Charming The Alpha (11 page)

After sorting through a third of the scraps of paper, Hannah finally found the potion she was looking for written on an index card. She tossed all the paper back into the box, dragged the large box back to the shed, and padlocked the door once again.

Scanning the ingredient list, Hannah recognized the herbs from being in Pea's garden. Luckily none of them were poisonous, but that didn't mean much. Simply combining two nonpoisonous plants didn't mean the result wouldn't be deadly. Either way the potion would taste like crap, she wondered if it would work cosmetically.

Easily grabbing the herbs she needed, she brought them into the cottage. Happy to have the place to herself while her mom ran errands, she followed the recipe to the letter. She didn't want to waste time with careless mistakes. Experimenting with a small dose brushed on the window sill, the house suddenly smelled like freshly baked bread.

Used correctly, the scent potion only lasted a day. She had no idea how long it would last on a person. Especially one whose werewolf scent was growing stronger.

Pouring the elixir into a shot glass, she admired its deep green color. Taking a sniff, she was surprised it didn't have a scent. As she caught her reflection in the window, she noticed her hair.

Pea always hounded her to cut it. The last time she saw her she said it was the source of her scent. If that was true, she didn't have to drink the potion, she could just cover her hair with it.

Pouring the contents of the shot glass into her palm, Hannah worried if she had enough. She decided to start at the top and go down to the ends. If she ran out of the potion she would cut off the rest of her hair. Getting to the woods and talking to Caleb was more important than her stupid hair.

Somehow she had enough of the elixir, and when she sniffed her hair it smelled like bread also. She had to be safe. But if something happened, at least she could say she tried.

Changing into a pair of dark blue jeans, her old brown leather boots, and her lucky blue chenille sweater, she then put on her cloak and ran towards the grassy path that cut through the woods. The moon had begun to wane but she didn't need the light, Hannah knew for her to find Caleb she would have to rely on the senses of her burgeoning wolf spirit.

Hearing a noise up ahead she stopped. A man called out to another, then footsteps.
Hunters?
Reorienting herself based on the moon in the sky, she realized she wasn't far from the clearing. Quietly she made her way to the clearing. A large pick up truck, its lights on and motor running, sat by the tree line not far from her. She didn't see the men but sensed other wolves close by.

Keeping within the tree line, Hannah made her way over to the truck. As she moved closer, she was able to make out the outline of cages in the flatbed. Focusing on them, she heard the metallic scrap of paws on the metal.

She stepped out of the trees and into the clearing beside the truck. Four cages took up the flatbed and inside them were grey wolves. She couldn't tell if they were werewolves, her senses weren't developed enough yet. But she knew what she could do to find out.

Taking a deep breath, she focussed on her wolf spirit. Specifically on the deep yellow her eyes changed to when it wanted to be known. She let the wolf take over and flashed her yellow eyes at the wolves. It worked! They flashed their eyes back at her.

Returning to herself, she opened the cages realizing these men had to work for the Hawthorn pack of coyote. She opened the cages to release the wolves, wondering why they didn't let themselves out when the men disappeared, but the wolves didn't move.

Spotting a glint from one of their necks in the moonlight, she reached around the neck of the closest wolf and felt a collar made from leather, silver, and other items she didn't recognize. It was the work of a witch.

The collars had a secret clasp she didn't have time to figure out. She opened the truck door and spotted a toolbox. At the bottom was a folded buck knife. Carefully using the large blade, she cut through each of the collars and the wolves leapt out of the cages and into the forest. One shifted into human form, a girl probably not much older than Hannah, with short dark hair.

"Thank you, but you should run. I don't know how you did it, but I'm sure they'll take a human too," she told Hannah.

"Wait," Hannah said as she sliced a lock of her auburn hair off and handing it to her with one of the collars. "Give these to Caleb, your Alpha. He'll understand."

The girl nodded, quickly changed back into wolf, and with the collar and her hair in her mouth, dove into the forest. Hannah was alone with the truck. She couldn't understand why hunters would need a witch to capture wolves especially when the coyote had been killing them. Then she remembered Caleb saying her father was among the missing.

She realized the Hawthorn must have grown impatient waiting to find her. They turned to other witches who claimed they were wolf charmers and tested them with captured wolves. As she turned to leave, the two men masquerading as hunters in jeans, work boots, and field coats, stepped out of the forest.

"Well what do we have here?" said the smaller of the two men.

"She's probably one of those tree hugging activists who also saves wolves," said the taller man. "Awfully pretty too. I bet Abel would love her."

Her back was against the truck. The two men closed in. Hannah ran, hoping to get away, knowing if she could just make it back into the woods she'd be ok. But the taller man quickly grabbed her.

She kicked and flailed but it was useless. Still holding the knife, she plunged it into his bicep.

"Fuck!" he yelled as he let her go.

She ran again, but the smaller man tackled her, throwing her onto the ground where she hit her temple on one of her circle stones. The clearing went black.

Chapter Sixteen

Waking up, Hannah felt the cold, wet cement against her cheek. Slowly she opened her eyes and let them adjust to the dimly lit stucco room. As she sat up she realized she wasn't alone.

By a large, rusty iron gate stood several naked people. Each of them dirty and bruised. Werewolves.

