Silver (14 page)

When Brock and I walked to school the next
morning, I felt better than I had in a long time. Running through
the woods in wolf form turned out to be better therapy than I could
have imagined. I still kicked myself for breaking free, wondering
what would have happened if the pack had caught up to us, but I
didn’t regret feeling as though a load had been lifted off my
shoulders, if only for a short time.

“
Enjoy your, uh, werewolf
time?” Brock asked with a puzzled smile.

“
Yeah, actually,” I
admitted. I decided not to tell him about Mouse. Mouse must have
had his own reasons to keep it from his friend if he had made it
this far without Brock finding out.

“
You definitely seem like
you’re in a better mood.”

I laughed. “I’m that bad, huh?”

He grinned and ran a hand through his spiky
brown hair without saying anything.

“
No answer, huh? That must
be pretty bad.” I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “Why
do you hang out with me?”
This time, he was the one to laugh. “Actually, considering the fact
that you are a werewolf, you’re pretty mild tempered.” At my
questioning look, he rushed on, “From what I’ve read, werewolves
are moody even in their human form. Something about the instincts
and territorial aggression, I don’t know.” Then he looked at me and
his voice became serious. “You saved my life, Jaze. You didn’t even
know me. You could have let them tear me apart.”

I tried to push down the mild hurt I felt
and had to acknowledge the werewolf moodiness. “So that’s the
reason you’re still around; you feel you owe me something for
saving you?” I joked half-heartedly.

He shrugged, then shook his head. “Well, no.
You’re different than anyone I know. You’re. . .” he searched for
the word, hesitated, then said it quickly. “Loyal.”

I snorted, but realized the truth. In the
transition between losing my father, moving to a new territory
filled with hostile werewolves, and trying to find my own place in
the world, Brock had become part of my own tiny pack I had created
to hold my sanity together. I glanced at him, wondering if he
suspected it, and realized he probably did. I frowned and tried to
form words out of my thoughts, but he held up a hand.

“
I’m honored, you know?
It’s weird, all of this, but I’m glad to be here.” He slapped me on
the shoulder and laughed. “Besides, it’s gotten me closer to Nikki,
which has also gotten me closer to her hot girlfriends.”

I laughed and punched him lightly in the
shoulder. “Always after the girls, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. “What else is there?”

We went to Brock’s after school; the thought
of staying in the empty house alone kept me away as long as
possible.

School had gone well. I found out I actually
passed my math test, only by one question, but at least I passed.
It rained during lunch, then the sun came out to dry everything so
that the world smelled fresh and new. Chet and his pack had also
been absent, which added to the greatness of the day. I supposed I
should have been worried about where they were, but figured he had
already ruined enough days that I got to keep one for myself once
in a while.

We watched television, ate some pizza
compliments of Brock’s mom, and were lounging on the porch drinking
sodas when the rhythmic pounding of running feet caught my ears. A
figure dashed up the road toward us through the twilight. Brock
noticed my attention was elsewhere and followed my eyes.

“
Who is it?” he asked,
squinting to see through the shadows.

The figure was upwind and when his scent
came to me I set down the soda and stood. Fear and sweat mingled
with Mouse’s woody, homey scent of Italian food and a wood burning
stove. Somewhere in the back of my mind I pictured a tiny, rotund,
Italian speaking grandmother wrapped in a shawl and apron and
holding a bowl of sauce. I shook my head to clear the image.
“Mouse.”

“
Jaze?” Mouse
shouted.

I ran to meet him, Brock at my heels. Mouse
nearly bowled into me, then bent over with his hands on his knees
gasping for air. “You’ve got to go,” he forced out.

“
Go where?” I demanded;
adrenaline rose at the panic in his voice.

Mouse glanced up at me, his eyes wide with
fear. “The pack, they’re after Nikki.”

My heart slowed. I put my hands on his
shoulders. “What are you talking about? Nikki is Chet’s
girlfriend.”

Mouse shook his head, his chest heaving.
“Something about Nikki’s parents. One of the werewolves was hurt
last night, and they think her parents had something to do with it.
The pack waited all day for them to show up, but they never did, so
they’re going to attack Nikki in revenge.”

