Chapter Four

JAREK

The blinding light dims to a soft silver-blue hue. I can’t decipher what the hell I’m looking at. It is indeed Annalise. I can make out her facial features, however, it’s almost like she’s transparent. I’m able to view the clouds behind her, through her. It makes sense now. She’s an extraterrestrial with enormous wings. Her ears were never a wolf’s, but that of an alien.

Mom, Xillon, and Cadance, our pack doctor, arrive in wolf form. The clothes dangling from their mouths fall to the ground in heaps as they take in the sight before them. Pack members stare in stunned silence. The creature is around ten feet tall, slim, with taut muscles. Her straight silver hair glistens like thousands of diamonds are interwoven within and reach the ground. Her hypnotizing silver eyes seem to have a smoldering fire within, that could smolt all of us. She’s so radiant, more so than I have ever seen.

“Bow down before your princess.”

Her bombing voice is like that of the rushing waters of a waterfall that pierces our ears. We all fall to our knees, screaming in pain and clutching our ears.

She crouches on all fours, and the blinding light resurfaces, and we shift into our wolves. A piercing howl emerges from every wolf in the pack. I am utterly blinded and left in darkness, lost in Trex’s mind. I tried to reach out to him, but my questions for him went unanswered. Wolves continue to howl and whimper, letting me know I am not the only one going through this.

A beautiful melody surrounds us, and then an enchanting voice sings softly as the wind picks up and jostles our fur. It’s so soothing that he lays down and descends into a profound slumber, leaving me lost in the far recesses of his mind.

***

I wake up yelling, drenched in sweat. Glancing around, I see that my surroundings have changed. I’m no longer on the training grounds, but in my bed. Throwing off the covers, I notice I’ve changed from my gym shorts into my boxer shorts I typically wear to sleep in. It was all a dream. No. This makes little sense. It was so real. There is no way this was merely a dream. She is an alien, an enchantress, and she’s more so a freak than I ever thought. She will be the pack’s downfall.

Climbing out of bed, I squint at the bright sunlight coming from the open shutters. My heads pounding like they have drugged me. Did I drink last night? I can’t remember. I remember dad whooping my ass, though, for nearly killing her ass and almost leaving her stranded in that tree. The name Silver suits her more now than it had before. She does not get the privilege of being called by her given name. Not by me, ever. She’s a freak from the depths of hell that made me have this horrific dream. Was it a vision? Perhaps the moon goddess Selene blessed me with a premonition. Who in their right mind has random dreams like that?

Treading towards my dresser, I pull on some black sweats and a white t-shirt. Striding to my bedroom exit, I roll my eyes dramatically at the noise of her hair dryer blasting. Unquestionably, that was the noise that aroused me from that crazy, believable dream. I walk into the hallway and over to her room, next to mine. Test the knob to see it is unlocked and slam the door open.

Her heart-shaped ass greets me because she’s bent over, drying her long, dark brunette locks. She glares at me from between her legs as she continues to dry her hair. I huff a breath, crossing my arms to let her know I’m staying put.

When she notices I am not leaving, she turns the dryer off, sets it on her desk, tosses her locks over her shoulders as she stands up, and sighs.

“What do you want, Jarek? I don’t have time for this. Mom is waiting for me.”

“She’s not your mom. This pack isn’t where you belong. You’re a freak from hell. Possessing a wolf is necessary to be classified as a wolf, therefore, you can’t be one. You are an alien witch hybrid!”

Growling, I move forward to see her eyes more clearly. Maybe I could see traces of that creature within. Then flinch and bounce back when her smoldering silver eyes meet my gaze.

“And what drugs are you hyped up on right now, Jarek? Your eyes are bloodshot, and sweat is pouring from every pore. Damn, Jarek, you reek and need a shower,” she chastises, then squinches her face in disgust.

“I don’t have a clue what you did. All I know is; you were dead one minute and turned into an alien the next. I woke up like the whole thing was a dream. You cast a spell over the entire pack. I know you did. I will uncover the truth!”

Spinning around, I sprint back to my room, slamming the door shut behind me. Then scan my room, astonished that all is spotless and in its right position. I left it as it was yesterday after my wolf smashed and wrecked everything after shifting. She must be right. Maybe I am on something. Whatever I took had to be a powerful hallucinogenic. Yesterday’s events were merely a dream. I just made a complete fool out of myself. That’s just great. Running my hands through my sweaty hair in frustration, I approach my ensuite bathroom. Time to wash this freak show down the drain.

