Wyrd Calling (Wyrd Bound Book 1) (22 page)

We ran, bit, and play fought for a few hours until we were finally calm and respectable again. Part of me desperately wished that I'd have hunted that siren, to have ripped her apart and given a real message to her sisters. We enjoyed a reasonably peaceful meal, for a change. Everyone was behaved and settled into their respective beds in a calm and relaxed headspace. It was pleasant and made a nice change to what had become the norm. I was almost enjoying being an alpha again and accepting my new pack. I didn't even mind being forced into close proximity with Alex too much. Not that it lasted long. It never does.
 

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The darkness enveloped me. A white porcelain mask danced before me. I tried to swat it away, to claw at it, to hit, but it remained just out of reach. It slowly twisted into a grotesque iteration of a human face, warped and broken. I turned and ran away from it, pushing my consciousness to wake my body and be free of the torment. It followed me, others popped up in front of me at every turn. Panic was beginning to reign as I couldn't wake. My mind couldn't reach my physical body. I couldn't return to wakefulness. The masks were surrounding me, each one cracked and warped into hideous renditions of human faces. My breath was becoming ragged. My heart pounded in my ears as desperation swept through me.
 

Finally, my mind snapped back to consciousness. I sat bolt upright with the damp sheets tangled around me. I looked around the room trying to remember where I was, panic still flooding my system as I clawed at the sheets, trying to free myself. I needed to move. I had to go. I wasn't safe. I wasn't home. Thoughts rushed into my mind. My breathing was short, sharp, and refused to fill my lungs. A strong arm wrapped around my shoulders, and three males came into the dark room. A familiar scent of pine forests on a snow-covered day filled my nostrils, and I began to breathe again. I was safe. The three males turned out to be my boys; they crowded around the bed with looks of worry etched onto their faces. They kept looking between Alex and me, trying to figure out what had happened.
 

Dan spoke first, of course it was him. "What happened? We heard screams?"

"And not the good kind." Ryan added in. I had to assume he was trying to lighten the mood.
 

Alex held me close to his chest and rested his chin on top of my head. "I'm not sure."

I took a deep breath and tried to steady my breathing. “It was just a stupid nightmare. There were masks, and I couldn’t escape. Just a nightmare, you don’t need to worry yourselves.”

The images refused to leave my mind. They were painted onto my mental landscape. All three of my aspects were buried deep within me, curled up shivering. Alex stroked my hair slowly and softly; the boys sat on the edge of the bed. I was beginning to feel safe. I was surrounded by people who would keep me safe. My breathing began to slow as I regained control.
 

Alex spoke quietly to the boys, "Her energies almost vanished for a little while. She wouldn't wake. I shook her, but she kept screaming. She eventually snapped to."

Dan said, "She mentioned masks. Was it that thing she mentioned seeing with the hellhound?"

Alex breathed deep. "I suspect so."

No more was said. The boys remained close for a little while, a comforting wall against the darkness. I'd never been afraid of the dark. I was a predator of the night. I danced with the shadows. That night I didn't dare close my eyes, I couldn't face it. When the sun rose, I shifted my tail and curled up, too exhausted to fight it any longer. Alex remained close and allowed the boys to do the same, as far as I'm aware. I dreamt of the wide expanse of pine forests, covered in deep snow. It was peaceful, idyllic, and safe.
 

When I woke properly, I found myself on fresh, clean bedding with Nik close by. He had tucked himself up by the wall, close to me without touching or intruding on my space too much. I stretched, feeling the tightness of my muscles, no doubt from the tension I'd carried throughout the nightmares. I still felt utterly exhausted and really quite pathetic. I'd allowed a stupid nightmare to take hold of me, to control me and reduce me to an incoherent mess. I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt entirely lost.
 

Nik looked up from his book, a small frown on his face. "The others have gone out for a run and then to check on the sirens. We didn’t want to leave you alone in case you had another nightmare. I volunteered to stay behind."

I nodded and curled myself back up again. After a moment he said, "You can talk to me, you know. I won’t judge you, and sometimes just talking helps."

