Lone Wolf Rising (Paranormal Romantic Thriller) (The Winters Series) (2 page)

Hollywood and the romantic book industry greatly understated the idea of werewolves.  After going through her first change last night she felt completely misled despite the preparation Dianna took in getting her ready.  In fact she wasn’t entirely sure her organs found their right place in her body after changing back from a wolf to a human teenager. Her clothes didn’t fit the same way they had before last night.  It was almost as if part of her was missing, an odd thought since even now, she could feel the wolf roaming around in her mind, sated after last night’s hunt.

She took a deep breath and straightened her body.  She was grateful Jacks had insisted on accompanying her last night.  He was an amazing friend.  It was Jacks’ connection to the supernatural world that first got her introduced to Dianna and ultimately the bite that made her half wolf and half human.

“Becca, I don’t mean to rush you, but the sun is rising fast.  Your family is going to know you didn’t come home last night if we don’t get going.”  He revved the engine as she slid onto the cool leather seats.  The eighties rock song, ‘
Guilty of Love in the First Degree’
roared from the stereo.  Rebecca quickly cranked down the music before her ear drums blew up.  Obviously her hearing was improving, or at least getting stronger. 

Jackson
laughed nervously, “You okay?”

She shook her head, “not really, no.  Sorry, the music hurts my ears and the light hurts my eyes…” As if on cue, he handed her a pair of sunglasses from the center console, grateful she accepted them without hesitation.  She felt like she had just spent the night studying for the SATs.  Her body shook nervously at the large amount of adrenaline still left in her body.  She knew if she closed her eyes she would crash.  “Everything is more intense.  My body aches in places I never knew existed, and my head feels like someone is using my brain as a drum pad jamming out to the beat of 90’s heavy metal.  I have to admit, I don’t remember
ever
feeling this horrible.”

“I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, but it’ll get easier… I think.  I mean it’s not like I have any experience in the whole werewolf change, but I know my life got easier for me once I accepted what I could do.”  He put the vehicle in drive as they headed home.  He had no idea if it would or wouldn’t but she loved him for saying it regardless.  The reality was he wasn’t the werewolf, she was.  Dianna had assured Rebecca it would get easier as time went on. 

Now in the break of dawn, she only prayed that was true.  Rebecca knew, when she decided to do this, it wouldn’t be easy but she had hoped it was worth it.  This was not a commitment she could undo, ever.  For better or worse, she was committed to the werewolf.

Rebecca put on her shoes and settled in for the long ride home.  The silence was thick between them. 
Jackson focused on the drive through the beginnings of rush hour traffic and Rebecca became lost in her thoughts; thoughts about how her life was forever changed; how it would impact her family and friends, and why Dianna was a no show last night.  She even briefly wondered how she was going to handle the change every month.

It was her inner voice that answered that concern.  ‘
The human body is resilient and so is the spirit.  You will survive this and many more challenges
.’  It was a mantra she lived by.  One she developed when she was learning to cope with the death of her parents, and now it helped ease her growing concerns of something bad was happening around her.  Something she was not clued into yet.  Something she knew she had better get clued into as soon as possible.  

The good news is that her superhuman strength, enhanced senses, and speed were gifts that came along with the wolf, gifts she would be able to use to protect herself if that something bad decides to pay her a visit.  She was learning very quickly her enhancements were strong and already beginning to affect her.  She planned to put those amazing skills to use as soon as possible; right after she figured out why Dianna was missing in action last night. 

A thought occurred to her.  “Did you know?”  She glanced over at Jackson.  He was a very handsome boy.  His sandy brown hair framed his heart-shaped face.  His lightly freckled nose and cheeks were evidence of his love of the sun.  His passion for sports, and obvious youth, made his body long, lean and muscular. 

He turned his brown eyes toward her and did little to cover the frown on his face.  “Did I know what?”

Rebecca narrowed her eyes and moved in closer to him.  “Did you know Dianna would not be there last night?”

He chuckled.  “Why would I have known that?”  He did a double take at the look of suspicion on her face.

His reaction was enough to put her at ease.  She had no idea why she was so jumpy but she wasn’t enjoying the feeling.  “Because you’re psychic…”  The “duh” was implied so there was no need to speak it.  It was the reason he knew about werewolves, and all the other creatures that existed, hidden in plain sight for the world to see and turn a blind eye on them.  It was easy to be oblivious to the strange happenings around you when magic was involved.

“It doesn’t work that way and you know it.”  He shook his head as he glanced behind them before making a lane change.

Rebecca ran a shaky hand through her hair.  He was right.  She learned a long time ago that Jackson’s gift was not extended to those he cared about.  His elders told him that would improve with age and practice; but even when he would be able to see things about those close to him, it would be limited.  “So why did you come last night?”

It was his turn to roll his eyes.  “Because you’re my best friend and because I worry about you.”  He took a deep breath, Rebecca could tell he was considering if it was wise to speak the next words.  “To be honest I was glad she wasn’t there last night.  No offense, Becca, but you’re one scary creature as a wolf.  I had a hard enough time protecting myself from you, let alone a second one.”

Worry filled Rebecca’s eyes and heart.  “Did I hurt you?”

He shook his head, “no.”

“How did you escape the
wolf
?”  She had very few memories of the night, but what she could piece together
chilled her to the bone with a level of fear she didn't know she possessed
.  The wolf was wild, untamed, savage.  She had no control.  Her human feelings and thoughts were not considered.  The wolf roamed, hunted, killed, and gave no excuse for her behavior. 

He shuddered.  If she had blinked she would’ve missed it.  But instead, she caught it, and felt guilty that she had scared her dearest friend.  “The Jeep took some hits from your animal.  She did a number on the paint job on my door.  But she got bored quickly and took off.  I spent the rest of the night in this seat.”

