I smelled the dungeon before I opened my eyes. My head throbbed, but I felt a surge of hope as I sensed magic thrumming through the air around me. I sat up, groaning as the change in position worsened the pain in my head. I felt around in my hair and located the knot, on the right side of my head, I must have been thrown in here, because the knot was raised and bloody, still not healing because of the wolfs bane. Reaching for the magic, I pulled it towards me, attempting to heal my head. Only it barely gave, and once it reached a certain point, it snapped back into place. The cells were protected by powerful charms, and would not allow me to use any magic here. “Psst!” someone hissed, and I squinted into the darkness, trying to refocus my vision. A few seconds later, Roland emerged from the darkness, carrying a flask and a gauzy bundle of fabric. Keeping his voice low, he crouched in front of the silver bars. “Drink this, quickly, before the other guards catch up!” Unscrewing its li
I felt light, as though no gravity weighed me down. I hadn’t been sleeping, but I was floating, dreaming in colors. Athena nudged my hand, drawing my attention to her wolf form. As I reached for her, a ball of light drifted towards us, expanding and blinding until it swallowed us, pulling us through to a warm, grassy meadow. Pushing up to my knees, I scanned the area, noticing how Athena trained her gaze on the wood line. She whimpered, and I followed her line of sight to see a woman emerge, and stop just beyond the trees, about fifty yards from where we stood. The blonde woman wore a loose flowing white gown, and shimmered in the low evening light. She smiled at my wolf, and held out her arms. Athena turned to me, and I realized then that I hadn’t heard her speak since we died. Realization washed over me, and I rocked back on my heels, sadness echoing distantly in my heart, like it was separate from my being, but I knew that this moment would hurt. She pressed her large furry head
I am 16, my birthday is December 5th. I live in a small town in the blue ridge mountains. I grew up exploring the caverns and forests around this beautiful land. Stashing arrow heads in jars with plant clippings and moss, and other rocks that caught my attention. I grew up running barefoot in the moss and sweet mountain leaves that coat the ground. I went to school until about 3rd grade, but things got a little weird. I have always had this…voice in my head. She sounds a lot like me, but older. She knows more. The other kids made fun of me after a few years of me referencing the voice in my head. Parents stopped letting their kids play with me. Other than the voice, and some crazy dreams now and then, I have been your average, home schooled teenage girl.At least, until a few weeks ago.I woke up at midnight, for whatever reason. My first thought was that maybe I had to pee? But no…. As I stood up and steadied myself, I was not in my room. I was standing, knee deep, in a small reflect
Chapter 2“WILLOW WAKE UP, NOW! THEY ARE COMING!” Athena shouted in my mind.I shook my head and stood, unsteadily on 4 giant paws. How the fuck was I supposed to work this body, and are “they” the pack warriors or the brethren, my parents? Fuck I guess this isn’t a dream. “What do I do?” I asked my wolf, feeling like an idiot“We are going to shift back into our human form, I will teach you a spell to clothe your body. We have breached the Veil, and they must not discover you have come into your powers yet. They may not even know who you are if the Covens protection still holds.Shifting back was uncomfortable, but less painful than last night, with only some of the nausea. “Willow, close your eyes and imagine the clothes you wore last night are piecing themselves back together on your body. Imagine them coming together exactly the way they were when you got into bed last night. Do this quickly. Once you have it, I will pull all of our energy to bring it into existence.”I did as A
I have been moved from cavern to cavern since my arrival here. There is a network of chambers, and each is subject to a different type of interrogation. Athena says that you are not supposed to be able to pass through each chamber if your intentions are not good, or at least neutral. But there are some types of magic that can trick the protection spells. I have no intentions exactly, I am waiting for Athena to provide some clarity on what we have to do next, but she mostly walls herself off in my mind to pass interrogation. They believe I have not come into my wolf yet, but that I will soon. The general consensus is that I will be placed with a pack as a servant, but that means lots of paperwork, and the pack has to approve my transfer, and accept financial liability for me.Since the wars have mostly ended, the biggest issue the Veil is faced with comes from dark magic, rogues, and pack disputes. There were others in the caverns with me, but none of us could look directly at each ot
I thoroughly scrub myself, top to toes, and lay back to let myself float. As I do, the water from above changes from a shower, to a circular curtain around the edge of the pool. Again, I wonder if this is me, or the magic of the caverns. I don’t have much time to think about it before a shadow figure appears behind the curtain of water. It startles me so much that I accidentally dunk my head back, and inhale a bunch of water. You know, like an idiot. I spring up from the water, choking and sputtering. I am trying to get my bearings, determine where the shadow has moved to. I don’t have to wait long before a massive hand lifts me from the water by my throat. The hand is hot, almost feverish, and I can feel claws threatening to puncture my skin. It’s a man that resembles a demon, his skin is blistering and cracking, revealing molten heat on the inside. Not a demon. A freakishly large burning man. Athena is not responding to my frantic calls. Fiery Gigantor brings me in close to his fa
