Battered by Storms

Oliver squinted at the horizon, trying to scan the grey and dusty terrain past the low sun. The ground was flat and still for miles to his left. On his right, it was similar for half a mile until it turned into rolling hills that concealed what lay beyond from sight. In front of him stood an old farmhouse ruin consisting of little more than foundation stones and fragments of walls.

The open terrain and lack of trees or plants meant there wasn’t much chance a Rift creature could sneak up on them without being seen, and he saw nothing he wasn’t expecting. Which was good, but he didn’t let his guard down. Rift scorpions often liked to set up nests in ruins like this one, and he wouldn’t know for sure it was empty until he got close.

Better if something to hunt. Am bored, Thor, Oliver’s wolf, said. He’d been complaining the whole patrol.

Patience, Oliver said, wiping his forehead as sweat dripped into his eyes. It had been oppressively hot all day, but he was hoping the evening would bring cooler temperatures. If we don’t find anything here, we can go hunt in Sam’s woods.

The suggestion cheered up his wolf, and they both appreciated that it was now an option they had. A few months ago, they’d only been able to shift and run outside of the full moon—if they’d wanted to do it—in the Rift Scar or if they went home. But when Hale changed the contract with Sam, wolves were able to shift whenever they wanted.

Hale good alpha. Made good changes, Thor said.

He had definitely made changes; not everyone was convinced they were good. If they had, more would have stayed.

Though, to be fair, he couldn’t really blame them. Being sent to the Highland Rift Pack had originally been a punishment for Shifters. Somewhere that the alphas could send their troublesome wolves to teach them to behave. After a year of only being able to shift once a month, few would want to risk going back. But Hale had changed everything. Then he’d told them they didn’t have to stay if they didn’t want to.

Five Shifters had already accepted Hale’s offer to go home in the past few weeks, and more were still undecided.

Want to stay, Thor said quietly.

Oliver didn’t immediately answer. They both knew it wouldn’t be that easy for them for multiple reasons. None of which he wanted to think about here.

We need to focus on the patrol, Oliver said, rolling his shoulders. Thor didn’t like it, but he did listen.

He glanced to the right of the ruin, searching for the rest of his team. The two of them had circled to the other side so they could approach from two directions. They raise their hands flat, letting him know they were ready.

Normally, at least four or five rangers would be on each patrol, but they were spread thin with so many Shifters having left. Rather than skipping the shift, he’d taken the smaller group to patrol the border ruins instead. It would mean at least one of tomorrow’s patrols would only need to cover deeper ground, but at least they got something done today.

Oliver checked [KW1.1]the landscape one last time, but there was still nothing out there. He signalled to his team to advance and headed towards his side of the ruin with his rifle at his shoulder.

Thor pressed close, letting Oliver lean on his instincts as they pulled in a breath. Nothing but the Rift Scar stench of old meat left to rot in the sun. The ground was unmarked, showing no signs of anything but him having passed through. There was no sound but the crumble of the dry dirt under his feet.

Fresh sweat beaded on his neck as the ruin blocked his view of his team. It would have been easier if Amelia had been there. He could have felt her through their new pack bonds, and if that group had been in danger, he’d have known immediately. But she’d gone south of London with Mitchel so he could train to use his Frost Magic.

Want pack to come home, Thor said mournfully.

They won’t be away long, Oliver said. They had only been gone a week, with another week to go, but it was hard. Oliver felt alone and isolated, which was stupid. He’d managed just fine before they’d become his pack.

Something that Oliver still could hardly believe. Mitchel wasn’t a Shifter. Yet, with him being Amelia’s mate, he’d been pulled into Oliver’s pack somehow. Just like Hale had done to Sam.

It had saved Amelia’s life, but if Oliver had understood how to use his alpha power better, he could have saved them without taking them from Hale’s pack in the first place. Hale had been helping train Oliver to use the Alpha Magic for the last few weeks to make sure it didn’t happen again. It had been an unexpectedly steep learning curve and something Oliver’s father should have taught him.

