Bewitched
A Paranormal Academy Romance
Shifter Island Series
Copyright © 2021 Victoria Mercier
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including but not limited to being stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, groups, businesses, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This book contains sexual situations and adult themes. Recommended for 18 and above.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
What’s next?
TRY THIS: The Blood of Dragons – The Academy of Dragons
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
TRY THIS: The Last Year – The Dark Fae Academy
Chapter 1 – Orphanage
Chapter 2 – The Black Cat
Chapter 3 – Strange Invitation
About the Author
Other books
The Academy of Dragons
The Blood of Dragons
The Tears of Unicorns
The Flesh of Titans
The Forgotten Chains
The Darkness Unleashed
The Academy of Dragons Box Set & Bonus Story
The Dark Fae Academy
The Last Year
The Last Fey
Chapter 1
In the wilderness of rigid Alaska, only one sport made my pulse race. Hunting. Black-tailed deer was a perfect game for tonight's dinner. Father will be proud. If only my brothers wanted to join me. It’d make a difference. But they were lazy.
A thin ice crust crackled as I pressed my paw against it. Loud enough to startle the game I was hunting. The deer darted between trees, aiming for the bushy elevation. The sun sat just beneath the horizon and so it hoped the shadows would offer safety to it. In my wolf form, shadows posed no obstacles. The scents, like currents in the water, guided me right to where it hid. The deer stood no chance…
A new sound prickled my ears and I froze, giving the game a chance to run. Run. Kill. My wolf’s desires tried to overpower my human mind, but it was no contest. My wolf control was unmatched.
It sounded like a series of booms. And they were getting louder. Prey. Kill. I shook my head, sniffing the air. In my human form, my lungs would freeze from the cold. The game was nearby, hiding in another dark spot, hoping for the Alaskan wind to blow its scent in another direction. Sorry, but this is the brutal truth of life: eat or get eaten. I surged forward but the booming sound returned, closer than ever.
What was it?
The moment of my clumsiness was a perfect opportunity for a grizzly bear. I smelled it before the sound of cracked snow reached me. This one thing set me apart from the rest of my clan members. My sense of smell was superior to all other senses. Even my father, the alpha of Moonless Clan, couldn’t claim to have a better sense of smell.
The bear’s paws slashed the air as I expertly dipped my head and sank my teeth in its side. It wasn’t easy to wound a bear. Its fur, skin, and fat were thick. It roared but the roar drowned in the booming sounds exploding above our heads. What’s this? Lights? Machines?
The bear didn’t mind anything that happened above us. It counterattacked and came close to biting my nape. I was too fast though.
The machines were going away… I turned toward the bear and a cold—colder than frigid Alaskan air—sweat flushed my body.
Moonless sky above, I thought terrified. The machines fly toward my clan’s dwelling.
I left the bear and game behind, the taste of the bear’s blood in my mouth quickly forgotten. Prey. Fight. Kill. My wolf cared nothing for the flying machines. Her primal instincts had different priorities. As I darted ahead, the frozen forest slowly awoke to life with the rising sun. And there they were, flying machines with lights. Who were they? No one knew we lived here. The closest human dwelling was over three hundred kilometers from here. And even then, our valley was masked with spells.
Unless…
I crossed the barrier that acted as an early warning for us and made intruders sick. The air inside the massive, invisible bubble was a little warmer and much more pleasant. I heard shouts and feared the worst.
Did the shifters from Shifter Island decide to finally eradicate us? Was confining us to Alaska and forbidding our clan from ever entering Shifter Island was not enough to them? How freaking cool! Kill. Enemies. Kill. Yes. Since my mother’s death, I’ve desired nothing else but to get my revenge. Alaska was our territory now. We knew the landscape and potential dwelling within it.
I stumbled onto a clearing in front of the valley’s entrance. Men in black uniforms jumped out of the hovering low flying machines. There were no fewer than forty of them. So many. I can’t fight them all. My surroundings were all covered by snow and my black fur gave me away. The men raised metal … guns? And aimed them at me. I hesitated. These couldn’t be shifters. We had no use for weapons other than our claws and teeth.
I snarled, snapping.
They gestured to me to shift back. So they were shifters. They knew the gesture. What’s going on here?
Figures in patched clothes emerged from the valley. My clan. The Moonless. We were called this because of a curse that has taken the ability to see the moon from our clan. It was crueler than kicking us out of Shifter Island. A moon was sacred to every shifter.
Why is none from my clan in the wolf’s form? What are they waiting for?
A soldier gestured again and this time, his two companions started flanking me. For moon’s sake. What’s this?! Having no choice, I shifted into a human. A numbingly cold air attacked every inch of my exposed skin. I was hopeless with spells so conjuring thermal protection was out of the question. My clothes would have to be enough.
