When they reached a small field within the woods, Atara was instructed to shift. Xander would be hunting her and she would have to avoid him until he least expected it. That is when she was supposed to go into the offensive and attack. If she could manage to attack him before he shot her with the paintball gun, she would win the exercise. “Do not get too cocky. I know you have trained under Marcus. He may have been one of the most knowledgeable wolves when it comes to being at one with the man and wolf, but even Zara hasn't managed to beat me.” With that he turned on his heels and walked off.
Atara did not waste a second and immediately shifted. It had been a while since she ran as her wolf and took a moment to stretch and dig her claws in the dirt. I love this feeling. She shook herself to shake off the unnecessary nerves she was having. It was not like she never trained before; however, she had never trained like this. Cyrus never thought of scenario situations like this to train the pack. I know the first thing I am going to do when Zara and I take the throne.
It had taken her nearly a half an hour to find Xander’s trail. Atara found it odd that she was not able to pick up his scent when she had followed the path that she watched him take when he had left. She wondered if Xander was using witchcraft or he was that good of an Alpha to use pack magic this way. Then that got her to thinking of that rogue that she had chased. His scent had disappeared as if he was never there. He did not belong to a pack for him to use pack magic. Is he working for the Sorcerer? She heard a click off to her right and then felt a very intense sting along her rib cage running through her side. She yipped when it struck her and looked to the right to find Xander emerging from behind a rock formation. “You were distracted. This is not the time for you to be distracted, little one. Let’s do this again. Practice makes perfect.”
She ran the exercise five more times and had five new red paint splotches to prove it. Each time Xander shot her, the more irritated she became. I am better than this, she told herself every time he shot her. During the seventh time, she stayed low to the ground when she went to a new spot. She also ducked behind trees and rocks to keep herself hidden. When she finally picked up his scent, she watched her footing so she did not step on anything that could give away her position. That’s how he got her on the second and third exercise. She sniffed the air every couple of minutes, to check wind direction and adjust her movements accordingly. That is how he got her during the fourth exercise. She found him behind a tree after she would walk around the original rock formation that Xander had hidden behind. She walked slowly, truly stalking him as if he was her prey. She managed to get a few feet away from him and lunged. Xander turned faster than she expected and shot her in the chest. When she landed on the ground, she shifted. She remembered the spell that Zara had taught her to put clothes on herself as she shifted back. Xander was laughing at her.
As Atara examined the welts from the paintballs, she replayed every run through of the exercise and tried to determine how she did not learn enough to outsmart the Alpha. “Why are you laughing at me? And how on earth did I not outsmart you once?” Xander continued to laugh at her. It was a deep and jolly laugh; not at all what she expected his laugh to be like. If she were not so angry with herself, she would have laughed too because it was infectious. “There is a reason I am Alpha. I know you were focused on your own mistakes because you corrected them with each exercise. However, you were not paying attention to my movements. Not to mention, I can feel your magical signature wherever you are now. You weren’t paying attention to everything that I was doing or what you were doing.”
Atara huffed at him as if she were still in her wolf form. “Still learning how to control that. Not used to having magic. I went almost twenty years without it.”
He chuckled. “I know. That does not mean you allow yourself to not be mindful of it.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “My goodness, you girls have only been together for a little over a week and Zara is already rubbing off on you. I really do thank the Goddess that you both did not end up on my doorstep after all. I do not think I would have survived both of you. Zara was enough on her own.” That got a laugh out of Atara. “So, you are happy that only one of us went to you?” Xander’s face showed remorse from his comment. “I hope that did not hurt your feelings, Atara. I would wish every day that you both managed to make it to me instead of just Zara. Your mother made it seem like you would die while trying to make it here. If I would have known you were still out there, I would’ve stormed that castle to get you back.” Atara nodded at him but tried to hold in the heartbreak at the mention of her mother. Now that she had her memories back it was hard not to think about her.
“What was mom like?” She asked in a soft tone.
“Powerful, like Raven and your sister. Confident with her magic. She was not a wolf for exceedingly long before everything, but she was confident with her wolf too. Sassy like your sister. Determined to succeed like you. When I look at you two, I see so much of your mother.”
“And dad?”
“I see more of him in you than your mother. You have his eyes. He was the type of hunter who would learn from his mistakes, so he did not make them again. Confident in his training, both hand to hand and his wolf. He was a magnificent Beta and Enforcer.”
“Dad was an Enforcer?”
“He was to the former King.”
“I was never told of anything before Cyrus. I even went looking in the library. There is supposed to be a book that keeps a record of all the Alphas and what they accomplished during their rule. I never found it.”
“Sounds like something Cyrus would do.”
“Did you know the former king?”
“I did.”
“What was he like?”
“King Krimm was a kind man. The Wolves loved having him as their king. He would travel to all the packs once or twice a year and spend time to get to know all the wolves. He loved all his people and loved spending time with the children. He would run around and play with them. A few times he shifted and ran around with the human children so they would not be afraid of us. Even though he was a king, he never truly acted as though he was royalty. He was known to attend every mating ceremony. I remember he was at mine and Sophia’s. He even attended your parent’s ceremony. The rule of no mating outside of your species did not exist. King Krimm did not care what species you were, he only cared about his people’s happiness.”
