“This cannot be a coincidence,” Rocco said with a sly smile.
“You’re Cora from Moonless clan?” Hunt asked, ignoring Rocco. I nodded. He gestured to the soldiers. “Run the test.”
Our clan rarely used magic and so I was unaccustomed to feel spells being cast on me. I shivered as the shifters spoke magical words. The four handsome shifters who had saved me, stood silently watching the spectacle. My wolf howled inside, begging me to let her loose. I couldn’t do it.
After ten minutes, the soldiers nodded respectfully to Hunt and confirmed that I was clear. Clear from what? Obviously, no one again bothered answering me but once the soldiers were out of the room, the four shifters relaxed.
“Let’s take her to Shifter Island.”
*
Hunt slowed down the car, a landscape that rolled around appeared wild and overgrown. Patches of trees and uncultivated fields spread in all directions. Much different from what I saw from the helicopter. The world we have lost. Place where my father and mother grew up. When melancholy hits, it hits hard. I dragged my eyes off the scenery lest they filled with tears. I couldn’t show such a significant weakness in front of my enemies. Who could say what they’d do with it? In effect, my gaze drifted up—my heart drumming in my chest like a rock band drummer—and found this beautiful blue sky I’d always imagined. And ... there were ten moons. How? I am sure Earth has only one and it’s shared with Shifter Island. What’s going on here?
Seeing the moons had an immediate effect on my body. Waves of indescribable tingliness rolled over and my stomach turned upside down. There was too much light. It wasn’t a secret that moonlight played an important role in every shifter’s life. Its absence had tremendously weakened our clan. But ten moons? I groaned and the car came to stop.
“What is it?”
My insides were trying to turn themselves into a cinder.
“Water,” I whispered through the parched lips. Parched lips? What the hell?
A clear sphere came to life before my contorted face.
“Drink. It’s safe,” Hunt said.
“Let’s take her outside.”
I managed to suck a mouthful of water before someone’s hands carried me out of the car. The multiple moons’ light was blinding here.
“What’s wrong?” Rocco asked harshly. “Is she getting cold feet already? There is no going back.”
If I could, I’d flip him a bird and add a few obscenities, but my body started to disagree with my decisions. A wolf inside roared. Whatever was happening, it was hurting her.
Ryder and Gabriel placed me on soft grass that smelled of a distant memory that couldn’t belong to me. Alaska had no grass this lush and carefree. Its freshness was soothing. My wolf stopped trashing inside me and some of the moonlight-induced fire receded to an acceptable level. It felt as if I restored connection with Earth. I don’t think I ever lost it. During my runs through the Alaskan tundra, my connection was always powerful. Is Shifter Island not a part of Earth then?
“Do you need more water?” Gabriel asked.
“Maybe some food?” Ryder added with a sly grin. It was bait, I was certain of this.
Rocco tsked and turned his back on me. I’d let him get away with this if not for the word that followed it – weakling. This overflew the chalice of my patience but he didn’t give my rant a chance to erupt.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, angrily.
“Moons,” I breathed out.
“What about them?”
“So many…”
“Ah, a fearsome wolf shifter Rocco Goldfury sensed his chance.” Ryder spread his arms and took a bow in a mocking fashion. Ryder’s unusual red eyes flashed with a hidden challenge.
Goldfury?! Rocco is not only my enemy. He belongs to the traitor’s clan. Goldfury clan betrayed my clan and we were kicked out of Shifter Island.
Rocco roared but didn’t attack.
“This isn’t time to clown around,” Gabriel said.
“I am going to tear you apart.” The coldness in Rocco’s voice was like a physical blow to my stomach. But when he walked back to the car, his muscles stirred my inner demons. On the spectrum of male hotness, this fucker was too far into the hot end, while his personality defined the opposite end. I shook my head, clearing it from spontaneously popping sexy imagines where I and he were entangled in poses that indicated only one intention. This was wrong. The Goldfury traitor should never receive anything other than my foul language and disdain. His fantastic body shouldn’t change my feelings about him. Do you hear me, my other self, or whoever controls my body, I don’t want to be attracted to any of them and least to Rocco.
