Series 3 Episode 5
"Freedom"
“Home sweet home,” Autumn introduced Yasmin to her apartment. Leaving Crystalshaw was the hardest thing Yasmin had ever done, even if she knew it was necessary. She had to get away, even for a short while, so she could clear her head.
The downside was leaving Dylan and Freddie behind, but Yasmin knew that from time-to-time, it was necessary to be selfish. She had to look after her own state of mind. Life wouldn’t be the same again – her dad had been arrested and was awaiting charge for murder. She was pleased the deaths would be getting justice, but the fact her childhood was forever tainted was an uneasy feeling. It was an impossible situation to be in.
Her mum’s apartment in New York looked pretty cool, at least. It was modern in every sense and slick in design, with a stylish couch and a huge television mounted to the wall. It looked brand new in every sense, and like the place of Yasmin’s dreams.
However, she instantly noticed a massive difference between this apartment and her old house. There weren’t any family photos around. The surfaces were decorated with fancy ornaments that served no purpose other than a posh aesthetic. It said it all about her mum’s lack of involvement in her life.
“Where’s my room?” Yasmin asked, not bothering to hide her lack of enthusiasm.
“Sweetie, you’ll settle in in no time,” Autumn tried to console her, obviously spotting the despair in her voice, “Hey, why don’t we hit the shops later? We could try a spot of retail therapy, it never fails.”
“No thanks. I’d rather stay at home,” Yasmin admitted. It proved how little her mum knew her. She carried her suitcases into her room, barely even looking at the decorations scattered about.
She closed the door and collapsed onto the oversized double bed placed perfectly in the centre of the room, against the far wall. New York felt lonely so far.
Absence really did make the heart grow fonder.
The downside was leaving Dylan and Freddie behind, but Yasmin knew that from time-to-time, it was necessary to be selfish. She had to look after her own state of mind. Life wouldn’t be the same again – her dad had been arrested and was awaiting charge for murder. She was pleased the deaths would be getting justice, but the fact her childhood was forever tainted was an uneasy feeling. It was an impossible situation to be in.
Her mum’s apartment in New York looked pretty cool, at least. It was modern in every sense and slick in design, with a stylish couch and a huge television mounted to the wall. It looked brand new in every sense, and like the place of Yasmin’s dreams.
However, she instantly noticed a massive difference between this apartment and her old house. There weren’t any family photos around. The surfaces were decorated with fancy ornaments that served no purpose other than a posh aesthetic. It said it all about her mum’s lack of involvement in her life.
“Where’s my room?” Yasmin asked, not bothering to hide her lack of enthusiasm.
“Sweetie, you’ll settle in in no time,” Autumn tried to console her, obviously spotting the despair in her voice, “Hey, why don’t we hit the shops later? We could try a spot of retail therapy, it never fails.”
“No thanks. I’d rather stay at home,” Yasmin admitted. It proved how little her mum knew her. She carried her suitcases into her room, barely even looking at the decorations scattered about.
She closed the door and collapsed onto the oversized double bed placed perfectly in the centre of the room, against the far wall. New York felt lonely so far.
Absence really did make the heart grow fonder.
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The sound of the alarm clock was brutal that morning; it was the last thing Dylan wanted to hear. He had slept well enough, but it was much too short a time and he preferred to lie in bed the entire day rather than face up to the impossible situation he had found himself in. He didn’t even have Jono to snuggle up to that night – he was taking care of Lily, who was understandably shaken after the day before.
On the bright side, everybody in the school appeared just as they had left and nobody seemed to bat an eyelid, but Dylan knew better. He couldn’t stop thinking about Drew. He was worried beyond belief, terrified that he might have lost Drew for good. The fact Drew placed his trust in Dylan was both comforting and pressurising – he hadn’t decided if he appreciated it or not. Nevertheless, it proved his place in the pack – Drew took a leap to save the rest of the group, but Dylan wasn’t convinced it would pay off.
“Room for a little one?” a voice came from the doorway. Dylan glanced up, noticing Josh’s messy curls and his bright blue eyes poking into the room.
“Come on then,” Dylan sat up in bed, creating room for Josh to sit opposite. He kept the duvet covering him though – he wasn’t ready to leave the confines of his duvet cocoon.
“Are you alright?” Josh questioned, sounding genuinely concerned.
“Yeah,” Dylan lied.
“You don’t have to pretend with me,” Josh wasn’t fooled. Dylan had to work on his deception.
“I can’t stop thinking about Drew,” Dylan confessed, “I don’t know what to do. I’m out of ideas.”
“You’ll find a way. You always do,” Josh reminded.
“There’s a first time for everything though,” Dylan remained unusually but not unjustly pessimistic.
“You’re the alpha now. When you’re the alpha, you realise if there’s a will, there’s a way,” Josh advised. It was easy to forget that Josh used to be the alpha. The alpha that bit him, nonetheless, “I’m so glad you became the alpha. We all know I left a lot to be desired.”
“You were on the wrong track. You’d have been amazing under different circumstances,” Dylan encouraged.
“Maybe. At least I made the mistakes so you don’t have to,” Josh smiled. He was sort-of right. Dylan knew exactly what not to do as an alpha, all thanks to Josh. That said, Josh was also a huge part of his motivation to keep going. He had no reason to be down.
“Ah, here you both are,” Caroline interrupted, peeping into the room, “Come on, or you’ll be late for school.”
Dylan sighed. He wasn’t ready for the day ahead, but he knew he had a job to do.
Finishing off his final section of the school newsletter for that fortnight, Jono was pretty impressed. He loved how packed with pictures and artwork this newsletter was – artwork and graphic design from all sorts of classes adorned the pages, set to use up their entire budget on colour printing. It looked so pretty all over, he couldn’t wait for Dylan to see the finished product – he had spent a chunk of time that week chasing it from Miss Harris, head of art. She seemed to conveniently forget every single time.
Full stop typed. Newsletter finished. Ctrl+P. The printer whirred, making an unnecessarily dramatic sound as it kicked into life, producing the first hard copy. As Jono picked it up, the door slammed. Dylan must have arrived.
“Hey babe, take a look at this bad boy,” Jono spun around, proudly holding the newsletter in his hand. However, it fell away to the floor when instead of Dylan’s gorgeous brunette locks, Jono noticed a blonde surfer-like hairstyle instead. He recognised it with no problems. It was the person he had been worrying about all night. Chase was stood in front of him, bold as brash.
“Where’s Emily?” he demanded.
“I don’t know,” Jono replied honestly. Technically, he wasn’t lying. He didn’t know her precise location. However, he was aware of what had happened to her. Chase didn’t need to know anything more than what was necessary though.
“Don’t treat me like an idiot,” Chase reacted fiercely, “I know you know. The microphones stopped working, which is a little convenient, don’t you think?”
“I’m lost,” Jono admitted, hoping to keep him talking. Dylan must be on his way, he was normally here by now.
“I know you’re not one of them, but you can see what your boyfriend does, surely?” Chase continued incoherently.
“Chase, dude, I don’t know what’s going on, but if you take a seat, I’ll make you a tea or coffee and we can talk,” Jono attempted to diffuse things.
