Chapter 75 - Brownie

I screamed in pain as my body stretched and rearranged itself. My bones cracked and twisted in ways I had never seen before. All the control I had of my body was gone, and I felt like a naughty kid sitting in a corner watching the class having fun. Kiki kept praising and encouraging me in the background. She was a fantastic cheerleader, telling me when to take deep breaths and when just to let go of the screaming I was trying to hold on to.

At some point, my screams turned into howls, and the pain started to subside. I looked around with the clear 20/20 vision that was enhancing every spec. My human arms and legs had disappeared, and I had four gray furry legs in their place.

"*“You’ve done so well, sweetheart. I wish we had more time for you to admire your new body, but right now, I have a son of a bitch to kill.”*"Kiki growled.

I was so distracted by my pain that I had forgotten about Josh and Amon. I immediately scanned the area, and my eyes landed on Josh standing over Rocky. Rocky’s body was covered in blood, and there was no movement.

“How the fuck is this possible?! You had a suppressant, didn’t you?!” Josh hissed, his eyes burning with anger.

A chuckle from behind me made my ear twitch, but my eyes didn’t move away from Josh.

“Looks like Selene was already aware of your impending attack. It can’t be a coincidence that she lifts Rosy’s suppressant on the same day as your attack.” Max’s voice snickered from behind me.

For the first time, I could hear a slight brassiness in Max’s voice. I had always found Blake’s and Max’s voices to be the same, but now, my very sensitive hearing could hear the difference.

“Selene intervened? Wow, that took her long enough,” Josh hissed.

From behind the rumble, a pack of twelve wolves came running into the building. They all gathered around Josh, forming a barrier between him and us. All twelve wolves snarled and bared their teeth, crouching into their attack position.

“*"Pussy! Not man enough to fight me himself!"*” Kiki growled as she barred her teeth and snarled right back at them.

However, all I could think of was Rocky. His limp body still had not moved. On the other side, Mia was sitting on the floor with Taylor’s lifeless body on her lap.

Anger bubbled inside me as I watched my two best friends lay there lifeless.

“Maybe Selene finally had enough of you.” Max snickered.

“Since when are you such a big fan of Selene, huh? The last time we met, you promised me you would help destroy all of Selene’s creations. Yet, here you are today, backing her up. Don’t forget; I can take away everything I gave you.” Josh snapped.

“You keep using that same threat over and over again. Before the dark side consumed me, I had a decent grip on all things good. Even if you take away the dark magic I have, you can never remove the good magic running through my veins. So, you do what you need to; it doesn’t scare me,” Max barked.

The rest of The Coven members stood behind Max, showing their support.

Kiki let out a loud growl agreeing with Max.

Uncertainty clouded Josh’s eyes. He narrowed his eyes at Max before a sudden twinkle took over the uncertainty. Josh’s lips slowly curled into an evil smirk as he wiped his bloody fists on his pants.

“I love the confidence you have. Standing there talking to me like you have it all figured out. But what if I told you that your cockiness would cost you?” Josh snickered.

The smirk on his face scared me a little, but it seemed to annoy Kiki a little more than it needed to.

Kiki let out a loud growl and lurched for the protective barrier of wolves surrounding Josh.

Before I could even blink, Kiki locked her jaws around the first wolf’s neck and bit down so hard you could hear the bones in his neck cracking.

She moved so swiftly that everything blurred together.

The metallic taste and smell of the blood-splattered everywhere were making me nauseous. Kiki didn’t seem to care about the blood as she sunk her teeth into another wolf rendering it unconscious.

I noticed Josh move, raising his arms, ready to use his magic, but for some reason, he froze in place with a murderous look on his face.

*What had stopped him?!*

Kiki quickly finished off the last wolf in her path and turned her gaze to see what Josh was glaring at.

My heart stumbled over its rhythm as my stomach contracted into a tight ball when my eyes zeroed in on what was behind me.

The brown fur and matching hazel eyes were a blast from my past that I could never forget. Even though his fur had lost its shine and vibrance, it was still him. I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I had seen the wolf that made my childhood a little bearable, but today, as he stood before me again, a sense of relief washed over me just like it used to after I first met him when I was six.

Kiki whimpered, “*"What’s wrong?"*.”

“*"Brownie"*” I croaked as I stared at the chocolate brown wolf standing in the destroyed doorway.

The brown wolf had a battle-ready stance as he walked in, followed by three other scruffy-looking wolves. They were all on high alert, taking every step very cautiously.

Kiki wandered through my memories trying to figure out who Brownie was, but at that moment, all I could think about was why Brownie was here.

