Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,63
thing, then we take another conveyor back out to the silos and do a final long jump from the roof of the shortest silo. The finish line is when you make it to the ground, and how far out you jumped is taken into account in the awarding of points.”
He sounded eager as he described the acrobatic course the children had devised. Helen thought it sounded altogether too dangerous, but she wasn’t a werewolf, so she didn’t know what was easy for them. For certain, human children could get really hurt if they tried something like that.
“You won’t tell my dad I’ve been out there, will you?” the boy asked, looking a bit sheepish, for a wolf.
“I think that’s something you need to tell him yourself,” Jim said, his tone unyielding. “But don’t be surprised if he already knows. Nothing much gets past the Alpha in a Pack like this.”
The youngster brushed his toe in the imaginary dirt on the sidewalk. “You’re probably right, but I’ll tell him. I promise.”
“Good lad,” Jim praised the kid and patted him on the shoulder. “Tell him I’m going to check out your obstacle course. Calum’s missing, so if you hear from him, call your father right away. He’s mobilizing half the town to look for him.”
The boy’s eyes widened as Jim opened the passenger-side door and got in. Helen took that as her cue to walk around to the driver’s side. She got behind the wheel and adjusted the seat and mirrors before putting the car in gear and heading down the street. Jim gave her directions, since she didn’t really know her way around town, yet.
“Was that boy Joe’s son?” Helen asked once she was heading in the right direction.
“His youngest,” Jim confirmed. “I’ve met him once or twice before, when he was younger. Good kid, as far as I know. He has the makings of an Alpha when he gets older, too. He might even be strong enough to lead this Pack after his dad, if he continues as he’s going.”
“You can tell that so young?” Helen was surprised.
Jim shrugged. “Sort of. There’s a lot that goes into a good Alpha wolf. The training he’s getting just by watching his farther counts for a lot, but there’s the dominance issue, as well. He’s very young, but his wolf is definitely of a dominant type. How strong he proves to be will depend on the rest of his experiences as he grows and all sorts of other factors that can’t really be quantified.”
Helen found that fascinating, and said so, but Jim still seemed preoccupied by what would come next. He gave her the instructions for turning off the main road then had her drive out over open land and into some light tree cover that still had enough room for her to fit the car through. She could see the tops of silos just over the hill they were cresting, and then, there they were. An old building with a number of big metal silos attached by spindly conveyors.
“Stop here,” Jim said. “I’m going in on foot, and you can watch from the car up here. Do you have your phone?”
She stopped the car and turned off the engine. “In my bag,” she said, reaching for the big bag she’d slung into the back of the car. She dug through it until she found her phone then held it up triumphantly.
“Put Joe’s number in your contacts list.” He waited while she did so, reading off the number when she was ready. “If you see anything happening that looks bad, call him. He’s got people all around the area, and he can get someone here to help more quickly than you’d think.”
Helen nodded, worried now that the moment was upon them. “Be careful,” she told him, unable to stop herself from worrying about his safety.
“I will. You stay in the car and keep the doors locked. Be ready to leave in a hurry, if you need to, and don’t hesitate to call for help, if something happens,” he reminded her. He moved closer for a deep kiss that was over all too soon, then he was out of the car and heading toward the old buildings in the distance.
Helen didn’t feel right watching him jog into danger. She wasn’t sure why, but she had a really bad feeling about the old feed mill. The place looked creepy and sinister to her, and it was broad daylight. She couldn’t imagine how bad it must