by Sara Snow
She’d never forgive herself if they were.
“Elinor, it’s me, it’s Cyrus.” My eyes turned red as I called on my magic. I didn’t want to hurt her, but if someone didn’t stop her, she’d do more damage than the supernaturals she’d just massacred. “Elinor, can you hear me?”
She bared her fangs, and saliva dripped from her mouth like raindrops. I winced as a thread of electricity shot from her finger and hit my knee.
“Elinor, it’s me! It’s Cyrus!”
Her white fur was stained red with blood, and I swallowed hard, trying not to make any sudden moves. I continued to channel my power into my hands. “Don’t make me do this.”
Her eyes darted towards my hands, as if she knew what I was doing, and I stiffened.
Her mouth closed slowly, but her chest rumbled with a growl. The moment she stepped forward, two gigantic swords formed in my hands, weapons that could bind her. Suddenly, a small voice echoed through the night.
“Elinor!” Jackson screamed as Will placed him on the ground.
“Jackson!” Alpha Grayson called, but the little boy was quick and got to my side within seconds.
“Sister, no!”
For the first time since she transformed, I saw an emotion other than rage in her eyes. She remembered. She stepped back from us, shaking her head wildly.
“Talk to her, Jackson. Help your sister.”
“Elinor, please! Stop it!”
Her eyes changed back to black as the electricity running up and down her arms vanished. She staggered away from us and reached up to cover her face. She whimpered as if in pain, but when Jackson moved to go to her, I grabbed him. He was getting through to her now. But would it last?
“Elinor?” Will stepped forward, his hands up as he moved closer. “Elinor, remember who you are, who I am, who your brother is.”
Her shoulder dislocated, and she fell to the ground. I could almost see her power leaving her body. Will caught her before she could fall, and the rest of the pack came running from the pack house.
Her shift was swift but painful, her cry burning itself into my mind. But Will held her close even as Alpha Grayson and Luna Clarice came to stand beside him.
He looked to be in agony, his face twisting as Elinor grabbed his hand. She squeezed it so hard I heard the bones break, the sound causing a few pack members to wince. When she returned to her human form, it was obvious that whatever had happened to her had taken its toll. Even her spelled Guard’s uniform had been ruined, leaving her naked.
“Will,” she breathed weakly before falling unconscious.
Elinor
I felt weightless as my body fell slowly. I didn’t scream or thrash, just allowed myself to descend. It was as if there was no gravity, but I was sinking instead of lifting. Around me, everything was white. There was nothing to see but a vast white nothingness.
I didn’t feel fear or anger, just profound peace and contentment. My thoughts were silent, and I sighed heavily. As my body finally lowered to the ground, I closed my eyes, grateful for the chance to rest them.
I didn’t feel warm or cold. I just was, and that was good enough for me.
Am I dead?
“No, child, you’re not dead.”
The unexpected voice seemed so familiar, yet I couldn’t place it. Though I longed to rest my eyes longer, I opened them and sat up to discover who the voice belonged to. A female figure stood but a few steps away, wearing a white cloak that nearly camouflaged her in the pristine endless white of the environment.
I slowly started to feel more like myself as concern filled my thoughts. Who was she? The front of the woman’s cloak was open, and her skin was as dark as the night sky. I got to my feet slowly, my heart now racing. She was wearing a white cloth lined with gold across her breasts, leaving her stomach bare, and a white skirt that became sheerer as it fell to her bare feet.
Stars were twinkling on her skin, and my eyes widened as a shooting star appeared at her right shoulder and darted down towards her left side.
She moved her cloak forward, shielding herself, and her face remained hidden. “I apologize. It’s been a while since I’ve spoken to one of my children. I’ve forgotten my appearance is strange to you.”
“Who are you?”
“Can’t you tell?” Her voice was loud, thundering even, but oh-so-soft at the same time. “I have many names, but you call me Goddess.”
I didn’t know what to do with myself at that point. Should I bow or get on my knees? Unsure of the protocol when it came to addressing deities, I settled on placing my fist over my heart as I would with any other wolf and bowing to show my respect.
Her soft chuckle met my ears, and she walked forward. “You don’t remember what happened, do you?”
I frowned at that, realizing that I couldn’t remember what I had been doing or how I’d ended up here. I wasn’t even sure where I was right now. Small portals appeared around us, showing bright moving images. I watched as l was struck by lightning. My blood chilled as I watched myself—or a wolf who looked like me—kill an elf. But when I saw myself standing over Cyrus with murder in my eyes, I had to turn away.
“No,” I breathed out. “That’s—I didn’t want to hurt my own people.”
“It was your first time using divinity. I’m not surprised you lost control. But I am pleased that you survived.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I grimaced.
Can I even speak to the Goddess so informally?
“I mean, I don’t understand,” I said, trying this again. “What do you mean, Goddess? I-I wanted to save my people, not slaughter them.”
“You asked for my help, child, and I gave it to you. None of your people died by your hand. Wounded, yes, but not killed. Steady yourself.”
