The Great Wolf: A Legacy of Kilkenny Novel Book Three (The Legacy of Kilkenny Saga) (3 page)

“What did you think of the pub?” Oakley asks and kicks his
shoes off by the door.

I hang up my jacket and put my shoes next to his.  “I
thought it was interesting how the place was so lively.  What did you think of
Denny and Marc?”

“I think you’re asking for trouble by going out with their
sister.  I don’t know if she’s worth the aggravation,” he reaches in pulls out
two bottles of CelticPure water.

The overstuffed denim couch creaks as I sit down.  “It’s the
strangest thing, I barely know her but I’m overly attracted to her.  Talk about
animal attraction, my wolf was blinded by her.  Her brothers might be annoying,
but I’m ready to know Brianna better.  I want to take a run, do you want to go,
or should I get Pru?”

“I’ll run, we can double check the perimeters while we’re
out.  I’ll call up to Dolly and see if she and Pru want to join us.”

****************

Dolly and I run side by side, both of us shadowing the
other.  Pru and Oakley sprint to the perimeters, flirting and hunting along the
way.  Shaynie and Bryon follow Dolly and I as we dart around the grounds. 
Oddly enough, there aren’t any little critters to chase so we settle on a
friendly game of
lone-wolf
.  Basically, whoever won the last time we
played is the one to corner.  The more wolves we have playing, the harder it is
for the lone-wolf who’s being cornered.  We take smack talking to another
level, and Dolly talks smack like no one else.  She’s ruthless on the field,
but afterwards she goes around and apologizes to everyone for being so mean. 
She never makes it personal, except for the random ‘yo mama’ jokes she says to
Pru.

The run will do good to put our wolf to sleep.    The pool
house is used as a locker room for our clothes.  While we were out running,
someone put a note out that said there’s a warmer by the showers and inside there
are heated hotel robes. 

In a matter of minutes, we all are dressed in our robes and
proclaiming we’re getting a warmer as soon as we get back to Oklahoma.  We
hurry into the warmth of the hotel and say our goodnights.

****************

   “Turn that thing off!” Oakley shouts, referring to the
blaring sound of our alarm clock.

 “We have to go train, get your furry butt up and take a
shower.”  I’ve been up for the last twenty minutes, I’ve showered and I’m ready
to go eat breakfast.  “Pru and I are going down to eat.”  I grab a pillow from
my bed and give him a good whack with it.  “You can’t go back to sleep!”

“You’re a pain in the ass Abe,” Oakley growls.

“Awesome story, now get up.”

I hear Pru at the door before she knocks. She is standing
there in a blue tank top thingy and yoga pants.  Her red hair is covered by a
baseball hat.  There was a time, I wanted nothing more than to have the
attention of Pru, but things changed.  Once it was obvious she had eyes for
Oakley, I quit daydreaming of asking her out.  Now she has the same appeal a
sister would, a sister that isn’t a vampire.

My sister Allie is a vampire living in Paris.  It was two
years ago when we had a war with vampires and I had the opportunity to save
Allie.  She begged me to leave her be and ultimately, I respected her wish. 
I’m probably the only wolf in history to be blood related to a vampire. 

There are fables of vampires and werewolves falling in
love.  The forbidden love of mortal enemies is romanticized in books.  Vampires
repulse me, so I don’t know how it’s possible for them to be together.

Allis is invited to holiday dinners, but she doesn’t want to
leave Paris.  She says her bloodlust is too strong right now, and it will be a
little while before she’ll have control.  What exactly is a
little while
in vampire-speak?    Mom and Dad Skype with her twice a week, I don’t. 

****************

The thirty minute ride to the gym is uneventful other than
early traffic.  Everyone’s tired and quiet, minus Dolly who is giving pep talks
to our van.

The term
rolling hills
is obvious after a few minutes
outside of Kilkenny.  The sky is overcast, giving the gothic buildings an eerie
ambiance. It seems like an hour before we pull up to a large warehouse. 

Our workouts were intense, especially since in a week we’ll
be competing for the gold.  We worked out for two hours without a break. 

One of the coaches yells for everyone to gather around him
as he stands in middle of the gym.  His white polo clung to his lean build,
proving he’s still in amazing shape for someone his age.  I recognize him from
the flash cards we studied about the other competitors and coaches.  He’s Coach
Gerald and lives in Maine with his pack of five.  Dolly said he is probably in
his sixties or seventies which is a long life for a wolf. 

