New Beginning : A Beautiful Ethereal Creature (Spirit Wolf Book #1)

by Jacqueline Hakitten

  I could already smell the scents of humans, their food, and gardens. We were close to the city. It was a really small city consisting of maybe thirty houses with the town hall in the middle. Up from the town hall was a police station in the same building as the library, and left from there a few shops including the gas station and doctor’s office. There was even a small building right from the town hall with the cross above the roof they called the church. The city itself wasn’t on the main road or closest to it at all. Actually, if there were some tourists, they most likely just lost their way because even the closest highway was at least hundreds of kilometers away. This was a deeply remote area and just skillful hikers came here once or twice per year to spend a week or two in the woods.

  I slowed down my pace as I was close to the city and headed directly to the shop of Madam Rosewoods. She was selling her homemade jams and syrups from her orchards and has to say so far it was the most delicious ones I ever tried. Not like I tried a lot but I remember some from back in my pack. She was the only one who let me stay in her shop for a day to sell my cosmetics and medicine and actually was friendly to me.

  'They wouldn't be so afraid of you if you would not wear this cloak with the cape and dye your hair.' I sighed at Maat's comment. 'They already think that I am a witch. Plus, with my silver hair, they would be sure I am a witch especially with those golden eyes.' I was really tired of arguing with her. 'Try to get it into your thick head that we do this for our own safety and protection.' I used her own words against her and she frowned at me when she realized that. 'Don't use my own words, young lady.' She scolded me. 'Hey hey. Technically you are younger than me. I am in this body longer than you.' I told her since she made her appearance when I reached my eighth birthday. She still appeared eight years earlier than a wolf should but technically I was older. I know her soul is older, much much older, and this is not her first life but now she is living with me. And in this body, I am the oldest one. 'Ah, so this is how you want to play the game?' She asked me back. 'Nah, I am not playing any game with you. You are always cheating.' I heard her take a shocked breath to reply. 'How you dare to say something like that about me? I never cheat.' I could sense that now she feels insulted. 'I could say that because you are my sister and I love you. Plus, you know I am always teasing you and joking with you.' I gave her my mental laugh and tried to fix it with her. The only thing I earned back was her mhmm before she went back to her place in my mind. I guess I would have some fixing to do later. 'You could bet on that.' She commented before she closed herself away from me. It made me chuckle. Older or not sometimes she was so sweet when acting like a spoiled child.

  I had already arrived at the shop of Madam Rosewoods and slowly entered. "Good morning misses Rosie." I greeted her. Don't ask me why but yes, her name was Rosie Rosewoods. Funny right? She was a decent lady about fifty years old. Her husband died a few years ago shortly after I arrived at my clearing deep in the woods. If I would come a few months earlier I could save him. Now she is alone just with her only son helping with the huge orchards. But even now you could see in her face that she had to be very beautiful in her young age and she still keeps her energy and smile. Her green emerald eyes didn't lose the spark and despite some grey hair locks, most of her hair still kept their red color. It was like a fire laced with snow. It looks mystical if you ask me.

  "Good morning my dear." She greeted me back. "I am glad you came. I already finished the lavender soap and blackberry shampoo. Also, your Melissa tea and your herbal face mask. And if you have those sleeping herbs that would be great." She even didn't let me put my back down before she informed me about all she wanted for herself. I was glad that she liked my products because if she liked them all the citizens like them too. Rosie was a much-respected person and her opinion is sacred here. I am really grateful she approved me a few years ago and let me stay here every two weeks when I came to sell my stuff. I could even leave the rest with her and just collect the money or goods on my next visit.

  "Thank you misses Rosie. For sure I have all you want. You don't know how much I am grateful for you and glad that you like my stuff." I spoke to her while taking off my backpack and slowly taking out all she wanted. "Oh, my dear believe me we are thankful for you. None of those expensive and chemical cosmetics could compete with yours. And with your medicines, I am sure even my late husband would be still here." She took me into a strong hug. "Witch or not, we should thank the Lord that he brought you to us." I am not sure who exactly that Lord she talks about is. But from what I learned it had something to do with their own religion and that building they called the church.

