Chapter 2

SAMANTHA

After Dad and Luke left, the twins dragged me to a black SUV where a third man was waiting. He was just as large as the first two. I’d never felt so small in all my life as I did surrounded by them.

“Please don’t worry, Ms. Paulson,” the new man said. “You’re safe. Some people just want to speak with you.”

Despite his intimidating physique, there was something about the third man that made me feel more at ease. His face seemed kinder than his companions, his expression more empathetic.

His dark eyes met mine. Despite the circumstances, I couldn’t deny he was attractive.

His hair curled around his ears, and his white teeth contrasted sharply with his olive skin. His shoulder muscles twitched and tensed with every graceful movement.

I imagined what it must feel like to touch them.

And the rest of him too.

~Jeez, Sam, where did that come from?~ I shook myself back to reality.

As the third man climbed into the driver’s seat, Lefty nudged me inside the vehicle and into the middle seat between him and Righty on the other side.

Wedged between the two massive men, pure terror sank in as the car began moving forward.

~Oh my god, I’ve been kidnapped,~ I realized. ~Damn, why didn’t I use any of that self-defense Dad taught Kate and me when we were kids? What was the point if I’m just going to freeze up?~

My heart pounded in my ears. I needed to control my breathing or I was going to have a panic attack.

“You are not in any danger, Samantha,” the third man said gently. “My name is Emerick. I promise, we just want to talk. Maybe explain some things?”

~Promises seem to be quite abundant this morning,~ I thought darkly as the image of my dad handing me over to my captors played in my mind.

“You can start by telling me why the fuck you’re kidnapping me,” I snapped, narrowing my eyes.

He looked at me through the rearview. “We are not kidnapping you per se. If you want to leave after we talk, you can. Let’s get to where we are going, so we can sort it out.”

“Excuse me?” I shouted. “You people threaten my son and take me from my house, then expect me to sit patiently while you drive me to God knows where? Stop this car and let me out. Now.”

He looked surprised. To my astonishment, he started to slow the car.

Then he shook his head and accelerated again. “I’m sorry, Samantha. We won’t hurt you, but you’re not getting out of the car either.”

Living on the edge of the suburbs, it wasn’t long before all I could see was secluded forest.

After about an hour, we turned down an unmarked dirt road. Once we were deep in the woods, we pulled up to what looked like a mountain lodge.

~How many times have I hiked around here? I’ve never come across any resorts or houses before… Where have they brought me? Some secret base?~

It didn’t look or feel military, although my kidnappers certainly carried themselves with a commanding presence.

“Let’s head inside,” Emerick said as he threw the car in park.

After all three men filed out of the SUV, Emerick held out his hand to me.

“Don’t touch me,” I snarled. I couldn’t have escaped them if I’d tried, but I didn’t have to be nice about it either. In response to my hostility, Emerick only smirked in amusement.

Lefty and Righty flanked me as I followed their charming leader to the main entrance.

The inside was a surprise.

I’d half expected the exterior to be serving as a front for some covert ops, shady business something or other.

Instead, I was greeted by an open foyer with beautiful wood floors, tall ceilings, and a massive staircase.

A large fireplace burned in a cozy lounge while a group of what appeared to be moms and their young children sat and played beside it. They all stopped and stared when we walked in.

~Where in the world am I?~

Emerick led us into a conference room down a hallway and guided me to a chair on the far side.

“We’ll wait here,” he said softly. “Jonathan and Jackson have gone to inform the council that you’ve arrived.”

~Jonathan and Jackson, huh?~ I thought. ~Even their names are similar.~

“Council?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “What is this place? Who are you people?”

Emerick placed his hand on the table, and I could tell he was inviting me to hold it. I have no idea what compelled me to accept his offer, but the strange comfort I felt was instantaneous.

“They will answer all your questions,” he promised. His eyes flickered from our intertwined fingers to my face, then to my lips.

Realizing he wasn’t about to reveal anything, I settled in for the wait.

Despite the nagging thought that I might be succumbing to Stockholm syndrome, I allowed Emerick to caress my hand with his thumb while I gazed through the window and out at the woods.

His warmth was a mesmerizing and stark contrast to the cold panic I was trying to keep at bay.

We had only just separated our hold on each other when the door finally opened again about ten minutes later.

I got the oddest sense that Emerick knew someone was approaching, although I didn’t hear anything.

Two men walked inside first—one was maybe fifty or so while the other was in his seventies—followed by two women—one with white hair, the other with red hair.

Despite their age, the two men both looked strong and capable. They wore suits and crisply pressed shirts.

All four made their way to the center chairs at the other end of the conference table before uttering a word. The white-haired woman looked at me with a disdain I couldn’t understand.

“Ms. Paulson,” the younger of the two men said, “I am sure you have a lot of questions, and let me be the first to apologize for all the secrecy.”

“Your men forcefully pulled me out of my house and shoved me in the back of a car. I think there is a little more than secrecy to apologize for,” I snapped, holding his gaze with narrowed eyes.

The man looked at Emerick, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat next to me.

“Right. That may have been a little over the top—”

Suddenly, the doors to the conference room burst open and slammed violently against the walls on either side.

I jumped to my feet, prepared to flee whatever new threat was presenting itself. Just as I bunched my muscles in preparation for my first stride, a figure stomped through—and I froze.

“Dad?!” I exclaimed.

“Sam, are you okay?” His voice was laced with concern as his eyes darted around the room. When they landed on the older of the two men at the head of the table, his lip curled.

I’d never seen him that way before. He seemed completely enraged, almost unhinged.

“I’m fine,” I replied hesitantly.

The man with the white hair gestured toward the table. “Elias, come join us.”

But my dad stayed on his feet. “William, you had no right to involve her. I told you to leave her out of this.” His voice was filled with anger.

Apparently, William was the younger of the two men at the head of the table. When he spoke, his voice was steady: “Elias, you know why that wasn’t an option. You must have felt the pull too.”

“Screw the pull,” my dad retorted. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, and his shoulders were rigid with tension.

“She deserves to know the truth, Elias! She should have known a long time ago.”

“Not like this.” Dad slammed his fist on the table. “You should have given me some time.”

“You’ve had her entire life, son,” the older man said. The strength in his voice made me think he was younger than he looked.

~Son?~ “Dad?” I said, turning to my father. “Did he just say ‘son?’”

In an instant, his anger seemed to dissipate. His shoulders, his back, and his neck, all taut a moment earlier, loosened as his sneer became a sad frown. “I…I…”

“Samantha, I’m very sorry we are meeting under these circumstances. You should have known the truth long before today.”

The older man pushed himself up and onto his feet, then he peered down his nose at me for a moment as he searched for the words.

“My name is Stephen Redding, and I am your grandfather.”

I felt the air shoot out of my lungs. “M-my grandfather?” I didn’t know who to look at: him or my father. “My grandfather is dead. Dad? You told me my grandparents died when I was a child.”

My dad opened his mouth to say something, but no words escaped his lips before he closed his eyes and shook his head.

“I’m sorry to say your father and I haven’t been close for so many years,” Stephen—my grandfather—continued.

“But it’s more than that,” William chimed in.

My eyes were fixed on my dad. First, he’d told me to go with the strange men who kidnapped me. Now, I had a grandfather I’d thought long dead.

~What other secrets could there possibly be?~

Slowly, I moved my gaze back to William.

“Samantha,” he started slowly, “you…are a werewolf.”