“I’m here to announce that Seeker has been approved.  As you
may know from reading in the history of the W-Olympics, we have a special game
called the Seeker.  Seeker is a maze set up with obstacles to uncover a gold
coin.  The coin is disguised and well hidden within the maze.  Fifteen Olympians
have died in the maze, either killed by a competitor - which is illegal if
caught, or by the obstacle itself.  The alpha can send in whoever they want
from their team to compete, but the decision isn’t announced to the other teams
until an hour before the event.  All of us have been training, and everyone is
qualified, but your alpha will be the one to make the decision.  If the alpha
chooses; they can compete, however, their mate cannot compete with them.   It
can be brutal, and we’ll have healers available to help with the wounds.  It’s
illegal to use charmed artifacts, and all weaponry will be checked prior to
entering the maze.  Think about it and remember not to make it obvious which
wolf will be competing.  You don’t want to give anyone an advantage by knowing
what your Achilles heel is.  If you have questions, write them down and we’ll
address them this evening.  Have a good day, stay out of trouble and great work
out everyone!”

Someone let out a howl, the next thing we know, the entire
warehouse is rattling with howls and laughter.

Two months ago, we were told that Seeker would probably not
be included in the Olympics this year.   The last two W-Games the competitors
in the maze were individually attacked.  Even though fifteen people have died,
at least fifty have been permanently disfigured or crippled.  Regardless of the
danger, I plan on competing this year. 

****************

As we step out, I catch a familiar smell….Brianna has been
here.  By the look on Pru and Oakley’s face, they smell her too. We walk
through the lobby and I see a group of people gathered by the fireplace.  I
notice her sitting there laughing with her friends.  As though she can feel me
looking at her, she turns my direction. 

“Looks like you won’t have to wait until tonight to see
her,” Pru whispers to me.

Instead of stopping to talk to her, I go straight up to my
room.  “I call dibs on the shower!” I shout out to Oakley.

“Got it,” he replies with his southern drawl.

I throw on a brown polo and a ridiculously expensive pair of
jeans.  Pru swore up and down that all the
hip guys
are wearing them. 
Hip or crazy, the debate is still out on that conversation.  I slap on some
aftershave, which is nothing short of another dumb purchase.  The stuff burns
like hell on a freshly shaved face.  My final smell good ritual is a squirt of
cologne that Shaynie bought me for Christmas.  Whenever I wear it, the girls in
the pack tell me how good I smell.  I hope Brianna feels the same way.

“Did a French whore stop by?” Oakley says as he steps out of
the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist.  “Give me five
minutes and I’ll be ready.”

“Let me guess, you won’t let me go downstairs alone.”

“You got it,” he says and drops his towel.

I turn and go over to the window to look out at the grounds
of the hotel.

My stomach is turning as we ride down in the elevator.  I
know Pru won’t be ready for another twenty minutes, so Oakley won’t let me out
of his sight.

Brianna is sitting across the room in one of the big
overstuffed leather chairs, reading on an e-reader.  She glances up just as I
approach her. 

“Hi Abel, I didn’t know it last night, but we’re all going
site seeing together.  They’ve chartered a couple of buses to drive us around and
professional tour guides will tell us about the different sites.  The other
packs will be here soon.”

I take a seat on the leather chair across from her.  There
are only two chairs so Oakley walks over to the group by the fireplace.    “I
think that’s a good idea; all of us meeting one another on a social level. Is
your whole pack here or just the competitors?”

“We’re a small pack, so everyone is here” she replies.  “How
about you?”

“Our pack is about half and half.  We have a farm that must
be run while we’re gone, and things have a tendency to break when we’re not
home.”  I notice a cart with Danishes and coffee approaching us.  My stomach
growls as the aroma hits me like a ton of bricks. 

“It’s been yonks since I’ve had a pastry, they look
delicious.”  Her eyes dart across the room, when she doesn’t find whoever she’s
looking for she takes a Danish.  She tears off a piece and puts it in her
mouth.  “Oh bloody hell! That’s divine!”  Brianna takes her bottle of water to
her lips and my brain went to places it shouldn’t have.

