WolfHeart

by Konstantina P.

  Steven felt his windpipe being crashed and soon his vision blurred. On the brink of losing consciousness, a red blaze passed before his eyes making him squint and Larson´s foot to lose its tight hold, startled. All the Magics screamed in despair as their powers left their bodies and they remained unprotected against the fierce steadfastness of the Werewolves. The Alpha grasped the opportunity to escape and pushed to his feet when the spell that was put on him dissipated along with its caster´s magic. When the dust of the aerial explosion settled down -heavy on the fallen trees and the even more wrecked city ruins- leaving the world around them on fire, he allowed himself to feel relief after so many days.

  “Steven, now!” He heard Jason yell and caught the handcuffs Mark tossed at him in midair. Larson tried to run but he was defenceless against the vengeful appetite of the Alpha. Steven caught up with him before he managed a couple of steps, locking the cuffs around his wrists.

  “Who is going to save you now?” The Alpha growled as more and more people started gathering at ground zero.

  “Kill them! What are you waiting for?” Larson screamed. Many of the newcomers had been out of the firing range and even those who had been affected had already started gaining their powers back, the familiar warmth spreading through their bodies. Even so, not one of them lifted a finger to help their King but chose to let him be consumed by his own hatred.

  Steven cackled and easily reversed their previous positions. He picked Larson up by the throat like a rag doll and threw him at his subordinates´ feet. “Go ahead, beg some more.”

  But even then, the Magics took a step back, willing Steven to end it. Larson´s closest people cowered at the sight of the formidable Alpha and those true to Cora were met with a newfound courage at their King´s inability to punish them for renouncing him.

  “You worthless snakes. I fought for you! This is how you repay me?” The Magic leader cursed, losing the loyalty of the last people left to defend him.

  Steven kicked him behind the left knee and he fell to the ground, the perfect image of a fallen King trying to get a last chance at dignity. The Alpha let his claws out and tore through Larson´s stomach but, before he had the chance to land the final blow, a familiar voice stopped him.

  “No! Don´t!” Cora screamed and Steven froze, one hand deep into Larson´s gut and the other ready to strike.

  “Why? Tell me a good reason to let him go. After everyone he killed. After torturing you for years!” The Alpha turned to look at the girl, lowering his free hand but twisting the other deeper into the man. Larson screamed and his body fell forward, only Steven´s grip keeping his torso upright.

  “This is not who you are.” Cora stumbled down towards them. “You are not him. Look at him. He is down.” Finally reaching them, she took Steven´s free hand in hers and used his claws to cut a deep gash into her palm. Reaching down, she smeared with her blood the shackles securing Larson´s hands together. The drops made a hissing sound as they fell into place between the chiselled markings. “And now he is not going anywhere unless I say so. You are not a murderer. Let go.” She didn´t kill her father when she had the chance; she would not let Steven pay the price. Larson didn´t deserve either of their consciences.

  Steven still hesitated. There was no guarantee the man wouldn´t find a way to hurt them again. Even if the Alpha could forget the dead bodies left behind only days ago, how could he ever forget Alan? How could he ever forget his brothers?

  “Please.” Cora´s voice shone through the clouds impairing his clarity. “I´m tired. I just wanna go home.”

  He couldn´t forget and he sure as hell couldn´t forgive. But for her, he was going to learn to live with it. Live with the fact that he once had the chance to avenge the crimes against his entire species but he didn´t because of the girl standing next to him. Maybe she deserved the sacrifice, maybe she didn´t; it wasn´t his place to tell. But he ought it to himself and everyone that ever loved him to move forward and that wasn´t going to happen by killing a defenceless man. Throwing a look above his shoulder towards where his pack was, he caught their commiserating nods and pulled his hand free. Blood oozed out of Larson´s gaping stomach and the man tipped forward, managing to brace himself on his trembling hands. Steven didn´t spare a single thought on him as he at last turned to Cora and pulled her in a one-armed hug, careful to keep the hand stained with her father´s blood away from her. The girl clung to him, burying her face into his chest and taking a shuddering breath.

  “Come on. Let´s get you out of here,” Steven said as he finally calmed down and noticed she was exhausted. The two pulled apart and started towards their friends but Larson hadn´t said his last word yet. Releasing a battle cry, the fallen King found the strength to push to his feet one last time, pulling a knife out of his boot.