ANNALISE

I’m the freak, he says. Me, but he’s the one that is obviously drugged or something. Trex is right, he is an idiot. He barges into my room, claiming I transformed into an alien. I was dead. Geez. Jarek, the future alpha, is bloody freaking insane. Glad I won’t be here to see the day he assumes control over the pack. When I turn eighteen, I am out of here. I’ll return to visit mom and dad, but he better stay the hell away from me.

***

“Jarek is coming off of a hallucinogenic, as usual. Steer clear of berating him, though. I reckon it wouldn’t make a difference.”

Mom groans and shakes her head, clearly angry by my declaration. I snatch her wrist and drag her toward the door so we could escape before he came downstairs for the munchies.

***

“Oh, sweetie! You look so beautiful in that dress. Same with the others. We’ll purchase all of them.”

Mom’s dark blue eyes glisten with adoration as she praises me. It’s nice to see her smiling and at ease for once. It’s rare for her to get free time away from her hectic duties of being the pack’s Luna.

“I’m fine with that, but I won’t walk around in sundresses and skirts all the time. As long as we can purchase the shorts and pants I picked out as well, I’ll be golden.”

Marching back into the changing room, I then change back into the clothes I had on this morning.

“Are you sure Dad is okay with us spending so much money? We spent a lot of money on our hair, cosmetics, and manicures. He’s going to flip out,” I said and grin at myself in the mirror.

I convinced Mom to purchase me non-prescription colored contacts. She purchased a set of grey that blends well with when my eyes are silver and sapphire to bring out the natural tent of my irises when they are blue. You can still recognize when my irises alter shades, but not like before. I’m wearing the sapphire set, and I can honestly say I’ll be putting these on the most—the bright blue complements well when my eyes transition from gold to silver. I look beautiful and normal for once.

“He is wise enough not to get mad at me, sweetie. I am his mate. I would rip him to pieces. You are his baby girl. He loves to spoil both of us any chance he gets. He realizes you needed this makeover, just as I did. Dad’s not happy if we aren’t.”

Mom paid for the garments, shoes, and accessories, and we made several trips to the car to unload our purchases. On our last trip, I glanced at the video game arcade to see Dante playing a shooting game. I should apologize to him for my brother breaking his nose yesterday. He’s a shifter, so he should be healed by now. But he didn’t deserve what had befallen him.

“Go ahead. I need to speak to someone real fast. I’ll be out in a minute.”

She smiles when she catches sight of him she embraces me.

“Don’t be long. You’ll be late for pack training. You know that’s one thing dad rages over.”

She grabs the bags I was carrying and leaves. I approach from behind and watch him shooting deer briefly before clearing my throat to let him know of my presence.

His family moved here to Montana from Scotland. He towers over the rest of us, as is often the case with shifter males, measuring a full six foot nine. His body is trim and taut, with short, curly red tresses and alluring green eyes. His family has been here for a week, but he has held my attention since the first day. He’s crossed paths with me every day. He has paid no attention to my eyes or that I’m unlike everyone else. I still can’t believe he asked me out on a date. Jarek screwed up that meaningful moment for me.

He finishes his game, puts the gun in the holster, and spins to meet my gaze. For once, I am happy to be one of the tallest females in the pack. At six foot four and taller than most shifters females, I equal him in height, almost. His scrutinizing stare, as he tries to figure out who I am, is humorous. I smirk at him and trip him out by moving a contact to the side so he can see my eyes change colors.

“Annalise?” he asks with his thick Scottish accent that turns me on to no end. A massive smile adorns his face, showing off his perfectly straight teeth.

“In the flesh.”

Giggeling, I fix my contact. Then flash him with a grin that stretches ear to ear.

“What did you do to yourself? You look gorgeous, but I liked you as you were,” he said while embarrassing me.

“I was fed up with my brother, giving me a hard time for being different. I’m sorry for what he did to you yesterday. His behavior horrified me.”

Reaching up to touch his healed nose, I grin. Thank goodness for the rapid healing capabilities that wolf shifters have.

“Don’t worry, your pretty head Annalise. I am right as rain,” he said, grinning.

“About that date. I want to go with you sometime. If Jarek hasn’t scared you off, that is.”

“I can pick you up tonight around eight. Will that give you enough time to wash up after training?”

“Yes, that would be perfect. I must be going. My mom is waiting for me in the car. I’ll see you later.”

Brushing my lips over his cheek, I scamper off before he includes much else. I can’t wait to tell mom the good news.

Writers Note

Thank you for reading! 😘 How are you liking the book so far? Comment and vote 💎, to let me know. Have an amazing day! Sapphirian J ❤.