The Lone Wolf
Vince was barely off the phone with Jack, when it started ringing again. What Jack was telling him about Pembroke dumbfounded him. As much as Jack was plenty quirky in his ways, he didn’t seem to be someone in the habit of being a liar. He’d have to mull over all this new information later.
His best friend – and unknowing protégé – was calling, and Vince knew why he was doing that.
“Are we really letting Ryder do this by himself?” Danny asked directly.
Vince let out a chuckle. “Glad you called. I was on pins and needles.”
“Are we?” Danny demanded.
“No way in hell. Once an asshole, always an asshole. And Theodore Pembroke is the biggest asshole in the known universe.” Jack’s characterization of the man was growing on him. Theodore Pembroke – asshole. Yep, it sounded just about right.
“Then what are we going to do? And where’s Jack now?” Danny asked in an anxious voice.
“On his way to the meeting point,” Vince replied promptly.
“Jack is Ryder’s friend. How does he feel about all this?”
“He wants to bite Pembroke’s head off. Somehow, it’s gotten really personal for him. I don’t know the details, but rest assured I’m going to make him spill everything sooner or later.” The prospect of pushing Jack into a corner and playing with him sounded like a lot of fun as he had begun to realize.
“Vince, be nice to Jack,” Danny scolded him.
Vince groaned. “Okay, I’ll try. But tell him to be nice to me, too. He’s like a hedgehog, all sharp spines when you try to get too close.” Although that was part of Jack’s appeal if he thought about it.
“I believe this is a story I want to hear more about, but all in due time. Where are we meeting?”
“I’ll pick you up. Let’s do this.”
Vince pondered for a few seconds before grabbing his car keys. The situation’s potential for becoming dangerous was growing by the second. Was this the moment when his purpose would become clear? There had been times in his life when he’d thought his mom and dad were a bit loopy for believing the words of an old man who had once paid them a visit in the middle of the night.
Ryder’s sudden appearance in Danny’s life had confirmed his purpose. And now, his abilities as a guardian would be put to the test.
Vince threw his car keys in the air and caught them easily. He could only hope that he was prepared for it.
***
The wind made the tails of his coat flutter as he stood on the edge, looking down. He didn’t have to turn and listen closely to know that his enemy was coming. What disgusted Theodore the most was that his opponent cared so much about tricking him into believing a made-up story about a bond. Why would an alpha like Ryder Asherman want to mate with him before striking the final blow? Was it to add humiliation to the misery Theodore had experienced for so many years now?
For that reason alone, Theodore would use everything he had to destroy Ryder Asherman. He might be the last of his kind, but he wouldn’t go down without a fight. Who knew? A smile quirked his lips fleetingly. Destroying an alpha could lead to the destruction of a pack if there was no one else to assume leadership.
Stealing a pack from another alpha. Theodore squared his shoulders. Had his heart grown lonely to the point of shrinking into a speck of dust to have such strange thoughts? He shook his head. Hope had never been an option for him.
He moved stealthily away as the sound of his enemy’s footsteps drew closer. Even if he could only sustain this skill for very short periods of time, mere moments, by moving quickly he was as good as invisible to others.
He enjoyed seeing the look of confusion on Asherman’s face and let the moments pass to bask in that feeling.
“What is the alpha of Luna’s Sentinels of Pinemoor doing in the city his kind abhors so much?” Theodore asked, while caressing the objects in his pockets slowly. His fingers itched to turn into claws and bury themselves deep into this wolf’s hide, tearing skin, gristle and muscle.
He had to keep his anger in check. Soon, he’d experience the sweet taste of victory. Even if that sweetness wouldn’t last.
“Looking for you,” Asherman replied, moving slowly and cautiously.
Theodore knew, by instinct and observation, that underestimating his opponent wouldn’t be wise. Asherman moved obliquely, covering his back and keeping his eyes on Theodore. This wasn’t a young pup that could be easily rattled and dominated.
Ryder Asherman was a handsome, strong wolf. A wolf with a pack, not a lone wolf like Theodore. If only for the happiness of belonging he was able to experience while Theodore was suffering so much, he had to pay.
“Why?” Theodore smiled, but he knew his eyes had to be cold.
“You are my mate,” Asherman replied. He frowned as he said those words.
This wolf didn’t even believe his own lies. Luna’s Sentinels were bound to honesty, yet their alpha was trying to trick Theodore into believing this ridiculous story.
