by Ellis Marie
The other gods yelled out their thoughts and opinions about who she should be and why, but Fate raised his hand and shut them up.
“No.” The gods looked on at him flabbergasted, not comprehending how Fate could not see the brilliance of their ideas.
“So, who shall I mate him to, Fate?” Luna asked with excitement in her eyes. Everyone knew she loved matching couples together, even the most impossible pairs.
“She will be gentle like the autumn breeze, catching him off guard. This will fuel his desire to know her,” Fate said, giving Eccasto a pointed look.
“But, she will also be stubborn and defend herself against him with bravery unlike anything he has ever known. She will get him off his high horse and let his feet touch ground once more to teach him humility.” Fate looked at Alstha.
“She will be be beautiful, of course, but not the kind of beauty he’s accustomed himself with. This will open his eyes to see people for who they are and not for how they look. She will bring him peace and joy. He will hope for things he thought he would never want. She will tame his whole being: power, spirit, soul, and heart.”
The room was silent until one of them spoke.
“Will she be his undoing?”
“Can you do it, Mother Luna?” Fate asked, challenging her.
She replied with a smirk. She lifted her hands from the table. Mist surrounded them. The sun suddenly set, and the moon rose to the clouds. Luna chanted under her breath like usual, but this time everyone watched closely, knowing that their future was ironically at stake. For once, Luna did something different.
She brought her wrist to her mouth and bit it, allowing the blood to flow and drop generously before the wound sealed. Fate’s eyes narrowed.
The blood slowly began to take solid form, then blue blood appeared, making the others hiss out.
“It’s the boy’s blood!”
“What are you doing?!” Fate shouted, alarmed by the gleam in her wild eyes.
Luna continued to chant, ignoring the other gods. Both of their blood began to merge. Luna’s blood took on a purple hint right before touching the boy’s. The drops of blood clashed for a moment before becoming one and vanishing into thin air. Luna tilted her head to the side before blinking.
The gods glared at her.
“What did you do?” Repeated Fate, an edge to his tone .
Luna gave him a wide smile and said, “Behold! The birth of Vivian Grey.”
Chapter 1
“He’s looking at us.”
“I know.”
“I don’t like him looking at us.” I snorted at my wolf.
“And what do you want me to do about it?”
“Claw his eyes out.”
I rolled my eyes at my wolf. My hands gripped the armrests tightly as we passed another turbulence., and my fingers were pale from exerting too much force. I had no problem flying but since my wolf hated being off the ground, it was extremely easy to piss her off. Being connected to each other meant that I was well in tune with her. She’d been eyeing passengers in the plane ever since we got on and hadn’t stopped trying to convince me to claw at anyone’s face.
Calm down, we’ve only got a few minutes left before we can get out of this plane. I’m not going to claw his eyes out just because he’s looking at us.
I could feel her mirth and excitement at the concept of solid ground. She settled down without another word. I opened the blinds from the window next to me, and tried to make something out of the view, but we were still too high off ground. My thoughts went back to the reason behind my trip.
A few years back, werewolf territories were being trespassed by wolves from an unknown pack. It wasn’t until these wolves began attacking and taking members when the alphas realized that the invasion wasn’t random. Packs were being hunted down and scavenged one at a time, starting from one side of the world to the other. Whoever led the attack was mysterious. At first, fingers were pointed at one another for someone to be blamed, but soon it was discerned that no one was safe.
The wolves moved faster than light and were stronger than alphas. They would linger and wait for an order before attacking. The packs prepared as much as they could, but they would always end up defeated. What was the reason behind these assaults? That was the million-dollar question.
These wolves appeared out of nowhere and disappear as they pleased. They took everything they wanted, and attacked like a trained hunting pack, yet they seemed to be just ordinary members. Who was in charge of them? We suspected that no one wanted to lay their cards on the table, and risk their heads if he heard.
My pack seemed to be next on the hit list. My parents decided to send me over to my cousin Lily, who was from the Cusco pack. A lot of members in the pack had done the same to their daughters, perceiving that most of those who were taken were young women. Surprisingly, some of those who had been abducted returned unharmed and were unaware of their whereabouts.
My parents were supposed to be with me but my mom got sick. Dad, being the overprotective mate that he is, locked her in the room after cleaning the house excessively one day, and said he wasn’t going to risk her getting worse, even though she was barely sniffing. She bared her teeth at him for that. Dad wasn’t worried that they would try to take Mom. She was mated after all, and older than the girls who were usually taken.
Being away from my parents made me anxious, but I knew that they could take care of themselves. When this whole mess was over, I would be reunited with them back home in no time. Who was I anyway? I’d probably just get returned. One thing is certain: whoever was behind this mayhem wasn’t joking around.They wanted something, and by the way things were leading up, they seem to be getting it.
~ • ~
A brown-haired woman was running at me with open arms. I wasn’t the type to avoid physical contact, but when you were in a plane sitting for such long hours, you would tend to feel gross and unhygienic. Which was me at the moment.
“Hey Lily,” I said as I hugged her, aware that I was somewhat trying to keep distance but because she was squeezing me so hard, it was unavoidable.
