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

by Shay Laurent

  He heaved a sigh of relief and I felt a rush of happiness that he cared so much about me. Having friends was so important to me. I just hoped I’d be able to keep Harper and make even more after we rescued my mum.

  ‘Okay, cool. Where are they? I’ll take mine upstairs now.’ He looked around.

  ‘Wouldn’t it be better for you to stop by here on the way out and just put them on then?’

  ‘Oh, well yeah. I suppose that makes sense. Should we just go and hang downstairs then?’

  ‘I said I was going to bed, so maybe if you go down and hang with the guys and I’ll stay up here? Then when everyone has gone to bed, just grab your pack and come meet me here. You can put your weapons on and we’ll go?’

  ‘Okay, yeah, sweet. Good plan. I’ll see you soon.’

  I walked over to the door and he gave me a grim smile as he stepped out. The deep breath he took seemed to give him courage and I watched him bounce off down the hall.

  After I shut the door, I sat on my bed and pulled out one of my favourite books. I tried to read it but struggled to focus and decided to put it aside. Instead, I stared at the portrait of my parents and me, wondering about my mum, and then about the relationship between her and Dad. When I wasn’t thinking about them, I was staring out the window, watching the moon move across the sky.

  It was getting pretty late, and Dom and I really needed to get going soon. I hoped he’d had a decent sleep last night because we were in for a long one tonight. When it seemed to be almost midnight, I couldn’t stay still any longer. On my feet, I paced back and forth across my room. Too agitated to continue, I checked my pack to make sure I had everything I needed.

  Finally, I heard a knock at my door and walked over to open it. I pulled it towards me enough to check that it was Dom and then opened it the whole way to make space for him to come in. He was wearing long pants with boots and a loose shirt, and had a warm coat tied around his waist. His pack was in place, but he pulled it off, presumably for the weapons. I pointed to the stash I’d laid out on my bed and shut the door.

  ‘Sorry, the guys were in the mood for games tonight. Took ages before they went to bed!’

  ‘Doesn’t matter now. Let’s get ready.’

  Chapter 13

  I strapped on my weapons belt and carefully tucked each one into a slot. After I pulled on my jacket, I secured the pack Dom had lent me, pulling it tight across my chest. My stomach was a mess of nerves. I’d be glad when this was all over and we were back safe and sound.

  When I looked up, Dom was ready to go, too. I nodded to him and he led the way out of my bedroom door. After I stepped out, I locked up and tucked my keys into my pack.

  Carefully, I made my way down the stairs, straining to hear movement or voices. I edged around the opposite corner of the Common Room to Dom, both of us looking at our own side to check for other kids. Nothing.

  We walked quickly to the front door and opened it slowly. There were no shouts of protest so Dom pushed it the rest of the way and stepped out. I shut the door softly behind us. Snow had started to fall.

  Of course.

  We moved side by side across the lane and into the trees next to the teachers’ dorms, careful to stick to whatever shadows we could. Once we reached the tree line of the forest, I led the way inside. We’d decided that since we were avoiding the Academy now, it would be best to stay completely hidden.

  I moved about five metres in and then turned so I was parallel with the Academy, Dom by my side. We didn’t talk. The bundle of nerves that was my stomach writhed around like angry snakes trapped in a pit. We made it to the end of the grounds and kept walking.

  Once we reached the stream where we’d stopped to talk about my mum, I took a deep breath and looked to Dom. I’d never been further than this. I glanced back at my new home and a feeling of sadness overpowered my nerves for a moment. I’d worked so hard to be able to attend and now I was throwing it away, unsure if I’d even be allowed back in once we returned.

  Don’t be silly. Of course you’ll be allowed back in. This isn’t goodbye, just see you later. Pull it together.

  Dom echoed my thoughts. ‘Don’t sweat it. We’ll be back in no time and your mum will be safe. Everything will be all good.’

  I nodded. I was surprisingly torn about the decision I’d been so sure about but really, there was no way I was leaving my mum to the Crones. Dom was right; we’d be back in no time.

