Wolf's Bane (8 page)

“No, I do not,” I said.  I was new to this life, to becoming a wolf, but I was fiercely proud of what I was.

“No, you embrace it, relish it, you look forward to being the wolf, to killing and the taste of death.  We are like humans in that we are all animals but we are better because we do not seek to pretend otherwise.  I believe our kind was created for a purpose.  There is a destiny we are meant to fulfill, child,” the severe woman explained, her voice taking on a more dramatic tone.

“And what is that, Violet?” I asked, my curiosity piqued as well as my apprehensions.

“We are stronger than them.  Not in numbers, obviously.  However, our kind is stronger.  I and those that live here at Wolfsbane hold a common belief.  We believe that we are the dominant species and that we will one day take our place as such.  We believe that one, the Wolf Mother, will come to us and give us that chance.  You are that chance for us, Cassie.  You hold the key to our destiny within you.  You are precious to us and I will not allow you to leave us,” Lady Violet told me.  I’d heard it before but not like this.  Not in this context.  I suppose I suspected it all along, that Violet wouldn’t take no for an answer.  Still, I had questions.

“What can I do?  I’m just one woman. How can I save an entire race of beings?” I asked.

“You are the seed.  Your children will be able to produce both male and female shifters with human mates.  So will their children and so on.  You and I will likely not live to see that, however,” Violet said.  To that point, what she told me seemed reasonable enough.  Overwhelming and somewhat unbelievable but considering I could turn into a wolf at will, I couldn’t dispute her tale.  I’d become used to the unbelievable.

“Then you needn’t be concerned, Violet.  Yeager and I will bear children.  We are mates,” I told her.  Violet suddenly wore that disarming smile again.

“Child, I know you will but I can’t leave that up to chance,” Violet replied.

“So, you want us to come to live here, under your protection?” I asked.  The manipulation seemed over the top if that was her only goal.  Why not just tell us the truth?  Like I smelled that snowshoe hare the night before, here I smelled a rat.

“That’s not what I meant.  I am not a patient woman, as you might have guessed, child.  I will see our kind take our rightful place in the hierarchy of this world.  I will see our kind rule the humans in my lifetime,” she explained.  I recoiled a bit at that.  Rule them?  What did that mean?  But even so, the numbers and logistics were not in her favor.  We were few, outnumbered a million to one.

“How is that even possible?  I’m not even pregnant and even if I were, it would take many generations to accomplish what you seek,” I told her, naively.  I knew there was more but I couldn’t see it.

“I am not a patient woman, Cassie.  Some must be sacrificed to serve the greater good.  Philip is a shifter but he is also scientist of sorts.  You’re correct.  Breeding you in the conventional way would take far longer than I could tolerate,” she told me, her words taking a moment to sink in.  When they did, I took a step backwards but Violet seemed unconcerned.  She simply smiled at me as I realized what she intended.  I had to get away.  I had to get to Yeager.  I began to shift but nothing happened.  Then half a dozen wolves appeared and surrounded me, teeth bared and fur bristling.

“I’ve taken care of that possibility, child.  You won’t be changing when it’s not convenient,” she told me.  I tried again but nothing.  I still had the sense I was a shifter.  I could smell the wolves about me and Violet, but I couldn’t change.

“You bitch!” I shrieked but Violet didn’t react.  She just smiled but this time it wasn’t the phony smile she wore so often.  This smile was full of satisfaction.

“Child, we can do this the hard way if you want but I’d prefer it to be easy.  You really don’t have a choice.  You’re alone here,” Violet said and then glanced over her shoulder towards the main house. I followed her gaze and a moment later I realized the motorhome was gone.  I gasped in horror.  “I told you he didn’t love you, child.  He used you and when things didn’t go his way, he left you,” Lady Violet told me.

“No!  That’s not true!” I said but the motorhome was gone.

“You know he’s gone, Cassie.  You can feel it, can’t you?  Nevertheless, this is for the best.  He wasn’t good enough for the Wolf Mother.  You deserve better.  You will be revered among our kind, a wolf of distinction.  If, that is, you cooperate.  Don’t think I won’t do whatever is necessary to fulfill our kind’s destiny.  I will.  However, the choice is yours,” Violet told me, turned and began walking towards the big house but as she did, she ordered the wolves that surrounded me, “Bring her to Phillip.”