“He sounds like a genuine and kind man. An amazing ruler. Why did Cyrus kill him?”
“Greed. That is the only explanation anyone has come up with. None of us wanted to challenge his position. We all loved him as a king.”
“I hope Zara and I can bring that kind of love back with our rule. What King Krimm was building could have created peace throughout the realms.”
“That is very true.”
“Do you think we can do it?”
“I think you two can do anything that you put your mind to. You are both forces to be reckoned with. That will only grow as you two grow into who you are destined to be.”
On that note, Xander began to walk back home. Atara followed close behind him and reflected on the information he had given her. It made her feel closer to her mother and father knowing that she had inherited some of their qualities. She also hated Cyrus more knowing that he had killed a king that genuinely loved his people and was leading them to a new age of peace across the realms. Atara wanted to take note of how King Krimm ruled and discuss it with her sister. He was truly paving the way to a better world. She wanted the wolves to love them as they loved King Krimm. She wanted to make her parents proud. If they could see her from the other side, she wanted them to know that their sacrifice was not in vain.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Zara
Tobias decided to bring Zara over to the Elemental Realm and hold a council meeting to announce their mate bond. Zara was extremely nervous. She had never sat in any type of counsel meeting. Only pack meetings and that did not really count. They were never about her or her relat
ionships. Zara’s thoughts kept drifting to his people rallying against their pairing and causing Tobias to officially reject the bond. She was not sure if she could handle that.
Since the day they met, her mind would drift off to him when it was not focused on training or dealing with finding out she had a sister who was raised by the very person she was raised to kill someday. Every day she sent a silent prayer to the Goddess, begging her for Tobias to be her mate. Deep down, she knew that he was, but she did not want to say it out loud. Admitting that he was her mate to herself would have only hurt herself and her wolf. Especially since he was ignoring that there was one there. She tried to deny to herself how much it hurt her when he had walked away.
I do not have to worry about that anymore. He is mine. Zara kept repeating that in her head. She had to say it enough times so she would believe it. As they walked to the entrance of the Elemental realm, her nerves were getting the best of her. Tobias' side glanced at her and she felt him reach into their bond. He could feel her anxiety through the bond, and he smirked. That smirk that always makes her go weak in the knees. “What is going on in that pretty little head of yours, Princess?” She looked up at him. He looked at her as if he had loved her for years, not just weeks. It may have only been a few hours since he accepted the bond fully, but the rush of emotions she has felt since then have been nothing but love and admiration from this man. “I’m nervous. You are not just a regular person in your realm. You are the King regent. You are royalty. I am not. You are an Elemental. I am not. How will your people react to this? How will you react to your people reacting to us?” He turned quickly and stepped in front of her. He put his hand under her chin, his thumb under her lip. “I am not going to reject this. I admit, I struggled with our mate bond. I did not accept you because you were not an Elemental and I felt like I needed to be with someone like me for the throne. However,” he gently kissed her lips, “I will give up this throne if need be. I did not want it in the first place. I hoped an Elemental with all six would surface so I can abdicate the throne to them. Do not worry, my Luna. Nothing in any realm will keep me from you.” He activated their bond and poured his emotions into it so she could feel just how he felt about her. She was struggling to breathe from the need to complete the bond.
He turned back around and kept walking to their destination. Most of her anxiety dissipated, but a little remained. The bond told her that he loved her and wanted their mate bond. That did not mean she still could not be anxious about how his people would react to it all. She was not an Elemental. There had never been a pairing of an Elemental with a wolf, let alone a wolf and witch hybrid. Zara was powerful and would only grow more powerful when her magic was mastered and could protect both realms. That did not mean that his people would accept her. I guess we will find out in a few hours.
Zara could feel a barrier before they reached the archway. Two trees overlapped one another, with an opening between them that someone could walk through it. If you do not have permission to cross through the veil, you will just walk through to the other side of the trees. The realm was linked to Tobias like the Werewolf Realm was linked to Cyrus. Tobias can give permission to Zara. Zara wondered how Tobias had gotten permission to come into the wolf realm and saved the thought for a later time. Tobias reached out his hand to her. She placed her hand in his. “Ready?” Zara nodded slowly and he gave a short chuckle. “Nothing to be afraid of, love. Just walk through.” He kept her hand in his as they crossed the threshold into his realm. Zara felt the magic of the barrier slide across her skin as she walked through the veil.
On the other side was a world she could not believe. It felt as though the saturation level was turned on high. Everything her eyes could see was in vibrant and bold hues. Just like the waterfall. I need to ask Tobias if that is linked to the Elemental Realm or if elements from the Elemental realm were leaking into the Werewolf realm.
