Wolf of Choice (The Shifters and Sorceresses Trilogy Book 1)

by Shay Laurent

  ‘Don’t think this changes anything though. Got it?’

  I grinned and shook my head. ‘Yeah, I got it.’

  Once I heard the yips and howls die down outside and footsteps and voices heading this way, I escaped to my room upstairs, thinking as I went.

  Okay. The plan: Get maps from the library, ask Dom for help to find the internal drawings for Crone Keep, then pack and leave. Find mum, rescue her and come back to the Academy. Easy.

  I knew everything would be much harder than my simple outline and that it would require more planning and details, but it felt good to have a plan.

  I laid back in my bed and closed my eyes. After the craziness of the day, I knew it wouldn’t take me long to fall asleep.

  AFTER MY MORNING WASH, I waited for Dom on our usual couch in the Common Room. The atmosphere in the room was sombre as everyone waited for the funeral. When he came into the room he looked... different. He stood a little taller and even his clothes seemed to be cleaner and straighter. He was more serious.

  ‘Hey, Dom,’ I said hesitantly as he approached. ‘How are you this morning?’

  ‘I’m all right. You?’

  ‘I’m... good. Okay.’

  He tilted his head at me. ‘Want to go for a walk?’

  ‘Yeah, sure. Sounds good.’

  I wish I could go for a run.

  I followed Dom out the building’s main door, along the tree line and into the field. He didn’t talk until we’d passed the Academy. He kept looking back at it, frowning.

  ‘What is it, Dom?’

  ‘Uh, I guess I just don’t know if I’m meant to be out here at the moment or if I should be in with Dad. Preparing, you know?’

  ‘Oh. Right. Do you want to go back?’

  He shook his head. ‘Nah. I need a walk. Besides, I want to know how you’re doing. I feel like you got the biggest shock ever yesterday, on top of everything else that happened, and I haven’t had a chance to ask about your mum.’

  ‘Oh. Well, uh, don’t think I’m crazy but...’ I looked around ‘...I’m going to rescue her.’

  He looked shocked, and I quickly added, ‘That is, if the Imperial team won’t go and rescue her. Obviously I won’t say she’s my mum, but just “their prisoner”.’

  He shook his head and then was quiet for a few minutes. As each one ticked past, my chest felt tighter and tighter.

  Relax. It’s not like he’d turn you in or anything. Would he? His dad is Alpha now. No. Don’t be ridiculous. He was your friend before he was the Alpha’s son.

  ‘How about I ask him about rescuing the prisoner? I don’t think you should draw attention to yourself. Just in case, you know, someone puts things together?’

  It was like my heart melted into a pool of mush. He was just so thoughtful. ‘Are you sure? I mean, that would be so amazing! But I don’t want to cause trouble with you and your dad again.’

  ‘Nah it’s all good. I’ll ask him. Tonight or tomorrow, yeah? I don’t want to bring it up before the funeral.’

  ‘Of course! It can wait. There are some things I’ll need to do anyway before I leave, if they won’t go. It’ll probably take me a bit to organise. Speaking of, I hate to ask but, do you know where they keep the internal drawings for Crone Keep?’

  ‘Uh, well, yeah. But do you think maybe we could wait until I see if Dad will send a team first?’

  I sighed. ‘Yeah, I suppose, but I won’t wait too long. I need to get her back. I don’t want them to hurt her because they didn’t find me when they attacked the Academy.’ I was quiet for a moment, then added in a hushed tone, ‘I don’t think I could stand one more death happening because of me. This was all my fault. Natasha’s dad, everyone who died or got hurt, it was because of me.’

  A chill came over me and I wrapped my arms tightly around my chest.

  ‘Hey. Stop. Look at me.’

  I turned to Dom, tears partially blurring my vision.

  ‘It is not your fault. None of those deaths are your fault. Not even your mum being a prisoner, or failing to stop her from being taken away. How could you possibly know that looking for information about a prophecy would lead to that?’

  I shrugged. ‘You know, I spoke to Natasha last night, to see how she was doing. Her dad, her only parent left, is gone and he wouldn’t be if I hadn’t looked into that prophecy. The prophecy that Miss Stone told me not to look into.’

