In response, my father’s body tore itself apart. Muscles shifted and the few bones that hadn’t shattered on impact snapped with the sound of a dozen cracking whips. When it was over, a massive wolf with fur the color of ash and snow rose to its feet.
The wolf—I still had trouble thinking of it as “Hank”—tossed its head and took a few experimental steps before breaking into a slow run.
Eve stumbled back a half step in relief. She shook her head, grinned, and then glanced up at the two wolves on the wall. “You’re good to go!”
As they began assembling and positioning equipment, the gray wolf circled back and sniffed one of the packs. It lifted its head and the air around it seemed to shimmer before fur flowed into skin and my father was left kneeling on the ground, his back to the fence.
I quickly looked away as he pulled clothes from the backpack and dressed.
“It’s safe to look,” said Jason drily, a moment later.
I turned as Hank grabbed both bags. He jogged to the water tower, scaled the ladder on the side, and then tied a white cloth around a rung near the top. I wasn’t normally scared of heights, but seeing him climb so high on the rickety structure made my stomach flip.
Jason glanced at his watch. “We’re cutting it too close.”
“They’re going as fast as they can.” I glanced back at the wall. The wolves had assembled a tripod. On it was a contraption that looked like the misbegotten offspring of a telescope and a fire extinguisher.
They waited until Hank climbed down to the ground and then adjusted their aim. With a small blast, a grappling hook shot through the air and sailed over the fence. It hit the water tower with a metallic clang and snagged the rung Hank had marked with the cloth.
Everyone seemed to collectively hold their breath.
The water tower was far from the center of camp, but if a guard had heard and decided to investigate, everything we had planned would fall apart.
The night stayed quiet.
Gradually, in small increments, the muscles in my chest unclenched.
Hank scaled the tower again. After pulling the cord taut, he slipped the grappling hook free and then secured the line using a series of intricate knots. When finished, he raised a hand to signal that everything was ready.
Eve arranged the team in order of importance. Jason and I ranked low; there were only two wolves behind us. The men on the wall would stay and protect the line on this side of the fence. If things went wrong, it might be our only way back out.
Eve started up the scaffold. As the smallest and lightest, she had the dubious honor of being the group’s guinea pig.
“Be careful,” I called up to her.
When she reached the top, she paused and pulled on a pair of heavy black gloves.
There was no harness or safety gear: Eve simply lowered herself to the edge of the wall and grabbed the rope with her gloved hands. She crossed her ankles over the line and began shimmying across. She moved impossibly fast, using the strength and speed that came with lupine syndrome.
I bit my lip as she neared the fence. There were just a few feet between her back and the top of the razor wire.
Eve made it over, but she wasn’t in the clear, yet. The wall was seven yards from the fence; the water tower had to be at least twice that.
After another few moments, she reached the tower. In an impossibly graceful move, she swung off the rope and onto the ladder. She climbed partway down, jumped the last eight feet to the ground, and then held up her arms in a Rocky pose.
The other wolves crossed the line just as quickly. There was a tense moment when one man looked down and almost lost his grip as he was passing over the fence, but he made it.
Then it was Jason’s turn.
He shot me a cocky grin as he pulled on his gloves. “See you on the other side.” He ascended the scaffold so quickly and lithely that it was almost possible to mistake him for one of the werewolves.
I glanced at the line and frowned. Was it my imagination or was the rope hanging a little bit lower? Before I could ask the woman behind me, Jason started across. All that time he spent working out definitely had benefits: He wasn’t quite as quick as the wolves, but most regs would never have been able to keep up with him—not unless they were professional athletes or members of Cirque du Soleil.
Even so, I didn’t blink until he reached the other side.
My turn.
I climbed the scaffold, slipping on my gloves as I went.
“It’s easy,” said one of the wolves with a small, slightly flirtatious smile as I reached the top. “Just hold on and don’t look down.”
“Right,” I bluffed. “Piece of cake.” I sat on the edge of the wall and grabbed the rope. It didn’t look like it was hanging low at all now.
The others had made it look easy. It wasn’t. Within minutes, my arms were shaking and my legs were cramping.
I kept pushing myself. I could see the fence out of the corner of my eye. If I could reach it, I would be a third of the way across.
My muscles were on fire.
I made it past the fence and felt a ridiculous swell of pride that I hadn’t lost my grip and barbecued myself.
The rope suddenly shook beneath me and dropped an inch.
I yelped and stopped moving.
“Mac!” Jason yelled my name as the line dropped again.
The bottom fell out of my stomach as I held on for dear life.
“Mac, you have to keep going! You have to get to the water tower. Now!”
Jason’s voice came from almost directly below me. I turned my head.
I had never seen him look so scared—not even in the car when it seemed certain we were both about to be killed. “The ladder is coming free—the tower’s too old. There’s no way to hold it. When the line goes down, it’ll hit the fence. You can’t be holding it when that happens.”
There was wire in the line: If I was still holding it when it fell—
I started moving again. This time, my arms shook from fear as much as strain, but adrenaline masked the pain.
“You’re doing fine, Mackenzie.” Hank’s voice came from somewhere below, but I didn’t slow to look. “Just a little farther.”
The rope dropped another five inches—all at once—and a small scream escaped my throat.
“It’s all right,” said my father. “Just keep moving.” There was a note in his voice I had never heard before. It took me a second to realize it was fear.
I tried to move faster, but adrenaline could only do so much, and because the rope had dipped, I was now forcing myself up an incline.
As I neared the water tower, I could hear the groan of metal. It sounded like the ladder was peeling away bolt by bolt. I didn’t dare look to see how far I had left to go.
Suddenly, strong arms grabbed me and pulled me off the rope. I expected Jason and was dumbstruck as I started into my father’s blue eyes.
“You okay?”
