Latent
•Copyright©All rights reserved.The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Warning: this book is rated 18+ and is not suitable for readers under the ages of 18.
__
Six years ago...
.
The Alpha of the Stillmoon pack stood in the shadows and surveyed his three daughters. All between the ages of eleven and thirteen, they carelessly played underneath the silvery shine of the moonlight alongside other pack-children.Their excited shrieks and gleeful laughter were washed out into discomfiting silence by his thoughts.
At a night like this, the Alpha would've looked upon the ethereally beautiful faces of his daughters-- and cursed the moongoddess. Cursed her for not allowing his mate live long enough to bear him a son.
But tonight was different.
At that moment his eyes left the little forms of his daughters to watch the departing figure of the pack Seer. She'd revealed a lot tonight, a lot to douse his burning bitterness against fate and have his hard, unbelieving heart start to reluctantly believe that maybe, just maybe, all hope wasn't lost for his pack.
Even now the Seer's words flitted into his mind, forcing him to comprehend the grave importance of what she'd revealed-- or failed to reveal completely.
As was expected with all oracles of the Moongoddess, glibness and ambiguity were prominent attributes they identified by. Where he stood, he still struggled to grasp the full meaning of her message.
'A daughter from your loins that equals a hundred sons. . .' she'd said.
After being told this he hadn't bothered as much about having only daughters; not If having one of them could be the same as owning a hundred sons...
'A daughter of your ilk that equals two kingdoms. . .'
His mouth watered greedily at the promise of such immense power. It was almost too good to be true; a mere daughter of his wielding such power, and going from ruling a small, insignificant pack in the fringes of Alaska to having a shot at owning two kingdoms.
But if it was anything life had taught him early on, it was that if something was too good to be true-- it probably was.
But an opportunity like that blithely falling onto his lap... He would do anything to get it. Among other things it would mean protection, and he would need that now the Hunters were forming alliances with vampire factions...
'A girl of might to bring untold wins and riches to our pack. . .'
A girl of might, the Alpha thought distantly. Two of his daughters already fit that description. But the third... A dark scowl marred his handsome face. It disappeared when his gaze fell on his first daughter.
Anna. She'd shifted into her wolf at a very early age, a mere five, when, originally, werewolves began turning into their beasts at seven. And he, along with quite possibly the rest of the pack, had sensed a raging power in her wolf just waiting to be honed.
Shea, his second, although had turned into her wolf at the regular age, had displayed a rare talent In finding the pack's livestock that had gone missing for three months. Without aid or assistance, she'd traced them down to the birch that had concealed them, and brought them back to the pack safely. A potential expert tracker.
His grey eyes shifted to the last of his daughters-- for a moment they flashed a fervid yellow. And his fangs: they expressed his displeasure by sharpening to dangerous points.
His third was useless, the runt of the litter. As if to express his point, the group of children she'd been playing with all shifted into their wolves and went on to go for a run in the pack forest, while she watched their retreating figures with a broken expression on her face, her thin shoulders hunched.
Why? Because she couldn't change into her wolf. She was a Latent.
A low snarl escaped his bared teeth. He should do away with her. Such an embarrassment was bad for his pack's reputation. And as if fate had decided that giving him a Latent for a daughter was not punishment enough, it had made her completely inherit her late mother's looks.
The midnight black hair. The cobalt blue eyes. The petite frame. Everything.
His palms fisted. Although he had not loved his mate enough for their bond to deepen and her death to affect him to the point he turned rogue or took his life, he had cared for her. Cared enough to despise any reminder of her whatsoever after her passing.
When the Alpha had asked the Seer which of his daughters would fulfil the prophecy, why, and how, her reply had been:
"Hilda... Only she can thaw the ice. After her nineteenth birthday, Alpha, take her along with you to the Festival of Lanterns. There, Fate's will will be set to motion."
Present day. Alaska . The sound of someone popping their gum filled the small room. "Nope, pass," Eunice, my bossom--but no less aggravating--friend said. "How about this one?" I stifled a longsuffering sigh, holding up yet another ensemble from my closet. She casted her gaze heavenwards. "Hilda," she groaned. "You've been displaying just about the same type of clothes for the past ten hours." She was right, about the clothes. But there was one thing she was wrong about. "It's been just two hours, not ten." She leaned against the wall defeatedly. "Well it feels like it." I balled up the green top in my hands and threw it towards her direction. It landed splat on her face. "Stop being a spoilsport and come help me look for what to wear." "It'll be no use," she grumbled. Just like my entire existence. Already knowing the answer, I still asked anyway, "How so?" "Because your closet's filled with just jean shorts and T-shirts. No gowns." "No occasion's ever come up for me to we
After I'd finished dressing up, I took stock of myself in the full-length mirror.The virginal white slipdress draped around me lovingly, molding my figure into something prim and elegant. My midnight black hair was let to cascade down my shoulders in dark waves, and my makeup was done flawlessly; my lips were a blood red, and the pearls dangling from my ears shone scarlet.Coupled with my pale skin, I probably looked like some vampire male's daydream. Couldn't be farther from the truth...I wasn't a daydream, a nightmare was more like it-- I lived in one until I couldn't tell myself apart from the demons that haunted me."You look stunning," I told Eunice, coming out of my thoughts.A curt thank you met my statement. I took it to mean she was still mad at me over our earlier disagreement."Come over let me do your hair," I offered.She replied with a short, "I can handle it.""I could do your makeup if you want."
