SCAR (LOST CREEK SHIFTERS NOVELLAS Book 2) Page 3

  The group fell silent, and then Willow remembered and knew, in an instant, what they were referring to. She couldn’t help it but she had to turn around and look. When she did, she could see the tears pricking the corners of Thorben’s eyes.

  “Well,” Arlo said with a sigh, “if they are back in town, we will have to make sure they’re driven straight back out.” He cracked his knuckles and Willow felt her heart begin to race.

  “We can’t have them back around here,” Thorben said. “No one’s safe as long as they are.”

  The rest of the group nodded and Willow felt her eyes widen with alarm. She had heard the stories, along with a few of the other privileged few in town. If those two wolves had returned, it would surely only mean trouble. From the way legend had gone, they were very bad men indeed.

  4.

  She had heard the stories in all of their various forms whilst she had been working at Arlo’s across the years, and there was something at the back of her memory which even recalled when it had happened, way back one summer many years before.

  It had been a terrible tragedy. One that had rocked Lost Creek and everyone in it. A child had died. Thorben’s child. A six-year-old boy named Freddy who had been alone and playing in the woods by the lake one sunny afternoon.

  He had been found by one of the local fishermen, and although the majority of people who lived in Lost Creek believed it to be a random animal attack, the Unbroken Bears and their secret brotherhood knew different. And the presence of Blu Tarrenwolf’s wallet at the scene of the crime only confirmed their worst fears.

  A werewolf… A member of the rival pack in town, The Lost Alpha’s, had brutally murdered one of the bear’s own.

  It had caused chaos. It had meant a once peaceful treaty was shattered. It had caused fighting and unrest, one that had shaken the town to its very core. The majority of people who had lived in Lost Creek had known nothing about the battle in their midst. They had continued on with their lives as normal, completely unaware that two powerful shifter packs were fighting right alongside them and wrestling for control of the town. And it probably would have stayed that way until Blu’s fiancé was caught up in the crossfire.

  Willow remembered her vaguely. She had been a beautiful girl and her and Blu had lived a happy life with their beautiful baby girl Luna. But in a revenge attack by the Unbroken Bears, she had become another casualty of the Lost Creek Pack War.

  Willow shuddered as she thought about it all. Of what she had pieced together over the years. Arlo had told her some of the details, and others she had listened in on when Thorben and some of the other Unbroken Bears came into the bar and had one too many. But this time, she could tell that things were different.

  She had always heard that, in the aftermath of the two tragic deaths, Scar and Blu had always professed their innocence. They were adamant that they hadn’t had any hand in Freddy being killed, and so they had felt personally attacked by Luna’s mother’s murder. But even after everything, they were still banished.

  The elders of the town all saw that it was the only way to keep the peace between The Lost Alpha’s and The Unbroken Bears, but then, surely, this was still the case, and why would the two banished wolves suddenly return?

  Willow felt her confusion mounting.

  She wanted to stand and listen to Arlo and his friends talking, but she knew that if they saw her, they would shoo her away. Even though she had been a loyal friend and employee over the years, she knew that when it came down to it, she wasn’t one of them. Not really…

  She was just a human, and she would never know what it was really like to experience life as they knew it. She had come to accept what she knew was happening in the world around her, but when she really stopped and thought about it for a moment, she realized just how crazy and bizarre it all was.

  These men, her boss and his friends, they were half men and half bear. They looked like handsome guys, but inside, they harbored a dangerous secret. And an even more dangerous power.

  She felt a chill creep over her.

  She had almost just let herself become immune to the truth because she had never truly seen it with her own eyes. It was almost as if she didn’t really believe it could honestly happen.

  But hearing them speak about the two wolves that had returned to town, she could feel the shift in the mood and it hung heavily in the air of Arlo’s bar.

  She didn’t know what it would mean for her, or for her own little world, but she could tell that big things were about to happen and she stood a good chance of being caught up in the crossfire.

  At the end of her shift, she watched as the last remaining customers made their way to the exit. It was almost three AM and she was tired beyond belief. Arlo was still in the corner booth with his friends and Willow lifted her hand to say goodbye. They were all so consumed in their conversation that none of them even seemed to notice as she pulled the front door open and stepped out into the night air.

  Poppy had left to go home a few hours before and for the first time ever, Willow suddenly missed the company of another person as she left the bar. She had always walked home alone, but after hearing what she had that night, she felt uneasy and as if there was a heavy sense of doom hanging in the streets around her.

  She looked from left to right. Main Street was dark, apart from the scattering of street lamps which were burning low and casting orange and yellow glows around the glistening pavements. It had rained earlier in the evening and she wondered if it had affected the slopes up on the mountains. She looked down toward the farthest end of town and could see that The Nowhere Bar was still full of people and music was filtering out into the night. Heavy rock tunes bounced underneath the street and she could see a group of men all stood smoking on the corner, running their hands through their slicked back hair. It was hard to tell who they were from a distance, but she was pretty sure it was Zeke and River, and a few of their friends. She had never been able to tell for sure, but she had always suspected that they were part of the wolves that roamed Lost Creek at night.