“Hands up,” the soldier commanded, and if not for the loaded rifle aimed at my chest, I’d surge forward. “Hands up or I will shoot.”
I slowly raised them, seething with rage. A wolf inside me howled. The soldiers weren’t nice as they pushed me around until we reached the entrance of the valley. My father stood in front of my clan.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
The helicopters remained in the air but climbed to a much higher altitude now, so it was easier to talk.
“Orson Moonless?”
“Yes,” my father replied without hesitation.
The soldiers ordered me to join the rest of my clan.
“You’re hereby summoned to face the alpha king.”
He pushed a letter into my father’s hands. No! That’s not possible. But it’s been the part of the
three curses placed upon our clan. It stated: “In shame you will return to face judgment.” And what kind of judgment could we expect from traitors who had exiled us here? I didn’t even want to think about it. My father was an alpha and showed no emotions as he tore the envelope. The soldiers created a half-circle, waiting patiently.
My clan was not cut out of the same cloth and I heard and notice the discord. But how would we fare against the guns? Humans used them with success. Our wolf form lent us enhanced physical abilities, elevated senses, faster healing, and true freedom. But some wounds were fatal even for shifters. In the end, no one made a move. The sign of respect for my father. He must have ordered everyone to stay put. I looked around and noticed Seth and Saber, my two younger brothers. Sigis the youngest of us all wasn’t here. No surprise there. He wasn’t a social type.
“This isn’t for me,” he said in a tight voice that caused my body to shiver with a cold sweat. What did he mean the letter was not for him? The same question was on every face in our clan. Then I looked at the soldiers and … they were clueless. My father handed the letter back to the soldier who glanced down and froze.
“I need to take this higher. Don’t move.” He hastily walked away.
“Father.”
“Daughter.”
My wolf wished to nudge him, to ask him to run together like we’ve always done. This was not the time for this. I banished the memory of the towering black-furred wolf that walked with the air of absolute command. It was not all to my father’s wolf form. When he shifted into a wolf, it’s always meant a good time, hunting a game and enjoying each other. Stop it, wolf, I stifled the inner desire to shift and looked into my father’s hazel eyes. What’s the matter, father?
He didn’t hear my question as telepathy was something found in myths but he put a hand on my shoulder. A sign of being proud? What?
The soldier with the letter returned.
“We’re unable to confirm the validity of the summons.”
My father sniffed, standing straighter and taller than before. He was radiating off authority. The wind tugged at his red hair giving his figure a depth.
“Then get out of our place.”
He turned to go.
“I was ordered to act as if the summons was valid.”
“Edna,” my father growled. “Get Cora’s things.”
For one frozen second, everything stilled. Did father say my name? Did he order old Edna to pack me? WHAT?
“What’s this?”
“Show it to her, soldier.”
The man obeyed with haste and when I held the letter between my fingers. I noticed shocked expressions on his fellow soldiers’ faces. If not a betrayal, my father would be the alpha king right now. The authority he projected wasn’t a joke… Focus, Cora. Breathe.
I looked down at the letter and my lungs contracted. It was a summons to … attend the shifter academy? This had to be an error. Since our exile, no one from our clan has been invited into the academy. We were stripped out of this privilege.
“This cannot be, father.”
“The alpha king’s imprint is legit though,” my father said.
The soldiers stirred, looking at each other. They had no idea why they came here.
Casper and Archie elbowed their way to where I stood.
“Cora, what’s happening?”
“It doesn’t concern you,” my father replied. “Casper, take everyone and return to the valley.”
He opened his mouth. Is he stupid enough to challenge the alpha? These were bitter thoughts on my part. I was a maelstrom of emotions right now. Moon help me, this is completely wrong.
Out of the two shifters, the brunette Archie was a bigger fool though, and stood his ground as the rest of the clan slowly retreated. Many of the soldiers relaxed and put their guns down. I turned my back on them and faced Archie.
“The wind subdued and helicopters are too high for you to pretend that you didn’t hear my father’s order, Archie.”
“I wish to go with you, Cora.”
My father’s scent changed unexpectedly, giving no warning.
“Return to the valley, boy. I won’t repeat myself.”
Archie gritted his teeth. His wolf came close to the surface but my father already turned away from him. It was a test, if Archie lingered about or foolishly try to face his alpha, he’d end up wounded. If that didn’t help… I moved a finger across my throat in my mind. Alphas didn’t fool around when it came to following their orders.