  Chapter 3

  REI'S POV:

  During the several hours, I sold most of my stuff with just a few cosmetics left and some herbal tea. I decided to leave earlier and leave the rest here in the shop. I am sure Rosie would use or sell it. "Rosie I would leave for today. Thank you very much for your hospitality." I told her while I was filling my back.

  Rosie already stuffed me with jams and syrups she produced with some fresh fruits I liked. Other citizens brought me some eggs, vegetables, some meat products like sausages, and salami, others brought milk with three different kinds of cheese. It was enough for me all month and even more than I could usually place into my backpack. But since I am used to their generosity and in the woods, I don't need any money. I already altered my backpack so the capacity could be actually extended if needed, which was honestly needed every time I visited. So, I collected all the given stuff, placing all inside the back with eggs as the last thing and prepared myself for the way back. As I said my goodbye to Mrs. Rosie, I headed to the main door to leave. I was pretty happy today. My freezer started to be pretty full so I was sure I would have nice supplies for winter. My basement already holds a lot of potatoes, onions, garlic, and other things that could be stored for a very long time. During winter I don't go to the city very often.

  The snow here is sometimes really too high and if I would travel during those times it would be suspicious. A normal human wouldn't be able to travel during high snow. Freezer I got from Rosie. It was her idea when I came to the city as a child with my products. When she saw me, she wanted me to stay with her. I had to lie about my age to make myself a bit older. But I guess she always knew. That summer a few citizens led by Rosie came to my cottage and checked all I needed. There was an old road they sometimes used so we cleared it and they brought everything by truck. That was almost six years ago. I would never forget their generosity and would try to repay it with whatever I could.

  The moment I opened the door of the shop Maat stopped me. 'There is a werewolf nearby.' She informed me. I slowly closed the door behind me and sniffed the air. She was right. The scent was sweet yet muscular. It was like a strawberry mixed with the freshly cut wood. It was amazing and my first instinct was to follow the scent. 'It's intoxicated.' I commented on the smell when I finally got control over my senses again. 'Yes, I feel it too. It's hard to fight the urge to follow the owner. Meeting any wolf is dangerous for us. We should head back.' She answered back and as we both felt the pull towards this amazing smell with the huge self-control we resisted and headed quickly back to the woods holding the breath. We ran away from this place.

  The moment I disappeared behind the first row of trees I looked around carefully to see if someone was around just in case anyone got lost here. Since it was clear I started to run as fast as I could. I had to be careful not to damage my new goods but also had to run away fast. I already spent several hours in the city for several hours and my scent masking oils and soaps were fading off. I was lucky to actually leave the shop two hours earlier than I normally do. Thanks to Goddess I sold everything quickly today. Since I set a higher speed, I was home in less than an hour. I organized all the good I brought before I headed to the pool to clean my hair and body from the dye and oil. 'Maat?' I called my sister. 'I am here.' She answered as I was slowly drowning myself inside the pool for the fifth or sixth time. 'Do you think we would
always live alone here in these woods?' I asked a serious question and could see how Maat is thinking about the answer. 'I don't know how to answer this, my dear.' She replied but I felt this is not all she wants to say. 'I would say no. One day we would meet our mate and he would take care of us. But at the same time, I am not sure we could trust anyone or anyone could actually protect us.' I was also thinking about her answer.

  She was right. I am still young and didn't even touch the bottoms of my powers or my abilities. Since I am living alone in the woods, I have limited options to train and protect myself. I was left alone too young to have any serious combat training. Yes, I could hunt very well. I could kill cougars with my bare hands but I doubt that would be enough to protect myself from the fully trained warriors of any pack not to mention the fact to protect my possible new pack. 'I guess we are better off by ourselves.' I closed the discussion after a long time of thinking. I was sitting near the bank for maybe like thirty minutes now, trying to clean my hair with the help of Maat. Now I was just sitting there, looking at my silver hair and thinking about the scent I smell down in the city.