The wolves closed and one growled to get me moving.  I didn’t have a choice and I followed Violet as the wolves surrounded me.  Where was Yeager?  What about Edie?  Did they really leave me?  Could Violet be right?  It didn’t make sense.  I suppose Yeager could have been lying to me but Edie?  We’d been friends for years.  Maybe she was still here but I found myself hoping she had gone.  I worried what Violet might do to her if she chose to stay.

I wanted to run.  As a wolf, I would have tried.  I was at least the equal of any wolf but even with six wolves, seven counting Lady Violet, I would have tried to escape.  As a woman, however, I was vulnerable, especially surrounded by wolves.  I was at Lady Violet’s mercy and that’s just how she wanted it.  I wondered what would make Yeager leave.  I had to believe it wasn’t because he didn’t love me.  I had to believe it was because of Lady Violet’s manipulation, which I knew now had a precise purpose all along.

We approached the house and now some of the residents that lived here had gathered to watch as I was led past.  I found it curious that there were so many women and so few men but I had more important things on my mind.  I was led inside, the wolves becoming men on the porch who donned their clothes and rifles.  They hadn’t been there as we arrived but now I was sure they stood guard to protect me, or rather protect Violet’s prize.  I followed the blonde woman up the stairs and past the rooms we had been provided.  I hoped to find Edie waiting but she was gone.  I was truly alone.  Agnes stood waiting at the stairs leading to the third floor and when she saw me, surprise registered in her eyes. She fell in behind me as I followed Violet up the staircase.

At the top, we entered a room with walls of rich wood, cases full of books and a large oak desk.  Phillip waited behind the desk in a red leather chair.  A leather sofa sat against the opposite wall and next to it was a table and on top of that, a metal tray covered with a white cloth.  “Please, sit down,” Phillip offered pleasantly.  I glanced around but without any other choice I did as I was asked.  Violet and Agnes remained standing as I took a seat on the leather sofa.

“I’ll post two guards outside,” Lady Violet announced.

“Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary,” Phillip said as he stood and came around his desk.  The middle-aged man leaned against the table gazing down at me.

“I hope not.  I hope Cassie will come to see the need of this and cooperate,” Violet said but her words were a subtle warning to me.  She nodded to Agnes and then marched from the room.  Agnes looked my way, her eyes almost apologetic, and then followed her mistress from the room closing the door behind her.

“Alone at last,” Philip said trying to lighten the mood but it failed to work.

“If I could change, I’d rip your fucking throat out, Phillip,” I said calmly.

“Well, then I’m glad you can’t shift because I’m sure you could, Cassie.  I’m not your enemy.  You want what we want.  Survival.  You can ensure that for all of us.  If it were up to me, we’d do this and I’d let you go free,” he told me.  He was trying to be nice, to be my friend, but at this point, I assumed it was all an act.

“But it’s not up to you, is it?” I replied.

“Sadly, no.  I defer to Lady Violet,” he told me.  I knew what he meant.  She was the alpha and he submitted to her dominance, even in his human form.  He probably believed what he did served some worthy end.

“So, you’re just a whimpering pup, a submissive dog.  You let Cruella dominate you,” I accused and Phillip smiled gently.

“I am what I am.  I am no alpha, Cassie.  I follow and do what I’m told.  I’m not ashamed of that,” he said.

“You should be.  You’re a tool, Phillip,” I told the older man hoping to get a rise out of him, to shame him into helping me.

“But I’m a tool that will survive, Cassie.  Now I have work to do,” he said calmly.

“Well, seeing as I don’t have a choice, let’s get this over with,” I said.  Philip smiled warmly, reassuringly, like a doctor might to a terminally ill patient.  Even though he was a passive man and an even more passive wolf, I was sure he could easily overpower me in my human form.  Even if I did manage to get the best of him, guards waited outside.  I was out of options.

“You’ll come to see this is best, Cassie,” Phillip said and then pulled the white cloth from the tray that sat on the table next to him.  I stared at its contents and then glanced up at Phillip.  He picked up the syringe from among the other frightening implements and smiled.  “You’ll hardly feel a thing,” he told me.

~~O~~

“Why would she leave like that?” Edie asked Yeager as the pair rumbled down the highway towards Utah.