  Suddenly, from behind her to the right, she was aware of a shadow moving swiftly. She turned, her breath caught in her throat and she gasped as she clutched her jacket around her at the throat. She didn’t know why but her hands were shaking. She was barely ten feet away from the main door to Arlo’s Bar, but she felt as if she were miles away. The air around her seemed cold and she had the overwhelming feeling that she wasn’t alone.

  Her apartment was only a short walk away. If she decided to run, she could easily be at her own front door in less than two minutes. But something was making her want to stay. Something was rooting her to the spot, and yet, she couldn’t explain what.

  From her left, from the direction of The Nowhere Bar, suddenly, footsteps started to approach her and she spun around. The figure that was approaching her was tall and muscular, and with the lights behind him, he was silhouetted against them. Willow squinted and held her hand up to her eyes, trying to see who was coming toward her, but finding it almost impossible to focus.

  “Hello?” she said almost in a whisper as the figure kept coming closer.

  Even from where she was standing, she could see that the person coming toward her was male; he had broad and defined shoulders and a perfectly squared jaw. But the way the light was obscuring her view, she couldn’t tell if she recognized him or not, or whether he was one of the tourists.

  He didn’t speak but he kept on moving forward. Willow took a step back instinctively and reached into her purse. She had the feeling inside of her that everything was going to be fine and that she had nothing to be afraid of, but she didn’t want to risk being caught off guard and wrapped her fingers around the sharp point of her house keys.

  The man stopped and looked at her. The more in the shadows he was, the more she realized that she definitely didn’t know him from around town. He must have been a tourist.

  “Can I help you?” she asked helpfully.

  If this guy is some s
ort of psycho, all I have to do is scream, and within less than ten seconds, half of The Unbroken Bears pack will be right out here beside me, she thought.

  “I’m just looking for an old friend,” the voice came out of the darkness. It was smooth and deep, and it sent a tingle down Willow’s spine.

  She faltered for a moment, unsure of what to say, and then, before she had a chance to respond, he took another step forward and he was finally in the street lights. They fell across his face and lit him up for her to see.

  Willow’s breath caught in her throat and her knees felt suddenly weak. The man in front of her was tall, dark and unbelievably handsome, and yet, there was a familiarity to him that stirred in her something from way back in the past.

  His eyes were ice blue and seemed to penetrate the night. Willow swallowed, her skin started to burn up from deep inside of her and she felt hot all over. She hadn’t experienced a reaction to someone like this in a very long time. If ever.

  She felt giddy and unable to speak. She feared if she did, she would stumble over her words. She was aware of her mouth gaping open, but she didn’t want to close it in case it drew even more attention to how dumbfounded he was leaving her.

  She slowly dropped her grip on the keys and found herself smiling.

  “Sorry,” she managed to croak out. “I just… You’re kind of familiar…” Her mind was working overtime. And even after the conversations she had found herself listening to all evening, it still didn’t click who was standing right there in front of her.

  The man smiled and his eyes flashed sexily against the lights. He took another step closer to her and as he turned his face to look toward the door of Arlo’s, suddenly, she saw it; running deep and jagged from his right eye down to his chin… A thick, ancient Scar.

  Willow gasped and her heart started to hammer in her chest. But she wasn’t sure whether it was from excitement or fear.

  “I remember you too,” the man said deeply. “We did meet once before, many years ago.”

  And now she didn’t need any more hints or clues. She knew exactly who was standing in front of her, exactly who had made his way toward her during the dead of night.

  The man in front of her was none other than Scar himself. One of the banished wolves. The rumors were true, he had most certainly returned to Lost Creek.

  5.

  It was as if an icy wind had wrapped itself around her. Her whole body was tingling and his eyes were so clear and blue it was as if they were penetrating her from right across the street. She instinctively pulled her jacket closer to shield herself, and she watched the way his smile flitted over his lips, revealing his white teeth. His scar seemed to tickle the side of his mouth and it sent a shiver through her. She wanted to reach out and touch it. She wanted to run her fingertips over its winding folds and feel his warmness against hers.

  From behind her, the sound of a door opening and slamming off the wall broke her daydream. It was as if she had been put in a trance and the sudden movement and noise had woken her up with a crash. She jumped and turned around to see Arlo standing in the doorway of the bar with Thorben and the others behind him. They all looked riled and angry and all of their eyes were fixed firmly on Scar.

  Willow flitted her eyes back to him, to the new guy in town; to the one she remembered from many years ago but couldn’t place in her memories. Where he fit in was still a mystery.

  “I heard you’d come back,” Arlo said with a snarl.

  Willow took a step backward and made it so that she was closer to the bears. She didn’t want to appear to be bonding with Scar after what she had heard about him and his past. If it was all true, then he was a cold blooded murderer.

  “We couldn’t stay away forever,” Scar said. His voice was so smooth and deep it seemed to vibrate right through her soul.