  This scent was so different, so sweet, so dangerous, so warm. I felt Maat rolling her eyes on my thoughts and better closed herself back in my mind. I was left completely alone, which was never a problem before. But now, I felt lonely. I wanted to talk to that stranger but at the same time, I was afraid. What if they hurt me? What if they get hurt because of me? But then there was that sweet smell. I guess I want to meet the owner of that scent.

  The thought of another wolf made me suddenly feel so lonely.

  It was already dark and I felt tired. 'Let's go get some rest, Maat.' I told her as I wanted to sleep. But she gave me her puppy eyes pleading for letting her run. 'It's deep dark. Today is not even the moon in the sky and we are safe here. I promise I will stay around just let me free.' She begged me. I could sense her frustration and I understood but today was dangerous. 'Maat, please, try to wait till tomorrow. I covered my scent but the one in the city was definitely a werewolf. What would we do if he finds us?' I tried to explain to her and let her understand our situation. In another way, today would be the perfect day for her to run and enjoy. But now I was more afraid of what if they find us

  Chapter 4

  CALEN'S POV:

  'How the hell did I end up in this by Goddess’s forgotten place.' I complained to my wolf Thoth. 'Stop whining. We are here to check the location if it’s a good place to move our pack.' Thoth scolded me back. He was right. Since human cities are growing rapidly, they need more space and cutting down a huge amount of woods. We had a big territory but the city borders are closer every month and we already had to be more careful showing our nature.

  A few months ago, there was an accident when one of the human hunters was close to our territory and just out of fear shot one of my pack members in his wolf form. Thank Goddess, he thought it was just a regular wolf so he didn't use any silver bullets so my warrior healed in a matter of minutes. But because of that, we decided to move all our packs. I sent scouts to different parts of this country and even neighboring countries to check the location that looked deserted on the map. This location is one of three with only a few small cities around and very far from any highway. It would give us plenty of space for our wolf forms to run around without being worried to be seen.

  As you guessed I am the Alpha of my pack. My name is Calen Auburn. I am twenty-six years old currently single. I would say I am pretty handsome with my ash-colored hair, icy blue eyes, and with my six-pack. “Don’t be too cocky, you moron.” My wolf commented. “Don’t be jealous just because I am not talking about your wolf.” I laughed at him. So, as you could see I am very sexy and for sure when I finally get my mate she would be on her knees, I am sure about that. “When you meet our mate, you would be on your knees and scared to even talk to her.” Thoth snapped at me back. Well, he was partly right. Till now, I actually even didn’t date any woman, not like I couldn’t. As I said I am a sexy guy and many women and girls offered themselves to me but I didn’t want to.

  I already checked myself the previous two locations for our new home and this was the last one. My warriors were now checking the surroundings of this tiny city and the woods north from here looked promising also. So far this is the best location to choose to move my pack. 'We could buy the land north from here. And as it shows on the map, we could get hundreds or even thousands of square kilometers of land. It's completely intact. We could even grow as a pack.' Thoth informed me in our mind link. 'Yes, you are right. So far this area is the least intact and it is huge enough to give us space to grow in numbers.' I agreed with him. As I was roaming the city a very vague scent hit my nose. It was the most beautiful scent I smelled but it was mixed with something that masked the essence of this and made it feel weird. At the same time, I wanted to follow it but also turn and leave. Does it even make sense? It was alluring yet I couldn't catch it properly. 'It's a werewolf' Thoth informed me, 'but somehow it's very confusing. It’s masking itself.'

