Riker half laughed. “Are you trying to tell us that another wolf pack has decided to start what could be a bloody and violent war to gain what? Territory? Clout? Why the fuck would any of them across this country do that now? Why didn’t you tell us that yesterday? Why the cloak and dagger routine?”

  “Imagine if every wolf heard there was a chance we’d face extinction,” she said as she looked around the table. “What in God’s name do you think would happen? We have become weakened by our love of sin and sex, the need for power and our basic greed. There would be utter chaos, violence in every city. The council refuses to allow that to happen.”

  “Extinction. Can someone explain this to me?” Parker asked. He was looking from one to the other around the table.

  “Most of the wolves I talk to are living a damn good life, much better than crawling around in a forest searching for food. Being ridiculed by humans, hunted like bad dogs. They developed humanity,” Riker insisted.

  Mother sucked in her breath. But her eyes never left mine. “Have they really? Are any of us willing to risk all we have on a guess we won’t regress to our old ways, our primal ways?”

  Ah, fuck.

  What I’d suspected was true. “We’re not talking rogue pack wolves. Correct?”

  “You are correct, son,” she said. “Although there are reports a few of our own have gone to the dark side.”

  It was her way of saying they’d betrayed us.

  Chase leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “What the hell am I missing? What other enemy do we have that has a chance of pushing us into extinction?”

  “Just listen, Chase. Maybe you’ll learn something about a history you never wanted to learn or be a part of.”

  Mother’s comments pissed him off as usual, but she was right.

  Chase wanted no part of hearing about the legends or the methods to improve our way of life that had taken generations to do so. He’d hated his required training, missing more classes than he’d attended. For his refusal to follow the rules, even though he was Alpha by birth, his rank had been reduced to a lower class. That had started his spiral into loathing who and where we were now.

  “Supreme beings capable of killing wolves and humans.” Riker was remembering the ancient stories our mother has insisted we hear.

  Granted, the old folklore that we’d been cursed to walk the earth as hybrids around the time of the Vikings was grueling to stomach. It was almost like a ghost or horror story humans told or made into movies.

  From what I knew scientifically, we’d been created like any other beast. Only we’d managed to find a way to evolve.

  “What are we talking about?” Parker asked as Chase continued to fume.

  Now I sat back in my seat. The thought of what we were facing seemed like a nightmare of our own. “Werewolf.”

  As soon as I half whispered the word, Chase burst into laughter. “You are shitting me. You expect me to believe that crap? The council is using that to get us to do what they want. Nothing more. I want no part of it.”

  Mother did her best not to get angry, but when she did, you knew it. Nothing about her was demure or soft. She’d never been the most nurturing woman either.

  She slammed her hand down on the table. “Enough. You will listen to me. Whether you want to believe it or not, there are creatures not unlike us that still kill for food and fun. They enjoy becoming the monsters that human nightmares are made of, using their grotesque and often deformed bodies to enhance the experience of terror. Just before they kill their intended victims. They are impossible to kill once in full form, finding new recruits by killing members of the human race. And guess what happens when they are reanimated? They become very hungry. Their food of choice? Human flesh and bone.”

  She allowed the statement to linger.

  As I expected, Chase continued to laugh while Parker looked at me, trying to figure out if our mother had lost her marbles.

  “I need a drink,” he whispered.

  Hell, so did I.

  I’d heard the story, the lore that had troubled every pack in every country. However, these so-called werewolves were limited in number, most not moving in organized packs. However, they were created and whether by God, man, or the devil himself as Mother believed, their mental faculties were supposedly those of a child.

  That’s why they didn’t live very long, often killing each other. They also had succumbed to the curse of a disease affecting only them. Yes, they could shift back into their human form, but why bother? They had too much fun hunting and feasting on unsuspecting innocent victims. But before this, their kills had been intended for food for the most part.

  “Werewolves,” Riker repeated. “How and why now? Is this really true, Mother? I’m not Chase. I am aware there are various wolf packs in the world, but we’ve never had to face murderous creatures. If any of the story you told is true, they have no leader, just a primal need to exist.”

  She softened with Riker. I often believed he was her favorite son. “I don’t have all the answers yet, but through my contact with the other Elders, we’re trying to piece together why there is a surge of them. I don’t mind telling you the council is worried. If their numbers don’t increase significantly, we could keep them at bay while building our army.”

  Army.

  I could tell how well that word went over with Chase.

  “You’re trying to say that there is a leader?” I interjected.

  “If the stories are true, his name is Jeremiah. He is as ancient as our oldest Wolfen, perhaps more so. Some Elders say the werewolf was considered a mistake made by the devil. Our form was fashioned by refining what the devil learned. Then the werewolves were banished.”

  “But they lived,” I said, trying not to laugh. A true nightmare.

  “As I said, the council doesn’t have all the answers and neither do I. But there has been increased unusual activity. There’s always been sightings of wolves attacking people.”

  “But it was assumed a feral wolf was the reason?” Riker asked. A good question.

