Chapter 32: Chapter Thirty-Two - Mason

The audacity of this thing. Of this monster.

My heart thudded at the sight of it standing as if it belonged there. Our small town closed down by sunset most days but that didn’t mean people weren’t coming home from work.

It didn’t mean someone wouldn't see it or succumb to it.

I heard Jessica on the phone with Jacob behind me. There was no way this thing would sit here and wait for all of us to get here.

It was either going to flee or fight.

I prayed it wasn’t the latter. Shifting in town was a death sentence. My truck was here. Jessica was here. Shifting and fighting this thing would cause a scene that we couldn’t risk.

Our families had kept this a secret for so, so long. I didn’t want to be the one that leaked it. The lycan’s growl grew the longer I stood and squared off with it.

Sweat built at the base of my neck as it took a step toward me. He was going to attack me. My wolf sensed the threat. This wasn't going to end with a stare-off. Someone was going to get hurt.

“Mason,” Jessica whimpered.

I didn’t know what to do. I would have to shift to save us. Jessica’s life was more important than our secret. The lycan stepped again, this time leaning backward and howling into the air.

A warning.

One that I didn’t take lightly.

Jessica squirmed around behind me, her breathing heavy as the lycan pounced. My fight or fight kicked in and my wolf pushed to the forefront. Seconds into making the decision, the lycan was sideswiped.

A large ball of fur blurred across my vision. I tried to make sense of who was fighting this lycan but I didn’t recognize it’s scent.

It was a werewolf hands down.

But not one from our pack. Since when did random wolves cross through our town like this? So openly?

The shrieking and growling erupted into my eardrums and reality hit me hard. The wolf pulled away; blood soaked his mouth while the lycan crawled to his feet.

The wolf’s eyes…it was the wolf from the drive into Slade Springs. The one I saw in Covington the day I brought Jessica home.

Why was it here? Had it been here the entire time?

The lycan slashed at the wolf, making him even more mad than before. The wolf jumped onto the lycan, gripping its arm in his mouth and pulling. I watched in utter amazement as they fought.

The sound of an engine caught my attention. The sheriff’s cruiser pulled up, lights flashing with his gun pointed into the air. He shot his gun, and both of the beasts disappeared.

“What in the hell was that?” the sheriff asked, fear in his voice.

I swallowed, my dry throat heavy on the way down. “I don’t know. We were coming home from my grandmother’s bookstore and saw it.”

He looked scared. His furrowed brows and the confused glint in his eye took over his face. “We’re not going to tell anyone about this. The entire town will freak out,” he said, turning to me. He caught Jessica’s gaze behind me, and I followed his line of sight.

She was pale as a ghost. Her eyes were large and her body heaving in fear. “Are you okay?” he asked her.

She nodded.

Several trucks pulled up and I realized Jacob had gotten here a lot quicker than I imagined. He ran over, and the sheriff put up his palms. “Now. Now. Y’all calm down. There was a disturbance…”

Seth laughed. “Two beasts killing one another? Yeah, I’d say so.”

Mason gave him a look. “What do you think it was, Sheriff?” he asked to make him feel in charge.

He pulled at his belt and shrugged. “I’m not sure. It looked like wolves. They may be sick. Y’all boys don’t go looking for trouble. We’re going to keep this to ourselves. You got it?”

They all nodded until he said something into his walkie-talkie and gave us a look to go home.

I turned to Mason. “What was it?” he asked.

“The lycan and the wolf I saw while bringing Jessica home. He came out of nowhere. I wasn’t sure if I should shift in town. I froze. I was going to when it showed up and took over.”

“Did you recognize him?” Aaron asked.

I shook my head. “Just from the road that day. I’ve never seen him before. What is going on?”

Mason shook his head. “I think it’s a lot more than we bargained for. Let’s get back to the house and we’ll make a decision from there.”

I absently climbed into my truck and looked over at Jess. Leaning forward, I kissed the top of her forehead. “We’re okay,” I said.

She nodded and strapped herself in beside me. The ride home was mostly silent. I didn’t turn on the radio, we just listened to my tires on the road.

There was so much to uncover. The lycan. The wolf. Why was everyone showing up now? It made no sense.

“Those things didn’t come until I did,” Jessica said, looking out the passenger window.”

“What are you saying? You think they’re attracted to you?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m making an observation, ya know? I think I brought them here.”

I chuckled. “Don’t put all of this on yourself, Jess. We don’t know anything right now. You’re not a werewolf and you’ve never encountered a wolf before now. It doesn’t make sense.”

“I know it doesn’t, but isn’t it odd?” she asked.

“It’s odd,” I said, turning onto our dirt road. “But it could be a coincidence. I don’t want you worrying yourself about it.”

She clutched the fried pies in her lap, and I reached over to snag one. She smiled half-heartedly but I could see the panic in her eyes.

When we got home, the boys were wild-n-out in the living. Jacob was pacing back and forth while the others argued amongst themselves.

“Fried pies,” Jessica said, shaking the container and sitting it on the kitchen counter. She stopped by the staircase and folded her arms around her stomach.

When Jacob noticed her, he stopped. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Did you get hurt?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head.

“She thinks she’s the reason these things showed up.” I laughed, running my palm over my face. “Crazy, right? She’s not a wolf and has never known about them before now.”

Jacob frowned. “We can’t rule it out. It’s odd, for sure.”

I shifted, feeling Jessica’s unease from across the room. I turned toward her. “Why don’t you go upstairs. You’re stressing and my wolf doesn’t like it.”

She sighed heavily. “I want to know any theories…”

“We have none,” Seth said from the couch. “This is all new. We’ve never experienced anything like it. Not us, at least.”

She pressed her mouth into a thin line. “Could they sense wolf in my bloodline?”

“Sure,” Jacob said, leaning against the back of the couch. “But they sense it in all of us. Why would they single you out? That’s the question.”

“So what now?” Aaron asked. “We go looking for a wolf and lycan scent?”

“We go looking for anything,” I said.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Jacob said. “We can’t leave Jessica alone. She’s a target and they won’t miss it. I promise you that.”

My wolf growled uneasily. He wanted to be part of the fight. He wanted to hunt these things that wanted his mate.

I did, too.

“Tomorrow I’ll go,” I said. “I’ll stay with Jessica tonight and tomorrow I go while you stay with her. I need this. My wolf is on edge to find them.”

Jacob nodded. “Aaron, you stay tonight. Seth and Liam come with me. We’ll start uptown. We follow the scent.”

They left quicker than Jacob had barked the orders. When I looked over, Jessica had already walked upstairs.

I needed to ease her nerves, but I didn’t know how.

How could I ease her when I was on edge myself?