“He’s a Goldfury,” I said exasperated.
“We all are,” Ryder replied.
I almost fainted on the spot. Suddenly, the moons were forgotten and all I could think of was the fact that my sworn enemies had saved me. Is this some joke made by the universe?
“How do you feel?” Gabriel asked. “You look pale again.”
“Yes,” I replied, making absolutely no sense.
Ryder laughed and with a faked dignity opened the door to the car. Gabriel and Hunt entered the car, not waiting for me. Four Goldfury fuckers, huh. Why do they must be so enticing?
Ryder and Rocco started to bicker again and stopped only after Hunt asked them to end it. They obliged without a word of complaint. How was he doing it? The car purred and a second later sped up ahead.
Chapter 6
It quickly turned out how outdated information my father had bestowed upon me. Shifter Island possessed three—not two—protective rings. And the road we were currently traversing wasn’t really part of Shifter Island. The land between the Second and Third Rings was called the Great Coast. It was more than a coast according to Gabriel, although after Rocco asked him if he wished to change his place with him, the white-haired shifter fell silent. I didn’t know what to think about it. Ah, but you do, I told myself. They despise you and if they’re nice, it’s only because they have a hidden agenda. They are Goldfury, Cora. It made sense. Feelings between our clans weren’t only rivalry but the purest hatred. Goldfury had feared our strength and so they betrayed us. Now an alpha heir was returning to Shifter Island. They must be terrified, I smiled to myself.
“This is creepy when you do that,” Rocco said offhandedly.
“Why do you look then?”
“Because he likes you,” Ryder replied from my left. And just like that, I found myself between two beasts. Rocco inhaled sharply and his wolf convulsed. To be honest, his reaction didn’t seem much different from Archie’s when his sister Laura called him out in front of the entire clan. Except, Rocco was larger ... and there were other differences I didn’t want to disclose even to myself.
Once more Hunt had to step in or the fight would break out in the car. Ryder’s laugh died quickly too. Hunt had to be the alpha heir of Goldfury Clan. No other explanation made sense here. Shifters were exceedingly competitive even within one’s family. But only a full-fledged alpha had enough command to do what Hunt had done. Usually, wolf shifter clans had a primary alpha heir and several backups. This created a power play or whatever my father called it. In our clan, Seth and Saber were too weak to truly become alphas and Sigis wasn’t interested in becoming one. But I imagined that most families possessed many potential alpha heirs and so they constantly competed with each other. It looked like the Goldfury wasn’t one of them.
On our way to the Last Ring, at least a dozen black SUVs with darkened windows passed our car. They didn’t bother stopping by to check on us. When I asked about it, Rocco told me to shut up. And so in that eerie silence, we reached the first buildings after leaving the previous port.
Ruins, overgrown and devastated, peppered the area. Only this road was in good condition. Who owns, or owned, this land? I gasped softly when I realized this land could’ve belonged to my clan. My father has never been forthcoming about our estates and wealth from before our exile. Goldfury has stripped u
s out of everything. We’ve been confined to Alaska and allowed scarce trading with wizard peddlers. All this land... Alaska was a massive region, but we didn’t own a scant of ground there and so it didn’t generate income. I could be wrong or mix up details but there were many magical plants that grew only on Shifter Island, expensive plants required for rare potions. That bit came from Edna who had gone against my father’s order and fed me with bits of information. But even she looked to dislike to talk about that time. Most of the shifters in our clan didn’t care. Or don’t remember much, if anything. I was five when we’ve been exiled and my mind is devoid of memories about this place. Strange.
Soon the ruins were gone and their place was taken over by hundreds of cultivated fields and orchards. Eventually, colorful gardens appeared, and alongside them, inhabited houses. I noticed people. Civilians.