“No, I need answers now. Where is she?” Chase continued, pacing back and forth, “I know what werewolves can do. I saw Dylan shift, don’t pull the wool over my eyes.”
Jono was starting to feel worried. He wasn’t sure how to stall this for much longer. He understood Chase’s anger – if Lily had gone missing, he’d demand answers too.
The unfortunate part was that he, Dylan and the rest of the pack were embroiled in the full situation. Although they were not to blame, Jono couldn’t help feeling partially responsible.
Before he had the chance to attempt an explanation to Chase, the door swung open.
“Morning, I hope the kettle’s on,” Dylan burst in, not being remotely aware of the situation. Chase grunted and blasted out of the door, brushing past Dylan ferociously.
“I guess that wasn’t a friendly visit,” Dylan commented.
“You could say that,” Jono replied, taking a deep breath, “We’ve got to find him.”
Ready to dish out little slips of paper to her friends as they filtered into school that morning, Yasmin could hardly be bothered. She was moving into her new home that afternoon, and her mum was insisting on a house-warming party.
She had put an exceptional level of effort into the invitations too, and had instructed Yasmin to hand them out to all of her friends. It hardly felt appropriate given what had happened to Drew just the night before, but she knew she had to entertain the idea. Her mum was trying, for the first time in a long time.
“Woah, what’s up with you?” Lily commented as soon as she sat down.
“Huh?” Yasmin was confused. She hadn’t said anything, how could Lily suspect something?
“You’ve not got a textbook out. Something’s up. I know you too well,” Lily smiled smugly at her observation skills. She was irritatingly accurate. Yasmin never felt like studying when she was down.
“Here, for you,” Yasmin chucked an invite in Lily’s direction.
“Ooh, alright,” Lily examined the paper slip, “Show me a party I couldn’t attend. So what’s the problem?”
“Mom’s making the effort, but she still barely knows me. Instead of asking what I like, she assumes,” Yasmin vented.
“Tell her then. Don’t wait for her to do it on her terms. Do it on yours, and give her no choice,” Lily advised. She didn’t take nonsense from anyone, so her guidance here was particularly appreciated, “Anyway, I’ll make this party unmissable, even for you. You see if I don’t.”
Yasmin smiled. Lily always knew how to cheer her up. At least she could rely on her friends.
“Alright. In the meantime, we’ve got a mission. Come on, to the library,” Yasmin demanded.
“Wait, why? I didn’t agree to this,” Lily responded.
“Books on myths and legends. That’s how my dad learnt about the supernatural world, the library must have one or two. Besides, if I’m doing this party, then you’re coming to help research,” Yasmin laughed, leading Lily’s reluctant arm through the school.
Dylan was aghast at the temerity of Chase. The fact that he stormed into the newsroom and accused Jono after everything he had done. Dylan couldn’t wait to catch up to him and give him a piece of his mind.
He sprinted down the corridor; although he couldn’t see Chase, he could track the scent with ease. It grew stronger and stronger as Dylan approached the boys changing rooms. The aroma of sweat and deodorant tried to cloud the trail left by Chase – a smart choice of hiding place – but Dylan trusted his nose.
All of a sudden, he was distracted by a kerfuffle from the other end of the room. The back door. Dylan listened – it sounded like two heartbeats, muttering to each other.
Bang! The muttering escalated to shouting. Dylan crept closer, keeping himself on red alert in case of Drew and the creature inhabiting him. Was it back?
Chase’s scent was still strong, and getting stronger, until…BASH! Chase shot forward, crashing into a row of lockers. Confronting him, with glowing yellow eyes in full view, was Freddie.
“What the heck are you doing?” Dylan yelled, worried Freddie was about to do something stupid. Freddie looked up, as if he had snapped out of a trance. His eyes reduced to their usual colour, and he glanced at a terrified Chase, realising the effect he’d had.
“I…” Freddie attempted to justify, “I got angry. I’m sorry.”
“We’ll worry about it later. Right now, we need a chat with our stalker,” Dylan decided, prioritising his issues, “Get him to the newsroom.” Chase followed along surprisingly willingly, obviously terrified of what Freddie might do next. It was highly out of character for Freddie, which made Dylan all the more curious.
Bored out of her mind, Lily was convinced she would be using this book as a pillow before long. Yasmin had found a small stack of books in the school library on myths and legends and was determined to trawl through them all. Lily on the other hand preferred to read the comments on her Instagram account. Anything too factual or serious and her brain switched off.
On the bright side, their book had plenty of pictures scattered about. That made it easier to narrow the field down at least. She was amazed at just how many different creatures there were in this book. Ordinarily, she would dismiss it all as silly stories, but she knew better now. Lily used to think werewolves were silly stories, after all.
“Have you found anything?” Lily yawned. She hoped a little conversation would wake her up.
“No, not yet. There’s a lot of information and most of it’s not helpful. There’s even a section on the black-eyed people, but it mentions nothing about a further creature,” Yasmin detailed.
“Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place,” Lily considered, “These books, they’re written by people who don’t know about werewolves, right?”
“Presumably,” Yasmin replied.
“So why don’t we track down one that was written by someone in-the-know?” Lily suggested, “You know, that one book we’ve seen already that explains everything supernatural.”
“The Bestiary,” Yasmin recalled, “I gave that back to Drew. It’s probably down in the bunker.”
“Come on then,” Lily motivated, leading Yasmin away from the tedium of the library.
Shutting the blind on the newsroom door, Dylan knew he needed maximum privacy. He was at his wit’s end with being spied on, and he wasn’t going to risk anybody else hearing about his secret. This had to end now. Jono and Freddie stood either side of him, blocking the exit from Chase. He wasn’t escaping this time.
“You can’t keep me here,” Chase protested.
“What are you going to do to stop us?” Jono hit back. Freddie remained sheepishly quiet.
“I know what you are. Just wait until the rest of the world hears,” Chase threatened, “I have evidence.”
“That won’t be happening,” Dylan explained, remaining confident.
“I don’t see how you could stop me. Freedom of the press. You of all people should know that,” Chase reminded. It didn’t phase Dylan, though. He’d dealt with far worse than a gobby teenager.
“We’re trying to show you, dumbass,” Jono scolded.
“We’ll tell you everything. Prove to you that everything we’ve kept secret has been for good reason,” Dylan justified.
“And then you’ll let Emily go?” Chase calmed down.
“Dude, we don’t have Emily. I promise,” Dylan kept his cool, realising the soft approach was working.
“But you cut the microphones?” Chase was confused. He had talked himself into a series of events that simply didn’t occur.
“Is it a shocker that we don’t particularly enjoy being spied on?” Dylan broke it down.
“You’re werewolves,” Chase continued, “What was I supposed to do?”
“Live and let live,” Jono educated. He had a wooden ornament hanging on his treehouse wall with those words carved into it. He always said it was his life motto – Dylan loved it too.
“I’ll speak to the Sheriff and get him looking,” Dylan decided, “In return, the spying stops. We’ll do everything we can for you, and there are no more secrets. Deal?”
“Sure,” Chase agreed surprisingly quickly.
“Cool. We’ll see you in class,” Dylan moved out of the way, clearing an exit route. Chase slumped out, much more casually than when he walked in.
