Inheritance (The Dark Gifts) (16 page)

Unable to withstand the call of night any longer, Sarah jumped through the picture window in the living room.  Shards of glass showered the room and porch.  The three in the hall stayed right on her tail.  Regardless of what she wanted, they all knew she could not be left to her own whims.  She had to be maintained and protected.  As Alpha, there was no leaving her to fend for herself. 

The rest of the pack greeted her in the front yard.  Howling and pawing the ground, they bent their heads in submission to their new leader.

“Welcome, Sarah.”

“Yes, welcome.”

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Isn’t this wonderful, Sarah?”

She shook her head and tried to clear the voices from her mind.  Thoughts and feelings overwhelmed her.  Some worried, others scared, most curious.  One woman was concerned she would catch the scent of her new-born baby and hoped the caged held tight.  Another hoped her sons would stay home as ordered.  A newly changed Alpha could be deadly.  Fear encompassed her, weaving around her like a band of iron. 

Sarah growled and snapped at them.  “
Shut up!  Why can’t you all shut up?” 
Why couldn’t they understand she needed to be alone?  Why wouldn’t they listen to her?  She caught a brief thought that answered her question from the woman named Ruby, “
Hope she don’t order us to stay here…it’ll be nothing but trouble then.
”

Sarah roared in victory.  “
All of you stay put.  Do not follow me.  I need to be alone.
”

“
You cannot go out alone.  It’s your first time.  Are you in such a hurry to kill the Indian boy?
” Thomas, black as night, had taken to his wolf form.

Pete winced as he felt the wave of emotional turmoil coming from Sarah.  He took a step toward her.

Sarah growled, but Pete slowly advanced to where she stood.

“
I just want to help you.  It’ll be okay, Sarah.  Trust me.
”

“
I need to run!  I don’t know why, but I need it.  Why can’t you understand that?
”

“
I’ll run with you.  We’ll go together, just the two of us.  I know how to stay out of your mind so that you can feel alone.  Please, let me help you,
”  Pete pleaded as he placed his head against Sarah’s. 

Sarah leaned into him, suddenly needing his touch.  So warm.  The musky scent emanating from him enticed her.  His nearness brought peace.  She rubbed her head down the side of his face and rested it against his neck.  Relaxing, the need to run began to dwindle.  The wind picked up and blew fallen leaves across the yard in a wild acrobatic dance.  Catching a familiar scent in the air, she raised her head.  Unable to place it to start with, it drew her.  As she stepped away from Pete, she identified the smell.  Shad was in the woods.  She didn’t know how far away, but he was outside.  He had no idea how much danger he was in!  She had to get to him before the others, and somehow without killing him, make him go inside. 

Sarah spun around and ordered one last time before running into the trees, “
Do not follow me.  Stay here until I return.
”

She nearly flew through the forest in her race against time.  Limbs and branches smacked and poked her as she rushed by.  She had to get to Shad before someone else did.  Several pack members were not at the cabin.  Not knowing if they could hear her, she repeatedly sent out messages to leave Shad and his family alone.  They were off limits. 

Sarah’s wolf form moved lightening fast, and in no time at all she was outside the enormous cabin.  She watched from the woods, trying to decide how to approach him.  As a wolf, she couldn’t just walk up to him.  Could she? 

The wind changed and without warning, she was downwind of him.  His scent mingled with the promise of rain.  In her human form she enjoyed his musky scent but in wolf form--it made her hungry.  His heart beat methodically in his chest.  Each beat called to her.  Her mouth began to water, as a low growl escaped her lips. 

Sarah drew in her breath hoping to still the urge attempting to usurp her control.  That just made it worse.  His scent was so strong she could almost taste it on her tongue.  On the verge of completely losing herself, Sarah desperately shoved her snout in the dirt.  The smell of the rich dark earth muffled his smell and allowed her momentary freedom from the desire to eat him. 
I have to get out of here.  What was I thinking?  I’m going to kill him before anyone else has a chance!

Sarah glanced up to take one last look at him before retreating to her home.  All she could smell was the dirt covering her snout. 
This is more like it.
  She cautiously slunk out of the trees in front of the house, and waited for him to notice her.  It was too risky to go up to the house.  The scent of the three of them might overpower her dirt mask.  Shad sat still as stone.  If he saw her, he wasn’t acting like it.  Sarah whined softly. 

His shoulders grew taught and rigid.

Sarah whined again, louder this time.

Shad stared right
at her.

Sarah laid her head on her paws in an attempt to appear submissive.  Odd vibrations in her rear-end told her that her tail was wagging.  Sarah playfully barked, hoping he would come to her.

Shad stood and took a few steps in her direction.

Sarah did her best to look like a very happy puppy.

When he was within ten feet of her, Sarah stood.  She looked into his eyes and he returned her gaze.  She let out another soft bark. 

“What’s wrong, girl?  What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

Sarah whimpered.

Shad eased closer and Sarah’s hair bristled in warning.  She couldn’t let him touch her.  She didn’t know if she would be able to stop if she caught his scent again.

They stood for another moment gazing into each other’s eyes.  Sarah looked pointedly at the trees and growled.  She waited for Shad to catch her meaning and then repeated the process.

“Hmm.  You trying to tell me something, girl?  Something wrong out there?”

Sarah barked and wagged her tail.

“You want me to come with you?”

Sarah growled and moved her head from side to side.

“You want me to go back inside?”

Sarah whimpered and looked at the surrounding woods again. 

Shad stuck out his hand and leaned forward to touch her.

She growled.

“Okay, okay.  I get it.  You want me inside.  I’ll go back in, if it’ll make you happy.”

