Deep Wolves (22 page)

“This is nice,” I said. “Maybe when this is all over we can spend some time here. Relax, you know?”

“Yeah,” Vaughn said to me. “It is nice. Is this where you want to go, Ariel?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it’s a date.”

He took my hand into his and we walked toward the largest opening in the park. I could see all of the wolves that were lurking at the edge of the park. There were even some standing on the buildings in the distance. It wasn’t until now that I realized how many wolves we had recruited. All of them were waiting to occupy the grass that stretched all the way across Central Park.

I looked over at Vaughn as we stood and waited. His clothes were in tatters. His bandages had been torn off and exposed the wounds that were still healing. Even though Sosa was gracious enough to let us use his spring, he was still in desperate need of a real shower. His body was covered in dirt and grime. I was sure that I didn’t look any better. But through it all, I was there with him. We just had one last hurdle to get through.

Vaughn stood there with the rest of the Alphas. Cyrus puffed his chest out and stood proudly. Sosa looked aloof while Rio remained on guard next to him. Daric had his arms crossed, an indifferent look upon his face. Irvine and Vaughn stood close to me but Yung was there as well. He made it a point to be close to me and protect me. I found no reason to protest.

I exhaled a deep breath and hot air came out of my mouth like smoke. I was cold but my body was shaking and shivering from my nerves.

Where are they?
They had to have seen us…

I had no interest in confronting the Nakas. Every second that passed made me more and more anxious. I turned my head and saw a man at the edge of the park with a group of men trailing behind him. As they got closer to us, I was able to get a better look at the man.

His hair was brown and long, cascading over his shoulders and down his back. His face was shaved but looked like it had been covered in dirt. He wore a long brown coat that extended down to his feet, which were covered in boots. Underneath the coat, he wore a pendant around his bare chest and a ripped pair of blue jeans. The rest of the men walking behind him were dressed similarly.

They walked with a stuttered cadence. The sound of their boots crushing against the grass was loud. It was as if they were digging their heels into the soil. As they stomped toward us, I could feel the tension beginning to twist my stomach. The man leading all of them got closer to us. I could see the sinister smile upon his face. His eyes were narrowed, eyebrows arched in a way that made it apparent he wasn’t interested in talking.

When he got in front of us, he stood there and paused, the smile on his face growing wider. He glanced at me for a moment then turned to Irvine and Vaughn.

“The pesky little thorns,” he said. “So unwilling to die. Now you come out here. Thank you for making it easier for us.”

“Who wants us dead?” Irvine said.

“I do not answer to you. You do not give us what we need.”

“What you need?” Vaughn asked him. “What are you talking about?”

The man sighed and began to pace back and forth in front of us. He looked at the other Alphas positioned next to us, his eyes looking them up and down.

“My name is Zorn,” he said. “I am the Alpha of the Nakas. We are the clan that controls New York City. We were always in control. But it wasn’t until he opened our eyes did we realize we were in control. This is our destiny.”

“What are you talking about?” Rio said to him. “This isn’t right. You’re murdering innocent people.”

“They are not innocent people. For too long we have held ourselves back. We are wolves. We are free to give and take what we want. If we mutilate a female or two along the way, then so be it.”

“That’s it?” I said to him. “You’re just murdering women because you feel like it?”

Zorn stopped pacing then turned to look at me. I locked my eyes upon him, furious as I thought about all the innocents that had been killed. There was no rhyme or reason to these murders.

“That’s right,” he said to me. “And since you’ve made it so convenient for us, you will be next.”

“Don’t threaten her!” Vaughn growled at him.

“Shut up, Rucai! You are also on the agenda. I’ll make sure that you join her, slowly and painfully, if you raise your voice to me again.”

Vaughn snarled at him but Irvine raised his arm up to stop him.

“You must stop,” Irvine said to him. “You are a peaceful clan. There is no need for you to bring this violence upon humans.”

“I don’t care. I am Zorn, Alpha of the Nakas. I have the strength and power to control this city.”