4 years laterIt took the whole week before I begrudgingly told ransom everything I knew. In exchange, he told me the prophecy the pack elders received from a coven before I was born. They would face a choice one day. To accept the flaming wolf, or reject her. Acceptance meant war; rejection meant the entire pack would be wiped out after her death. Ransom says there is a lot more to it, but the elders advised that it would be harmful to the future if I were to learn the rest. Ransom thinks I am the flaming wolf because of my hair, and the red mask of flames on Athena’s face and paws. I am still confined to the immediate grounds and gardens around the pack house, and only the ranked wolves are allowed free access to the house. The younger wolves and families have been moved into the older pack house. Ransom says this is for safety reasons. I understand that, but I am lonely. He spends most of his time away from the pack, forging alliances, gathering intel. He met his mate right after
When I feel Seff’s claws retract, I jump up and run to Ransoms Suite, slamming the door and bolting every lock on it. I think he is still fighting Seff because I don’t hear him approach until a few minutes later. He knocks softly but I ignore it. My body is sore, and tired. I’m pissed and I only want to sleep. I conjure a soft nightgown and panties, dress myself, and drag the fluffy down comforter over me, shutting out the light. The first time I wake up, I don’t know what time it is, but I can feel Ransom holding me. He isn’t there when I wake up again. I take a long, hot shower, trying to wash off everything that happened. I have so many conflicting emotions. I wanted him, I’ve wanted a physical connection for so long, I just wasn’t ready to go that far all at once. My anger makes me lonely for Ransom, which is even more frustrating. I’ve healed fully already, my fingers poking and prodding, making sure the soreness is gone. I think about the night I accidentally walked in on Rans
I felt light, as though no gravity weighed me down. I hadn’t been sleeping, but I was floating, dreaming in colors. Athena nudged my hand, drawing my attention to her wolf form. As I reached for her, a ball of light drifted towards us, expanding and blinding until it swallowed us, pulling us through to a warm, grassy meadow. Pushing up to my knees, I scanned the area, noticing how Athena trained her gaze on the wood line. She whimpered, and I followed her line of sight to see a woman emerge, and stop just beyond the trees, about fifty yards from where we stood. The blonde woman wore a loose flowing white gown, and shimmered in the low evening light. She smiled at my wolf, and held out her arms. Athena turned to me, and I realized then that I hadn’t heard her speak since we died. Realization washed over me, and I rocked back on my heels, sadness echoing distantly in my heart, like it was separate from my being, but I knew that this moment would hurt. She pressed her large furry head
I smelled the dungeon before I opened my eyes. My head throbbed, but I felt a surge of hope as I sensed magic thrumming through the air around me. I sat up, groaning as the change in position worsened the pain in my head. I felt around in my hair and located the knot, on the right side of my head, I must have been thrown in here, because the knot was raised and bloody, still not healing because of the wolfs bane. Reaching for the magic, I pulled it towards me, attempting to heal my head. Only it barely gave, and once it reached a certain point, it snapped back into place. The cells were protected by powerful charms, and would not allow me to use any magic here. “Psst!” someone hissed, and I squinted into the darkness, trying to refocus my vision. A few seconds later, Roland emerged from the darkness, carrying a flask and a gauzy bundle of fabric. Keeping his voice low, he crouched in front of the silver bars. “Drink this, quickly, before the other guards catch up!” Unscrewing its li
Heleos opened the passenger door of a sleek black Audi R8, and held it open for me. The windows were tinted heavily, and the windshield itself had some type of reflective tint on it. I buckled and examined the windshield as Heleos situated himself in the drivers seat.“Is this so the sun doesn’t burn you?” I asked. The garden had been heavily shaded when we’d toured it the day before, so I assumed he could be out during the day, just not in direct sunlight. “No, it’s so people can’t see in. Even wolves and other vampires have a hard time identifying faces through an obstruction like that. The sun doesn’t actually affect me at all. It would have, but several generations ago, the vampri found favor with the soul witches, who bestowed generational protection charms. Any vampri we make, or spawn, will receive the imprint of the charm, protecting them from the sun.”“Well, that’s convenient, what about garlic?” Heleos side eyed me as he pulled down the long, winding driveway. “Actually,