They continued down a path after they walked through the archway. Once the tree line ended, the Elemental City could be seen. There was a river that ran through the middle of the city and lining the river on both sides were cobblestone pathways populated with vendors, small markets, and pedestrians. The river had numerous pedestrian bridges arching over it, and boats zipping commuters to and from their destinations. Houses along these pathways were painted in bright bold colors of blue, red, and yellow. On the Western side of the river was the commercial and political district with glass buildings and sleek architecture, and on the Eastern side of the river where the houses ended was where the farmlands began. The wide array of herbs, flowers, and crops were as bright as the houses in the city itself. It was the most gorgeous place she had ever seen.
She and Tobias had walked through the city. There were markets on the streets that sold spices, fruits, vegetables, and some meat. From there it led into an area to buy fabrics, dresses, and even other items to help with spells and enchantments like candles, crystals and herbs. People approached him and talked to him as if he was a friend. Zara smiled at her mate, proud to see that he was a ruler who cared about his people and associated himself with them instead of staying in the castle as if he were superior to everyone. She noticed that some people had colorful tattoos up their arms, they varied from person to person. One had flames entwined like vines and another had regular vines but appeared to have interesting patterns that shaped flowers. One that really caught her attention was on a couple who looked like teenagers and they had the same tattoo. It was the same as the others with the vine like features, but this one had been gray and blue, and the vines were a mix of what looked to be water and wind patterns like the flower looked. Zara had asked how they were able to have that style of tattoo and he explained that it was reflecting that the couple was a water and air Elemental. Tobias then explained that each Elemental could have one or more elements. When two Elementals came together, their tattoos would reflect which elements the couple would be able to wield. Elementals shared magic the way hybrids did.
As they walked, it was clear that they were turning heads as Zara watched everyone look at them, noticing that his hand was in hers. Tobias was showing his people that he was with her and not many were giving off good vibes towards her. She noticed everyone wore the same style of clothing that Tobias wore, except women wore dresses or shirt and pants combos. Zara was wearing her usual tank top with her black pants and knives strapped to her legs. I am so not dressed for this realm… She thought.
Tobias led them to his castle. It took her breath away. She had to walk across a bridge with a cobblestone path spanning a moat that led up to the main gate of wrought iron. The walls of the castle were made from beautiful tan colored stones that showed some iridescence in the sunlight. Ivy crawled up the castle walls, blue and red flowers bloomed from the vines. There was a clock tower in the center of the castle connecting the two wings together. The face of the clock was made of stained glass with red, blue, yellow, and green quadrants. When the gate opened, they walked into the central courtyard, which was lined with flowers and plants native to the elemental realms.
Inside was just as beautiful. As she walked inside, she noticed that it was if the outside was inside. There were vines on the walls and ceilings, small trickling waterfalls around the doorways, columns that were made from beautiful white marble with gold flecks that held little basins that contained fires throughout the halls.
Tobias led her to his quarters. His room was decorated in the same theme that could be seen throughout the castle. He had a king size bed in the middle of the room. There was a door that led to the bathroom and then another for apparently a large walk in closet. Zara walked into it and her heart fluttered. This place was huge! Every girl’s dream! She walked back out to find Tobias sitting on the bed, looking at her and smiling. “Oh, a smile from the royal highness.” His smile turned into a full-on grin. “Come here, my Luna.” She walked over to him and stood before him. He placed his hands on her hips. He looked up at her and she smiled down at him. “Are you ready to te
ll my realm that you will be their Queen?”
It was not until that moment that she realized what their pairing meant. She was going to be a Queen once they completed the bonding ceremony. The Elemental Realm’s Queen. She took a step back as her thoughts started racing. I am going to be the Queen of the Wolves… how am I supposed to be the Queen of the Elementals as well? This was too much. “Zara? Are you okay?” His voice showed concern for his mate as she continued to step back and away from him. He stood up and took a step towards her.
“It just dawned on me. I will be Queen here. I am already on a path to dethrone my own people’s king and become Queen to the Wolves. Now I will be queen here, too? How can I govern two realms? I do not even know if I can govern one!”
Tobias closed the distance between them quickly and took her in his arms. “Shhh. It’s going to be fine. You can do this.”
“HOW?” Zara tried to push him away, but Tobias was rooted to the floor. “I am not even Alpha of a pack now and I am going to become the Alpha for all my people! Then I will be a Queen here? How am I supposed to be in two places at once?”
He smiled down at her. “You won’t have to be. I can come back here and control all the decisions that I need to do on occasion. This realm needs minimal maintenance unless we are under attack. That has not happened in quite some time. You can stay with the wolves unless you want to come back with me.” He held her tighter and kissed her forehead. “I think we need to approach this one day at a time. Let’s not panic. There’s no need for it.”
His voice alone was calming her, then his scent took over mixed with his touch. Her anxiety levels dropped, and she started to relax and thought about what Tobias had just said. I govern the wolves; he governs the Elementals. That does not seem too bad…
Wolf Unleashed (Hybrid Prophecies Book 1) Page 14