Oliver shook his head and focused on what he was supposed to be doing. He would have to rely on his normal senses to protect his team, just like he’d done for the rest of the eight months he’d been living at the Highland Rift Scar. But he didn’t have to like it.

He pulled in another breath, checking for any new signs of danger. He could smell his patrol now, the heat making them almost as pungent as the Rift Scar. But there was nothing else, no signs of Rift creatures.

He moved around the edge a little further until he reached the gap in the wall. Inside the house, undisturbed grey dust covered old stone floors, with no sign of anything having passed over it or having tried to bury under it.

‘Clear,’ Rafe called from the other side of the ruin.

‘Clear,’ Oliver said, lowering his gun.

Boring, Thor said. Not good hunt.

We aren’t hunting. We’re patrolling, remember? It’s not the same, Oliver said, though he knew he was wasting his time. His wolf seemed to be particularly frustrated today. Thor sneezed at him mentally and ignored him.

His team moved into the building, still alert in case they’d missed anything. Rafe was a few inches shorter than Oliver, mixed race, with amber skin, tilted dark brown eyes, and black hair shaved in intricate patterns on his scalp. Cindy was shorter, just coming up to Rafe’s chin, with wide shoulders and narrow hips. Her creamy skin had recently seen a bit too much sun and was scarlet in places. Her brown hair was cut short and spiked up with gel.

Both were Elementals. Cindy had control over air and Rafe over water. Though neither ability provided much use in the Rift Scar.

‘This is the last ruin, right?’ Cindy said, giving the space another once-over.

‘Yes,’ Rafe said, lowering his rifle to point at the ground, but he didn’t let his guard down either. Both of them had been stationed up here for over a year and knew how quickly things could change. Even on a boring shift like today.

‘What’s next, boss?’ Cindy asked, looking at Oliver, even though they both had more experience than he did.

It had been like that since he’d stood next to Hale as he’d dealt with the traitors last month. Everyone looked at Oliver differently since then. He wasn’t entirely sure he’d done anything to deserve the extra respect or responsibility.

‘Home,’ Oliver said. ‘You both have shifts tomorrow, and there isn’t time to do anything else today.’

‘It’s only rapid response duty,’ Cindy said, rubbing at a red patch on her neck. ‘It’s going to be a chance to catch up on some reading and listen to Rafe snore.’

‘Great,’ Rafe said, shaking his head. ‘Now you’ve cursed it. Something is bound to happen.’

‘Nothing ever happens. Not since the phones have been down around the Rift Scar. Maybe once they fix the tower, but until then. Nope,’ Cindy said.

‘How about the car accident and scorpions six weeks ago? Or the imps?’ Rafe glanced at Oliver. Both events had nearly killed him, though he appreciated Rafe hadn’t mentioned the wyvern. That attack still woke Oliver up in a cold sweat.

‘Neither of those resulted in rapid response being called,’ Cindy said, though she’d lost some of her humour. If the rapid response unit had been available and the cell towers had been up, maybe everything that had happened might have turned out very differently. ‘But it doesn’t matter. It’s going to be quiet. Just you wait.’

Rafe grunted, shaking his head. ‘I’ll get my sleep at home, just in case.’

‘Let’s head back. I’ll take point,’ Oliver said, cutting Cindy off before she could argue.

Unlike the others, he finally had two days off. Though he wasn’t sure it was a good thing without Mitchel and Amelia being about. But he’d hit the limit on how much work he could do in a week, and Hale had banned him from picking up more.

Go hunting in woods, Thor said, sending images of clean air filled with the scent of dirt, deer, and trees. That was Thor’s solution to everything.

Okay, we can go hunting, Oliver said with a sigh. It was better than staring at the four walls of his studio apartment for the next two days.

Oliver rolled his shoulders and led them back the way they’d come, letting the other two watch his back.

***

Staci opened the kitchen cupboard, supporting the broken door automatically as she put the clean coffee cup away. The door had been broken and fixed so many times that the chipboard would no longer hold a new hinge.

