Chapter Four – Will
The Geisterwolf.
Will froze, eyes wide as he stared at the massive creature. It couldn't be real. It just couldn’t. It was a myth. A legend. A fairy tale. The dead could not come back to life, and the only ghosts were regrets. And if it was really a vengeful spirit taken form, wouldn't it be all black and twisted, with bits of flesh rotting off it? Not the icy white Wolf he saw. The one that looked exactly as his father had, sleek coat, heavily muscled, blue eyes.
But it couldn't be real. It had to be a trick.
Then the creature howled, sending a thousand shard of ice down Will's spine, and it lunged. Right for Elena. She screamed, throwing her hands over her face, but Will was too frozen by shock to react. He didn't even realize that it was real and not some elaborate hallucination until the Geisterwolf's jaws had clamped over Elena's bicep and yanked her out of his arms.
"No!" Lukas leaped forward. He transformed in mid-air, his clothing bursting off his body. His mottled gray and brown fur stood on end as he charged the spectral Wolf.
Seeing the other Alpha in action spurred something in Will's chest. He shook off his bewilderment and ran forward. He felt his clothes strain shred as he transformed. The sleek creamy fur on his own body gleamed, stained red by the light of the dying sun. He was faster than Lukas, and they met the Geisterwolf as one.
The Wolf howled, dropping Elena, as both Alphas sank their teeth into him. Will jolted with shock at the pure iciness of the flesh he bit into. He growled and shook his head, trying to tear a chunk free, but the Geisterwolf seemed to melt out of his mouth like butter.
Another howl rang through the air. The Geisterwolf turned, snapping at Lukas. The smaller male was just able to dodge its jaws. Will bowled into the Geisterwolf's side, snapping and biting at its neck. The great white Wolf snarled, slapping at him with a paw. He lunged forward again, but as abruptly as it came, it disappeared. Will was left panting and shivering, staring into nothing. Had it all been a dream?
The smell of blood told him it wasn't.
He turned. Elena lay on the ground, one arm cradled against her chest, her face twisted with pain. Lukas was already kneeling beside her, urging her to her feet. She whimpered, clinging to the other Alpha.
Will did not transform as they made their way to Lukas' ramshackle house. He walked behind the other two, his ears rotating as he searched for any sound that might indicate the Geisterwolf might come back. But there was no more sign of it, and when Lukas and Elena disappeared into the house, he transformed and followed.
"What in the name of all that's holy was that?" Elena demanded as Lukas guided her to a couch that looked like it was from the sixties.
"The Geisterwolf," Lukas replied grimly.
"The what?"
"I don't know everything," the Cedar Grove Alpha said. "I'll grab the first aid kit and tell you about it."
Elena nodded, still shivering. Lukas disappeared into another room, and Will sat beside her, wanting to offer a little comfort. His mind churned as he considered what had happened–and what had almost happened. Out of all the Alphas in the world, and all their mates, the Geisterwolf had chosen Elena. Why? And why had it looked so much like his father?
"You could cover up you know," Elena muttered.
He jerked out of his revere and glanced at her. "What?"
"You're naked."
"So?"
Elena shifted uncomfortably. "Just cover up, will you?"
Will shrugged and pulled a pillow into his lap. Given what had happened, he didn't think now was the time for jokes or bragging. Humans weren't as comfortable with nudity as Shifters.
"So what was that thing?"
Lukas returned with a first aid kit and set about cleaning and binding Elena's wound. Will noticed that she didn't tell him to cover up. He would have mentioned it, too, but Lukas began talking first.
"The Geisterwolf. I was doubtful that it was real. Certainly didn't think that it would come after you."
"Back up." Elena winced and held up her uninjured hand. "First things first. What is the Guy String Wolf thing?"
"It's a Germanic word. I'm not sure if humans have similar stories, but the story that I was told was that he was an Alpha long, long ago. He fell in love with a woman and took her as his mate, but she was in love with someone else. Because she couldn't be with the one she loved, she took her own life. They say this Alpha was driven mad by the loss. And ever since then, when Venus, Earth and Mars align, he comes back and chooses an Alpha's mate to attempt to bring back his own lost mate."