“Wow, you’ve gotten big since I’ve seen you,” she exclaimed, surprised. Because that’s something every girl would want to hear. I rolled my eyes at the thought. Lily was nine years older than me. She had manageable long brown locks that fell in soft waves around her oval-shaped face. Her sharp high brows gave off the impression that she was easily surprised, and her small lashes framed her dark brown eyes. Additionally, the crinkled lines on the corner of her eyes made her look younger, but her filled-in cheeks were not helping. At five foot five, she was an energetic person for someone at the age of twenty-seven.
“Gee, thanks. And yes I’m fine after having to endure such a long flight,” I responded sarcastically. She shot me an apologetic look before grabbing one of my bags.
“You know what I mean Vivian. I wasn’t calling you fat. I was just saying that you seem to have grown taller. No need to rip my throat out,” she said defensively, placing her free hand in front of her throat as if to protect it. I rolled my eyes at her theatrics. We exited the airport and made our way to her car where we placed my bags in. Lily got in the car and began to drive us towards our destination.
“You got your pack papers, right kid?” I nodded in response as she hummed and continued to drive in calm silence. She glanced over at me many times throughout the ride until she finally said what was on her mind.
“Now, don’t be alarmed but there’s a bit more security around Cusco’s pack land. I’m not allowed to say the reason why, but don’t worry about it, just listen and stick to the rules.” This was new but not that alarming. I looked at her, but didn’t ask. I was doubtful that this was their way of staying on guard for the attacks.
Every wolf knew better than to try to get information about a different pack; it was seen as suspicious, and could start more problems than it was worth. When on another pack’s land, the foreign visitor had to bring their ID, show thei
r pack birthmark, and a signed document from someone of high rank allowing the visit, not to mention obey any rules and regulations given. Alphas took trespassing and security seriously nowadays.
Lily drove into a path in the forest that was easy to navigate only for those who were familiar with the way. The deeper we got into the forest, the calmer my wolf became. The scenery was different, but similar to what she knew. Around ten minutes after, we passed a sign that read in big bold letters:
Private Property. Do Not Pass. Will Be Shot on Sight.
To any human, that would have been sufficient enough to stop them, but most wolves knew that it was just a warning to humans. Werewolves, if they chose to pass, would be stopped before they were even a mile close to official pack grounds. As if to show me I was correct, two large men with weapons stepped out of nowhere a few feet away before the car.
Lily slowed down to a stop before them and rolled down the windows. One walked slowly to the car while the other stood in front with eyes steady on me and hand positioned to pull his gun out in case I were to make one wrong move, which was startling given that I have visited in the past.
“Lillian Grey, born on Cusco soil and still a member,” Lily stated seriously. The man next to her window looked at us before taking a deep breath and inhaling to take in our scents. Lily had the scent of the lands, while I probably reeked of humans.
“What about her?” he asked with a gruff and cautious voice. I took that as my cue.
“Vivian Grey, born on Defluo soil and still a member. Granted permission for a visit regarding family matters. Documents in check,” I said as professionally as I could with my heart beating loudly in my chest and hands shaking a little. I had been doing this many times but it was still a bit nerve-wracking.
“Papers, mark, and ID.”
Nodding, I took my papers out from my bag, fished for my wallet, and took out my ID. I gave them to him. He read them over and then looked back and forth between the ID and me as if I had changed in the last two years I took it. He handed them back to me. I still had brown eyes with a bit of baby fat on me and brown hair cut to the shoulders.
“Mark?” he asked. I reached for the zipper of my hood, and unzipped it, pulling the left collar of my shirt down to show my mark. My pack’s mark was just like the others: three slashes of claws but a line going through the middle of it, and two perfect circles underneath. I pulled my collar back up, but left the hood unzipped.
His expression turned blank for a moment and then he nodded at the guy in front, giving us the clear. Lily began to move forward as soon as the other man moved from in front of us. This happened two times more before we were allowed to get in and pass a big gate that protected the pack. Lily was right. The security was undeniably tedious.
While most believed that werewolves guarded pack land in wolf form, they only do that inside the gate’s perimeter. A pack’s main concern was being seen by humans, thus, armed werewolves in human form.
“Okay, now we can start the fun!” Lily exclaimed, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Can I shower, and . . . I don’t know, maybe . . . eat?” I asked her in an over exasperated tone, and she rolled her eyes.
“Okay, okay. I’ll go feed you before you call your mom and tell her I have not been taking care of you for the first few hours. She’d skin me alive,” she said jokingly, I think.
When we pulled up to her house and she got me settled in, I took a much-needed shower and felt the results immediately. I was no longer ill-tempered. I took in my appearance before I went down. My short straight cut auburn hair fell right below my collarbone. My pale skin was slightly flushed from the heated water, and my large brown doe-like eyes framed my face with high arched eyebrows that made it seem as if I was a know-it-all.
My small pointed nose made my chubby cheeks look childish on a square face. I wasn’t fat or fit, but I was okay with that. My lips unconsciously turned up at the corners. I skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen with a smile on my face. Lily looked at me suspiciously, but I just smile back at her.
