Wolf's Man Chapter 16

A solemn ceremony.

Saying Goodbye

Coming home should mean safety. For Janelle and the surviving wolves, it means facing what happened—and finding the strength to care for those they lost.

In Chapter 16 of Wolf’s Man, Nate’s detective instincts uncover evidence of a carefully planned attack. But his hardest responsibility as Alpha is more personal: leading the pack through goodbye. For that, he’ll need to trust Koreth in a way he never has before.

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Wolf's Man

Chapter 16

 

 When the group arrived at the edge of the compound clearing, Nate pulled off the road and braked the SUV. Garrett parked behind him. They all debarked from the vehicles, and Nate waited for everyone to gather round. While waiting, Nate studied the compound grounds. Nothing seemed to have changed.

“Okay.” He turned back to the pack. “Janelle, keep your group together. Stay here until I call you in. No one goes anywhere alone. Those with me, we’ll start with the bodies in the yard, then clean out the main house. After we get them all out, Janelle, your group will go in and start cleaning up in there, while we start on the other buildings. I want one person on each team wolfed to keep watch while the others are working.”

Garrett shuffled his feet in the dry Texas dirt road. “What about the dead cats?”

Nate looked at Garrett. “I don’t know how the cats deal with their dead.”

“They usually bury their dead.”

Nate pursed his lips and considered Garrett. “You can dig a grave for them up on the hill if you wish.”

Garrett looked relieved. “I would like that. I didn’t care for them, but...”

Nate raised a hand to stop him. “I won’t hold a service for them.”

“Understandable.” Garrett studied his shoes for a moment. “I’ll take care of everything for those two.”

“Okay, then, let’s get to work.”

“Hey,” said Reese. “What’s that?” He walked over to a canister on the ground and picked it up. After turning it over in his hands, he held it to his nose and started to sniff.

Garrett knocked it out of his hand. “Don’t!” When Reese started to growl at him, Garrett raised both hands and bowed his head.

“Hold it, Reese.” Nate stepped between the two. As soon as Reese bowed his head in submission, Nate turned to Garrett. “What are you doing?”

“That’s poison. It’s probably what they used in the attack.”

Nate walked to the canister and picked it up. Rather than sniff it, he turned it, looking for writing. “I don’t see anything.”

“You wouldn’t. The clowder uses them to control vermin. Unlike werewolves, our kittens are born with the ability to shift. Because the kittens are too young to understand training, the clowder doesn’t allow them to chase mice or other small animals. So, they use these bombs to poison the small creatures while the kittens are in the field. Before they are brought back home, the mice and other small animals have been disposed of.”

Nate’s eyes narrowed, and he frowned. “So, we are talking premeditated murder. Jonathan, do we have a map of the ranch?”

Jonathan cleared his throat and nodded. “There’s one in the house.”

“Good. Okay, guys, Jonathan is going to get the map and a marker. We will tack it to the barn door. These canisters are evidence of a crime. When you find the canisters, I want them brought and put them in...” Nate stopped and glanced around the yard. Finally, he located a small wooden crate up against the side of the barn. “Put them in that crate. Then use the marker to note on the map exactly where you found them. Be sure you wash your hands after handling these things.”

As the first order of business, they spread out searching for the poison canisters. Six of the poison bombs were found and their locations marked on the map. Over the next four hours, Nate’s team carried the bodies of the pack into a shallow ditch, then began working on a low, wide bonfire for the cremation. Once the bodies were arranged on the bier branches, Nate walked to the main house. He crossed the wide porch, opened the door, and stepped in.

All the drapes and curtains had been taken down from the windows and all cloth upholstered furniture removed. The ceilings, walls, and floors throughout the house had been scrubbed, as well as the rest of the furnishings, but Nate knew that the bloodstains would still be visible with fluorescein.

“Janelle?”

“In the kitchen.”

Nate followed her voice down a long hall and stepped into a bright, antiseptic-smelling room. Here, too, all the curtains had been taken from the windows. Soon the walls and ceilings would have to be painted, and the floors recovered to completely rid the house of the smell of blood. For a moment, he wondered if it would be better to destroy the house and rebuild. He shook his head and put that thought aside for a later time.

Janelle finished wiping the marble counter, tossed the dishcloth into the sink, and turned to face Nate. “I think the house is as good as we can get it.”

Nate studied her pale face and her trembling hands. He could tell she really, really didn’t like to deal with blood. Koreth’s pride in her ability to overcome her own distaste to complete the task given her washed over him, and he smiled gently at her. “We are ready for cremation. Let’s get everyone to the bier. I really would like to get it done before dark.”

Janelle nodded, then called her team to her. They followed him outside and across the field to the bier. Jonathan and the teens shifted and evenly circled the bier.

Garrett slipped into the circle and nodded at Nate’s questioning glance. “All done.”

Janelle moved into place next to Nate. Everyone turned to look at Nate. After glancing from one expectant look to another, Nate leaned closer to Janelle. “Am I missing something?”

“As Alpha, you must light the bier.”

“Ah. Got any matches?”

“You shouldn’t need matches, Nate. You are a Royal Alpha. Koreth will have the power to start the bier without them.”

Both Nate’s eyebrows jumped almost to his hairline. “Magic?”

“Of a type. Koreth will have an Alpha’s abilities, including the ability to start fires.”

“So just shift?”

Janelle nodded.

“Okay.” He removed the medallion and set it on the ground between his feet. It’s your turn, Koreth, thought Nate. Moments later, Koreth stood in Nate’s place. Janelle shifted, too. Koreth looked at each of the others, noting their faith in him, then studied Garrett’s cat. Your name, cat?

The panther bowed his head. I am Marcel.

To Nate’s surprise, Koreth stood on his hind legs. I am Alpha. As from the beginning, as unto the end. He tapped his front paws together, then swept them in a pushing motion toward the bier. Now from the end, return to the beginning.

Fire burst forth from the center of the bier, burning even hotter than Nate expected the flames to be. As the fire dimmed, Koreth raised his muzzle to the sky and howled, long and mournful. Immediately, the howls of the pack wolves and the snarl of the pack panther joined him. Within minutes, the entire bier was burned to ash, the ash of the bodies mingling with the wood ash. The mourning continued until the fire burned out.

Again, Koreth tapped his front paws together and swept them toward the ash. Return to the forest. A swiftly whirling wind picked up the ashes and drew them high into the sky before dissipating and allowing them to float gently to trees below.

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The pack returns the ashes of their loved ones to the forest they called home. What does this farewell reveal to you about the wolves’ connection to their land and one another? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Texas Ranch Wolf Pack Series (12 books)