Then the scent of the sea rose anew like a wall and hit me hard. Its overwhelming richness filled me with a desire to inhale it forever. There’s something different this time. It also filled my head with air and my stupid, stupid hand found a way around Rocco’s bulging biceps. I had to hit my head in the crash. I saw no other explanation. It wasn’t fair for a douche to look so cool, by the way. Gabriel’s timely warning saved me from embarrassment. Suddenly, the land on the horizon vanished and was replaced by the sight that brought tears forth. Shifter Island. It was mercilessly whipped by waves. I could watch it all day. And I should remember this place. Why I know of it only from my father’s scarce mentions?
“What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked from the front seat. His sudden change in attitude made me uneasy. Remember who he is. Because of this, I didn’t realize that the car stopped. We were at another port. We’d need a boat now, I thought and didn’t like the sluggishness of my thoughts. My brain was overloaded. Everything escalated too quickly for my liking. An unexpected summons, four hot guys who had saved my life and turned out to be the despised enemy of my clan, ten moons, and now the sigh of Shifter Island. Don’t forget the ferals’ attack. And so it was only natural that something inside me broke. Not completely, mind you, but enough to shed tears.
Rocco tsked and got out of the car. Ryder played with his hands, there was something he wanted to do or say but eventually he followed Rocco. I heard their bickering ignite anew. Hunt and Gabriel remained with me.
“We won’t hold this against you,” Gabriel said and his voice trailed off, then he seemed to pick up another thread of conversation and continued. “You certainly don’t remember the island and good for you because it isn’t the same place it was when your clan lived here. Everything has changed.”
With that Gabriel, too, left. Honestly, it was weird, although in the light of what I’ve already witnessed, expected. Except, it is not.
Hunt didn’t look my way, he watched the sea and the island spreading over the horizon like a body of a massive serpent.
“I’ll keep it brief since you’re technically an enemy of my father.” Ouch. Somehow in his mouth, it sounded a thousandfold worse than in my mind. “But as a fellow alpha heir, I’ll offer you a word of advice. Keep a low profile and stay out of my way. If you can, blend with the surroundings because nothing there is what you think it is.” He said these things without derision—or emotions for that matter—and they were words I should have expected from another alpha heir. And yet, Hunt didn’t strike me like a person who likes to joke. Stay out of my way ... huh, this, I can promise you and your brothers. I wanted nothing to do with the four Goldfury brothers, especially when one of them was an alpha heir.
Hunt exited the car and I needed a minute to stop tears. All I wished for was to shift into a wolf and run. Run away. A brave alpha I’d make. Eventually, I growled softly, reminding myself that I was an alpha heir too. What would my father say if he saw me like this? He’s never cried. Not even when my mother died. Don’t feel sorry for yourself, ever. His words resonated within me with impressive clarity. There was nothing worse than being a loser.
When I got out of the car, the four Goldfury guys talked to some people on a pier with a motorboat moored. This port looked nothing like the previous one. A building, parking lot, and pier. Even these soldiers seemed more casual. They looked official, alright, but less stiff as my dead escort. It sounds bad, Cora, I told myself.
I lingered by the car until Ryder approached me. The hard features of his face didn’t exactly match his personality. His scents were off too. Floral and fruity? Although, nothing I could name. The ingredients must be exclusive to Shifter Island. He smiled, a little too forcedly. So something was not right. Well, I wasn’t particularly surprised by that. Maybe it was an error to summon me instead of my father. He was the one who needed to face his enemies according to the cursed prophecy.
A wave of weakness washed over me as I looked up at the moons. Ten freaking moons again. I managed to about them in the car. This is wrong, I thought with tightness in my chest. Ryder noticed my attention, though not the fainting part.
“Isn’t this a sight?”
“Shouldn’t there be only one moon?”
“Yes, there was,” Ryder replied, showing his pearl white teeth. “Then my father and Three Pillars found a way to add more.”
“Add?”
“Yeah.”
“How?”
Ryder mused the question, but he clearly didn’t intend to reply. He postponed his answer until Gabriel and Hunt returned with a golden sheet of paper. Gabriel looked uneasy.
