Wolf #1: The Pack [COMPLETED]

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Lupinus Oreganus is extremely hard to find. It usually grows in prairies and the outer edges of the forests—but I have yet to find any nearby. The only plant I've found was in the Siuslaw.

I hold the traveling map and compare it to the map Steph had sketched out in her journal. She had marked the general area where she had found the plant I'm looking for. Lupines are mostly used to feed for animals, but Steph had used it as a herb for her scrying, despite it being poisonous to people. She had used many different herbs for scrying but this one has jumped out at me for its name.

Lupinus. Lupine. A species of plant but it's also an old adjective that's related to wolves. I highly doubt that it's a coincidence, and I know that this is a herb I need to find.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I found it—if I found it. Maybe I'll use it for scrying...but I'm skeptical that it will work. A part of me is still skeptical in all of this. If it hadn't been for the fact that the guy that I'm going out with is a werewolf then I would have given up this wild goose chase a while back.

There's also the matter of the man who had broken into my house—the one who had bit me. I now take everything of Steph's everywhere with me and hide it in various places around my property when I'm home. I don't know what he's looking for exactly, but I'm determined to not let him have it. The only thing that troubles me the most is that I haven't seen him for weeks now, save for when he appeared in my dream. I can't figure out why he's taking so long to return, especially if he's so desperate for whatever Steph had been in possession of.

I decide that it doesn't matter for now. My priority is finding my next clue—this damned plant, which is proving harder than I had originally anticipated. I had to drive into the Siuslaw National Park, a massive forest that lines the coasts near my hometown. It's nearly a thousand square miles, a lot of ground to cover for a plant that only grows up to my thighs. And if that hasn't been a problem, I face a grueling hike since none of the roads lead to the spot where Steph had marked on the map.

When had she gone here? I don't remember her disappearing off to the forest—my sister had never been much of an outdoors person. She loved flowers but I have always been the frontiersman. The most I have ever seen her hike was the forest around our house, which is dense but not very big.

I don't know if this is so much as a search for the truth behind Steph's death, but rather a search for the truth behind Steph altogether. Had I really known my sister as well as I thought I did?

My foot falls through the log I'm standing on, the wood soft and worn away by the rain. I brush away most of the wood but feel little prickles of splinters around the brim of my sock. Leaning against a tree, I unlace my boot and try to clear them away, glancing at my watch as I do so.

It's three in the afternoon. I've been out here for nearly four hours looking for the spot where she had found the plant, and I need to head back soon if I want to get to my car before dark. Maybe I should call it quits now and come back tomorrow...It's frustrating but I don't want to get lost. If what Jace said is true then there's a pack of Wolves just like him somewhere out here.

I have been relatively lucky with my encounters with these Wolves up until now, but I doubt it would last.

My bracelet must have dug into my skin because my wrist suddenly feels like it's been stung by a bee. Snatching it up with a hiss, I inspect it. Just a red mark...

"Excuse me," I look up. A giant man with light brown hair stands a few feet away from me, his arms crossed. I quickly realize that it's Mac, "Are you alright?"