Shadowed Instincts (16 page)

“Hey, what happened to your head?”

“Tara kicked me off the bed and I hit my head on the
nightstand.”

“Hey!” Tara yelled. “I did not!”

Melanie shoved her shoulder with the hand that wasn’t
holding the ice pack to her head, then looked back at Darren with a smile. “You
might not know this about me, but I’m clumsy as heck. I rolled too far and fell
off the bed.”

Darren grinned at the sight of them standing in the kitchen
in their pajamas. “You want me to take a look at it?”

“Naw, I’m okay, but thanks.”

“Where are the boys tonight? I thought the four of you were
attached at the hip.”

“Hardy har har. They are out on a night hike. Something
about a super moo-”

Melanie’s words were cut off by the sound of Darren’s phone
ringing. Melanie shrugged and turned toward the freezer, hoping to find some
good ice cream to share with Tara. She threw the ice pack back into the freezer
and rummaged through the cardboard containers on the top shelf. As she was
pulling out a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough, she paused and tuned into
Darren’s conversation when he yelled, “Who?”

Melanie, with her sensitive hearing, could clearly make out
what was being said on the other end of the line. The ice cream slipped from
her fingers and landed with a splat on the tile floor as Melanie’s hands came
up to cover her mouth. Her breathing accelerated.

“Mel, what’s wrong?” Tara asked worriedly. “You look like
you saw a ghost. Melanie?”

Melanie didn’t respond. She stared at Darren, listening to
the words on the other end of the line. Darren caught her eye and shook his
head, mouthing the word “Wait.”

There was a snowball’s chance in hell Melanie was going to
wait, though. She backed up to the kitchen door, keeping her eyes on Darren and
ignoring Tara. Darren said her name in warning, but she was beyond listening.
She turned and ran out, heading straight for the back door.

“Damn it,” Darren cursed, hanging up his phone and starting
after her.

Tara grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “What’s going on?
Why is she so upset?”

“Stay here,” Darren said firmly. “We’ll explain later, but
do not leave this house.”

“Oh, hell no,” Tara said under her breath and she followed
him through the house and out the back door.

*~*~*

“What the…What’s going on, Chris?”

“What do you remember?”

“I wasn’t speeding. You unbuckled my seatbelt. Told me to
freeze and forget everything. Then, you grabbed the wheel and swerved the car
off the road. There was no dog. What the hell, man?”

As Jeremy turned and squared his shoulders, he found himself
suddenly unable to move. He tried to break free and take a step forward, but
his body was frozen. The only thing he could move was his head.

“It’s the alpha power,” Chris said, looking at Jeremy with a
menacing smile. “Amazing, isn’t it? You have to do whatever I say, whatever I think,
whatever I want, whenever I want it.”

“But…how?” Jeremy choked out, still fighting for control of
his body.

“Don’t be dense, Jeremy. I’m your pack’s alpha. That’s how.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared. “But you’re
not…”

Chris just smiled again as Jeremy’s words trailed off. “I’m
not what? A shifter? A part-time dog just like nearly everyone on this
compound?”

“But Mom said-”

Chris threw his hand in the air, cutting him off. “Your
parents know nothing. Hell, my parents don’t even know. Apparently when you’re
mixed blood, the gene can skip a generation. Imagine my surprise when, shortly
after my seventeenth birthday, I shifted into an animal. I was too scared to
tell anyone, even my parents. I knew they would think I was crazy.
I
thought
I was crazy.”

“What happened? How did you go from not knowing anything to
becoming the pack alpha?”

Chris’s face lit up. “Ryland, Grandfather’s beta found me.
Said he’d been keeping an eye on me for years. He knew my parents were clueless
to Grandfather’s genetics and our dear old Grandad just assumed I was human
because no one had ever heard of the gene skipping a generation. Not until me.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because, dear cousin, I needed you to think I was some
idiot human.”

“But…why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I had to integrate myself into your life.
I needed to be not only your cousin, but your best friend. I needed a
girlfriend, a life, roots in the community. I needed to make sure that when
something happened to you, I wouldn’t be a suspect.”

Jeremy heard the word “when” instead of “if” in his last
statement and started to struggle in earnest against the hold Chris had on him.
“Why would something happen to me, Chris? I would never go against you or hurt
you in any way. You’re my cousin. You
are
my best friend.”

