Then another pair. And another pair. And another.
They came then.
Out of the shadows.
There were ten of them.
Omegas.
More feral than I’d ever seen before.
Their eyes were continuously violet.
They were half-shifted, slobbering through fang-filled mouths.
Six humans were pushed out in front of them.
Their hands were bound behind them.
They had gags in their mouths.
Five adults, one child.
They all looked terrified, eyes wide and cheeks streaked with tears.
Two men. Three women. A little boy.
I recognized them. All of them. I’d seen them in Green Creek. They came into the garage. I ran into them in the grocery store. We passed by each other on the street. We waved hello. We waved good-bye. We said things like “have a good day” and “it’s nice to see you again” and “I hope everything is well with you.”
Mr. Fordham wasn’t with them because Mr. Fordham had been murdered while I listened.
They looked relieved at the sight of me, the humans.
I wasn’t their Alpha. Not before. But I would be now, at least for as long as I had left.
The little boy, William, his name was. His mother, Judith.
I said, “Hey, it’s okay. It’s all right. I know it’s scary. I know. But I’m here now. I’m here now and I promise I will do everything I can to make it okay. Just have faith in me. I will take care of you.”
The Omegas snarled as they laughed. They scraped their claws against human skin, leaving welts but not drawing blood.
The humans cried, tears and snot on their terrified faces.
The Omegas stopped in front of the bridge, standing behind the humans.
They forced them to their knees in the dirt.
Claws curled onto the humans’ shoulders.
The one behind William was bigger than the others. And meaner looking. He curved his claws around the boy’s face, fingers hooking under his chin. He caressed the claw on his thumb along William’s cheek, dimpling the skin. It wouldn’t take much. Just the slightest pressure and William would be—
Another man came out.
I wondered at the dramatics of werewolves.
These ones especially, revealing themselves slowly.
It was probably Richard’s idea, to come out one by one.