17.
“Dad, have you seen Carmen?”
Clark had just walked through the door when Rachel approached him. Her face was wrought with worry.
“No, I thought she was here. Why?”
“I’ve been trying to call her to ask if she wanted to go out with Bobby and Greg and I, but I can’t reach her.”
Clark darkened. He really didn’t like Greg or the way he looked at Carmen.
“No. And why do you still hang out with Greg? He’s an asshole.”
Rachel grinned.
“It’s been ten years since he broke my fragile little heart, dad. You need to learn to let things go.”
Clark was silent.
“Seriously, though, I’m worried about Carmen. I told her she could take the truck because she wanted to make us dinner tonight, but she’s been gone for hours and I can’t reach her. Do you think something might have happened to her?”
“Maybe Greg found her before you did,” Clark said bitterly. The idea of Carmen hanging out with that little arrogant slimeball made his blood boil, and he was ready to drop the subject.
“Get real, dad. She can’t stand him. I’m seriously worried!”
“Hm…all right. Want to go with me to check the grocery store then?”
The note of concern in Rachel’s voice brought the matter home to him. Carmen was missing. It wasn’t like her to take off without coming back, especially if she had something that didn’t belong to her, like the truck.
“Maybe the truck broke down,” Clark suggested, leading Rachel to the motorcycle. “Or her phone battery died.”
“Yeah right,” Rachel said. “She has a back-up battery even if that was a possibility.”
“Smart girl,” Clark said with a smirk.
“Can we just go?”
Rachel’s concern kicked Clark into high gear. His secret fear was that Carmen had taken the truck to the train station. She could be on the way to her parent’s house right now, leaving him, and the rest of their godforsaken town, in the dust.
“Where are you going?” Rachel shouted behind him when Clark took the exit to the train station. “The grocery store is the other way!”
Clark growled inwardly and turned the bike around, speeding his way through town until they reached the grocery store.
His heart pounded painfully in his chest. The truck was still there.
“Fuck, where is she?” Rachel cried, jumping off the bike and to the window of the truck. She reached inside and pulled out an apple. “She was done shopping. She wouldn’t have left this stuff here. There’s milk…”
“Stand back and let me see,” Clark said darkly. He could smell that something was off. Somebody else had been in the truck, possibly waiting for Carmen.
“We have to find her, dad. She’s my best friend,” Rachel said, as close to tears as he had ever seen her.
“I know, honey. I care about her too. We will take care of this.”
Rachel said nothing but she looked doubtful as Clark roamed the parking lot for clues. He smelled something sour in the truck, and sought Carmen’s scent frantically, but it was all but gone. Whoever had abducted her had known what they were doing.
“I can’t get a scent,” Clark growled.
“Maybe we could –”
Rachel’s voice was interrupted by the shrill sound of the emergency meeting siren. Clark and Rachel exchanged looks.
“Come on, let’s go.”
They mounted the motorcycle and headed into town to find out more about what was going on.
***
“I’m glad you could all gather here so quickly,” Thames said, a sickening smile lighting his face. Clark glowered at him from the huge crowd of shifters that had gathered at the sound of the meeting siren. Everybody was talking amongst themselves, wondering what all the commotion might be about.
“It’s time,” Thames said.
King Lobos walked out onto the stage in the town square and bowed graciously to the crowd.
“Welcome, and thank you all for coming so swiftly. It has come to my attention that through faults in our records, the rightful heir to the throne is Thames. So please, bow to your new king as I place the crown on its rightful owner.”
The crowd jeered and booed, looking to Clark for what to do. But Clark was too repulsed to make a move, and watched in shock as Thames bowed before King Lobos and Lobos removed his crown.
“Please accept my apologies for this long overdue remedy to my mistake,” Lobos said gravely, placing the crown on top of Thames’ head.
“Please, brother, don’t fret. It is a mistake you would have altered quickly had you known. Of that, I have no doubt.”
“Aren’t you going to do something?” Rachel hissed at Clark. Clark held up his hand to silence his daughter. He had a bad feeling about this. He was sure there was more to come.
“And now, to commemorate this wonderful correction, I would like to treat you all. Alexander, bring out the girls!”