Chris shook his head in disbelief. “Don’t play games with
me. Ryland told me every shifter male wants the alpha position. I have to
protect it. Seeing that you are the only legitimate, full blooded male in our
line, you are the only real threat against me. A threat I have to eliminate.”

“But Chr-”

“Don’t make a sound,” Chris said, cutting him off. “Perfect
timing,” he added under his breath.

Try as he might, Jeremy was unable to make even a peep after
Chris’s command. After several seconds, he heard footsteps quietly making their
way toward the clearing. A shadow separated from the trees with a bright blonde
halo of hair shining in the moonlight.

“Hey guys, what are you doing out here?”

“Declan,” Chris said with a smirk. “Perfect timing.”

When Jeremy didn’t speak or move, Declan walked in front of
him and waved his hand in front of his face. “Hello? Jeremy, what’s the matter
with you?”

He turned to look at Chris and saw a large tree limb arcing
toward his head. He didn’t have time to bob or weave before the branch hit him
with a sickening thud and he crumpled to the ground.

*~*~*

“Hello?” Elaine said, answering her phone on the first ring.

“Elaine. I need you to call Don and Alicia Stevens and get
them out here as soon as possible. Book them a flight on my card if you have
to.”

Elaine inhaled sharply. “Darren, what’s happening? Why are
you breathing so hard?”

“Please Elaine, just do it. It’s Chris.”

“What about Chris?” she asked in a high pitched voice.

“He’s the alpha. He’s the one who’s been trying to kill
Jeremy.”

“Oh my God.” Her face paled as the line went dead.

She quickly regained her composure and pulled up the
contacts list on her phone. She paced the floor, waiting for someone to pick up
on the other end of the line.

*~*~*

Jeremy watched as Chris bound Declan’s wrists and ankles
with a couple of zip ties he pulled from his pocket. Declan was out cold, but
Jeremy could see his chest moving with each shallow breath he took.

“There we go,” Chris said as he straightened and brushed his
hands against his pant legs.

Jeremy felt the hold on him ease slightly, and he was able
to speak. “Why did you do that?”

“He’s my scapegoat. When the poisoning didn’t go as planned
and you didn’t die in the car accident, I knew I was going to need to set someone
up to take the fall. Old Declan here is the perfect choice. He has a thing for
your girl, and through her, he could become alpha of this pack.” He barked out
a bitter laugh. “Imagine my surprise when I got here and realized that this
wasn’t just some normal, backwoods community. I had no idea Melanie’s father
was a shifter. Did you?”

Jeremy ignored the question and asked, “What are you going
to do, Chris?”

“Well, I’m not going to do anything. At least, that’s the
story I’ll tell when the cavalry comes looking. Declan decided to stop planning
accidents and just kill you. You guys get into a dogfight, literally, and kill
each other. I’m just the innocent bystander hiding in the bushes.”

Jeremy’s eyes darted around as his nerves started to
overtake him. He searched for some way to escape, but no answer came to him. He
decided to keep Chris talking with the hope that someone,
anyone
would
come to his aid.

 “Why wait until now to do it? I mean, I lived with you for
three weeks. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just kill me then?”

“And be the number one suspect? No way. It was not going to
happen anywhere near my apartment.” He smiled cruelly and huffed a laugh. “I
did try to get to you once, though. The night Melanie got attacked, I followed
her from the party. I was going to grab her and wait for you to come to her
rescue. I knew you would. You’re always trying to be the hero.” He sighed. “But
Mr. Hughes got to her first. I was watching the whole thing go down when you
showed up and knocked him off of her. I was so hoping he would stab you with
that big knife he had. The coward ran away with his tail between his legs. Then
people starting coming out to see what was happening and I had to slip away.
Pity.”

Jeremy listened intently for footsteps, but couldn’t hear
much over the pounding of blood in his ears. He knew he had to keep Chris
talking. That was the only way he was going to survive this.

“Chris, you don’t have to kill me. I don’t want to be alpha.
I am not a threat to you or your power. I promise.”

“It doesn’t matter if you want the job or not. There are
members of the pack who aren’t exactly…embracing my leadership. Even though I
killed Grandfather-”

“You did what?” Jeremy interrupted him with a growl.

“How did you think I became the alpha, you idiot? As I was
saying, even though I killed him and earned this position, some members of the
pack are calling for your return. Lesser of two evils, I guess. Your mom,
though disgraced by your father’s family, is a full blooded shifter and
legitimate to boot. The son of a half-blood bastard daughter isn’t good enough
to be their leader.”