Dylan gently closed the door after – he wasn’t done yet. He glanced at Freddie, who had been suspiciously quiet the entire time.
“Don’t say anything, I feel like shit already,” Freddie butted in before Dylan’s scolding.
“What got into you?” Dylan questioned. He used his best “not angry, just disappointed,” tone of voice. He knew from his mum that it was a tactic that never failed.
“I saw him, tried to contain him, and he got all confrontational,” Freddie tried to clarify, “I was never going to hurt him. I was scared.”
“Promise me that was a one-off,” Dylan needed the reassurance. The last thing he needed was Freddie going rogue.
“I swear. You know me, Dylan. I got your back, always,” Freddie affirmed. Dylan had to trust his word. He knew Jono would keep a keen eye out too. They needed to stick as a unit – they were one down, and Dylan knew full well that they couldn’t afford to lose another valuable pack member.
One place Yasmin hadn’t missed while she was away was Drew’s bunker. The dark corridor underground that was always filled with leaks and puddles. The huge, heavy door on the way in. The lightbulb that was so dim, it looked like it could cut out completely any second.
Yasmin wished he would relocate all of his belongings somewhere much more pleasant, or anywhere that didn’t make her feel the need to invest in some cheap wellies just to access one goddamn book. Lily looked even more distraught, her cute new trainers being ruined by the dirty water on the floor.
Together, they budged open the heavy mountain ash-laden door – it was too big a task for just one of them. Inside, it looked just the same as ever – surprisingly clean considering the state of the tunnel. There were rows of shelving either side of the door, filled to the brim with all sorts of random shit that would only ever be useful to Drew.
“You go left, I’ll go right,” Yasmin commanded. The Bestiary really could have been anywhere among those packed shelves. It might not be a particularly quick task.
“I don’t know where to start,” Lily admitted. Yasmin knew exactly what she meant. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The door handle rattled. The hairs on Yasmin’s arms immediately stood to attention.
“Did you hear that?” she whispered.
“Yeah,” Lily worried, “Together?”
“Always,” Yasmin knew she needed Lily’s hand to hold. They made their way back to the centre as the handle continued to rattle. Yasmin picked up a heavy book from the shelving unit to her left, arming herself. She was ready to defend herself from anything, but what worried her most was the fear of the unknown. She had no idea who was behind the door. It could easily have been the creature – it terrified her more than anything. Perhaps it was Dylan though? He might have had the same idea as her.
The handle shifted and the door began to creak open. Yasmin primed the book, raising it above her head, ready to whack it down on the intruder if necessary.
“Hold up, it’s me,” Drew protested, sliding into view as the door opened fully. He sounded surprisingly like himself, “What the heck are you guys doing here?”
The rest of the school day went ahead fairly smoothly, but Jono knew he shouldn’t get too caught up in anything until Drew was safely back. On the bright side, Chase had agreed to stop bothering them.
It all seemed to be too easy, but Jono wasn’t complaining – it was a welcome change after the usual dramatic goings-on in Crystalshaw. He enjoyed assisting Dylan – they were partners in more ways than one, after all. The thrills and high stakes gave him an adrenaline rush.
However, it still felt weird to consider that his parents were in on the secret too. Jono purposely didn’t tell them about the risks involved – they would stop him from seeing Dylan if they knew. Sure, they could handle him being a werewolf, but only on the basis that he is entirely harmless. Dylan was of course harmless in himself, but everything surrounding him felt dangerous.
Nevertheless, Jono knew it was worth the risk, and he was able to take care of himself. It wasn’t like Lily had said anything either; they were both in up to their necks, and Jono wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Hey sweetie,” Helen called out from upstairs as soon as Jono closed the front door. She bounded down the staircase with a basket of washing, “No Dylan today?”
“Yasmin’s got a house-warming party later, I’ll pick him up on the way,” Jono clarified.
“Be careful, it’s a full moon tomorrow, if I see any bite marks, I’ll be having words,” Helen joked. It felt like a thinly veiled warning more than a light-hearted jest.
“Dylan can handle himself,” Jono reminded her.
“I know sweetie, your dad and I are very fond of Dylan. He’s part of the Chadwicks whether he likes it or not,” Helen ensured. It was sweet to hear such support. He loved the close relationship they all shared, “You should invite his family round. They’re always welcome, I’ll cook dinner.”
“Sure,” Jono smiled. It was a lovely idea, although he was worried about the sorts of questions his nosey parents would interrogate with, especially as Caroline didn’t yet know about Dylan’s secret. Either way, no matter what was happening around them, Jono knew he and Dylan were rock solid, and he couldn’t wait for their night together.
Instead of walking home together, Dylan knew he and Josh had to stop at the sheriff station first. He had made a promise to Chase, and he wasn’t going to fail him. Jono had kindly offered them a lift, and he was chauffeuring them both to Yasmin’s that night too. Dylan saw it as a date night, and was hoping to shake Josh off as soon as they arrived so they could be alone.
However, Josh was going to be extremely helpful when speaking to Ed. He was well aware of the supernatural now, and although asking about missing persons reports was a no-show last time, Dylan hoped to delve deeper now and look for a connection.
“I can’t believe you agreed to help him,” Josh remarked as they entered through the main door.
“I had no choice, you weren’t there,” Dylan justified, “You’d have done the same, don’t deny it.”
“Oh you think? Personally, I’m not one to condone weird psycho stalkers, but you do you,” Josh taunted.
“You’ve condoned weirder, look at your Spotify playlist,” Dylan teased back.
He held the door open for Josh; weirdly, Dylan was getting used to the sight of the sheriff station and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Most people would be ashamed to say that, but Dylan didn’t mind. He owed a lot to his close relationship with the Sheriff. He was still getting used to calling him by his first name – Ed felt like an odd word to say as opposed to Sheriff – but it spoke volumes about their relationship. Though no-one would ever replace Dylan’s dad, Ed was a brilliant father figure in his absence.
Dylan and Josh both bounded through the station and sauntered into Ed’s office. He looked like he was drowning in paperwork, A4 sheets littering the desk and the surrounding floor.
“Good afternoon boys, I assume you’ve come bearing treats?” Ed smiled a cheeky smile.
“You wish,” Josh laughed.
“Mom would kill us if we brought you any more chocolate,” Dylan reminded. They had been caught out for that on more than one occasion. Caroline wasn’t one to lecture when she was annoyed, but when she cooked dinner, she expected it to be appreciated fully, and apparently a chocolate snack beforehand didn’t leave enough room for a full meal.
“Dang,” Ed chuckled, “What can I help you gentlemen with then?”
“I wanted to ask if you’ve heard anything about Emily Kastner,” Dylan got to business, “She’s missing. Her brother is worried.”
“And so are we,” Josh noted.
“We’ve got deputies out looking for her, but we’re spread kinda thin right now,” Ed confessed, “We’ve had an increase in the number of missing persons cases in the past couple of days.”
“You said there were barely any cases a few days ago, it’s gone up that fast?” Dylan was surprised. He was right the whole time – something was up here, and Emily’s appearance the night before just proved it.
“Exactly, it’s concerning and we’re trying to pick out a pattern, but there’s nothing yet. Hey, why do I get the sense you know more than me about this?” Ed queried.
