Chapter Thirteen
Humans died all the times. Humans were murdered all the time. Humans killed all the time. However, having a dead human on our territory was bad news. That would mean police over our land, and people snooping into our business. We didn't need that.
We really didn't need that.Humans already thought the communities we had were weird – thinking we were a cult, or a religious organisation and some even thinking we were nudists. It was the same with every Werewolf communal in the country; the humans frowned upon our communities as if we were doing something wrong. People feared the unknown.
Layton froze, eyes hardening as he looked at his Beta. I swallowed deeply, scared of what it would mean for the pack to be stuck in the middle of a murder investigation. I gripped a hold of Layton's large hand, holding it tightly with both my thin hands.
Layton glanced down at me, before taking me into his arms. He rested me against his side, his arms going around my waist. He held me in a possessive manner, fingers digging into my waist slightly. He was hurting me slightly, but I didn't complain.
"Take me there. Now" Layton growled. Beta Strider nodded, before leading us towards the forest. I didn't want to go with them – to see the dead body – but I also didn't want to leave Layton. Firstly, because I was too scared to be by myself. Secondly, because I didn't want Layton to lose his temper; I had a calming effect on him. We already had one dead body, we didn't him to add any more.
On the edge of the territory, about a meter into the woods, was a gathering of a few people from the Pack. "Go home all of you, I will sort this" Layton exclaimed loudly, as we walked towards were they were huddled.
Our Pack members all turned to see us, before casting their eyes in submission and returning to their homes. When the Wolves were all out of the way, I saw what everyone had been looking at. The dead human.
It was a young girl, not much older than me, with light blonde hair and a slim build. Her body was sprawled out over the forest ground; her arms crossed over her body and her legs spread apart. Dirt was matted into her hair, and sprayed all over her body. Her pale skin looked blue.
But the worst part was the blood.
Scarlet blood was everywhere; over the girl, around the girl and on the ground. The smell of copper filled my senses and played on my gag reflex. I gagged, turning away from the sight. Layton didn't say anything, he simply rubbed my back; he was trying to be soothing, but the aggression in the action was anything but.
"What are we going to do, Alpha?" Beta Strider questioned, and I tried to think of anything but the dead body.
"I'm thinking" Layton snapped, before staring back at the body. Layton was used to death and blood, but I wasn't. Killing wasn't an everyday activity for Werewolves, but it happened. Layton was familiar with it, whereas I wasn't. Most Wolves wouldn't have ever see a dead body, yet it didn't even faze Layton.
Swallowing deeply, I tried to take in a breath of fresh air. It didn't work and I ended up breathing in more of the death smelling air. I could no longer hold my dinner down. I broke away from Layton and vomited.
I coughed heavily, as bile spilled from my mouth. Layton came up from behind me and held my hair back, as I doubled over. A human probably wouldn't have been able to smell much; maybe an odd tinge to the air. But, with my senses, it was the smell that turned my stomach contents.
I just hadn't expected a dead body to be so...dead. It was stupid, and naïve, of me to hope that the girl would have just been sleeping. The smell was too pungent for that. It was like I was suffocating in death.
When I'd finished throwing up, I stood back up. Layton glanced at me, looking unsympathetic, and let go of my hair. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Finished?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I nodded, blushing. "Good". He turned back to Beta Strider.
"What should we do?" Beta Strider asked, Layton paused. "We have to call the police, Alpha. The person who killed her, obviously was in a half-shift, so it looks like an animal attack".
Layton thought about that for a moment, before sighing. "We'll have cops swarming over the territory for days. The Pack will hate that". He ran a hand over his face, I looked up at him – not wanting to look at the dead girl. Layton seemed to have aged significantly since dinner, frown lines deepened on his forehead.
"But, if we don't, and the girl gets reported missing, the cops will examine all the woodland areas anyway. And that will take longer, and with the Full Moon coming up, we can't afford for that" Beta Strider argued. Layton cussed angrily.
He growled, and cussed, and raged. He scared me when he was like that; so aggressive and dominate. I wanted to cower at his feet, or return home, but I just didn't want to be with Layton right then. He was scaring me, terrifying me.
