Page 17 of Camp Dire

I hear the unmistakable pride in her voice as she looks at her wolf. I’m pretty fucking proud too. Even though the creature flings the wolves off him, they just keep coming back and Merrik is vicious. He goes for the throat several times. The creature is covered in bites and the brothers work in tandem to keep it busy so it doesn’t think about us. I look to Kyra and silently tell her to run back to the house as quietly as she can.

She actually looks at me with surprise on her face before she starts walking backwards slowly. When she gets a good distance away, she breaks and takes off running. Two more wolves comeout of nowhere also attacking the creature. They’re smaller than Merrik but about the same size as his brother. All four wolves work together to do as much damage as they can to the monster. But they are going to need help.

When Kyra comes back, I start sweating. This is so important and what if I fuck it up? What if my aim is off? I have sucky aim to start with. What makes me think I can even pull this off? But what if I don’t even try? Because if something happens to Merrik while I’m self-doubting and wasting chances…I would never forgive myself. I move to the side and send a silent message to Merrik. I’m not sure if he can hear me or not but he and his brother do back off slightly.

“Hey, asshole!”

The creature turns to look at me. As soon as I called out his name, I raised my arm, pulled back…, and let the statue I carried downstairs and had Kyra run to grab for me fly. I throw it with all my might. It doesn’t do anything to the creature…but it allows Merrik time to be precise and go for his throat. It gives the other three time to jump on him in such a way that Merrik doesn’t get hurt. And it just makes me feel better like I’m useful in some small way.

Merrik rips at the thing’s throat, just like he did to Doyle when he was in wolf form and tried to kill me. When Merrik gets thrown off, his brother attacks and makes a gash in the other side of its neck. The creature is bleeding so much that he starts to stagger, and his powerful swings become less focused and the two smaller wolves grab onto the flailing arms, teeth sinking into the arms. The wolves eventually pull the thing down and Merrik and his brother take turns biting his throat.

The monster lets out an unearthly howl as its dark blood soaks into the ground around it. After a while, the wolves back up and the thing stops moving. Everyone seems to be holding their breath, waiting to find out if the thing is really dead or if this is going to be a true horror movie. After a long pause, the monster starts to shrink and turn into a man…only the hair on the creature doesn’t recede. It takes me a moment to realize in the dim twilight what I’m actually looking at. The body is wrapped in...a fur pelt.

“What the hell am I staring at right now?”

I jump at the voice by my side.

“Kenny?”

He winces and looks over at Kyra but answers me. “Yeah. I guess I’m Kenny. You must be Piper. I’ve heard almost nothing about you but if you bother my brother this much then I can’t wait to get to know you.”

He gives me an easy smile as he reaches for Kyra.

“Is he...? He…he’s not one of our wolves.” Annie says with certainty.

“I don’t think he’s a wolf at all.” Merrik comes up behind me wrapping his arms around me, only after he does do I realize how cold it is out here.

“Merrik, my man, did you go and find yourself a mate, buddy?”

My eyes slide over to the man standing in nothing but a pair of loose shorts. His mirror image comes up right beside him.

“Man, I hate changing back in the winter. Your balls get all…”

“Hey!” Merrik’s voice whips through the air like a physical snap, “Dare! I would suggest you don’t talk about your balls or anything else of the sort in front of my mate or else I will be forced to end you.”

“Shit! The rumors are true! Merrik found his mate!” The other man all but shouts it out wearing a big, goofy grin.

“Damn, that moon is making everyone crazy! Let’s wrap this shit up and get the hell out of here, brother!”

The smiley one replies with a single word, “Agreed!”

Chapter Sixteen

Merrik

“Not until I settle my mate somewhere warmer. She doesn’t need to be out in this cold.”

“Mine either! I suggest the two of you clean this up and Merrik and I will secure the house, and we’ll all meet in the kitchen when we’re done. Wrap it up quickly so we can all be ready for the moon.”

“Yeah, yeah! Whatever you say…Kenny!”

My brother snarls at Dare as his brother Baden snickers and mouths the word ‘Kenny’.

“Unless the two of you want to be around when that moon comes up…I suggest hurrying.” I mimick my brother's words so they know it's an official request.

I watch as Piper rushes up the stairs. She mentioned something about trying to find clothes to put on, so she wasn’t just in her nightgown. I am all for that, but I also want to have a moment with my mate. I follow her up. When I walk into the room she’s standing in the middle of it looking confused.

“Your things are in the closet on the top shelf. I didn’t want to overstep by putting them away for you.”

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