Page 25 of His to Possess

“Which means that the killer lives in our community and not another pack,” I groused, my heart racing.

He smiled in a knowing manner. “Perhaps.” He offered me a drink, his eyes darting back and forth. He was searching mine.

If one of our own was the murderer, I would kill him with my bare hands. His curt answer meant my father had much more of a handle on what was going on than he wanted to tell me.

I accepted the drink, swirling the liquid before taking a sip. My nerves remained on edge. “I have to catch this bastard. There is no other choice.”

“Yes, you do. You need to lead your pack out of danger.”

“That’s not my job, Pops.” I almost hated saying the words. “But of course, I’m going to protect the pack. That is my… requirement.”

“Then you must use your skills, son, and I’m not talking about your police training.” He studied me as I thought about what he was saying. “Learn from this monster. Understand his needs. Hone in on his desires. This is the beginning of a new phase.”

“I’ve already learned from the bastard. You knew that would occur, didn’t you, Father?”

He chuckled, his dark eyes more like the blackness of my very soul. “I could only hope. You are special, Max, much more so than you are aware of. Your gifts will be called into this battle.”

“Battle. I don’t like to be used.”

“This is your destiny and one you can no longer run from. Now, tell me what you saw, what you gathered from your meeting with him.”

I took my time before answering, frustrated about my own heritage. “When we were fighting, I could feel his anger, could almost see through his eyes from minutes before during the attack on the victim. He’s rational, or at least that’s what I gathered from our connection.”

“The sight, my son. You are gaining more of the sight once again. I’m very pleased.”

I was half Cherokee. The ‘sight’ as he called it was one of the gifts; an attribute that I’d explored as a child but had seemed to grow out of. The ugly truth was that I’d shoved them aside, loathing being different than the other boys. I wrung my hands, still able to see a partial vision, although the details were fuzzy. “I don’t know how remembering what few details I do is going to help me or my ability to catch him.”

“Nurture the sight and trust in your instincts. Feed off everything you learned. In time, you will see two distinct visions at the same time. What occurred and what is. That will guide you to him.” Blackhawk patted me on the shoulder, obviously a proud man. “You will become our hero as you should be.”

Hero. I almost laughed at the notion.

“Any idea who it could be?”

“Son, we have almost twenty-five hundred people living in our little town. While I try and keep up with basic politics and social news, I can’t any longer. There have been discussions on the council, but no evidence found.”

In other words, the rogue wolf could be anyone, including people who were closest to the upper echelon of the pack.

“While that may be true, if you can see two different visions at all times, then why can’t you tell who it is?” I asked, grinning afterwards. The challenge was one I knew he’d relish.

“Because I’m an old man,” he said, laughing, then his expression turned serious. “The sight only works for a period of time. Hours, maybe a full day, but no more. The visions fade. That allows for protection of those with the gift given they have no memory of what they saw in their mind.”

“That means this fucking killer could have dinner with you after twenty-four hours and you wouldn’t be the wiser as to the fact he has blood on his hands,” I huffed, my thoughts drifting to Stone. He had his own reasons for wanting revenge on the Wolfen. “We need to hunt this fucker down.”

“Unfortunately, you are correct and there is also something else. Certain wolves have the ability to mask their own actions within seconds. They are very powerful in mind and spirit, their capabilities endless. You have that ability, Max. You must use it wisely.”

Another gift I didn’t realize I’d inherited. I sighed, my heart and mind heavy. “From what I could tell, the wolf I fought didn’t have this extraordinary ability. I was able to see far too many horrible fucking things, including horrific visions from his past crimes. The bastard enjoyed every moment of the kills.”

“Then try and remember every detail,” he advised. “When a wolf is in a killing mode, it is much harder for them to hide behind the mask.”

“Does anyone else within our community know about this ability?”

He took another sip of his drink. “The councilmembers as well as a few other high-ranking officials.”

Fantastic. If the wolf was simply a killer, he could know how to hide.

“You truly believe the disease is no longer dormant,” I countered.

“That is a possibility to consider and another reason why we need your help and leadership. There is growing fear amongst our people, fabrications beginning to shift throughout social circles. We can’t have that,” he continued.

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