  ‘For all you know, they would have attacked the school anyway. They obviously already knew about the prophecy and they might have come looking eventually. And hey, I was looking into it as well so if you’re determined to take the blame for this, then you at least have to share it with me.’

  I sniffled, feeling a tiny bit better. ‘Thanks. Let’s just forget about it for now, until you can ask your dad about rescuing my mum. Then I guess I’ll figure it out from there.’

  ‘We’ll figure it out. Not just you. Okay?’ At my questioning look he said, ‘Elita, this place never felt so much like home until you got here. I’m here for you okay?’

  Heat rose in my cheeks at his declaration and I was sure the colour of mine matched his own. I gave him a small smile and nodded. I knew I needed to focus on other things to distract myself, though where we had to go next was certainly not going to help.

  ‘Shall we get going?’ I looked up at the sky to hide my feelings. ‘It has to be about time to go to the funeral.’

  He sighed and looked a little less determined, a little more sad. ‘Yeah, let’s go.’

  I sat with the other First Years at the burial ground not far outside of the Academy gates and watched Dom trail off to the Second Years.

  The Medicine Woman was up the front with Dom’s dad, Miss Stone and Natasha, next to a wooden coffin. There were a few other adult Shifters I didn’t recognise that stood close by them.

  Friends of Axel’s maybe?

  The teachers were dispersed throughout the rest of the students, probably to keep them in line, though it certainly looked unnecessary, and other Pack members were at the back of the students. Everyone was quiet, waiting for the burial ceremony to start.

  Harper sat on my left and Ingrid, one of the other First Years, on my right. Before the hush had settled, Harper had told me that this was really understated compared to the usual fanfare that was made to celebrate the lives of Alphas. I really hoped they’d do a bigger celebration of his life when more Shifters could make it here. It wasn’t fair.

  ‘Welcome, thank you all for coming to celebrate the life of our former Alpha, Axel Meier. Beloved Pack Master, father, friend and protector. We give thanks to Axel for the love he gave to this Pack and, ultimately, his life, with which he protected many Shifters. Without his brave efforts, we would have lost many more and the Crone and her Sorceresses may not have been forced to retreat.

  ‘I now call on Axel’s daughter, Natasha, to speak before the burial commences.’

  Natasha walked forward, her slow steps mirroring the pain that was clear on her face.

  ‘My father is... was a loving and caring father. He always made time for me despite his duties. He took care of me, played with me and trained me to be the best I could be. He always made choices to make life better for me and for the Pack. It was clear in his every decision....’

  Miss Stone moved next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  Tears blurred my eyes as she spoke. Each time Natasha had to pause and suck in a breath, the knife dug in just a little further.

  Following Natasha’s speech, the Medicine Woman addressed everybody again.

  ‘As we lower Axel Meier into the ground, we celebrate his life and offer prayer to the great Wolf Lords to care for him as he cared for us. Through their creation he was made and into their love he will return. Please offer your prayers now as we complete the burial.’

  Thank you, Axel. I hope you see your wife again and are happy. Thank you for being a great protector and... I’m sorry.

  Once the burial was completed, everyone was told to
go to the Food Den, where a special meal of Axel’s favourite foods had been prepared. I stood with the rest of the First Years and looked over to Natasha as I wiped my eyes. She looked so lonely.

  ‘Elita, are you coming?’ said Harper.

  ‘Uh, in a minute. I’ll meet you there, okay?’

  Harper looked over to where Natasha was, then turned her head back to me. ‘Okay.’

  I gave her a small smile and left to see Natasha. When I approached, she remained looking at the plot her father had been lowered into. I spotted Miss Stone nearby; she was talking with some of the other adult Shifters who had come to attend the funeral.

  ‘Natasha... hey.’

  ‘It’s weird, you know. I guess I thought he was going to just be around like normal. Even though I know that’s crazy, I hoped it would happen.’