I had my shirt off before he finished
speaking.

Brock grabbed my arm. “Jaze, what are you
doing?”

I pulled free and stepped away. “I’ve got to
save her, Brock. They’ll kill her.”

“
Why?” he asked.

“
Her parents are
Hunters.”
Brock’s mouth fell open, but he made no attempt to stop
me.

I phased to wolf form faster than I ever had
before. The world spun dizzily around me, but I ducked my head and
ran down the sidewalk. I pushed into the wolf’s mile-eating lope
until I practically flew. My paws barely touched the ground. I
rounded the corner and ran up the street.

Images of Nikki being torn apart by the pack
flew through my head. I saw her body lying in pieces on her front
lawn the way my dad’s had in our living room. I pushed myself
faster, and turned the corner of her block in time to see Nikki
surrounded on the sidewalk in front of her house.

Five of Chet’s pack were still in human
form, including Chet himself. Silver blades flashed in the
streetlight. The other six had already phased to wolf form. Their
teeth were bared in snarling white flashes against the darkening
night. I was shocked by their audacity at appearing in wolf form in
the middle of the city. Chet leaned toward Nikki, his face inches
from hers. He held a knife and gestured as though threatening to
use it.

I ran toward them at full speed. No one saw
or heard me until I was less than a second away, and by then it was
too late. I plowed headlong through the surrounding pack. My
shoulders impacted two wolves and they yelped and flew to the
sides. I barreled into Chet, knocking him to the ground, then spun
so that Nikki was at my back and the rest of them were at the
front. A low growl rumbled in my chest.

Chet rose shakily to his feet, his gaze wide
as his looked around for his attacker. When his eyes fell on me,
they filled with such bitter hatred I fought to keep from tearing
him apart right there. “Nice of you to join us, Jaze,” he spat out.
Blood trickled down his lip and he wiped it away with the back of
his hand. He stepped forward, his knife low. “I’m going to enjoy
this.”

I backed up slowly, forcing Nikki to step
back until she stood against the fence. I glanced back and her eyes
met mine, wide and searching. Chet stepped closer. I turned back to
him and growled. He didn’t need to be in wolf form to understand
the threat of my tone.

Chet laughed, a dark chuckle that made my
fur stand on end. “If that’s the way you want it.” He stepped back
to phase and motioned for his pack to attack.

Five wolves and five werewolves in human
form dove at me. I ducked under a wolf from the left and he
collided with one on the right. I jumped on their tangle of bodies
and launched myself at two of the werewolves in human form. I
caught one knife-baring hand in my jaws as the force of my body
barreled them to the ground. I rolled to the right, pulling the one
I held over my back and to the ground on the other side. He yelled
when his arm snapped and he dropped the knife.

I dodged a knife swipe from another human,
spun to the left, and grappled head on with a wolf. He snapped at
my stomach, but I barreled him over with my shoulder and held him
to the ground. I clamped onto his throat and bit down. Warm blood
filled my mouth. The instinct to close my teeth and finish him took
over. He squirmed as I tightened my jaw. A blow to the side threw
me over, breaking my hold. I rose and dodged to the right in time
to avoid another wolf. Then Nikki screamed.

Chet, hulking and huge in his Alpha form,
closed the distance between them. His black fur blended in with the
rapidly gathering night, but his eyes glowed golden and angry in
the darkness. I leaped over the two wolves between us and was about
to reach him when something slammed into my ribs. Pain laced out in
all directions, fogging my vision with red. I gasped for breath as
I turned to face my attacker.

Darryl, one of the wolves I had fought to
protect Brock, stood still in his human form, a silver knife in one
hand. He waved it at me and drops of my blood fell to the lawn. I
leaped at him, but was bowled over by two wolves from the left. I
rolled back to my feet fast enough to throw one of the wolves and
bite out at the other one when Darryl sliced again with the knife.
This time, it buried to the hilt in my stomach. I grabbed his
shoulder in my teeth before he could step back and pulled him to
the ground.