I looked up into his deep brown eyes, so full of innocence and good intent. I wondered if those large calloused hands of his had ever taken a life. I had to doubt it. I took a deep breath and decided that I had nothing to lose. I hoped that perhaps allowing the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and words loose into the world would help remove them. That the act of releasing them would make me feel like myself again, rather than the paper-thin rendition of myself I felt like in that moment.

He put his book down and moved a little closer to me, carefully watching my every move, no doubt for fear of my lashing out. I felt bad at that. I'd never harmed him, and I didn't want him to feel that fear. That wasn't what I felt an alpha stood for or how they worked.
 

I looked down and allowed the words to just spill out. "I feel lost. I feel wretched, pathetic, weak, and entirely unworthy of the position of alpha. You are all slowly showing yourselves to be good boys and will form a good pack. I don't feel that..." I paused, trying to find the right words, "…that I deserve that. I was terrified by a worthless nightmare. I allowed it to control me. I haven't been an alpha in so long, and my understanding of bonds is jaded at best. You show fear towards me, which you should never feel around an alpha. I'm supposed to lead you, to keep you safe, happy, and well. For you to fear me shows that I have failed."

I laid my head down on my arms and looked up into his bewildered face. He lay down on the bed, bringing himself down to my level while he thought about his words. Then he said, "None of us is perfect. We're all learning, and while I do sometimes fear you, I know in the back of my mind that you would help me if I needed it. I've seen you helping Ryan. At the moment, you're clearly lost and prone to defending yourself; that's natural. You need to give us a chance, let us close, Alex included. You said that a pack has the tightest bonds of any creature. Let them form."

I thought through his words and ran my own back through my head. A pack's bonds are unbreakable. They are closer, stronger than anything else known or comprehended by other creatures. It's an alpha's place to lead the pack, to keep it safe, happy, and well. A pack is family and more. Each of us needed to trust the others beyond any shadow of doubt.
 

I offered him a weak smile. "Thank you."

"I haven't been in a pack before, but I've been watching you and Alex. There's clearly history there, but, if you'll pardon my bluntness, there is potential. I am happy to swear my life to both of you, as my alphas."

I sighed softly and gave over to my instincts. I moved forwards and rested my chin on his hand. It was a small movement, but a big gesture. I hated the Sisters, but they had given me a pack for a reason, and I had clearly demonstrated that I could not complete their tasks alone. That fact irritated me, but I accepted it and vowed to do the best with what I had.
 

I looked at Nik with fresh eyes after that conversation. There was more to him than I'd originally given credit him for, and I felt bad about that. We proceeded to discuss my situation with the Sisters, how and why I hated it, and how we would deal with the sirens. He had a good grasp of tactics and strategy, and adored metalwork. He was interesting, well-spoken, and intelligent. He was also big-hearted and kind to a fault, which I made a note to myself to keep an eye on. That wasn't a bad trait within the pack, but it could cause trouble outside of it. I couldn't risk him bending over backwards for someone else and potentially risking the rest of us because of it.
 

He was also a pretty good cook. The others were taking quite a while, so he threw together a quick snack. The simple pasta dish was beautifully balanced with the interesting mix of fresh herbs, slight citrus tang, and fresh juicy meat. His face lit up when he cooked. His dark brown eyes took on a new spark, and his lips couldn't help but spread into a smile. He seemed happy to be put into the position of pack cook and took some pleasure in explaining the use of the herbs to me. I was completely absorbed in the discussion about fresh versus dried herbs, their varying applications, and their use in dishes when the others walked in. They looked between us with a slightly wary air about them. They carried white bags filled with steaming, spicy-smelling food. I grinned and pulled out the plates while Alex quickly asked Nik how I was doing.
 

I shouted over to him, from the kitchen, "I'm fine, thank you!"

Nik shrugged and smiled at Alex, who seemed reasonably satisfied with my response. Dan and Ryan watched me closely for a little bit, but soon settled down. Fortunately, sleep came easily that night and was peaceful. Things were beginning to fall into place, no thanks to the Sisters.
 

