MJF's Stories

Tossing and turning like mad, getting a good night’s sleep felt like a long-forgotten concept to Freddie. Although he was getting to grips with his new normal, he hadn’t had a decent sleep since Josh had bitten him. Almost three months had passed since then, and yet he couldn’t shake Josh out of his head. His mind simply wouldn’t switch off.

He looked over at the clock – 3:38am. He had been lying awake in that bed for over three hours. Much like every single night. He was being driven slowly crazy.

Creak.

Freddie’s ears identified the unmistakable sound of the loose floorboard just outside his bedroom. Someone was there. The door was shut, he couldn’t see who. What if Josh was back? They still hadn’t heard from the rest of his pack either. Perhaps they had all come for him.

He needed to arm himself. Freddie picked up the baseball bat he kept in the wardrobe. He thought it wise to invest in one in case Josh came back to attack.

He inched towards the door. His pulse was faster than ever; he was terrified. He cupped his hand around the door handle, and rapidly slammed it down, flinging the door open. He primed himself ready for attack straight away, holding the bat high above his head, just one thought away from thwacking it down.

However, to his own horror, he saw George stood in front of him. His older, more conventionally attractive brother who was his legal carer.

“What the heck Freddie?” he yelled, putting his hands out in front of him to shield the potential whack. Freddie’s heart sank. Now he had screwed up.

The moment of truth had arrived, and Dylan was experiencing an odd mixture of excitement and nerves. Jono was printing the first edition of the new school paper. They had dedicated just about every spare moment they had over the last two months to making the first issue perfect. Every inch had seen a huge amount of care and attention from both Dylan and Jono, from the articles themselves to the presentation and layout. This moment had been a long time coming, as the paper had seen a strangely slow start.

Despite the enthusiasm of both boys, they were buried under the pressure of mock exams halfway through the school year. Much to Dylan’s annoyance, his mum kept tabs on his revision. On the bright side, study sessions with Jono were the perfect excuse to kill two birds with one stone. They always ended the same way, too.

“Et voila,” Jono announced, passing Dylan the first finished copy. Wow. This was the product of their hard work. It was a pure stunner. He felt like a proud father.

“You like it?” Jono questioned.

“I love it,” Dylan responded, awestruck.

“You’ve been staring at it on the computer for weeks, it’s not that exciting,” Jono laughed.

“I don’t know, I’ve never worked on anything like this before. Everything we’ve done has led to this. We did it,” Dylan gushed.

“Our first of many,” Jono grinned. Dylan could tell he was loving this just as much as he was, even if he was hiding it.

He skimmed his eyes down to Yasmin’s guest article. She wasn’t a journalist, but Dylan figured everyone deserved some of her study skills. She was a boss at studying and spoke much less clinically than most of the teachers. However, he noticed something strange at the bottom of her piece. He must have missed it before.

“Did you do this?” Dylan asked Jono, passing the sheet back to him.

“No, I just copy and pasted it from Yasmin’s email,” Jono was just as alarmed as he read it. The final sentence of the article said “They are here. Take cover.” It made no sense within the context of the rest of the article.

Yasmin had actually been her usual self for the past few months. No unusual eye colour, no trance-like states, and when she gave herself a papercut the other week, her blood was red. This was the first hint at anything dodgy in a while.

“We better go ask her,” Dylan decided.

“Note to self, do a better editing job,” Jono jested.

“You’re still reading that?” Yasmin questioned to Lily as she sat down at their bench outside. Lily had the Bestiary book in her hands and looked to be engrossed.

“I’m determined to finish it, I’m not giving up on you,” Lily was adamant.

“I’ve been fine for months, maybe it was temporary,” Yasmin suggested. She wasn’t believing the words she was saying, but she liked a little wishful thinking now and then. On one occasion she had to get it right.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Jono interrupted. Yasmin watched as Lily quickly shoved the book back into her bag when Jono and Dylan arrived. She hated keeping it a secret from them both.

“Huh?” Yasmin responded. It sounded like he knew something she didn’t. She hated that.

“We were just printing your article, look at this,” Dylan handed her the first-printed copy. Yasmin keenly read it, hoping she could call them out for being silly and no more would be said. Then she saw it. The final sentence of her article.

“Dylan if this is some sort of practical joke,” Yasmin wasn’t convinced he was being serious.

