I started up the stairs and finally pushed out of the tunnel into what I could only describe as a shallow cave. It was cut into a cliff, but there were no cliffs by my father’s pack.“Where are we?” My flashlight cut across the stone and I moved out toward the entrance. I slid out and somehow, I was at the edge of the sea. Waves crashed before the lip of the cliff, and I could see stairs cut into the left side heading up. So I followed. I walked up, slowly and carefully, mist hitting my face. I screamed as my foot slipped on some slick moss and I windmilled my arms to catch my balance. I pulled myself up to the top of the cliff, and there, at the edge of a clearing, was a small cottage that faced the sky.It was stunning. “This is impossible.”Only if you think magic is a thing of myth. Megan’s voice sounded, and I nodded. We followed the short path to the door and I pushed in. The world shifted, and it was like I was seeing one thing with one eye and something different with the oth
I headed back down the stairs and into the cave. The book was heavier than I expected and weighed me down as I squeezed back through the entrance of the cave, and back into the tunnel. I started to run, feeling like something was chasing me. But as I hit the bottom step of the stairs heading up, a howl ripped through the air, but it was unlike a howl I had ever heard before. Deeper, darker and somehow two toned. It made even Nix perk up and Megan hide. “What the fuck is that?” I whipped around to face the way we had just came, but my flashlight showed nothing. “It sounded like it was right behind me.”It came from far off. Nix paced the edge of her home, brushing her fur against my side, calming me and herself with the contact.“How did it reach me down here?” I whipped back and stumbled up the stairs.It was that loud. Nix’s voice sounded a little breathless.“Are you okay?” I paused with my hand on the door, and waited for Nix to answer. Another howl ripped down the tunnel, somehow
“Connect with nature, pup.” Loki pushed me with his snout into the clearing. “You are running out of time.”“I know.” I headed to the center and sank to the ground. Today I was determined to succeed, and I wasn’t leaving until I at least figured out how to feel my magic. I closed my eyes and started down into the center of myself. My mind flowed down, circling my inner-self, until I burst through a barrier, stumbling into a clearing in my dark woods.I stalked deeper into the forest, moving in between then trees as I went. Nix joined me on my right, and Megan on my left. Comparing the two wolves was hard. Megan, while beautiful and majestic, was a small size wolf for a werewolf. “Megan?”“Yes, Amy?” Her voice was soft and gentle. “What rank are you?” I looked down at her and she chortled. “I’m a small gamma. Still ranked, but now where near what Nix is.”“You are still a ranked member, little one. And together, alpha and gamma, we will be able to better serve Amy together. You see t
I looked over at the stunningly beautiful woman, and something clicked inside of me. “Moon Goddess?”“I knew you were a smart little pup.” She smiled down at me and her body seemed to pulse with light. “Now talk to me.”“I can’t connect with nature…I won’t be able to save my father. I won’t be able to save myself.” I dropped my head to my hands and wanted to cry. “Goddess?”“Yes, my dear girl.”“Why?” I could only utter the one word and she gave me a sad smile.“Something’s have to happen.” She leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Something’s are set in stone so that everything unfolds the way it has to.”“But my pup.” I choked out, and her smile trembled.“Is by my side and I have taken the very best care of him.” The goddess pulled me to my feet and held my hand. “I tell him every day just how much you love him.”Tears fell as I nodded. “I wanted him so much.”“I know my daughter. And I’m sorry you had to live that life, but…”“It’s okay.” I waved her away. “Now, about connecting t
“Amy…” a voice called out, but it sounded like it was far away. I looked around the clearing and all I could see were Megan and Nix, patiently waiting for me. “Amy!” The voice was more insistent, closer, but still there was no one other than the three of us. “Who is that?” I looked at my wolves and they seemed to shrug. “AMY!” I jumped, my eyes snapping open and there was my father at the edge of the clearing, frantically pacing. “Wake up!” He called out again and my eyes finally focused on his face. He was pale and sweating. What’s wrong?“Dad?” I called out, wiping my eyes.He whirled around and pounded on a barrier that wasn’t there this morning. “Amy!” He forced his hands flat against the invisible shield. “Thank the goddess.”“Dad?” I was still confused. “What’s wrong?”“What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Amy, you have been unconscious for over two hours.” He rubbed his eyes. “I’ve been calling you since I got here, and this is the first time you answered.”I stood and dusted the gras
We made our way back to the house and into my father’s office before I saw anyone else. An omega brought in plates of rare steak. “Dad?” My stomach clenched looking at the meat. I couldn’t tell if I wanted it, or my body was rejecting the idea of eating it.“You need a lot of meat. You wolf is begging you to shift. It’s her time to shine now that the power portion has been handled. But you have things to worry about other than shifting, and this will help keep Nix under wraps.” He nudged the plate in front of me. “Try it. I know it probably doesn’t look appetizing, but I promise you, you will enjoy it.”I reached for a fork and knife, but my nails shifted to claws before I could wrap my fingers around the utensils. I snatched up the meat and tore into it, blood dripping from the meat. It was still so rare. Nix settled farther back into the forest in my mind’s eye, and Megan settled next to her. I’m sorry Amy. I seem to be losing control. Nix started to pace as I continued to tear int
