Chapter 2. A hybrid

☉NAIDA

A warm hand touched my freezing skin, and I jolted out of my stupor, cowering away, only for my entire body to seize in pain. I whimpered, swiping blindly at whoever was trying to touch me.

“Shh. Shh.” A womanly voice whispered. “I'm here to get you out of here. I need you to be quiet.”

She was holding a dim lamp, the flame obscured by the big black cloak she had on. I squinted at her, my eyes already used to the paralyzing darkness of the dungeon so even that tiny flame was too bright.

“You're freezing, poor girl.” She held my arm, trying to help me up. “Come with me. We don't have much time, your execution is in a few hours. You can't be here when the guards return.”

It took a moment for me to realize who it was.

“Nuala?” I croaked weakly. “H-how did you get in here—”

“You can ask your questions later, girl. Now, get up.” She sounded more stern, forcing me to my cramped feet.

I groaned, quickly biting my lip to keep any more sounds of agony from escaping. I must have been in dungeons for close to a day —it was difficult to keep track of time down here— with only the rats for company, scurrying around and trying to nibble on my untreated cuts and bruises.

She led me through some dark, winding tunnel that smelled like the sewers, and I was completely out of breath and ready to pass out by the time we burst out into the open. I had no idea where we were, but Nuala seemed to know exactly where she was leading me.

After all, she was the royal pack healer and had spent decades on these lands.

We arrived at a small cabin at the edge of the woods. It smelled of rusty tools and mold, but it appeared clean, with some fresh clothes and medicinal brews neatly arranged on a small stool. There was even a fire going in the hearth, warming my frozen limbs.

“Sit here.” She helped me onto a chair, and moved across the room. When she returned, there was a bowl filled with steaming water and a cloth in her hands. “Take off that tattered dress. Let me see your wounds.”

There wasn't much to take off anyway, as the crowd had ripped most of it off. When I was completely nude, she inspected the cuts, swellings, and bruises marring my skin, and began to clean them with the medicinal water.

“Why are you helping me?” I frowned in suspicion. “You’ve been terrible to me ever since I was sold to Alpha Cassian. I thought you'd be overjoyed to see me executed.”

She looked up at me, and a certain sadness filled her chocolate-brown eyes. One I had never seen before, and it staggered me with its intensity. She shook her head slightly, causing small strands of her salt-and-pepper hair to fall out of her conservative bun.

“I never hated you, child,” She said. “we don't have time for any of this. The guards will realize you're missing soon and track you down. We have to make sure you're long gone before then.”

She got up with the soiled water, gesturing at the dark green brew in a small bowl. “Drink. You need your strength, and put on those clothes. The other cloth contains a few supplies for the road.”

I sensed the urgency in her tone and quickly obeyed. “This is treason. Why would you commit treason for me, a mere human slave?”

She scoffed, “You are no human, Naida.”

I froze, half-dressed. “What?”

“I said, you're no human.” She sighed, walking over to pin me with a serious stare. “You are better than all of the bastards and monsters in this pack. You were born for something better, and I would rather die than watch you be executed for something as insignificant as the death of a mere werewolf.”

My head was swirling, not quite sure what I was hearing.

“You are a hybrid. I'm sure you must have sensed something different about yourself since your twenty-third birthday.” Her eyes softened. “I wish we had more time, and I'm sorry for treating you awfully. It was for your own good, my child. With time, you will understand everything you have to—”

“Wait.” I grabbed her arm. “How do you even know all this? That I'm a …a hybrid… how's that possible?”

“I'm a witch, girl. That is how I know. It's a secret I had kept close to my heart for decades.” Her eyes were suddenly reinforced with cold, steely rage. “Witches were hunted and murdered years ago, and most of us went extinct. I had to conceal my powers, and pose as a werewolf to prevent being found out. My skills earned me a place here in Ivorythorn, as a healer.”

I stared at her, frozen in place, not sure how to file away the barrage of information she had hurriedly hurled at me.

“My parents are human. I have to be human. There's nothing special about me, there's never been.”