“It’s not, cross my heart. So, you don’t remember writing it?” Dylan questioned.

“No,” it broke Yasmin’s heart to admit that. She thought, and hoped, she had been fine for months. Looks like it was just dormant, whatever it was.

“Alright, what does it mean?” Lily questioned.

“The last time you said something like that, it was spot on,” Jono recalled, “We need to be on red alert.”

“So what do we do?” Lily continued.

“Nothing,” Dylan decided, “We can’t do anything except keep our eyes peeled. I think you were trying to warn us, Yasmin.” Sure, that was a cool skill, but somehow it didn’t put Yasmin at ease.

As Dylan said that, Freddie joined them at the bench. Blimey. Yasmin had never seen such huge bags under someone’s eyes. He looked like a zombie.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Lily skipped the greetings, “But you look awful.” You could always rely on Lily to be blunt.

“Is everything alright, dude?” Jono questioned.

“Yeah, I just didn’t sleep very well,” Freddie slurred. Yasmin didn’t believe him – he was twirling his hair and avoiding eye contact. Maybe she could get through to him later. It would take her mind off her own problems at least.

Dylan thought to keep a close eye on Freddie throughout the day. Understandably, he hadn’t been himself for a little while. Dylan knew that losing the friend he had in Josh could not have been easy.

He could also say from experience that adapting to becoming a werewolf was tough too. Freddie had gone through two full moons and neither had gone very smoothly. The upcoming one certainly had Dylan worried.

Freddie had been half asleep throughout maths – Dylan could hardly blame him considering the subject matter, but that was beside the point. Afterwards, Dylan ensured he walked alongside Freddie to next class.

“What’s going on, dude?” Dylan cut to the chase.

“Huh?” Freddie replied, playing dumb. Dylan was the expert in that. You can’t kid a kidder.

“Don’t fob me off, I’m trying to do you a favour,” Dylan scolded. Freddie glanced at him. Dylan wasn’t taking any shit, and Freddie could recognise that.

“Let’s talk in private,” Freddie decided, slowing down outside the boys’ toilets. He dived in, followed by Dylan. Quite frankly, this was much more pressing than whatever they were supposed to be learning in history that lesson.

Glancing around her English class, Lily was surprised by a few new faces. It was unusual for new students to arrive with no prior announcement, although perhaps they were in a different form to her.

Nevertheless, there they were, sat in a line at the back of the classroom. Two girls – one with her black afro hair carefully styled in a bun, while the other had her long, silky blonde hair flowing down her back. Not a single hair was out of place, and Lily couldn’t lie – she was envious. The third was a guy, very good-looking and just Lily’s type. His current on-trend haircut of shaved sides and a quiff on top looked immaculate.

“Who the hell are they?” Lily whispered to George, sat next to her.

“New kids, they were in my form this morning. None of them have said a word to anyone yet,” George informed. Lily looked around again. They all glared her way, none looking especially approachable.

“Hey,” George continued, “Have you seen Freddie this morning? I know Jono’s friends with him.”

“Yeah, why?” Lily tired playing dumb. She was an expert at acting, if she did say so herself.

“He’s been acting weirdly at home. I know things have been hard since mom died, but this is a recent thing,” George explained.

“What’s he done?” Lily listened intently. Any information she could get would be useful, particularly with the extra knowledge she and Jono had.

“He’s barely talked to me, which is really unlike him. He’s not slept well for months, and last night, he almost attacked me with a baseball bat. I think he thought I was a burglar,” George recalled.

Or Josh, Lily thought.

“I could get Jono to have a word if you want?” Lily smiled kindly.

“I mean, if that would work, it would be amazing. Thank you,” George smiled back. He looked defeated behind the smile. Lily was glad to help – she was concerned too after his behaviour that morning. Besides, it didn’t take a genius to know that speaking to a therapist would be a terrible move for someone with such a huge secret. She had to get to the bottom of it.

The bathroom was empty, much to Dylan’s relief. It was usually quiet during lesson time anyway but he thought it wise to double check the cubicles. He couldn’t take any chances.

Freddie leaned against the row of sinks, looking at himself in the mirror. Dylan knew that look. The rage, the fury and the desperation. It reminded him of himself, back when he was first bitten. Freddie had no idea who he was anymore.

