A Suspicious Savior

"Damn it!" Lowell swore. He reached the driveway just as the Audi turned onto the highway. He ran a hand through his hair while grimacing in pain as he pulsed pain from the back of his head, the place where he was hit. When he looked at his hand, there was blood there.

Well done, Luke. Looks like you won this time.

He licked the blood off his fingers, savoring the metallic taste in his mouth. Then, he heard a purr. When he turned his head, he saw a large gray wolf coming closer with its belly low to the ground as if hunched over timidly. Lowell looked away from the animal's pleading gaze.

"Stop whining and apologizing like that, Boris," he said coldly. "We don't have time."

The wolf straightened himself and took a few steps back, then suddenly he was human again, on all fours. Boris groaned as he rose to his feet. He wiped the blood from his forehead where the pot had hit him. "I'm sorry, Lowell. That girl hit me so hard that my grip slipped. I should have prevented them from escaping."

"It was all your fault," Lowell said. "But it happened. Now you have to make amends by going after them. There's a car in the garage you can use. The keys must be hanging somewhere. Use your brain. Follow them."

"Okay, Lowell." Boris nodded and moved to the open garage where the Land Rover was parked.

"Boris," Lowell called.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"I want them alive. Both of them. Don't you leave a single scratch on Willow. If you do, I'll do the same to you a hundred times over, understand?"

Boris nodded.

"Good. I forgive your stupidity this time, but I will not tolerate any other mistakes and stupidity in the mission I ordered."

Boris nodded again and Lowell saw a hint of fear in the giant's eyes. Apparently, Boris knew that he should not deal with Lowell's bad side, because experience had proven what would happen.

Luke had to learn about that.

After Boris disappeared into the garage, Lowell sighed. He was upset that this wasn't how it should have happened. He leaned against the wall in anger. It was really bad luck that he didn't take Luke into account. Even without Luke, his plan was perfect. Willow was now successfully taken. He should have known that Luke would sabotage his plan. He should have killed Luke when he had the chance.

He took his anger out on Luke by punching a hole in the wall.

"Lowell, you want to hurt your hand just because of a small failure?"

Lowell pulled his hand from the wall and turned around to find a beautiful woman emerging from the house. Her long, wavy blonde hair flowing over her bare shoulders, she wore a simple yet elegant black dress.

"Why am I not surprised to see you, Fenella?" asked Lowell.

"Of course because you know me so well. You knew I would follow you here."

"Did you see everything?"

"I heard it from upstairs, the half-blood's room. I was busy picking out clothes."

"And why didn't you help?" asked Lowell irritably. "Luke got the girl away."

"My dear, I've trusted your strength all along. So, I thought you'd be able to handle it." Fenella sulked. "I'm sorry, okay." She reached out to caress Lowell's cheek. When she saw the blood in his hair, she gasped. "Oh, you're hurt!"

"I'm fine." Lowell looked up and down to admire Fenella's body wrapped in a dress, displaying her beautiful curves. "Where did you get that dress?"

"Oh this?" Fenella caressed her dress. "I told you, I looked around her room and found a lot of nice clothes in her closet. It turns out we're the same size. Wow, it turns out she has a good sense of dressing. I found a lot of expensive dresses in her closet. Her grandparents were rich, weren't they?" Fenella giggled. "So, I took this one. It's nice, isn't it?"

"It suits you very well."

"Of course. I'm more suited to those dresses than the half-breed."

"Well, once she becomes my mate, I'll make sure she'll never wear clothes like this."

Fenella frowned. "Are you really going to take her as your mate? Then, what about me? I would be a much better mate for you than her."

"Don't worry. Even after she becomes my partner, I still have a place for you. I was forced to choose her as a partner because of those idiots who were still loyal to her father. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't care about such a girl. She's not my type. The problem would be solved if that girl could win their trust by my side. They will look up to me as a leader. Makes sense, doesn't it?"

"I hope your calculations are correct." Fenella came closer and rested her head on Lowell's chest. "I can't live without you." She looked up and tried to kiss him, but Lowell pulled away from her. "Why?" he asked. "You used to want me to kiss you. Do you not like my kisses now because of that girl?"

"That's not it, Fenella. We don't have time to relax. The remaining herd must be gathered for the chase. I'm sure Luke will take the girl to the Canadian border."

"Do you think they'll cross into Ontario?"

"I don't know. I could be wrong. Boris will give us the news."

"You always rely on Boris in every chase. Why?"

"You don't know?" Lowell raised his eyebrows. "He has no brains and only relies on his physical strength, but one of his other advantages is that he's very good at tracking. Even so, Luke is still smarter than Boris. That's why we need the whole herd to gather."

