144
Matt
For the rest of the ride back to Blue Moon, Tony was on the phone with various people, generally seeming like he wasn’t slipping off the deep end. Some of the calls made him growl, but a lot of them didn’t. I couldn’t tell if he was getting any closer to figuring out who else from White Moon might be alive and where they might be, but I was grateful for him being distracted.
It had been too close. My stomach was in knots. How long could I keep up this lie? I pulled out my phone and opened a message to the Council’s information line.
I’m a shifter who has been cursed by a witch. How long will the curse last?
I swallowed, waiting for a reply.
It depends on the strength of the witch and their intentions behind it. It will also depend on the strength of the shifter. Have you been formally tested?
I blinked and glanced at Tony. I couldn’t ask Tony. I would have to ask our beta, but I couldn’t do that with Tony here.
I’m not sure. How would I know if I had been tested?
The reply came quickly. The results of your test would be attached to your supernatural profile with the Council. I can walk you through looking up your records.
I swallowed and glanced over at Tony, making sure he wasn’t paying attention. As I started to follow the prompts to the section of the Council’s databases for vital records. My heart was racing as I worked quickly. Quickly, I got through the system, but I stopped as we pulled to a stop at a gas station. Our beta got out to pump gas. Tony got out, snarling about being hungry. He pulled a card out of his wallet and tossed it on the seat. I was left alone. My heart raced. I grabbed Tony’s wallet and pulled out his ID, typing in his supernatural ID into the field and the rest of his information.
There was not lock on his profile. I slipped his ID back into his wallet as his profile populated.
Classification: Werewolf
Shifter Strength: Non-Existent
I frowned and clicked through his information, searching for answers as to what that meant. Werewolves were considered different than wolf shifters, but something told me that it wasn’t as simple as that. After all, I had always been told that werewolves were stronger than all shifters except for dragons, but wouldn’t they have a rating for that? A few clicks later, I arrived at a page that sent my heart racing.
A non-existent shifter strength rating indicates that the person tested has no trace of shifter energy. This is an indication that the person has been cursed to turn into an animal, and while they may have some control over it, they are not fully in control of their faculties.
I went back to the information line. Could a shifter under a restraint show up as having a non-existent shifter strength rating?
The reply came back. No. The only way a person would have a non-existent shifter strength rating is if they are not a shifter. Most typically, this is true of humans who have been changed into a werewolf.
My heart raced. I hadn’t known that there were people who had actually been turned successfully. I frowned and tried to access my own records.
Classification: Werewolf
Shifter Strength: Delta
My eyes bulged. I clicked through the information. That couldn’t be right. We were twins. It made no sense for us to have different anything. If Tony was basically a turned human, then I should be too.
A delta shifter strength rating indicates that the person test has a minimal level of shifter energy. This is an indication that the person is either several generations away from their nearest shifter relative, under a strong restraint, or is suffering under a strength siphon. If you suspect you may be under a restraint or a siphon, make your way to the nearest coven hospital for assistance.
My heart was racing when Tony got back into the car with a bag of snacks. I looked at him as he tore into a bag of jerky he’d bought. I looked back down to the screen of my phone and took a deep breath as I type a question into the Council’s information line.
Where is the nearest coven hospital to Blue Moon Pack’s Territory?
Soon, we got back on the road, and Tony got back on the phone. Soon, his pleased tone turned into growling.
“Why the hell not?”
I heard the phone crack in his hand as he listened to whoever was on the other side.
“What about the cameras?” His jaw set. “Then, get clearance from the—”
His eyes narrowed. “What else can you tell me?”
He sat back, typing on his laptop with one hand, seemingly taking notes. I didn’t bother to try and look. My mind was turning, trying to figure out what I was going to do. Did I want to do anything? Would I be able to? Tony was going to be hypervigilant about everything I did. More so than usual. I spent most of the ride trying to look into the Council’s records. I didn’t remember ever going into any sort of training through the Council. I couldn’t remember if that was because of our father or something else. Maybe when we were younger, the requirements were different.
Or just not enforced?
“Tony?” He turned stiffly to look at me. “When you mentioned… the truce between the three packs. Why did you say that?”
He narrowed his eyes. “How else are we going to stand against the other supernatural races if we aren’t unified?”
I blinked. “Stand… against?”
“The witches and the dragons practically have a formal alliance,” Tony said. “The other shifter races are already bowing to the dragons. Pretty soon the dragons are going to take over everything.”’
I swallowed, feeling like I was entering into dangerous territory. “You’re… sure about that?”
“Peter’s stupid ploys to try and turn humans into werewolves is making waves before we can unify ourselves enough to stand against them.” His lips twitched. “Then, we can push into the human world. That’s the easy part.”
He laughed. “We already own most of their industry. Once we can pull their military advantage, it will be easy. We’ll be back to the way it used to be when we were on top.”
I blinked and swallowed. There was something in his eyes that set me on edge and made me uncomfortable.
He went back to his phone call. “Have any of them appeared?... All of them?”
He huffed. “Covering their tracks, I’m sure. What about…”
I turned away, looking out the window, wondering for the second time in a while, that I didn’t know what was going on.
“Tony, I—”
The car swerved violently as something slammed into the side of the car. We spun and spun until we slammed into something and came to a full stop. Smoke rose out of the hood. Tony snarled. The air shook, and I felt the surge of power threatening to wash over me. The windows shook, and the few that hadn’t broken at the impact wobbled.
Then, a high-pitched sound filled the air, and heat burned and hit my side. Tony went still as he looked at me. I drew my hand away from the wound. The familiar burn of wolfsbane started to grow through me.
Tony went pale. “Matt…”
“We have to—”
I yanked him down with me to the floor. The rest of the glass shattered. Guns went off, opening fire. I shoved Tony down and crawled over him, reaching for the handle of the other door. I smelled blood and the forest. I saw our beta on the ground, shuddering and fighting to get the wolfsbane bullet out of his side. The car rocked with the force of the bullets. I felt the bullets streak across my back as I slipped out of the car. I grabbed Tony’s leg, clenching my jaw as I felt more blood gushing out of my side.
“Quick!” I panted, yanking at his leg. He didn’t move.
My heart lurched. I put my foot on the side of the car and yanked hard. He grunted as he landed on the ground. A trail of blood was left behind, and my heart lurched in terror. Tony had been hit. He was barely moving. Our beta crawled to us.
“The woods,” he gasped. “Quickly.”
He hefted Tony up. I watched the blood drip, and I followed him into the woods, watching the black veins starting to grow up his neck. Our beta’s steps faltered. I felt a little queasy as Tony continued to bleed. A thunderstorm started over head. The air turned cool around us as we got behind a tree. I could still hear the bullets being fired as they rushed past.
Our beta set Tony down and started to pull open his jacket. Tony shuddered. The veins were so thick I was almost certain he was dead.
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