“Your mate,” Theodore repeated slowly. “I thought your kind was honest to a fault. Yet, your mouth spews only lies.”
“It is fate,” Asherman insisted, although his body language said otherwise. “I must mate and bond with you before the next full moon.”
“And why is that?” Theodore asked. His teeth tingled, his fangs itching for action.
The look on Asherman’s face was conflicted. “Because if it doesn’t happen, my pack will meet its end. The dark prophecy will engulf Pinemoor and everyone in it.”
Theodore schooled his face to prevent revealing the sudden bout of sympathy threatening to engulf his whole chest. An alpha losing his pack wasn’t his problem. Even if he did know what it felt like. For a moment, he understood Asherman’s pain, but he pushed it away.
“It sounds like you should advise your people to move somewhere else then,” Theodore said, using every trick in the book to control himself.
“You are an alpha. You know the strength of a prophecy.” Asherman looked Theodore straight in the eyes.
He knew. Of course, he knew. A prophecy had led to the destruction of his pack. And now, another would fall from a prophecy again.
No, this was the enemy. Ryder Asherman was here to destroy him under the guise of wanting to bond with him.
“Well, it sounds like a personal problem then.” His voice was hollow. A lone wolf shouldn’t care for the fate of another pack.
“Don’t you feel the same way about your own pack?” Asherman continued to study him with the same honest eyes that threatened to unravel something hidden deep within Theodore’s heart.
His pack!?
Theodore felt a growl of pain growing inside him, threatening to claw its way out of his throat. But he hadn’t been the ruler of this city of glass and stone for years to allow his feelings to get the better of him now.
“My pack,” Theodore said slowly, “has been gone from the face of the Earth for decades now.”
The look of utter surprise on his opponent’s face made Theodore pause for a moment.
“You’re powerful. This city belongs to you. How--”
Asherman’s confusion appeared genuine. But Theodore couldn’t trust this alpha. After all, he had lied to him about them being fated mates. Why wouldn’t he lie now, as well, while pretending he didn’t know about the fate that had befallen Theodore’s pack many years ago?
“We’re here to talk about you, not me,” Theodore said cuttingly. “Who told you I was your fated mate?”
“A clairvoyant,” Ryder replied.
Clairvoyant. The field mouse appeared before Theodore’s eyes like a vision. What sort of trickery was this? His anger increased tenfold.
“That little weasel who delivered your message? I could see that the light of knowledge is weak in him. I told him as much, and he turned feral. Since I wanted him to deliver my response, I spared his life. But once I’m finished with you, I will hunt him down. Clairvoyants without a gift are troublemakers, nothing more.”
Yes, he had to focus on his anger, not on his pain. The promise he had made himself to spill that field mouse’s blood reminded him that he was here to destroy this alpha, to eliminate yet another threat to his being.
“No, not him,” Asherman replied.
Not the field mouse? Who else, then? Theodore felt his fingers trembling; it took so much effort to control himself.
“Who, then?”
“Cassandra. She lives in Pinemoor.”
Theodore felt a cold smile settling over the doubt that had been roiling in his gut since the start of this confrontation. This alpha had to be dim-witted to tip his hand like this. But it didn’t matter. It all made sense now.
“Cassandra,” he said. “I know the name. So, she must have sent you to finish the job.”
Asherman’s confusion appeared to deepen. “What do you mean?”
This alpha would die here, Theodore thought, as his fingers curled over the object in his pocket. Although he had been waiting for this moment, he felt no satisfaction, only cold anger. But he would do what had to be done. His enemy would suffer a great defeat here today.
“I have a personal beef with clairvoyants,” he said in a calm unnatural voice. “I know, I haven’t mentioned it before. But now, it’s evident why she sent you here. Catch!”
***
“When are you going to tell him?”
Vince squeezed Jack tightly. The hedgehog was safely tucked under his arm.
“I need to find the right time for it,” he explained in a low whisper.
Danny was walking in front of them, hurrying without realizing it. Although he’d never been one to indulge in physical exercise, the worry experienced on Ryder’s account made him so fast that Vince had to admit he was having a hard time keeping up with him. Since he had Jack and his short stride to worry about, he couldn’t start running after Danny.
“He needs to know,” Jack insisted.
“Shut up,” Vince murmured under his breath. “If this fight between Ryder and Pembroke goes badly, I’ll have to protect Danny with my life. I think he’s just going to have to see it with his own eyes.”
