The Unmaking (The Rayne Whitmore Series Book 1) Read online

  “I think I understand. But there is something else to this. How is he controlling a pack this large anyway? Packs are usually no more than fifteen, eighteen at the most?” Selene asks, leaning forward, adjusting the collar on her black v-neck.

  “First, she must tell me her story. Then, I will decide if knowing about our pack will help you help Anubis.” Jaxson turns towards me, waiting for me to begin. His dark eyes seek my own, testing me. I give him ten good seconds, studying his scars on his face, his short mohawk, his slightly large nose, and then change my vision, satisfying him. He may be second in the pack but he doesn’t have the aura of his Alpha. Still, it would be rude to drag this out any longer. Then, he looks at my back as if just noticing my sword and raises an eyebrow out of curiosity.

  I tell him as much as I feel that he needs to know of my family’s murder, my un-making, and how I came here today. I leave Damien completely out of it as well as what my father’s business was. He didn’t need to know that my father was making weapons against supernaturals, not yet at least. Though I had never made it a habit to do so anyway, I still had to remember that werewolves could smell lies easily when it came to things that I was telling him. He needed to trust me, he wanted to trust me. I needed Jaxson to know that he could.

  “I’d heard rumors when I was young that humans used to have strength like a wolf, brains like a fox, and could hunt our kind down single-handedly, but never thought I’d meet one. I just thought that you were another kind of super that I didn’t know about, even if you smelled human. Interesting. Not only that, but the Immortals do exist. It just goes to show that there was still a lot that even our kind does not know.”

  “Well, Jaxson, imagine how I felt, finding a demon about to eat my dead sister,” I say rudely, then apologize. There was no need to snap on him, it’s not his fault that I grew up in the world that I did. Oblivious. Especially when my father knew and could have told me a long time ago.

  “It’s okay. I can understand your anger. When we luna dasa, the moon’s servants, as some of us wolves call ourselves, first hit puberty, we begin our change as well. Imagine the challenges of becoming a teenager, mixed with rage, indescribable pain of those first turns, thinking of yourself as a monster, afraid that you might snap and kill your loved ones, and the need to hunt, taste blood. We all have different crosses to bear and trust me, imagine how I feel when I have to kill my own because they can’t handle the change; the young ones, when they become feral. You wouldn’t switch places with me for a second.” The seriousness of his tone makes me feel sorry that he has to do such a job.

  I nod in respect. I had forgotten that not all wolves survived the change, or should I say were allowed to survive the change.

  “This is part of the reason why our pack numbers are so strong. Thanks to Anubis, we do not lose hardly any more of our young. We are thriving. We take care of our own and we’ve learned something that not many other packs have. This is the real reason why Namen will not kill Anubis. It is because he is special and he wants to break him until he can use him. Anubis has conquered his Wolf and taught him how to shift as well,” Jaxson says, excitement evident in his voice.

  “I do not understand what you mean Jaxson. Please explain,” Selene requests looking at me with the same look I give her.

  He smiles. “When man shifts he becomes Wolf, but when wolf shifts, what does he become? Man, of course, or at least partially so. For us, we once thought that the shift was to wolf and wolf alone, that you could not stop the change once it began or that if you were caught in the middle of the change that you would die like that. This is not true however. Anubis discovered this when he had been caught in the middle of a change and panicked. He was able to stop the shift and come back.”

  “He practiced with this, over and over, forcing the change on his hands, his feet, his face. Do you know how painful it is to change? How much skill and resolve you’d need to focus enough on one part of the body while fighting back the pain? He did it, and he did it alone. And he meditated and spoke to his Wolf, understanding, learning, until he realized something else. He could have the look of a wolf, with the body of a man, one that had more strength than a wolf, sacrificing the speed of four legs, but gaining so much more. It is the ultimate form for our kind to fight in. Somewhere along the way, we had lost that skill as the world developed, but Anubis, he, brought it back to us.”

