Burned Bridges

Jeanette

Quinn and Jaxon stood before me, their eyes wide with shock.

After a moment, Quinn took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I have to do this, Mom,” she said, her words catching me off guard.

~What? Do what?~

A grimace crossed her face, and her eyes squeezed shut. Then—

~Craaaack!~

A sound like splintering wood echoed through the air. My grip on the rifle tightened instinctively.

Was that the porch…? I glanced down, half expecting to see the panels caving in beneath me.

~Craack... Craaack... Riiiiiiip...~

But with a jolt of fear, I realized, no.

~The sounds are coming from Quinn.~

The ripping of clothes from her body...

The cracking of her bones...

Thick fur sprouted from her arms and legs, which began to buckle under a new weight. Her chest and shoulders rippled with taut muscles.

Her ears sharpened into triangles, her eyes darkened into two bright, beady, black pupils. Her nose and jaw morphed into a sharp snout.

And finally, her lips became a wolf’s mouth, parting to reveal rows of gleaming, sharp teeth, which seemed to sneer at me...

~She was a werewolf!~

Quinn’s tongue, rough and animalistic, slipped over her incisors.

I swallowed hard.

In desperation, I turned to Jaxon for help. But he was shifting, too!

Overwhelmed with shock and fear, I aimed the weapon at one of his massive paws and fired, releasing a cracking sound of my own.

~BANG!~

The bullet grazed his skin. Or fur, rather.

Immediately, guilt washed over me.

What had I done?!

~Trying to kill your daughter’s seemingly normal boyfriend? Even if he is a werewolf, you’re being irrational, Jeanette.~

But he hardly reacted. He lifted his paw, shook it slightly, then planted it confidently back on the ground.

~Are these creatures bulletproof?!~

The wolves were even more terrifying than before.

“Fine,” I yelled. “Get out of here. Both of you. Go! Just go!”

I thought I saw a flicker of guilt—maybe even an apologetic glint—in my daughter’s wolf eyes.

~But it’s a little too late for that, Quinn,~ I thought.

If she wanted to be an adult, she could protect herself.

If she wanted to run with the wolves, so be it. Even with a gun, I clearly wasn’t stopping her.

With a voice stronger than I'd ever managed, I said, “This time, don't even ~think~ about coming back!”

Then I stomped back inside, leaving the two kids—wolves—out on the porch.

And to myself, I muttered, “I’m better off on my own.”

Behind me, the screen door swung shut.

***

Quinn

Well, I finally burned my bridge with Mom.

At least the flames were only metaphorical—not like the actual fire that had destroyed any chance I’d ever have to get to know my other parent—my father.

~Does Mom even know how Dad died?~

I didn’t want to think about that.

I didn’t want to think about anything.

I had to focus on the mission at hand.

Jaxon and I followed the only lead we had: the valley past the eastern mountains. We drove there, parked, and got out to explore. The area was beautiful from the bottom up. Deep, jagged red rock cliffs, with lots of hiding spots.

The foliage was so lush and green that it felt more like a jungle than a forest. Huge leafy plants towered over us. Roots crisscrossed the soil. We hacked our way through like safari guides.

But only minutes had passed before the gray clouds above opened up, and rain began to pour. Hard.

Thunder boomed. Lightning crackled.

The early autumn thunderstorm tore the first leaves from the trees.

We returned to the SUV hoping to wait it out, watching the huge drops of water stream down our windows and pound against the car roof and hood.

Trapped, my mind wandered back to thoughts of my mom and dad…

I needed a distraction. Quick.

Um…

~Romance!~

Yes! Rain was timelessly sexy, right?

I imagined pushing Jaxon from the car out into the downpour, ripping off his shirt, and kissing his wet skin.

Feeling our lips slide together, slippery, as drops clung to my eyelashes and dampened my hair. Digging my nails into his back and shoulders, pulling him closer to me, pressing him up against the car.

But no, it was clearly not the time and place for that.

After all that had just happened, neither of us was in the mood. We were both a little cranky, dejected, and disheartened. Confused about where to go or what to do next.