Without any windows or furniture, the room looked like a crypt. The only entrance into the room was the gate. Walking over to it she pulled then pushed against it with all her might.

"It's locked. They might be ineffective, but they always remember to lock it."

The voice came from a man kneeling in the corner, as dirty and abused as the others. He had sandy blond hair with grey at his temples. He reminded her of Caleb, except this man was older and not as muscular.

Moving closer to him she felt an air of familiarity even though they had never met. She was sure this was Knox, her father.

"I'm sorry, have we met?" he asked. "You're awfully familiar, but its been a long time since I've interacted with humans."

"No, we haven't met. I just have one of those faces I guess," Hannah said, not wanting to introduce herself as his daughter while they were trapped.

"Well I'm Knox," he said, keeping himself covered.

"I'm Hannah. Any idea where we are?"

"No. I know we're near water, but that could be anywhere." He inhaled and tilted his head, looking confused. "You're hiding something. Something on you doesn't smell right."

Hannah looked at him with worry. If he was able to tell she didn't smell right, it was only a matter of time before the other shifters in the cell realized it too. As long as everyone thought she was human, she was safe, or at least safer. Not knowing how much longer the potion would mask her hair, she knew her time was limited.

"Please don't say anything," she whispered. "I'm going to try to get us out of here. There are people looking for you and once they realize I'm missing they'll be looking for me too."

"No offense, but how do you think you'll be able to get us out of here? You're just a human. I've been here for weeks."

"I'm not sure, but maybe I can call someone," she said.

"They're not going to let you use a phone."

"Can you keep an eye out? Make sure the others don't see what I'm doing and if anyone comes stall them."

"Sure, not like I'm doing anything else," he said. "Plus those shifters won't notice anything, their minds are gone from the torture. Now they're like dogs at a pound waiting for rescue."

She looked back at the door and saw the shifters were still looking out, waiting. Hoping they'd stay distracted and block the doorway from anyone who passed, she looked around for something she could make a circle out of, but didn't see anything. The room was completely bare.

She knew she could summon the dead to speak to her, she couldn't see why she couldn't summon the living the same way. Frustrated, she put her hands in her cloak and felt the stone Caleb handed her not so long ago. She removed her cloak and gave it to Knox.

"Here, I'm sure you could use something to wear," she said.

He slipped it on and smiled at her gratefully. "Do your thing and hurry. I don't know what's going on but your scent is changing quickly."

Hannah nodded and took a deep breath. Just what she needed, more pressure. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she bit her bottom lip as she wiped her moist palms on her jeans.
This has to work
, she thought.

Crouching down, she drew a circle around herself on the floor with the stone. With it still in her hand, she closed her eyes and thought about Caleb handing it to her. Then when he arrived on his motorcycle to pick her up for their first real date. Lastly she couldn't help but smile as she remembered them running out of the restaurant on their night together.

"Hannah? Where are you?" Caleb said.

She opened her eyes to find the room dark and empty except for the soft glow of Caleb. In his hands were the collar and her lock of hair.

"The coyotes got me, Caleb. I don't know where we're at but there are a lot of shifters here. Even my...Knox."

"Your hair doesn't smell right. I can't find you if I can't smell your scent."

She was quiet for a moment. He couldn't help her if he couldn't find her scent, but if she had her scent she was in even greater danger. In the distance she heard a bell dinging insistently. It was a familiar sound but not something she heard everyday. Slowly it dawned on her that the ringing was the drawbridge. There was only one like it in the area.

"Caleb, the drawbridge. I can hear it! And we're in a cement room that's wet."

"I know where you're at, Hannah," Caleb said. "I'm on my way."

Hannah opened her eyes and found herself back in the cell. Knox blocked the door with the others while a man yelled from the hallway. His voice was familiar and turned Hannah's blood cold.

"Where's the human! I know its her, I recognize that cloak. Let me through!" Renfield demanded.

Chapter Seventeen

"Where is she?!" Caleb roared at the young girl who brought him a strange collar and a lock of hair he recognized as Hannah's. The hair didn't have her scent, but he'd recognize it anywhere. "Answer me!"

Caleb was in a back room at Night Shift. All Alphas had offices there. It was a central location they could use safely with the bar as a front. The office was stark with little furniture except for a desk and a couple of chairs. Caleb didn't see the need in splurging like some of the other Alphas. The office was for utility. If he wanted comfort, he'd go home to his den where he had privacy.

"I...I don't know! I told the human to run. We were so frightened, one else even stopped to thank her. She released us from the cages and removed those collars. I don't know what happened after I left. I came straight here to give you those things like she asked."

"Leave!" he growled.

She ran out the door and he paced the room, his boots thudding against the Formica floor. What happened to her scent? She couldn't have lost it so quickly. Something else had to be going on. Caleb wished he knew what and he blamed himself for not knowing.

Hawthorn was definitely behind this. Just from what little that girl was able to say, and the stench of coyote on her, it was enough to go after them. But with Hannah in their clutches, he had to be extra careful.

Caleb couldn't go full steam ahead to Abel when Hannah could be located somewhere else. The fact that shifters had been missing for all this time, without a trace meant that Abel was more conniving than he thought.