I woke up tangled in the sheets of the bed in my guest room, wrapped in a damp towel, with my still damp hair in a tangled mess around my face. Heleos sat in an armchair in the corner of the room, his feet propped on an ottoman. He held a small tumbler of blood in one hand, and a book in his other. He glanced at me briefly, snorted, then went back to his book, occasionally sipping from his glass. Wrapping the comforter around me, I dragged myself to the bathroom, showered properly, and emerged clad in a plus bath robe, with my hair wrapped in a towel."Not much of an improvement, but it's a start." Heleos nodded toward the closet, "I had the housekeeper order some things for you, they're hanging there. We will be meeting with a few of my trusted friends today, feeling out the extent of ground work we'll have to do in order to infiltrate the council and... cut out the infected members.""Infected?" That sounded ominous, and a little shivver trailed down my spine. Heleos snapped his bo
"You're staring, and staring is rude." Heleos hummed.I snapped my mouth shut and returned my attention to my food, letting my hair fall forward to help camouflage my blush. Heleos was eating blood out of a pristine white bowl, with a spoon. Of all the ridiculous, cringy things I'd witnessed since becoming a part of the supernatural world, this one was easily the most asinine."Can't you just... you know, drink it from a glass, or a blood bag, or ..." I trailed off. It wasn't exactly my business, but for some reason it irritated me. He rolled his eyes and the corner of his mouth tipped up, as though he were trying not to grin. "You have always hated it when I took my meals this way." His mask of indifference was exceptional, but something told me he was extremely pleased to have found a way to pester me. I picked at my steak and brushed off my irritation. "I don't hate it, I just wondered if you knew how stupid you looked, eating a bowl of blood. No wonder you live in isolation, I'm
"Please, have a seat." He said, casually, as if we were old friends catching up. I scented the air around me, but I could feel the protection charms around him, blanketing his true scent. I stiffined, yanking my hand from his."Who gave you those protection charms?" I demanded, readying for an attack. The most likely explanation was that he was already part of the vampri alliance with the shadowmoon, which meant I had walked directly into a trap."Your mother." He grinned widely, and aside from his cuspids, also known as canine teeth, being a little sharp, there was nothing alarming about his mouth. "Ah, don't worry, I won't use them on you, not unless you ask." He paused, thoughtful. "Not unless you ask, nicely." And he grinned again, tugging me to the sofa. It occured to me that I should shield myself, but a warm, relaxed feeling washed over me, and I found myself eager to hear him speak again."You are Heleos?" I asked, then without waiting for an answer, "When did my mother give y
I woke up nauseous, and perched on something uncomfortable. Sitting up, I realized I was in the back seat of a car, and Roland was driving. He glanced at me in the rearview mirror."We've been on the road for about two days, you've made good progress healing, but there are a few developments you have missed. The king has your friend, Phoebe, and is trying to use her to track you down, he also has your son, and Phoebe's daughter. I don't know what agreement he made with the Summit Mist alpha, but it does not seem that he objects to any of this.""Take me to the Quell, we have to go over a plan of attack before he finds me.""I'm afraid the attack has already happened." Roland sighed, "Are you hungry?"My stomach answered for me, it had been clawing at me since I woke, demanding my attention. Roland laughed, pulling off at the next exit, where a diner and two gas stations sat around a blinking yellow traffic light. We sat down and ordered, and Roland gave me the rundown on what he was a
Athena sprinted through the forest, pushing herself to top speed. The trees here were enormous, and several feed apart, without thick underbrush to snag us. Leaves and pine needles mixed with the damp earth and moss to form a soft, springy bed to soften the blow of our paws. I let her take full control, focusing on her senses. I'd always loved the smell of the forest, but as a wolf it was so much richer. Catching the scent of a deer, Athena whipped to the right, changing course, racing for the higher ground. The scent began to change as we crested the hill, blood tainted the deer smell, and it became harder to tell if it really was a deer. Athena slowed, creeping forward as she scanned the forest. The afternoon sun was low, offering a bright orange glow to the treetops, but the forest floor was growing darker. Wolves have much better vision in the dark than humans, but that didn't mean we couldn't be caught off guard. The wind shifted slightly, and a rotten scent that made the hair
My heart thundered in my chest as I sprinted through the forest. Every few seconds, a mage from the quell would pop up out of nowhere, and I'd be forced to throw up a shield, or change course. There was no escaping, no recanting the terms of our agreement.It had been a week since I came to them, asking for their assistance in the fight against the vampri and the shadowmoon cult. Their terms were reasonable. That I be trained, to tap into the true power inside me, instead of grasping at the edges of my power, to have a seat on the council, and an open line of contact with each pack for apprenticeships. This was my third day practicing shields and traveling, and I was barely making any progress. My head throbbed, pain radiating through my temples as I strained to channel all my energy into traveling. A hot, searing pain jolted through my body as I slammed into a shield held by one of the mages. Shit. I'd allowed my own shields to drop, and still wasn't able to travel more than once pe