Chapter 2 | For My Power

Violet

I’m 18 now. Shifting hopefully won’t hurt as badly anymore, but I won’t know until I do it again. Honestly, a part of me is nervous about doing it. What if it still hurts? What if it always does?

It doesn’t cause just me pain; it causes Selene pain too, and it makes her feel more winded. She’s not nervous like I am, though. She’s excited and ready to be let loose. But I’m holding back. I’m scared of being let down.

I sit at the table and stir the honey into my tea when Cora walks in. She smiles at me as she says, “How’s the birthday girl doing this morning?”

I give her a small smile in return as I say, “I’m okay. You know, I’ve been thinking…”

“Hmm, about what?” She asks as she takes a seat across from me and sips on her own cup of tea. I say, “I’m going to message Uncle Maven and see if I can move in right before Magnolia’s birthday. That way, I’m not taking them off guard and I can have a few more months here, just the two of us.”

Her eyes narrow at me and she shakes her head, “You’re not as sly as you think you are, Violet Stone.”

I feign innocence as I say, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Cora.”

She rolls her eyes and says, “You want to stay here with me longer because you’re hoping that I will teach you a lot of magic without any interruptions.”

I smile at her and say, “Come on, it would be fun! You’ve never entertained the idea of teaching me magic before.”

“Yeah, because I didn’t think you needed to know it. Now, I’m willing to do anything to guarantee that you’ll make it out of this stupid revenge mission alive.”

I smirk, “If I knew that all it took was me telling you my plans then I would’ve told you a long time ago!”

Cora shakes her head at me and changes the topic as she asks, “Have you shifted yet? I bet Selene is dying to get out.”

“Yeah, but we’re kind of nervous. What if it still hurts or if she still feels winded from it?”

She looks at me sympathetically and says, “Violet, you’re a werewolf. I’m sure it’ll feel natural now that you’re an adult. It will be okay. You need to embrace this side of yourself instead of fearing it.”

I hate the fact that she’s right. I fearful of my wolf side. It’s the side of me that is powerful. It’s the side of me that will cause people to hunt me for my power. I saw my mom live her life in fear from being the white wolf, it's hard to think that I won't be forced to live the same way. And... I don't want to always be in fear.

Cora places her hand on my hand and says, “Go, Violet. When you get back, I’ll teach you something.”

My eyes light up with excitement as I say, “Really?”

Even Selene is excited by that news, I could just envision her wagging her tail. Cora chuckles and says, “Yeah, it’ll be your reward for being so brave. Now, go shift and go on a run. We’re out in the middle of nowhere and have never had issues from wolves before, so I’m sure you’re safe.”

I nod my head, “Yeah, okay, I can do that.”

She takes our mugs and walks away from me as she yells out, “Have fun!”

I walk outside barefoot and feel the cool grass beneath my feet. I scrunch up my toes and breathe out as I say, “Okay, okay, I can do this!”

Selene is quiet in my mind and after a minute of me standing there, she tells me in an exasperated tone, “Get on your hands and knees.”

I’m amused by her tone as I listen to her instructions. I clench my eyes shut, waiting for the shift to happen at any moment. I hear and feel it happening, but it’s almost like a wave just washed over me and now it’s over. I open my eyes and see my pure white paws on the dark forest ground. I cheer in my head, “We did it!”

She chuckles back to me and then takes off running so fast that I could imagine getting whiplash from it! The wind in our fur is an absolutely intoxicating feeling. She runs and runs for I don’t know how long! But after a while we started feeling hungry, so she started to walk us back towards the house. But then… there’s a smell in the air.

What… what is that scent?

It’s like… I take a deep breath… it’s like… blackberries and oak.

I follow the scent, letting curiosity rule over me, but the closer I get to it the more I notice the metallic scent of blood. For some reason, my heart clenches from the panic I feel rushing through my body. I rush towards the smell and finally; I find a wolf.

A pure black wolf lying on the forest floor and bleeding. He’s bleeding a lot.

Selene tells me, “We have to heal him. You need to be in human form. Put your hands on the wound and I’ll help you from there.”

She forces me to shift back before I really even had time to process what she had told me. But as soon as I see my hands, I move them to his wound. I hear Selene start to hum and soon I’m doing as she is and I’m humming along with her.

Suddenly, the wound begins to heal, and I watch as the wolf slowly shifts back into his human form. I don’t even notice his nudity, as I can’t help but focus on his face.

Dark brown, almost black strands of hair fall across his chiseled cheeks. His features are so sharp and kind of odd, but he is so stunning. I notice a scar on his eyebrow and my fingers run over it as I wonder what could’ve happened to him.

His eyes pop open and I see the most stunning hazel eyes with green centers that I’ve ever seen. He makes eye contact with me for a moment before closing his eyes and going limp again. I don’t know how to help him, and I hear wolves howling in the distance.

My mind is swirling and I’m vulnerable. Selene snaps into action. She forces our shift and takes off running, leaving behind the man that makes my heart race.