The portals vanished, but I could remember everything well enough now without them. I thought again of the intoxicated feeling I’d felt from the power I’d been given. I’d felt invincible . . . but even then, I’d known I wasn’t the one in control. The power was.
I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself as the Goddess had commanded.
A few minutes later, I was able to say, “Forgive me. I don’t mean to seem ungrateful. Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering.” She nodded her head once, and I looked around us for a moment. “Where are we? You lent me your divinity, right? Was that how I could do what I did?”
Her head shook from side to side. “Where we are doesn’t matter, and no, I didn’t lend you my divinity. I awakened the divinity that was already inside you.”
My face dropped with shock, and I rocked back on my heel. I took a large gulp of breath as I tried to make sense of her words. I didn’t have any divinity. There was no way all that power was mine. “I don’t understand.”
“You’re a white wolf, Elinor, one of my direct descendants. Why wouldn't you possess divinity? I understand the wolves among you who inherit my divinity are called Enchanteds, yes? If any of them were to transform, they’d look like you—a white wolf.”
Well, that makes sense.
“You have small amounts of divinity, though more than other Enchanteds, which allows you to shift. You’ve proven yourself to be strong enough to have wielded this gift and survived.” The Goddess stepped forward until we were face to face. “I will gradually lend you more of my power, in very, very small portions, to help you fight the coming war.”
“At what price?”
Her cloak moved away, and she lifted her hand to my face but stopped short of touching me. I gazed at her hand, at the twinkling stars dotting her skin, and at the twirling symbol on her palm. The blissful feeling I’d experienced before returned, and my eyes closed of their own accord.
“A high one, my daughter. I’m afraid there will be a very high price to pay.”
9
Elinor
My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself in my room. I inhaled deeply, the sense of peace I’d felt at meeting the Goddess starting to fade. I wondered for a moment if that was
what death felt like—endless serenity.
I caught my father’s scent, and I turned my head to find him sitting by my bed. Neither of us said anything as we stared at each other. I smiled after a moment, and the worry in his eyes faded a little. He inhaled deeply, his broad chest rising and falling slowly. “How are you feeling?”
I nodded. “Good. How is everyone?”
“Everyone is fine, Elinor. You don’t need to worry about anyone but yourself right now.”
“Cyrus?”
He shook his head. “He’s fine, all healed up. You’ve been asleep for a while.”
“I don’t think I was sleeping,” I mumbled, and he frowned.
“What do you mean?”
I folded my lips as I looked up at the ceiling. I wasn’t sure if I should tell him—or anyone else, for that matter—that I had met the Goddess. Everyone was going to have questions about the beast I had become. My species wasn’t fond of wolves who were different. It had taken years for the Enchanteds to be considered part of the pack, and even now, they still faced discrimination.
“What are they saying about me?”
“Never do that again.”
I turned to look at him. His brows were knitted and dominance poured from him. His eyes turned black, and my body stiffened. But as fast as he grew angry, he calmed down.
His eyes became green again as he exhaled and pressed his fingers against the crease between his brows. He looked tired. No, exhausted. He just witnessed his pack on the verge of being massacred and then watched as his daughter turned into something that shouldn’t have been possible.
“I’m sorry, Father.” He looked up at me in surprise, and I reached a hand out to him. “I had to do it.”
“I know that.” He took my hand. It had been so long since my father and I had held hands, and even longer since we’d embraced each other. “But never leave like that without saying anything to anyone. Something terrible could have happened to you out there.”
“Would you have let me go if I had told you?”
He shrugged, his tense shoulders relaxing a little. “I guess we’ll never know.”
“Oh, I think we know. You would have locked me in my room and had a witch spell the doors and windows.”
He laughed lightly and released my hand. “I’m not that horrible, Elinor.”
“Really?”
It felt nice to laugh with my father, but the fact that it had taken something like this to get us here, hurt. To everyone else, he was the Alpha, our leader and protector. But to me, he was the father I wished I was closer to.
The distance between us had just grown too wide over time. Even now, there were things I was struggling to forgive him for.
“There wasn’t time to make a plan. Cyrus and I just reacted.” I racked my teeth across my bottom lip and pushed myself up into a sitting position. “Ms. Clementine . . .”
“I know,” he said, his voice low. “Theanos told me about it. That poor girl, seeing her mother die before her eyes . . .” He cleared his throat. “Skye is back at her house with Cyrus. As expected, Cyrus won’t leave her side.”
“Ms. Clementine deserves a wolf’s burial, but we couldn’t find her body.”
“The Goddess will welcome her still.”
I recalled the Goddess’s odd skin and her sultry, eerie voice. Yes, the Goddess would welcome someone as loving as Ms. Clementine. I had no doubt of it.
I was still in shock that I had met the Goddess, and I was very grateful for her gift. Otherwise, many more of my packmates would have died . . . or been captured to suffer a worse fate. But what price would I have to pay in the end for the privilege?
“You know I never meant to hurt you, right? You’re my baby girl. All I’ve ever wanted was to keep you safe and to make sure that when I’m not around, you’re protected. But someone—okay, your mother—” he grumbled, and I laughed, “—pointed out to me that you’re not only my daughter, you’re the firstborn daughter of an Alpha. And that means you have the same strength I do. I’m sorry I haven’t given you much credit for that.”