“This stupid bite has ruined my life,” Freddie vented, “I was happy before. I had friends who actually wanted to hang out with me rather than babysit me. I was just about happy at home again. He took that from me.”

Freddie’s eyes glowed a vicious yellow as he lost his grip over the wolf again. It was an alarming sight for Dylan. As he had learned over the past few months, Freddie was a nightmare when he had shifted. He seemed to struggle with the concept of an anchor, which was the only thing that helped Dylan out.

Freddie looked around to Dylan and lunged for him. Dylan immediately ran into the cubicle adjacent and slammed the door. He didn’t want to fight Freddie. He had tried before and it got neither of them anywhere. Maybe waiting it out would be better.

Immediately, Freddie began bashing on the door. Dylan leaned against it as a barricade – the lock would only last so long, it needed all the support it could get. The bashing continued for a few minutes; Dylan was too preoccupied to be keeping a look on the clock to know specifically. Freddie scratched against the door too, the horrible screeching sound of the nails against the surface sending shivers down Dylan’s spine. The lock was definitely going to give way, even with Dylan’s applied force. He had to think of something, and quickly.

Much to Dylan’s surprise, the noises then stopped. Silence in the room. That somehow sounded even worse to Dylan – what was Freddie doing? The unknown was scarier. He tried looking under the door, but no sign. He hadn’t heard the door go.

Then it dawned on him. If he wasn’t on the floor, yet still in the room, he could only have gone in one direction. Up. He cautiously peeped upwards, and sur enough, Freddie was peering over the top of the cubicle, hauling himself up with his added strength. Now Dylan really was cornered. He was preparing to make a run for it out of the door, but the lock was unreliable after being rattled about so much. He braced himself, still staring Freddie in the eye.

All of a sudden, Freddie tumbled backwards off the ledge, as if he had been pulled back. He fell to the floor with a thud, and then silence once again, until…

“Oh, my back,” he heard Freddie complain. Back to normal. Dylan fiddled with the lock, shoving it open and checking behind the door. There was Freddie, lying on the floor as usual, with Drew stood over him.

“Pain makes you human,” Drew simply stated.

Confused, Jono was wondering where Dylan and Freddie were at. They were in maths just now, but on the way to history, they seemed to get lost. For some reason, that felt like more of a bad thing.

He turned around and glanced at Yasmin behind him. She shared the same worried facial expression. She was just as concerned as he was.

“Excuse me, miss,” Yasmin called out.

“Yes, Miss Forsyth?” Ms. Kennedy replied, disrupting the silence of the lesson. Ms. Kennedy was one of those teachers who didn’t insist on silence in her lessons, but people respected her too much to cause any disruption.

“Could I use the little girl’s room please?” Yasmin sweetly asked. She was basically Ms. Kennedy’s favourite. Studious but not snooty. A teacher’s dream.

“Sure,” Ms. Kennedy sweetly replied. Jono was amazed at how Yasmin did it. It was only a week ago that Ms. Kennedy denied him the same request.

“Miss, I need to go as well,” Jono butted in, not as smoothly as he wanted.

“Where, to the little girl’s room? I’m learning new things about you every day Mr. Chadwick,” Ms. Kennedy teased. Jono knew she was bantering, but he still blushed, “Is it urgent?” Jono nodded.

“Alright, but no messing around in the bathroom. I know what you teenagers are like,” Ms. Kennedy joked. Ah, gotta love the heteronormative society. Jono’s pet peeve. He didn’t argue anyway, even though his and Dylan’s relationship was hardly a secret amongst their classmates. He had to catch up to Yasmin instead.

“She let you out?” Yasmin looked shocked when she noticed Jono behind her.

“Not without a little humiliation first,” Jono replied, trying to act casual, “Ms. Kennedy not being sexist for a change.”

“She’s not sexist, you just don’t do her homework,” Yasmin called him out. He couldn’t deny it. It was the god’s honest truth.

“Where are we going?” Jono queried.

“Boys’ toilets,” Yasmin confidently replied. It was unusually confident, considering she seemed just as much in the dark as he was.

“For sure? You sound like you know,” Jono was intrigued.

“No, it was just a guess,” Yasmin replied sheepishly, trying to shrug him off. She looked away from Jono. Before he could ask anything else, the toilet door burst open as Drew and Dylan assisted Freddie out.

“Find an empty classroom,” Drew commanded.