Chris spat on the ground in anger and Jeremy could see the
muscles twitching under his skin. The situation was starting to escalate out of
control and Jeremy knew he needed to act fast.

“Chris, please. You’re my cousin and I love you. We can work
this out. Nobody has to die.”

“Yes…you do.”

“No. I can run away. We’ve been running my whole life. I’ll
go where no one can find me and there will be no threat to your position.”

“As long as you live, my pack will be split in its
loyalties. I need to prove that you are dead and that I am their only choice.”

“There has to be some other way, Chris. Please.” Jeremy’s
voice cracked, betraying his fear.

“No, there’s not. This is the only way.” Chris said, as he
stripped off his clothes. He shot Jeremy a cruel smile before shifting into a
large black dog.

Melanie skidded to a halt just before she entered the
clearing. She saw Jeremy standing there, making no move to get away or help
Declan, who was out cold on the ground nearby. She watched in disbelief as
Chris slowly walked toward Jeremy, talking so nonchalantly about killing his
own grandfather.

Melanie experienced a tingly feeling in her scalp that it made
its way down her spine. She tried shrugging her shoulders and cracking her
neck, but nothing helped. It had started the second she had heard her father’s
scouts tell him that Chris was the alpha of the Oklahoma pack. She took off
because she knew, down to her soul, that Chris was the one responsible for
trying to kill Jeremy. Not Declan.

“Declan,” she mouthed, her eyes shooting back to his limp
body on the ground. She saw his chest move and sighed with relief.

Chris is too caught up in the heat of the moment to even
realize I’m here,
she thought.
I’ll have to use that to my advantage
.

She heard Chris say the words “this is the only way” and her
eyes shot back to him as he dropped his last piece of clothing to the ground. Melanie
blushed and forced herself not to squeeze her eyes closed. She tried to keep
her focus on his face. Her eyes widened as he dropped to his hands and knees,
his body convulsing unnaturally. Chris shifted into an enormous black dog, even
bigger than Ace. Melanie had never seen a shift in action and the strangeness
of it made her stomach flip-flop.

At the same time, she heard footsteps and a muffled squeal
behind her. Her head whipped around and she saw Tara, eyes wide with fright,
staring toward the clearing. Darren’s arms were wrapped around her from behind
with one hand sealed tightly across her mouth. Melanie grimaced, realizing that
Tara had seen Chris shift too.

She looked back and watched as the dog version of Chris moved
closer to Jeremy. He remained unmoving. Melanie was busy trying to figure out
why he wasn’t running or protecting himself when the cramps hit. She fell
forward onto the ground and landed on her hands and knees, panting.

Chris reached Jeremy and snarled, pulling his dog lips back
from his gums to show a row of sharp teeth. A long string of drool dripped from
one side of Chris’s mouth, almost glowing in the moonlight. Jeremy still did
not move.

Melanie felt the pull on her muscles grow stronger. She endured
the discomfort in silence, not wanting to alert Chris to her presence.

The muscles in the giant dog’s body bunched as he prepared
to attack. Melanie squeezed her eyes shut and all her muscles seemed to release
and pop back into place. When she opened her eyes, she could see much more
clearly, making out every detail of the scene in front of her. She could smell
Jeremy, the sweat dripping down his temple as stood in the same spot.

She could also smell Chris. His was a scent she’d never
encountered before. It smelled like wet dog with a trace of vanilla.

Time seemed to slow down as Chris’s body launched forward
toward Jeremy. Melanie realized several things in that split second: she had
shifted, Jeremy still wasn’t moving, and Chris was going to kill him. With that
last thought, she jumped.

She heard another muffled squeal behind her and Darren’s
whispered, “Melanie!” but ignored them both. Racing into the clearing, she
growled low in her throat, yanking Chris’s attention away from Jeremy. The
black dog tried to brace himself, but it was too late. Melanie slammed into him
headfirst, knocking him away from Jeremy and causing him to sprawl out on his
side.

Jeremy blinked and shook his head as he felt the supernatural
grip imprisoning him disintegrate. He watched the medium sized brown dog stand
up slowly and face off with Chris, who was also back on his four paws. Jeremy
was thinking that it was about time one of the sentinels showed up when he
heard a noise behind him and whipped his head around.

He saw Darren, gripping Tara by the shoulders. She had tears
in her eyes and he was trying to get her to sit down. Jeremy watched as her big
brown eyes turned back toward him and she mouthed, “Melanie,” her eyes shooting
past him to where the standoff was taking place.