The crowd was silenced as Alexander marched purposefully out onto the stage. He was holding a long chain tightly in his hands. At first, it looked as if it wasn’t attached to anything, but the chain stayed taught as Alexander stopped and cleared his throat.
“Welcome to Stonybrooke’s very first Virgin Auction,” Alexander announced. The crowd gasped in shock.
“What the hell are you talking about?!” David shouted. “We don’t do virgin auctions anymore!”
Alexander ignored him and kept speaking, his voice loud and haunting over them through the microphone clipped to the lapel of his tweed jacket.
“King Thames is from an ancient bloodline; one that understands sacrifice and the deep powers that structure this world. We’ve lost touch of our ancient ways and we’ve come to rely more and more on human culture. But it’s diluting our race, and it is time that we get back on track. But it’s not too late! The power of the Virgin trinity can bring our species back to its former glory!”
The crowd roared in shock when Alexander tugged the chains and the first virgin stumbled forward. She was about twenty-three, tall, with chocolate colored skin and a proud afro. She glared out at the crowd of shifters with silent defiance etched on her face. She looked like she wanted to speak, but nothing passed her lips. Even if she had, nobody could have heard her over the furious crowd.
The next woman in the line was shorter, with long auburn hair. She looked furious, but she also stayed silent. The anger of the crowd was deafening as the third virgin stepped onto the stage. Clark’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest. Carmen.
“Dad!” Rachel shouted, tugging on his arm.
“I know,” Clark growled. “I’m going.”
Clark unleashed an earth-shattering roar as his body began to shift into his most powerful form. The crowd fell silent and backed away, making room for Clark’s humungous wolf form. They hadn’t seen him shift since the day his wife had been killed. And in reality, he hadn’t wanted to shift at all since then. And very few members of the pack had either. But today was different. Today, if he didn’t act fast, Carmen would be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
“What have we here?” Thames exclaimed, grinning. “We have a little revolt going on, do we? Look at him, isn’t he cute?”
Alexander sniggered into his microphone and the rage in Clark’s breast surged through him.
“You’re going to pay for this!” David exclaimed. Clark looked back at him and shot him a serious look. David seemed to understand immediately.
“Nobody interfere!” David exclaimed. “Not unless I give the word. Understood?”
The crowd cheered and Thames grinned out at them.
“Take care of this joker for me, will you Alex?” Thames said, grabbing the chain of women from Alexander. “I have an auction to put on.”
Clark roared violently as Thames began speaking into the microphone. “We’re starting the bidding at $200.”
A crowd of outsiders made their way to the front of the crowd, offering bids. Clark growled at them as he lunged forward, attempting to tackle Thames. But Alexander and three others were one step ahead of him. By the time he reached the stage, Alexander had shifted into his wolf form. He was a lot bulkier than Clark remembered him being, and snarled viciously as Thames walked around the stage, leading the girls on the chains forward.
“$350, you say? How generous!”
Alexander lunged at Clark, teeth first, and sank into his back. Clark bucked Alex off of himself quickly and he fell back into the crowd. If he didn’t end this soon, he would have chaos on his hands, and who knew what might happen in that crowd? He couldn’t endanger Rachel or Carmen any more than they already were. He had to finish this.
Clark leapt forward, pinning Alexander to the ground with his heavy paws. Alex thrashed and bit at him but missed, and, although Clark regretted having to do so, he bit Alex firmly on the neck. He yelped in pain and grew limp. Clark waited for a moment before he let go.
“If he gets back up, take care of him!” David yelled from the crowd.
Clark turned away, only to be immediately tackled by the other three wolves that had been following Alexander’s command. They were originally from Clark’s pack, like Alexander, but had always had their own ideas about things. In fact, they could have been related to Alexander.
But Clark didn’t have the time to think about that. Instead, he focused all of his efforts on battling their vicious attacks. He was used to being outnumbered, but it was overwhelming to try and field off attacks while keeping an eye on Carmen beyond the crowd.
“Sold for $2,050!” Thames declared, shoving the first woman back and grabbing the second, the brunette. The next woman to be dishonored would be Carmen. He would kill Thames before he let him touch her.
