The Calling (6 page)

"He'll find out soon enough."

Looking toward Malcolm when he started talking, Rayna focused her attention on him.

"I'd like to thank Ms. Ford and Mr. Pierson for finally joining us. You have no idea how happy you've made us all."

Rayna forced a smile on her face when everyone turned to look at them. She felt instantly exposed and shifted on her feet.

"Now," Malcolm said. "The reason we've brought you here, Ms. Ford, is two-fold. The first, I've already mentioned although you don't believe me." He chuckled and turned to a man standing by his side, clapping him on the shoulder. "We'll remedy that shortly."

The man at Malcolm's side had wide shoulders and a head full of dark hair cropped close to his skull. He was nice looking but something in the way he walked spoke of a confidence his face didn't show. She hadn't seen him the night before at Malcolm's little get-together but something about him was familiar. The man walked to the center of the dirt circle and stopped, facing her and Mitch. She watched him remove his shirt, exposing muscles the typical man didn't possess.

"This is Bryce," Malcolm said. "He's the man in the photos I sent you."

Ah, Rayna thought, with a nod. That's why he looks familiar. The werewolf. She smiled and continued to watch.

"Bryce has agreed to once again give you a demonstration of what we are. Please, don't be frightened. No one here will harm you. Judith and Jacob will see to it."

Harm them?
That got her attention. Her pulse quickened and she turned her head, glancing at the two people flanking her and Mitch.
These two skinny, weak looking humans were going to keep them safe?
Safe from what, is a better question
. She turned back to Bryce, an uneasy feeling causing her stomach to ache all of a sudden. He was still looking at her and something in his eyes made her pulse start to race.

"For everyone else," Malcolm said, "Please refrain from shifting for as long as you can. We don't want to alarm our guest. Bryce, whenever you're ready."

"What does he mean exactly by shift?" Rayna asked, looking away from Bryce.

"He's going to shift his shape," Judith whispered. "Don't be scared. It's a little frightening the first time you see it, so be prepared."

"You mean change into a werewolf?" Rayna raised her eyes to Mitch who was still watching the man in the circle. She could tell he was trying not to grin. His lips were pinched shut, the corners white from the pressure. She smiled and looked back at Judith. "Does everyone here think... uh, I mean, can you all shift into wolves?"

"Yes," she said. "We'll all be shifting tonight."

A glance up at the night sky showed a moon that glistened against a velvet black background. Small rings of light encircled it and the bright glow grew with each passing minute. "A full moon," she said quietly. "Why am I not surprised?"

Judith's giggles brought her attention back to her. "We don't need the moon to shift," she said, "regardless of what the movies say. But most everyone likes the ritual of the change. Shifting is a rebirth, so to speak, so scheduling that with the moons phases just seems natural."

Rayna bit her lip to keep from smiling. "So the full moon doesn't force the change?"

Judith shook her head. "No. We do need to shift on a regular basis or the beast gets restless. We just choose the night of the full moon because it brightens the earth. It makes our hunt easier."

"The hunt?"

"Yes. What else would wolves do besides hunt and mate?"

Judith's cheeks reddened and Rayna smiled. "So what," she said, "You all get together once a month, shift into werewolves and chase each other through the woods for a little furry sex?"

"It's not quite as bad as it sounds," Judith said, giggling, "but basically, yes. It's the one time a month we let ourselves go and just let nature run its course. We can't change at will like the Alpha's can so it's a big deal to us."

"Change at will?" Rayna asked.

"Yes. The Alphas, they can shift at any given time. Several times a month if they want. It's why they're so feared and respected. They have a power the Betas don't."

"What's a Beta?"

"Oh, it's just what we call the less important wolves. Pack society is arranged in classes. The Alpha's are the strongest; the Beta's are next. Most everyone is a Beta. We're looked upon as the submissive wolves. We do as the elder's request or as the Alpha's command. And then you have the Omega." She turned her head toward Mitch and the boy. "That would be Jacob. He's the Omega of our pack. He's the least threatening so most everyone sees him differently."