“Long story, but we know where Emily is, sorta, and it’s not good news,” Dylan detailed.
“Is there a body?” Ed wondered.
“No, and it’s very complicated,” Josh mentioned.
“Alright, the less I know, the better. I can’t break any bad news to her family without a body,” Ed decided.
“It would be good for Chase to see deputies out there still looking, too,” Dylan added, “Look, maybe we can tie the loose ends together.”
“Worth a try,” Ed allowed. Dylan knew information that he didn’t, and it could be the missing part of the puzzle. Dylan knew he had to do all he could.
Sorting out his outfit for the night, Freddie couldn’t stop thinking about that morning. He had allowed himself to overreact in the heat of the moment, and had let Dylan down. He knew better, and shouldn’t give in so easily. Chase caused a load of problems, and it was exceedingly unfair on the entire pack. That said, it didn’t justify violence or intimidation.
Now he had to focus on Yasmin. This was her night, and he was going to be meeting her mum for the first time. Yasmin had still barely said a word about her mum, and it concerned him. Was she keen to meet him? Was she sceptical? He wished he knew the details.
“Looking dapper,” George commented, appearing casually in the doorway.
“It’s not too casual is it?” Freddie pondered. He was wearing blue denim jeans with a navy stripy shirt.
“Dude, it’s a house party, not graduation. It’s great, you look awesome,” George complimented.
“Good, I’ve got to make a good impression,” Freddie mentioned.
“And you will. If Yasmin’s mom doesn’t adore you, she’ll be the first person in history,” George complimented, “You’ll have to tell me how it goes.”
“Aren’t you coming?” Freddie was confused.
“I’ve got work. Too short notice to cancel. Look after Lily on my behalf,” George explained.
“Sure. Thanks dude,” Freddie smiled. It wasn’t often he expressed his gratitude to George, but it was more than deserved. He kept the house afloat. Freddie knew he really ought to get his own job to help with the food supply.
George smiled back, pulling the door to, leaving Freddie alone again. Now all his attention was on the night ahead, and it had to be good.
Lily wasn’t sure that allowing Drew inside was a smart move. He seemed like his usual self: he spoke in his normal voice, and his eyes were their usual lush shade of hazel. Besides, it was his bunker. They couldn’t really keep him out of his own property.
“Where have you been?” Yasmin interrogated.
“Hey, you’re the ones in my bunker,” Drew hit back.
“Don’t avoid the question,” Yasmin persisted.
“Here and there,” Drew vaguely answered.
“That’s bullshit. You don’t remember, do you?” Lily called him out. She knew a lie when she heard one. She was the expert at lying, she had done it more than enough times to know the signs.
“So what? I don’t owe either of you an explanation. Now can you tell me what the fuck you’re doing in here?” Drew was growing frustrated – not out of character for him, Lily had to admit. It was much more like when they first got to know him. A lonely werewolf, whose heart had turned cold through years of distress at the hands of hunters.
“Trying to help you, mister ungrateful,” Lily justified.
“We need the Bestiary,” Yasmin added.
“Top shelf, over there,” Drew pointed to the section Lily was previously browsing. Lily noticed it poking out next to a glass jar. If only she’d spotted it sooner. She reached up and grabbed it, before blowing the thick layer of dust off the top.
She immediately passed it to Yasmin, who knew much clearer what she was looking for. Lily hadn’t seen the creature, after all.
“What are you looking for?” Drew seemed genuinely unaware of himself. Like he had forgotten everything involving this creature.
“Whatever you are. That thing, it’s made you forget, which worries me,” Yasmin explained.
“You’re making no sense,” Drew continued, “What thing?”
“The one that made you its new host last night,” Lily clarified. She was growing more concerned by the second.
“The Téras,” Yasmin named, “It’s here, named using the Ancient Greek word for monster. They didn’t know what else to call it. It’s waiting for a new body, the strongest body it can get as it cannot exist otherwise. That body comes from…” Yasmin tailed off.
“Carry on,” a concerned Lily questioned.
“From two alphas together,” Yasmin shuddered. A chill flew through Lily’s body. Dylan was in danger, but where would a second alpha come from?”
“Well read, girl,” Drew spoke, but with the voice of the Téras again. Both girls stood up immediately, backing up against the door. Drew began to shift form, back into the ghastly deformed vision that Lily could now call by its name – the Téras, “Events are in motion. You cannot win.”
“Oh yeah?” Lily reacted, running on instinct. She picked up the large book Yasmin had armed herself with before and lobbed it at the creature. Immediately, she and Yasmin tugged at the door and made their escape. Dylan had to know everything – it could be the difference between winning or losing.
Trying to keep track of all the details, Dylan was analysing every piece of information on the missing persons reports. It didn’t help that the paperwork was scattered amongst a sea of irrelevant stuff on Ed’s desk – hospital letters, files for entirely different cases and even the odd chocolate wrapper. The desk was so irritatingly untidy – Dylan would never cope if it were his own.
On a quick glance, the five missing persons cases weren’t especially similar. Varying ages, of both sexes, and no immediate link. That’s when Dylan spotted it.
“They’re all minors,” Dylan spotted.
“So what?” Josh questioned.
“That must be what it’s after. All of the kids have gone missing this week, but nobody over eighteen,” Dylan identified.
“The guy from the kitchen wasn’t under eighteen though,” Josh noted.
“And it vacated his body at the earliest opportunity,” Dylan reminded, “It must have been a desperate, short-term answer.”
“Why does it want all these kids though?” Ed questioned.
“We don’t know, but Emily, she became black-eyed. The little girl we saw at first, she was reported missing two days ago. Her name is Amelia Asahd.”
“Alright, but is there any way we can start to predict the next victim? It’s one step ahead of us and right now there’s not a damn thing we can do about it,” Ed queried.
“It looks pretty random. There’s no other correlation,” Dylan explained.
“So we’ve got no way of protecting everyone else. Makes my job darn near impossible,” Ed sighed.
“I know you’ll find a way,” Dylan encouraged, “I gotta go get ready, Jono will be waiting, but give me a call if anything happens.”
“Enjoy yourselves, boys,” Ed smiled as Dylan and Josh both raced out of the station. He needed to update Jono, and he promised he’d keep Chase in the loop too. Perhaps he could kill two birds with one stone. Time for a phone call.
Opening his laptop, Jono was ready for a bit of chill time. He’d just finished styling his hair ready for the night ahead. He didn’t always put too much focus on his hair – the curls were quite unruly and Dylan wasn’t exactly any better – but it was their date night, and he wanted to look his absolute best. Now he had time to rest before Dylan called, although knowing his luck, that phone call would come any second now.
As he opened Tumblr on his laptop, Jono’s phone buzzed. Typical. It was Dylan too – the only time he wasn’t pleased to see an incoming call from him.
“Hey babe,” Jono greeted, “Ready for your taxi?”
“I need a bit more time, I still look like a gremlin,” Dylan joked, much to Jono’s relief, “We just spoke to Ed, figured out a pattern. I’ll fill you in later but I need you to call Chase and reassure him the Sheriff’s doing all he can to find Emily.”
“Sure. I’ll see you soon, can’t wait,” Jono added.