Clearing the front desk of Mrs. Johnson’s empty lab, Dylan led the way and assisted Freddie onto the table. He looked shattered, more so than before. Jono helped rest his head on the desk, carefully supporting it as Dylan let go of his arm. Freddie’s eyes were almost shut, drifting off to sleep that was much needed going by the bags under his eyes.

“What’s going on?” Mrs. Johnson burst in, wondering about the state of her classroom.

“We need your help,” Drew led the way, “Freddie. He’s out of control.”

“He looks like he hasn’t slept for weeks,” Yasmin added.

“Alright, let me have a look,” Mrs. Johnson held the floor, as the others cleared out of the way for her to reach Freddie.

Dylan backed off next to Jono, who looked absolutely horrified. It was understandable really. It wasn’t that long ago that he lost the friend he thought he had in Josh. He couldn’t lose another. Dylan knew it would break him. He reached out his pinky finger and linked it with Jono’s, hoping to reassure him. Dylan always felt calmer in Jono’s presence, so he hoped it would work both ways. Jono gazed lovingly at him and smiled, before wrapping his entire hand around Dylan’s. That was the confirmation he needed.

“He is suffering from a severe case of insomnia, we need to get him out of here and to somewhere that he can have a proper rest,” Mrs. Johnson suggested.

“I can drive him home,” Drew offered.

“No, he hasn’t slept at home in months. I’ve got a better idea,” Jono suggested. Dylan was all-ears. He really hoped this would be at least part of the problem solved for Freddie.

“Time to pair up,” Mr. Marshall commanded. George immediately turned to Lily – they always worked together, it went without question. Today though, Lily wanted to investigate someone else. Not even George’s puppy dog eyes could persuade her otherwise. She quickly pounced over to the new boy.

“Hey,” she smiled, trying to appear as friendly as possible. He glared back, as if she were speaking a foreign language. Maybe he was foreign.

“We have to work in twos. I figured you would need a partner,” Lily continued.

“I’m with my friends,” he replied, speaking clearly in an American accent. Not foreign. Just rude.

“There are three of you. We need pairs,” Lily reiterated, “So, what’s your name?” She sat next to him defiantly, and he sighed.

“Oli,” he answered. He couldn’t have sounded like he wanted to be there any less.

“Nice to meet you,” Lily kept up the nice act. She was supposed to be the social bee of the class after all, “I’m Lily.”

“Lily Chadwick?” he identified. Lily was taken aback. It was as if she were famous.

“Yeah, you know me?” she probed.

“I’ve err, heard about your parties,” Oli explained. Now she really was flattered. Maybe it was time to organise another and invite the incredibly fit Oli. However, Lily wasn’t stupid. It was obvious he was trying to make a good impression, and perhaps trying a bit too hard.

“Flattery gets you nowhere,” Lily flirted back. She could entertain him for a bit, it surely wouldn’t hurt. He smiled at her – the first time he had broken the stern expression all day. The Chadwick charm was still going strong.

Heaving Freddie up into the treehouse, Dylan was using all of his strength. This was a rare occasion where he felt grateful for being a werewolf – the added strength certainly helped. That was one positive of being part of a pack too – everyone physically made each other stronger, even without an alpha.

He hauled Freddie up the final step, with Jono pushing him up from below. They were the only two who had gone with Freddie – Dylan didn’t want overcrowding, and he certainly hoped to avoid Drew sticking his ore in.

Freddie was in a light sleep now; he woke up every few minutes but quickly drifted back off. His eyes were just too heavy to resist sleep. Perhaps the change in location was a help after all; a break from the same boring four walls of Freddie’s bedroom can’t have been a bad thing.

Jono carefully pulled the blanket over him and gently pushed one of the beanbags under his head, manoeuvring around his golden locks. He sighed, despairing over his best friend.

“He will be alright,” the ever-optimistic Dylan reassured.

“Will he though? I mean, you coped pretty well with the bite, but Freddie’s a shadow of what he used to be,” Jono vented.

“Things can’t stay bad forever,” Dylan comforted.

“But it seems to be one problem after another,” Jono feared, “Is this the way it’s gonna be? A few months of peace before more chaos?”

“I’m sorry,” Dylan apologised. He couldn’t help feeling responsible. If it wasn’t for him, none of these problems would exist.