With the fire inside of him stoked, Clark tore through the next three wolves. The fight was grueling, but he persisted on his own despite being outnumbered. It was crucial that he get through this without inciting a riot. Shifter riots were notoriously destructive. No doubt it was all part of the master plan – turn the shifters on themselves and pick up the pieces. It would be the easiest way to make the next horrific shift in power. Then every resource their pack had fought and died for in the past would just be handed over to someone else without question.
Clark’s anger powered him on, though he was beginning to feel fatigued from the fight. His shoulder and nose were bleeding by the time he finally left the third wolf, the largest and most ugly of them all, limp on the ground at his feet.
“So you want the girl for $3,905, do you?” Thames was saying into the microphone. “So be it!”
Clark snarled at him ferociously as he dropped the girl’s arm and reached out for Carmen. Carmen shrank away from his touch.
“Next up, we have quite a pretty little thing –”
Clark surprised himself with the power of his legs as he leapt on the stage and inserted himself between Carmen and Thames.
“And it seems we have a rude little man attempting to interrupt the festivities. I think you all know that this is a royal offense. Anybody who interferes with these proceedings will be persecuted.”
The crowd shifted uncomfortably as Clark stared Thames in the eye, his hackles raised and his brilliant teeth shimmering with blood as he snarled at him. The outsiders who had come along with Thames were shocked by the quick bloodshed and seemed to be waiting for a cue from their master. But if they weren’t ordered to fight, Clark knew they wouldn’t. They were cowards who would save their own skin. The real prey here was Thames. Even the outsiders weren’t that loyal to him.
“I recommend that you leave at once,” Thames cautioned.
Clark snarled in response, but instead of backing down, Thames jeered.
“All right,” he said, removing the crown and setting it gingerly onto the wooden stage. “Have it your way.”
The crowd gasped as Thames began his transformation, and Clark’s heart sank. He should have fucking known it. Thames wasn’t a wolf shifter at all. He was a bear.
***
Clark’s hackles rose as Thames glared down at him. He towered above Clark now, and unleashed a godawful roar into the air. Most of the wolf shifters cowered away from the stage.
“Calm down!” David cried. “Everybody stay in position. Only attack if I give the word. And even then, remember the strategy!”
The crowd held fast, though it was clear that everybody was terrified. Shifters had an unspoken rule that they would avoid each other and all conflicts whenever possible, because the power difference was too vast and fights between the two races ultimately tended to be bizarre and gruesome. It was a pact that Thames seemed all too eager to destroy.
“Clark!”
He barely heard his name before his body was filled with pain. Thames had struck hard with his hand, slicing Clark’s back open. The deep gash bled profusely, but he wouldn’t stand down. With Carmen just inches away from him, he would stand strong, even in the face of this powerful adversary.
Thames slashed again and Clark dove out of the way, staying close to Carmen. Thames stood slowly on his haunches, and Clark suddenly realized that his speed was his strength. Bears were slow but powerful. He had to use his speed to his advantage.
Thames growled and readied himself for another attack, but before he could finish, Clark ran behind him and leapt onto his back, latching his teeth into the thick skin of Thames’ neck. The bear roared violently, slicing at Clark with his powerful claws, but Clark held fast.
“Now!” David cried. One by one, the five most powerful wolves in the pack shifted and leapt onto the stage, tackling Thames as Clark held on tightly to his neck. Thames roared fiercely in agony as their sharp teeth settled into his body and finally, Clark felt the satisfying snap of his teeth pushing through the skin and reaching Thames’ jugular.
The bear fell forward on the stage, and the three virgins cried out and scrambled away just in time for Thames to land. Clark refused to loosen his grip until he could feel the life leaving Thames’ body. When he did, he immediately released it and shifted back into his human form, eager to get Carmen the hell out of there.
The keys to the locks were in the bundle of clothing that had been discarded when Thames shapeshifted, and he sorted through them until he found the keyring. He released all of the captive women, coming at last face to face with Carmen.
“It’s going to be all right now,” he said, and took her hand. “Let’s go home.”