Shift

The New Alpha

It was nightfall by the time she'd finished the first hole, and her ears perked up as she heard footsteps shuffling down the winding dirt driveway. When she looked, she almost smiled. Cameron's arm was flung over Ben's shoulders as the two of them limped toward her. Behind them, Fiona walked, stern-faced, alone.

"Ben," Scarlet cried out. "Cameron. You're okay?"

"We will be," said Ben. When he saw Adrian lying there, he sank to his knees, bringing Cameron with him.

"No," Cam breathed. "No, no, not Adrian."

Scarlet closed her eyes. She couldn't begin to imagine the way the two of them were feeling. Looking up at Fiona, she asked, "Where's Oskar?"

Fiona stared at Peter's body, the pipe still sticking straight up out of his chest. She looked over at Charlie's body, spattered with darts, dead from the poison. Then, Fiona's eyes connected with Scarlet's and there was fire behind them.

"This is all your fault," Fiona said. "They're all dead. All of them. Everyone I've ever loved, my whole pack—my family. All dead, because of you!"

"Not now, Fiona!" Ben yelled. His voice boomed through the woods. They were all exhausted, they'd all lost so much that day. Fighting wasn't going to change any of that.

Fiona shook her head, spun around, and ran. Scarlet didn't try to stop her. She watched the girl disappear into the dark coverage of the trees, then continued digging. They had a lot of bodies to bury.

Ben and Cameron found more shovels in the shed and started to help. The three of them dug in silence all night.

***

Two weeks had passed since the brawl outside the tiny Annex cottage in the woods. Scarlet sat waiting for the mechanics to bring out the truck, hoping they did a good job of straightening out the back end. She picked at her cuticles while she waited, and tried to keep her mind from thinking about Adrian.

The bags beneath her eyes were heavy and dark, having missed quite a bit of sleep in the last couple weeks. She dreaded the thought of the upcoming full moon, not wanting to shift without Peter. Her chest ached with loss every time she allowed her thoughts to wander, which is why she'd refused to fall asleep so many times. The dreams she had were consistently dark and heart-wrenching.

When the truck was finished, she drove it out to the lake near the ruins that used to be Adrian's mansion. Staring at the smoldering rubble, Scarlet shook her head. All of Adrian's hard work, his whole life's efforts, reduced to ash and debris.

Cameron and Ben appeared with their bags, near-empty due to all of their things being burnt in the fire, and climbed into the truck. Ben looked at Scarlet and nodded.

"Looks good," he said, regarding the truck. "Adrian would want you to have it, I think. Definitely wouldn't want either of us driving it."

Scarlet smiled. Her eyes, involuntarily, drifted up to rest on the trucks visor.

Pinned to the visor were two photographs; the polaroid from Halloween night, and a photo of Scarlet and Adrian when they were eleven, standing in front of the treetop fort they'd built together, grinning, covered in dirt and bruises. A familiar bluegrass song floated from the stereo into her ears, and she could almost hear Adrian humming along with the tune.

Ben sat with his arm hanging out the open window as the truck sped past a sign that read WELCOME TO ABILENE. Cameron, from his place in the cramped back seat of the truck, poked his head forward.

"Why are we back in Texas?" Cam asked. "I mean, last time you were here, you almost got killed by werewolf hunters, right?"

"We're not staying long," Scarlet replied. "Just picking up some strays."

Ben smiled sideways at her and returned his gaze out the window. They rolled along, past unfamiliar southern fast-food joints, grocery stores, and used car dealerships.

Finally, the truck pulled up to stop in the parking lot of a place called The Emerald Inn. Standing there, close together with backpacks on their shoulders, were Jake and Ash. They grinned and waved as the truck stopped.

Scarlet climbed out and stood before them, feeling like a totally different person than she was when she first met them, just a few weeks before.

"How are you holding up?" Jake asked, smacking her on the back affectionately.

"Getting there," Scarlet replied. She tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. Ash threw her arms around Scarlet and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so sorry," said the girl. "Adrian seemed like one of the good guys."

"Yeah, he was." Scarlet gestured toward the truck. "Anyway, you guys can cram yourselves into the cab. There's space for one in the front middle."

Ash lifted her hand in the air and hurried for the truck.

Ben hopped out and helped the girl in, introducing himself and shaking her hand. Jake joined Cameron in the back, and Scarlet climbed back in behind the wheel.

She started the truck and they began their journey. She wasn't sure where their final destination was, but she knew it would be full of surprises.

"Where to, boss?" Ben asked, flashing her one of his bright, dazzling smiles.

"I don't know," she replied. "Anyone else in need of a good cup of coffee?" She looked at Cameron through the rear-view mirror.

He shrugged. "Wherever you want to go. After all, you are the alpha now."