“It’s not your fault, don’t ever think that,” Jono insisted, “If you weren’t bitten, it would have been someone else. Josh wasn’t going to be stopped, if it wasn’t you, it would’ve been some other poor kid.” This wasn’t the first time Jono had told Dylan that, and he still didn’t believe it. He just couldn’t stop thinking that he was the problem all along.

“Someone else’s life would be fucked up,” Dylan sighed.

“Probably me instead of you. Thanks for the favour,” Jono grinned. Dylan conceded. Jono wasn’t going to let him feel like shit. Maybe he should just accept the compliment. He pulled Jono in for a hug.

“What’s this for?” Jono smiled.

“For being there for me. I don’t deserve you,” Dylan confided. He knew he would forever cherish moments like that. Hopefully Freddie would be just as comfortable in someone’s arms one day.

On her way out of the biology lab, Yasmin was the last one to leave. Drew walked out as soon as Jono and Dylan assisted Freddie out, so she was left to help clear up the mess. She didn’t say a word to Mrs. Johnson, too unsure of what to say.

Once the room was tidy, she had to head back to history. Ms. Kennedy must have been wondering where she was.

“Yasmin,” Mrs. Johnson called out after her. She turned around, expecting her to complain about her mock exam grade or something. Maybe she hadn’t reached her target. It was hard to always maintain an A-grade standard.

“Have I failed? I’m sorry, I’ve had a lot going on, I’ve had to help Dylan and there’s all of this and…” Yasmin started ranting and couldn’t stop.

“It’s not about your exam, it’s about you. I wanted to see how you are,” Mrs. Johnson interrupted, displaying a rare act of kindness.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Yasmin lied. She knew she had been anything but good that day, but she didn’t want to discuss it.

“And really?” Mrs. Johnson caught her lie.

“Not so good,” Yasmin sighed, giving in, “I keep hearing stuff, telling me information that proves correct. I don’t know how I know it, it’s like something has whispered it into my mind and I remember it.”

“I wish I knew more. I’ve seen many creatures in my time, but none like you,” Mrs. Johnson apologised, although the use of the word “creatures,” unsettled Yasmin.

“It’s alright. Lily’s reading this Bestiary book, it’s huge but that might help,” Yasmin revealed, before realising she may have said too much.

Me and my big mouth, she thought.

“Did you say ‘Bestiary’?” Mrs. Johnson picked up on.

“Yeah, it’s this book with information on all sorts of stuff. More than just werewolves,” Yasmin explained.

“I know what it is. I haven’t seen a copy in years, they’re typically created by…” Mrs. Johnson trailed off, as if she were struggling to even say the word.

“By who?” Yasmin impatiently queried.

“Hunters,” Mrs. Johnson forced out with a sense of dread in her words, “They made the Bestiary and copies were passed around. You’d better hope you’re not in that book Yasmin, because if they ever come back, they’ll know what they’re looking for.” That sent a chill down Yasmin’s spine. She had to read the book. She needed to be prepared just in case.

Walking back to the boys’ toilets, Drew decided to examine the level of damage. He was well aware that new werewolves meant a greater risk of exposure, but he had to do everything he could to cover up the damage.

The bathroom was an absolute state though. The cubicle door was just about on its hinges, with the lock hanging off and the door itself covered top to bottom in scratch marks. There was no way any human could have done that.

He looked at the floor and saw a couple of specs of black blood. Unmistakably the blood of a werewolf. However, despite his thud to the floor, Drew was quite confident that Freddie’s skin was never broken. His clothes had no blood and he’d certainly have smelt it.

He took a sniff of the blood on the floor, just to be sure. It was definitely someone new. A new werewolf. They were here in Crystalshaw, and conveniently in the same place he, Dylan and Freddie had been. He had to find out who they were.

“What are you doing back here?” Yasmin made Drew jump as she peered her head around the bathroom door.

“I could ask you the same, this is the boys’ bathroom,” Drew bluntly replied. Yasmin looked at the door, spotting the sign that clearly said “boys,” in bold letters. She looked disorientated and slightly horrified in herself. It was like she had forgotten herself momentarily.

“I…I don’t know why I’m here,” Yasmin confessed. She sounded broken.

“You just felt an impulse, didn’t you? Like your body knew it had to come here,” Drew identified.

“That’s exactly it. Do you know what I am?” Yasmin replied.