"Fine, call the fucking cops" Layton snapped angrily, turning around and throwing his hands up into the air. "Gemini, come" he growled, not even looking at me. I obeyed without argument, rushing to his side.
He put his arms around me, gripped me in a tight grip. He still didn't even look at me, and I kept my eyes cast to the floor – slightly because of Layton's dominance, but mostly because I didn't want to see the dead girl again.
Beta Strider took his phone from his pocket, and dialled. I gulped deeply as he held the phone to his ear – the dialling tone filling the silence of the evening. Then, someone spoke and Beta Strider explained how he had found a body, who had been attacked by an animal; 'possibly a bear'.
"What's a half-shift?" I asked Layton. He finally turned to me, before gripping my chin and jerking my head up so our eyes met.
"I thought we were passed you submitting to me?" he growled angrily. I knew that he wasn't angry at me, but at the situation. So I didn't take his anger to heart, but it didn't mean it didn't hurt.
"I wasn't submitting, I didn't want to see her" I replied honestly, my voice barley a whisper. Layton looked at me strangely, before shaking his head.
"Sorry, I didn't think that it would bother you so much" he sighed, running a hand through his hair. He pulled me close, and hugged me. He kissed the top of my head; a soft, soothing, peck. I leant into him; my face resting on his chest.
"What's a half-shift?" I questioned once more, glancing up into Layton's green eyes.
"A half-shift is when Wolves – strong ones – have the ability to change when it's not a Full Moon. However, it's not a full form shift. It is just certain part of the body that change" he explained. I nodded; shocked I had never heard of it before. But, then, I didn't know any strong Wolves before I met Layton.
"I shouldn't have brought you out here" Layton mumbled, sighing heavily. "It was selfish of me. I knew you would calm me down if I brought you along. But I shouldn't have been so selfish to only think of myself". He pressed another soft kiss to my head. "Go home, I'll wait for the police".
"No" I shook my head, "I want to stay with you". I clung onto his shirt, my fingers gripping the material hard. Layton just nodded, and we stood together.
"She should leave" a voice said from behind us. I turned my head slightly, seeing Beta Strider glaring at the two of us. "She is weak and we don't need her spilling all our secrets if the police question her". He narrowed his eyes in my direction, and I blushed in embarrassment and shifted uncomfortably. Layton let out a menacing growl at his Beta.
"You watch your mouth, Antony, or I'll rip your tongue from your mouth so you can never speak bad about your Alpha Female again". His words were delivered with fury and a terrifying murderous stare. I gulped – glad I wasn't on the end of the glare, I would have crumbled at his feet.
"I'm just saying that--"
"Well, don't just say" Layton cut him off, a growl ripping through his chest as his arms tightened around me. "Frankly, Antony, I don't give a shit what you think. I am the Alpha. I am in charge. I decide what happens. So shut up before I make you". Layton pushed me behind him, before stepping towards Beta Strider.
The man must have had a death wish, because he stood up to Layton – challenging his Alpha. Total, and utter, disrespect. Layton roared. It wasn't a growl, it was the roar of a beast. I whimpered in fear as Layton grabbed a hold of Beta Strider's collar. "How dare you?" Layton yelled – his voice more animal than I thought possible.
Layton's face twitched, his face morphing slightly. I was seeing a man in half-shift. Layton's face distorted; his mouth and nose growing longer and his teeth enlarging. Claws extended from his fingers and his normal hair spread lower over his neck. His eyes grew – his pupils taking over the iris so that the entire eye was black. The plush green, meadow colour, that I had grown to adore, were gone. Black eyes left in its place – the eyes of a killer.
I screamed, clasping my hand over my mouth to muffle the sound slightly. I had never been so fearful for my life before, I stumbled back as tears sprung to my eyes. He was a monster, Layton was a monster. I knew what he was, and I was still terrified of him, I couldn't imagine how scared the human would have been to see a beast like that.
Layton – in his beast form – wrapped a clawed hand around Beta Strider's neck. He looked up at my mate with terrified eyes, looking like he was staring down the barrel of the gun – but it was worse than that. I may have been scared stiff, but I still knew that it was Layton inside, and I knew he didn't really want to kill his Beta.
