The Amazing Wolf Boy

Part 76 - Abduction

I blinked, the phone held loosely at my ear. That was the pack leader's voice. How did he get Brittany's cell? I was about to ask when it registered. He had Brittany. Oh God.

"What did you do to her?" I asked, my voice stronger than I felt.

"Your little pink-haired beauty? She's fine. For now."

My hands shook so hard, I had trouble holding the phone. "Where is she?"

"And I should tell you, why? So you can run to your sheriff pals? I don't think so. They'll find her soon enough."

I struck my forehead with the heel of my hand. Brittany. Oh God. All my fault. "Let her go, and I'll join the pack. I'll do anything you say."

"We're kind of beyond that, don't you think? Besides, I need her to help me make a point. I want you to understand what happens when you set the cops on my trail."

"But I didn't. I haven't—"

"Then why did they confiscate my wheels?"

I fell silent. Tears filled my eyes. Uncle Bob was right—I never understood what I was up against.

"You don't appreciate me or my power," the pack leader growled. "A demonstration is in order. So tonight, I'm going to shift into my wolf form. Impossible, you say? Not during a new moon? Nothing's impossible for me, pup. I will shift, and I will tear your girlfriend to pieces. The only way you'll be able to identify her is by—"

I threw the phone across the room. It smashed against the wall. Lifting my head, I let out a throat-rending scream. I ran into the living room as Uncle Bob leaped to his feet.

"They've got her!" I yelled. "He's going to shift tonight!"

"What? Who?" His face fell. "Brittany?"

"Oh God. What am I going to do?"

"Where?" He pulled out his cell. "Cody, where are they?"

"I don't know!" I jammed my fingers into my hair, feeling like my head would explode.

"Why would they take her?" Uncle Bob shouted. "What have you done?"

"They've been following her," I shouted back. "A black Mustang. She told me that she was followed on Friday, said she kept driving to throw them off. I knew, and I did nothing to keep her safe."

My hands clenched. Hair sprouted on the back of my knuckles. My body seemed to ignite.

"We can't track her," he said. "Not as humans. Even if we knew where to start, we'd never get to her in time."

I felt like I was on fire. With clawed fingers, I grabbed my neckline and ripped my shirt in half. Bare-chested and heaving, I howled. Drool ran down my chest as my muzzle elongated.

Uncle Bob backed away, eyes wide. "No. Oh God, Cody. No."

My fur rippled as I shed my clothes.

"No one can shift during the day! No one!"

I growled in answer, then ran into the kitchen and barreled out the window.

"What are you?" he shouted after me.

I ran flat out through the trees, head down, ears back. My senses were on overdrive, especially the one I depended on the most—my sense of smell. Uncle Bob said we couldn't track them as humans. But I was more than human, more than wolf. I wouldn't rest until I had the cur's throat in my jaws.

The swampland was dry and reeked of death. I flew over it in great strides, barely touching the ground. I felt certain I knew where they were. Brittany said she would take the potion off the fire to cool. They must've jumped her there.

I reached the dirt road and paused outside the hidden courtyard. My nose twitched. Brittany's scent was hours old. She hadn't been there since morning. Now it was almost nightfall.

Alarm raced through me. I was running out of time. Focus. Where could she be? I lifted my nose and caught the lingering stench of car exhaust. The vehicles hadn't stopped. If she were being followed, Brittany would have driven past as she had before. She'd go to the quarry.

With a determined bark, I ran down the road. The trees thinned, giving way to boulders and sand. I came to a field of gravel penned by a broken-down metal guardrail. A blue Lexus sat at the lip of a drop-off. At the bottom of the gorge, I saw Brittany's lime green Volkswagen.

I yelped and skidded down the steep slope, finally reaching her car. It listed against a large rock. I was tall enough to look directly inside. Brittany wasn't there, but a window was broken and I smelled her blood.

I also smelled three other humans. The pack. Rage infused me. Nose down, I followed their scent. It led across the flat floor of the basin to a rocky trail along the far side. The trail would've been treacherous for a human, although I had no problem on my four feet. As I climbed, I noticed the sky turning pink. It would be dark soon.

I got to the top and looked down upon a moonscape of craters and boulders. The only green was a fringe of trees along the edge. Brittany and her three abductors stood a short distance away. The leader had her by the arm. Brittany's forehead was bloody. Her clothes were torn.

My lip curled. I followed the ridge until I was right above them, hoping for a surprise attack. But I dislodged a stone.

Brittany looked up. "Cody!"

"Look out!" cried the blonde woman.

The leader's face fell to disbelief as I leaped. I hit his chest, knocking him away from my mate. He sprawled upon the ground. I was on him again, snapping at his throat. I caught his face in my jaws and squeezed.

He threw me off with surprising strength and was on his feet in a flash. Blood streaked his shirt. He pulled it over his head and wrapped it around his arm as if it would protect him.

I was more interested in Brittany's safety. The other man held her like a shield, her arms wrenched behind her back.

"I knew this was a bad idea," the woman wailed. "I knew it, I told you. We had no idea who we were dealing with."

"Shut up, Nadine," the man said.

"Look at him! It ain't even dark yet."

I growled, advancing on the man.

Nadine scrambled up the ridge. "Let go of her, Hank. He's going to kill us all."

"Hold!" bellowed the leader. "Or I'll kill you myself."

"Hank! Come on!" Nadine yelled, and then disappeared over the ridge.

Hank grimaced, backing away, drawing Brittany with him. Brittany's gaze met mine. She nodded once. Then she collapsed. The sudden movement ripped her arms from Hank's grasp.

I sailed over her, slamming into him. His head snapped back. I rode him down, my weight on his chest, and heard a crack as his head hit the rocks. He didn't move.

"Cody!" Brittany screamed.