MattA rustle in the nearby underbrush had the three of us halting in our paths. We’d been scouring the woods for hours, looking for another rogue. There’d been talk of another one being spotted near here by a few drunk kids, and we were desperate to find it before sunrise. We couldn’t let it hang around here where it could potentially hurt someone.I looked sideways at Enzo and Nina. We were all still in our human forms, but in an instant the three of us shifted. Power moved through me, and I readied himself to fight.Nina pricked her ears toward the trees, and I
JackJack 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 t
I thought maybe Matt was just late, but after an hour passed, I started to worry that something else was up. Jack eyed me as I paced near the front window.“Guess he’s not coming,” he said, sounding a bit smug. He’d come home fifteen minutes earlier, covered in mud. After a quick shower, he joined me in the living room to wait.I shot him a look but didn’t comment. Jack said it like he saw this coming, but I knew Matt wouldn’t just stand me up. Something else had to be going on. I tried his number, but his phone went right to voicemail. I sent him a few more texts but staring at my phone didn’t make any answers materialize
Fiona met me at the door, a wide smile on her face. “Thank God,” she said, dragging me into the room. Her roommate was out with her girlfriend for the night, and we had the place all to ourselves. “We need some girl time!”“I know,” I said, with as much enthusiasm. Things with Matt and my brother had made it difficult for me to see Fiona. Sure, we had classes together, but that wasn’t the same as having one-on-one time. Fiona meant a lot to me, and I didn’t want to let our friendship fall between the cracks. I wasn’t lying when I told Jack that I didn’t want to be one of those girls who forgot about their friends just because they had a boyfriend.
I hadn’t given up on my plan to get Jack and Matt together, and the minute Matt’s concussion was healed, I decided I needed to stop putting it off. He still had a couple of bruises where he’d bashed his head, and a sore arm, but he was mostly okay. It was a relief to walk out of class a few days later to find him leaning against the far wall with an easy smile on his face–headache mostly gone, and his broken bone well on the way to healing completely.No one really spared his bruises a second look, and he didn’t wear a sling. Hockey players were often getting injured, and Matt’s friends seemed to take it all in stride. He still hadn’t told me what really happened, but I planned to ask him about it when w
“What the hell was that?” he said, his face slightly red with anger. I flinched away from him, and his gaze instantly softened. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He turned away and ran his hands through his hair. “Why am I here Celeste?”I took a step toward him but stopped myself from reaching out. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you here. I just thought…” I trailed off and bit my lip. He was going to be so mad at me. The thought of it made me feel a little queasy.He turned to look at me. “You thought what?” I could tell he was still upset, but he was trying not to seem angry. Th
I had lunch with Fiona that Monday, eager to fill her in on the party and everything that happened after. Matt and I ended up just making out. He had to run out when he got a call. He wouldn’t tell me who it was, but I figured it had to do with the Peacekeepers.He made sure to promise me a rain check, though. Matt seemed as eager to have a repeat of the bathtub incident as I was.“So, I guess Matt and Jack won’t be besties again anytime soon?” Fiona surmised after I finished telling her about it. I told her everything but the stuff about the werewolves. It wasn’t my place to divulge that secret, and I doubted she’d believe me,
Alyx landed a punch. He was poised over my brother, blood running from the side of his head. I gripped Fiona’s hand in mine, desperate for someone to put a stop to this. No one made a move to help, though. They were all too intent on the fight, bets still flying around as people took sides. Alyx hit my brother again, and I tensed even further.Before I could do something stupid, like try to get between them, Jack punched Alyx in the ribs hard enough to make Alyx lose his breath. Jack shoved him to the side and climbed to his feet, his shoulders moving with his heavy breaths, and his face so red it was nearly purple.“If I ever see you talking to her ag
EpilogueThe sounds of plates clinking together, and the low hum of chit-chat, merged into the background as I listened to Fiona describe her latest assignment. She was stuck in a geography class that she needed for distribution, and it was driving her nuts. Her professor was a mean, curmudgeonly old man, and a notoriously difficult marker.“He gave me a C–. A C–! That was not a C worthy paper.”Jack nodded. “I read it. It was pretty good.”She rounded on him. “Pretty good?”He put his hands up, a small smile on his lips. “Really pretty good?”She huffed but turned back to me. “Your brother is a pain in the ass.”I smiled. “You’re telling me.” They’d only been together for a few years, but they already bickered like an old married couple. Matt and I were actually married, but we didn’t even bicker like that. It was as endearing as it was exhausting.Matt sank into his seat beside me and slid me a cup of coffee. I threw him a grateful look. Our peacekeeping duties had kept us late the
MattThe nerves made me jittery, and I bounced my knee so hard it rattled the bench. Seth gave me a knowing look before bending over to finish tying his skates. I focused on taping my stick, letting muscle memory take over. All the guys knew what I planned to do tonight, and they kept throwing me knowing looks as I tried to stay calm.It was the last home game before playoffs started. A part of me kept thinking that I should wait, but an even greater part of me didn’t want to wait one more second. If life had taught me anything, it was that we didn’t know how much time we might have. I didn’t want to waste another second of it. I especially didn’t want to waste time just because I was afraid.“Dude, stop vibrating the bench,” our goalie James called. “I’m trying to focus.”“Sorry,” I answered. If there was one rule in hockey, it was to not mess with the goalie, especially right before a game. If he needed to focus, then I just needed to find a way to chill the fuck out.Enzo gave me a