I looked away, not knowing what to say. I hadn’t exactly made things easy for him either, I knew.
Finally, I nodded, my words still failing me.
“I’ve said this before, but I feel I need to repeat it. I’m very sorry about what happened during the Guard examination process. And before you say anything, I’m talking about all of it—for using my influence to make sure you failed the exam and the way in which you failed. Levi shouldn’t have tried to force you to kill Meeka.”
“I still don’t know why wolves had to die during that exam. It was barbaric.”
“That’s because it’s never happened before. The examination is overseen with the help of witches, but we’ve recently found out that something went wrong. Really wrong.” He looked towards the window, and I heard the voices of wolves outside drifting through it.
“One witch tasked with overseeing the exam had been experimented on, like the Arden creature you and Cyrus killed,” he continued. “She removed the spell that would teleport any injured wolves out of the arena, preventing any deaths. Then she cast a trapping spell over the arena, forcing you all to fend for yourselves to the death. Eventually, she was found, but not soon enough. So many young wolves weren’t meant to die.”
“Goddess,” I gasped. “Usually, the final examination isn’t discussed afterward, so I didn’t know what to expect. So only the families of those who had taken part in the exam would question what had happened, then?”
“Yes,” he answered. “To make matters worse, The Council sensed something dark was brewing, so they had accepted more applicants than usual to increase our security forces. And they were right. Unfortunately, no Enchanted has received a vision that might help us figure out what to do next. Nor have we learned any way to stop what’s happening now.”
It all makes sense now. Of course.
The Council had to have some idea of what was coming. After all, they had Enchanteds working with them who would’ve had visions, prophesied darkness on the horizon for us. If only they’d foreseen what would happen in the arena.
“Now, at least, we know what’s going on, thanks to you and the others. But you’ve been asleep for three days, and during that time, Council Member Levi arrived. And he wants answers.”
My head whipped towards him, and my fists clenched tightly. Levi failed me in the Guard exam, despite what was happening, and he used a victim—my friend, Meeka—to do it. He was the last person I wanted to see right now. But news of what had happened during the attack on our pack would’ve traveled quickly. As the Council Member for North and South America, of course, he’d have crawled out from his cave to investigate.
“He won’t take it easy on you, I’m afraid. And I won't be there to help you. I’ve spent too long trying to protect you, not that it did any good.” He sighed as his eyes darted over my face with an admiration that struck a chord in my heart.
“You’re on your own now. But you’ve done well on your own. You saved Skye and the pack.” He scratched at his brow nervously, and it was both funny and uncomfortable to see my father, the Alpha, this unsettled. “I just want you to know . . . I’m proud of you. And I will call off your engagement with Elijah.”
A face-splitting grin stretched across my face, and I jumped up from the bed and threw my hands over his shoulders. I’d had every intention of refusing to marry Elijah, but this was better. He placed his hand on the back of my head and held me close, and for a moment, we stayed like that.
Memories from my childhood of me never leaving his side surfaced in my mind. My chest ached as his hold on me tightened. Despite our constant fighting, I knew no one had my best interests at heart more than my father. Even though he had a shitty way of showing it sometimes.
“Even if we haven’t always seen eye to eye, I realize you’ve always done what you thought was best for me,” I whispered.
We pulled apart, and I exhaled, releasing all the a
nger towards him I’d held inside me. It was pointless, and now more than ever, we needed to be close. Now more than ever, I needed everyone I loved in my life to know I cared.
In this world, humans were the most fragile, but life could end at any moment for any species.
“Who is he? The vampire.”
I turned and sat back down on my bed. I knew that question was going to pop up at some point.
“He’s been lingering just outside the pack since you’ve been unconscious,” my father said. “His scent is masked, but it’s obvious he’s a Skin. And even if he fought by our side the other night, Levi won’t care if he sees him. So, who is he?”
“He’s a good man, and someone we’re going to need. But I can’t tell you who he is, not yet.”
He rubbed at his temple and nodded. “Okay. He protected Jackson and fought beside my pack, so I won’t press the matter for now. But he’s a vampire, Elinor. However you know him, I can’t condone what appears to be a friendship between you two.”
And there goes the truce . . .
“But—” He held a finger up. “I trust your judgment, and he did indeed save my son. For those reasons only, I’ll turn a blind eye towards your relationship with him for now. Just keep this off the Council’s radar, okay?”
“So, that’s it? You aren’t going to lose it? Or turn into the Big Bad Alpha and try to kill him? Who are you, and what have you done with my father? Wait, I get it . . . you’re too afraid of my new powers to argue with me anymore. Wow, I never thought I’d see the day.” I leaned forward, my eyes turning black. “Guess I’m the Alpha now, old man.”
He rolled his eyes as he shook his head in exasperation. “Ha, ha, very funny.”
I shrugged as I laughed. “I thought it was. But yes, I understand. And Will can be trusted.”
He stood up and placed the chair against the wall, gazing thoughtfully at it before turning back to me. His eyes seemed to be searching mine for something.