Under A Latent Moon (A Werewolf Tale)

Chapter 13

After leaving Harley in the safety of her bedroom, Will set off to find Cam, his gait long and filled with purpose. He had a few questions for his friend along with some strong points he wanted to make about what happened with him and Harley.

Harley. In such a short conversation, he'd made a few discoveries about his late best friend's sister. Her fear was still present, obviously, with the way she tensed anytime she discussed rogues. He didn't blame her. A traumatic situation, especially at such a young age would have an effect on anyone. It would take a while for her to move past it, but he was willing to be there for her. He only wished she would accept him more. Either physically or socially.

Will could tell that touch made Harley somewhat uncomfortable, whether she realized it or not. She didn't seek it out--not in the way his packmates did--and she tended to distance herself. He'd slowly started to introduce her to contact as the days passed, so she'd get used to it for the pack.

It had to be something with her latency. As a wolf, he cherished little touches here or there--a brush on the arm, a hug--it all reminded his wolf of the connection he had with his packmates. He took comfort in it. Harley, on the other hand, seemed so alone. Earlier when she'd taken his hand, albeit very briefly, his wolf had been elated at the contact. Maybe he'd started to get somewhere. Maybe living with the pack helped.

Though she was latent, Harley knew a lot more about wolves than she realized. It made him happy to know her upbringing had at least exposed her enough to pack living that she knew the culture of shifters. And she got more from her senses than she knew. The rogue looked lost? No regular human would be able to take a glance at a wolf, especially not a strange wolf, and get a feel for its mental state.

Cam sat in a recliner in the den, watching highlights from this year's hockey playoffs. Lucky for Will, the room was empty except for Cam, and tucked far enough into a corner of the house that there'd be less foot traffic.

Will snatched up the remote and clicked off the TV.

"Hey!" Cam whirled around.

The anger suddenly burst from his chest in a fierce explosion. "Are you out of your mind?"

"What the hell is your problem?" Cam snapped the recliner legs down and got up.

"I have no problem." He snapped out. "Except for the fact that you somehow can't manage to do the one thing I asked you to."

"Well hello to you too, Will. I'm so glad to have you back." He rolled his eyes. "I've been great, thanks for asking."

"Cut the crap, Cam."

Cam threw his hands up in the air. "I'll cut the crap if you take a second to calm down and tell me what the hell bit you in the ass this morning."

"How did you not know it was there?" Will asked through gritted teeth. "It should not have been able to sneak up on you."

Cam knew exactly what he meant, some of the color leaving his cheeks. "I made a mistake--"

"This is what training is for!" Will's anger, once unleashed, had become a powerful wave that plowed over him. He let it swallow him. "Your reaction time was slow, your response wrong for the situation, and you do not even have information for us to work with."

"Now, hold on a second. That wolf cut and ran. The whole situation unraveled in less than two minutes."

"That's not good enough." Will might actually throttle his closest friend. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have Alpha Mark send you through entry level training again."

"Because it was one mistake!" Cam sputtered. Disbelief lit his eyes. "Because that wolf moved eerily quiet for a rogue. If you were there--"

"I wasn't. And you're lucky I'm just hearing about it now."

Cam shook his head. "I don't understand why you're so--" Understanding clicked. "It's because of Harley."

"You put her in danger."

"I told her to run the second the wolf showed." Cam defended, his tone strong, confident now. A humorless smile curved his mouth. "She's got a stubborn streak, that one. Dug her feet right in and stayed."

That. That was unacceptable.

"You had a responsibility to get the civilian out of the danger zone. That's the first rule, Cam. You cause a distraction and get the innocents to safety. You know that."

How am I supposed to leave now?" He went on, "when I'm not 100% sure you'll be able to do your job and keep pack members safe?"

Cam stepped forward, his hollow smile wiped off. He jabbed a finger at Will. "You realize that this situation was different. I am a good fighter. You can trust that, if nothing else."

The anger had finally begun to drain out of him and Will, now exhausted, sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Cam's shoulders relaxed. "That wolf was tricky, man. And bizarre. It just...took off. How many rogues have you encountered that flee mid hunt?"

"None." An animal on the hunt never broke focus. Never gave up. They played games and could patiently wait for hours for the prey to get distracted and then surged forward for the attack. But turn tail and run? Never.

Cam sat back down and flicked on the TV. Will thought about joining him, but his feet remained frozen on the carpet. His outburst had taken him too much by surprise. He was always the three C's. Cool, calm, collected.

So what the hell was that?

Cam turned up the volume and pushed the legs of the recliner back up. "You know, she was pretty worried about you this last week."

His heart thudded. He'd been pretty worried about her too. Harley had plagued his mind the whole week. He'd been unable to give his complete focus because the entire time there'd been a little part of his brain wondering what she was doing, who she was with, if she thought about him as much as he did her.

Enough. That's Mathias' little sister.

Keep her safe. Will had a responsibility to keep her safe. For Mathias. Of course. Just for Mathias.

He'd never gotten that mad at Cam before. He rarely got angry at Cam. But the thought of Harley getting hurt, especially by another rogue, set his insides ablaze. She'd been hurt before, almost irreparably, by rogues. He could still see the mental damage, the internal scars, anytime she mentioned a rogue. And that panic attack she'd had in the training meadow...

He couldn't imagine losing his parents. The thought alone threatened to send him on a downward spiral, and he wasn't on the best of terms with them. To be a child, a dependant, and lose your whole family in one day, one hour, would be like having your entire world ripped away.

She was getting past it. Anyone could see that. Though everyone could also see she still had some work to do. Did she know her face was so expressive? She tried to hide it behind a cool mask of semi-indifference but he caught the distance in her eyes. Like she was there but not there. And every time the words rogue or feral came up, she drew back into herself. Until she worked it out and made herself sit straighter. Pulled her chin up.

Harley was strong. So, so strong. Possibly the most determined person he'd ever met. Most others would have moved far away and wallowed in self-pity. Harley didn't seem like a wallower at all. More...contained.

She's Mathias' sister. She's Mathias' sister. Mathias' sister. He chanted to himself all the way back to his office. He only wished he didn't have to remind himself so often.