  “Watch out!” Cora cried and tried to push Steven out of the way. The moment her hand made contact with his shoulder, the Alpha´s eyes glazed over and a red nimbus started pouring out of his every cell. The cloud of light materialized in front of them, taking the form of a large wolf made of shadow and forcing everyone to cower in fear. The ghostly beast charged ahead, passing through Larson´s body and stopping the wretched heart in his chest in the blink of an eye. Cora -watching everything unfold in slow motion- let out a scream and rushed to her father´s side, taking in his limb body and the pale blue eyes that had her spend her entire life in pain.

  “I did this,” she whispered and Steven kneeled next to her. He was still shaken up by the huge amount of power his body had produced, befuddled by what this new reaction of his wolf against Cora´s touch might mean. “I killed my own father.” She looked up at the pack that had now gathered around them, their faces full of sympathy and a good amount of apprehension. The shadow-wolf curled its body around Cora´s knees, basking in her familiarity, and she finally understood where her father´s wounds had come from. She was a member of a Werewolf pack and they would always be with her even when they were miles away. Hers and Steven´s combined powers had just given substance to these pack bonds.

  They all watched fascinated as the red shadow poked Cora´s fingers with its muzzle before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

  “You didn´t mean to,” Jason said, making sure to keep his distance.

  “How long can I keep using that as an excuse,” Cora´s last thought was before losing herself in the misty oblivion of unconsciousness.

  28. TO BELONG

  Mark had been the one brave enough to pick Cora up and lead her to her old bedroom to tend to her. The Werewolves might have been weary of what their touch might generate, but he would never fear a girl that carried a kind soul. Kate had said her goodbyes the night before, eager to return to her pack, and had promised Steven her help if he ever needed her. The two Alphas went on their separate ways with a heartfelt apology from the blonde that left Steven relieved as another open wound from his past had finally closed.

  If the Magics felt perturbed about the rest of the Werewolves settling in their city, they didn´t show it while they collectively waited for Cora to recuperate. The girl´s display of power had shown them she could both protect them against everything and destroy them in a fraction of a second, so they didn´t dare touch the person her magic seemed to be tethered to or his minions. Mostly, the magic users were eager to start a new life under the guidance of someone of sound mind, however reluctant that person might be.

  The pack on the other hand had so many questions. They weren´t afraid of the Magics; they knew they were in the clear until Cora said otherwise. But would she? What exactly had happened? Would she need to be restrained if she couldn´t control it? She had lied to them. They had rushed to her rescue only to find her already freed and with her magic fully restored. She suddenly became too dangerous to be roaming around free to use a Werewolf´s power on top of her own, already intimidating, magic. And if they did have to restrain her, where would that leave Steven?

  The man in question hadn´t left Cora´s room the long hours it took her
to come back to herself. The witch opened her eyes and immediately recognized the place, shooting up in bed afraid it had all been a dream and she was still a kid, trapped inside her father´s fort. She untangled herself from the heavy bedcovers and got up, frantically searching around her for an indication of what was going on.

  When her eyes found Steven, she took a steadying breath, fiercely relieved. “You are here.”

  Steven had shot to his feet the moment she opened her eyes. He was now looking at her with worry and a good dose of unease, watching her every movement like a hawk. Cora took a step towards him, reaching out, seeking his hand, but the Alpha took a measured step back.

  “What´s wrong?” Cora´s face fell upon realizing what had caused his distrust and felt like she had been cast out to the sea with no idea how to get back to dry land. “You are afraid of me.”

  “It wasn´t a pleasurable experience... And I don´t know if it will happen again when I touch you,” Steven said, choosing to ignore her last comment.

  “There is only one way to figure that out,” she said and threw herself at him, locking their lips together. She kept on kissing him until shock gave way to response and the Alpha met the embrace eagerly, finally putting away all the misery of the last few hours at the feeling of her in his arms.

  Steven´s moves turned desperate as he tried to undress her and draw her closer at the same time, afraid she might change her mind and walk away. He forced himself to take a step back, allowing them both to catch their breath, before taking off his own t-shirt and tearing the girl´s dress off her shoulders. He dived back in the minute she was naked, not caring if she saw his quiet despair to feel her bare skin. He bit at her lips but kissed the sting away at her quiet hiss, picking her up and dropping her unceremoniously on the bed. He stretched out across the length of her body and let his hand trail down her bare chest, rising and falling with her erratic breathing.

