She doesn't move initially, and I almost yelp in surprise as she slinks down on her knees. He watches her as she crawls up to him like a fox, sliding between his legs with a sly glint in her eyes. She looks at him for the longest time, breathing deep as her hands creep to the zips on his pants. He watches her tiredly but with mild interest, and she takes this as encouragement. However, as she leans forward to kiss him, he stops her, "Lara. Go to sleep." "You're in a mood tonight," She growls in frustration, her chest puffing out another irritated sound. I can almost see her hackles raising as she snatches her hands away from his pants, "What's your problem? Is this about her-" "Right now. You are," He speaks bluntly, his gaze dull and bored. Waving half-heartedly at the door, he finishes their conversation, "Leave." The door slams shut, and I can hear her angry heels clonking down the hallway. There's the sound of an elevator door pinging and then absolute silence. The phone is no
Kaizer throws me an exaggerated yawn as our teacher speaks. I hide my grin behind my hand, stifling a laugh as he continues to make gestures while her back is turned. The rest of the class is almost asleep, staring at the clock with hungry eyes. After what seems like a torturously long class period, the bell rings and we all spring from our seats. "Finally," Kaizer drawls as we walk towards the cafeteria, "I have been waiting for lunch since breakfast!" I burst out laughing, "You better watch it-that fast metabolism only lasts for so long." "Which is why I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can," He wags his eyebrows at me. We've patched up since my birthday. There are still moments of discomfort because it's clear that Kaizer still has feelings for me. But he knows how crazy I am for Hendrick and after we had set some clear boundaries, I've begun to hang out with him a bit again. Not much, since Hendrick is still wary of Kaizer, but enough to escape the madness of the Wolves for a m
I choke on my own scream as she kicks me again. The floor feels cool against the side of my face. Blood and the disgusting smell of the bathroom floods through my nose. Faint sounds of thuds and thumps and screaming. I can feel her kicking and stomping on me with full-blown rage. She growls like a savage-like a wolf-and I curl up but it does little to protect me from Ashenia's fury. What is happening here? It's an echo. The sound of her fists and feet connecting with my flesh cease. It takes me a moment to pick my head up and see a teacher standing at the door. "What's happening here?" I fall back down, and Ashenia sneers at me. Camilla and Dominique are shaking in the corner, staring at me with terror. The teacher growls lowly, but I'm not sure if it's a Wolf growl or them being really pissed off. I don't really quite feel right. My head spins and my body floats. Laughing. It's all that escapes my lips. So this is what it means to be in the center stage. I would have preferred to s
The door slams so hard that I swear that entire building shakes. Wolves around us scatter, some keeling over as they feel Mira's rage through the walls. Wide-eyed and clammy, it's amazing to see how quickly the packhouse has emptied. Ashenia storms off, down the stairs, and out the door. I note that she's careful not to slam the front door. She may be furious for getting skinned a new one, but she won't dare lose her temper around Mira. A Wolf who prefers self-preservation over revenge. I limp towards the stairs at a much slower pace than Ashenia. Mira's fury clings to my skin like razor blades, and I feel ill just recalling the way she unleashed her lecture on us. But the pounding and aching of my entire body is far more nauseating, and I can't fully focus on anything but breathing. I've been given ice to press against my face, but it's useless. Every part of me is swollen or bruised, and unless they have a tub full of ice, it's pointless pressing a piddly ice bag against one secti
"Lilac." "Exorcisms and love," I fix Avianna a look, "Do Wolves get possessed?" "It can happen but we're mostly vulnerable to our Guides overtaking our bodies. Sometimes lilac is used in a ritual to help strengthen our skin side. I've heard of spirits possessing Prophets and Healers but never personally witnessed it. Dandelions?" "Calling upon spirits, wishing...seeing the future?" I search for the term for a moment, smiling when I recall it, "Divination." "Good. What about smudging?" "Smudging is cleansing aura of oneself or an object using herbs," My eyes are shut as I regurgitate what I've studied the past weeks, "The most common herbs used are sage, lavender, rosemary, and bay leaves." "Any other herbs you can use?" "Cloves. Cinnamon...Dill and..." After a moment, I come blank and look at her for help. "Ginger," She answers, "You forgot that one last time as well-so be sure to write it on your forehead or something. But other than that, you did a fantastic job." I stretch
"Very good," Avianna's voice is soft, as if she doesn't want to break my concentration, "Now for some scrying. I want you to find someone. Let's start with your mate." I stare into the wolf's eyes, and she begins to growl. She doesn't want to look for Hendrick-she wants to get out of the cage. My hands fist up as I try to will her to do what I want her to, but she turns her head away. The wolf huffs like she's just as frustrated as I am. Meeting my gaze briefly, she flattens her ears against her head. A whine scrapes out of her throat and my breath hitches. She paws at the gate of the cage and whines again. It's okay. My whisper ceases her movements for a second before she begins to frantically claw at the gate again. I reach out and open the gate but block the entrance when she tries to fly out. Her snout wrinkles, hackles rising like she's trying to threaten me. I stare at her with wide eyes, overwhelmed with emotion. She...is me… Alora. She's calm again. Our eyes meet again and
The wolf lies on her side, shutting her eyes contently as the woman's hand run against her pale coat. She's less on edge around Ariella and the hooded woman. "Don't take offense, child," the woman speaks, "Iphigenia has to keep her guard up until you learn how to defend yourself and her. But here....here I can protect you." Here I can protect you. I look back at the wolf and then back at Ariella, who sits beside me quietly. "You're Hekate..." "I am." She continues to stroke the wolf... Iphigenia. That must have been who Leon spoke to whenever we came face to face. He wants to reach my Guide for some reason. "Be careful what you let consume your thoughts in your current form," Ariella whispers, "He can sense you." "That's how he found your sister," Hekate's voice is wispy again. A snake slithers from underneath her mask but she continues to fawn over my wolf, "She was searching for him after her room was broken into." My mind flashes back to the times where Leon had found me in
I'm surprised when I open my eyes and find myself in Hendrick's bedroom. It's dark outside now. I must have been in my vision for hours. Sitting up, I grab the glass of water beside the bed and gulp it down. My stomach growls and my muscles are stiff from laying still for so long. A glance at Hendrick's alarm clock tells me that it's just before midnight. I have been asleep for over eight hours... Hushed whispers catch my attention, and I crawl to the edge of the bed to listen. It's Hendrick, Jayden, and Avianna. "I just don't understand how she's been out of it for so long," Jayden murmurs quietly. "It happens," Avianna says simply, "Tapping into that kind of spiritual energy is tiring. I get like this too-" "I've never seen you lie around like a vegetable for the whole day and night, Avianna," Hendrick snaps. "I'm not a lycanthrope. Alora's body will react differently to mine." "What did you really do?" He asks but there's no response. He sighs loudly. I can imagine the muscle