Why was a wild wolf present during a supernatural showdown?! He was wild, right?!

The four wolves stopped once they got to the middle of the room, their piqued eyes still on Josh.

“You boys have ventured very far from home,” Josh growled, his face bright red from anger.

Whoever these wolves were, Josh clearly wasn’t happy to see them.

“*"Do you know who Brownie is? As in who he is in human form?"*” Kiki asked. I could hear the irritation in her voice.

“*"Human form? I wasn’t even aware that he was a werewolf. I thought he was just a wild wolf I had found in the woods"*” I exclaimed.

“*"You have some balls, girl. Making friends with a wild wolf. Did your mum never tell you about the big bad wolf?! You’re lucky he’s not a wild wolf. Can you see that aura coming off him? That means he’s a werewolf. A powerful high, ranked werewolf"*” Kiki explained.

Aura? What Aura? I couldn’t see any Aura coming off Brownie. All I could see was the chocolate brown wolf that made me feel safe on days my own mother couldn’t. If my mother had time to tell me kids stories, life would have be very different.

Suddenly, the ombre black and gray wolf behind Brownie started to shake violently. Within seconds, where once a wolf was, now stood a man in all his naked glory.

The man was tall and built, with broad shoulders and shoulder-length blonde hair. It was his amber eyes that drew me in. His features were very familiar, but I couldn’t figure out what.

Behind me, I could hear The Coven members gasp. Did they know who this man was?!

The man took a step forward, earning a snarl from Josh. He stopped midstep and clutched his fists.

“We left you alone because you promised to stay out of trouble. Care to explain yourself?” the guy’s deep voice boomed through the building. Power and authority radiated in every word.

“Did you and your pathetic excuse of a father explain yourself when you threw me out?” Josh snapped.

The guy sighed and looked over his shoulder towards Brownie. A low growl vibrated through the chocolate brown wolf.

My mind was swimming in all sorts of emotions. Brownie knew precisely what he was doing when he befriended me all those years ago. He and I meeting in the woods was no accident but a well-thought-out plan.

“You should be thankful we only kicked you out. Now that I think about it, maybe I should have buried you alive,” the man snapped.

“I’d like to see you try, asshole. Just because you were born inside the castle doesn’t give you the right to bully me.” Josh growled.

Taylor’s groans filled my ears, and without a second thought, Kiki ran towards her.

Kiki knelt next to Taylor and started licking her face trying to wake her up.

Mia started chanting and lay her hands over Taylor’s chest. A bright warm glow appeared under Mia’s hand, making Taylor gasp loudly.

Relief washed over me as a disheveled Taylor started to cough, trying to breathe again.

I turned Kiki’s eyes towards Rocky. Even though he was lifeless, the blood on his chest had dried up, and from what I could see, the wound had started to heal as well.

“His heart is still beating,” Mia chimed in.

Kiki turned to look at Mia, receiving a smile from her. Could see hear my thoughts?!

“He’s a full-blooded wolf. As long as his heart is beating, he will heal. Don’t worry,” she whispered.

Mia’s words relieved me, but until I could see him breathing and standing before me, I wasn’t going to be happy.

“Haven’t you caused the girl enough grief? You’re her uncle! You’re meant to be looking out for her, not making her life miserable,” the man spat, his eyes flicking over to look at Kiki.

Josh burst out laughing; his belly laughs echoed through the building.

“Uncle?! Wow! That’s rich coming from you, Jonathon. The girl and I are only related because your father couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. I have no attachments to her. But you, Jonathon, you are actually related to her. The real uncle. I don’t see you jumping up and down to honor your role. So, why the fuck should I?” Josh laughed.

Did he just say, *real uncle?!* As in Jonathon Whitlock?!

My heart was pounding against my chest so hard that it felt as if it would rip through my ribcage. No amount of reassurance from Kiki was making it better.

From the day Evelyn had told me I was related to the mighty Whitlock’s, I was dreading ever coming across them. Dreading to have an encounter with the family my mother had abandoned. And today, the day my life was falling apart, I was coming face to face with them. It felt like my life was playing a cruel joke on me.

“I suggest you keep your assumptions to yourself.” Jonathan snapped.

The man glared at each other as the surrounding suddenly fell completely silent. There was no more fighting outside, and the silence was more terrifying than I expected.

“And I suggest you fuck off. Last time I checked, you needed permission to be on another King’s land. And since the King is not here to approve your visit, you’re trespassing,” Josh barked.

“Let me remind you that you don’t have permission to be here either,” Klaus interrupted.

Both men turned and looked in our direction.

Jonathan’s eyes immediately landed on Kiki. There was a strange emotion lingering in Jonathon’s amber eyes as he stared at us.