  'What do you mean masking itself?' I didn't understand what Thoth meant. 'But does that mean there is already a pack in this area?' I was confused. So far there was no registered pack in this location. 'No.' Thoth confirmed my information. 'I smell rogue. He doesn't have the pack and by masking, I mean he uses something to change his scent to not be seen as a werewolf and also make you feel you want to run the opposite way. By the sweetness in the scent, I assume it is a female.' Thoth explained to me what he was able to read from the scent. He was also curious about this especially since we couldn't identify it properly. I could sense that for him it is now a game of a cat and a mouse. He loved to hunt and the owner of this smell now becomes our prey.

  I followed the smell to the shop nearby called Madam Rosewoods. I opened the door and entered. "Good evening madam." I greeted her politely. It was a lady I would guess about fifty or maybe a bit over fifty. Her shop smelled sweet from fruits and I could see different jars full of jams I assumed by the smells and syrups. But the previous scent was stronger in this place despite the sweetness of fruits. 'It is not her. Ask who was here.' Thoth almost ordered me. I could feel his impatience. "Good evening mister. How could I help you?" She answered politely to my greeting. I took one more deep breath to smell all the scents here. 'Some herbs. They don't belong here.' I commented when I smelled the air properly. "There was someone with herbs not long ago." I tried to ask by putting together the small pieces of information I had. Either there was someone like that or not but worth a try. "Yes sir. You just missed her." She answered me but not before she checked me properly from head to toe.

  Surprisingly I got it right. "You could tell me more about her please?" I asked politely. 'Well let her speak about her more.' My wolf approved the tactic. "She is coming to this city twice a month to sell her herbs, medicine, and cosmetics. She is better than any modern doctor nowadays." She explained to me. "Ah, sadly I missed her. I guess I would use some of her herbs and medicines." I tried to encourage her to say more. "Well. You could either wait two weeks to catch her here or if you are a good hiker you could go directly to her cottage north from the city. Just follow the stream." That was way easier than I expected. "But I need to warn you, sir. Some residents here believe she is a witch. Well, she is very good with herbs and all those things so she might actually be one." She laughs for herself at that comment. "You believe that she is a witch?" I asked her directly.

  She stopped laughing and her face features change from amused to serious and I could see she is deeply in her thoughts. "Well, as you could see sir this city is very old, and we have our myths and legends. We believe in witches, werewolves, and even vampires. Our city has a legend about a spirit wolf that appeared once every five hundred years to lead all magical creatures and fix whatever problems they have. These woods are sacred for us." I believed her about what she said and especially the part about the spirit wolf caught my attention. My mother used to tell me stories about him also.

 
At the town hall, I saw the crest of our royal werewolf’s pack which was a golden wolf. Their other crests contain the ornaments from the oldest witch coven. Both mean that this city has a history of both species. It is very interesting. "Do you think she is a witch," I spoke directly about the conclusion I got from her answer. She gave me a smile. "Witch or not all is just folklore and legends made up by our ancestors. But that girl is definitely skillful. If you need medical help or herbs, I could only recommend her." She avoided my question completely with a smooth answer. I could say she knows something and my wolf only confirmed that. I gave her a smile as I softly bowed my head and turned to leave. "Thank you for the pleasant conversation misses?" "Rosie, you could call me misses Rosie." Her smile widened. "Thank you misses Rosie." I think the name of the shop was Madam Rosewoods. Don't tell me her name is Rosie Rosewoods. 'I bet on that' Thoth answered to me as we both smiled mentally.

  As I left the shop, I mind linked with my warriors. "Guys I would be off in the woods for some time. There might be an interesting present for me." I said amused and excited. "Yes sir. We should stay here and wait or should we follow?" Andrew, my gamma asked. "No. Wait here. I don't sense any danger and if something happens, I would call you directly." I ordered Andrew and he didn't push more. So far, I am the strongest wolf in our pack so they know I could protect myself. "Park the car out of the city. Make it look like we left for the night and go a few kilometers north-east. We would camp there overnight." I instructed them before I took over to the woods. "Roger Alfa." I heard their unison in our mind link.