“I’ll pay for any damage.”  She offered as she swallowed past the lump forming in her throat. 

“No need.  My uncle owns a body shop.  He’ll fix her up in no time.”  His grin was shaky and she wondered
if there was more about last night, but did not press the issue.  He seemed reluctant to talk about it
.

She was so glad he was okay and he appeared to forgive her for the actions of her wolf.
  Relief flooded over her like a wave from the ocean.  “Good, I don’t know what I would do if I hurt you. You’re my best friend, and my only friend who knows my secret.”

“Ditto.”  He grinned as he maneuvered the Jeep to the right so he could exit onto south 101.

Rebecca worried her lower lip, she considered not asking him the following favor, but decided she might need him.  Besides, Dianna was his friend first.  “Do you think you can help me find out what happened to Dianna, I mean psychically, not physically.  I suppose that’s my job now.”  She knew that Jacks usually focused on people close to those he cared about as a work around for the inability to see things about his loved ones.  She also knew that meant he would have to focus on Tomas for the best chance of discovering what was up with Dianna.  She felt a twinge of guilt for asking but had few options at this point.

Jacks raised his eyebrows and fought the smirk from forming at the corner of his mouth.  “A lesser man may take offense to that.”  He flexed his bicep to demonstrate his strength.

“I think we both know what I mean.  Wolves, even the weakest female wolves, are stronger than humans.”

“It’s a good thing I have a high level of self esteem.”  He chuckled, easing the tension between them.  “Of course I’ll try and help anyway possible.  You’ve always been there to help me.” 

They both knew he was referring to how she helped cover up the secret that he was gay from his father.  She played his girlfriend anytime he needed to attend something his father was involved in.  She helped Jacks and he helped her work through the pain of her lost parents.  Her parents’ were killed ten years ago in a car jacking.  It happened while they were on their way to pick her and Savvy up from a sleepover.  The police called it a random tragedy which was simply a way to explain that they were unable to find their killers.

“Speaking of, this is the year right?”  Rebecca’s grin turned mischievous.  She knew this was hard on him but she also knew he needed to take the plunge.  He would never feel free until he came out to his father.   

It was his turn to be silent.  His hands tightened on the steering wheel, the muscle in his strong jaw began to tick.  If she tried real hard she could imagine the gears turning in his mind.  He promised this year he would tell his father the truth.  Everyone else in Jackson’s life knew his secret, everyone supported him.  He promised Rebecca the night of his seventeenth birthday that he would finally reveal the truth to his father.  She could tell he still regretted that promise, but if she knew Jacks, he was secretly thankful he made the commitment.  And equally thankful Rebecca promised she would help him.

“Yes, of course.  It’s just that the timing has to be right.”  They both knew the timing could be perfect and the news would still come as a shock, they’d done a really good job playing pretend boyfriend and girlfriend.  In the process she had fallen in love with him.  He was, and would always be, a part of her family. 

Jacks increased his speed to keep up with traffic as they got closer to her home.  Her family lived in a moderate upscale subdivision of Chandler; a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona.  Before her parents’ death, they lived in Scottsdale, another suburb of the large Metroplex.  Moving from one home to another, only 20 miles away, made the transition after the death of her parents easier.  She was still able to keep in touch with her childhood friends despite the difficult memories they brought with them.   

Rebecca leaned over and squeezed his arm affectionately.  “I’m here to help if you need me.”

“When the time comes I may take you up on that.”  He nodded his head.  “Right now, I’m concerned about helping you explain to your family why you didn’t sleep in your bed last night.”  He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned, “We could tell them we slept together.”  And like that the happy go-lucky Jackson was back, seriousness was out the window and a mile back on the road behind them.

“Well, that was the plan.”  She pulled her red and white duffel bag out of the backseat.  “Remember, we were up late last night studying for a history paper when we fell asleep.”  She pulled out her American History text book and grinned.  “I even have the props to help us with our lie.”  She tried to relax and stop feeling bad about the upcoming lie.  She knew it was necessary but that didn’t mean she had to like it. 

He sighed, “Unfortunately, your grandmother is the human lie detector.  Our best bet is we get back before she finds out.”

Rebecca glanced out the window and noted the height of the sun in the sky.  Deep down she knew her grandmother was up already but at least her sister would be safe and sound, fast asleep in bed. 

Her sister and brother were a large part of why she made this decision.  When she found the killer or killers; Hunter would no longer have nightmares and Savvy wouldn’t cry herself to sleep when she thought no one was listening. 

Dread filled her heart as they pulled onto her street and saw her grandmother sitting on the porch swing waiting for her arrival.  It was the prettiest yard on the block.  Instead of the desert landscaping most houses were famous for in
Phoenix, it had healthy green grass and a large amount of rose bushes, different colors and sizes, all in bloom at the moment. 

Rebecca took a quick glance in the passenger mirror and cringed at her appearance.  Her skin was paler than normal, her eyes bloodshot.  Her blond hair was limp and dull.  She quickly pulled out a hair clip and curled her long hair into a French twist.  She appreciated that the sunglasses covered up the half moon circles under her eyes when she realized she was running out of time.  Out of habit she slipped on some pink lip gloss and blew her bangs out of her eyes in frustration.  “I guess it’ll have to do.”  She mumbled as Jacks pulled the vehicle into the driveway, fitting snuggly into the spot right behind her blue VW bug. 

One look at her grandmother and she knew it was time to face the music.  Jacks unbuckled his seat belt as he turned off the ignition.  She placed a hand on his arm and smiled weakly.  “This is one battle I should face alone.”  With that she kissed his cheek, got out of the vehicle and waved him off before heading to the porch swing where the lie detector was lying in wait to catch Rebecca’s fibs.