“The King may not be here, but the Luna is. I’m sure she doesn’t have any issues with the Whitlock’s being here,” Max added.

Before I could even process the thought, Kiki yelped, agreeing with Max.

“*"Sorry, kid, but you were taking too long. A Luna should never hesitate."*” Kiki stated.

“Looks like you’re the only one trespassing,” Jonathan snickered, turning his attention back to Josh.

“It’s not trespassing if no one owns the land. No King, no Alpha, No owner” Josh laughed.

What the hell did he mean by that?! Had something happened to Blake?!

“Umm, excuse me. I just explained that the Luna is right here,” Max grumbled.

“Last time I checked, she hadn’t finished mating with Blake, which means she’s not Luna just yet. And from where I’m standing, I don’t think she will get a chance to complete that mating.” Josh’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

“What’s happened to my brother?!” Max shrieked.

“I would believe that concern in your voice if I hadn’t watched you try to destroy your brother’s life.” Josh laughed.

“Blake’s fine. They managed to kill most of Josh’s army. The ones that survived either ran away or were captured. Blake’s just helping round them up.” Elijah reported quickly. He must have done a tracking spell to find Blake.

The smirk on Josh’s lips faded as he realized his bluff was exposed. Whatever he had planned was falling apart quickly, and he was running out of options to get me out of here alive as he intended to.

Kiki snarled and started to inch toward Josh, crouching, getting herself ready to pounce at him.

“Oh fuck off. That wolf doesn’t scare me. Rosy doesn’t know anything about being a wolf. There’s no way she will be able to use it against me,” Josh barked before raising his hands, ready to use his magic.

Before he could even start his spell, a figure flashed past Josh, pinning Josh’s hands behind him. The figure wrapped one hand around Josh’s neck and squeezed it tightly, making Josh groan in pain.

The figure moved so quickly that I didn’t get any time to register what had happened.

Why did these people move so fast?! I was going to get whiplash trying to keep up.

Everyone around us tensed up and went into fight mode, ready to take out whoever had ambushed Josh.

It took me a few minutes to decipher who the person holding Josh was. However, once I did figure it out, I was extremely relieved.

That sandy blonde hair and those piercing blue eyes I could recognize a mile away. My heart leaped with joy as his bloody face emerged from behind Josh.

“R-... Rocky,” Taylor stuttered from behind me.

I knew she was just as happy as I was, if not more, to see Rocky on his feet again.

“Time for you to die, jackass.” Rocky hissed before turning his gaze to Kiki, urging her to attack.

Kiki yelped in agreement before lurching herself towards Josh.

“STOP!” a deep, loud voice boomed, rattling the destroyed building.

Kiki’s paws skidded across the floor as she came to a dead stop. She growled loudly and turned to find the culprit preventing her from fulfilling the Moon Goddess’s wishes.

Behind us, where once Brownie was standing, stood a tall older gentleman. His faded chocolate brown hair matched the color of Brownie’s fur, although that wasn’t what caught my attention. It was his amber eyes that made me question this man’s identity. I knew I had seen him somewhere in the past, but where?!

He had the same amber eyes Jonathan had. The same amber eyes my mother had. The same amber eyes I had.

Kiki kept her eyes focused on the man’s face, ignoring his nakedness which I was grateful for. The last thing I needed was the memory of a naked relative because it was obvious that the man was related to Jonathon. Their resemblance was uncanny.

Max and The Coven members gasped, immediately bowing down in respect.

My head was still trying to process the fact that my long-lost wolf friend was a werewolf and had transformed into this old man standing before me. If he was this aged now, how old had he been when I first met him??

It started to become more and more evident that Brownie and I meeting and becoming friends with him was definitely not a coincidence.

But the million-dollar question right now was why?! If this guy was related to me just like Jonathon was, why hadn’t he just come forward?! Why pretend to be a wolf I would sneak into the woods to meet? I mean, I had expressed my pain and suffering to this wolf many times and now I knew he definitely understood every word I said. So, why not just come out and help me?!

The more I thought about all that, the more anger bubbled in me.

Something dawned on me as I raked my mind trying to find a justification to calm myself down.

This older man was the same guy I had seen in the carpark with my mother when I was thirteen. The guy who had given her the bag full of money that helped get me into Mariners Bay Boarding School.

Now that I was thinking about it, this man had only appeared with the money after I had told Brownie that mum was trying to get money together to ship me off to boarding school.

“*"He was keeping tabs on my mother and I."*” my voice came out in a whisper.

“*"Yes, sweetheart, he was. That’s Michael Whitlock, your grandfather"*”...