys.”

“Ah yes because kidnapping and terrorizing a child is a much better look,” Charlotte muttered.

“Only because you wouldn’t cooperate. You could have just done as you were told like a proper bitch, but, no, you chose instead to make me chase you.”

“How did you find me?” she asked.

“I had Martha scouring social media. Didn’t actually think you’d be dumb enough to have your face on camera.”

Charlotte wanted to curse. If only she’d not taken Greta to that damned Christmas market.

“Now you’re probably wondering how I found you here. It was actually easier than expected. See, after I chatted with your boyfriend I found out he was the same guy you left with from your place. Fucker lied to me, and when I returned, he was gone. So we decided to stake out his farm. Stole some sleds and parked ourselves in the woods waiting, and it paid off. He arrived by snowmobile and left us a clear path right back to you.”

“Ares is coming,” Greta stated.

“I’m counting on that. Wonder if he’ll like the surprise I left him.”

Charlotte’s heart stopped. “What did you do?”

“Made sure we wouldn’t be interrupted. We have unfinished business, Charlotte. Can’t exactly have you roaming around flapping your lips about what you think you know.”

“I didn’t tell anyone,” she huffed.

“The first smart thing you did. However, here’s the problem. I gave you a chance, and you betrayed me. You can’t be trusted, and there’s only one solution to that dilemma.”

No need to say it. He was going to kill her.

A tremble took hold of Charlotte’s limbs, and her lips were numb as she said, “Please don’t do anything in front of Greta.” She might not be able to save herself, but she wanted to prevent Greta from seeing it.

“Begging is a nice look for you, but no can do. The pup needs to understand who’s the alpha and what happens to those who cross me.” Barry held Greta out to Amir. “Hold her while I handle the bitch myself.”

The man grabbed a squirming Greta. “No. No. Leave Mama alone. Nooo—grrrrr.”

Everyone went still as the child suddenly turned into a little wolf. Amir dropped her, and Greta, the wolf puppy, wiggled free of her clothes and crouched on four paws on the floor, snarling, her bristly hackles rising in spikes along her spine.

A nasty smile spread across Barry’s face. “Well, I’ll be. Guess we won’t need to wait until she’s a teen after all.” He reached for Greta, who snapped and snarled.

“None of that, you brat,” he commanded in a cold tone.

He lunged for Greta again and managed to get her by the scruff and lift her.

Greta whimpered, and Grams made a low sound.

Oddly, the tree they’d decorated the night before rattled, the branches shaking. No one seemed to notice but Charlotte. No one saw the little nose that peeked, but everyone heard Barry’s bellow when the tree toppled against him, and the squirrel leaped from a branch to his head. The rodent, with a white streak on its head, dug in its claws and hung on.

A startled Barry dropped Greta, who hit the floor with a thump and sat there dazed.

A very pissed Barry wildly shook his head, and when the squirrel wouldn’t let go, he reached for it. Missed it by an inch, as the critter leaped and landed on a chair from which it sprang past a gaping Amir, heading for freedom through the still open front door.

Seeing a chance for Greta, Charlotte screamed, “Run, munchkin!”

The little wolf, utterly panicked, bolted through Amir’s legs outside into the coming storm.

Her departure left Charlotte and Grams alone to face a very angry Barry, who had scratches on his face and a scowl on his lips.

“Get the girl while I handle these bitches,” Barry ordered.

Amir left, and Barry sneered in their direction. “Time to give you my version of a gift for the holidays. Eternal rest. In pieces, you old bat.” He cackled.

Grams wasn’t in the mood to be threatened. “Old? Come here and let’s see who’s old now that you ain’t using a child as a meat shield anymore, asshole.”

Perhaps Grams could have wrestled a man as big as Barry. Only he didn’t stay a man.

A wolf exploded from the clothes, big and scary looking.

Not to Grams, who smacked her lips and said, “You’ll make a mighty fine coat.”

Charlotte agreed, but that would require them killing the wolf when it seemed more likely they’d get torn to pieces.

Ares, where are you?

Because she could really use a hero right about now.