Chapter 15

Amara sat on her couch beside her little sister with a bowl of popcorn in her lap. One hand took a handful of popcorn from the bowl and deposited it into her mouth. She gestured to the TV with her wine glass in another as she complained about Ryan Reynold’s character in Definitely, Maybe. “See, how could he not know that April was the One? She’s there from the very beginning, making witty comments and being so obviously in love with him, it’s ridiculous. And still, he keeps her in the friend zone.”

“Oh, you mean like you do to Mitch?” Sadie asked with a laugh. She popped a piece of chocolate in her mouth.

Amara wrinkled her nose. “I do not keep Mitch in the friend zone.” She took another sip of her wine, pleased to discover she was on the verge of a buzz. “That would imply that he had some other zone in which he could go. And since Mitchell and I definitely do not have feelings for one another, there is nothing in which to ‘keep.’”

Sadie laughed so hard she snorted into her wine. “Seriously? You really don’t think he has feelings for you? Well, you may not have any feelings for him, what with Mr. Hottie McHotterson of the Great Sex Department in your bed every night, but Mitch absolutely does have feelings for you. Why do you think Zoe has a hard time around you lately?

“Lately? She doesn’t have a hard time with me lately. She has a hard time with me always.”

“Okay,” said Sadie, “but don’t you think it’s gotten quite a bit worse since she started seeing Mitch?”

Amara thought for a moment, frowning. Thinking back, things were a bit different between her and Zoe, and it had started about the time Zoe had begun seeing Mitch, but if anything, she would think things were getting better with Zoe. Maybe because Amara clearly had no feelings for Mitch.

A loud noise came from outside the window.

“Hmm?”

She rolled her eyes. Getting up, she went to the window and moved the curtains aside. She peered out into the dark. “I don’t know, Sadie. Maybe, yeah, I guess you could be right. But speaking of people I have a hard time with, what exactly do you see in Kal Vann?”

This time it was Sadie who employed the eye roll. “Well, he’s freaking hot, for one,” she replied, grinning. “And he’s charming in that cool, bad boy sort of way.”

“Okay, so he’s hot. Can’t you just admire him from afar? Watch his tight, jean-clad ass as it walks away like every other girl does? Do you really have to date him?”

A frown creased Sadie’s brow. “Why not? Neither one of us are seeing anybody else. Mom loves him. And the sex is fantastic. What’s the problem?”

“I can’t stand him. And I’ve told you, I don’t trust him.”

“Why not?”

“I just…” Amara sighed. How did she tell her sister Kal was a murderous psychopath without giving away Nova’s secret? “I just get a bad feeling from him is all. He’s not a good guy, Sadie,” she finally said. It wasn’t much, but at least it was the truth.

Movement caught her eye out the window. Someone was running toward the woods, and there were flames in the distance.

Then the screaming began.

“Sadie, go get my shotgun from the bedroom,” Amara instructed, all seriousness. Still watching the movie, Sadie ignored her. “Sadie!”

“What?” She pressed pause.

“The shotgun?”

“Amara, you’re not going to shoot my boyfriend.”

I just might, she thought. Out loud, she said, “no, Sadie, I’m serious. Something’s happening. Get the shotgun. Now.”

Alarmed, Sadie quickly got up and did as she was told. Amara went straight to the lock box in the kitchen and keyed in the code to release her handgun. Then she retrieved both her knives and found her holsters. She’d just finished loading the handgun when Sadie returned with the shotgun. She traded her. “Do you remember how to use this?” she asked, pointing to the handgun. She took the box of shells from the table and loaded the shotgun with an ease that only comes from experience. Sadie nodded. “Good. Because I want you to stay inside. If a wolf comes near you, or Kal, or anyone you don’t know, shoot them.” Locking the barrel, she rose and went to the door.

“Wait, Kal?” Sadie asked, her face pale as a sheet. “Where are you going? What’s going on?”

Amara slipped on the deputy’s jacket Mac had given her the day before. “There’s an attack going on outside. Sadie, I mean it, I need you to stay in here. I need to know you’re safe.”

“But what about you?!”

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing. Stay in here,” Amara repeated, suddenly worried that her sister wouldn’t listen. “And lock the door.”

She knew she was taking a risk; her sister almost never did as she was told. But she needed to know she was safe. “Oh, and Sadie? Use my phone and call Nova. Tell him there’s an attack and to get here quick. Then call Mom and make sure she stays inside. The last thing we need is for her to get in the middle of all of this.” Without waiting for a reply, she tossed her sister her phone and ran out into the fray.

Outside, it was total chaos. There were wolves and people everywhere. People were screaming, others were shooting. A handful of men she’d never seen before were breaking into houses. Down the street, closer to the square, it looked like somebody had set a car on fire. She could already hear the sound of sirens from the firetruck in the distance.