  ‘All right. You ready to run?’

  Dom grinned at me. ‘I’m always ready to run. It’s almost as much fun as eating!’

  I laughed. ‘Okay. Let’s go. Due north, right?’

  ‘Yep. That’s it.’ He pointed directly across the stream. After I gave him a nod, he took off.

  I followed close behind. It wasn’t hard to keep up, though I had a feeling that he was going easy on me. Sprinting while weighed down like this was certainly different to running in a ball game.

  Despite our love of running, we knew we needed to pace ourselves. We had a lot of distance to cover and the packs added extra weight to the trip.

  The further we ran, the closer the trees became. This far into the forest the fresh snow was unable to break through the dense canopy, so the ground was dry and the fallen leaves had turned to husks.

  After what seemed like both a long time and no time at all, we started to slow, exhausted. I thought we’d made it quite a distance, and the sky—what tiny peeks I could get—seemed to have lightened.

  We slowed to a walk but continued on, looking for somewhere we could rest. It seemed to take an extraordinarily long time but, eventually, we arrived at a clearing big enough to lay out our mats, though we’d be pretty close together. I flushed at the idea of laying so near to Dom.

  For the first time since we’d started running, I spoke. ‘This looks like a good spot to sleep.’

  ‘Yep, here’s good. Let’s set up.’

  We laid our packs against a tree and carefully pulled out our supplies. I laid out my mat then rearranged it to make space for Dom’s. They were so close that our hands touched when we were fixing them up. Dom dropped that part of his mat and a pinkness rose in his cheeks. I pressed my lips together to stop myself smiling. He was just as bad as me.

  Nervous, I laughed. ‘We’d better get used to close proximity. Who knows where this is going to take us.’

  He seemed to flush more and focused on rearranging his mat so it was laid out straight. ‘Yeah, for sure.’

  I nodded and finished setting up my sleeping gear by adding my blanket. My vision started to blur with tiredness. ‘Do you want to eat, or...?’

  ‘Nah. Too tired. Let’s just get some shut-eye. We should be safe enough here to sleep at the same time, but I wouldn’t bet on it once we reach the mountains.’

  I nodded, already packing the food back into my pack. I laid on my mat and pulled up my blanket, thankful that the trees were also keeping some of the cold at bay. I knew the snow would be worse when we reached the mountains. I muttered a goodnight and before I knew it I was asleep.

  WHEN I WOKE, MY EYES were still blurry from tiredness but I could tell that, despite the tight-knit trees and semi-darkness, it was definitely daytime now. It was also a little warmer. I rubbed my eyes and looked over at Dom; he was still asleep.

  Trying to be quiet, I pulled a little of the fresh bread from my pack, knowing it would be one of the first things to go bad if we didn’t eat it. I opened my mouth to take my first bite.

  ‘Hey!’ Dom said.

  I jumped and dropped the bread.

  He laughed. ‘Hope you weren’t gonna eat all that bread without me.’

  I grabbed mine off my blanket and laughed at myself.

  Guess I’m a little more worried being out here than I thought.

  ‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’ I picked up the larger piece I had waiting and passed it to him. ‘Here you go.’

  ‘Thanks,’ he mumbled over the hunk of bread.

  I shook my head and started eating. As I loo
ked around at the forest, all I could see were trees—not that I could see that far, since they were scattered all over the place. While I chewed, I took in the scents. Dom seemed to fit right in with his musky, woodsy scent. Around him I could smell the dry earth of the forest floor, with hints of the decayed leaves. There was an animal of some kind nearby, a bird perhaps. It was mostly silent besides the two of us eating, no trace of the gently rippling stream we had long since left behind.

  After I finished my bread, I pulled out the map and spread it over the blanket covering my legs.

  ‘If we ran according to plan, we should be about... here.’ I pointed to a spot in the middle of the forest. It would take us at least another couple of days to make it to the through to the other side. Then we needed to cross a field and enter into another smaller forest before we would reach the mountains. Dom looked down after he finished chomping away at his food.