“Me too. Love you,” Dylan replied.
“Love you too,” Jono smiled, finishing the call. Although he couldn’t see Dylan, he heard the huge smile on his face through his voice. He adored the fact that they shared even the tiniest moments like that.
Jono sighed. He really didn’t want to call Chase – he hated phone calls with anyone other than Dylan, and even then, he preferred face-to-face conversation. Normally, he’d have just texted Chase, but there were too many details. Besides, Chase was delicate. He had to be handled with care and sensitivity. Jono found him in his contacts and pressed call.
“Hello?” Chase answered the phone, sounding downbeat.
“Hey,” Jono replied as he sat down at his desk.
“Oh, Jono. Any updates?” Chase keenly questioned.
“Not really. Sheriff’s doing all he can though, Dylan assures me,” Jono explained, “We just wanted to keep you in the loop.”
“Oh, you called me for no reason then?” Chase hit back. Jono had been as delicate as he could, and had still somehow provoked this reaction.
“We said we’d keep you updated, so we’re doing just that,” Jono clarified.
“Whatever,” Chase sighed and hung up. So ungrateful. Jono brushed it off though – Chase wasn’t his priority, he had far bigger things to worry about.
He chucked his phone down on the bed next to him and turned his attention back to Tumblr. He had one new notification, which had arrived just seconds ago. It looked like he had been tagged in a post – titled “Freedom of Speech.” Then Jono noticed the username - watchingu1812. It was Chase, using the same username as the email address he used to terrorise Lily.
He went on to read the post, littered with pictures of the entire pack. No details were spared. The werewolves were named, and Yasmin’s nix status was exposed too. Jono didn’t know how to react, but he knew this was anything but good – and it already had ten reblogs.
On the bright side, everybody in the school appeared just as they had left and nobody seemed to bat an eyelid, but Dylan knew better. He couldn’t stop thinking about Drew. He was worried beyond belief, terrified that he might have lost Drew for good. The fact Drew placed his trust in Dylan was both comforting and pressurising – he hadn’t decided if he appreciated it or not. Nevertheless, it proved his place in the pack – Drew took a leap to save the rest of the group, but Dylan wasn’t convinced it would pay off.
“Room for a little one?” a voice came from the doorway. Dylan glanced up, noticing Josh’s messy curls and his bright blue eyes poking into the room.
“Come on then,” Dylan sat up in bed, creating room for Josh to sit opposite. He kept the duvet covering him though – he wasn’t ready to leave the confines of his duvet cocoon.
“Are you alright?” Josh questioned, sounding genuinely concerned.
“Yeah,” Dylan lied.
“You don’t have to pretend with me,” Josh wasn’t fooled. Dylan had to work on his deception.
“I can’t stop thinking about Drew,” Dylan confessed, “I don’t know what to do. I’m out of ideas.”
“You’ll find a way. You always do,” Josh reminded.
“There’s a first time for everything though,” Dylan remained unusually but not unjustly pessimistic.
“You’re the alpha now. When you’re the alpha, you realise if there’s a will, there’s a way,” Josh advised. It was easy to forget that Josh used to be the alpha. The alpha that bit him, nonetheless, “I’m so glad you became the alpha. We all know I left a lot to be desired.”
“You were on the wrong track. You’d have been amazing under different circumstances,” Dylan encouraged.
“Maybe. At least I made the mistakes so you don’t have to,” Josh smiled. He was sort-of right. Dylan knew exactly what not to do as an alpha, all thanks to Josh. That said, Josh was also a huge part of his motivation to keep going. He had no reason to be down.
“Ah, here you both are,” Caroline interrupted, peeping into the room, “Come on, or you’ll be late for school.”
Dylan sighed. He wasn’t ready for the day ahead, but he knew he had a job to do.
Finishing off his final section of the school newsletter for that fortnight, Jono was pretty impressed. He loved how packed with pictures and artwork this newsletter was – artwork and graphic design from all sorts of classes adorned the pages, set to use up their entire budget on colour printing. It looked so pretty all over, he couldn’t wait for Dylan to see the finished product – he had spent a chunk of time that week chasing it from Miss Harris, head of art. She seemed to conveniently forget every single time.
Full stop typed. Newsletter finished. Ctrl+P. The printer whirred, making an unnecessarily dramatic sound as it kicked into life, producing the first hard copy. As Jono picked it up, the door slammed. Dylan must have arrived.
“Hey babe, take a look at this bad boy,” Jono spun around, proudly holding the newsletter in his hand. However, it fell away to the floor when instead of Dylan’s gorgeous brunette locks, Jono noticed a blonde surfer-like hairstyle instead. He recognised it with no problems. It was the person he had been worrying about all night. Chase was stood in front of him, bold as brash.
“Where’s Emily?” he demanded.
“I don’t know,” Jono replied honestly. Technically, he wasn’t lying. He didn’t know her precise location. However, he was aware of what had happened to her. Chase didn’t need to know anything more than what was necessary though.
“Don’t treat me like an idiot,” Chase reacted fiercely, “I know you know. The microphones stopped working, which is a little convenient, don’t you think?”
“I’m lost,” Jono admitted, hoping to keep him talking. Dylan must be on his way, he was normally here by now.
“I know you’re not one of them, but you can see what your boyfriend does, surely?” Chase continued incoherently.
“Chase, dude, I don’t know what’s going on, but if you take a seat, I’ll make you a tea or coffee and we can talk,” Jono attempted to diffuse things.
“No, I need answers now. Where is she?” Chase continued, pacing back and forth, “I know what werewolves can do. I saw Dylan shift, don’t pull the wool over my eyes.”
Jono was starting to feel worried. He wasn’t sure how to stall this for much longer. He understood Chase’s anger – if Lily had gone missing, he’d demand answers too.
The unfortunate part was that he, Dylan and the rest of the pack were embroiled in the full situation. Although they were not to blame, Jono couldn’t help feeling partially responsible.
Before he had the chance to attempt an explanation to Chase, the door swung open.
“Morning, I hope the kettle’s on,” Dylan burst in, not being remotely aware of the situation. Chase grunted and blasted out of the door, brushing past Dylan ferociously.
“I guess that wasn’t a friendly visit,” Dylan commented.
“You could say that,” Jono replied, taking a deep breath, “We’ve got to find him.”
Ready to dish out little slips of paper to her friends as they filtered into school that morning, Yasmin could hardly be bothered. She was moving into her new home that afternoon, and her mum was insisting on a house-warming party.
She had put an exceptional level of effort into the invitations too, and had instructed Yasmin to hand them out to all of her friends. It hardly felt appropriate given what had happened to Drew just the night before, but she knew she had to entertain the idea. Her mum was trying, for the first time in a long time.
“Woah, what’s up with you?” Lily commented as soon as she sat down.
“Huh?” Yasmin was confused. She hadn’t said anything, how could Lily suspect something?
“You’ve not got a textbook out. Something’s up. I know you too well,” Lily smiled smugly at her observation skills. She was irritatingly accurate. Yasmin never felt like studying when she was down.
“Here, for you,” Yasmin chucked an invite in Lily’s direction.
“Ooh, alright,” Lily examined the paper slip, “Show me a party I couldn’t attend. So what’s the problem?”