It wasn’t the only old and broken thing in her mum’s kitchen. Yellow striped wallpaper from the eighties covered the walls and was coming away at the corners. The cabinets that weren’t broken had peeling laminate that had been glued back on more times than she could remember. The lino floor wasn’t in much better shape. No amount of cleaning would turn the yellowed parts of the tile pattern white again.

But it was home. Staci had offered to upgrade the kitchen when she’d moved back in, but that had been before her mum had deteriorated. Now, it was better to keep things the same. Familiar.

A tingle of Storm Magic rippled in the distance, making her skin crawl. She tried to ignore it, but it had been persistently growing for the last few hours.

It wasn’t fully formed yet, but it would be a fierce beast by tomorrow. Wild winds, treacherous lightning, and bloated rain clouds. It wasn’t how the scientists saw a storm, but her magic wasn’t science. Being a Storm Elemental gave her a view that they’d never have.

She reached out towards it out of instinct. But it was too far away. She might feel the growing pieces, but she’d have to go within five miles to affect them. If she got in her car and drove closer, she could break it apart …

No. It was her day off, dammit, she was supposed to be spending it with her mum. It was Elliot’s job to fix the storm. He was on call today and tomorrow, and this wasn’t her problem to fix. Hell, she wasn’t even supposed to be paying attention. But it was impossible to ignore when her whole body vibrated with the distant magic of the storm.

Why hadn’t he replied to her? She’d texted him twice now and got no answer, not even a simple acknowledgement that he was working on it. The storm was in the Rift Scar’s direction, making it even more dangerous than other storms.

‘Sweetie, is everything all right?’ Staci’s mum asked. She was slim to the point of frail, her skin papery and thin. Her hair had turned wispy and white almost overnight. Staci missed the dark reddish brown, so much like her own—at least when she hadn’t dyed it an off-colour pink.

‘I’m fine, Mum,’ Staci said, moving to sit down[KW2.1]. She patted her mum’s hand where it rested on the scarred kitchen table. Staci could feel every bone. Something that wasn’t going to get better.

Her mum frowned, grey eyes hazing over as she looked around her. Confusion shone through as she looked over everything. They’d tried to keep the kitchen familiar, but it wasn’t the same. Not when it was impossible to know where her mum was in her memories.

Staci forced her smile to stay on her lips as she bit back tears. She wouldn’t cry. Not today. She’d done enough of that already. She was going to be here for her mum, even if she didn’t remember Staci half the time. The doctor had said one more bout of pneumonia might be her mum’s last.

Her mum settled again, gaze going to the window, a smile on her lips. ‘It’s such a beautiful evening,’ she said. The sunset was turning the sky varying shades of pink, making the faint scattering of clouds look like they were on fire.

‘There’s a storm coming,’ Staci said, shivering. She reminded herself again that it wasn’t her problem. Elliot would deal with it, stop it before it fully formed and hit the town. She had to believe that. Because the alternative was that Elliot was putting Huntly at risk.

The feel of the Storm Magic rose in volume. Every one of Staci’s nerves burned. She hated these kinds of storms. Like they had a power of their own. After a heartbeat, the building storm faded back to a buzz in her mind.

‘Oh, that’s a shame. Are you like Frederick? He always knows when there’s a storm.’ Her mum giggled, the sound carefree as if she was a teenager as she talked about Staci’s father. He was a Storm Elemental like Staci, but her mum was human. ‘You mustn’t tell anyone that. My father would be furious if he knew I was talking to the Rift boy. He threatened to disown me, you know?’

Staci swallowed back her anger, looking away. This memory was old, from when Staci’s parents had been young and just beginning to date. Staci’s grandfather had been a man of his word, and when he’d found out her mum was pregnant, he’d thrown her out. Her mother had been too stubborn to care. Stubborn and in love.

‘Yeah, just like Frederick,’ Staci said. Except she was here, and her father wasn’t. He’d walked out on them when Staci was a toddler. She didn’t even remember him.

Her mother pulled her hands back into her lap, back straightening, the change quick and sudden as she stared at Staci with suspicion. ‘Where’s my daughter?’