The arena was buzzing with energy as Matt got the puck and darted forward to take advantage of the breakaway. He sent the puck into the corner of the net, and I jumped to my feet. Beside me Fiona screamed so loud, heads turned in our direction. Jack cringed slightly, throwing her a bemused look.It was the first home game of the year, and Matt was giving everything he had to make sure the team got a win. Around us, the school cheered as he skated by, knocking fists with his teammates. It was his second goal of the night, his first a tricky tip in after Seth’s initial shot rebounded. It was 3-1 with only four minutes left in the third period.“He’s playing great,” Nina said from my other side as the cheering died down, and we took our seats again.“He is.” Over on the bench, Enzo stood in a dark suit, his head bent as he talked to one of his players.He and Nina were staying one more year. Even though Nina graduated in the spring, her father was giving her the year to clean up the town
“Are you ready for this?” Jack asked, his eyes trailing over my face, looking for any signs of fear or hesitation. I schooled my features into a blank mask. Sure, I was nervous, but he didn’t need to see that. He already hated that he’d gotten me involved. Too bad I was the only one that could do this, and I’d do anything to get the Schreibers out of our town.I took a deep breath and gazed up at the towering mansion. It was on the outskirts of town, far enough away that I’d never seen it, but still close enough for the Schreibers to cause havoc. The house seemed quiet, but I knew our grandfather lurked inside. Him and whoever survived the fight.“I’m ready,” I said, keeping my voice steady. Matt and the rest of the Peacekeepers had already surrounded the house. They were keeping their distance but staying close enough just in case we needed them. It made me feel better knowing he was out there. I knew, without a doubt, that Matt would do anything to keep me safe. Just like I’d do any
Jack“Hey!” Jack called, running to catch up with Fiona. She stopped walking and turned to give him a curious look. “I’ll walk you home,” he said when he reached her side.She gave him a bemused look. Technically, her place was only five minutes from campus, but that didn’t mean she should walk alone at night. Plus, he hadn’t seen her since she moved back in with her roommate, and he wanted a moment alone with her.“Alright,” she said with a shrug. “If you insist.”He smiled. “Better safe than sorry.”“Bye,” Celeste called, waving at them. She gave him a knowing smile, and he glowered at her. She clearly knew something was going on, but it wasn’t her business. They needed to figure this out for themselves.She and Matt were headed in the opposite direction, back toward the house. Matt was still haunting the halls. Everywhere Jack went, there he was. In the bathroom, when he needed to piss. In the kitchen, when he was hungry. Even in the living room at night, making out with his sister
“I promise to protect this town,” Jack said, his hand over his heart. “I promise to fight for peace, and to not rest until it is achieved. I promise to treat all life as equal. I devote myself to this cause from now until my last breath.”Nina dipped her head in acknowledgement, and Jack let his hand drop to his side. I stepped forward next and repeated the oath. It was the same words every person in this room had recited when they agreed to become a Peacekeeper. It wasn’t something to take lightly, and I didn’t plan to.“I devote myself to this cause from now until my last breath,” I said, stepping back beside my brother. Fiona stood at his other side. She took the oath first, saying the words with the utmost confidence.I locked eyes with Matt, and he gave me a proud smile, his eyes gleaming. Our friends sat around the room, and, as if given some invisible cue, they all began to hoot and clap. They stood up and slapped the three of us on the back. I got pulled into hugs, one after t
Matt closed my bedroom door behind us and leaned his crutches against the wall. He hobbled over to the bed and sank down onto the mattress with a soft groan. “Just as I remember it,” he said, jumping a little. “So soft.”Downstairs, Fiona, and Jack were rifling around in the kitchen. They offered to make us something, but neither of us were very hungry.Matt lay back and stretched his arms over his head, his shirt riding up just enough to reveal the smooth skin along his waistline. His hip bones dipped down into his cargo pants and I bit my lip, desperate to get my hands on him, but still worried about his wounds. Sure, he was up and moving around, but that didn’t mean he should be doing physical activity. I didn’t know a lot about werewolf healing, but I wasn’t willing to risk him.“I missed this room,” he continued, turning to look at me through hooded eyes.The purple bedspread brought back a flood of memories. I’d spent so much of my life in this room. I had so many memories, and
MattI held onto Celeste’s hand, leaning heavily on the two crutches I had propped under my opposite arm. A feeling of intense déjà vu swept through me as I watched Seth step forward and light the pyre. Around us, others did the same until dark smoke rose into the blue spring sky. I hoped this was the last funeral I ever had to go to, at least for a long while.Celeste had a blank expression on her face that worried me more than anything. Beside her, Jack and Fiona stood holding hands. Fiona was crying, and Jack had a stricken look on his face. As one, he and Celeste let go of our hands and stepped forward. They lit the last pyre.“Goodbye dad,” Celeste said, just loud enough for me to hear. My heart squeezed.Jack didn’t speak, he just lowered his gaze and stepped back beside Fiona. She immediately took his hand, but he didn’t look up from his shoes. I understood the warring emotions he was feeling. He hated his father for abandoning him, and he felt guilty that he got killed right i
Those of us still on our feet spent the rest of the day tending to the wounded. God, there were so many of them. Every wound I saw, every cry of pain I heard, felt like a knife to the gut. Everywhere I went, I saw pain, death, and gore.It was all too much.“Hey,” Jack said, giving me a concerned look. “Take a break if you need to.”He was still covered in blood, and I could barely stand to look at him. He’d taken a few minutes to wipe most of it off his face, but he hadn’t stopped to change his clothes. None of us had. There hadn’t been time.“I can’t.”I couldn’t get my father’s face out of my mind. Jack took me to his body shortly after the fight ended, tears in his eyes. I allowed myself to cry only for a minute before I helped him move the body to the small grassy area behind the church. That was where we were laying out the dead before we’d give them all proper funerals.There were already too many bodies out there. Seth had collapsed beside Jenna’s bloody form and hadn’t moved