“What did you break?” She accused, putting down the sandwich she was making to cross her arms over her chest. I dropped my jaw and widened my eyes pretending to be hurt.
“What? I’m offended, Lily. I would never break anything in your house,” I said, putting a hand over my heart. I knew it was utter bullshit because a few years back, I had broken her living room chair after sitting on it. To this day, I still say it was because it was an old chair, and not that I was heavy at all. The corners of her lips twitched letting me know that she was probably thinking about that too. She just shook her head at me and placed a plate in front of me before taking a chair and settling on it herself.
“So how have you been, kid?” she asked.
“We’re all good. A bit worried, but good. How about you?” I answered, picking up the sandwich and took a bite out of it while she talked to me.
“I’ve been good here. Staying out of trouble. But between you and me,” she whispered as if someone was listening, “I sneak out every Friday to head to the library.”
I choked on my sandwich.
“B-but you live alone, there’s no need to sneak out.” I looked at her incredulously.
“I know.” She smirked at me. It took me a while to figure out she was joking.
“I like to live wild.” She exaggerated, moving her arms up. I shook my head at my crazy cousin. She was an odd one.
We spent the whole two hours catching up, but after awhile, I began to feel the exhaustion creeping in and was itching to have some quiet time.
“I’m gonna go to bed. The earlier I go to sleep, the more time we’ll have tomorrow,” I blurted out quickly, already making my way out of the chair and up the stairs.
“All right. We’ll go for a run tomorrow if you want.” She waved me off, standing, and stretching her arms over her head.
“Yes! My wolf needs it. Good night, Lily.” I smiled at her.
“Night.”
I hated jet lag but thankfully, I finally fell asleep two hours after. My eyes closed slowly as darkness crept in, taking me to dreamland.
That, however, didn’t last long because a loud screeching sound suddenly blasted in the air, startling me from my sleep. A few seconds later, screaming followed. I wiped my eyes furiously, trying to wake myself up. At first I thought I was seeing things, but then I noticed a red light flashing outside the house along with a blaring noise. Loud stomps made their way to my room scaring me, and my wolf began to growl in my head anxiously.
When my door busted open, I stopped mid-scream realizing it was Lily, panting and pale. Her brown hair was frizzy on one side, her eyes were bright and wild with fear and panic. I leaped out of bed and moved towards her. When I got closer, she suddenly came forward and gripped my shoulders, trying to open her mouth to say something. At the same time, a booming voice was heard from a megaphone.
“Code Red: All women and children, make your way to the safe bunker. We are under attack. I repeat, go to the bunker. We are under attack.”
It took us a while to realize what was said.
“We have to go now!” she said.
I looked at Lily, who was trembling with fear. Why was the pack under attack? Could it be . . . And why did it have to be when I was sleeping?!
She grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs. She pulled the door open and peeked out. My heart was beating like a hummingbird’s wings. My breath was loud. A thin layer of cold sweat had begun to form at the back of my neck. We looked around and saw people in sweatpants and baggy shirts running around in fear in different directions.
“Let’s go,” Lily said before taking off. I run after her, not wanting to be left behind. I sped up when I heard bullets going off in the distance and loud snarls. My blood pumped faster in my veins, and my body was heating up with the sudden workout that I had to remind myself to keep my cool.
Keep calm. People do stupid mistakes when they panic, and trip.
<
br /> “What’s going on Lily? What—” I stopped, crashing into her back. She turned to look at me as if words were rushing out of her mouth.
“Your parents didn’t know this because if they had, they wouldn’t have sent you here. Shit! If we make it, they’re gonna kill me. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you come. My pack got a warning that we were next, but it was out of their pattern so we didn’t believe it could be true. Oh man, this is messed up!” She looked around nervously as she spoke. The alarm had stopped, but the flashing red light and gunshots were still dying out.
“Warning, what? When?!” I shouted at her. I felt like I couldn’t breathe no matter how many times I tried. It seemed like the air wouldn’t make its way into my lungs. I was too young to have a panic attack!
“I’ll explain later, but we have to go to the bunker. Come on, stay close!” We ran into the part of the forest everyone else seemed to be headed towards. I didn’t like this, not a bit, and I felt like I was running around blindly. This wasn’t my pack. I didn’t know much about this land, and if I did, I would have chosen to get away from danger, and would not draw myself closer to it. I scowled into the darkness we were headed towards.
As we ran away, the sound of fighting and shots faded, letting me know we were safe, but I felt uneasy knowing people were still in danger. When a large building came into view, I could see women and children pushing their way into the property—everyone was trying to get in. When Lily and I tried to get in, we were shoved around and got separated.
“Lily?” I said loudly when I couldn’t see her. Everyone was crying and talking at the same time. “Lily?!” I cried out louder. I may not have been as close to Lily, but she was family and the only person I have. I felt someone grasp onto my left hand and I spun around relieved, seeing Lily next to me.
“Oh, thank fuck!” I exclaimed.
“Sorry, I was swept away at the door.” She hurriedly walked us over to a wall and slid down. I followed suit despite my hurting legs. My mind had been demanding for an answer, and my wolf agreed with me.