“You will not as long as I still breathe,” Cyrus shouted at him.

Cyrus shifted and barked at him.

“No! Wait!” Irvine tried to calm him down.

But it was too late. Zorn shifted and the group of men behind him did the same. Dozens of silver wolves appeared before us and growled. The Alphas I stood with turned into their wolf counterparts. And just like that, they attacked. The loud sound of the wolves attacking one another was something that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

Irvine grabbed me and pulled me out of the way. He raised his crossbow and started to fire at all of the wolves in front of us. I stood close to Irvine. I raised the dagger up and held it in front of me. I felt so strong and powerful when I was practicing with it. As the wolves began to pour into Central Park, the weapon had suddenly become inadequate.

As far as my eyes could see, silver wolves began to rush toward us as we stood in the center of the grass. They were racing so fast that they began to pile on top of one another. In only a few seconds, they were near us. Irvine’s crossbow was too slow. He unsheathed his sword and began cutting them down as they leapt toward us. I did my best to stay out of his way.

I managed to catch the attention of one of them. The silver wolf snarled at me. I raised my small dagger up and pointed it at him, my arm shaking. He leapt at me and I closed my eyes. The loud sound of a wolf yelping filled my ears. I opened my eyes and the silver wolf was being mauled by a brown one. After killing the other wolf, the brown wolf shifted into Yung. He winked at me before quickly shifting and jumping back into the fray.

Everywhere I turned, there was nothing but wolves fighting with one another. I stood close to Irvine, trying not to get in his way. At the same time, I searched the crowd for Vaughn. But it was impossible. Wolves of every different color were engaged with the Nakas, their silver fur shining underneath the moonlight.

It didn’t take long for the wolves to die. The bodies began piling up quickly. The green grass of Central Park was stained red. Dead wolves were scattered from one end of the park to the other. I feared that Vaughn was one of the wolves that had met his end.

Irvine grabbed me and did his best to pull me away from the fray. We were forced to back up from the sheer amount of wolves now attacking us. So much blood was being sprayed that it was unavoidable. It splashed against me and burned my skin. Even though Irvine had gathered the attention of most of the wolves, I still had my guard up. I managed to gain the attention of another wolf. I remembered what Irvine had told me.

Bend your knees… Drive from the ground… Let him use his own weight against him…

I stared into his eyes as he stalked me, snatching his teeth at me. He leapt at me. I pointed the dagger at his heart and gripped it firmly. His momentum pushed him up against the blade. I could feel the metal as it pressed past his fur and into his flesh. He yelped and fell off of the knife. I looked into his eyes as the life started to leave his body.

I didn’t have much time to admire my handiwork. Just as the wolves fell, more of them continued to flood in. The rumors of the thousands of Nakas were true. As large as Central Park was, there wasn’t enough room for all of the bodies.

I worried about how long Irvine could keep this up. Despite cutting down the wolves with precision, he was breathing hard with signs of fatigue. The sweat was pouring down the sides of his head. His jacket was covered with blood.

“Irvine! We have to get out of here!”

I shouted to him in an attempt to get out of this mess. He looked at me and nodded.

“That way!”

He pointed with his sword at one of the few points in the park that was free of any wolves. He started to make his way toward it but I stopped him.

“Wait! We have to wait for Vaughn!”

“Ms. Everhart, we—”

“I’m not leaving without him!”

Even though he was frustrated, Irvine couldn’t refuse my request. The both of us began to search the crowd. Vaughn was a gray wolf that could easily get lost among the Nakas. It was only a tinge of white that would make him identifiable.

But while we searched for him, Irvine had let his guard down. A wolf pounced on him from the side, knocking the blade from his hand. The sword skidded across the grass away from him. He struggled with the wolf on top of him.

“Irvine!”

I threw the dagger I still had at him and he caught it. He shoved the blade deep into the throat of the wolf then tossed the body to the side. Irvine worked his way back up to his feet. For a moment, I felt a bit of relief.

“Oh thank—Ahh!”

