Luke stopped, letting the stretcher go forward. My aunt also stopped me near Luke. An invisible border separated us. The men secured the stretcher at the top of the platform and retreated towards us. Reid stood next to me.Grandma Cooper began to carefully arrange some things around the edges of the stretcher. Only after looking closer, I realized that these were, apparently, Morgan's personal belongings. His connection with the human world. I examined a book, a family photo, a knife, a flask, a small box, the contents of which remained a mystery to us. And maybe only for me, but for the rest of the familiar part of the ceremony. Separately, she hung a leather bracelet on the top of the protruding branch. The sign of belonging to the flock.After the bag of things was empty, she went to Luke and took the torch from him. The torch was powerful, on a long stick, but the elderly woman waved it confidently, setting fire to the stretcher. They blazed right away. The flames shot up, wrappin
Everyone slowly turned towards the voice. Carried away by disputes, they did not even notice that the enemy was on the "threshold". He had the audacity to come not only when we mourn his sacrifice, but also when we are discussing how to deal with him.Trent stood at the very edge of the forest. One, confident in his invincibility. He slowly approached, brazenly looking at the assembled members of the pack. Now he has already entered the territory of the reservation, but no one stopped him with a word.I looked at Reed. He stood with his back against a tree trunk, his head bowed, his eyes fixed on his feet. Only his gloomy face and moving jaws betrayed his tension.With apprehension and alertness, I also saw the interest that showed through among the pack. Trent is a good tactician. The sudden attack demoralized the enemy."You'd better get out of here as soon as possible," Bruce said first. He walked around the table and stepped forward.- Why not? Trent chuckled. "Isn't this a trial?
You can deny anything. The one for whom I just told this, believed me.- What are you talking about, weirdo? Trent waved her off. "Who...“I challenge you,” he was interrupted. My arm has lost support. Reed nodded to my aunt and stepped forward.- That's how? Reid walked over to Trent and stood opposite him. "You're not even from this pack."- And how do you know that? Reed chuckled. "You haven't talked to Fred for seventeen years," Trent hesitated, but Reed didn't wait for him to come up with excuses. "It doesn't matter." There is no leader in this pack. And that means that anyone can apply for it. If no one from the pack challenges me, then the fight is only between us, - he turned to the pack, waiting for objections. There were no objections."Great," Trent grimaced. "If you went against your father, if you trusted this woman...“Excellent,” Reid interrupted him again and turned around. “Today at sunset, where you killed Morgan,” he said as he left.I didn't have time to enjoy Tren
The meeting was all at the same table, he witnessed many events. I hope that not a single tourist will now wander uninvited into the cottage village. Because his eyes would have presented a truly incredible sight. Enormous bear-like beasts paced among the houses, and beside them, women scurried about without fear and children fooled around. Not only Aunt Sarah remained at home. Of course, the fight is not a spectacle for children. Rachel, Norma, Mary and Courtney stayed to look after the children. The world was not visible either.Next to the other children, I saw Kira. She did not take part in the game of children who tried to climb onto the wolves and ran away laughing when the werewolves did not seriously growl and made feeble attempts to catch them. Here it is, fun in an ordinary werewolf family. A playful game of children with a werewolf dad. Did Kira now remember how she fooled around with Morgan in the same way? Or was she offended that her friends so quickly forgot about her g
At that moment, when the seat belt stung my neck and dug painfully into my body, when my head fell back from an invisible blow, and my hands involuntarily flew up, there was only one thought in my head - I foresaw it. Holding back sobs in the bathroom, looking back at Reed for the last time, getting into the car with Luke, a second before the huge SUV drove into us at full speed, even then I knew that something was going to go wrong."Luke, Luke," I called. My voice sounded muffled, like I was wearing earplugs. The buzzing in my ears reminded me of flying in an airplane. Luke didn't answer. His entire body was covered in small pieces of glass. The driver's door was crushed, and Luke was sandwiched between it and the gearbox. I unbuckled my belt and turned to him. - God, God, - I touched his hand, moving, - Wake up, Luke.Everything will be fine, everything will be fine, I repeated to myself mentally. He is alive, he is alive. I'll call for help. I got out of the car and looked aroun
A dense ring of werewolves tightened around the two wolves in the center. Both brown, powerful, they are frozen on opposite sides of the circle. Bending down, ready for the next jump, not taking their eyes off each other, they waited. The fact that there had already been clashes was indicated by the crimson fur on their skin. Each left a mark on his opponent. The snowy glade was covered with dark spots - bloody footprints. The werewolf with the yellow stripe on his skin was alert. His eye contact with the enemy was broken, and his gaze darted among the werewolves in search. "Go," Luke nudged me in the back.The wolves parted, allowing me to come closer. The moment Reid noticed me, when his eyes fell on my hand, Trent struck. He took advantage of Reed's distraction. But he did not take into account the fury of his son, who saw the consequences of the attack on his couple. Reid was unstoppable. Tore, fell and tore again. Trent gave up. He no longer had time to attack, he tried to jum
For a very long time there was a picture in front of my eyes, how a she-wolf looks at Hachiko with a challenge, how he does not take his eyes off his murdered father. The decision he made so hard meant nothing.A very long time, all the way to the hospital in Lovell, where Luke took me at once; in the emergency room, where they injected me with painkillers and left me to wait for the doctor. I was sitting on a bed, on one of a number of others, not fully curtained, allowing me to observe the bustling life of the hospital: urgently hurrying doctors, confused patients and excited attendants. It was a little surprising why there were so many night patients in such a small town. Perhaps from drugs, but I had the feeling that I was Alice, who got into the Looking Glass. Among the victims of domestic squabbles, drunk teenagers, I, with a broken werewolf arm, felt like from another planet. When asked by the medical staff what happened to me, I habitually answered that it was a car accident
Mira stood in the center of the living room. She did not even turn to us, her eyes and, apparently, her cry were directed at Reed. He stood at the window half-turned to her. Or maybe he turned around to meet us. If I even got to know him a little, then he likes to meet such conversations with his back. Grandma Cooper sat regally in a narrow burgundy high-backed chair. She didn't change her gray clothes. For what son, I wonder, she is now grieving. On the couch, the same burgundy color as much in this house, sat a downcast Bruce, he examined his overworked hands. He seemed to be very anxious to return to his workshop so as not to take part in this conversation.- Where is the confidence that this will not happen again? How can we trust this family?Mira's new wave of rage stopped us on the threshold of the living room. We froze with containers in our hands.- Whole family? Are you ready to kick out four members of the pack without good reason? - Reed, unlike Mira, spoke quietly, but it