Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,143

to use my door, then we both paused. He sniffed at the air, and I could see the fur lifting along the back of his neck. Even to my human-form senses, I could smell the gunpowder.

"Which way?" I asked him.

He started trotting, and I followed. The building in front of us was for the football team. Probably lockers, gym equipment, and storage for the gear. Once we made it around that, the pair of us stopped, looking at the open field between us and the back of the school. All of my hunting instincts said this was a bad idea. It was too visible, too exposed, but it was the only way to get there.

Then a door at the back burst open and a man ran through. No, a boy, and there was a wolf right on his heels. Lane barked, three short sounds, and the wolf stopped even as Lane rushed forward. I had just enough time to recognize Roman's coat before he was back in the building, and Lane was leaving me behind.

"Fuck," I grumbled, all too aware of the gun the guy held.

But he wasn't looking this way. The boy kept turning back, trying to find the wolf that had clearly chased him out of the school. He never saw Lane coming, not even as the massive canine hit him hard from the side.

The gun flew from his hands. The sounds of Lane's snarls and clacking teeth was loud, but mostly to distract and confuse the kid. Lane's teeth closed on nothing but the guy's clothes, slinging him even further from the gun and onto his back. Then my beta stalked him, growling in a way that convinced me he would have no problem with killing this kid. As soon as I was close enough, I grabbed the gun and threw it as far away as I could, but Lane had this.

"If you don't bite me," the boy - Mason - warned, "I will spend the rest of my life exposing what you are."

I was breathing hard, but trying not to show it as I moved to stand behind my brother. "I like how you assume you'd survive."

The kid looked up and his eyes went wide. "You..."

"On your stomach," I ordered. "If you don't, I'll turn my dog loose."

Because a plan was coming to me quickly. Elena had assumed Red was just a dog. He was too soft, she'd told me later. Too well cared for to be a wild animal. She was right, but that meant he'd also be easy to explain away. A wolf hybrid. One trained as a guard dog for the community. Humans would think nothing of it, and this kid had already proven he was insane.

"Fuck you," the boy said.

So Lane growled louder, lifting his teeth. The kid was on his rump and Lane loomed over him. There was no way he could do more than continue to keep scooting back. If he tried to get to his feet, Lane would be on him. He couldn't run like this - and the sirens were getting louder.

Then the kid lifted his chin. "I know what you are."

"Yeah?" I asked, refusing to admit it. "How?"

"I know about Xander changing. He turned into a fucking wolf, and everyone from that place has the same eyes. Even Gabriella, and she didn't used to." He clenched his jaw. "But they won't turn me."

"Because you're clearly insane," I said. "Get on your stomach."

"Just turn me?" he begged. "You're all werewolves. I know you are, but they all laugh at me when I try to tell people. They call me crazy, but it's real!"

Fuck this. Moving around Lane, I shoved the boy over, onto his stomach, and then yanked his arm behind him. The only weird thing was that he didn't try to resist. He just let me! I couldn't stop thinking about how many kids were hurt inside, but I would not confirm his suspicions. I couldn't.

If this boy ever got real proof of what we were, he'd spend the rest of his life trying to expose us. For now, the world would think he was crazy. Sure, I felt bad about that, but my pack came first. They always would. The simple fact that this kid had decided to threaten the others to get what he wanted instead of proving that he could be trusted? Yeah, it made that guilt a lot less intense.

"I don't know what you think I am," I said, "but the cops are