Sarah wagged her tail and looked around him at the cabin.  His sisters were standing on the porch, both of them holding rifles.  Sarah whimpered again and took a step forward, in hopes he would move quickly.  She could heard two rifles chambering rounds and stepped back into the trees and waited.  When she realized he was waiting for her to leave, she gave him a final bark and ran into the woods.  She wasn’t certain because the wind was whipping through the trees, but she could have sworn she heard him whisper…“I love you, Sarah,” as she ran away.

It seemed to take her longer to get home than it had to find Shad.  When she neared the cabin, she decided she really didn’t want the company of the pack.  She wanted to run.  The urge to do so, enveloped her.  Sarah caught the scent of the nearby stream and headed in that direction.  She was awfully thirsty anyhow, and that would give her a good excuse to remain absent from a while.  As she lapped water from the stream, she felt Pete close by.  “
You okay?  I can leave if you still want to be alone.
”

Sarah was a little irritated with his protective attitude, but really did want some company.  It was strange.  When working all of this out in her head, she’d thought it would be her brother she wanted close.

“
He’s Alpha, Sarah.  I hate to say it but your relationship won’t be the same after this.
”

Sarah sighed and lay down close to the edge of the stream.  Pete joined her and sniffed at her ear.  “
Don’t do that, it tickles.
”

“
Sorry.
”

“
How do you do this, Pete?  How do you do this every day, don’t you hate it?
”

“
You don’t
have
to do it every day.  I did at first, but it grows on you.  Give it time.  You’ll like it after a while.
”

“
My whole life is ruined.  Everything is going to be different now.
”

“
Different isn’t the same as ruined.  This time next year you’ll feel better about everything.
”

Sarah shivered, not from cold, but dread.  Pete moved closer to share his body heat.  Exhausted, Sarah snuggled up to him and closed her eyes. 

Pete sighed and rested his head on top of hers, feeling very content and happy with his world. 

Sarah felt his thought but was too tired to set him straight, she yawned and drifted off to sleep.

Sarah’s nose twitched as the pungent odor of wet dog assailed her nostrils.  In a struggle to wake, one eye fought the other to open.  “Ewww,” she said as she sat up.  An abundant amount of loose, damp hair clung to her body in clumps. 
Great, I’m a shedder,
she thought as she brushed the clumps from her body. 
I'll need to make sure I shift
before
I get in bed next time.
  A low rumble vibrated her mid-section.  “Okay, settle down.  We’ll take care of it in a bit,” she said patting her tummy.

She was in a good mood considering what had happened.  In fact, she was in a great mood.  Except for the hair all over her bed, she was pleased with herself.  She had managed to save Shad
and
his sisters, without killing any of them
or
getting shot.  That was quite an accomplishment.  Jason’s voice accompanied a quick knock on her door, “Showers free sis, smells like you need it.”

Sarah answered his teasing voice by throwing a shoe against the door.  Yuck!  She did need a shower.  She smelled overwhelmingly doggish.

Clean and refreshed, Sarah joined her brother and uncle in the kitchen for breakfast.  Thom had been hard at work making a breakfast buffet.  The table was loaded with pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast, biscuits and gravy--anything you could possibly imagine.  If it was breakfast food, it was on the table.  “We having company?” Sarah laughed.

“No, but I’m always starving after a change, and I didn’t know what you’d be hungry for.” Thomas answered.

Sarah was in such a fine mood she momentarily forgot she was mad at him.  The look on his face when she bounced over and hugged him was priceless.  She laughed at her red-faced uncle and began to devour the sumptuous feast.

“You’re in a good mood for once,” Jason said as he watched the unusual display of affection.

Crumbs fell from her mouth as she answered, “I have every reason to be!”

“Of course she does.” Thomas sternly told Jason.

“Oh great.  Now that she’s top dog, I’m chicken liver?  I see how this is going to work…” Jason laughed.

Sarah rolled her eyes and continued eating as if she had never eaten before.  Everything tasted so good!  Two plates later, the rumbling in her belly had quieted.  Sipping her coffee, she said, “Wow.  I understand why you eat so much!  I’ve never been that hungry in my life.”

Running a dish towel over the newly washed plates, Thomas smiled and answered, “It’s the metabolism.  You won’t ever have to worry about getting fat.  Every time you transmogrify, it burns an enormous amount of calories and fat from your system.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.  I suppose there are wolf scientists somewhere, but we don’t know any,” he laughed.

Thomas grabbed his coffee and joined the siblings as the table.  “I’m very proud of you, Sarah.  You did an extraordinary job last night.  But keep in mind that running off on your own isn’t smart.”

Sighing, she said, “Well that didn’t last long.  Here we go…”

Smirking, he looked at his cup before meeting her eyes.  “No here we don’t go.  It’s not about your boyfriend.  Shana is out there somewhere, and she wants you and your brother dead.  We can’t protect you if you order us to stay home.  That’s all I meant and nothing more.”

Her heart skipped a beat as he spoke.  He was right, there was a lot more going on than Shad.  She’d forgotten that last night, but she’d try not to make the same mistake again.  “I’m sorry.  I wasn’t thinking.”

“Well I’d hardly expect you to be able to think your first time.  Most are vicious.  Like I said, you did a great job maintaining.”  He smiled and rose to retrieve another cup of coffee.

“Well?”  Jason asked.

Confused, she glanced at him.  “Well, what?”

“How was it?”

“I don’t know how to answer.  Everything hurt, then I couldn’t breathe, then everything really hurt.  Is that what you mean?”

“Yes and no.  I get the hurt, I remember the pain in the beginning, I just--”  Turning his attention to Thomas he asked, “Why can she remember?  I couldn’t remember anything.  Not until she began working with me.  And why didn’t the moon effect her?  I…”