Staci’s chest tightened. ‘I’m right here, Mum.’ She didn’t reach out, trying her best not to startle her mum. But Staci was already forgotten as her mum turned back to the sky, a smile playing on her lips.

Staci stood, needing to do something, anything, as tears threatened. Everything about dementia was hard, but not being recognised was the thing that Staci struggled with the most.

Trying to focus on something else, she wiped her eyes and grabbed her phone from where it was charging. There were no messages, nothing from Elliot at all.

‘My goodness, Staci, look at the time; you should be in bed,’ her mum said, struggling to her feet before Staci could message him again. Being remembered now hurt almost as much as being forgotten had. ‘You want to be fresh and ready for your first day on the job now Jake’s gone.’

Staci forced another smile. Jake had been her mentor after she’d finished magic college and come home, but he’d been gone for years now.

‘You’re right, we should both get some sleep,’ Staci said, taking advantage of the memory. Her mum had been resisting going to bed for the past hour, but maybe this would finally get her there.

Then Staci could call Elliot.

Her mum stayed in that timeframe long enough to get her through the evening routine and into bed. She was too thin, her bones showing, and her skin loose. Tucking her into bed and turning on the baby monitor felt wrong even after more than a year of doing it. It took seconds for her mum to drift off, and Staci crept back downstairs, grabbing her phone.

Still nothing from Elliot. She called him this time rather than sending a text. Frustration ate at her as she listened to it ring. She could ask Florence to come round and watch her mum, but it was her day off, too. A night of peace. Staci didn’t want to take that away from her without being sure something was wrong.

‘What!’ Elliot’s voice was sharp. There was a background buzz over the line, something just beyond hearing.

‘Why are you ignoring my text messages?’ Staci said. If Elliot was going to be rude, then she saw no reason why she should be polite. So far, their entire working relationship had been Staci getting fed up with his self-important attitude and losing her temper.

‘I’m not ignoring them,’ Elliot said, voice muffled.

Where was he? ‘Then why haven’t you replied?’ Staci asked, pushing away from the worktop to sit in her kitchen chair. It was that or pace, and she was too tired to pace.

She was beginning to feel like the mother of a teenage child. She’d never treated Jake like this. A few disagreements over how something should be handled, but not this attitude.

‘It’s not even a storm yet,’ Elliot said. Interference cut him off briefly before he came back. ‘You worry too much, Staci. Relax, I’m monitoring it, and if it gets worse, I’ll head out and deal with it.’

The condescension in his tone made her grind her teeth. ‘If you dealt with it now, you’d know it’s not a problem.’

‘Look, Staci, I know you’re used to being in charge, but I’ve been using Storm Magic longer than you. It’s fine.’

Considering he was only a year or so older than her, that argument didn’t really inspire confidence. But it wasn’t worth arguing with him over his experience.

‘It’s not fine,’ Staci said. ‘It’s near the Rift Scar. It won’t take much for it to get a lot worse very quickly.’

‘Look, fine, I’ll go and have a closer look,’ Elliot said, then he must have [KW3.1]covered the mouthpiece, his next few words muffled. ‘Go back to your nice calm evening and leave it with me.’

‘Let me know if you need any help arranging the rangers to go out there with you,’ Staci said. He’d need an escort if the storm formed inside the Rift Scar. No one went in there without at least a few guns. So far, Elliot hadn’t had to go in.

‘I’m perfectly capable of doing my job,’ Elliot said, making the phone hiss as he huffed out a breath. ‘I told you. I know what I’m doing.’

Staci bit down on another rant. It wouldn’t do any good. Maybe going into the Rift Scar would give him a bloody wake-up call.

‘I’ll call you if I find anything,’ Elliot said, clearly taking her moment of frustrated silence as acceptance. Then he hung up.

Staci muttered a curse. Part of her wanted to go down to the border and take a closer look at the storm anyway, but she really didn’t want to wake Florence and have her come over to watch her mum. She had to trust that Elliot knew what he was doing, which was easier said than done.

With one last look in the direction of the storm, she locked up and headed to bed. She wasn’t hopeful that she’d be able to sleep, but she had to at least try.