“And then you won’t have to explain it. Vee, do you have trouble with words and stuff?”
“No, what the hell?” Vince protested. “It’s just… well, we’ve been best friends all our lives. I don’t want him to hate me for lying to him for so long.”
“It’s only a little white lie, one of omission,” Jack tried to encourage him.
“I bought that crystal ball for you. Shouldn’t that make you shut up until I find the proper moment to tell Danny?”
“Yeah, I know, you mad lad. Although rock crystal is expensive. Like crazy expensive.”
Vince let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s just regular glass. It wasn’t that expensive.”
“Cheapskate,” Jack mumbled. Then, at the exact next moment, he pushed himself closer to Vince, right into his ribs. “I’m kidding. Thank you for the gift. I do see some really weird things in there. Although they might be completely useless.”
“You can add them to the list of your other useless stuff,” Vince suggested. He was looking around for signs of either Ryder or Pembroke. Soon, he’d have the opportunity to put his training to the test. Would he be enough to protect someone as important as Danny?
He would have to be, he decided. There was no point in doubting himself, even if he was about to face a wolfshifter with murder on his mind.
“Oh fuck,” Jack said and stopped. “It’s that crap. That shitty--”
***
Things were going from bad to worse. First the stinky incense had fallen from the sky, then that strange weapon that had managed to hurt Ryder at the store. Now Jack needed to prepare himself for the worst, and he knew for a fact that he wasn’t ready.
He stole a look at Danny. The poor guy looked so pale Jack wished he could offer him a glass of wine or anything that would bring a more natural color back to his cheeks. Damn, he was getting nervous. Like really, really nervous now, when he had been just plain nervous before.
“You know,” Jack blabbered, “first that piece of crap fell, and then that weapon fell too, and in all the stories, things come in threes, right? I wonder what the third thing will be.”
No, he didn’t wonder. He was afraid that he knew—
“No!” Danny’s desperate shout made his heart sink.
“Vee, that’s--” Jack began, instinctively catching Vince’s hand.
“I know.” Vince looked up.
“What’s that look on your face? I don’t like it. Ryder is there—is he dead? Don’t tell me he’s dead—hey, where are you going?”
“I have to protect Danny, and I can’t do that if I stand here crying,” Vince said matter-of-factly. “I’m going after that son of a bitch.”
Jack threw a desperate look in Danny’s direction. The guy was bent over Ryder’s unmoving body, crying and sobbing.
“You know, calling Theodore a son of a bitch might not be far from the truth--” he started. When he turned, Vince was already climbing the first flight of stairs. “Wait for me,” he whispered, throwing one last look at Danny.
Vince moved really fast, but Jack had the advantage of being light on his feet and also energized by the idea that he might get a chance to strangle Theodore, or at least live vicariously through Vince doing the actual strangling.
“Stay behind, Jack,” Vince warned him.
“No, no way, you need me. You’re going alone against a wolf. A mean one. Did he kill Ryder, Vee? You think he’s dead?”
“I don’t know,” Vince replied. “Ah, damn it, why are there so many stairs here?”
“You got that right,” Jack agreed. His bellicose energy was starting to wear thin in the face of current challenges. “But wolfshifters are like powerful, right? They can heal and stuff.”
“Yes, they might. But Ryder just went against an alpha, one who, as you said, doesn’t fight fair.”
“Right. Wait, are we there yet?”
Vince stopped abruptly. “He’s gone,” he said. “I don’t see him anywhere.”
Jack knew that it was impossible to hide anywhere in that empty building with no interior walls, but he paced around the top floor, looking left and right.
“Let’s go back down,” Vince said. “Come on, Jack. Danny might be in danger now.”
“Coming,” Jack said and hurried after Vince.
That damn Theodore. Why did he have to be such an asshole?
***
Vince felt Danny’s eyes on him, filled with distrust and hurt. His mom and dad had warned him that being a guardian meant that he would feel deeply for his charge, in a way other people would feel only for family or a friend for life. And now, Danny’s disappointment made him ache all over. That was one thing he couldn’t explain to Jack.
At least Ryder was alive for now. He had fallen from the top floor, but his wolf was healing him. Not the same could be said for the deep gash in his shoulder. Theodore had bitten him with the intention of terminating him. It was, indeed, a miracle that Ryder was still walking.