“Close you eyes.” I had barely wiped the sleep from my eyes when my dad sat me down in his office with Uncle Ronnie. I settled deeper into the chair and closed my eyes. “Now I want you to pull Nix closer to the surface until your eyes shift.“The wolfs bane?”“Won’t interfere. We waited the last two days to clear it from your system.” My father settled behind his desk. That made sense. I have been shut in my room for the last few days, doing my best not to shift. And staying clear of other wolves has been my saving grace. “Close your eyes Amy.” I nodded. “Once Nix is close to the surface, I am going to have Ronnie scent you. Once your scent has shifted, we can work on the next step.”“If Uncle Ronnie can scent me, won’t that screw me over?” I peeked out of one eye and my dad shook his head. “We won’t be shifting fully, just bringing Nix forward enough so we can tell when you manage cloaking yourself.” I closed my eye again and shook myself. “Nix, I need you to come closer.” I whispe
“Okay. Now let’s try removing your scent all together.” My father tossed out and I had to think. What removes a smell from the air, other than air fresheners or candles?“I know this will sound stupid…” Ronnie started, but I just scoffed.“I’m picturing a scented candle in my mind to protect me from my shitty mate. Something that shouldn’t work, and it’s just ridiculous. I don’t think we can get any worse.” He pointed at me and smiled. “True. I was just thinking, a vacuum. It sucks everything in.” I debated the idea.“It doesn’t have to be a perfect idea. Just something you can focus on while your power does the thing you need.” My dad stood and walked over to me. “It’s more about an outlet for your power to flow through. Your power will flow the way you intend it, but you need something to start it.”I closed my eyes again and pictured a vacuum in my clearing. I angled the hose up and plugged the vacuum into an outlet that appeared on the pot, and clicked it on. The noise was deafen
He stumbled over his feet. “What?” He gave me a side look.“You act like I shouldn’t have noticed. We are wolves. We live through our nose,” Nix scoffed. “You are right, but no one has ever asked me directly.” “Why not?” We stopped and looked at him. “Why has no one ever questioned why a wolf has no scent?”He sat down and looked at me. “Probably because of my rank, or my size.”“What’s your rank?”He tilted his head. “I’m an alpha.”I nodded. “Alphas don’t scare me.”“I see that.” He huffed out a laugh. “But most people are. The sane ones, at least.” “Are you saying that I’m not sane?”His eyes widened a bit. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He started, but we just laughed. “Sure.” Nix looked up to the sky. “I have to go.”“Why?” He stepped in front of us, but we just walked around him.“I have to get back to class. I ran out of my last class rather quickly.” We started running, and Erubus ran after us. It turned into a game. We ran together, nipping and diving for each other. He t
She called back, taunting the giant male, and I just groaned. Nix, why are you doing this?“Because if he wants my name, he has to prove he’s worthy of it.” She chuffed out a laugh. “Any man that wants anything from me from now on has to work for it.” Thoughts of everything from my previous life flashed through my mind. Nix was right. I gave everything to Brandon, forgave everything, and he killed me and our baby.You’re right. Nix huffed another laugh. “I know.” We were distracted and the grey wolf dove out of the bushes for us. Nix rolled out of the way and was back up on her feet, sprinting away. She looked back and howled before rushing down the banks of a small river. She splashed across the water and was up over the other bank. She rushed through a lot of underbrush before diving under the roots of a tree. She huddled there, waiting. What are you doing?I’m waiting to see if this male is smart. If he is, he will find me. If not, he isn’t worth my time. Why?Because any male
“May I speak with you Alpha Amy?” The class just ended, and I was struggling to hold on to Nix. She wanted to shift, and holding her back was almost impossible. I turned to Gamma Charles and sighed.“Of course.” I made my way to his desk as the rest of the men filed out of the room. Once I tucked my power away, Charles did his best to refocus the class and start on the material, but you could feel everyone was on edge. “I’m sorry.” He started, but I raised a hand, stopping him.“I am not foolish enough to believe that it was intentional. I assume in your teaching career you have had quite a few individuals who had tried to pretend to be a rank they weren’t. I also understand the female alphas are very rare. I don’t take it to heart.”I watched as he breathed in a sigh of relief. “I am still sorry. I know I put you in an awkward position today, and probably for the rest of the semester. But I will go to the rest of your teachers and let them know so you don’t have to do this kind of d