  “We should slow down,” he rasped, voice laced with wonder at the overwhelming wild beauty beneath him. He got a murmur in response, a soft open-mouthed kiss on his shoulder and lost the last shred of coherent thought as she lowered his pants and shifted enough for him to slide in, Cora welcoming him into her warmth like he should have never left in the first place. They spent the rest of the afternoon with their bodies locked in a lazy, unhurried pace.

  Steven wasn´t used to waking up alone but he wasn´t exactly surprised. He got dressed quickly and left Cora´s room in search of his wayward lover and, even if the pull he felt towards her wasn´t enough, the trail of astonished faces wasn´t hard to follow. He found his pack gathered at the site where the night before the everlasting clash between Magics and Werewolves had come to a head. His interest picked as he saw them watching mesmerized something in front of them. Pushing through, he reached the ledge of the crater and Cora came into full view.

  “What is she doing?” The Alpha mumbled. The girl was kneeling on the ground, her clothes stained with soot and her breathing becoming more and more laboured as time passed.

  “She´s healing the land,” Erin said, stunned, and Steven´s eyes left Cora to wander around her. Here and there, there were patches of land where the destruction was gone, giving its place to green saplings and flowers, the sight of them even more beautiful than before. Back to Cora, Steven realized she had her hands buried in the scorched land and everything she touched emitted a yellow glow. When the blinding light faded, new grass started growing between her fingers. Vines of it twisted up to her wrists and a green river flowed around her.

  Steven and the pack kept watching her hypnotized as every now and then she would move from one spot to another, repeating the process. The Magics that were watching from a distance, took her actions as another display of power; a means to prove to them she was qualified to lead them. But those who cared about her saw it for what it really was; an act of atonement for killing her father and everything else that had happened since she was born that had led to hate and division. In a way, she was apologising to the pack for lying and at the same time she was saying she had forgiven her people for never defending her; never coming to her aid. And just like that, every feeling of unease and doubt the pack had been feeling since the shadow-wolf, dissipated. They would figure everything out -learn to control this newfound power- because Cora´s heart was in the right place. And it was the heart of a wolf; strong, loyal, fierce and already theirs.

  After watching her stumble over an uneven patch of dirt for the umpteenth time, Steven figured it was time to make Cora stop before she exhausted herself to unconsciousness again. He tentatively walked to her, careful not to startle her as he stood behind her and took her in his arms. Cora tensed but the Alpha rubbed the small of her back with his thumbs, digging into the dimples there and making her sway on her feet. When he leaned down and licked a trickle of sweat running down her neck, she came undone and rested all her weight on him, trusting him to hold her up.

  “Talk to me,” the Alpha whispered in her ear, making goosebumps break out on her arms.

  “I can´t leave yet,” she said in a voice full of misery.

  “I know,” he sighed.

  “I have to stay,” she insisted, like he had given her some indication that he hadn´t quite understood her predicament. “I have to help them stand on their feet.”

  Steven´s lips curled into a wry smile. “Do you want to stay?” He asked, not careful enough to hide his amusement.

  “I want a home,” she said, managing to sober him up a little.

  “Would it be a home if I stayed with you?”

  She span around in his arms, turning to face him in surprise and an undercurrent of hope. “What about the pack?”

  “They´ll understand,” Steven shrugged.

  “Okay,” Cora´s smile was still hesitant.

  “Okay,” Steven agreed and this time, the witch couldn´t contain her happiness. At the end of the day, the Alpha loved her without her needing to break the spell her father had casted on him; without a supernatural bond in the way...

  After everything was said and done, everybody got to stay. There was nothing left for the pack back at Jen´s kingdom. As it turned out, Steven´s best destiny was indeed to lead, just not the Werewolves; not only the Werewolves. Standing next to the girl that had given him a fresh start and a chance to discover the man he wanted to be, they managed together to unite two natural enemies and teach every supernatural being out there that the heart wants what the heart wants. Peter had been right; the Anders Prince had indeed more power in his hands than Moira and Jen. He just hadn´t realized that his power wasn´t about armies and wars but family and peace and stability.

  Steven and his friends became the first and only Anders pack that ever lived and prospered outside of Anders land. Well... Not quite. Cora had become their land so... Moot point.

  THE END