He had no time to analyze his own feelings on the matter. Theodore had disappeared, most likely believing that his bite would finish the job of killing Ryder. Or he could be concealed somewhere nearby. He looked around, avoiding Danny’s reproachful, dumbfounded stare.
“Danny’s about to call an ambulance,” Jack hissed at him, grabbing his arm. “Stop him, Vee, please.”
Vince felt his hands flexing. Grabbing the phone from Danny, a very distrustful Danny, under these circumstances, would only make things worse between them.
It looked like he wasn’t going to have to. Danny froze and let the phone drop from his hands.
“W-wolf,” he whispered, making Vince turn abruptly.
With stark clarity, Vince knew exactly what he had to do. His hand flew to his pocket, where he’d stashed the weapon that had fallen from the sky earlier, as if of its own accord.
“Did you tell me this thing can kill a wolfshifter, according to your crystal ball?” he asked Jack while lifting the boomerang-like weapon above his head.
“Vince, any moment now,” Jack warned in a squeaky voice from where he was hiding behind him.
“I need to make sure I don’t miss,” Vince said through clenched teeth. It all boiled down to his having perfect aim now.
Clutching his wounded shoulder, Ryder moved in front of them. “It is me he wants. I’ll keep him occupied. So run. Now.”
“Stop with the bullshit, man, and get out of the way,” Vince warned him. “Danny, move Ryder. He’s trying to die a hero, and this isn’t that kind of movie.”
Danny obeyed, whispering soothing words to the alpha. Vince’s vision narrowed to a tunnel. The white wolf was preparing to attack. There was no doubt in his mind that wolf was Theodore Pembroke.
Ryder was barely out of the way, when the white wolf growled and broke into a run.
“Take this, motherfucker,” Vince grunted, putting his all into throwing the weapon at Theodore.
He got him. The weapon hit the white wolf right in the head, making him wobble and fall.
“Okay, let’s go,” Vince ordered. “Everyone, to my car, now!”
“Do you think it killed him?” Danny asked.
“Do you want to go check?” Vince asked impatiently. “Let’s go, now.”
***
“Will Ryder and Danny be okay by themselves?” Jack asked, rushing after Vince.
“They wouldn’t be by themselves if you had chosen to stay behind. Why are you following me again?”
“Don’t be a silly guardian. Even guardians need guardians,” Jack protested.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he felt safe when he was this close to Vince. All his life, he’d struggled to get through life on his own, so this sort of sensation was annoying and terrible at the same time. But he couldn’t help himself. His cards and crystal ball said that Ryder was safe with Danny. The balance was fragile, but it existed.
And that flimsy conclusion was enough to make him follow Vince, who wanted to get to the bottom of things by finding the shop assistant who had used that weapon first against Ryder.
“You wouldn’t even recognize that guy if I wasn’t with you,” Jack said quickly.
“Your description was quite detailed,” Vince said. “Fine, tag along if you must.”
“So,” Jack said, quickly grabbing Vince’s arm, “if any wolves appear, you’ll protect me, right?”
“I thought I was a silly guardian,” Vince teased him. “And that I needed you, not the other way around.”
“Well, it’s a reciprocal thing. You have my back, and I have yours. Although yours is bigger. Much bigger. What are you eating to get this big?”
“You know what. You’ve lived with me for the last few days.”
“Right.” Jack scrunched up his nose. “I hate kale, by the way. And did you see that wolf? It was humongous!”
“Yes,” Vince said grimly. “Theodore Pembroke is a dangerous alpha.”
Jack pondered over his next question as they climbed in Vince’s car. “Do you think his thing is as big as the rest of him?”
Vince smirked. “You should know. Didn’t you feel his thing poking you when you were in his office?”
TBC
Thank you for reading!
@Derek - I actually strive a lot to make my characters distinct, hence Jack :D Also, yes, I'm glad you noticed that Jack and Theodore are different in their interactions, too.
@DavidB - he-he, I'm glad to hear you're warming up to Theo... after all, he's meant to be one of the major characters in the sequel.
@Mark Mortland - oh, thank you for your praise, and yes, I didn't think it would be this difficult! I've only done this a few times before and on a smaller scale, and having done this now, I can tell it can be a pain... well, because as the author, you don't want to repeat yourself, but you still need to cover the important scenes so that the new story makes sense.
@FCW Reading - thank you! I hope you will enjoy it!
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