“A stupid boy,” my father whispered when Archie decided to withdraw. Nonetheless, the damage was done. He fell silent for a few seconds, then added, “I don’t know why the summons came and I’m not deluding myself that Goldfury Clan had a change of heart but no matter what Cora you must stay strong and face everything they throw against you.”
Chapter 2
Edna returned with a bag. Seth and Saber trailed her but they stopped beyond the earshot. They were twins with soft red hair and green eyes although Saber’s eyes were lime green while Seth’s possessed emerald’s depth. They were weak and unfit to be alpha heirs. Sigis didn’t appear. Though he was only ten, his personality seemed to age much faster. It’s better this way. Goodbyes are painful.
Edna put the bag on the frozen ground and looked at my father.
“Orson, what if this is some elaborate scheme on Goldfury’s part? The danger…”
My father raised his hand, causing the oldest shifter in our clan to fall silent. Even the soldiers took a step back, offering us a little more privacy. Father had to be a badass when we lived on Shifter Island. It sucks I don’t remember anything. I was five when our clan was confined to Alaska. Those who were less than ten at that time have forgotten Shifter Island completely.
“Everyone born on Shifter Island must follow the shifter law, Edna. It doesn’t matter if we stay here or there. Ultimately, we’re subjects to the alpha king.” Father rarely talked like this. It had been the mother who was always severe and cold not him.
“It’s time,” the soldier said.
The helicopters began lowering their altitude until hovered mere inches from the ground. The freezing wind buffed into my face and noise threatened to make my ears bleed.
I stood, watching this, unable to take a step. The soldiers grabbed me under my arms. My father growled so loud it made my heart beat faster. I shook myself out of the stupor and regained my foothold.
“Give them hell, Cora.” These were the last word my father told to me.
I’ve never been in a helicopter and so it was only natural for my legs to turn into jelly. For the moon’s fleeting love, what’s the matter with me? Somehow, I made it to the helicopter, shaking. I was given a headset that suppressed the excess of the machine’s roar.
“Put the belt on,” a voice said in the headset, scaring the shit out of me. Then it all started going downhill. As the helicopter lifted its body, my insides felt like falling out of me. I felt intense heat and coldness at the same time and… gods what’s wrong with weight?
I glanced through the window and started sweat like a roasted pig. I knew helicopters flew but being inside one while it did? No thank you. It didn’t matter that the view of Alaska from above was awesome. Shifters didn’t belong to the sky…
What about the moon? Can I see it from here? I couldn’t as the helicopter didn’t even reach the clouds. It stayed far below them.
“All units stay in formation. The portal in five minutes.” The portal? What’s that? To think of this, I’ve never asked my father where Shifter Island lay. Because it was an island, I assumed it was somewhere on the sea. Suddenly, I was not so sure anymore.
“Portal in five…” What?
“Four…” Already?
“Three…” Wait!
“Two…” Not ready…
“One…” Moo…
The soldiers next to me paled and then the substance of the reality rippled. It felt like being thrown into a washing machine. The voices in the headset were
replaced with an unpleasant hum. Time stretched and I thought I could see myself from behind. Then like a rubber band, it snapped back. I gasped feeling an overwhelming need to step outside and take a breath of fresh air. I hate it.
Instinctively, I looked through the window. The world out there was something else. A dead rocky landscape and a black, airless sky. No stars or moon and the sun was cold like the snow we left behind in Alaska. My wolf howled.
“What’s this?”
The soldiers gave me disgusted expressions. Without my father around they felt stronger, more important. We’ll see about it.
The hum vanished and the voices of the pilots appeared in the headset.
“Unit seven, do you read this? Unit seven, do you copy?”
The soldiers exchanged glances…
“Wat—”
Light flashed, everything whirled, noises disappeared. My mind shut down.
*
Screams.
Gunshots.
Agony.
“That one’s alive,” the voice came from a distant place. There was only darkness around. Run! Run! My wolf trashed and howled. She tried to wrestle the control out of my hands.
My eyes opened to brightness and pain. A lot of pain. The whole world of pain.
“She responds.”
“Take her out.”
Rough hands took a hold of my body and hauled me into the nightmarish world with the dead rocky landscape and black sky. What in the moon’s name is this? A lonely gunshots rang from time to time here and there. These were the soldiers who had come to pick me up. What happened? I forced myself up, fighting against the bouts of nausea, but I had to see it for myself.
We stayed near a crash site. I saw bodies laying everywhere. Most of them belonged to … wolves. I glanced back at the soldiers, ten of them, operating some equipment.
“S.O.S. We crashed. Need extraction. Base, do you copy?”
I searched for another two crash sites. Three helicopters came to Alaska. It took me a moment to find them. The black columns of smoke were nearly invisible in the black sky. All three machines crashed? But how?
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