  I nodded. ‘It doesn’t seem crazy to me at all. Of course you’d want things to be like normal. Hey, I, uh, was wondering if you wanted to walk with me over to the feast they have planned?’

  ‘I’m not really hungry.’

  ‘Even so, it’s probably a good idea to try and eat something small. You still need your energy.’

  After what seemed like an eternity, she turned and walked past me, towards the Food Den. I followed behind her. When Miss Stone caught my eye, she mouthed a thank you. She knew we weren’t friends, despite her best efforts to stick us together.

  I caught up and walked beside Natasha all the way to the feast. When we got inside her two friends, Maja and Olivia, found us. A little more like herself, Natasha walked away with them, without so much as a word to me.

  Maybe she will be all right after all.

  Chapter 10

  By the time Dom returned, I’d moved outside with some First and Second Year guys to kick the ball around. When I saw him approach, I waved at the guys and ran off. A couple of them wolf whistled and I felt my cheeks heat up so much that I knew they’d look like ripened tomatoes. When I reached Dom I saw that his cheeks were flushed as well.

  So embarrassing.

  ‘How’d you go? What did he say?’

  ‘Let’s walk for a bit?’

  I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and nodded. When we’d reached halfway back and could no longer hear the conversations from the guys or from inside the dorms, we slowed to a stop. I looked at Dom, eyebrows raised. He sighed and the look he gave me made it quite clear what the answer was.

  ‘I’m sorry, Elita. Dad said no. Pretty much because Sorceresses are not our business and, in case we have another attack on the Academy, the Imperial team needs to stay in place here. I’m sorry.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ I said quietly. ‘I didn’t really expect that they would do it. I know they don’t really have a reason to care about her. But... you understand I’m going to go and save her right? That I need to go?’

  ‘Yeah, I know. But, do you think maybe you should wait to talk to your dad and see him about it? I’m sure with all his years of experience, he would be able to help.’

  I shook my head. ‘He is over with the Trevini Pack. I mean, if he shows up before I’m ready, maybe.’

  I looked away. I was still angry with my dad for lying to me, and while Miss Stone’s explanation made sense, it didn’t take away the hurt from what he’d done.

  ‘Have you heard back from him yet?’

  ‘No, but I need to go check with Miss Stone. She mentioned her crow returning this morning in passing, so there may be some news, but she also made clear I wasn’t allowed to go to see her today.’ Frustration leaked into my tone.

  He looked at me sympathetically. ‘In the morning then?’

  ‘Yeah, but I’m not holding my breath. And I won’t wait for him Dom. I won’t leave her there any longer than I have to.’

  He looked to be thinking really hard about something. Eventually he spoke again. ‘Look, if he won’t be there, I want to come with you. I’m going to come with you. You can’t go all the way to Crone Keep by yourself and rescue your mum. You need help.’

  ‘Really? You’ll come with me? Are you sure? I mean, your dad just became Alpha and everything.’

  ‘Yeah, I’m sure. Part of being an Alpha is protecting the members of the Pack. That includes you. When are you planning on leaving?’

  ‘As soon as I can get everything we need. Maps, internal drawings, weapons if we can find some, and definitely food.’

  ‘Okay. Well, how about we start with the maps and internal drawings because they’re easier to access. The food, I reckon we get on the way out of here, but if we run into any trouble I can always do some hunting for us.’ Disgust must have shown on my face, because he laughed and said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s well cooked!’

  I laughed too. Dom was always good at lightening the mood.

  ‘Okay. So where do we get the maps and internal drawings?’

  ‘Maps you can find in the library, internal drawings in the Archive room. But with the extra people around and the attack that just happened, we may need to wait a couple of days to hit that room to borrow the internal drawings. Maybe start with the maps? I’d say the library is shut right now, so maybe we can sneak in tonight?’

  ‘Perfect. When should I meet you?’

  ‘Let’s say about midnight, under the trees outside the dorm?’

  ‘Thanks, Dom, really. I’m so glad that you’re here for me and that I don’t need to do this alone.’

  Dom’s cheeks went a little pink again. ‘Don’t sweat it.’

