Wolf Unleashed (Hybrid Prophecies Book 1)

by Luna Weathers

  She growled at Marcus and he narrowed his eyes at her. “Watch it, pup.” Her wolf was coming to the surface more. She could feel her underneath her skin. She was ready to take the wheel if needed. Atara felt like it was a little unnecessary for her wolf to be so present, but she welcomed her anyway.

  It was time to challenge Decebel. He was known to be the quiet and brooding type. He only spoke about matters of the pack, strategy, and tactics. At 6’2, he was built like a tank. A lethal combination of brain and brawn. His stubble made him look rugged and his loose black pants and black tank top made him look laid back. Atara knew he was everything but. He entered the training area swinging his arms out and across his chest. His brown eyes locked onto Atara’s and while she never really spoke to Decebel she knew the cogs in his head were turning and processing any move Atara could throw at him. That is how he made it to fourth in the pack.

  “Start the match.” Marcus said.

  Decebel got into an odd stance. His right arm was cocked back with his fist turned upward and his left arm crossed his chest with his fist in front of his massive right pec. She knew it would be foolish to go on the offensive first, but she knew Decebel could outwait her, so she made her move. She went to hit him with a right cross which he dodged, then grabbed her wrist mid swing. He pivoted, pulling her wrist, and used her own momentum against her. She lost control and tumbled to the ground. His footsteps approached her, and she tried to sweep his legs out from under him. He jumped up in the air. She quickly arose to her feet just in time to get a palm strike to the chest. She stumbled backward. He pivoted to deliver a roundhouse kick. She ducked and stomped on his shin. He went to the ground and she jumped on top of him straddling his right arm and torso. She cocked her arm back to deliver a punch but was interrupted by Marcus.

  “Brilliant. Not many can knock down a martial artist like Decebel, but let’s see how you match up against Axel. I believe he has something extra planned for this match.”

  Axel came into the room carrying two bo staffs. He was not built like Decebel, but he outranked him for a reason. While Decebel was known for his hand-to-hand combat skills, Axel was known for his resourcefulness. Anything within Axel’s reach could become a weapon and his wolf was allegedly even more resourceful.

  “Catch.” Axel said as he tossed a staff to Atara. Atara feared this match as she was fighting one of the most lethal members of the pack while he was armed. He was third in the pack, after all. Atara caught the staff, bent her knees, and angled the staff in a defensive stance.

  “Begin” said Marcus.

  Axel started by stepping sideways while holding his staff in front of him. Atara matched his steps to keep him in front of her. He quickly snapped the staff to his side bringing the other end of it to Atara’s side which she blocked. It was not a hard swing, but it was enough to keep her from using her staff offensively. He jumped and rolled out of the way, quickly jumping to his feet. Then he spun the staff over his head. He spun himself around bringing the staff to his side while spinning it then he whipped around and swung the staff powerfully, hitting Atara in the side. She let out a yelp and he kicked the staff out of her hands. Defenseless and faltering from the blow to the side she feared losing. He swept the staff low and took out her feet from under her. She fell, smacking her head to the ground.

  After the loud thud of her skull colliding with the floor, she heard ringing but instead of feeling pain, anger, or disorientation... she felt at peace. For a second, she thought she was about to hear Marcus yell that Axel was victorious, but no such call was given. He began circling her with his staff. Time felt like it slowed down, and she suddenly felt attuned to everything going on around her. The dimly lit dojo they trained in became bright as day and she could envision all the moves Axel could make but he had yet to perform them. What is going on right now?! she thought to herself. She looked at Marcus and he had a wry grin and he simply nodded. What does he know?

  Axel looked at Marcus, apparently expecting Marcus to have made the call that he won. Marcus waved his hand telling him to proceed. Axel shrugged and held the staff with both hands like a sword. He lifted it up and quickly chopped it down to strike Atara in the stomach, but the blow did not land. Atara managed to catch the staff one-handed. She felt the presence of her wolf at the wheel and she was pissed. My turn, her wolf said, taking over. With a quick yank she ripped the staff from Axel and rose to her feet. He clearly never experienced this, and his bewildered hazel eyes were wide and demonstrated that perfectly. She held the staff horizontally with both hands and in one upward fluid motion she caught him in the chin. She heard his teeth snap just before he landed on the floor with a thud.

  Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Marcus took to the floor. “Obviously, you’ve lost this one. Go to the infirmary and clean yourself up. I need to prepare Atara for her mission. Also, welcome to the third position in the pack.”

  “What?”

  “You defeated our sixth, fifth, fourth, and third in the pack. You have climbed the ranks. You are now third in the pack.”

  Atara felt something deep within her click. Warmth from her soul pushed out from her center and traveled through her. She felt powerful. More than she had before. Marcus focused on her and his eyes narrowed. She did not like that look. Her wolf took over and she felt something more. She felt power coming off her. When she met Marcus’s gaze, his eyes went wide at her.

  “Tomorrow at dawn Raven will be teleporting you to the realm. Do NOT be late.”

  He turned and walked out of the room quickly. Atara was wondering if Marcus feared the power, he felt radiating off her.

  What is happening to me?

  Chapter Seven: Zara

  Zara was back in that field with Raven for another training session with her magic. She felt the urgency behind Raven’s movements as they walked. Once they arrived Raven explained why they were having a session earlier than planned. “Xander is worried about your magic. He can detect it now. If he can detect it even with your crystals at maximum power…” she paused for a few. “We need to train.” She finished then quickly put up the normal protection wards that they used for training.

  They spent hours using offensive and defensive magic against one another. Zara’s spells went wild a few times and almost broke the protection wards. Each time that happened, she would feel a little depressed. Zara wanted nothing more than to master her magic.

  flectere caeli, auertisse lucem, custodi me de aspectu! Zara bellowed just before Raven's plasma ball struck her. The spell was for invisibility, but her magic created an invisible barrier instead.

  She rushed to the side, hoping to catch Raven off guard. Enerxia! Zara's pearlish magic exploded from her hands, sending an energy sphere at Raven. She immediately threw up her hands in the form of an X and the magic hit her defensive barrier. When the magic collided, it exploded and threw Raven backwards.

  Zara stared at the spot where Raven had stood. She could not comprehend what had just happened and stood there in shock. Raven slowly got to her feet, a small smile on her face. Once she looked at Zara, the smile was gone. “What’s wrong?” Zara looked up at her and there were tears in her eyes. “I could have hurt you.” She whispered. Raven stood straighter, shaking her head. “Honey, that is the point of these exercises. The point of all your training.” Zara bowed her head. “I can’t control this magic. That was not supposed to explode!” Raven walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. She let Zara take a few deep breaths and allowed a few tears to fall. “I will say this once and only once, you are destined to have this powerful magic. You do not need to fear it.”

  Raven let go of Zara and walked a few paces away. When she turned to face Zara again, she expected more protest. Instead Zara nodded and began the exercise again. Raven started off with easy spells, going lightly with the training. Letting Zara get her momentum back. First she was sending plasma balls her way, sending barriers up so Zara could not move in a certain direction, and then when Zara seemed to be matching her pace, she
added more into the mix.

  This time, she started teleporting to different spots around the field all the while sending spells in every direction. Zara looked into herself and woke up her wolf. She needed the wolf’s excellent hearing and eyesight. Zara took a deep breath, closed her eyes and let her ears be her guide. She would hear Raven’s feet hit the ground after she teleported and would be able to defend herself in time and then throw a spell her way. Ligare amet, CONGELASCO tempore! Zara incanted. Raven froze in place. Her eyes were wide, and it almost looked like she was afraid.

  “Did I…” Zara was in shock. No one has ever created a spell to keep someone frozen in place. No one’s magic was that strong. Expedire, Zara said to release Raven. She fell to the ground but looked at Zara in bewilderment. “How did you do that?” Zara stood still, mouth open, afraid to speak. She took a deep breath and said, “it just came to me.”