“We need your blood imprint on this,” Hunt said as he placed the sheet in my frozen hand. Blood imprint? Even for a total idiot, it was obvious how strong blood was in magic arts. No way I was going with it.
“What’s this?”
“A Seal of Confirmation,” Gabriel responded. I caught a glimpse of Rocco who stormed off toward the motorboat. “The Third Ring protects Shifter Island from The Uninvited.”
“Care to explain?” I had no clue what it meant to be the uninvited, although I had a good idea where it was heading. The first two rings couldn’t stop my clan from entering. We weren’t feral or belong to the greater evils. This barrier was raised after our exile. It was no coincidence. This has been created to prevent us from returning. As if we could. One severely weakened clan cannot face the joint power of over a hundred wolf clans. And yet, in the past, we’d almost pulled it off. If not for Goldfury’s betrayal.
“But—”
“There is no need nor time to go over specifics,” Hunt injected in a usual for him way. “If you won’t sign, you cannot enter.” Great. Splendid. Amazing. Fantastic. Fuck!
“I am not very keen on handing you over my blood. Just so you know.”
Neither of them said anything. I hoped they didn’t magically communicate in their heads. Things they could share in my presence without me knowing... No, telepathy doesn’t exist. So don’t force this issue. What do I do now then? I cannot afford to return. I am sure this is against the shifter law. Once with a summons in hand, we must appear before the alpha king or the academy committee. Turning now will be classified as never bothering to come at all. My clan couldn’t afford another war. We didn’t even own a freaking car.
“Fine!” I snapped. “How do I draw my blood?”
“Just press your finger beneath the signature line.”
Chapter 7
With formalities behind me, we moved onto the motorboat where asshole AKA Rocco groaned upon seeing me.
“I hoped she’ll get cold feet and run.”
“Likewise, although, I hoped you’ll get dizzy and fell off the board.”
Laugh exploded out of Ryder and even a hint of a smile appeared on Gabriel’s noble face. Hunt and Rocco were the only ones who took it with stone expressions. I’d hoped that Hunt could be ... well, not my ally, but at least not a total enemy. But I was not so sure anymore. His coldness and distance to others were disturbing. If he was the alpha king heir, god help us.
The motorboat had three levels and a handful of men in uniforms I hadn’t seen earlier
. They didn’t react to my arrival. One looked different from the rest though. His uniform was a shade darker and sharper. I didn’t like his piercing blue eyes and lips that drew up as he scanned the signed document. He growled to himself. Something most strong shifters did.
“A moonless student,” he muttered, to himself most likely. But the words didn’t miss Gabriel’s ears and the Goldfury guy asked.
“Is there a problem, port master?”
The port master looked up from the document and he shook his head.
“Not at all.” His acid tone didn’t match his words though.
“Then get this piece of crap out of this coast, man,” Rocco snarled. “I can’t stand it anymore.”
Fucker.
The document returned to Hunt who folded it and put it into a pocket. I swallowed it with pride but more than anything I didn’t feel like arguing with him right now. Gabriel warned me that the island has changed and for this, my father hadn’t prepared me. We’d talked about the academy or how the shifters learned. In general, it went like this: dominate or get dominated. The academy during my father’s youth was all about strength and power, raw and primal. How did it change?
I took a seat to combat the swaying. Being on the sea wasn’t natural to wolves. And those ten moons didn’t certainly help either. They managed to add moons. This was insane. Father must hear about this. While my clan suffers the shifters here indulge themselves in all this power. It was too much for my taste. Although it could be the result of a prolonged absence of a moon over my head. I closed my eyes, focusing on breathing. My wolf wished to get off the ship. She hated the sea. The motorboat cut ahead toward the final destination of this unexpected journey.
“Are you sleeping?” Ryder asked. His arm found its way around my shoulder. I initially ignored it but then the warmth he shared with me became comfortable. My wolf growled appreciatively.
“Not really.”
Bewitched: A Paranormal Academy Romance Page 3
