Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

“ T he oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is fear of the unknown.”

—H.P. Lovecraft

Jax

Fear.

Perhaps the emotion had been something I’d experienced as a child, but by the time I’d reached manhood, I’d been afraid of nothing. Sensing the strong and powerful draw of terror racing through Sedona was alarming.

As well as eye opening.

The Wolfen had become arrogant, set in their ways of finding happiness in pretending to be something they weren’t. We’d lost our edge when we’d allowed ourselves to step in the shoes of mankind completely.

Money.

Clout.

Power.

We’d found it in other ways, now expecting our desires and needs would be met until the end of time. If it was true that werewolves were attempting to claim a solid place in this world, we’d lost our way. We’d become complacent. That would be our undoing, our walk into the realm of fear.

Of the known.

Maybe this was our punishment, one that was long overdue.

My mother had once cautioned our entire pack that we must be fastidious in our training of our youth. And that we must protect our own.

Her wise words hadn’t been heeded, many moving away from the area just to be free of the Wolfen rules.

In my opinion, that had been the beginning of the end.

Already that had been proven, although sharing that Riker and I had eliminated four werewolves prior to their full transformation would be met with anger. No Alpha would ever have been allowed to challenge the wolf marked for leadership even twenty years ago. But with our push toward leaving our heritage came an entirely different and dangerous set of rules.

They couldn’t give a shit who and what I was.

Wolves were contentious beasts. They loved to act as if they weren’t interested in obtaining more power, being top dog in our world. It was a lie and one that had festered and grown through the years. Male wolves were born with extra testosterone.

We spouted our importance and touted our leadership abilities all while hungering for sex. I’d seen it in action. I’d experienced it myself.

We’d always competed in the old days. Pick a time or place and we’d had no issue entering into a fight for superiority. In centuries gone by, it would have meant to the death.

I could see nothing had changed by looking at the faces of the various prickly men walking into my home. Some had never been here. I refused to tolerate bad behavior inside my home.

My solid look at each other of them as they arrived should allow them to understand where I was coming from.

If not, they would be banished. Werewolves barking at our doors or not.

“Welcome to my home,” I said as so many of the members of the pack spread out through the wide expanse of connecting rooms. I was surprised and pleased so many of them had come.

More were on the way.

I could smell them.

“It would appear we had no other choice,” one of the strongest members of the pack stated with contempt in his voice. He pushed his way through the crowd, staring me down as if we were supposed to get into a bitter battle.

Eliza Banning was big, powerful, and worked the land using his six-foot, six-inch body for manual labor to provide for his family. Once upon a time, he’d been in the group of eight of us being trained, considered an equal in power and strength.

The two words resonated in my mind for entirely different reasons.

He was looked up to by his peers, taking no shit from anyone. However, the man was strong willed, and could easily convince members of the pack that what we needed to do was wrong. He’d won many a contest when we were teenagers. He also loathed the ground I walked on.

Maybe my brother was onto something. My mother was the matriarch, but would never be considered the leader of the pack. That had been my father’s job, the one he’d shunned and walked away from.

For a better and more human life.

How ironic.

Now it was left up to me to take the helm.

I needed to step up to the plate, even if it pissed off many of the Elders.

“Not if you want to maintain your lifestyle,” I told him while also stating what I felt was the obvious to other members of the pack. “Not if you want to live. We are facing a crisis whether any of you want to believe it or not.”

The reactions were mixed, some of the younger pack members laughing amongst themselves, chiding my thoughts openly as they bumped fists with their buddies. The Elders remained on the sidelines, watching me carefully as if expecting me to fuck up such an important meeting.

But I sensed their basic approval. My lack of leadership had been a bone of contention on the council and throughout many of the packs.

The laughter finally died down and Eliza’s brother, Danton, stepped up, glaring at me as if I was totally out of my mind. “A crisis?” he parodied, including using my same hand gestures. “From werewolves? They are a myth, a story we heard as children. We don’t give a shit what the council said, what they tried to lead us to believe. This is all about politics. This is all about boosting you into the position of leader. We won’t accept.”

“As my son said, you will need to if you want to live. Werewolves are real and they are dangerous. They are also hungry. We allowed them to return to a position of control. We looked the other way because of our desire to lose all that we are.” Mother appeared as if from the shadows, everyone in her path moving out of her way. I wasn’t entirely certain it was out of respect or because they were terrified of her. She was reported to know spells that could damage our kind, although I’d never seen her act on punishing any of our own. Maybe too much time had gone by.