"So it's really all about power and who has it?"

Judith smiled. "Something like that, yes. The Beta's will never lead the pack or hold any influence over the others; only the Alpha's can do that. Beta's can only shift into full wolf and most of the time, only once a month. It's too painful otherwise. The Alpha's can shift effortlessly, though. They can shift to a half form, I guess you can call it. They still look somewhat human and stand erect but they're still wolves."

"And how many can do that?" Rayna asked, taking mental notes of everything.

"Only a handful in our pack. You'll be able to see the difference once everyone shifts."

"You're not shifting?"

Judith smiled. "I will later. Malcolm wishes us to remain in our human form until you're back at the house."

"I see," Rayna said. "So how long does it normally take? To shift, I mean?"

"It depends on the person," Judith said. "And how strong they are. I've seen Alpha's change in a less than a minute. Bryce is an Alpha but he isn't as strong as some so it'll take a little longer for him to shift."

Rayna stared at Judith as she explained werewolf society to her and just barely kept from laughing. These people really did believe they could shift their shape. She looked at those around the circle, watching their faces. They were all staring at Bryce. As crazy as they all seemed she felt sorry for them. What would cause this many people to believe such a thing?

What if it's real? What if they
can
turn themselves into wolves?

A rustle of leaves behind her startled her and Rayna turned her head, looking over her shoulder. She still couldn't see anything in the darkened forest but scanned the area for movement anyway.

"It's probably just stragglers," Judith said, turning and looking into the forest. "Malcolm gets angry when we're late. They're probably just hiding from him."

Rayna nodded her head and gave the area one last look before turning back to Bryce. He was still just standing there but he wasn't looking at them anymore. He was staring into the sky, his body completely still.

Leaning back against a tree, she raised her camera, snapping a few shots and checking to see if he was visible without the flash. She smiled at the results.

A sound similar to a low growl cut through the stillness of the circle and Rayna looked around her to see where it had come from before focusing her attention back on Bryce. His skin now glistened with beads of perspiration, dotting along his face and shoulders. His chest was rising, his breaths panted out quickly, and Rayna pushed away from the tree and took a step forward.

A loud howl sliced through the forest and she jumped, startled, her heart leaping in her chest. The other residents of Wolf's Creek were now moving closer to the circle. Some were shedding their clothes, stripping down naked, and she looked at Mitch to see if he'd noticed.

He did. The wild, glassy look in his eyes told her as much.

When the woman she'd met at the house the day before, Carmen, stepped to the front of the group and looked at her, grinning widely before stripping to nothing, Rayna could only stare wide-eyed.
What the hell is going on?
"Mitch?"

"Still here," he whispered.

She wanted to look behind her just to make sure but she couldn't look away from the scene before her. Something was definitely happening. The air seemed charged with some unknown force all of a sudden. It buzzed along her limbs and caused the hair on her arms to stand on end. Her pulse started to race and that uneasy feeling she'd had earlier multiplied ten-fold.

When Bryce tilted his head back and opened his mouth, the noise he made sent bolts of fear crawling up her spine. It sounded similar to a growl but a very human scream accompanied it. Her stomach clenched, the first hint of fear starting to worm its way inside her head and when Bryce lowered his head and looked at her, his eyes glowed bright amber. She gasped and took a step back. "What the hell," she whispered.

Mitch moved closer to her and laid his hand on her shoulder. His grip tightened when Bryce doubled over, his hands clutching his stomach as he let out another ear piercing scream. The noise echoed in the forest, noises that weren't human mixed with those pain-filled shrieks before what could only be described as a wolf's howl escaped his mouth. The others followed suit, those naked bodies closing in on the circle shining under the full moon and Rayna felt dizzy within seconds. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Don't be scared," Judith said. "Your fear will make things worse."

She turned her head to the woman. "My fear?"

"Fear is an aphrodisiac. It calls to the beast," she said.

Rayna looked back at the people gathered and noticed then that everyone was staring at her. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and willed her heart to stop racing.