  “Yes, which I consider another mistake made by the council. I tried to get Cane to establish a tracking system to keep the slaughters in our computer system, but he refused.”

  “Why do you believe there’s going to be a war?” I finally asked.

  “Because after these bizarre and unexplainable murders where the bodies go missing, more killings have occurred immediately. Some remain dead. They are feeding to gain their strength. They’ve occurred in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and as far south as Miami. Now, in Chicago as well.”

  “It almost sounds as if this Jeremiah is hand picking candidates he wants in his army.” Riker took a deep breath.

  “An excellent guess,” Mother answered.

  Parker sighed. “Let me get this straight. There are dangerous, murderous humans that become creatures similar to werewolves after being hand selected by some werewolf guru. They enjoy killing so they are suddenly beginning to do so, almost in military fashion maybe? They will grow in number unless the Wolfen take mates and make babies fast?”

  She nodded. “Exactly like that. There will be more deaths. I sense that and I’m certain you do as well, Jax.”

  “They are increasing their numbers in preparation of a full-blown attack.” Riker had his hands steepled as he usually did when he was thinking.

  “That is the most educated guess. That’s why many of the elder wolves are concerned. We need to stop guessing and find definitive answers.”

  I jerked up from the chair, heading to the window overlooking the back parking lot. “How can they be killed, Mother?”

  “If they shifted into being a werewolf, then there is only one way that we know of at this time. They must be beheaded. Perhaps someday a disease they can’t avoid can be created.”

  Like that was going to happen.

  “And if they are still somewhat human?” Chase finally came back to the discussion.

  “It’s another unknown at this point. It depends on how fast they begin to shift.”

  For some reason, I wanted to laugh. “Okay. From what you know, how long before the victims suddenly become creatures of the night?”

  “Maybe twenty-four hours. No one knows. Their species is also evolving. Our best scientists haven’t unlocked their full DNA yet. That will come in time. It’s our hope maybe a serum or a gas can be developed that will eliminate them, but it’s all about the time needed.”

  “When it’s already too late.” Riker’s voice was almost unrecognizable.

  Chase threw back his chair with enough force, it slammed against the wall several feet away. “I’ve sat here as required, just like at that meeting yesterday, and listened. This is bullshit. I’m not buying any of it. There are plenty of monsters out there, but they’re entirely human. I have business to attend to.”

  Chase reminded me more of our dramatic matriarch. When Riker moved to get him back, Mother threw out her arm.

  “Let him be. There are many things the younger generations do not know because we were hopeful you wouldn’t need to discover the darkness that haunted our past lives. I fear that’s not the case now. He will need to come to terms on his own. That will take some time, but be mindful that your senses will be more activated if this situation gets out of hand.”

  “No idea when they might come rolling into town?” My humor was starting to kick in.

  “None. I will let you know if and when I hear anything else. We must fight this, gentlemen,” Mother said. “I don’t mind telling you that I am also very concerned.”

  With three of us left sitting with her, I had a feeling we all felt the weight of death.

  And I tasted it.

  “Parker,” our mother continued. “What about the situation in Europe?”

  As usual, Mother could flip from one subject to another.

  Parker was taken aback, likely never fully believing in our shifting abilities as I’d never attempted to shift around him. Not even as much as I had with the assholes who’d accosted Sedona.

  He took a deep breath and tried to return to business as usual. I suspected he’d want to talk afterwards. Hell, I didn’t know what to tell him, as I’d always believed that the idea of the different wolves was bloated or completely made up.

  To scare the wolf children.

  There was no doubt my mother was nervous, concerned about our future as well as that of all humans. With superhuman strength and a desire for blood, thousands could die.

  And be turned.

  Monsters were real. Humans had no idea how lucky they were the Wolfen packs were not aggressive.

  Usually.

  Unless we were backed into a corner.

  CHAPTER 12

  Sedona

  Fear.

  I was numb instead of what I’d felt the night before. Yet I hadn’t slept, just like I’d known I wouldn’t.

  Sleep was tough when all you could see were fangs. No, wait. That was a vampire. Werewolves had canines. Or were they called fangs?

  Huge ones.

  And claws.

  Long and sharp.

  And fur. Lots of coarse fur. I had a sample. I should know. I had DNA. I could test. I had tested although I feared the samples had been contaminated.

  For a woman who’d always been good at concentrating, my mind was all over the place. Maybe I’d had too much coffee.

  I’d made the mistake of looking up the capabilities of wolves on the internet before jumping into bed. They were powerful creatures, but they didn’t return from the dead.

  “So the police were here?” Todd asked. He was one of my two assistants in addition to Daphne, my computer and 3-D expert I’d hired. He was a smartass but brilliant.

  I was still lost in thought. Was it possible I was witnessing a mutation of DNA, human and wolf?

  “Doctor Willis. Hel-lo!”

  “Todd. Sorry. Yes, they took a report and fingerprints.” Which wasn’t a lie. I wondered if they’d be able to track down a dead person. If they did, additional explaining would need to be done. Maybe through the FBI.

  Even if the bitch hadn’t returned my call. Yet.

  Damn her.