“It'll all be clear soon, child.” She shoved the cloth bag into my arms and pulled me out of the cabin. Her voice was terse, “Go through these woods, across the river so no one can pick your scent, and head to the Ravthorn pack. Find Eolia, a maid in the court, tell her my name and she will help you—”

“—but—!”

“Go!”

She shoved me forward, and I had no choice but to run, straight into the dark woods, heart pounding in sync with my footfalls. Everything I thought I knew, was wrong. The man I had thought would save me from my pathetic existence, was dead.

The sky had turned into a mix of oranges and red as the sun dipped down beyond the horizon, painting a canvas that was too pretty for my ugly situation.

The woods were filled with dangerous and wild animals, and I was so glad to finally tumble out of its edge, which marked the end of the Ivorythorn border. I had spent an entire day in the woods without rest, and now my feet ached and throbbed.

Thankfully, Ivorythorn was not a pack with vast lands, or I never would have made it out in a day.

Next to the forest's edge was a looming mountain, so close to the Black-Sand ocean that I could hear its crashing waves echo through the desolate terrain. With luck, I could get to the base of the mountain and use the ocean shore as a guide to find Ravthorn.

I cautiously forced myself forward, a sense of dread settling over my shoulders as I ran my eyes over my surroundings. It looked like every sign of life had been sucked out of the land, there were no birds, no trees, no creeping creatures… definitely zero human touch and only a few dead grasses wilting in the chilly breeze.

“There's no way I'm spending the night here,” I muttered to myself, my lips dry and parched with thirst.

My waterskin lay empty in my cloth bag, and I knew if the pain from my swollen feet didn't kill me, thirst definitely would. I suddenly stubbed my toe against a rock jutting out of the ground, and I squealed in pain.

“Oh dear, careful now. These lands are very uneven.” A strange voice came from somewhere behind me.

My shock sent me to the ground, and I grabbed the damn rock, frantically it in the direction of the voice. My stubbed toe was forgotten. “Who is that?!”

The sun had almost completely set now, and I could barely see anything beyond a few feet in my line of sight. But then there was movement in the corner of my vision. I whirled around, gearing up for a fight, but there was just a bent, old lady walking up towards me with her wooden stick.

How did she get so close without me noticing?

“Stay back,” I said guardedly.

She didn't listen, of course, waddling closer. Her eyes were pure white, pupils clouded over and rendered useless. Blind. Yet, her wrinkled face contorted as she stopped in front of me, peering into me with those dead eyes.

“What otherworldly beauty, my dear,” She rasped, with a smile that also looked like a frown. “What terrible power. What is this aura I sense from you?” Her hand suddenly touched my chest, “for someone so delicate, something horrifying lurks in here, waiting to erupt.”

I jerked away from her, “What in the world are you talking about, old lady? I don't want any trouble, I'm just trying to find my way to the ocean shore.”

She was still staring blindly at me. “Those striking blue eyes hold gazes from entities far older than your twenty-three years of existence, child.”

That definitely caught my attention as I sharply turned back to her.

She knew my eye color, meaning she wasn't blind?

“I thought you were blind,” I said, then frowned, realizing that the old lady had mentioned my age.

She chuckled raspily, “Physically, I am blind. But I don't need eyes to see, or perceive the souls and aura of every creature under the sun. The physical flesh weakens, but the soul only grows stronger.”

“You're a witch.” Realization slammed into me like a sledgehammer.

“You are right, and you, my dear, are the child of the prophecy. The powerful hybrid destined to free us all from the shackles of the Eldermagyn.” She inched closer, “I can help you access and wield your powers.”

She was saying the same things Nuala had hurriedly mentioned while she helped me escape. Only, Nuala hasn't mentioned a prophecy.

“Your feet are in bad shape, you are thirsty and tired.” The woman continued, “You need a place to rest, and regain your strength, child. My cottage is at the base of the mountain, and I have food as well.” She chuckled like she knew how hungry I was.

The old lady, strange and terrifying as she was, seemed like she had good intentions towards me. And yes, I did need all the help I could get. So I nodded and followed her down to her shelter.