“I don’t know, kiddo.  This whole thing is fucked up.  I knew that bitch was bad news and I should have said as much,” Yeager replied, his regret evident.  Edie frowned.  She had woken up and found Agnes gone.  They had spent the night together, though neither got much sleep.  Edie still buzzed from the night of passion she shared with the ebony shifter.  It was magical as far as Edie was concerned, the sexy black girl’s kisses intoxicating beyond anything Edie had ever experienced.

Minutes after Edie awoke, however, Agnes came back.  She told Edie that Cassie had left the ranch during the night.  The girl didn’t know why or where Cassie had gone, only that she had left.  Of course, Edie immediately went next door to see for herself.  She found Yeager pacing in only his jeans.  Edie informed the biker of the news and minutes later, they were headed downstairs to find Cassie.  They found no sign of Cassie and Yeager revealed what he had seen the previous evening.

They went upstairs, grabbed their things and loaded all of it into the motorhome.  Edie had a hard time believing that Cassie would kiss Gerard.  Cassie wasn’t like that, she wouldn’t betray Yeager.  Edie assured Yeager that it was a mistake.  “I’ve been up all night waiting.  I’ve done a lot of soul searching, Edie.  I can’t believe she would do that either.  It’s that bitch, Violet.  She’s exercising some kind of influence over Cassie.  She’s manipulating all of us,” Yeager replied as he started up the motorhome.

Agnes said nothing as they prepared to leave.  She simply watched from the porch as Edie climbed into the passenger seat of the motorhome.  Edie pressed her hand against the window as the motorhome pulled away.   She could have sworn a tear ran down Agnes’ cheek.  Edie almost cried herself.  She was still torn as she turned her attention out the window and watched as Yeager took them out of the gate adorned with the metal wolf’s head and away from the ranch to find Cassie.

“We’ll find her, Edie,” Yeager assured her.  Edie turned and smiled at the mysterious biker that had become her friend over the last few months.

“I know,” she replied.  There was no way she wasn’t going to go after Cassie but leaving Agnes hurt.  Edie felt an attraction to the girl she’d never experienced before.  She felt some kind of connection and leaving Agnes behind was like leaving a part of herself.  “Yeager?” she asked.

“Yeah?” he replied.

“What was it like when you met your mate?” she asked.  Yeager tore his attention from the road and stared at Edie.  After a moment, he smiled and began to tell Edie about the day he met his mate, the woman he was made for, the woman that was made for him, the woman he never should have let slip from his grasp.

~~O~~

“Don’t worry.  I just need to take some blood to run some tests,” Phillip told me.  I relaxed a bit but still this whole situation was maddening and frustrating to say the least.  I felt trapped, abandoned and betrayed.  In fact, Yeager’s disappearance was bothering me more and more.  Why would he leave?  I just couldn’t figure it out, but suddenly it hit me.  I kissed Gerard.  Rather, he kissed me.  Did Yeager see that or hear of it from someone?  I wouldn’t put it past Violet to make sure Yeager saw me kissing Gerard.  This whole trip was a set up from the get go.

I attempted to shift again but nothing happened.  I could feel the wolf inside of me longing for escape but I couldn’t bring myself to transform.  Something blocked me from reaching inside as I did in the Sierra Nevada forest when Yeager needed me.  I found a way then but now I was prevented from shifting by something I couldn’t sense.  If only I knew what prevented me from becoming a wolf, maybe I could find a way around it or through it.

“Why can’t I change?” I asked pointedly as Phillip tied a rubber tube around my upper arm and then readied the syringe.

“Pheromones,” he told me as he found a vein in the crook of my elbow and thumped it with his finger.

“What?” I asked.

“Pheromones. It’s an airborne hormone, more or less, that tells the body to shut down the processes that allow a person to change.  I discovered it.  Highly useful when we find a young child that hasn’t learned to control their instincts,” he told me with a hint of pride and then sank the needle into my arm.  Blood began to flow forth into the clear vial.

“Like Agnes?” I asked.  I tried hard to remain calm, just like back at the diner when bikers got mouthy or when Dolan made trouble.  I had no choice.  I could run but I wouldn’t make it far.  I wasn’t fast or nimble and I was far outnumbered.  Without becoming a wolf, trying to escape was futile.

“Why, yes.  We did use it on her.  Once Violet had coaxed the girl into her human form, we administered the hormone to keep her that way until we could reason with the girl,” Phillip told me as he pulled the vile free of the syringe and inserted another.