  I was very cranky and three cups of coffee hadn’t done a thing for my demeanor, just my nerves.

  “I wish I’d been here. I would have kicked his butt.” Todd thought he was a tough guy when in fact, he was a geek. But the kid was going places.

  “I wish you had been too. I would love to see you in action.” I clapped him on the arm.

  He threw a punch into the air and blushed. The kid was good to the core.

  Daphne stood off to the side, leaning against the door jam of my actual shoebox-sized office. She had one of her own and four people certainly couldn’t fit in either one. Without her, I’d need to contact outside experts for all the various computer issues.

  Carrie was the only one who seemed frightened. “I can’t believe you were here. How horrifying.”

  “Only in the level of destruction done. I’m fine.” No, I wasn’t. But I had good reason not to be and I certainly wasn’t going to scare them any more than they might be. “Anyway. I tried to clean up as much as possible yesterday, but let’s all pitch in and see what we can do. Okay?”

  My mind was drifting between testing the DNA and the fact I was still tingling all over as if I’d stuck my wet finger into a light socket.

  The man had awakened my dark core and I was still flushed.

  Growl.

  DNA. Think DNA.

  The problem was that I didn’t have all the testing equipment I needed or wanted. I couldn’t just order up specialty equipment from Amazon and the budget was limited. In truth, a specialist was needed and that would draw red flags. I’d need to improvise.

  “Of course,” Carrie said. “I’ll get some trash bags.”

  I nodded. Todd was eager, but the kid was happy to handle just about any task. When the two of them left, I noticed Daphne remained.

  “What’s wrong other than the obvious?” I asked her.

  She was perhaps the brightest of all of us. Her skills with computers and videos, including creating medical 3-D imaging was incredible. Why she wasn’t working for some big think tank instead of the medical examiner’s office I’d never know. But I was grateful to have her.

  Maybe unfortunately she also shared the last name of Wolf. I wasn’t certain about the relation, but it was entirely possible she was pissed I’d had a drink with Jax. I couldn’t tell from her expression.

  When she walked further in and closed the door, I sighed.

  “What aren’t you telling us?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?” Yep. I was thankful she hadn’t started the conversation with something like ‘why the hell are you dating my…’ Brother. Uncle.

  Dad.

  Oh, God. What if that was true?

  “It wasn’t just a break-in. Was it? I can sense you’re curious and a little afraid still of whatever happened.”

  “What are you, a mind reader too?” I asked her.

  She shrugged and plopped down in the chair across from mine. “Maybe. I know you too well.”

  I also considered her a friend. We were close in age and had the same likes and dislikes. However, even sharing what I’d seen with her was a bit dicey. Her family might think me insane as well.

  “He was just… Well, there some abnormalities.”

  “How so? And what were you doing here on a Sunday anyway?”

  “I was asked to handle an autopsy.”

  “By whom? Did I miss a murder?” She laughed until she noticed my face. “This is serious.”

  “This is unusual. The FBI contacted me. And you can’t say anything.”

  “Why in the world did the FBI contact you to handle an autopsy? Aren’t they affiliated with several morgues in Chicago? I thought they had their own people.”

  I brought up my computer, still debating showing her the video. “That’s what I asked. Apparently, they were concerned about some recent murders. This one occurred in town.”

  “Here? Ugh. We’re like safe zone, USA.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “What happened during the autopsy?”

  Shit. She was the kind of girl to pick apart something until she had all the answers.

  “Come on. You can share with little ole Daphne.” She gave me a puppy dog look.

  “If I show you something, you need to understand that I have no understanding of what happened. I can’t scientifically explain it at this point. Yes, it’s freaking me out. I’ve always been able to answer questions based on scientific evidence but not regarding this particular case.”

  “That sounds scary.”

  “It is. The victim I autopsied did the damage in the lab before breaking free.”

  She paled.

  Just as I expected.

  She snorted.

  Just as I expected.

  “Do you have this on tape?” Now she was excited.

  Not what I’d expected, although she was a macabre girl herself.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Oh, I gotta see.” She jumped up, moving to my side of the desk and bending down. She even planted her elbows on my desk.

  “It’s freaky.”

  “I love freaky.”

  The girl was a little bit too much like me. I played the video, slowing down certain portions. When it was done, she cocked her head, staring at the last frame I’d left on the screen. It was the most terrifying one of them all because it showed his face.

  If you could call the deformed head sporting sharp teeth and foaming at the mouth human in any regard.

  “Wow,” Daphne said a few seconds later.

  “Yeah, wow. I don’t know what to make of this.”

  “There might be drugs that can do this. Or a disease. Oh, I heard of some gas used in wars where the DNA was altered. Maybe we’re under alien attack.”

  I gave her a look, wrinkling my nose.

  “It could happen,” she insisted.

  “Let’s stay on topic. We need to run tests on the limited tissue I have to see if we can determine what in God’s name could bring a man back to life when he was clearly dead and have him transform into some kind of wolf-like creature. O-kay. At least I assume that’s what he is turning into. I’m no expert.”