So, on shaky legs, I moved forward and called to him. "Layton. Layton. Layton, stop this please! We already have one dead body, let's not make it two" I yelled, voice cracking with tears.
Layton froze, his back becoming rigid at hearing my voice. I carried on, "Layton, the police are on their way. We don't need to draw suspicion to ourselves. They need to think that it was an animal attack that killed the girl, we don't need another dead body to make it a murder investigation". There was a heavy pause. "Layton, please". I was getting desperate.
There was a thick heavy moment of tension; both Beta Strider and I watching Layton, awaiting his decision. I gulped deeply as Layton glared at Beta Strider, before finally he let go of his neck. The Beta took in a deep breath of air, before rubbing his neck. The skin covered in slight blood from where Layton's claws at punctured the tissue.
"You should leave" Layton growled at him. "Because I might kill you if you keep talking, and you're bleeding and we don't need the cops sticking their noses in". His words still held a fierce growl in them.
"Understood, Alpha" Beta Strider grumbled, eyes cast to the floor and a scowl presenting on his lips. He didn't look happy, but turned and left anyway.
Layton turned slowly to face me, he was breathing deeply and his hands shook slightly in rage. When his black, bottomless, eyes met mine; I visually shivered. "You're scared of me" he said. His voice sounded even and calm, but there was a gruff tone to it due to the half-shift. I gulped, but shook my head no. "Yes you are, Gemini. Don't lie to me, you're scared of me. Because I'm a monster".
"You're not" I exclaimed – louder than necessary. I rushed up to him, scared inside but trying to appear fearless. "You are not a monster, Layton".
He laughed humourlessly, shaking his head. "That's exactly what I am, Gemini. I'm a monster and you're an angel".
The conversation soon ended by the sound of sirens. Layton took a deep breath, before returning to the beautiful Alpha I knew. He took me into his arms. "We came out on a romantic walk, we stumbled across the body. We didn't hear anything, we didn't see anything" Layton whispered into my ear. I nodded my understanding.
The police worked quickly – taking Layton and I aside, closing up the area and taking the body away to the morgue. The entire time, Layton and I stayed close together; his arms wrapped tightly around my body. It was getting late, and I shivered slightly.
"Mr Vetteriano" a police offered – Sergeant Harries – walked over to us. "I believe you own this land, yes?" he asked. Sergeant Harries was a small man, with arms that were larger than looked real and a face whiter than his hair.
"Yes, my wife and I own this entire fifty acres" Layton replied in a clipped tone; showing that the question was unwelcome. At the word 'wife' Sergeant Harries turned to me, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"You're very young to be married" he commented, eyes looking at me. "And we've all heard of Mr Vetteriano and his community, but I've never heard of a wife". He spoke as if I were guilty of something, I flushed slightly.
"It's a recent marriage" I replied, trying my hardest to sound casual. But I was scared. Human's – especially ones that pried – unnerved me. They were anomalies to me, something different and unique. I only ever interacted with humans when I had to; at restaurants, in the bank and other mundane things. But I stuck with my own kind; I stuck with Wolves.
"How recent?" the Sergeant asked.
"About a week and a half" I stated blankly, and the police officer looked intrigued.
"Wow, so I guess finding a dead body on your honeymoon is a bit of a shock. Mrs Vetteriano – if you don't mind me asking – what exactly where you and your husband doing out here; in the middle of the woods?"
"We were having a walk together. It's our land, we can walk on it if we want". I didn't mean to sound so snappy, but my fear was forcing me to sound more aggressive than I meant it to. Layton squeezed my hip; a warning, I realised. Sergeant Harries paused, staring me down with beady eyes.
"We'd like you both to come down to the station with us and ask you some questions" he finally said.
"We've already told you what happened, we went on a walk and we found the body. What more could you need to know?" Layton demanded, his lips tipping into a disapproving frown. The Sergeant smiled humourlessly at Layton.
"You and your wife need to give your statement is all" he shrugged.
"No need to get so defensive". He paused, looking closely at the two of us. "I mean, not if you don't have anything to hide that is".
"We don't" Layton said through gritted teeth.
"Good, because I intend to find out exactly what happened".