She was dressed more demurely in a dark dress. It didn’t suit her personality, but her choice of attire conveyed the heaviness of the meeting. I noticed her eyes had found Sedona, studying her in the woman’s critical way.

Eliza snorted. “Bullshit. If so, prove it.”

“Do not talk to our mother that way, Eliza,” I told him. “She is your matriarch and the wife of your former leader.”

“A man who ran out on his family into the arms of another woman?” Danton laughed, which prompted the others to do the same.

My wolf was ready to attack.

“That tells us everything we need to know,” Eliza chimed in. His smirk was one I wanted to wipe off.

“Enough,” Mother hissed. “We have proof of their existence and you will pay close attention. Time is running out for our survival.”

Sedona wasn’t interested in protocol or worried about being shunned. She stepped forward with the same iPad in her hand, almost frantically pressing her fingers across the screen. “See for yourself. You tell me what I’m seeing. Tell me what I witnessed isn’t true. And tell me one more time that werewolves aren’t real.”

She handed me the small computer, allowing me to give the iPad to Eliza first. I wasn’t certain if Eliza believed what he was seeing, but at least he paid close attention. He lifted his gaze toward me, but I could clearly see his continued hatred.

“If not werewolves, then we have another unknown issue,” I told them. “DNA will need to be tested against ours.”

“By whom?” another Alpha asked.

“By Doctor Willis,” I told them. All eyes shifted toward Sedona. I was proud of her. She held her own, giving them the same looks they were giving to her.

The iPad was passed around, several of the men and most of the women in the group unnerved. I could feel their anxiety in my bones. But I wasn’t certain it would be enough.

Eliza burst into laughter. “Contrived. A movie and nothing more.”

“Bullshit. I was there. I performed an autopsy on the man who returned to life and turned into some… fucking horrible creature.”

Sedona was suddenly beside me, almost frothing at the mouth from the level of anger furrowing inside of her.

“Who the fuck is that?” Danton asked, also laughing alongside his brother.

“She’s the medical examiner for the town of Cartersville, her credentials top notch. And why don’t you take a goddamn deep whiff,” I told them. Yeah, I was pushing limits, but I didn’t give a shit. I couldn’t worry about Sedona’s concerns or fears. This could be life or death for our kind.

Danton shifted his hate-filled gaze in her direction, at least doing what I asked. “What the fuck are you trying to tell me? She doesn’t belong here. We are wolves. She is nothing.”

“She does belong here,” my mother interjected. “She is the first person to capture what the beasts are capable of. The killing will continue. Humans will be slaughtered. We will be challenged. And if things go the way they are now, they could win.”

“Why?” one of the women in the group asked.

“Because we’ve grown weak,” Riker said. He stood in front of one of the windows. “We aren’t the strong and invincible wolves we used to be. The council was right. We need to continue our training. We need to be prepared for the onslaught of any enemy, human or beast.”

“Do you not remember the humans who almost pushed us into extinction?” Mother added. She waited until some of the older Alphas finally nodded.

Eliza snorted.

“We only survived because we worked together.” Mother’s words finally seemed to hit home with some. They started talking amongst themselves again.

At least Chase flanked my side. “I’ve ignored my duties. All of us have. I didn’t want a goddamn thing to do with being a wolf. I couldn’t have cared less about my Wolfen ancestry. Most of you can say the same. We’ve become complacent with our fancy cars and hefty bank accounts, big houses and influential friends. My brothers are right. We’ve lost our sense of being wolves. We’ve enjoyed being human to the point we don’t know how to fight our real enemy any longer.”

I was shocked to hear him chime in, but pleased. I offered him another nod.

“What the fuck do you want us to do with this? Old wives’ tales. I haven’t seen shit.” Eliza shook his head. “It can’t be real.”

“It’s all over the news. You’ve heard about the recent murders supposedly done by wild animals?” I asked, waiting as what I was saying dawned on him.

“If what you’re saying is true, we just hunt them down. They are rogue Wolfen.”

I half laughed. “You watched that video. Do you really believe they are one of us? These creatures are already so strong they will be almost impossible to kill.”

“Bullshit,” Danton snapped. “We cut off their heads.”

“You’ll never get that close.” Riker was as angry as I was. “We witnessed several men who’d been slaughtered in the park. They were in the process of transforming and I can tell you that they were not easy to kill in their subhuman form.”

Sedona issued a single moan.