The smell of blood, of salt and copper, permeated the air. She had never seen such a horrible sight in her entire life.

Amara caught sight of a brown wolf charging one of her neighbors. Placing the gun in the crook of her shoulder, she took aim and squeezed the trigger, bracing herself for the kick. The sound was deafening. If only she’d had the time to think about grabbing ear plugs. But the wolf went down.

Rushing forward, Amara stepped over the lifeless body of the Valley wolf and helped the woman climb to her feet. She appeared to be more shaken than hurt, for which she was grateful. Still, Amara helped her back to her home and strongly advised her to lock the doors and stay away from any windows.

“Amara!”

She turned at the sound of her name. “Mitchell!” Grateful and scared at the same time, Amara rushed forward and let her friend pull her into a hug. “What are you doing out here?”

“We heard them outside the bar. They were attacking whoever was out on the street, so we grabbed our guns and came to help.”

“We?”

“Zoe and I.” Sure enough, Zoe was running up the street, tears streaming down her face. Mitch and Amara sprinted over to her.

Terrified, Mitch looked around. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Wolves. They must have decided we were in their territory.”

Beside her, Amara could feel Zoe trembling. She wrapped an arm around the other woman’s shoulders. “It’s going to be okay,” she promised, rubbing her hand up and down Zoe’s arm in an attempt to soothe her. “Sadie’s at my house. Let’s get you over there where you’ll be safe. Come on.”

But just as they attempted to run through the looting and destructive Valley wolves, another group charged into the area followed by Mac and a handful of armed Strathford citizens. He nodded to her once, before he and his group attempted to drive the wolves back toward the woods.

That didn’t seem to be the greatest idea. Both humans and wolves were at a standstill. The wolves were not about to move, but nor did they want to get shot. On the other hand, the humans knew that they probably wouldn’t succeed in driving them off, but if they were to turn tail and run now, they would either be attacked and possibly killed, or they would lose their town to the canine monstrosities set on taking over.

Neither scenario seemed like an ideal option.

Amara spotted Kal among the group of wolves and aimed her gun. His response was to let his tongue loll out in a wolfish grin. She ground her teeth together. Oh, how she hated him.

Another chorus of howls split the air, this time from the woods themselves. All heads turned.

It looked as if shadows were slinking out of the darkness. Wolves in various shades of black, gray, and even white, moved away from the trees toward the street. They moved in unison, their graceful bodies moving together as one fluid unit.

The two largest in the bunch—one a solid black, the other a black and silver—moved to the front of the group and bared their fangs at the red and brown wolves. Amara watched as Nemoy and Nova led their pack into battle. Kal spear-headed his own to meet them. The humans were forgotten.

“Take aim,” Mac ordered quietly, instructing his people. “They’re distracted now. If we’re quiet enough, we might be able to take them out before they remember we’re back here.” Raising his own gun, he levelled it and aimed at Nova.

“Wait,” Amara said, rushing over. She placed a hand on the barrel of his rifle and forced him to lower the gun. “Only aim for the brown ones,” she told him, terrified for Nova’s safety.

Baffled, Mac stared at her. “What are you talking about? They’re all wolves, Amara. We need to take them all out!”

“Trust me, Mac.” She bit her lip. How could she make him understand? “Okay, so think about it. Have any of the attacks recently been made by the black and silver wolves? No, they haven’t. They’ve all been the tan and brown ones, right?”

Mac frowned. “Well…yeah, I guess that’s right.”

“That’s because they’re two different packs! The darker ones want their territory back and the other ones are trying to take it. If we can drive off the invading pack, the original ones will probably leave us alone.”

“How do you know all of this? Are you some kind of expert or something?”

“I’m just observant.” Mac narrowed his eyes and Amara sighed. Clearly this was going to take a little more thought. “Okay, so I like to read up on wolves in my spare time. Can you blame me? My family has been hit pretty hard over the years.”

For a moment, she was afraid that he wouldn’t believe her, and that once more, Nova would be in danger of getting shot. Thankfully, Mac appeared to have accepted her explanation. He nodded thoughtfully. “Know your enemy. Good thinking. I knew I chose well when I deputized you. Alright everyone, listen up. Aim for the brownish wolves, you got it? Let’s not anger the others in case what Amara is saying is right.” He ushered them all forward. “Okay, people, let’s move.”

Just then, the front door of Amara’s house burst open and Sadie stepped outside. Amara’s heart froze in her chest. Then, before she even knew what to do about it, the world began to move in fast forward. Sadie took a step forward, tripped on the mat and fell on her face. The hand gun she held in her hand flew forward, discharging as it toppled down the steps.

That’s when the world exploded.