  ‘Yep. That looks about right. Should we make tracks?’

  I titled my head, confused. ‘Why would we make tracks?’

  He burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. By the time he pulled himself together, I was a little irritated. He’d tried unsuccessfully to answer me about three times.

  ‘Sorry, sorry. I meant get going, not actually make tracks.’

  He couldn’t seem to wipe the grin off his face when I mumbled back that he could have just said so.

  ‘Come on. Let’s get going,’ I muttered.

  We stood and packed our things, making sure everything was secure. I decided to leave my jacket in my pack while we finished out the forest for the day, since it seemed a little warmer. Dom did the same.

  We positioned ourselves facing in the same direction as where we stopped last night, to make sure we continued the same way. It was a lot harder to keep my bearings when I couldn’t see the sky and, with the trees spread around in such a random fashion, there was no straight line to follow.

  ‘Do you want to take the lead again?’ I offered.

  ‘Nah, you can this time. Easier if you set the pace, though you did a pretty great job keeping up last night.’

  ‘Sure thing.’ I gave him a small smile then took off. I loved to run. To feel the wind rushing through my hair and the ground disappearing and ever changing beneath my feet. I dodged easily between the trees, doing my best to keep our path as direct as possible.

  As I ran I thought of my mum and dad. About what their life must have been like. How they’d had to run away from his Pack and their families to be together. I faltered a step.

  Could I actually have more family than just my mum and dad? Maybe a grandmother or grandfather on my mum’s side?

  I knew my grandparents on my dad’s side had passed, but we’d never spoken about mum or her side of the family.

  I vaguely recalled a time when I was about three, my mum chased me around on her hands and knees as I squealed and tried to escape. I loved that she always caught me, picked me up and squeezed me tightly, before putting me down and doing it again.

  TWO DAYS LATER WE WERE running again, this time a little behind schedule. I led the way, my thoughts coming and going, when Dom called me to stop. I came to a halt and looked at him questioningly. His cheeks were flushed.

  ‘I, uh, need to pee.’

  I felt my own cheeks heat and I looked at the ground. It was still as embarrassing as the first time. ‘Oh, ah, yeah, no worries. I’ll wait here.’

  I turned back to the direction we needed to run and leaned against a tree. I heard Dom running a little way back the way we had come. The superior hearing was great for some things, but it made others just plain awkward.

  I zoned back into my memories. This time, to one of the first training sessions I did with my dad, back when I was five. He’d told me it was just a game of hide and seek, which had seemed fun.

  That was the day I’d learned about Shifters for the first time.

  Dad had told me to go and hide in the forest out the back of our house. He gave me five minutes so I could find a good spot. I remembered scrambling through the bushes and in between trees until I found a clever location. Then I waited. It had been pretty boring and I’d started to practise my counting using the little crawling ants.

  I’d made it to twenty when all of a sudden the insects had disappeared and I’d heard the crunch of leaves and sticks. I’d peeked out and saw a giant white wolf, way bigger than I had been at the time, looking around with its ears lifted up. Listening. I laughed out loud at the memory. At the time, I’d screamed. The wolf came over to me, tongue lolling out of its mouth. It was scary but funny, and then the air around him had shimmered, browns and greens colliding all around him, and then he’d turned into my dad.

  I remember being really cranky at him for scaring me. He’d said he was sorry and gave me a hug. Then he’d taught me how to practise staying really still so Shifters couldn’t find me as easily.

  ‘What are you smiling about?’

  I jumped about a foot off the ground. That distraction would have cost me at least a hundred sit-ups if Dad had caught me out like that.

  Dom had grabbed my arm to steady me, an amused smile on his face.

  ‘I was thinking about my dad and the first time I’d found out about Shifters. The day I first became excited about when I would get to do it.’

  Dom grinned. ‘How’d it happen for you?’

  I told him the story and he laughed. Then laughed some more as he told me his own tale.