  “Funny… Because I thought that was the arrangement,” Arlo said cockily and angrily as he took a step forward.

  Behind him, Thorben was being held back by Bodhi and Kodhi, the twins. His arms flailed out in front of him and his teeth were bared.

  Willow could see the pain in his eyes and she wanted to run. She wanted to get as far away from this awful situation as possible, and yet, she knew that she couldn’t. She had to stand her ground and watch how it was all going to unfold. Even though she wasn’t involved in either side, she felt the overwhelming urge to know fully what was going on.

  “I came here to speak with you all, before Blu returns,” Scar continued sternly.

  At the mention of Blu’s name, Thorben let out a low guttural moan that verged on a growl. His rage was apparent even from across the street and she felt her mouth sag open as he suddenly began to change. She saw the look in his eyes darken, the flashes of a powerful animal that were rising up within him. His rage had taken on another form altogether and Willow covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to look away.

  “No,” Arlo said. “Not here, not now…”

  Thorben growled up into the night and it made the hairs on Willow’s neck stand on end. When she looked back to him, she could see the anguish that was written all over his face and the anger that was ready to explode from him.

  She had never seen Thorben like that, and although she didn’t know him well, she could tell that there was something running inside of him that was powerful and dangerous… Something animalistic and terrifying, like the bear could have burst free from him at any moment.

  “Willow,” Arlo said as he turned to her with his deep brown eyes. “Go home.”

  She was frozen and rooted to the spot. She looked up at him and even though she knew that she should listen to him, she couldn’t seem to tear herself away.

  She looked back to Thorben and the twins in the doorway and then back to Arlo before her eyes were once again drawn to Scar. He was so different to them, and yet, she could sense something so similar in him. She wanted to reach out. She wanted to plead for both sides and she couldn’t even explain why.

  “Go home,” Arlo said again, even more sternly.

  Scar’s eyes were fixed on her and even though her heart was hammering so hard she was sure that they could all hear it, they all seemed to be almost oblivious to her presence. All of them, that is, but Scar…

  She was the closest to him and she could feel him moving closer, she didn’t even have to turn to see him. Her skin responded to him, her heart twinged.

  “I said go home,” Arlo snapped and this time, it made Willow jump.

  She felt tears well up in her eyes even though she didn’t know why and she took a step backward. She moved away from Scar and away from Arlo and the rest of The Unbroken Bears. She was further down the street, completely separated from any of them and she suddenly felt very alone.

  She ran her hands down her arms, almost to check if she was still in one piece and then she turned and ran.

  As her feet pounded on the pavement, she didn’t hear another thing and she didn’t dare look back. She had no idea at all what would become of that standoff and there was a part of her that didn’t want to know. All she could be sure of was that she was right when she had felt that something big was about to happen.

  She reached the front door of her building and turned back to peer down Main Street to see if they were still outside Arlo’s, but the place was deserted. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, as if she believed it must have been a trick of her imagination, but there was no one in sight.

  She couldn’t tell where they had gone, but they were no longer outside the bar and by the looks of things, they weren’t inside it either. She could see that the big metal shutters had been pulled down and the place was locked up for the night. In the seconds it had taken her to run to her front door, someone had closed down the bar and locked the entire place up, and then they had all disappeared.

  Her whole body shivered again.

  She turned and opened the door and stepped inside. As she walked up the three flights of stairs to her floor, her mind was in turmoil.

&
nbsp; What have I just witnessed?

  Are they all going to be all right?

  Where did they go?

  How did they all leave that fast?

  Scar…

  She didn’t know why, but he was playing on her mind. She knew that, even though she wasn’t part of one of the packs, if she were to develop feelings for a member of the wolves, it would be the end of her life at Arlo’s. She didn’t know much about what went on between the two packs, but she knew that relations weren’t good. And then there was all of the history that appeared to be dragged back up, right then and there.

  She closed her door behind her and locked it with the key before pulling across all of the chain. She had never felt the need to do that before, but for the first time since she had lived there, she didn’t feel safe.

  She had no idea how they could have disappeared so quickly, and she had no idea what could be happening between Arlo and Scar at that very moment. She just hoped that neither of them hurt the other.

  She had an obvious loyalty to Arlo. He had been her friend for years, and her boss, someone who had given her a livelihood and made sure that she was always taken care of. But she had felt something that she couldn’t explain when she had seen Scar. There had been more than an attraction and a pull. There was something there that felt as if it had been deeply woven somewhere before and now that they had been placed in front of each other, it was bubbling to the surface.

  I don’t even remember meeting him, she thought. But now that I’ve seen him, I know that we’ve spent time together… As kids maybe… Her mind wandered and she tried to recall all of the times she had played out in the streets late at night when she was a child.

  She only remembered vague snippets of what it was like to grow up in Lost Creek, and there was nothing that stood out as significant. All of her memories were long lost or changed and she couldn’t pin down what was real and what was not.