  Zara started to hyperventilate. Raven went to take a step to console her, but then Zara stood straighter. Raven stopped herself. Zara’s magical aura started to flow out of her. A white pearl glow emanated from her, and it almost looked like fire. Zara’s eyes went the same color, but her irises turned a brighter blue with silver mixed within. Raven’s eyes went wide when raw power hit her, and she began to stutter. “You’re…. you’re…. Zara’s…. wolf”

  “I am Na Sha Dii.” A deep, motherly tone said.

  “Where is Zara?”

  “She is resting. She isn’t handling this well.”

  “Is this power from just you?” She asked.

  “Not quite. It is Zara’s power and magic mixed with my own.”

  “Why is she struggling so much? Maybe you can answer that for me since she seems to dodge the subject every time, I bring it up.”

  “She is afraid of herself. Afraid of her magic. But she must... I will not fail again.”

  This piqued Raven’s interest. “Again? What do you mean, wolf?”

  “I was connected to another young woman a millennium ago. We were facing a much bigger threat than you are now, but I do believe it is similar, if not the same. We failed.”

  “Are you talking about the dragons?”

  “More than the dragons. It is what the dragons faced, and it killed their riders. Sending them into a deep sleep, until this new generation could be born.”

  Raven was stunned. She did not know what to say next.

  “I do not have much time. I put Zara to sleep to give you a warning. Ensure that she accepts herself and her magic. If she does not, she will never control it. She must control this magic. If she does not, we may lose much more than just a fight.”

  In the next second, Zara slouched and started blinking. The power, the aura, the wolf’s presence just evaporated. Zara looked at Raven and felt confused. “Did I black out?” Raven just nodded. “Do you remember anything?” Zara shook her head no. “Just felt like I went to sleep. That’s never happened to me before.” Raven walked over to her and gave her a hug. “I fear I have pushed you and your magic far enough for today. Let’s get you home.”

  Her navy-blue magic poured out of her to form a portal. Through the window, Zara saw her home. She was not sure of what happened and wanted to talk more about her being able to freeze Raven, the most powerful witch of her time, and the spell just coming out of her mouth before she even knew what it would do. Instead of arguing, she went along without saying a word. She felt exhausted and needed sleep. Then she would interrogate Raven more. She needed to understand what happened, to understand just at what level her magic really was now.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  Zara slept for three days after her magic display. Xander called the entire coven over to their home to ensure she would wake. When she did, Sophia was sitting on her bed, humming and putting a cool damp cloth over her forehead. Her brown hair was in a ponytail and her brown eyes had a loving, motherly look when she saw Zara was awake. She was a beautiful woman and looked to be in her late twenties. Her high cheekbones, olive skin, and plump lips come from her Mediterranean ancestry. She could be a model for the humans, but instead she chose to be the Mother of the pack. Zara could feel her Omega ability at work. The calming magic of her ability was wrapped around her and her wolf was asleep. She felt as though she’d been hit by a truck, but at least she was not waking up ready to attack.

  When you are a werewolf, if you are injured and were knocked out in any way, when you wake your wolf comes out fighting. It is a way to stay protected. Plus, the more dominant your wolf, the more it wants to keep you and the people you love protected.

  Raven’s radiant smile greeted her next. Her smile reached her sapphire eyes, warmth and love emitting from her. Raven replaced Sophia on the bed. She told Zara that she had overused magic and her body, not used to the level she’d used, had been exhausted and that’s why she’d slept for three days. It did not matter that Zara was a wolf, the magic was still too much. Raven gave her a potion to boost her energy. It was teal in color and tasted sweet. Within the hour, she felt back to normal.

  Zara felt like stretching her legs after being in bed for so long and called Lucus to join her. He was happy to do so and when she saw him it looked as though he was worried for her. “I’m fine, Lucus. Raven even gave me a potion to even out my levels.” He gave her a soft smile, but it did not seem as though that settled his worry.