"Wolves are dominating creatures," Judith said. "Your fear smells like food to us. Just relax. No harm will come to you." She smiled and Rayna could tell she was trying to calm her but it wasn't helping. Something was happening. What, she didn't know, but she wasn't naive enough to think this show they were putting on was as innocent as she first thought.

"He's shifting," Judith said. "Look."

Turning back to the circle, Rayna could only stare as Bryce hit his knees and screamed. Harsh, rasping noises escaped his throat and the sound sent chills racing along her limbs. His skin turned gray and waxy, his back arched while his neck stretched in a painful looking angle.

In a perfect parody of the photos she'd been sent, Bryce's body began to change, his skin stretched, bones moved beneath his flesh and expanded. His screams caused her heart to race out of control as a thick, clear fluid slid over his skin and dripped to the ground before the hair on his body grew thicker. His mouth and nose elongated and when he lifted his head and opened his mouth, she gasped as long, razor sharp teeth grew from his gums and gleamed in the light of the moon. Another howl tore through the forest, followed by a symphony of growls that caused her head to spin and her stomach to tremble.

Chapter 4

When Bryce no longer resembled a human, he lifted his head, looking at her through those glowing, amber eyes. Rayna stared at the wolf looking back at her. A wolf that had once been a man. She felt her knees go weak an instant before the world spun.

Mitch caught her before she hit the ground.

She couldn't speak. Her limbs felt like they weighed a ton and she was suddenly nauseated. Her heart raced and the blood rushing through her veins pounded inside her head. When Mitch laid her down, she stared up into the night sky.

"Damn it, Ford, don't do this right now! Come on, nice even breaths."

Rayna closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing.
I'm not going to pass out. I'm not going to pass out. I'm not going to pass out.

The mantra worked. The nausea passed after a few minutes. When she opened her eyes, Mitch was still there, his face void of color and his eyes as wild and frightened as she knew her own were.

Judith and Malcolm stepped into her line of sight and she could only stare up at them.

"Are you all right, Ms. Ford?" Malcolm asked.

She said, "yes," while shaking her head no. She blinked away tears and tried to get her heart to stop pounding. Looking back up at Mitch, she prompted him to help her up. When she was on her feet and knew she wasn't going to faint, she looked over at Bryce. He was still sitting where he had been, his large, amber wolf eyes gleaming with light. She swallowed to moisten her throat. "I didn't believe you."

Malcolm laughed, loud and boisterously. "I know you didn't, Ms. Ford. It's why I pushed so hard for you to come. No one believes until they see."

She nodded, locking her gaze on Bryce.

"The others feel the pull of the shift, Ms. Ford. Will you be all right to watch? I can have Judith escort you back to the house if you prefer."

"No," she said, her voice trembling. She cleared her throat and said, "No, I want to see."

Taking a deep breath she looked for her camera and picked it up once she spotted it. Her hands were shaking, her entire body was trembling, but she swallowed the fear and adjusted the camera's settings. Malcolm walked away, joining the others and the minute she raised her camera, low, multiple howls echoed through the forest.

It was a thing of nightmares as she watched, snapping pictures as fast as she could hit the button. Tears clouded her vision and she blinked them away and tried to remain calm. Instinct told her to run. To run as far and as fast as she could but that little part of her that left her dangerously curious wouldn't let her. She had to see. Had to have proof that this really happened. That she wasn't hallucinating. That there were people in the world that turned into creatures so frightening that she could barely look at them without screaming.

The others in the circle shifted, their bodies undulating as they shed their human forms. Hair appeared where slick skin once was, teeth that belonged to an animal gleamed and snapped, claws raked at the ground and with every new wolf she saw, her fear grew, clawed at her lungs until she fought for every breath as she tried to hold her camera still while snapping picture after picture.

Everyone looked different to some degree, she noticed. Some had the appearance of regular wolves, only larger. They were big; standing on all fours they resembled bears in size more than wolves. She'd never seen anything so big this close up nor had she ever seen anything so horrifying.