Jeremy whipped his head back around and before even thinking
about it, burst out of his clothes and into his dog form. He charged toward the
standoff. Melanie was backing up in a crouched position, growling and snapping
at Chris as he stalked closer and closer with his nose low to the ground. Jeremy
increased his speed and let out a low growl as he closed in on them.

Chris’s body reared back and using his powerful hind legs,
leapt forward, his mouth open and ready to tear Melanie to shreds. Melanie
squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact as he flew through the air toward
her, teeth gleaming brightly. She heard a thump and a high pitched yelp as a
gust of wind brushed against her face.

Opening her eyes, she looked right and saw two large furry
bodies rolling around in the dirt a few feet away from her. They separated and
she stood abruptly, realizing it was Ace snapping his powerful jaws toward
Chris’s neck. She slowly circled around them, trying to figure out how to help
her boyfriend. She felt useless, not knowing the first thing about fighting as
a dog.

She let out a low whine and Ace’s head swiveled around to
look at her. In that instant, Chris took advantage of his distraction and
jumped forward, locking his sharp teeth around Ace’s throat and jerking wildly.
Melanie’s vision went red and, without thinking, she leapt forward and jumped
on Chris’s back and snapped her jaws toward his head. She felt flesh between
her teeth and jerked her head back, feeling it tear as a coppery taste filled
her mouth.

Chris yelped in pain and released Ace, who slumped to the
ground. He bucked wildly, dislodging Melanie and throwing her several feet
away. She was back on her feet in an instant, nose low to the ground and
growling viciously. Chris slowly stalked toward her, his teeth glinting in the
moonlight as he started to circle her.

Melanie turned slowly, keeping him in front of her. Her
animal instincts had completely taken over- the need to protect her mate, the
will to survive- nothing else mattered. She was vaguely aware of soft sounds
coming from the area around her. She heard Ace’s labored breathing, a feral
growl from Darren and a soft sob escaping Tara’s lips. She blocked it all out
and zeroed in on the large beast in front of her. Blood dripped to the ground
from his torn ear.

Chris bunched his hind legs beneath him and lunged toward
her with his jaws open. Melanie quickly dodged to the side and Chris’s momentum
led him right past her. She turned to face him just as a large dark blur flew
by and landed on Chris with a snarl. Melanie watched the writhing dogfight for
a few seconds in confusion. She looked to her right and saw Jeremy still laying
on the ground, barely conscious. She looked back to where her dad and Tara had
been standing and saw only Tara there, her fists in front of her mouth and
tears pouring from her eyes.

She realized it was Darren who was now battling Chris.
Melanie swiveled her head back toward them just as a loud yelp echoed through
the clearing. Chris was shaking violently and Melanie experienced a moment of
elation, thinking Darren was victorious. A twist of their bodies showed her that
Chris had one of Darren’s front legs in his mouth. A loud snap reached her ears
followed by a keening cry.

Melanie sprang forward, landing on top of Chris once more.
She chomped her jaws down, this time feeling something more substantial locked
between her teeth. On instinct, she violently shook her head from left to right
and back again with all of her strength. Chris tried to buck her off as he did
before, but she only squeezed her jaws tighter as a wave of bloodlust hit her
violently. She jerked her head again, this time hearing a loud crack and Chris
went still beneath her.

She slowly and carefully opened her mouth and Chris’s neck
fell from her jaws. She backed up a few paces, keeping her nose to the ground,
ready for him to bound back to his feet and attack her again. When he didn’t
move, she let out a low whine and a chuff, looking from him to Jeremy’s prone
form, then back to Chris again. Her eyes rounded and she took a quick step
back. Chris had reverted back to his human form and lay there naked, his head
turned at an odd angle.

Darren walked into the clearing, fully dressed and cradling
his right arm, with Tara trailing slowly behind him. Her eyes were wide and
vacant as she observed the scene.

Melanie’s father stopped when he reached Chris. He lowered
himself and put his left hand on the young man’s neck. Darren took a deep
breath and let it out slowly, standing back up and shaking his head.

“He’s dead,” he said quietly.

Tara let out a keening cry from behind him and fell to her
knees, sobbing. Jeremy stirred and rolled to his belly, a low howl escaping his
lips and echoing quietly through the woods around them. Melanie walked to his
side and licked his face, then laid down on the ground next to him. Exhaustion
caught up to her as her eyes dropped shut and she fell asleep.