He yelled and rolled over; his feet caught
me in the ribs and he kicked me away. I landed on my back. Blood
streamed from my wounds, taking my strength with it. I forced
myself up by sheer will. Wolves surrounded me. Nikki screamed again
and I glanced up in time to see Chet jump at her. I launched myself
over the heads of the wolves and landed on Chet’s back. He rolled
over just short of Nikki, teeth flashing. His jaws snapped shut
millimeters from my jugular. I dodged out of the way, then lunged
at his shoulder and tore a gash down his forearm.

A blaze of pain ran down my back. I spun to
see another werewolf in human form backing away as fast as he
could. I dove at him and a rumbling howl escaped my throat. He
tripped over a wolf and fell. I lunged for his throat and he held
up an arm. I ground it between my teeth and felt the bones snap
before he dropped the knife.

Teeth tore at my shoulder. I turned to meet
Chet’s brutal attack. He dove for my throat, but I met him tooth
for tooth. I tried to reach his eyes to blind him, but he was
relentless and strong. The silver that coursed through my veins
from the knives began to weaken my muscles along with the blood
loss from the gaping wounds. His teeth found purchase in my forearm
and he bit down. I reached the side of his throat and threw him
with a jerk of my neck. He rolled on the lawn and leaped back,
ready to attack again, when a gunshot shook the air.

I glanced back to see Nikki standing in the
gate holding a shotgun above her head. “This is loaded with silver
bullets,” she threatened, bringing it down to aim at Chet. “Get
away from him.”

Chet backed up slowly, his ears held tight
to his skull and teeth bared. I faced him until he joined the rest
of his pack. Only two were still in human form, and they leaned on
each other, bloody and bruised. The rest of the wolves gathered
around Chet, awaiting his orders. He growled again and took a step
in my direction, but Nikki left the fence and made her way to me,
the gun pointed at him like she knew how to use it.

Chet growled his frustration, then turned
and stalked down the road, his pack close behind.

Pain knifed through every vein as the silver
from the splintered knives spread through my body. I collapsed just
as Nikki reached me. Too weak to hold wolf form any longer, I
phased on the lawn. My wounds stretched and tore. I couldn’t hold
back the yell that escaped my lips. I glanced up at Nikki. She held
the shotgun with the barrel pointed toward the grass. The silver
burned and my whole body felt like it was on fire. It was all I
could do to keep from screaming. I could barely think past the
pain. My vision blurred red and a shudder coursed through my body.
I couldn’t stand it anymore. I couldn’t live, not like this. I
opened my mouth to ask Nikki to shoot me and end it all when I
heard a yell.

“
Don’t touch him!” Brock
shouted. His pounding feet raced toward us. He threw his body over
mine. “Don’t you dare hurt him,” he growled in a voice that would
have done a werewolf proud.

I glanced up one last time. Nikki’s blue
eyes met mine and tears spilled down her cheeks. I closed my eyes
and let the pain carry me away.

Chapter 14

Voices spoke beyond a door, muffled by the
daze of pain.

“
Step away from the door,
Nikki.”

“
No!” My senses quickened
at the fear in her voice. “He saved my life, Mom!”

“
It doesn’t matter. He’s a
werewolf.”

“
It does too matter! I
would have been killed. Chet’s an Alpha!”

“
Really?” her mom replied.
I heard the forced surprise in her voice and realized that she had
already known.

Nikki must have heard it, too. “You knew all
this time?” Her voice rose, hurt and angry. “You set me up?”

“
It wasn’t like that,
darling,” a male voice that must have belonged to Nikki’s father
said in a placating tone.

The door gave a thump as Nikki leaned
against it. “You knew I was dating a werewolf and you didn’t tell
me? What am I to you, just some bait you can dangle to catch the
black coats?”

“
We had to know, Nikki,”
her mother said with a touch of embarrassment.

Nikki fell silent, then spoke again, her
voice reluctant as though she didn’t want to hear. “Know what?”

Footsteps drew closer to the door. “There’s
something going on. There has to be older Alphas, but Chet was the
only one we could find. We hoped he would lead us to them.”