“You faced several of the beasts?” Marla asked. She was also a doctor, another hybrid scientist. I’d forgotten she’d returned to Cartersville to be closer to her mother. She was considered an expert in dealing with epidemics.

“Yes, we did,” I answered. “They are entirely different than depicted in the stories we’ve been told. We were victorious only because they hadn’t fully transformed.”

Mother nodded in agreement. “They are much more powerful.”

“I can attest to that.” I’d been lucky, one of the men beginning to shift faster than the others. What I’d witnessed was by far the most dangerous-looking creature I’d ever seen or heard of.

“How is this possible? While we were told stories, I was provided proof by my father,” Marla insisted. “These creatures do exist, but were contained. They were thought to have suffered from an ancient viral illness, which altered their DNA. All the stories about the devil cursing them were bullshit, but they were cursed by human diseases. What does your medical examiner have to say about why they are suddenly more powerful?” She turned her attention toward Sedona.

“Because their DNA is changing again,” Sedona offered, which was the first time I heard this.

“What do you mean?” I lifted my head, studying her intently. Because her DNA was mostly human, she had the ability to hide thoughts better than most.

She still seemed shaken, rubbing her arms as she dared walk closer to the group. The girl was fearless even in her moments of terror. “I won’t bore you with scientific details, but their DNA is splitting every few minutes, becoming stronger in their ability to eliminate any aspect of human DNA. I haven’t been able to perform further tests after a period of time, but I can make an educated guess.”

“Which is?” Marla demanded.

“That their DNA will morph into something that has never been seen before, far more dominant than any other species on this planet. The molecules are shifting and reforming, even though the body was considered dead and no blood flowing through the organs. It didn’t seem to matter.”

Her words hung in the air and at least there was no laughter from her statement.

“You’re serious,” Riker said softly.

I noticed Marla’s jaw was suddenly clenched. “Then it’s possible time has been their friend, the disease they once suffered from no longer active.”

Sedona nodded. “Without checking, I couldn’t confirm but it’s entirely possible. Unfortunately, I took typical limited samples. I would need more to truly determine what we were dealing with.”

“What is your highly qualified guess?” I asked her.

There was a look shared between us that I sensed others noticed. She was placing her limited trust in me that I wouldn’t allow her to face the demons shadowed in the darkness.

All I could do to reassure her was nod, hoping the imploring look in my eyes would provide what she needed.

“These beings are getting stronger. I don’t understand how or why they are transforming into beasts, but in my qualified opinion, soon nothing will be able to stop them. No disease. No gas. No method of killing them. They will continue to reanimate no matter how many times they are killed.”

“We must stop them now,” Mother chimed in. “There may be a way.”

“How?” I asked.

She moved further into the center of the crowd. “Jeremiah is the key. I’m certain of it. He is from the first family of werewolves, their bloodline extremely powerful. Stories about how savage he is have been told for centuries. He had a very primal and powerful group, the first werewolves birthed from the devil himself. Find a new strain of the disease and infect the first family. Allow the effects to trickle down.”

More Alpha wolves laughed and I had to admit her theory was difficult to believe. “Is that possible, Marla?”

She scoffed. “I don’t know. Has it occurred in other species? Yes, but if Doctor Willis is correct and the DNA cells are changing often, it could be like chasing our tail. We’d need to get ahead of the mutated cells. Not impossible but very difficult.”

“What about infecting the Wolfen? Is that a possibility?” Chase smartly asked.

Marla sighed. “I don’t know that answer either. I’m being honest. While I’ve been studying our cells in both an attempt to ward off human diseases and lengthen our lives, I’ve also handled the research in reverse. However, I’m nowhere near being able to make any assumptions.”

“There is new research that could help,” Sedona suggested. “I’m somewhat familiar with it. It uses the results from testing both humans and animals of varying species. It’s still considered new with no conclusions, but you may be able to make some advances.”

“Science-fiction jargon,” Eliza scoffed.

“Not science fiction. Scientists have been working on eliminating diseases for decades. The research is all about reversing the thought process.”

Sedona knew her shit.

“Maybe, but you don’t understand what they could become if what you’re suggesting is possible.” Marla was more nervous than before. She looked me directly in the eyes. “I’m fearful there won’t be any way to eliminate them.”

“Who the fuck is this human?” Eliza’s demands pissed me off even if I knew he had a right to ask. He was pointing at Sedona as if she was the enemy.

It would appear their senses were dulled enough they couldn’t gather the scent I had from before.