My mind instantly got thrown into a mindless turmoil, and my senses clogged with scents, sounds and sights of things that weren't there.The putrid smell of urine and aconite. The sweat trickling down my clammy skin. The feel of my bones melting. . . The sound of slow, approaching footsteps.A whimper filled my ears and I realized I was now sat rocking on the floor, back in Eunice's car. I tried to hang onto the present, but the memories were relentless.Like a large sea monster, it threw me back into the ocean of my spiraling thoughts, holding me down until I couldn't breathe, until I was drowning, drowning in my sea of memories. My chest constricted and a wet substance slid down my cheeks. I realized I was crying, inside the ocean?The pungent smell of urine filled my nose, and when I opened my eyes, it was to see father advancing towards me with a large syringe. The point of the needl
I knew my fate as well as I knew I was a freak. Dad was going to fry my ass.Over the years, he'd reduced the amount of time he tortured me with wolfsbane. Only injecting me with it occasionally, and as a form of punishment.Which he would give to me if Lizzy told on me. And I was sure she would. So it was only a matter of time before he sent me down to that dank cell."Hey," Eunice called softly, speeding down the road, not minding the snow. "Are you okay?"Using my middle finger, I tucked my hair behind my ear. "Yeah, sure, why not."She pursed her lips but remained silent.I turned my face to the window, defeatedly resting my forehead on it. I stared at my reflection, my eyes were a burning teal. Yet another abnormality.Sometimes werewolves e
It felt like it'd been mere seconds ago when we'd walked in through the airport's glass doors and into the wide, tiled halls bustling with humans, seconds ago when my bewildered eyes had soaked in every single detail like a sponge. Now we sat on the leather seats of the plane, boarding a first class flight. Behind me, father sat typing on his laptop. Beside him sat three pack warriors-- their size had initially given the flight attendants a scare. Now they quietly sat on the chairs, looking bored out of their minds. After a while I looked out the windows. My heart jumped into my mouth. The view was as exciting as it was frightening; at this moment I thought the two words could mean one and the same thing. To be this high up....Frightening!Exciting. Tufts and strips of clouds obscured the view below once in a while, but I didn't mind as the clouds themselves were rightfully asto
The discomfiting feeling instantly dissipated once we got into the house. Awe suffused me. The ornate chandeliers hanging several feet above shone down the enormous, white-painted hall.Around, collections of quaint furnitures and elegant sculptures were classically arranged in varying shades of white. Behind a tall flower vase in the middle of the tiled hall, a wide staircase rose up in all its magnificence to split into opposite directions.Greta climbed up the stairs and turned right.Walking along the silver balustrades, we followed as she led into a cavernous hallway. A single chandelier hung down, displaying a riot of exotic oil paintings on the walls. My feet strode on plush red rugs, my eyes soaking up every luxurious detail.Several twisting hallways and flights of stairs, which I all memorized, led into a narrow hall. The left side of it was lined with tall, elegant vases containing incredibly beautiful flowers, and its walls were co
Something was stirring within me, struggling to get free; or at least trying to get something across. But the niggling feeling, that wasn't entirely bad, was overridden by my fear. I stopped and waved the lantern in front of me wildly, saying, "Whoever the creep you are, show yourself!" I thought about my phone that was back in my large room, charging, and thought myself more the fool for leaving the pack-house without it. I felt a presence approaching me. Dark. A presence so dark I felt my wolven instincts flare alive for the first time. /Mate/ my wolf said for the... First time. Amidst my fear for whoever or whatever was approaching, I felt a joy so profound fill me that I started to cry. When I heard a twig snap, I became alert, putting my emotions in check. Whipping my head around, I saw nothing but the tall sh
After I'd finished showering, I emerged from the bathroom, a load of hot steam escaping into the room.I went in search of what to wear for breakfast, the young omega steadfastly at my heels. She began pelting me with rapid questions."How did you do that? I had no idea some werewolves had telekinetic abilities. Why had the Alpha been chasing after you? Are you a hybrid? Half fey? You know, I think you might be because you're really pretty. Do you kn..."My patience, all the while, had been stretching quite admirably to contain my annoyance. I tuned out her voice as I selected a pair of jeans and a beige blouse.When I proceeded to wear them, she suddenly fell silent. "You can't wear that, Miss.""Why?""For one, Greta would have my head. And two, everyone would be dressed to the nines. It's the Carnival of Lanterns!"My pati