"You think Luke will take the girl to her father?"

"What else could it be? I'm sure Luke has been asked by Ralph to pick up his daughter. Besides, Luke obviously knows our plan, which is why he came to sabotage it. Who do you think he knew from? It must be Ralph."

"Luke is a traitor," Fenella muttered. "Why would you trust someone like that to pick up your son?"

"I don't want to talk about it now, Fenella. I don't care what Ralph's motives are and why Luke would help him. What matters to me is my own goal. I can't afford to lose another step."

"But Lowell...."

Lowell waved his hand, dismissing the air. He moved toward the exit gate. "Call the pack, Fenella. And get out of here before someone comes and finds the bodies. Immediately."

Fenella didn't argue. "Alright, dear. I'll collect them" She got down on all fours and then switched from a beautiful blonde woman to a slender white wolf. She threw her head back and let out a long howl that pierced the night.

Lowell turned and continued walking, shoving his hands into his pockets as his amber eyes pierced the darkness. It wouldn't be long before the rest of the pack arrived. They would never ignore that call.

You'll pay for your actions tonight, Luke. He thought angrily and furiously. You meddling bastard. I'll pay you back many times over. You'll see.

***

"What was that?"

Willow was still panting. Her heart was pounding, and it felt like she was about to faint. They were far from home, which she would probably never see again. How could her life have changed in just a few minutes. She was just an ordinary student who spent her time studying on campus, doing assignments in the library, hanging out with her friends. Even tonight he was supposed to be having dinner with his grandparents.

Instead, she was in a car with an unknown stranger who was about to take her somewhere.

Willow glanced at the dark-haired stranger sitting in the driver's seat. He was silent and just staring straight ahead at the road. Willow was reluctant to engage him in conversation because she still didn't trust him. Now they were on the highway, going nowhere. There was only one way to find out. She had to get up the courage to ask.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the north," the man replied. "To the border."

"Are we crossing into Canada?" The crossing means crossing Lake Ontario which separates the US state of Minnesota from Ontario in Canada. However, for Willow this was not the case. "I don't have my passport with me," she said.

The man gave her a quick glance before returning his gaze to the road ahead. "No need for a passport. We're going somewhere safe for you. That's all that matters."

"Is that what you think? But that's not what's important to me." Her frustration peaked. "My grandparents and our maids are dead, and I was almost killed by two madmen and a wolf. You really can't tell me more than that?

He paused for a moment before answering. "My name is Luke. Your father sent me here to protect you."

"Oh, so you're my dad's friend too?" Willow crossed her arms and pressed her lips together.

"Is that what Lowell told you?"

"Yes."

"He lied."

"How do I know that you're not lying too?"

"I wouldn't lie about that."

Willow sneered. "Saying that would be a lie too."

Sighing impatiently, the man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a photograph, which he handed to Willow without taking his eyes off the road. "You look at this photo. This is proof that I'm not lying. Your mom and dad are also in the picture."

Willow looked at the photo. She immediately recognized her mother. A woman with sandy brown hair, just like hers. Her mother was sitting on a bed with a baby in her arms. On one side of the bed was a tall man with a square jaw and curly brown hair. She saw the resemblance between her face and the man, especially the color of his gray eyes. Next to the tall man was Luke, the stranger who was currently driving next to her.

Wait.

Why was this stranger in the picture?

"Where did you get this picture?" snapped Willow. "That's my late mom. If it's my dad, well... I don't know. But my grandparents said he left before I was born. And this.... is your father?"

"That's me."

"Seriously." Willow shook her head. "You've got to be kidding me. You must be about twenty... twenty-one? We're only a few years apart. You should be a kid in that picture. Just a little older than me."

"But that's me."

"You should be old."

"Of course. If I were human."

Willow was dumbfounded, now turning her head to stare at Luke who was still staring ahead. "You... you're a werewolf too?"

"That's right."

"Werewolves don't exist!"

"Then, how do you explain the appearance of a wolf in your house earlier?"

"It was probably a big dog, or a wolf-descended dog."

The corners of Luke's lips lifted slightly in a smile that only lasted a few seconds. "It was Boris, Willow."

"No way!"

"You've seen it for yourself. You have to admit that it's true. The werewolf exists."

Willow sighed in annoyance, turning her face to the window beside her. There was no view to be seen in the dark night sky above Minnesota. She stared at her reflection in the glass, and at Luke who was still driving calmly without being bothered by their argument.

"Then, is my father..."

"Your father is a werewolf. Just like me, Lowell and Boris."

No. Willow closed her eyes. Hoping that when she opened her eyes, it would all turn out to be a bad dream.

****