***

The trek back through the Rift Scar to the car took Oliver and his team nearly an hour. There was no sign of any Rift creatures or anything of concern.

After stripping off their armour and guns, he drove them back to Huntly. They’d taken one of the old Land Rovers that Hale had bought for the rangers. For whatever reason, the older cars seemed to last better against the Rift Scar dust. It got everywhere and degraded metal over time.

Cindy and Rafe stayed silent for most of the drive. The patrol might have been quiet, but the heat was draining, and their gear wasn’t light. That, plus the amount of overtime everyone had been pulling, was making everyone tired.

Ranger headquarters sat at the back of an industrial estate in Huntly. The old three-story building had once been a gym, but Hale had converted it long before Oliver had come to town. An armoury filled most of the ground floor. The second floor held space to work out. The top floor had a single studio apartment and a room with bunks for the rapid response unit to sleep during the night shift.

Hale had expanded into the ground floor next door in the last few months so Sam could work from there instead of her house. As rift surveyor, she had a lot of equipment. Her bosses at the Institute of Rift Studies and Defence, IRS&D, hadn’t been happy about the change because they now had to pay rent. But it was in her job contract that they should have always provided her the space to work rather than making her use her garage.

Oliver pulled around the back of the building into a car park lit by a couple of motion sensor lights. They clicked on, though it wasn’t fully dark yet, as he rolled into a space near the door. They all piled out and moved to grab their gear.

This part of town smelled of hot metal from the welder on the opposite side of the estate, gun oil from their building, and grease from the Chinese around the corner. Then there were the three of them. The rot of the Rift Scar and their sweat didn’t make a good combo.

Go hunting? Thor asked.

The idea of being in the forest with clean air filled only with the scents of pine trees and wildflowers was more than a little appealing.

Soon, Oliver said. He needed to clean his gear and shower first. Shifting wouldn’t remove the stench of the Rift Scar from his skin.

Before he could get his gear, his phone rang. He grabbed it, stomach dropping as a name that he didn’t want to see flashed across his screen. His father.

His wolf growled in his head, unhappy as he withdrew back, even though their father wasn’t physically present.

‘You good?’ Rafe asked, pausing by the driver’s door. He watched Oliver oddly, making Oliver wonder if the growl had only been inside his head.

‘Yeah, I’ve got to get this,’ Oliver said. ‘I’ll see you inside.’

Rafe gave him another odd look, then turned and followed Cindy, who was already halfway to the headquarters’ back door.

Not answer phone, Thor said, prodding Oliver to put the phone away. Not want to speak to him.

Oliver considered doing what his wolf wanted, ignoring the call, and going inside to get cleaned up. Pretend he’d never seen it. But you didn’t ignore the prime alpha of Scotland, especially not when he was your father, and he was already angry with you.

We can hunt after I speak to my father, Oliver said, looking down at his phone again. At least, he hoped they could. None of the calls with him had gone well over the last few weeks. His wolf whined and backed away.

Oliver answered the call. ‘Father.’ He kept his tone neutral and even as he got out of the car.

‘I’m tired of waiting for an answer,’ his father said, sounding almost bored as he continued their last conversation with no pleasantries. ‘Tell me how Hale made the pack lands feel alive?’

‘I don’t know. No one knows, not even Hale,’ Oliver said, glad his father wasn’t here in person—he wasn’t a good liar. He knew exactly how the pack lands had been created. But that knowledge would put Hale’s mate, Sam, at risk, something Oliver wouldn’t willingly do.

‘Liar. You’re second in charge of the pack—despite your continued control issues,’ his father said, voice a low rumble. A warning. Oliver shuddered. That rumble usually meant pain; his body remembered those past hits like his father was there, a fist in Oliver’s gut. ‘Hale clearly trusts you for him to be foolish enough to put you in that position. So, stop wasting both our time and tell me how he created the pack lands. How do they feel alive?’

Thor snarled in his head at the accusation about control. Oliver was careful to keep that anger to himself. There was no need to prove his father right.

