Chapter 5

Violet felt numb as Jeremy led her out of her home and into a large SUV. “Let’s go,” he told the driver. Violet pressed her lips together as she watched her home grow smaller. Away from her parents. Away from all that was her life. Her eyes stung with tears, but this time they didn’t fall. She didn’t take her eyes off the house until it was gone. Violet looked out the window as they drove. Jeremy spoke softly with the man driving, but it all sounded like a dull buzz to her. The loss of everything had sucked her deep inside herself.

She was so caught up in her loss, that when they stopped it startled her. Leaning forward slightly, Violet looked up at the building in front of them. With the first signs of dawn approaching, she could see it was a warehouse of some kind. The werewolves got out of the car, but Violet stayed where she was. She didn’t want to get out. She knew the moment she got out of this car the world she knew would be over. Violet could feel it in her bones.

“Violet,” Jeremy said, his voice soft. Surprise fluttered through her again as she looked to her left and realized he’d opened her door. “I need you to follow me.” She swallowed, knowing it was stupid to stay in the car, but still couldn’t bring herself to move. “Alright, let’s take this slow,” he said and held out his hand. “Just take my hand and I’ll help you.” Violet hesitated for a moment then reached out and laid her hand in his. His skin was feverishly hot, but when she looked at him, he seemed perfectly fine. “Now, the other hand.”

Violet did as she was told and with a small tug, he encouraged her to get out of the SUV. Violet didn’t know if it was the contrast of his hot skin and the coolness of the pavement on her bare feet or simply fear of what was going to happen that sent a shiver running down her spine.

For the first time, Jeremy seemed to take notice that all Violet was wearing was a t-shirt and pajama pants. “Let’s get you inside before you freeze. I’ll make sure someone gets some clothes for you.”

Releasing one of her hands, Jeremy led her into the warehouse. It looked like a sort of improvised meeting center or business floor. There were small desks set up in front of the warehouse. As they walked through the desks the people stared at them. They looked suspicious, nervous, or wary as they watched her, and Violet couldn’t help notice that it was her they were staring at. Past the desks, some cots were set up as makeshift sleeping quarters. Jeremy led her to a corner with a small cot. There were cloth screens on wheels giving the corner a semblance of privacy.

“You can stay here for the night,” he said, patting the cot. “I think it’s best you get some rest. You’ve been through quite the ordeal. We’ll talk more in the morning.”

Violet sat down on the cot and nodded. She watched him leave. He moved the screen to block off the area. She wasn’t sure if it was for her benefit or the others. She heard him walk away, only to stop a few feet from away. A man spoke in a hushed voice. “What the hell are you thinking? Bringing her here. If the alpha finds out she’s here, he’ll kill us all. If we’re lucky.”

“Hush, she can hear you,” Jeremy said in a similar voice and she heard them walk further away.

A sliver of alarm slid through her. Violet scooted back until her back is against the cool metal wall. Now alone, the grief welled up inside her. She closed her eyes as she hugged herself, but as soon as she did, everything came back. The men, the monsters, her mother, the blood. Violet’s chest tightened and she couldn’t breathe. She opened her eyes gasping for air. A choked sob escaped her. She covered her mouth, not wanting to draw attention to herself. More tears fell and Violet didn’t try to stop them. Why had this happened to her? A sharp shard of anger sliced through her grief. Why? Why had they come to her home, hurt her parents, tried to hurt her? What did this alpha want? Violet looked back at her life, trying to find any sign or hint that her parents were involved in any of this ‘werewolf’ stuff or mention of an alpha, but nothing came.

As the night passed, Violet’s emotions bounced all over the place. One moment she was paralyzed with grief, silently screaming for her parents. The next she was so angry her entire body shook and she wanted to hurt the men who took her family from her. Sometimes she became catatonic with the enormous weight of her loss. The one thing she didn’t do was rest.

When Jeremy returned in the morning he found her still sitting. She was hugging her knees, staring at the cement floor. “Hey, did you get any rest?” he asked as he sat next to her. She shook her head. “I had hoped, but yeah, I didn’t think you would. If I was in your shoes, I wouldn’t have either. Though, I would appreciate it if you tried to eat a little.” He handed her some fast food.

Violet knew she should be hungry, but the idea of food just made her stomach churn. Still, she unwrapped the biscuit and picked at it. “What’s going to happen now?”

“Now, you eat and I’ll talk. I know this is a lot for you, and I don’t imagine today is going to be much easier. As I told you yesterday, the men that came to your house, me, and everyone here are werewolves. Hollywood got some of it right. We do shapeshift, though it doesn’t need to be on a full moon. Though, we have to shift during full moons. We live in a thing called packs with the leader being the alpha.”

“How did you know my parents?” Violet asked. That was more important to her right now than what a werewolf could or couldn’t do.

“Your father learned about us through his work in the military, through him I met your mother. One of your father’s jobs was to be a liaison between us and the US government. However, some disagree with our collaboration, some like the alpha who sent those men after your parents. The alpha is a very powerful werewolf who is notorious for two things: He rules his people with an iron fist and hates humans. He sees your kind as beneath us. His ultimate goal has been to overthrow humans’ control of the world and put it in the hands of werewolves, or better said into his hands. Your parents were working with me to stop him. He had acquired a list of other alphas who were in opposition to his plans. A list that your parents stole from him and those men last night stole back for the alpha.”

Violet bit her lip, trying to assimilate everything he was telling her. How could she not have known any of this? How had they managed to keep this from her? She didn’t know how, but Violet understood why. Her parents had always been super protective of her. Sometimes to the point that Violet felt smothered, but now it all made sense. No doubt they knew they had targets on their backs. Was that why they refused to let her go to Europe? Probably. Knowing why didn’t make Violet feel any better though. Just the opposite. She wished they had told her. Maybe then she wouldn’t have spent her last days with them angry with them.

“Violet, as I’ve said I know you’ve been through a lot,” Jeremy said, his voice and face was a model of sympathy. “But that information your parents had is extremely important. If we don’t get that back hundreds of lives, humans, and werewolves, are at risk. We have to get it back. ”

Violet frowned, unsure what that had to do with her. “Okay.”

“Also,” he said, his expression taking on a strained note. “The alpha will take your survival as an insult to his dominance. He’s going to stop at nothing until you’re dead. Because of that, my people are not happy that I brought you here. You’re going to need a place to hide where the alpha won’t look for you and we need that information back. There is a way we both can get what we need. We need you to go undercover as a new addition to the alpha’s domestic staff and get that information back for us. With it, we can take down the alpha and you would no longer be in danger.”

Her eyes widened. She expected him to ask her for something, but that? “What? He’d kill me!”

Jeremy shook his head. “No, his home would be the one place he’d never look for you and we can take care of your scent so you don’t smell human.”

“But… I can’t!” No way could she pull something like that off.

“I’m sorry, Violet. If there was another way, I would take it, but there isn’t. The alpha would recognize my people immediately, unlike you,” he explained then his expression turned pained. “I hate to do this, but if you don’t help I can’t let you stay here. It’s too dangerous for us. I would have to send you back home. There, no one would be able to protect you from the alpha and his men.”

Violet sucked in a breath, staring at him in horror. She bit her lip as more tears fell onto her cheeks. She didn’t have a choice. Violet would have to do what he told her. It seemed that was the story of her life. One person after another ordering her what to do or deciding what was best for her. Of course, she probably wouldn’t have much of a life left for any of it to matter. Most likely this alpha would kill her before she ever reached her birthday, especially if Violet didn’t do what Jeremy told her to do.

Bile filled her mouth with a bitter taste as she said, “Okay, I’ll do it.”