“I’ve seen something similar,” Drew admitted, “Not the same as you though.”

“What was it?” Yasmin seemed desperate to know. However, despite his own extensive experience, Dylan seemed to be running all-things werewolf in Crystalshaw. He didn’t want to undermine him after he proved himself against an alpha.

“We need to find Dylan,” he told Yasmin decisively.

“This doesn’t concern him,” Yasmin fired back. She had a point; it was her life that was being turned upside down, “Please, any indicator would help.” Drew sighed. On her head, be it.

“I met a girl once, many years ago, called Meredith. She was something called a banshee, you’ve probably heard of one before. They have the most ear-piercing screams, but also, they can hear voices. Generally, they turn up in front of dead bodies. You’re not a banshee though, I’m certain,” Drew detailed.

“How long have you known this?” Yasmin seemed more irritated than grateful at his knowledge.

“I only just connected the dots,” Drew firmly stated. He didn’t want any arguments, “Look, let me take you to the bunker. I have something there that might help us.”

“The Bestiary?” Yasmin identified. Drew was stunned. How the heck did she know about that?

“Now it’s alright for you all to rummage through my personal items, is it? Where the heck is it?” Drew furiously asked. He couldn’t believe her temerity.

“Lily has it. She’s reading it now to help me, I swear that’s all. We’re the only two who know about it,” Yasmin defended.

“You don’t understand. It’s not mine either, I stole it from a hunter. If they saw it, it would expose all of us. Anyone around us could be a hunter,” Drew justified his rage. Stupid newbies. He forgot how thoughtless they were. Yasmin looked startled as she realised the impact she may have had. Too right.

Re-joining the bench at lunch time, Dylan and Jono had opted to leave Freddie on his own. He was totally safe up in the treehouse. Jono’s house was surrounded by a wall, and the only way in was through a set of gates operated by a fob. Guests without a fob had to buzz in and speak to whoever was at home. Dylan was excited when he got promoted from a buzz-in guest, to a fob owner the previous month. Jono gifted him a keyring with a fob and a front-door key attached. It was the sweetest surprise. It also meant he had to seek out the nearest locksmith to return the favour. He would have felt too bad otherwise.

“Is he alright?” Yasmin asked after Freddie. She was the only one at the bench at the time they arrived.

“He’s asleep. I hate that he’s alone,” Jono worried even with the high security of his house and treehouse. That was just Jono though – forever worrying about others. It was one of his cutest qualities.

“He’ll be just fine. We put Jono’s webcam in front of him so we can check-up on our phones,” Dylan explained, “Look.” He shoved his phone out to Yasmin, which displayed a peaceful Freddie, sound asleep.

“It’s borderline creepy but if it puts your mind at ease, knock yourselves out,” Yasmin remarked.

“Hey guys,” Lily greeted almost in song, joining them at the table and sitting next to Yasmin.

“You’re unusually chirpy,” Jono noticed. He was on the money – Lily seemed much more radiant than usual. Dylan had never thought of himself as particularly observant, so if he picked up on this, it was definitely notable.

“I am?” Lily coyly batted them away.

“Oh, she’s got a new love interest. I know that look anywhere,” Jono teased.

“You didn’t have to tell everyone!” she playfully scolded, gently and playfully whacking her brother on the arm while Jono laughed uncontrollably. Jono was an expert when it came to teasing Lily, and he could get away with it too. Dylan guessed no-one else was that lucky.

“Who’s the lucky fella then?” Dylan nosily queried.

“He’s over there,” Lily pointed behind Dylan and Jono. There he was – pretty good looking to Dylan’s eyes, if not entirely his type, “His name’s Oli. It’s his first day. He and his friends Clara and Shania just started.”

“Wait, three new kids?” Yasmin connected the dots. She stared towards them and Dylan immediately thought to keep an eye on her.

“What’s up?” Dylan queried, concerned. Her face looked like it had been drained of emotion. Like it had been before, when she wasn’t acting like herself.

“That’s them. They’re here,” she stated coldly. Dylan felt sick as his stomach twisted itself into knots. He stared back at Oli, Clara and Shania. All three of them stared back and made eye contact with him. They had sussed each other out. They were Josh’s pack and Dylan had never felt more terrified.

He was too preoccupied to be watching the livestream of Freddie on his phone too. Too busy to notice that Freddie was missing from the shot.