Sorry, Thor said, huffing a breath, but then added, Am not weak. Am alpha. Have own pack now.

We can’t let him know that, Oliver said. Being an alpha was something else his father would be furious about if he found out.

My pack, not let anyone take, Thor said, growling low, crouching in his mind like he was about to be attacked.

Oliver didn’t answer his wolf. He couldn’t. They both knew they’d have to give up their pack when he went home. There was no way Oliver was letting either of them anywhere near his father.

His wolf whined, knowing it was true. Knowing their pack was safer here. He couldn’t protect them back home.

‘The pack lands appeared after Shane and Lacey tried to kill Hale,’ Oliver said, carefully picking his words; it wasn’t something everyone knew outside the pack. He checked the back door to make sure no one had come back out. ‘No one knows how or what happened.’

The growl that came over the phone made Oliver shudder. He reminded himself again that his father wasn’t here. There was no pain coming. His body didn’t believe him. He paced the length of the car, wishing he could walk away from this call as easily.

‘Shane and Lacey died in a tragic accident in the Rift Scar. You would do well to remember that as you lie to me,’ Oliver’s father said, no longer holding any pretence of politeness as he snarled. Oliver flinched. ‘Clearly, being away from home has made you forget yourself. Tell me the truth.’

‘I don’t know how the pack lands were created,’ Oliver said again. His heart skipped a beat even as he lied. He only had a few more months before he had to go home. How was he going to lie to his father in person?

‘You will tell me what Hale did to change the land, or I’ll come down there and have him release you home. Maybe you’ll remember how to tell the truth once you’re standing in front of me.’

Oliver stopped pacing, turning back to the old redbrick ranger headquarters. He imagined his father doing just that. Then, what would happen if his father realised the truth about the pack lands and tried to take them from Hale?

If Oliver’s father won a challenge against Hale, he’d gain the Highland Rift Scar’s pack lands. His father would learn about Sam. He’d break everything. Kill Hale. Hurt everyone. No. Oliver couldn’t let that happen.

He swallowed all the things that he wanted to say. All the anger and the pain. He had to find a way to make his father believe the lie.

‘I don’t know how they were created,’ Oliver said again, careful to keep his tone neutral. ‘But I can ask.’

Not tell father, Thor said, growling.

No, Oliver said. But it gives us time to find a lie that he will believe.

His father growled, making the phone vibrate in his hand. ‘You have until tomorrow morning. Don’t make me come there in person and challenge Hale over you.’ His father paused, his voice now back to his previous cool tone. ‘Though I imagine he’d be as happy as I was to get rid of you.’

‘I understand,’ Oliver said, stomach twisting.

‘Don’t make me regret giving you a choice,’ his father said, voice sharp, nearly a snarl. The[KW4.1] phone went dead, not giving him a chance to speak or argue.

Oliver leaned against the car, shoving his phone in his pocket. He needed to find a way to protect the secret.

Ask Hale, Thor said, whining, pressing close. He help.

Hale would challenge David. They would fight, and even if Hale won, the rest of the prime alphas wouldn’t accept it, Oliver said. Only someone who was part of the prime alpha’s pack could challenge them, and though Highland Rift Pack was in Scotland, Hale wasn’t bound to any alpha. They’d set an example. We need another way.

He’d need to go home and keep the secret no matter what his father did to him. If he waited for his father to come to town and challenge Hale, there would be nothing Oliver could do.

They’d have to give up their pack, and he didn’t have time to tell either Amelia or Mitchel what he was doing. Then he’d have to tell Hale he was leaving, but not why. Hale would never let Oliver go if he knew there was a threat.

Bile crawled up Oliver’s throat. He didn’t want to go home. Didn’t want to do any of it. But if he didn’t, Hale would be hurt. The pack would be hurt.

‘You okay, mate?’ Elliot asked, making Oliver jump and spin. He’d not heard anyone approach.

Elliot was shorter than Oliver, with short, dirty-blond hair, olive-green eyes, and sandy-white skin that tanned well when he spent time outside. Which clearly hadn’t been recently. He’d only been in town for a few weeks, but they’d known each other in Glasgow for years.