Not to mention, in transitioning into wolves right in front of Mom, we’d both sacrificed a pair of clean, warm clothes. What we now wore was precious—our only remaining outfits. The rain threatened to ruin them, or at least make us freezing cold for hours.

Evening was on its way, and it was that time of year when the nights began getting longer and colder.

“Why didn’t we check the weather before we left?” I complained, glaring out over the dashboard. The dirt around the vehicle was turning into puddles of slimy mud.

“I thought you would have,” Jax grumbled back.

“Well, I thought ~you~ would have.”

Arguing like an old, long-married couple. How adorable.

If we were serious about accomplishing what we set out to do—to find Aunt Jodie—we would have to camp again. Which had seriously lost its charm. No more splashing around under the sun or roasting marshmallows.

Eventually, the rain did subside, but a chilly mist took its place. Jax and I climbed tentatively out of the car.

We silently pitched the tent together. It turned out to be a lot easier the second time around. Good thing, because the thunder that rumbled nearby indicated more rain was soon to come.

Jax took a step back, looking over our handiwork. “How about you haul the gear into the tent while I scout for some firewood?”

I gave him a nod. “You got it.”

I fetched our two compact backpacks, the leftover snacks, the sleeping bag, and the lantern from the car. Once I’d arranged everything inside the tent, I flopped down on the sleeping bag, relishing the cool, slick feel of the nylon against my stomach. I pulled out my phone.

Holy cow. My screen was flooded with texts from the girls. I clicked on Sky’s message first.

Sky

heyooooo girlie

Sky

where the hell are you??

Sky

r u SAFE?

Sky

thought u were supposed to be back this morning at the latest

Sky

come back come back!!!1

Sky

tonight we’re having a par tayyy 🎉🍺

Sky

pick up those little umbrellas for drinks on your way home?

A party? Seriously? Who gave the green light for that?

I bet it was Anthony’s idea.

Seemed a bit reckless to me. But then again, I’d never been to a party growing up. I wasn’t even invited to any.

And the request for tiny umbrellas while the rain was pouring down harder and harder… I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony.

Deciding to reply to Sky later, I scrolled down to my next chat—with Harper. She’d sent just as many messages as Sky.

Harper

Hey dude

Harper

So if you haven’t heard yet (tho I’m sure Sky’s texted u), we are apparently throwing a rager?

Harper

Like, an actual one… Wtf right?

Harper

Hate to be a party pooper, but I’ve got a bad feeling about it.

Harper

it’ll use up all our food supply

Harper

Like, it’s all fun & games until we’ve got a hundred starving people under one roof, and under our responsibility...

Harper

SOS?

Sky was asking for cocktail garnishes. Harper needed backup.

Before I could respond to either of them, a new text from Alex popped up.

Alex

hi Quinn.

Alex

haven’t heard anything from Jax, so I’m texting you

Alex

just wanted to check in and make sure you’re both ok?

Alex

hope you guys can make it back for the party tonight 😎

I bit my lower lip, a wave of unease washing over me.

The palace was already on shaky ground. It was like a house of cards—temporary and fragile. Why rock the boat?

I pulled up Sky’s Snapchat story—always ridiculously long—and skimmed through the photos. They were mixing drinks. Preparing a feast. Draping the hallways with makeshift decorations, streamers, and balloons.

It seemed like everyone was pitching in as unfamiliar faces—presumably from the other packs—kept popping up. They were all helping with the preparations.

My stomach twisted uncomfortably.

Just how wild was this party at Shadow Moon going to be?

Jaxon

I was hunting for firewood when a flash of red caught my eye.

I snapped my head up.

A few rows of trees away, nestled between two trunks, stood Katherine.

My mind raced through the possible explanations:

~Am I tired? No, I got plenty of sleep.~

~Is this a dream? No, I’m pretty sure I’m awake.~

~A mirage? This isn’t a damn desert.~

So, she was really alive.

How the hell was she alive?!

When she noticed she’d been spotted, she bolted into the dense underbrush.

“Katherine,” I whispered, mindful of how close we were to Quinn and the tent.

I raised my voice slightly and called out again. “Katherine!”

But she was gone, swallowed up by the foliage.

I sank down onto a tree stump and buried my face in my hands.

What the ~hell~ was happening?!