“Mom’s making the effort, but she still barely knows me. Instead of asking what I like, she assumes,” Yasmin vented.
“Tell her then. Don’t wait for her to do it on her terms. Do it on yours, and give her no choice,” Lily advised. She didn’t take nonsense from anyone, so her guidance here was particularly appreciated, “Anyway, I’ll make this party unmissable, even for you. You see if I don’t.”
Yasmin smiled. Lily always knew how to cheer her up. At least she could rely on her friends.
“Alright. In the meantime, we’ve got a mission. Come on, to the library,” Yasmin demanded.
“Wait, why? I didn’t agree to this,” Lily responded.
“Books on myths and legends. That’s how my dad learnt about the supernatural world, the library must have one or two. Besides, if I’m doing this party, then you’re coming to help research,” Yasmin laughed, leading Lily’s reluctant arm through the school.
Dylan was aghast at the temerity of Chase. The fact that he stormed into the newsroom and accused Jono after everything he had done. Dylan couldn’t wait to catch up to him and give him a piece of his mind.
He sprinted down the corridor; although he couldn’t see Chase, he could track the scent with ease. It grew stronger and stronger as Dylan approached the boys changing rooms. The aroma of sweat and deodorant tried to cloud the trail left by Chase – a smart choice of hiding place – but Dylan trusted his nose.
All of a sudden, he was distracted by a kerfuffle from the other end of the room. The back door. Dylan listened – it sounded like two heartbeats, muttering to each other.
Bang! The muttering escalated to shouting. Dylan crept closer, keeping himself on red alert in case of Drew and the creature inhabiting him. Was it back?
Chase’s scent was still strong, and getting stronger, until…BASH! Chase shot forward, crashing into a row of lockers. Confronting him, with glowing yellow eyes in full view, was Freddie.
“What the heck are you doing?” Dylan yelled, worried Freddie was about to do something stupid. Freddie looked up, as if he had snapped out of a trance. His eyes reduced to their usual colour, and he glanced at a terrified Chase, realising the effect he’d had.
“I…” Freddie attempted to justify, “I got angry. I’m sorry.”
“We’ll worry about it later. Right now, we need a chat with our stalker,” Dylan decided, prioritising his issues, “Get him to the newsroom.” Chase followed along surprisingly willingly, obviously terrified of what Freddie might do next. It was highly out of character for Freddie, which made Dylan all the more curious.
Bored out of her mind, Lily was convinced she would be using this book as a pillow before long. Yasmin had found a small stack of books in the school library on myths and legends and was determined to trawl through them all. Lily on the other hand preferred to read the comments on her Instagram account. Anything too factual or serious and her brain switched off.
On the bright side, their book had plenty of pictures scattered about. That made it easier to narrow the field down at least. She was amazed at just how many different creatures there were in this book. Ordinarily, she would dismiss it all as silly stories, but she knew better now. Lily used to think werewolves were silly stories, after all.
“Have you found anything?” Lily yawned. She hoped a little conversation would wake her up.
“No, not yet. There’s a lot of information and most of it’s not helpful. There’s even a section on the black-eyed people, but it mentions nothing about a further creature,” Yasmin detailed.
“Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place,” Lily considered, “These books, they’re written by people who don’t know about werewolves, right?”
“Presumably,” Yasmin replied.
“So why don’t we track down one that was written by someone in-the-know?” Lily suggested, “You know, that one book we’ve seen already that explains everything supernatural.”
“The Bestiary,” Yasmin recalled, “I gave that back to Drew. It’s probably down in the bunker.”
“Come on then,” Lily motivated, leading Yasmin away from the tedium of the library.
Shutting the blind on the newsroom door, Dylan knew he needed maximum privacy. He was at his wit’s end with being spied on, and he wasn’t going to risk anybody else hearing about his secret. This had to end now. Jono and Freddie stood either side of him, blocking the exit from Chase. He wasn’t escaping this time.
“You can’t keep me here,” Chase protested.
“What are you going to do to stop us?” Jono hit back. Freddie remained sheepishly quiet.
“I know what you are. Just wait until the rest of the world hears,” Chase threatened, “I have evidence.”
“That won’t be happening,” Dylan explained, remaining confident.
“I don’t see how you could stop me. Freedom of the press. You of all people should know that,” Chase reminded. It didn’t phase Dylan, though. He’d dealt with far worse than a gobby teenager.
“We’re trying to show you, dumbass,” Jono scolded.
“We’ll tell you everything. Prove to you that everything we’ve kept secret has been for good reason,” Dylan justified.
“And then you’ll let Emily go?” Chase calmed down.
“Dude, we don’t have Emily. I promise,” Dylan kept his cool, realising the soft approach was working.
“But you cut the microphones?” Chase was confused. He had talked himself into a series of events that simply didn’t occur.
“Is it a shocker that we don’t particularly enjoy being spied on?” Dylan broke it down.
“You’re werewolves,” Chase continued, “What was I supposed to do?”
“Live and let live,” Jono educated. He had a wooden ornament hanging on his treehouse wall with those words carved into it. He always said it was his life motto – Dylan loved it too.
“I’ll speak to the Sheriff and get him looking,” Dylan decided, “In return, the spying stops. We’ll do everything we can for you, and there are no more secrets. Deal?”
“Sure,” Chase agreed surprisingly quickly.
“Cool. We’ll see you in class,” Dylan moved out of the way, clearing an exit route. Chase slumped out, much more casually than when he walked in.
Dylan gently closed the door after – he wasn’t done yet. He glanced at Freddie, who had been suspiciously quiet the entire time.
“Don’t say anything, I feel like shit already,” Freddie butted in before Dylan’s scolding.
“What got into you?” Dylan questioned. He used his best “not angry, just disappointed,” tone of voice. He knew from his mum that it was a tactic that never failed.
“I saw him, tried to contain him, and he got all confrontational,” Freddie tried to clarify, “I was never going to hurt him. I was scared.”
“Promise me that was a one-off,” Dylan needed the reassurance. The last thing he needed was Freddie going rogue.
“I swear. You know me, Dylan. I got your back, always,” Freddie affirmed. Dylan had to trust his word. He knew Jono would keep a keen eye out too. They needed to stick as a unit – they were one down, and Dylan knew full well that they couldn’t afford to lose another valuable pack member.
One place Yasmin hadn’t missed while she was away was Drew’s bunker. The dark corridor underground that was always filled with leaks and puddles. The huge, heavy door on the way in. The lightbulb that was so dim, it looked like it could cut out completely any second.
Yasmin wished he would relocate all of his belongings somewhere much more pleasant, or anywhere that didn’t make her feel the need to invest in some cheap wellies just to access one goddamn book. Lily looked even more distraught, her cute new trainers being ruined by the dirty water on the floor.
Together, they budged open the heavy mountain ash-laden door – it was too big a task for just one of them. Inside, it looked just the same as ever – surprisingly clean considering the state of the tunnel. There were rows of shelving either side of the door, filled to the brim with all sorts of random shit that would only ever be useful to Drew.
“You go left, I’ll go right,” Yasmin commanded. The Bestiary really could have been anywhere among those packed shelves. It might not be a particularly quick task.