I felt a weight shove into me and push me to the side. The wolf on top of me shifted. Zorn was suddenly holding me down and staring into my eyes.

“You will suffer a fate worse than death.”

He stood up and picked me up from the ground. I watched Irvine try to get to me but several wolves pounced on him. Unable to free myself from his grip, Zorn leapt into the air and on top of a small building next to the park.

From up here, I could see the chaos taking place below us. The loud howls echoed for miles. As police sirens started to fill the air, I watched as the fighting slowly started to die down. The wolves started to scatter from the park. Some of them began to drag their dead away, putting their lifeless limbs into their mouths and pulling on them.

“This is all your fault,” he said to me. “You should have stayed home and died. I will make you regret ever coming to this city.”

He wrapped me in his arms and I was unable to struggle free from his grip. He leapt from building to building until the fighting behind us faded into the distance.

Chapter 23

The view from up here was amazing. Never in my life did I think that I would ever be here. I only wished that I could actually enjoy being here. As it were, the circumstances didn’t allow me to appreciate the view for very long.

I didn’t know where he was taking me until we got here. He leapt from the buildings so quickly that the blood was rushing through my head. I didn’t know how I managed to keep from passing out. But here I was, on top of New York with the city below me. It was like a dream. And just a few feet away from me, there was a man more than willing to wake me from it. The two of us stood on top of one of the tallest buildings in Manhattan. A strong gust of wind and I would end up tumbling to the pavement.

“You’re responsible for all of this,” Zorn said to me.

Zorn paced back and forth in front of me, unable to hold back his anger and frustration.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked him.

“I wouldn’t expect a human to understand.”

“Who is making you do this?”

“No one is
making
me do this. I am a wolf. I do not take orders from anyone.”

“Y-you said there was a man… He opened your eyes.”

“Yes, there was someone. Someone who made me realize that this world belongs to the wolves. Only the strong survive. And for opening our eyes, I offer you to him. You will be the gift I give to him.”

He inched closer to me and I took a step back. But I could only go back so far. There was no wall to bump into. My foot teetered on the edge of the roof. With Zorn right in front of me, falling to the ground wouldn’t be the worst option. All I had left were prayers I hoped would be answered.

“You don’t have to do this,” I pleaded with him. “P-please. Just end this… Go back to living in peace.”

“Peace? There can be no peace while humans roam the planet.”

“Why? I don’t understand—”

“Enough! I have no interest in explaining my actions to you. Just a few moments longer and he will be here. I will let him do the honors.”

I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t care. All I wanted was to escape. As Zorn impatiently waited for him to arrive, I looked around for an escape. I looked past him and saw the stairs leading down into the building. Without thinking any longer, I ran past Zorn and raced toward it.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

He only needed a moment to catch up to me. He shifted and knocked me to the ground. I landed on the hard concrete of the roof with a thud. I didn’t have enough strength to get back to my feet. When I flipped myself onto my back, I was greeted with the unwelcome sight of the wolf growling at me.

He started to stalk me. He bared his teeth, his eyebrows arched and the look of rage in his brown eyes. I backed up with my hands while he continued to walk toward me. Even though he was a wolf, I could still the sinister smile upon his face. He growled loudly at me and I screamed. I closed my eyes and covered myself with my arms, bracing for the inevitable.

But it never came. Instead, I listened to the loud sound of another wolf barking. I slowly lowered my arms and saw that Zorn had been knocked away from me, all the way to the other side of the roof. In his place in front of me was a familiar gray and white wolf. He turned to me and I saw his familiar blue eyes.

“Vaughn…”

He turned his attention back to Zorn and the two of them quickly engaged one another. They became a tangled mess of fur and violence. They barked and snarled at each other, trying to gain the advantage. Zorn snatched at Vaughn with his teeth but he was able to move out of the way every time. Vaughn wasn’t quick enough to get away from his claws though. Zorn swiped at him with his paws and slashed across his body. I winced when I saw the streaks of blood beginning to appear on Vaughn’s fur.