Elena closed her eyes. Her hands trembled, and she shook her head rapidly. "I'm not your mate. I don't want to be your mate. I'm only here because if I didn't, my father would lose the land he's mortgaged, and then he'd lose his business and be destitute."
Lukas flinched back from her, blood draining from his face.
"This is crazy. An ancient dead ghost comes back because of a planetary alignment and suddenly I'm going to be sacrificed to bring back a woman who didn't want to be with him in the first place." Elena sucked in a deep breath. "Not happening. How do we stop it?"
"I don't know off hand," Lukas said. "I'll phone Xavier to see what he says. You shouldn’t have left that meeting when you did." He shot a glare at Will. "If you hadn't, I wouldn't have had to leave so soon and I could have found out how to protect my mate."
Will growled, but Elena shook her head. "I'm not your mate."
"Maybe that's why the Geisterwolf chose you," Lukas said. His voice was heavily loaded with bitterness. "Because you were made to be my mate against your will. Just like his mate all those years ago."
Elena bit her lip at she looked at him, but didn't say anything. Lukas stared at her a moment, then stood and left the room, pulling his phone from his pocket. It left Elena and Will alone again, but he didn't know what to say. Not considering everything that had happened.
Lukas returned soon enough. He sat down beside Elena again. "The alignment will only last for about a month. The Geisterwolf can only attack at night, it will keep growing stronger every night. In order to drive it off for good, so it never comes back in the future, we have to wait for thirty-three days, and then perform a ceremony on the night when the Geisterwolf is at its strongest. We'll have to pledge our devotion to one another and share blood, and then I have to fight it off."
"You're supposed to fight it off?" Will grunted and shook his head. "How are you supposed to fight off something like that? You couldn't fight against a chicken. Everybody knows you are weak."
"What did you just say?" Lukas jumped to his feet. "I'm weak? I'll fight you right now!"
Elena pushed her way between them. "Save the testosterone. Am I the only one that is completely freaked out? It's nighttime. That giant wolf thing already attacked once. What's to stop it from attacking again? And this place is hardly Fort Knox. If I have my tools I could do a few things to make it more secure, but I am not sleeping tonight."
Lukas nodded, tearing his eyes away from Will. "I'll get your tools. I think it would be safer for you to stay inside."
"And I'll stay with her in case the Geisterwolf comes back," Will said, glaring at Lukas as he left. He fumbled in his pockets. He needed something to calm his nerves. A smoke was just the thing for it. But as soon as he pulled out a cigarette, Elena snatched it from him.
"Hey, I'm breathing here," she said.
"So?" Will reached for his cigarette back. "Give that back."
"Not around me. I don't want cancer from second-hand smoke, thank you very much. My mother died from lung cancer. You want to smoke, you can take it outside."
Will opened his mouth to remind her that a little second-hand smoke was nothing to worry about compared to the Geisterwolf coming after her, but stopped. So what if she wasn't his mate yet and Lukas was going to perform his little ceremony with her. It would be beneficial to the packs to combine River Basin and Cedar Grove, and she would be his mate. He didn't want to start off their relationship fighting.
And he'd enjoy putting a baby inside their shared mate before Lukas did. But for that, he had to be smoother. Yes, this had thrown him for a loop, but that didn't mean he should give up on what he wanted. He put his pack of cigarettes back in his pocket.
"Sorry. It's just nerves. I know it's a nasty habit, but Wolves don't suffer the ill effects. Guess I'm not used to having to worry about it."
Elena's expression softened. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so snappy. But it's a terrifying situation for me. And you heard Lukas. He doesn't want me for a mate any more than I want him. Will he really fight for me?"
He could have told her that yes, of course Lukas would fight for her. He could have told her that even if Lukas didn't have any strong feelings for her, he was an Alpha, and Alphas always put their mates first. But he didn't. He squeezed her hand. "I'll fight for you."
She smiled hesitantly, and he smiled back. Yes, this was what was for the best. But thank God he'd already called off things with Harriet and Catherine.