I looked over the room and every one of these men on their bellies. “What the fuck?” I heard a whisper, but I growled. These fucking men pushed me to the point of losing my control. Now they had to deal with the repercussions. “Alpha Amy…” Gamma Charles started, but I turned on him and stomped to the front. I wasn’t even using all of my power. And I was making sure they weren’t in any pain, but I was almost past caring.“Gamma Charles, I’m going to need you to be quiet for a minute. Please and thank you.” I pulled back my power enough that everyone could sit back on their heels. “Now.” I turned to face the class like I was the teacher. I leaned against the table and clenched my fists. “I was trying to be nice. But you pushed it too far.”One guy stammered out an apology. “Please forgive us.” But I just shook my head. “We are past that now, Greg.” I finally turned to Caleb, who was glaring at me. “Have something to say, Caleb?”“No.” He bit out. I could see his ego was hurt. I was tr
“No fucking way.” One guy called out. I hid my smile behind my coffee cup. Gamma Charles pushed up from the desk. “Amy, while I can understand that, what I said might have appeared dismissive. But lying about rank is prohibited here.”“I understand Gamma Charles.” I placed my cup down and leaned back in my seat. Caleb, the poor man, was floundering. His mouth was opening and shutting without a sound.“So, what is your actual rank?” An unranked man, Adrian, I believed, asked me.I just raised my eyebrows and purse my lips. “Alpha.”“You have got to be shitting me.” Another man called out. “Alpha females are rare. Like super rare. Most Luna’s are betas, or gammas that mated an alpha and rank up. But a natural female alpha is basically unheard of.”“Now, now.” The gamma raised his hands. “Amy, I have to urge you to reconsider your answer. If you continue to push that you are an alpha, then I will either have to command you to tell the truth or call the dean.”“Okay.” I just nodded. “Eit
I dropped into a seat in the far back of the lecture hall. I pulled my bag on to my lap and pulled out my computer. Once that was booting up, I pulled out my notebook and took a sip from my coffee. I nearly moaned into my cup as the first hit of caffeine hit my bloodstream. I waited, sipping my French vanilla cappuccino, as the rest of the class streamed in. I scrolled on my phone, waiting for the last few minutes before class was to start. Nix and Megan kept vigil, so when the male approached me, I wasn’t startled. “Excuse me?” His voice was deep, but I’ve heard deeper. The King’s voice fashed through my mind. His voice was the deepest I had ever heard. Just thinking of it had my skin breaking out in goosebumps. I regretted not bringing a sweater. “Yes.” I looked up from my phone. The man in front of me was tall, muscular, and decent looking. His chestnut hair and chocolate eyes were warm, and he had a perfect smile. I smiled up at him and waited.“Can I sit here?” He pointed next
“I said enough.” The deep voice rang out through the cafeteria and everyone froze, except me. I squeezed the throat of the red head harder, lifting her from the ground, her feet dangling. “Amy, please.”I turned my head and stared at Vince. “This one touched me.” I growled out, Nix slipping closer to the surface. I pulled the girl closer to my face. I could barely see her freckles that dusted her nose anymore. “Do you know what I do to people who touch me without permission?”She whimpered in my hands. “Please Claudia, help me.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. Her eyes darted to the side to look at the blonde, but I laughed. I pushed her to the ground. “What do you think the blonde is going to do?” I crouched down over the girl, claws sliding out of my fingers.“What in the goddess name is going on?” Vince’s voice was closer, probably hustling across the room to get closer to stop whatever this was, but he wasn’t going to stop me. No one would, unless I did it myself. “Alpha V
The alarm screeched through the air, and I groaned. I think it’s safe to say that I am a night owl. I want to just roll over, but I have to get ready for class. Class.Ugh. I’m excited but also dreading it. You get to find out who the secret professor is today. Nix’s voice sounded excited.“Why are you so excited?” I yawned so wide, my jaw cracked. I sat up and stretched. I don’t know; she has been amped up since last night. I kept her entertained so you could sleep. Megan’s voice was tired. “Nix?”Someone’s coming. I don’t know who, but it’s important. She panted. It was like she was running around in my mind. That’s exactly what she is doing. Megan countered, yawning herself.I laughed as I stood and made my way into the bathroom. Time to get ready. I showered, cried my hair and then stepped back into my room to choose my outfit. I flipped through my clothes until I landed on simple jeans. I grabbed them and a black tank top. I got dressed, flipping my hair into a messy bun, so
“Mom, you really didn’t have to help me.” I looked back at her and she laughed.“Did you really think I was going to allow you to move into your dorm without me helping?” My mom carried a box up the steps. “I mean, kinda…” I laughed as I unlocked the room. I dropped the box in my hands and turned to look at her. “It’s just for a little while. It’s not like you won’t see me again.”My mother dropped her box on the bed and turned to me. “I don’t think that’s true.”“What? Mom, come on.” I shook my head but she grabbed my hands. “Listen to me. I don’t have power like a shaman or like your grandmother, but I have this feeling. Somehow, I know you won’t be coming home.”I stared at her, and I could see the pain behind her eyes. “I might not come home, but I will still see you. I’m not going to just up and leave you, mom.”She wiped at her eye. “You promise?”“Of course I do.” I grabbed her and hugged her. “What is really bothering you?”She pulled away and looked at my face. “I miss him.