Page 8 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

“Only Mrs. Stinky Foote. But Natasha says I shouldn’t say that. It’s not nice and if she hears me, she’ll get mad.”

Vaughn didn’t seem to know how to reply to that, so Sam stepped in to help.

“Well, it’s not very nice,” Sam said, “but maybe just this once it’s okay. Ollie, how many friends do you have there with Mrs. Foote?”

“Um, there’s Ben and Natasha and Emily and Jack and Henry… there’s a bunch of us, Sam.”

“That’s okay, Ollie,” Vaughn said. “I’m glad you have friends. So Ben is a bear, right?”

Ollie beamed and nodded. “Ben’s the best!”

“Awesome. Are the rest of your friends wolves like you?”

“Not everybody. Natasha turns into a fox! And I don’t know what Henry can change into because he doesn’t, but he smells kinda funny? Ben said he was okay though and not everybody has to change to be our friend. Sam doesn’t change, do you Sam?”

“No, little man. I’m just plain old Sam.”

“That’s okay. Ben will think you’re okay, too, because you were nice to me. He was real scared for me to leave, but I was the only one small enough to fit through the window. Ben tried and tried to push the bars off, but not even he was strong enough and he’s super strong.”

Vaughn coughed and his hands began to change where they laid on Ollie’s back, claws forming from the tips of his fingers and hair where there’d been no hair before.

So surreal.

“There are bars on the windows?” Vaughn asked.

“Uh-huh. And we’re not supposed to go outside, but Ben and Mrs. Foote got in a big fight, and he got real scared. We all talked about it and decided I had to go get help. Henry said we needed to find Alpha Jerrick. He made me say it over and over so I wouldn’t forget, and then Ben helped me climb all the way up to the tippy top of the house. Then there was a little window so Ben picked me up real high, and I had to fit through it and climb down. Henry pointed which way for me to run, so I ran and ran and ran, and then it started raining and I got scared. But I found Sam’s house, because he had a light on! Ben told me to go straight to find the alpha, but I couldn’t smell very good with all the rain and I was pretty scared.”

“I bet you were. You were really brave, and Ben is going to be really proud of you.”

Ollie’s expression turned serious. “You won’t hit Ben, will you?”

Sam heard the unasked “or me” at the end of the question.

“Never, Ollie. Alphas don’t hit cubs.”

The words were a promise, and one Sam needed to hear as well.

“Can we go get my friends now?” Ollie yawned the question.

It was approaching midnight and they really needed to go get the rest of the kids. Sam didn’t want them spending another night living in fear. They had to be worried sick about Ollie, especially after the storm. He went to his coat closet and grabbed his hiking boots and a parka. Vaughn shot him a look, but didn’t try to dissuade him further.

While Vaughn continued to gently question Ollie, Sam got himself ready for a walk through dark, wet woods. The storm had eased off, although he could still hear a smattering of sprinkling. Sam went to his bedroom and retrieved a pair of wool socks before pulling off his damp t-shirt and replacing it with a well-worn, long-sleeved one.

By the time he returned to the living room, Ollie had drifted to sleep against Vaughn’s chest with Sam’s blanket tucked tightly around him.

“You can leave someone here with him if you want. We don’t know what we’re walking into with this Mrs. Foote person.”

Vaughn shook his head. “I don’t think he should be away from me right now. My pack is on their way. We’ll keep him safe.”

Questions piled into Sam’s mind but he pushed them aside as he tied the laces on his hiking boots. More cars pulled up outside and was never more thankful that half the houses in his subdivision were empty. The last thing he needed was a suspicious neighbor calling the cops on him.

Vaughn stood and adjusted a soundly sleeping Ollie in his arms. He carried him outside while pulling Sam’s blanket over his back to shield him from any remaining rain. Several of the people standing in Sam’s front yard were familiar to him, and shot puzzled glances his way. Some he knew from high school. Others from around town. He’d not suspected anything different about any of them. Before Sam could think any further on it, Vaughn began to speak.

“Thanks for coming so late. We have some kids in trouble— some cubs— and this little guy found his way to me. He’s left a trail of their clothes in the woods for us to follow. Everyone stick close and prepare to protect the little ones at all costs.”

Sam expected Vaughn to lead the way, but he didn’t. As a couple men and women darted ahead, led by Travis, the man from earlier, Vaughn walked calmly after them. Others fanned out around Vaughn, and Sam decided his best bet was to just stick close. All of them walked steadily through the dark woods, unlike Sam, who stumbled every third step over some unseen obstacle.

“Brooks,” Vaughn said quietly. Moments later a man darted through the trees and appeared at Vaughn’s side. “Help Sam. He doesn’t have the advantage of our vision.”