Eclipsed Hearts

Going to the Wolves

[Bailey]

Keaton led me away from Ian and the werewolf, gripping my arm tightly. Despite not liking it, I still went along with him. I didn’t even notice him coming towards me until the werewolf was right in front of me. I was watching Ian coming at me and worrying about what could happen if the monster thought we were together. He was the one who said we needed to stay away.

Now I knew he was trying to protect me, I felt awkward. I didn’t need to be protected. This was a public space. The werewolf wouldn’t attack me in a crowded ballroom.

I finally jerked my arm out of Keaton’s grasp and push away from him. He stopped and looked at me with an exasperated expression. Of course, he was an Alpha werewolf, so he thought he was entitled to tell people when and where to go.

“I don’t need your help,” I hissed at him.

“You need my help more than you realize, Ms…. Damn it. What should I call you?” he responded in a hushed growl.

“Demi Harris.”

“Ms. Harris, there is more going on here than you realize. It seems like every time I see you the ѕhit just gets deeper. Stay with me.”

No matter how much I wanted to push back and tell him to go to hell, I couldn’t. It was like something was telling me to trust him. Like I needed to trust him. My uncle always told me to trust my gut.

If I had done that, there would have been a lot of times I would have left the clan, but I stayed because I decided to avenge my family. Once that was done, I would leave. I shouldn’t have to buy my way out, because my parents did that when they left.

Right now, my gut said that Keaton Black was a better ally than even Ian. I had to trust in it. After what happened in my room with Ian, I wondered just how much I should trust him.

The fact of the matter was, he was a confusing person. He tried to irritate me, put me down, and insult me. Then he kisses me and acts like it was me, like I was the one who did it. He treated me like a wanton woman who was throwing herself at him.

“What do I need to do, Mr. Black?” I asked.

“Stick with me. Let’s get you a drink.”

“I don’t drink on the job.”

“Consider yourself out of work, Ms. Harris,” he replied, grabbing my wrist and pulling me along again.

I’d somehow missed the amount of people who were focusing on us. Something wasn’t right. I caught up to him and walked next to him so he didn’t have to drag me anywhere. Just because I didn’t like werewolves didn’t mean I would be stupid. He obviously knew something I didn’t.

As we made our way through the crowded ballroom, Keaton loosened his grip on my wrist. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of unease as I noticed the eerie silence that seemed to follow us wherever we went. It was as if the partygoers were all holding their breath, watching our every move with a mix of curiosity and caution.

Keaton guided me toward the elaborate bar set up in one corner of the room, his movements purposeful and determined. I stole a glance at his profile, the sharp angles of his jawline illuminated by the ambient light, and couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something familiar about him that went beyond the photos I’d seen. Being near him felt familiar in some way.

When we reached the bar, Keaton ordered a drink for me without hesitation. His posture relaxed, yet his eyes scanning our surroundings vigilantly. While reflecting on the situation, I sipped the drink and felt the burning sensation in my throat. I wouldn’t drink enough to get drunk, but I needed to be a little more relaxed. I was too tense for a convention goer.

He ordered another drink for me and one for him, then tossed his head toward a free table. I followed him through the crowd again, sticking as close as I could. How had it escalated to this?

Once we were seated, I took a moment to look around the room. Ian and the werewolf were pretending not to watch us from the opposite end. I pretended as if I didn’t notice them.

“Demi, you certainly are making this paid vacation much more difficult. I appreciate it. I hate taking time off work, so this will at least keep me entertained.” He sighed. “I never thought I would be protecting someone like you, but I was bored in five minutes of unpacking. This will be more fun.”

“You mean the thing you told me about earlier is actually a cause for concern? Like it’s now. Not something to worry about later?”

“Not after the things I’ve learned while wandering about. Did you let anyone know you were coming here specifically?”

“I don’t know if I want to answer that,” I replied.

“I’m not your enemy right now. I took you to the safest corner of the room, but I need to know. Did you pass the information about where you were hunting to anyone in your clan?”