  I can understand the advantages, and it is actually slightly terrifying to think about. Weres were already extra large in size in their wolf form, I couldn’t imagine how this mountain of a man sitting in front of me would be in wolf-man form slashing at me with razor claws and teeth. Hell no, I didn’t want them as enemies and I bet Namen didn’t really want them as enemies either, he wanted them fearful and complacent.

  “Scary,” I say truthfully.

  “Oh, it is. Anubis and I can even use weapons in that form,” Jaxson says, eyeing Katsu. “For some though, it takes too much focus just to maintain the shift. For now, at least.”

  “But, to what end? The world has changed.”

  “Our kind is becoming scarce. We are not naturally urban creatures, but cities are popping up everywhere and in rural areas, there’s just too much suspicion for our kind to have large packs. Because of this, many of us are hesitant to mate or breed, and for the last ten years, we’ve had to kill many of our own kind because they’ve snapped and gone rogue. If humans were to find out about us, we’d need to have better skills to protect ourselves. Our packs must get stronger because that day when our numbers reach a low is when they’ll find us out, and they’ll come for us. I say, let them fear what we could do to them so that they’d leave us alone.”

  “So how do you cope with the issues of the cities then?” I ask.

  “Well, most of us join the police, firefighters, or even the military. We have a drug that almost all of us take that keeps us from having to change during the full moon, but because of that, we have a lot of pent up aggression inside, most of us choose dangerous, adrenaline filled jobs that help us blow off steam. I’m actually a volunteer firefighter myself.”

  “Hmm, I’d have to keep that in mind. Don’t piss off the wolf behind the counter.”

  Jaxson laughs and grabs my shoulder firmly. I take it as a sign of friendship.

  “We need to find a way to learn Namen’s end game. Maybe if we cut off his plans, it will bring him out of the woodwork, or at least cause him to make a mistake that will allow us to get close,” Selene suggests, bringing us back to the point.

  “You then need to take out some of his lieutenants, and his minions. There’s also a rumor going around that he has been having a group of demon’s kidnap young children for him to experiment on. It is said that he has been trying to turn them into supernaturals through DNA manipulation. The ones that don’t make it, he allows the demons to eat.”

  “What the hell! You can’t be serious. It’s the lamia isn’t it?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

  “How’d you?” Jaxson begins.

  “We were just going to ask you if you knew anything about that. We heard rumors that kids had gone missing and were going to take care of it ASAP, but this is different. If Namen actually is involved, we really have to be careful,” Selene says.

  “But it still needs to be done,” I say, with finality. We weren’t going to argue this anymore. The lamia are going to be handled. By me.

  “Then, I guess that is not up for discussion. Tell me what you know then and I will see if I can add to it,” Jaxson offers.

  Selene gives him the information she learned and he adds to it by telling us that he knows the town where the lamia is keeping the children. But, since he’s been ordered by Anubis to stay away, he can give us no more than that.

  “I will do my best to convince Anubis that we need to take action now. Namen Young is a threat and I think that it’s time to do something about it. I’m ready to stand with you on this,” Jaxson promises as there’s a knock at the door.


  “You may enter,” he permits.

  “Mr. Kellog, you’re needed at the front,” says a short haired female employee. She gives us a friendly smile and then leaves.

  “Well, duty calls, I’m afraid. But you are welcome here if you wish to stay, if not, then be careful and do not make a move until I give you a call. I want to see if I can talk to Anubis first, then I will come with you. If the lamia’s numbers are that great, there may be something else there that he’s hiding. You just might need a nose like mine,” Jaxson tells us.

  “You might be right, but I really don’t want to have to wait any more nights than one or two. Children are dying,” I explain.

  “I understand that missy, but sometimes patience can give you a whole lot more than rushing in blindly. You don’t want any mistakes when it comes to that witch.”

  “Alright, now you’re sounding like Selene. I get it, just don’t keep me waiting too long okay,” I tell him, trying not to sound too much like a demand.