24

We were all sitting in a quiet little restaurant run by two delightful selkies, discussing how and when to set up the trap. It seemed that word had spread about us and what we were doing, which I was not amused about. A slim little pixie sidled up to us, her long tanned legs stretched out from beneath the pale blue sundress. I was happily admiring the scooping neckline and the way it highlighted her petite breasts when she pulled up a seat next to Dan.
 

Her green and gold eyes sparkled and her pale pink lips spread into a cheeky little smile before she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Are you the ones who're trying to stop the siren murders?"

We all looked around to each other before Alex said, "We are. How did you know?"

She giggled and covered her mouth with her dainty hand. I wondered what she was doing that night. "Then I have some news which will be of interest to you."

She looked around the group before leaning in a little closer. We all leaned in to meet her in the middle. "Another siren has been killed."

She gave a little gasp after she said it, adding a touch more drama to the news. Alex dragged his fingers through his hair, Ryan sighed and looked down, while Dan narrowed his eyes at the pixie. He said, "Where did you get that news?"

She wiggled her nose and smirked at him. "I have my sources. I’m more than just a pretty face, you know."

I raised an eyebrow and made hard eye contact with her. She pursed her lips and said, "News gets around my circles. The body should still be there if you want to check."

I looked to Alex and couldn't help but think that it could potentially be a trap. He sat up and asked for the check from the waitress.
 

"Show us."

She wriggled a little and sat up tall with her hands neatly tucked in her lap while she patiently waited for us to pay. She practically skipped with the bounce in her step as we followed her down the streets into the less desirable part of the city. The leafy trees gave way to overflowing dustbins, and the old cream-coloured stone shifted to blown grey-and-red bricks covered in graffiti. The paint peeled away from some of the doors, leaving the old cracked wood bare to the elements. There was a clear line between the clean, smooth stone, with its carefully manicured flowers and healthy trees, and the dirty, worn bricks. The tarmac was pitted and cracked. Bare mud sat in small patches next to the curb where no one had bothered to replant the grass. Bars sprouted up in front of the small, grubby windows with greying net curtains flanked by brown hiding the contents buried within.
 

The sun was beginning to set when we reached our final destination. The sinking sun cast a blood-red tone about the scene, which was messier than the previous one. Without a word spoken, we all spread out and circled around the body. Each of us slowly, quietly, and carefully reached out with our energies and inspected the surroundings. There was no one else, and once again, there wasn't a noise or a trace of another being. It was wiped entirely clean, which was incredibly odd.
 

 
A twisted, gnarled old tree with a scattering of leaves stood over her. Thorns adorned it’s thin, cracked branches between the dull green leaves. The ground was covered in years of dirt and grime, which now formed her final resting place.
 

Nik shifted his wolf slightly, as did Dan. They cast about trying to pick up a scent while Ryan joined us in looking at the body. Blood pooled all around her. It was beginning to dry, and all the warmth had left her. Her eyes remained open, staring into the distance, and a grimace was fixed upon her face. There was nothing of use or interest in her line of sight, just another metal dustbin, its contents scattered about the base without a care. Her throat bore the marks of strangulation with angry black bruises, and her dress was soaked with blood where angry slashes had torn open her stomach.
 

I looked to Alex trying to see if he had any ideas. "The lack of trace is like the previous one."

He nodded, and Ryan said, "He's clearly pissed off now. Do you think he knew about the trap? Did he hear about that?"

I wasn't sure. I couldn't be. There was no doubting that there was more anger there and the place was more exposed. The body was in the opening to a narrow alley which was only a few minutes’ walk from a busy industrial estate. The brick walls held no windows, they just towered over the alley making it dim and cool. He was growing less cautious, more desperate. He still hadn't removed any of the usual parts we’d have expected, though, and there was no sexual abuse.

Satisfied that we'd seen all we needed to, we stood. Dan jumped down out of the tree and gave a small shrug. He hadn’t found or seen anything of use. Ryan finished inspecting the black storm drain, which was surrounded by damp, foul-smelling sludge. None of us had found a thing. The pixie was long gone. I wondered about tracking her down for a night of fun, but I knew I had work to do. I couldn't afford the time away or the risk of exposing myself to someone else.