“Why? I’m not trying to push back, here. I need to know why?”

“There’s some sort of leak in your family. I don’t know where it is coming from, but some packs have been using the information to save themselves for years. It’s not just your pack, though. There’s a hunter leak that is giving a lot of information to my people. Since there’s a price on your head, I’m worried about how many people here are here to kill you,” Keaton answered.

A chill ran down my spine at Keaton’s words. The revelation that there could be a leak within my family or even among the hunters sent a wave of anxiety crashing over me. Could I trust anyone at all?

“I didn’t tell them. I only told them I would be away from my motel this week, but I figured if I needed them, I would let them know.”

“Earlier, I told you there were at least five people here who would be happy to claim the bounty on you, but since we parted company people have approached me. Some know who I am, but all of them know who you are. A few told me to back off because they had a claim on killing you. Who sent you here?”

“We found the information about it in our target’s office. I don’t think anyone else knew we were coming, certainly not in enough time to have booked it, right?”

“You had time to book it, so they might have as well. Or something else was going on here and we both happened to accidentally come to some other sort of gathering,” he answered.

I nodded, trying to process. The weight of paranoia settled in my chest, making it hard to breathe as I scanned the room once more, looking at each guest with new suspicion. I took a deep drink from the glass in my hand.

Keaton must have noticed the tension in my body, because he reached out and squeezed my hand reassuringly. His touch was surprisingly warm, a stark contrast to the icy dread creeping through my veins.

“I know you don’t know me, except that my pack and your clan are enemies, but I want you to move into my room,“ he said quietly, his gaze never leaving mine. “There are two beds, so you’ll be safe. I was going to bring my cousin, but his oldest son asked him to go with him to an event.”

I swallowed more of my drink. “An event? What sort of event could be more important than a trip to the worst fuсking island in the world?”

He chuckled. “Slow down, Demi. You can’t get drunk right now.”

Raising an eyebrow, I finished my first drink in one gulp and picked up the second. “Are you going to stop me?”

“You remind me of my mate. She’s just like you, always being rebellious and stubborn.

I stopped myself from saying something about being nothing like a werewolf. At least I was sober enough to know when not to insult someone who was helping me. Unlike Ian. That asshole.

“The event is a different sort of conference that young werewolves go to. He’s worried about being away from home and wants his dad with him. My cousin’s children are all orphaned and the older ones ended up with some issues because of bad people doing bad things.”

His eyes seemed angry and haunted all at the same time. They would take care of their own, of course. I could imagine that the kids he took in were from hunter attacks or from their parents dying while hunting hunters.

“We’re not all bad people. We’re trying to save others. Werewolves are dangerous. They hurt others all the time,” I replied.

Keaton looked at me, and the haunted expression faded, leaving only the anger. For the first time since I met him, I was feeling threatened by him. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

“It was werewolves who hurt them. The oldest three were orphaned by the Alpha of their pack, who sacrificed their parents in hopes of getting money like they had before. The youngest two were orphaned by their Alpha who was hiring hunters to attack their pack and kill specific members for not being pure enough. Connie and Joey’s parents were pure but got caught in the crossfire trying to protect the pack.

“I know that werewolves aren’t perfect, but it’s not our animal side that did that, it’s our human side. My cousin and his mate took on five children who lost everything and gave them a happy home. I know my people are monsters, do you realize that yours are too?” Keaton asked quietly.

It was easy to demonize those we didn’t understand, to lump all werewolves together in the same category. Keaton’s words made me realize that cruelty and evil have no limits, even across different species. I knew what some of my family members did. I knew how evil they were. They were proud of killing children, instead of saving them. They brought home grotesque trophies from their hunts.

“I can. I’m sorry. If you’re still okay with it, I’ll stay with you. If you plan to kill me, please hold off until I’ve avenged my family. That’s the only thing I’ve been focused on for twenty years. I just need to know the person who killed them can’t hurt anyone else,” I whispered.

“You’re leaving this island alive, I promise.”