  “I will handle my end human. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to see what the issue is downstairs.” With that, he leaves us to converse among ourselves.

  Selene busts out in a cute, school girl giggle, covering her mouth as I look at her sideways.

  “What is it?” I inquire.

  “Mr. Kellog. This whole time I thought his last name was Jaxson.”

  We stand there silently, staring at each other for a few seconds before we burst out laughing, louder this time. “Hell, I thought so too,” I admit.

  After that, we decide to have a couple drinks just to see if Jaxson will come back to speak with us. He never does, so we take our leave for the night.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  The night air brushes against my bare neck and a chill courses through my body like an electric pulse. When we got here, the street was fairly quiet, but now, it seems even emptier of life. I try to shake off the feeling.

  “What now?” I ask Selene as we head down the street to our car.

  “Pay attention Rayne, what do you sense?” Selene snaps at me quietly. I start to slow up, but she snaps at me again. “No, don’t slow your pace, just pay attention. What do you sense?”

  I take deep breaths as we continue our pace and that’s when I feel it, harmful intent. They’re surrounding us. There is at least six of them, but there’s something else, someone that I couldn’t sense last time, but now feel her a clearly as if she is standing two feet in front of me. Maybe it’s because she’s allowed me to. I find her presence weirdly comforting when I know nothing about her. To make sure I’m right, I glance up to see a hooded figure crouching on the roof a few buildings down. For some reason, I don’t think Selene can detect her presence.

  “Are they wolves?” I whisper, hoping that they can’t hear me if they are.

  “I think so, and clearly not of Anubis’s pack, which is dangerous in itself for them, since this doesn’t seem to be their territory to be trying to hunt or kill. My only guess is that Namen put them up to this,” Selene responds.

  “Your guess is probably right, which means, not only is it a day from the full moon, but we’re going to have to deal with at least six of them when they’re nearly at their strongest. We may have help though.”

  “Yes, if someone hears the commotion and Jaxson and his pack come to help,” Selene agrees with me, at least thinking that it’s our werewolf allies that I’m talking about. I was referring to my mysterious watcher above.

  How did she even know I was here? There’s no time to think about it now. We have to do something before they figure out that we are on to them.

  I pretend to find some money on the ground as I laugh real loud, as if I’m continuing a conversation. Then, I whisper, “Selene, do something about these street lights, then try to make as much noise with these cars as you can. Maybe it will cause them to hesitate and even back off; if not, then at least it will get someone to notice.” I speak quickly as I hear the grunts of the change come over some of the wolves. I lift my head back up and say, “Now.” I pull Katsu from my back as the pop of the street lights fill the air.

  One by one, they go out in sparks, just before a chorus of car alarms slice through the peace of the night. One stupid wolf moves forward anyway, seemingly now unsure of his task. I’m not unsure of mine, however. I launch myself one handed over a car and slice through his stomach as he tries to leap at me, me up under him. Then, I spin back around to face him as he howls in pain. I flick his blood off my sword as he attacks me again, this time, not alone as another wolf leaps at me from behind. Selene knocks the second one away, mid leap, shaking on the ground as if electrocuted as I take the leg of the first wolf.

  I get shivers at the feel of the lost limb as Katsu slices through it, but I force myself not to think about it. He too drops to the ground, the pain causing him to change back to human, unconscious and bleeding. Werewolves heal better in wolf form. It isn’t looking good for stumpy. I try to figure out which one is the strongest of the group as I count my enemies.

  Howls come from the direction of the club and then the thunder of powerful paws on the pavement fills my ears. Seconds later, I recognize Jaxson even in his half-wolf form as he stops in front of me, growling at the shadows.

  Jaxson has the face and ears of a wolf as well as the lupine structure of back legs. His feet are even those of a wolf’s, but his arms, hands, and torso is that of man covered in light fur. Razor sharp claws and massive teeth complete his killer form. He is a chestnut color with a long black streak going down his chest. His glowing yellow eyes make him look deadly and alien.

