Under A Latent Moon (A Werewolf Tale)

Chapter 24

Harley

Harley woke up in her own bed. The white comforter had been pulled up tight to her neck, creating a bubble of warmth. Across it, another light blue blanket covered her feet to keep them warm.

"You're awake." Bailey sat next to the bed, reading one of Harley's worn romance novels.

She put a hand to her forehead and pushed the blankets down to her waist. The heat gathered under the blankets was nice, but causing her to sweat. "What happened?"

Bailey snorted. "They want me to ask you that."

It was night outside. Wind rushed against the side of the house, strong enough to rustle the trees. Inside, the lamp on the white nightstand next to her bed cast a dim, cozy light throughout the room. "Have I been asleep all day?"

"Pretty much. Will didn't want any of us to wake you."

Will. "Where is he?"

Bailey gave her a sad look. "Out with some of the guys from the patrol team. They're still searching."

The worry closed her throat enough that it took her a moment to respond. "How...long?"

Her friend glanced down at her watch. "Maybe four hours."

"He's not...he's not coming back, is he?"

They wouldn't know what happened to Ben. No one would have a clue whether he was alive or dead. Or if he'd already been killed.

And she had to live with that.

Bailey must've seen the absolute desolation on her face because she gripped Harley's hand tight between hers. "Alpha Mark can feel him through the bond. It's extremely faint because of distance, but he's there."

Harley blinked up at the ceiling. Don't do it. Don't cry. "I should've grabbed him. I could've dragged him to the road and--"

"Dragged him?"

It hurt--the words felt heavy as she upchucked them--but slowly she spilled the details of what had happened earlier in her parent's meadow. Bailey followed along, quiet as the story unfolded.

When it was over Bailey was furious. She poked a finger in Harley's direction. "You are not to blame for this. Do you hear me? There's no way you, a latent, could have carried Ben to the car and gotten both of you out safely."

A latent. If she'd been a shifted wolf, the beast would have been able to lend her enough strength to save Ben. Instead, her pathetic lack of a wolf had left her helpless. Her latency could have signed Ben's death warrant.

"I can see what you're thinking, Harley. And you can't put that on yourself. You can't put that on your conscience. It'll tear you apart."

She pulled her hand from Bailey's warm grip and covered her face. "I don't understand how this happened. We were fine--everything was starting to get better."

"The important thing is that the pack will not let this drop. We are all going to search for Ben, and we are going to tear apart the people who've dared to mess with our family."

Hearing Bailey reference each member of the pack as a family set it in stone. The Willow Creek pack was a family. They supported each other, gave each other the love and comfort and familial solidarity as needed.

"We will find Ben, darlin'. And heaven help anyone who gets in our way."

~