Moonlit Fur Chronicles: Lucid Fur
Chapter 27 Splintered Arrow

I awoke outside the house. I remembered everything the wolf had done and said. I was pissed that it had been so cruel to Kai but I couldn’t do anything about it. I remembered Dylan had been kidnapped and beaten. I ran into the house and tried to find him. He was laid on the kitchen island with first aid kits around him. Phoenix, Ellis and Quinn tried to patch him up the best they could. It was all up to Dylan to fight death. I was angry and hurt. Artemis and her brood nearly killed Dylan to get back at me. If she wanted a war then I would give her one. I called Casey and River and explained what had happened. They told me that they would head back home.

Ash grabbed a broom and cleaned the shattered glass back door. I knew it was my fault, more specifically my wolf’s fault. I knelt down and held the dustpan in place as he pushed the shards into the pan. I thanked him for his help and that he had taken the initiative to clean it up. He nodded, “That was pretty wild huh?” I agreed, “Yeah the guy who was hurt is my best friend from highschool.” Ash didn’t comment but continued to sweep glass shards. “Now he will either die or become part of my pack,” I muttered ruefully. Ash was quiet, he had developed an air of stoicism since Max’s murder. My heart ached as I watched such a joyous soul overwhelmed with pain and misery. We finally got all the glass cleaned up. Ash volunteered to go get a replacement and install it, once Casey returned. We desperately needed another truck or two.

I mentioned the idea of a second truck to Quinn. She agreed. “But Reese, what are we going to do about Artemis?” Anger flared in my chest, “I’m going to kill her…slowly and painfully.” Quinn’s eyes glowed with anticipation. “I’m going to make her wish she had never been born, never turned me into a werewolf, never started this war!” I focused on the itch in the back of my mind, the one I got every time Cordelia spoke to me telepathically. ’Cordelia, can you hear me?’ Her voice entered my mind, “Yes, I hear you Reese.” I smiled viciously. “I need your help.” Cordelia responded, “We will be there soon. We are finishing the hunt.’ Quinn looked at me confused. “I’m calling in the gargoyles to help hunt Artemis. She started this war, but I’m going to fucking end it!” Quinn smiled, bloodlust flashed in her eyes. “Artemis is gonna pay for everything she has down to our pack.”

The gargoyles returned after a while. They were willing to help track Artemis down the next night. It was too close to dawn for them to do anything tonight. Goliath and the rest assumed aggressive positions for their slumber. The sun peeked over the trees and turned the gargoyles into stone. I began to plan the hunt. Artemis had a great head start, but I had the advantage of flying gargoyles. Phoenix kept a close eye on Dylan, she knew he was important to me. She changed his bandages every couple hours. I was very grateful to her and made sure she knew it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Quinn give Phoenix a dirty look. I turned to Quinn, her face instantly turned back into the sweet kind face I loved. I had enough. I took Quinn by the hand and led her out the front door. She clearly expected me to take her to our room. I placed her back against the paneling and stared into her eyes.

“Quinn, what is going on between you and Phoenix,” I demanded. “I am about to go to war and I need you two at my side. That can not happen if you two are at each other’s throats about something! Now spill!” Quinn was totally caught off guard. She stuttered and stammered, “Reese, I…umm…Phoenix.” I felt frustration rise in my chest. “Quinn,” I warned. She deflated like a balloon. “I’m sorry. I thought I could handle being poly but I can’t. I get so angry and jealous when she kisses you. Especially when the three of us are being intimate. I just want to throw her off you.” All my fire and anger melted away. “Quinn, I wish you would’ve just said something to me. You are the most important person in my life.” “I’m sorry Reese, I just got so angry. I couldn’t think clearly. I acted like an ass.” I kissed her forehead. “The three of us need to hash this out sooner than later.” She agreed.

This was a nasty situation. If I was forced to choose between Quinn and Phoenix, I would choose Quinn. I knew it would happen. I really hoped that she would handle this situation better than Quinn had. “Stay here Quinn. I’ll get Phoenix.” Quinn swallowed hard. I kissed the top of her forehead, “We will get through this.” I knew this was going to get messy and probably bloody, which is why I wanted to have this discussion outside in the front yard. Phoenix stood beside Dylan. His wounds looked days old instead of hours old. Dylan was a werewolf. Phoenix looked at him in awe, “I’ve never seen anyone heal so quickly.” I thought about how she had watched Casey heal. “Phoenix, I want you to walk with me please.” She took my hand and smiled. My heart shattered. She walked with me outside to the front yard. She stopped and tried to pull away from me when she saw Quinn. “It’s okay. She just wants to talk. She Will be nice,” I put emphasis on the word ‘Will’.

“No, No.” Phoenix murmured softly. “No, I don’t want any trouble. I get it.” Her body shook. “I know what she is gonna say. She made it very clear.” I stopped and looked at her, “What do you mean?” Phoenix wrenched her hand out of my grasp. I saw fear in her eyes. “I don’t want any trouble.” She kissed my lips quickly. “Please don’t kill me,” she called to Quinn behind me. I was bewildered. Phoenix turned and fled into the woods. It took a minute for me to recover. “Quinn, what did you say to her?” She turned bright red, “I might have inferred pain and loss of limb if she ever got with you again.” Anger reignited in my chest. “Dammit, Quinn. First Sloane, now Phoenix? This behavior pattern is not okay! Protective does not mean abusive. What about Phoenix? She can’t be safe out there with Artemis ripping up my friends!” Quinn was quiet and hung her head. “You saw how scared she was. She was terrified of you. Is that how you want everyone in this pack to respond to you?”

Tears rolled down her cheek. I knew she was sorry. I knew she hadn’t meant to deal so much emotional damage to Phoenix. “Should I go after her and apologize?” “No. She will just run faster from you. Dammit.” I stomped to the door and yelled through it, Ellis! I need you!” He charged up the stairs and slid to a stop. “Phoenix ran off into the woods. She is very emotional right now. Go watch her back, bring her back if you can but do not force her to return.” He glanced at Quinn. I spoke again, “Please Ellis! I don’t want Artemis to find her and hurt her! Wolf out and go after her. Please hurry!” Ellis peeled off his shirt and shorts, exploded into a large wolf and raced after Phoenix.

“Reese, I…” Quinn began. I held up a hand to stop her, “Quinn. You are important to me. Right now I am very angry. I do not want to say something I regret. Give me a few minutes to calm down.” Tears streamed down her face. She slowly trudged into the house. I heard the door to my room open and close. I took several deep breaths to center myself. I needed to do something to burn off this anger. I stomped in the house and down to the basement. The boys had set up a home gym with all kinds of machines designed to build muscle. I picked one and lifted the heavy weights repeatedly. It seemed to help some. The weights didn’t feel very heavy, enough to make me take notice of them. I wanted to ask Casey how to increase the weight but they weren’t home. I missed Casey and River. Everything was terrible. Everything sucked and I had no idea how to fix it.

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