‘Peachy,’ Oliver said, letting out a shaky breath.

‘You don’t sound okay. Really, what’s up?’ Elliot said, moving to lean against the Land Rover beside Oliver.

Oliver couldn’t tell him the truth. But he also didn’t want his friend to worry.

‘My father has told me I have to come home,’ Oliver said, missing out the reason why.

‘That’s great,’ Elliot said, then he frowned when Oliver didn’t agree. ‘That’s awful?’ When Oliver still didn’t reply, he shook his head. ‘What happened?’

‘My father is being his usual charming self,’ Oliver said. ‘He wants me to give him something that’s not mine to give or come home.’

‘Sounds simple to me. If you want to stay, then give it to him,’ Elliot said, shrugging. ‘What could be worth more than your freedom?’

‘It could cost someone their life,’ Oliver said. Though, that wasn’t entirely true. Sam wouldn’t die if the truth came out. She’d just lose everything. Her land, her home, her ability to stay in one place longer than a year. The government didn’t like Earth Elementals. Or his father could use the risk of that truth coming out to control her. Either way, Sam’s life wouldn’t be the same.

‘Who cares?’ Elliot said, shaking his head. ‘Why’s their life more important than yours? Tell your father what he wants to know and stay here if that’s what you want.’

Growing up in foster care had always given Elliot a more ruthless attitude than most. Or maybe that was just who Elliot was. But Oliver wasn’t wired that way.

‘I can’t do that,’ Oliver said, rubbing his face. He still stank of the Rift Scar.

Elliot gave a snort and shook his head. ‘If you want to get anywhere in this world, you need to think of yourself first. Give your father what he wants. No one has to know it came from you.’

There clearly wasn’t anything Oliver could say that would make Elliot understand why he couldn’t do that. So, Oliver tried to change the subject.

‘What are you doing here?’

Elliot seemed to hesitate a moment, looking at the rangers’ building, then back to Oliver. ‘I called earlier to see when you’d be finishing your shift. I thought I’d have better luck convincing you to go for some drinks in person,’ Elliot said. He wore a light pink T-shirt, grey skin-tight jeans, and an over-the-shoulder leather man-bag. His clubbing clothes. Because, for some reason, he was convinced women loved the pink. ‘Seems like my timing is excellent. If you don’t look like someone who needs a drink, I don’t know who does.’

Elliot had been asking Oliver to go out to Huntly’s only club, Indigo, ever since he’d arrived in town two weeks ago. He wanted to say no. The urge was so deep that it almost slipped out on its own. But the idea of being at home, or even in the woods with his own thoughts, made the bile rise in his stomach again.

Fix problem first, Thor said.

There is only one option, to go home and lie, Oliver said. To convince my father it’s the truth. No matter how much it hurt. Maybe the alcohol would make that decision a bit easier to accept.

Drinking bad. Not make feel better, Thor said, making a vomiting noise. Woods better. We feel better if hunt.

I don’t want to feel better; I want to forget, Oliver said, though he might have to buy something a little stronger than what the bar served to help him with that.

‘I could go for a drink,’ Oliver said.

Elliot blinked like that wasn’t the answer he’d expected, but he recovered quickly. ‘First round is on me to celebrate my new job.’ Elliot had been hired to be the town’s second part-time weather warden, a job that wasn’t easy to get. ‘I might also have a surprise.’ He looked around to check no one had come out and pulled out an unlabelled bottle from his man-bag. ‘Wolfbite.’

Oliver smiled, taking the bottle. The wolfbite would help make him forget, even if just for a bit. The alcohol was so strong that it was toxic to humans, so not everyone would sell it. But there were plenty of people who made it under the table if you knew where to look. If he drank most of the bottle, he’d be able to get drunk for a little while.

‘Indigo isn’t going to know what hit it,’ Elliot said.

‘Give me half an hour to put everything away and shower,’ Oliver said. Tomorrow, he would deal with his father, but tonight, he was going to forget about all of it.