Chapter 170
Jack
He snuck away from the cabin, taking a twisting path between the trees. When he was sure he was alone, and too far from the house to be overheard, he dialed the number and brought his phone to his ear. It rang only twice before a low voice drifted through the speaker.
“Jack,” Freddy said, a slight sneer to his voice. “Camping, I see.”
Jack sighed. He knew his cousin was probably tailing them, but he hadn’t been sure. He was hoping their roundabout drive managed to confuse him, but apparently not.
“So, Celeste is home safe and sound.” Freddy chuckled. “For now, anyway. She caused quite the stir at the Crescent compound from what I hear.”
“What do you want?” Jack growled.
“You know what I want, Jack,” Freddy answered, his tone dangerous. “I want your sister.”
Jack weighed his options. There was no way he was giving up his sister, but he couldn’t have his cousins raiding this place, either.
“The Crescent wolves declared war,” Jack hedged. “We might need her.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, they’re not happy we took her from them.”
He wasn’t about to tell Freddy what she did to escape. If he didn’t already know, he wanted to keep it from him. The more valuable she became the more likely Freddy was to steal her away. And Jack couldn’t let that happen. Never. If she thought the Crescent wolves were cruel, the depravity of her own family would shock her.
“No, I don’t imagine they are.” Freddy laughed low. “They’re coming here?”
“Most likely.”
He was silent for a moment, weighing his options. “Still, we had a deal. You knew this was coming.”
“You can’t just take her away. We need her, and the people here aren’t going to give her up easily. You’re going to weaken them right before the war.”
“Not my problem.”
“You seriously think the Crescent wolves are better to have running around? They’re worse than the Peacekeepers by far.”
“All the wolves deserve to die.”
Jack considered his answer carefully. “So, let them tear each other apart. Wait until the fighting is underway, then take Celeste out from under their noses. I’ll even help you,” he lied. “The wolves will kill each other, and you’ll get Celeste without a fight.”
Freddy didn’t answer, clearly weighing his options. “I can’t make the call,” he admitted after a moment. “You’ll be hearing from me.”
“Great,” Jack answered. “Can’t wait.”
“Try to run, and we’ll find you. We’ll take Celeste and rip your innards out. We have people watching the compound.”
Jack rolled his eyes.
“Is that clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Great.”
Freddy hung up the phone, and Jack let out a long breath. He pocketed it and turned to head back to his cabin, weaving through the dark trees. A half-moon hovered in the sky, casting silver light over the muddy ground. The dirt and rain scent in the air promised spring.
He turned a corner and almost crashed straight into Fiona. She stumbled back, and he grabbed her thin shoulder to steady her.
“Sorry,” he said.
“No worries.” She stepped out of his grip.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked, looking around at the dark forest. “It’s not safe.”
“You’re out here.”
Jack frowned. “I’ve been trained to fight.”
She smirked, then punched him straight in the stomach. He doubled over. “See, I can fight too,” she said.
He forced himself to straighten, wincing slightly. “What was that for?” he growled.
“For being a total ass,” she answered, putting her hands on her hips. “Nina filled me in on everything. She told me all about your weird, creepy family. She said you hate werewolves.”
“Awesome,” he muttered.
“Also, I’m pissed at you. You told me Celeste was gone, and then I never heard from you again. I tried to call you, but you never answered.”
He’d seen her calls but hadn’t been able to bring himself to answer. “I didn’t know what to say,” he said. “You didn’t know about everything. What was I supposed to tell you?”
“Literally anything,” she snapped. “The truth would have been ideal, though. I thought something terrible happened.”
“Something terrible did happen,” he mumbled.
Her expression softened, but she wasn’t done. “You need to get over your weird werewolf hatred. For Celeste’s sake, if not your own. She’s a wolf now and you’re just going to have to deal with that. She’s already dealt with enough of your shit.”
Jack clenched his jaw. “It’s really none of your business.”
She gave him an exaggerated eye roll. “I’m making it my business. You always treated Celeste like crap, and I’ve had it with you.”
“I did what I had to do.”
“You should’ve just been honest with her. She didn’t deserve the way you talked to her.”
He looked down at his shoes. “I know.”
“Great, so you can make it up to her now. A great way to start is to get over your weird aversion to werewolves. They’re not evil. Matt was your best friend for a long time. He isn’t different now just because you suddenly know he’s a wolf.”
“They hurt people,” he mumbled.
She gave him an exasperated look. “You hurt people, Jack. Your whole family does.”
He let out an exaggerated sigh and turned away from her. The weight of everything settled on his shoulders, and he couldn’t help but wonder how he wasn’t sinking right into the forest floor. She was right. He’d been horrible, and none of it mattered in the end. The prophecy still came true. Celeste was a wolf, and everyone was after her. He didn’t know how to keep her safe anymore.
Fiona put her hand on his arm and squeezed, startling him. His eyes flew to hers.
“I don’t think you’re a bad guy, Jack,” she said. He searched her face, shocked to find her serious. She really meant it. “I just think there are some things you could work on.”
“Okay,” he breathed.
“Okay?”
He shrugged.
“Wow.” She let her hand fall to her side, and he almost missed the weight of it.
No one had ever really called him out like that. Well, maybe Matt and Celeste, but he wasn’t inclined to listen to either of them. Maybe that was the problem.
“I didn’t think it would be that easy,” she said. “I thought you’d yell at me.”
He looked away, his eyes tracing over the trees. “I’m too tired to yell,” he admitted. “It’s been a hard few months.”
“I understand.”
“I couldn’t do anything to help her,” he mumbled. “I couldn’t do anything. She was stuck in that place, and I failed her.”
She pulled him into a hug, and after a moment, he wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t really know what was happening, but he didn’t mind it, either. She was warm and kind. Sure, she was Celeste’s best friend and didn’t really like him, but he couldn’t remember the last time someone cared enough to hug him.
He grew up without a mother, largely without a father. He had to be the parent. Maybe that was the root of all his problems.
“You didn’t fail her,” Fiona said.
He didn’t answer.