“I don’t know where to start,” Lily admitted. Yasmin knew exactly what she meant. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The door handle rattled. The hairs on Yasmin’s arms immediately stood to attention.
“Did you hear that?” she whispered.
“Yeah,” Lily worried, “Together?”
“Always,” Yasmin knew she needed Lily’s hand to hold. They made their way back to the centre as the handle continued to rattle. Yasmin picked up a heavy book from the shelving unit to her left, arming herself. She was ready to defend herself from anything, but what worried her most was the fear of the unknown. She had no idea who was behind the door. It could easily have been the creature – it terrified her more than anything. Perhaps it was Dylan though? He might have had the same idea as her.
The handle shifted and the door began to creak open. Yasmin primed the book, raising it above her head, ready to whack it down on the intruder if necessary.
“Hold up, it’s me,” Drew protested, sliding into view as the door opened fully. He sounded surprisingly like himself, “What the heck are you guys doing here?”
The rest of the school day went ahead fairly smoothly, but Jono knew he shouldn’t get too caught up in anything until Drew was safely back. On the bright side, Chase had agreed to stop bothering them.
It all seemed to be too easy, but Jono wasn’t complaining – it was a welcome change after the usual dramatic goings-on in Crystalshaw. He enjoyed assisting Dylan – they were partners in more ways than one, after all. The thrills and high stakes gave him an adrenaline rush.
However, it still felt weird to consider that his parents were in on the secret too. Jono purposely didn’t tell them about the risks involved – they would stop him from seeing Dylan if they knew. Sure, they could handle him being a werewolf, but only on the basis that he is entirely harmless. Dylan was of course harmless in himself, but everything surrounding him felt dangerous.
Nevertheless, Jono knew it was worth the risk, and he was able to take care of himself. It wasn’t like Lily had said anything either; they were both in up to their necks, and Jono wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Hey sweetie,” Helen called out from upstairs as soon as Jono closed the front door. She bounded down the staircase with a basket of washing, “No Dylan today?”
“Yasmin’s got a house-warming party later, I’ll pick him up on the way,” Jono clarified.
“Be careful, it’s a full moon tomorrow, if I see any bite marks, I’ll be having words,” Helen joked. It felt like a thinly veiled warning more than a light-hearted jest.
“Dylan can handle himself,” Jono reminded her.
“I know sweetie, your dad and I are very fond of Dylan. He’s part of the Chadwicks whether he likes it or not,” Helen ensured. It was sweet to hear such support. He loved the close relationship they all shared, “You should invite his family round. They’re always welcome, I’ll cook dinner.”
“Sure,” Jono smiled. It was a lovely idea, although he was worried about the sorts of questions his nosey parents would interrogate with, especially as Caroline didn’t yet know about Dylan’s secret. Either way, no matter what was happening around them, Jono knew he and Dylan were rock solid, and he couldn’t wait for their night together.
Instead of walking home together, Dylan knew he and Josh had to stop at the sheriff station first. He had made a promise to Chase, and he wasn’t going to fail him. Jono had kindly offered them a lift, and he was chauffeuring them both to Yasmin’s that night too. Dylan saw it as a date night, and was hoping to shake Josh off as soon as they arrived so they could be alone.
However, Josh was going to be extremely helpful when speaking to Ed. He was well aware of the supernatural now, and although asking about missing persons reports was a no-show last time, Dylan hoped to delve deeper now and look for a connection.
“I can’t believe you agreed to help him,” Josh remarked as they entered through the main door.
“I had no choice, you weren’t there,” Dylan justified, “You’d have done the same, don’t deny it.”
“Oh you think? Personally, I’m not one to condone weird psycho stalkers, but you do you,” Josh taunted.
“You’ve condoned weirder, look at your Spotify playlist,” Dylan teased back.
He held the door open for Josh; weirdly, Dylan was getting used to the sight of the sheriff station and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Most people would be ashamed to say that, but Dylan didn’t mind. He owed a lot to his close relationship with the Sheriff. He was still getting used to calling him by his first name – Ed felt like an odd word to say as opposed to Sheriff – but it spoke volumes about their relationship. Though no-one would ever replace Dylan’s dad, Ed was a brilliant father figure in his absence.
Dylan and Josh both bounded through the station and sauntered into Ed’s office. He looked like he was drowning in paperwork, A4 sheets littering the desk and the surrounding floor.
“Good afternoon boys, I assume you’ve come bearing treats?” Ed smiled a cheeky smile.
“You wish,” Josh laughed.
“Mom would kill us if we brought you any more chocolate,” Dylan reminded. They had been caught out for that on more than one occasion. Caroline wasn’t one to lecture when she was annoyed, but when she cooked dinner, she expected it to be appreciated fully, and apparently a chocolate snack beforehand didn’t leave enough room for a full meal.
“Dang,” Ed chuckled, “What can I help you gentlemen with then?”
“I wanted to ask if you’ve heard anything about Emily Kastner,” Dylan got to business, “She’s missing. Her brother is worried.”
“And so are we,” Josh noted.
“We’ve got deputies out looking for her, but we’re spread kinda thin right now,” Ed confessed, “We’ve had an increase in the number of missing persons cases in the past couple of days.”
“You said there were barely any cases a few days ago, it’s gone up that fast?” Dylan was surprised. He was right the whole time – something was up here, and Emily’s appearance the night before just proved it.
“Exactly, it’s concerning and we’re trying to pick out a pattern, but there’s nothing yet. Hey, why do I get the sense you know more than me about this?” Ed queried.
“Long story, but we know where Emily is, sorta, and it’s not good news,” Dylan detailed.
“Is there a body?” Ed wondered.
“No, and it’s very complicated,” Josh mentioned.
“Alright, the less I know, the better. I can’t break any bad news to her family without a body,” Ed decided.
“It would be good for Chase to see deputies out there still looking, too,” Dylan added, “Look, maybe we can tie the loose ends together.”
“Worth a try,” Ed allowed. Dylan knew information that he didn’t, and it could be the missing part of the puzzle. Dylan knew he had to do all he could.
Sorting out his outfit for the night, Freddie couldn’t stop thinking about that morning. He had allowed himself to overreact in the heat of the moment, and had let Dylan down. He knew better, and shouldn’t give in so easily. Chase caused a load of problems, and it was exceedingly unfair on the entire pack. That said, it didn’t justify violence or intimidation.
Now he had to focus on Yasmin. This was her night, and he was going to be meeting her mum for the first time. Yasmin had still barely said a word about her mum, and it concerned him. Was she keen to meet him? Was she sceptical? He wished he knew the details.
“Looking dapper,” George commented, appearing casually in the doorway.
“It’s not too casual is it?” Freddie pondered. He was wearing blue denim jeans with a navy stripy shirt.
“Dude, it’s a house party, not graduation. It’s great, you look awesome,” George complimented.
“Good, I’ve got to make a good impression,” Freddie mentioned.
“And you will. If Yasmin’s mom doesn’t adore you, she’ll be the first person in history,” George complimented, “You’ll have to tell me how it goes.”
“Aren’t you coming?” Freddie was confused.
“I’ve got work. Too short notice to cancel. Look after Lily on my behalf,” George explained.