  He is just as massive as I imagined in his wolf-man form. At least seven feet tall and pretty damn wide. Other pack members fall in line flanking Jaxson, me, and even Selene who is still a distance away, fingertips glowing, next spell at the ready. There are eight of them and they are all different shades of color from red to black and even multicolored. A few of the stronger wolves are in their half-wolf form, but the rest are in their full werewolf shift. Amazing. Beautiful and lethal.

  “Our territory. Our pack. Leave,” he orders the other group, his voice sounding incredibly animal like and almost too hard to understand. That’s probably why he only used a few words. It was something else he’d forgot to mention though, that they could still speak in that form. Other weres couldn’t.

  They refuse to budge, but try to decide what they are going to do. I guess they take too long to make a decision for Jaxson, because the next word he snaps is, “KILL,” and his wolves don’t hesitate. They move with all the precision of a trained military squad. The enemy wolves that never shifted don’t even stand a chance. It’s actually horrifying as I watch the wolves tear apart the other pack. Bones crunch, screams are muffled under bloody snarls. I’m completely frozen in place as my eyes digest the carnage.

  Before long, there’s silence. Even the two wolves in front of me are torn apart. I try my best not to vomit every part of my insides, knowing that if I seem frightened or vulnerable, these wolves may not even be able to stop themselves from making me their next prey. Instead, I just back up, find Selene’s hand and squeeze it tightly, hoping that I’m not shaking too much.

  When Jaxson finally changes back, he’s standing naked and bloodied, eyes still yellow from the change and far too wild for my liking. I almost take a step back, but Selene holds me firm. A couple of his men and one woman start to collect what’s left of the bodies after they finish their Change back to human. The rest take to the streets, probably searching for any other threats. I don’t even want to know what happens next. I force myself to turn away from the scene and back to Jaxson.

  “This is the life of the luna dasa, human. If you are to walk among us, you must not turn away, you must accept what is. They were given a chance to leave our territory. They all knew the penalty for breaking pack law and attacking one under our protection,” Jaxson says simply as fact, not for understanding.

  “Thank you for coming to our aide,” Selene says. “It wo
uld have gotten really ugly without you.”

  “Agreed,” I tell him.

  “If Anubis said protect you, then we shall. I said to be careful, now can you do that this time?” he asks, almost amused. His eyes slowly return to their normal dark color.

  “I think we can manage it from here now. Although, Namen is really trying to stop me isn’t he?”

  “Maybe he’s threatened. Good. But that also means that Anubis too will have to be careful. It is definitely time to make a move.”

  “How will you clean up, this, uh mess?” I ask, slightly afraid to know the answer.

  “We’ve been doing this a long long time, Rayne, don’t you worry about it. We have our ways,” Jaxson assures me. “Now, get outta here before something else goes wrong.”

  I nod, then look up at the building where my watcher had been. She’s no longer there just as I suspected she wouldn’t be. I have no doubts that I’d be seeing her really soon.

  It turns out soon will be tonight. We get to the car without incident, but there is a note on the front window of the driver’s side. Selene picks up the note, reads it quietly, and hands it to me.

  You will come alone. 3375 Turner Ln. One Hour.

  “The hell you will! Cadela louca,” Selene practically yells into the night as I put the note into my pocket. “And don’t think for one second that you can convince me otherwise Rayne; I’m warning you.”

  I put my hands up in defeat. “Hey, hey. I think we should play it how you want to okay. We’ll both go and you can watch my back from the outside.”

  Selene gives me the death stare, then sighs long and hard. “You’ll have five minutes Rayne to figure out who the hell she is and what she wants before I come in after you. I’m not playing around on this. This could be a setup from Namen.”

  “It’s not Selene. I saw her on the rooftop earlier, she was watching, waiting to help if we needed it. I don’t know why, but I know that’s the truth,” I argue.