Mother walked in her direction, cupping Sedona’s face. While Sedona’s breathing was clipped, she didn’t move or make a sound. “This is Jax’s true mate. She is one of us.”

There was a hush that crossed the room. I found it interesting that the Elders weren’t commenting about any of what was occurring. It seemed as if this was a test.

Not only of our strength, but also our desire to live.

“So these werewolves are really planning on attacking us?” Eliza asked.

“Yes,” I told the group. What else was there to say?

“They will be hungry.” Marla’s statement was haunting. “They will need a lot of food given their exponentiated changes.”

“Then how the fuck do we stop them?” Jacob asked, a young man who’d never attended one of our pack meetings before.

“We rekindle our skills. We become stronger,” Riker answered for me. “We work together in smaller packs. We guard what we own and others in our community. We stay together. We fight together.”

“We are the strongest creature in the world.” Danton was so certain of himself. “You’re all fools if you dare follow this man’s advice. He believes himself to be a leader, our leader. We don’t need anyone telling us what to do.”

My reaction was swift. I leveled only two punches at his jaw and he was down, fighting the pain enveloping every muscle.

I stood over him, shifting my gaze from one to another in the pack. “We are weak as a species. We must work together and train or all we know and have come to love will be gone. We also need to remain in groups as my brother recommended. As one you will never beat even a single werewolf.”

“Well, shit,” Jacob whispered.

“How many in numbers at this point?” someone else in the group asked.

“Unknown but growing. They are killing humans to boost their packs,” I told them.

“Which will grow exponentially,” Chase finally chimed in.

All I could do was nod in acknowledgement. “Take a deep whiff, Eliza. You of all the Alpha wolves have kept up with your skills. Look at you. I can sense your wolf clawing at the surface. Rely on your instincts.”

The entire group was waiting to see what he would do.

Eliza finally took the suggested deep breath before addressing me. “There is blood in the air. Death. Decay. I don’t know what to believe, Jax, but I feel a beast walking the night. Not our own. What is our timeframe before there’s no chance we can win this war?”

“If what your medical examiner says is true,” Marla interjected, “the changes in their DNA will continue to increase quite possibly so that once they are killed in human form they will immediately return as a wolf.”

“She’s right.” Sedona’s voice was even softer than before. “I was forced to deal with two bodies. The first took several hours before beginning the transformation. The second only a few.”

“Shit,” Riker hissed.

“They are likely all around us,” I said as I polished off my drink and needed more. The meeting was as tense as I’d expected.

“I’ll second the question from before. How in hell can we beat them?”

I glanced at Riker, hating the expression he wore. “I don’t know, brother, if what our mother suggested is possible, but we’ll need to find out.”

“That’s highly dangerous,” Chase said as he studied my eyes.

“As I said before, we must be willing to die to protect our freedom.” I could tell my words and explanations were finally sinking in.

“We could damage their DNA, causing the cells to regress.” Sedona’s suggestion was met with additional laughter. “There are drugs that can do that.”

Marla shifted to the front of the group. “I’ve heard of that although I have yet to work on a project allowing me to explore the idea further. However, that could be possible. Dangerous to administer, but possible.”

“What? We inject the nice creatures with a needle? You’re out of your fucking mind.” Danton managed to get the group to laugh once again.

“She’s right in that what I suggested will be dangerous,” Mother snarled. “We will find a way, but it’s what we need to do or everything we have will be lost. We have rules, including protecting human lives. Do not forget your vows as Wolfen.”

I could tell at least a few of the wolves in the group wanted to defy my mother by walking out, but were smart enough not to piss me off.

“And just how are we going to develop this miracle drug and in what form?” Eliza shot out a few seconds later.

The disbelief had returned.

But I was their pack leader.

“We will find a way. Marla, will you examine what little information Sedona was able to ascertain?” I asked, although I was already issuing commands and would continue to do so.

“Of course. I’ll give you my card. We’ll work together in testing what samples you acquired,” Marla said as she handed Sedona her business card. “I am curious. How did you come about handling these autopsies?”

“A demand by an agent of the FBI.” Sedona was starting to become lost in thoughts that were overwhelming. “But I can’t leave my position at the morgue, at least not right now. They will grow suspicious.”

“I can make that work,” Marla told her.

“The FBI. Great.” Eliza was laughing again.

“We’ll deal with them. For now, everyone must remain on alert. Kill at will if you find one in transformation.”

“And if they are werewolves?” Chase asked.

There was no decent answer for the question.

None at all.