Chapter 124

Jack

Jack waited, hidden between the trees. He’d been following Matt for almost an hour when his patience finally paid off. Enzo and Nina stepped out from between the trees, dressed in matching cargo pants and tank tops.

“Are you sure about this?” Enzo asked.

“Definitely,” Matt replied. “Those kids said they saw it out here.”

“We’ve got to find it tonight,” Nina said, her eyes roving through the trees. Jack tucked himself further behind the tree, hoping they couldn’t see him. If they were all werewolves, that meant their eyesight was a lot better than his.

Jack had no idea what they were talking about, but it was clear Matt had been searching for something. He just had to stick with them to find out what it was. While Enzo and Nina seemed suspicious, he had to see them shift with his own eyes before he told his grandfather about them. He had to be certain.

The three of them moved away from him, and he let out an uneasy breath. He didn’t know what would happen if they caught him out here, but he really didn’t want to find out. For all intents and purposes, they were enemies. He and Matt were already planted on two very distinct sides. If tonight turned out how he suspected it would, Enzo and Nina would join him there.

He waited until they were well out of sight before he began tracking them. It rained a few days ago, and the ground was still soft enough to leave footprints. He didn’t understand how they could be so careless, but maybe they didn’t think he and his family posed much of a threat. Obviously, they were wrong, and they’d eventually have to find that out the hard way.

He trailed them until he saw them up ahead. He quickly ducked behind another tree, his heart pounding in his ears. After a few minutes of silence, he carefully turned to look around the trunk. He was too far away to hear them, but he could see them clearly enough.

They were standing in a patch of moonlight, their backs rigid. Suddenly, on some sort of unspoken command, the three of them shifted. It took everything in Jack not to stumble back at the sudden appearance of their wolf forms. Enzo was wide and muscular, with a deep brown coat. Nina was shorter, but more agile looking. She had a deep gray fur. Matt was the tallest of the three, with long, powerful legs and a black coat.

He’d already seen Matt like this, but it still took his breath away. He hated to admit it, but they were sort of terrifying. He’d been training his whole life to hunt werewolves but seeing them up close was something else entirely.

They didn’t move for a moment, then Matt inched forward, his ears pinned back. Suddenly, a dark shape tore out from the nearby trees and the three of them took off after it.

Jack jumped to his feet and ran after them. He didn’t know why he did it, but he couldn’t help himself. He needed to see what they were like in action.

It felt like it took forever, but he eventually heard snarls up ahead. He broke into a light jog and then a walk, picking his way around in a circle so he could approach from another direction. When he saw what was happening, he was glad he’d decided to come at them from downwind.

A huge black wolf with burning red eyes was circling Enzo and Matt. Nina stood off to the side in her human form, a syringe in her hand. The wolf was even bigger than Matt, who limped slightly. Matt had his teeth bared, and Jack couldn’t tell if it was from anger or pain.

Blood dripped down from Matt’s open mouth, and a shiver ran down Jack’s spine.

The wolf suddenly lunged at Enzo, but Matt shoved his body between them. A pained howl left Matt as he hit the ground hard. Enzo quickly got it off Matt, but he stayed where he was on the ground.

Nina darted forward and sunk the syringe into the wolf’s flank as Enzo held it down. A few moments later, the wolf shifted into its human form. Jack strained to see who it was, but he was still too far away.

Enzo and Matt both shifted.

Even from where he was, Jack could tell that Matt was really injured. It took him a moment to pull himself to his feet, where he swayed for a moment. Blood covered his face and torso, and his arm hung at an odd angle.

Jack felt a twinge of concern, then confusion. Why would he care what happened to Matt? He pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside and refocused on the scene playing out in front of him.

Enzo and Nina tried to talk to him, but he just swayed slightly, then fell back. He landed hard, completely unconscious. Both Enzo and Nina dove for him, but there wasn’t anything they could do.

Jack didn’t waste time backing away. He had to get out while they were distracted. Matt’s injury offered him a perfect chance to retreat.

He disappeared into the forest, breaking into a jog the minute he thought he was far enough away not to raise suspicion. It took him a while, but he eventually made it back to his car. Despite his exhaustion, he immediately put his car into gear and drove to his grandfather’s house.

He had to wait almost half an hour before his grandfather would see him. When he finally did, one of his sneering cousins escorted him into the office.

“Sit down, Jack,” his grandfather said, eyeing his bedraggled appearance.

Jack complied.

“You look awful,” he added, sinking further into his plush office chair. “Go a few rounds with a tree?” He laughed at his own joke.

Jack sat ramrod straight. “I’m sorry to show up like this, sir, but I figured I shouldn’t waste time.”

“So, you’ve found out the identities of the others.”

Jack swallowed hard and nodded. He knew what this would mean for them, but he had a duty to his family first. Enzo and Nina couldn’t be his friends and be what they were. “You know Enzo and Nina?”

“Ah.” His grandfather sat back with a smug look. “I had a feeling.”

“You did?”

He nodded. “And you’re certain?”

“I saw them shift.”

His grandfather gave him an approving look. It was an expression he made so infrequently that it startled Jack into silence.

“Good. we’re going to assemble a team to take them down, and I want you on it.”

“Yes sir.” Nerves pricked at his stomach. Would he be able to kill his friends when it really came down to it?

His grandfather must have read the look on his face because he gave him a hard stare. “We have a duty to protect this town from werewolves. That is our family’s purpose. You will do whatever you need to in order to put those abominations down.”

Jack nodded. “Yes sir. Of course, sir.”

“Good, now get out of my office. We’ll be in touch this week.”

Jack jumped up from his chair, eager to get home. He’d had a long week, and an even longer night. “Thank you, sir.” He knew this was his chance to prove himself to the family.

His grandfather’s laughter chased him out into the hall, and Jack couldn’t swallow down the sudden twinge of regret. What had he gotten himself into?