“Sure. Thanks dude,” Freddie smiled. It wasn’t often he expressed his gratitude to George, but it was more than deserved. He kept the house afloat. Freddie knew he really ought to get his own job to help with the food supply.
George smiled back, pulling the door to, leaving Freddie alone again. Now all his attention was on the night ahead, and it had to be good.
Lily wasn’t sure that allowing Drew inside was a smart move. He seemed like his usual self: he spoke in his normal voice, and his eyes were their usual lush shade of hazel. Besides, it was his bunker. They couldn’t really keep him out of his own property.
“Where have you been?” Yasmin interrogated.
“Hey, you’re the ones in my bunker,” Drew hit back.
“Don’t avoid the question,” Yasmin persisted.
“Here and there,” Drew vaguely answered.
“That’s bullshit. You don’t remember, do you?” Lily called him out. She knew a lie when she heard one. She was the expert at lying, she had done it more than enough times to know the signs.
“So what? I don’t owe either of you an explanation. Now can you tell me what the fuck you’re doing in here?” Drew was growing frustrated – not out of character for him, Lily had to admit. It was much more like when they first got to know him. A lonely werewolf, whose heart had turned cold through years of distress at the hands of hunters.
“Trying to help you, mister ungrateful,” Lily justified.
“We need the Bestiary,” Yasmin added.
“Top shelf, over there,” Drew pointed to the section Lily was previously browsing. Lily noticed it poking out next to a glass jar. If only she’d spotted it sooner. She reached up and grabbed it, before blowing the thick layer of dust off the top.
She immediately passed it to Yasmin, who knew much clearer what she was looking for. Lily hadn’t seen the creature, after all.
“What are you looking for?” Drew seemed genuinely unaware of himself. Like he had forgotten everything involving this creature.
“Whatever you are. That thing, it’s made you forget, which worries me,” Yasmin explained.
“You’re making no sense,” Drew continued, “What thing?”
“The one that made you its new host last night,” Lily clarified. She was growing more concerned by the second.
“The Téras,” Yasmin named, “It’s here, named using the Ancient Greek word for monster. They didn’t know what else to call it. It’s waiting for a new body, the strongest body it can get as it cannot exist otherwise. That body comes from…” Yasmin tailed off.
“Carry on,” a concerned Lily questioned.
“From two alphas together,” Yasmin shuddered. A chill flew through Lily’s body. Dylan was in danger, but where would a second alpha come from?”
“Well read, girl,” Drew spoke, but with the voice of the Téras again. Both girls stood up immediately, backing up against the door. Drew began to shift form, back into the ghastly deformed vision that Lily could now call by its name – the Téras, “Events are in motion. You cannot win.”
“Oh yeah?” Lily reacted, running on instinct. She picked up the large book Yasmin had armed herself with before and lobbed it at the creature. Immediately, she and Yasmin tugged at the door and made their escape. Dylan had to know everything – it could be the difference between winning or losing.
Trying to keep track of all the details, Dylan was analysing every piece of information on the missing persons reports. It didn’t help that the paperwork was scattered amongst a sea of irrelevant stuff on Ed’s desk – hospital letters, files for entirely different cases and even the odd chocolate wrapper. The desk was so irritatingly untidy – Dylan would never cope if it were his own.
On a quick glance, the five missing persons cases weren’t especially similar. Varying ages, of both sexes, and no immediate link. That’s when Dylan spotted it.
“They’re all minors,” Dylan spotted.
“So what?” Josh questioned.
“That must be what it’s after. All of the kids have gone missing this week, but nobody over eighteen,” Dylan identified.
“The guy from the kitchen wasn’t under eighteen though,” Josh noted.
“And it vacated his body at the earliest opportunity,” Dylan reminded, “It must have been a desperate, short-term answer.”
“Why does it want all these kids though?” Ed questioned.
“We don’t know, but Emily, she became black-eyed. The little girl we saw at first, she was reported missing two days ago. Her name is Amelia Asahd.”
“Alright, but is there any way we can start to predict the next victim? It’s one step ahead of us and right now there’s not a damn thing we can do about it,” Ed queried.
“It looks pretty random. There’s no other correlation,” Dylan explained.
“So we’ve got no way of protecting everyone else. Makes my job darn near impossible,” Ed sighed.
“I know you’ll find a way,” Dylan encouraged, “I gotta go get ready, Jono will be waiting, but give me a call if anything happens.”
“Enjoy yourselves, boys,” Ed smiled as Dylan and Josh both raced out of the station. He needed to update Jono, and he promised he’d keep Chase in the loop too. Perhaps he could kill two birds with one stone. Time for a phone call.
Opening his laptop, Jono was ready for a bit of chill time. He’d just finished styling his hair ready for the night ahead. He didn’t always put too much focus on his hair – the curls were quite unruly and Dylan wasn’t exactly any better – but it was their date night, and he wanted to look his absolute best. Now he had time to rest before Dylan called, although knowing his luck, that phone call would come any second now.
As he opened Tumblr on his laptop, Jono’s phone buzzed. Typical. It was Dylan too – the only time he wasn’t pleased to see an incoming call from him.
“Hey babe,” Jono greeted, “Ready for your taxi?”
“I need a bit more time, I still look like a gremlin,” Dylan joked, much to Jono’s relief, “We just spoke to Ed, figured out a pattern. I’ll fill you in later but I need you to call Chase and reassure him the Sheriff’s doing all he can to find Emily.”
“Sure. I’ll see you soon, can’t wait,” Jono added.
“Me too. Love you,” Dylan replied.
“Love you too,” Jono smiled, finishing the call. Although he couldn’t see Dylan, he heard the huge smile on his face through his voice. He adored the fact that they shared even the tiniest moments like that.
Jono sighed. He really didn’t want to call Chase – he hated phone calls with anyone other than Dylan, and even then, he preferred face-to-face conversation. Normally, he’d have just texted Chase, but there were too many details. Besides, Chase was delicate. He had to be handled with care and sensitivity. Jono found him in his contacts and pressed call.
“Hello?” Chase answered the phone, sounding downbeat.
“Hey,” Jono replied as he sat down at his desk.
“Oh, Jono. Any updates?” Chase keenly questioned.
“Not really. Sheriff’s doing all he can though, Dylan assures me,” Jono explained, “We just wanted to keep you in the loop.”
“Oh, you called me for no reason then?” Chase hit back. Jono had been as delicate as he could, and had still somehow provoked this reaction.
“We said we’d keep you updated, so we’re doing just that,” Jono clarified.
“Whatever,” Chase sighed and hung up. So ungrateful. Jono brushed it off though – Chase wasn’t his priority, he had far bigger things to worry about.
He chucked his phone down on the bed next to him and turned his attention back to Tumblr. He had one new notification, which had arrived just seconds ago. It looked like he had been tagged in a post – titled “Freedom of Speech.” Then Jono noticed the username - watchingu1812. It was Chase, using the same username as the email address he used to terrorise Lily.
He went on to read the post, littered with pictures of the entire pack. No details were spared. The werewolves were named, and Yasmin’s nix status was exposed too. Jono didn’t know how to react, but he knew this was anything but good – and it already had ten reblogs.