I glance up and catch Oakley looking back at me with a grin
on his face.  I hadn’t had time to block my thoughts, some just happen and I
get looks from Pru and Oakley when they’re inappropriate.

My phone vibrates, a text from Pru. 
YOU DIRTY MINDED
WOLF!

I reply back. 
LOL - STALKER!

“What does
yonks
mean?”

“Oh, maybe you’d say
a long time
.  I get flustered
thinking about the United States and their different dialect.  I’ll try
harder.”  She smiles up at me.

“No, I think it’s cool.  Your accent is cute.”  Her cheeks
flush ever so slightly.  “Are your brothers here?”  I couldn’t hold back any
longer, I need to know if they’re here or not.

“Day are here somewhere,” her accent seems to get stronger
when her brothers are mentioned.  Brianna turns to her right as though she
heard someone call her name. 

I didn’t hear anything so it must be another pack member
talking to her.  I remember when I’d turn in the direction I thought the voice
was coming from too.

A girl walks over and Brianna stands up to give her a hug. 

“Abel, this is my friend Violet, she’s from the Cary Pack, and
they’re out of Dublin too.  Violet, this is Abel, he’s from America.” Brianna
places her hand on my arm and my mind measures and records every aspect of her
hand.  My skin is keenly aware of her touch, even through my clothes.

Violet is striking with her almost-black hair and her flawless
fair complexion.  The most noticeable feature has to be her eyes; they are
literally violet in color.  I’ve never met anyone with such gorgeous eyes. 

I hold my hand out to shake hers but she smiles at me in
return.  “I’m sorry; I don’t do the handshaking thing.  Are you Abel as in Abel
Casey?  Are you the Great Wolf?” 

Her accent doesn’t sound Irish, she sounds like she’s from
England.  “In the flesh.”

“That’s absolutely amazing.  I’m so happy to meet you!  Do
you mind if we take a picture together?  I must text it to my mum; she’d
absolutely die if I didn’t.” Without waiting for me to reply, she has her phone
in her hand and asking Brianna to take our pic.

“Sure, anything to keep the mom happy.”

“I had no idea you’d be smokin’ hot.  Good lord, how much do
you work out, you’re like a brick wall,” she says as she rubs her hands all
over my arm.   Miss Germaphobe doesn’t have any problems getting close and
personal.

Pru walks over, her face set in her
resting-bitch-face
and her eyes glaring holes at the girls.  “Abe, we’re going to be in the first
bus, we’ll be leaving in five minutes to go get breakfast and go touring.”

“Is it okay if Brianna rides with us?”  I look at Brianna
and see a grin stretch across her face.  “Would you like to go with us on our
bus Brianna?” Here I go assuming she’d want to hang out with me all day long. 
Good thing I remembered to ask or Pru would have jumped my ass.

“I’d love to, but Violet is the only person in her pack
here, would it be okay for her to go with us?”

I can tell Pru’s aggravated about something, but I’m not
certain why.

I’ve met Violet before, be careful, she’s a relentless
flirt.  She’s already introduced herself to Oakley and sent a pic to her mum. 
Brianna is into you, she’s the real deal.
Pru thinks to me.

Yeah, Violet already took my picture too.  Let’s go
sightseeing, she’s harmless.

****************

We spent the entire day sight-seeing.  The tour guide took
us to an old cemetery and a local mall.  We bought a few souvenirs to take back
home with us.  On the way home, Dolly had the guide take us to The National
Irish Art Gallery.  A painting from the artist Susanna Drury, called, A
View
of the Giant’s Causeway
is on loan from Dublin’s National Museum of Art.  The
story about the painting had been something her mother would tell her when she
was a child.  She spent half an hour grilling the tour guide about the lore of
the giants.

While Dolly was talking, we met a few of the wolves from
other packs.  Brianna and Violet kept me entertained all day with their
commentary about our tour. They are complete opposites; Violet is a smartass
and has something to say about everything, Brianna is quiet, but laughs
hysterically at some of Violet’s antics. 

As everyone stood around chatting in the café of the museum,
Brianna and I slipped away.  The building has an outdoor deck that leads down
to the smoking area.  The air isn’t as cold as it was at the crack of dawn, it
has a light hint of someone smoking at the end of the path.