Page 18 of Howling Holidays

“I told you, this will be dangerous for us both. But I’m not going to let anyone…or anythinghurt you, Emily. You have my word. Those sons of bitches won’t touch you. I’ll die before that happens.”

She winces at my words but puts her hand in my lap.

We finally make it to the cabin and run inside. I draw all the blinds closed and grab my 12-guage shotgun from the closet.

“Have you ever used one of these before?” I ask as I make sure it’s loaded.

She nods, “A few times with my uncles, it’s been a while though.”

“Probably won’t do much against supernatural beings, but I’m not leaving you empty handed.” I growl.

“Where are you going?” she asks, fear creeping up in her voice.

“Yes, where exactly are you going?” my grandmother chimes in as she enters the room. “What’s all this commotion about Logan?”

“The other patrol members of the pack heard my call when we were surrounded. I need to go meet them and make sure everyone else is safe. They need to know what’s going on too.”

“Ahh..” my grandmother started. “The keepers have come to collect. I was afraid this might happen.” She always has a way of knowing things.

“Anything you can share with us about breaking the curse, Gran? We could use all the help we can get right now.”

“There have been rumors about the lore containing a ritual to break the curse, but, no one’s ever been able to confirm that or we’d have long been rid of it by now. I’m sorry, dear. Emily, I’ll make us something warm to drink,” she says, heading into the kitchen.

I turn to face Emily and hand her the gun. “It’s loaded and ready to fire, only put your finger on the trigger if you intend to shoot,” I instruct.

“You’ll be back, right?” she asks, and I can hear the panic in her voice.

“I’m not sure when, but I’ll be back baby. Don’t worry about me.” I kiss her forehead and head out the door.

Not wasting any time, I shift immediately and run into the woods to meet Ethan and whoever else is on patrol. As I make my way through the dense forest, I can't help but feel a sense of urgency rushing through my veins. I know that time is running out and that we have to break this curse before it’s too late. Finally, I arrive at the meeting point, the sacred stone, and see Ethan standing alone, his eyes scanning the surroundings. As soon as he sees me, he relaxes and lets out a sigh of relief. It’s nice not having to shift back and forth to talk.

"Thank god you're here," he says. "I've been waiting for you."

"Sorry, I had to get Emily to safety first," I reply, breathing heavy from my run.

“I sent Isaac and Braden to search the perimeter of town and called in most of our back up patrol members. What the hell happened out there, man?”

“The shadow shifters we’ve been seeing attacked us when we left the Christmas festival. The shadows turned into three creepy dudes in black cloaks and they had knives with some sort of strange carvings on them. They had us surrounded but I managed hit two of them before they got away. Any sign of them?” I ask angrily.

Ethan shook his head. "Nothing yet. It's been quiet since we heard you howl."

I let out a low growl, frustrated. "We need to find them soon, and end this. We can't keep living like this, always looking over our shoulders."

He nodded.

"My Gran mentioned a ritual that could end the curse, do you know anything about it?" I asked.

"Yeah, I’ve heard rumors, but I don't know if it's real or just some old wives' tale. We can't rely on that."

“Okay, I’ll have to do more digging. For now, let’s keep up patrol and do a perimeter sweep with the rest of the guys.”

Ethan agrees, and we sprint off in opposite directions. We patrol all night, keeping our senses sharp and alert, our eyes trained for any sign of movement. As the sun begins to rise and the sky turns from dark to light, I feel a small sense of relief wash over me. Thankfully, we made it through the night without another incident. Yet still, I can’t shake the ominous feeling that thickens the air. The shadow shifters will be back, that’s for certain.

Chapter ten

Emily

Withaweekanda half left until Christmas, I help Logan and his pack at the tree farm preparing trees, garlands, and holiday wreaths with the rest of the wolf shifter families. Logan leads the operation with smooth assurance, at home in his role as leader of this hardworking clan. I pitch in wherever needed, finding comfort in the manual labor and camaraderie. Everwood's residents eye me curiously when we cross paths in town, unused to outsiders working so closely with the group they view warily as outsiders. But I hold my head high, refusing to be made to feel ashamed. These people are as much my community now as those inhabiting the cheery shops and cafes.

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