  They walked to town and went into their favorite shops. One was a bookstore that smelled of old books and ink. They sat in an aisle and read some of the passages to each other from books about “what does your birthday say about you?” It was written by a human and they were vague enough to be true. They giggled to themselves with each passage, knowing that real magic did not work this way. Next was a chocolate and ice cream parlor, run by a witch. She tended to use herbs with healing or calming abilities in her treats. Zara decided to have a lavender honey cone and a range of truffles. Lucus decided on a green tea and honey cone. They ate their ice cream and Zara told him what happened while training with Raven. The worried look was back on his face and Zara frowned. “I’m okay, you know.”

  “I know. I just do not want you overdoing it and hurting yourself.”

  “There is more to it than that.”

  “I thought I was the one who could read people’s emotions.”

  Zara rolled her eyes and he smiled. “Get better at controlling your face and I would not be able to read you so easily.”

  “Ha-ha. Very funny.”

  “Well...out with it.”

  “I just do not want to lose you. You have the weight of the world on your shoulders and are destined to dethrone a wolf whose story of becoming king does not add up. Something more is going on and no one wants to talk about it.”

  He is right about that. “I’ll be fine. I’ve trained my whole life for this.”

  “You’re just accepting what everyone says and not questioning it? This is not the Zara I know.”

  Lucus was right. Zara was not the obedient type. Her wolf was much too dominant for that. She was usually the one who would go out of her way just to prove that she could do something someone told her she could not. It was a big reason why Xander had to tell her to keep her wolf in check. No one was to know who she really was because Xander did not trust everyone in the pack. Lucus only found out because his ability was able to detect what was within her.

  "I've tried. Xander could not explain it. Raven could not either. You know it is almost impossible for anyone to lie to a supernatural. We can smell it. Hear the change in their heartbeat. They do not know."

  "What do they know?"

  "They know I am the one in the prophecy. They know to train me for every outcome."

  "Does Raven know the outcome? She does have those twins in the Coven that can read the past and future."

  "If she knew, I would know. They must not have seen the outcome yet."

  The smell of wolf and vinegar invaded Zara’s nostrils. Her wolf growled instinctively, and she rolled her eyes. Lucus frowned as he looked pa
st her. Derek.

  “Hello, my sweet.” he said as he ran a finger down Zara’s arm.

  “Please, do not call me that. I am not your sweet. I am not your anything.”

  A soft growl came from behind her. “Why must you keep denying the inevitable?”

  Zara turned to face him. His black hair was slicked back. He was wearing all black and his yellow eyes were darkening. Zara was going to say something sarcastic but thought better of it. She started walking away, but then Derek opened his mouth again.

  “I will have you someday, Zara.”

  “Keep telling yourself that.”

  “Maybe I should have a talk with Xander.”

  It was Lucus who growled this time. Zara side glanced at him, he was positioning himself between her and Derek.

  “Oh? You won’t go for me, but you will have the pansy stand up for you?”

  “That is, it!”

  Zara’s aura began to show but was met with Lucus’s power. Yet again, he was shifting the emotions to ensure she did not blow her cover. It was as though they were in a happy bubble. Zara and Derek had slight smiles on their faces and their body language went from angry to relaxed. “I think I will take Zara home now. She still needs to rest. Her training exercise with Xander the other day was a bit much.” Then Lucus took her hand and led her past Derek. Once Derek was out of sight, he dropped his Empathic magic. “I will never get over that you can do that.” Zara said to him. He looked at her and smiled. “Let’s get you home.”

  Chapter Eight: Atara

  As Marcus said, Raven was within the throne room at the crack of dawn. Her sapphire eyes were warm and gave off happiness that matched her radiant smile. Her raven black hair was in an intricate braid, tied in the back. She wore a blue flowy dress that brought out the vibrant color of her eyes. Atara thought she would never get used to the power that radiated off Raven. She understood that a High Priestess was supposed to have power, but the power that came off Raven was stronger than even Cyrus’ power. Atara thought on more than one occasion that if Raven wanted to, she could even overthrow the wolves.