  THE REST OF THE DAY passed with quiet games and food. I hung out with Harper and Dom and his mates, mostly outside. When evening came, I read one of my books to pass the time, though I had to work hard to keep my attention on it. Way harder than usual.

  Peeking at the moon’s position outside for about the hundredth time, I realised I could go. I pulled on my darkest outfit and snuck downstairs. I figured I must be a little early since I didn’t see Dom on the way down.

  Quietly I opened the front door, pushing it towards the hinges a little in case the door decided to pick today to start squeaking, and slipped out of a gap just big enough for me to pass through.

  Sticking to the front of the building, I moved swiftly to the trees then slunk beneath the canopy in case one of the teachers or other students looked outside. After a few minutes, Dom arrived. I knew because he was crumpling every leaf he crossed.

  How the heck has he been topping stealth classes walking like that?!

  ‘Hey. You’re being a bit loud!’

  ‘Oh, yeah. Sorry. Not like anyone is out here anyway.’

  I rolled my eyes and chuckled quietly. ‘That’s not really the point.’

  He laughed even louder than I did. ‘Guess not. Come on, let’s do this.’

  I trailed behind him, sticking to the darkest shadows cast by the trees that loomed above us. We moved along the tree line and in through the doors to the Food Den. About halfway up the stairwell on the staff level we heard voices and froze. It was Miss Stone and Dom’s dad.

  ‘...needs to be more responsible now. Things have changed.’

  ‘He’s still just a kid, Corbin. I know you think he needs more responsibility, but he also needs time to be a child and grow up with his friends.

  ‘Yes. I know that. But things have changed. He may even become the Beta, Genevieve.’

  ‘Corbin, you know that’s not likely. Someone of age will be voted into the position, just like you were, in case something like this happens again.’

  There was silence for a moment. Then, ‘Either way. I want to give him some more responsibilities. Work something out that would be of help and report back.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’

  Footsteps sounded and then a door opened and closed. We waited another few minutes and, when we couldn’t hear anything else, I looked to Dom. His face was serious once more.

  ‘You okay?’

  ‘Yeah, sure. Just forget it. Let’s get going before we run into someone else.’

&n
bsp; He kept walking up the stairs. We were almost at our floor when I had the sudden realisation that he was actually now moving so quietly I couldn’t hear him. I wondered if he felt the need to prove himself after over-hearing the conversation.

  He pushed lightly on the door and peeked out of it. Once he confirmed it was all clear, he opened the door further and moved out into the hall. Sticking to the wall, we continued along to the library. The doors were still missing. We listened for a couple of moments and then moved inside.

  My feet jolted to a halt. The room was half destroyed. There was a giant, gaping hole through the roof and one wall. Shattered glass and chunks of stone sheeted the floors and furniture, and there were so many ripped and destroyed books that it hurt. I looked to the spot where my mum had stood and felt myself drift closer, needing to be where she was.

  Despite Dom’s quiet protests, I waded through the debris to stand where she had, picturing her as she’d looked at me, even as she was dragged away. I looked down at the ground, seeing faint footprints in the dust and wondering which belonged to her. As I took a step to my right the moon shone down past me and I noticed a glint of silver.

  Chest tight I bent down to get a closer look. The edge of a silver pendent stuck out from beneath a piece of wall. I shoved it aside and rescued a delicate, silver bracelet. The pendant had a pentagram on the front and the back was engraved with the letter “M”.

  It must be my mum’s!

  I clutched it tightly then walked it over to Dom to show it to him. ‘I think it’s my mother’s bracelet.’

  ‘Oh, wow. Are you sure?’

  ‘Yeah, I think so. It’s right where she was standing when she was here and it has the letter “M” on it, for Margot. Maybe she slipped it off?’

  ‘Yeah, maybe,’ he said quietly. ‘Come on, we need to get moving and grab the maps.’

  I nodded and waved my right hand to indicate he should go ahead while I looked again at the bracelet in my hand. I held it up, letting the moonlight shine onto the pentagram. I smiled, excited at the prospect of owning something that belonged to my mum, then tucked it into my shirt pouch and followed Dom.