  ‘I was about four or five. I was playing with my wooden swing out the back and all of a sudden some giant brown wolf came walking towards me. Besides me being scared half to death, it was kinda funny ’cause he seemed to be smiling. Then he turned back into Dad. And you know, I don’t even think I was mad. I just kept asking when I’d get to do that. It was pretty awesome when it happened, too. Are you excited for when you Shift? It’ll be while we’re out here, right?’

  The smile slipped from my face and I looked away, tears building. Dom came forward and hugged me, squeezing tight. The tears fell even faster.

  ‘Hey, I’m sorry. It’ll be okay.’

  ‘It won’t. I probably won’t be able to change into a wolf at all. Everyone will know that I’m not a Shifter and something is wrong with me and no one will talk to me again. I’ll never fit in at the Academy and they’ll make me leave.’

  My sobs turned to gasps and my chest felt so tight I couldn’t breathe properly. I wrapped my arms around my body, trying to hold myself together. I was going to break.

  Dom pulled me to the ground. ‘Hey, hey. You need to calm down. Slow down your breathing. Deep breath in. Good, now out. And in. And out.’

  I inhaled and exhaled along with his directions. Slowly my chest seemed to relax and my breathing was able to return to normal. I sat for a few minutes, trying to pull myself together enough to get moving again. When I was ready, I gave Dom’s hand a squeeze and stood up. He followed me.

  ‘Okay. I’m good.’ I breathed out in a huff. ‘Thanks, Dom. And I’m sorry. I’m not normally this... emotional.’

  I gave him a small smile when he told me not to worry, then said we should probably “make tracks”, to which he laughed again, probably a little more than necessary. Neither of us wanted to be stuck in the open valley that was coming up. We’d be too easy to spot.

  By the time we made it to the open area, it was getting dark and a layer of slush covered the ground. We stopped before walking into it.

  ‘What do you want to do? I don’t know if we should cross in the dark. Crossing in the light will mean we’re easy to spot by any nomad Shifters or Sorceresses, but it will also mean it’s easy for us to see anyone coming.’

  ‘I agree. Let’s stop for the night then leave at first light. I’m starving anyway.’

  Dom had cooked the fresh meat on the second night we’d stopped, so we were down to eating the dried meat and fruits.

  ‘Let’s go back a few hundred metres from the opening. We’d be spotted here across the valley.’
r />   Dom looked out over the valley and hesitated, then nodded his agreement and started leading the way back in.

  ‘Hey, did you see something?’

  He paused before answering. ‘Oh, uh, nah. I’m sure it’s fine. Thought I saw something, but then there was nothing there.’

  Even though we were too far to really see, I turned back to look for whoever, or whatever, it was that Dom must have noticed.

  Feeling uneasy, I continued to search behind us until I could no longer see any glimpse of the valley between the gaps in the trees.

  Chapter 14

  Once we found a spot we could agree on, we stopped and set up our mats and blankets. I was really glad we’d covered so much ground, by now that I was sure no one was chasing us, or we would have picked up their scent.

  Besides, I doubt anyone thinks we’d be running off towards Crone Keep. Well maybe Miss Stone but I doubt she’d share that information.

  Dom pulled out the food for us to eat. We were both starving but knew that we still needed to ration ourselves so we didn’t run out too soon. Dom had told me that once we got to the forest on the other side of the valley, there would be fruits to find and more animals for him to hunt.

  I needed to relieve myself but talking about it always made me anxious. I looked at the ground as I mumbled to Dom. ‘I need to go pee. I’ll be back.’

  ‘Okay.’ His tone was a little embarrassed too.

  I ran a few hundred metres back the way we had come and stopped when I couldn’t hear him moving things around anymore. When I was done, I walked back slowly. I was sure Dom had seen something earlier across the valley and I desperately hoped that, whatever it was, it wasn’t going to pay us a visit tonight.

  Back in the small clearing, Dom was tucking into the food. Mine was laid out on top of my blanket, waiting.