The Missing Wolf: The Familiar Empire Series

by Bailey, G.

  I cough a few times as I wake up, and it’s only then I realise the smoke wasn’t in my dreams, it’s in my room. My window is open, and I run to it, looking outside to see a big fire in the distance.

  “Alex! Liam! Mason!” I scream, rushing out my room and pulling on some jeans. I tug my hoodie on just as the guys come out their rooms and rush down the stairs, clearly seeing the fire.

  “No, you need to stay here.” Alex stops me on the stairs as I try to go down.

  “I can help, I’m a nurse in training, and if anyone is burnt—”

  “You aren’t leaving, Tassie!” he shouts at me, and I flinch as I step back, feeling tears in the corner of my eye. He looks like he regrets shouting at me, but he doesn’t say anything as he turns around and heads down the stairs. Mason and Liam are already out the door, and I look out just in time to see Mason jump on Hex’s back, and they take off into the sky. Liam runs and side jumps on Silver at his side, and who knows where Alex is as he is gone. Shadow walks through the door, and against my better—likely smarter—judgement, I walk to Shadow.

  “Will you take me to the fire? I think we can help. I don’t think we should let the guys tell us what do any longer, not in this case,” I ask him, and he answers by leaning down. Feeling nervous, I climb on Shadow, gripping his fur tightly as he stands up. This reminds me of the first weird dream I had, where I was riding Shadow just like this. Shadow bolts out of the door and runs through the trees. I almost smile from the joy of riding Shadow like this as he jumps over logs, never once making me feel like I’m going to fall off. I keep my head bowed down as we get closer to the main part of town, which is half on fire. People are screaming and running away, everything is in chaos as my eyes sting from the smoke. Shadow stops near a building just as I hear the scream of someone, someone who sounds like a female child.

  “Can you hear that? Can you find her?” I ask Shadow, knowing his senses are better than mine. Shadow takes off, dodging the buildings and other people until he stops at a house right in the centre of town, next to the library. I hear the child scream for help once more, and I climb off Shadow. “I’m going in. Stay here, okay?”

  Shadow cries, but I ignore him, running through the open door and into a living room half on fire. I head to the stairs, holding my hand over my mouth as I duck down. I crawl up the stairs, searching the landing and spotting a door with a kid’s sign on it. I crawl over, avoiding the thick smoke above me, and push the door open. I spot legs on the other side of the room as I close the door, and the light flickers on. It’s not a kid’s room at all, it’s a balcony, and I’m not alone.

  A big, the size of Shadow big, white wolf stands on the other end of the balcony. Like the world slows down, Bethany steps around the white wolf and smiles at me.

  She doesn’t look like my sister in her purple leather trousers, a black top and a leather jacket hanging off her. My sister looks cold and emotionless as she stares at me.

  “Bethany?” I question, and she nods as tears prick my eyes.

  “This is Dawn, my familiar. I turned the same day as you. Funny that,” she answers, but she sounds so emotionless…so distant.

  “Funny?” I repeat as she walks right up to me. “It doesn’t matter. I missed you and—” I scream as she slams something small but sharp into my neck, holds it for just a second, and then pulls it back. My legs give out from under me as I fall to the floor, and Bethany leans down, softly pushing some of my hair away from my eyes. I hear the sounds of two wolves fighting, growling and snapping in the distance. I’m sure, as the world fades into darkness, I hear Bethany whisper to me.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Pre-Order the next book in the series, The Dying Wolf, here.

  Note From The Author.

  Hello my lovely readers.

  Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I hope you enjoyed the start of my new series, The Familiar Empire Series! The Missing Wolf is a story I feel like I’ve been working on for a long time and don’t worry, I’m already writing the next book!

  I’ve planned for three books in this series.

  The Dying wolf is on pre-order here.

  A big thank you to my family and everyone that supported me with this book! Thank you to my wonderful Pack Leaders for everything. <3

  Especially Helayna and Mads! They are my life savers.

  You’re all amazing and I couldn’t do this without you guys.

  Happy Reading!! G. xoxo

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  Consequence. Find out more…

  Excerpt of Tales & Time

  The squawking of dozens of crows makes my eyes shoot open, seeing the green grass I’m lying on as it brushes against my cheek. It’s so dark that it’s all I can think about as I lift my head. I can hear the terrible squawking above me, it’s so loud that I can’t do anything but look where it’s coming from. I search the dark sky and see the dozens of crows flying around my head. They fly in a circle, so I can only just see the stars through the wings and black feathers that fall around me. The cold wind blows against the black dress I’m wearing, and I can smell fire in the distance. I reach a hand out as the feathers suddenly start catching fire around me, the wind making them swirl around me in a vortex of fire and feathers.

  “Sleep and save, sleep and save,” the words seem to come from the crows, but I know that’s impossible because crows can’t talk. The words just keep getting louder, mixing with the squawking, the fire, and the feathers until everything is a blur. I hold my hands over my ears as it gets impossible to even think over the noise, and I scream.

  “Happy birthday,” my parents shout in unison as they walk into my bedroom, waking me up from another weird dream that I try to forget. Again. I’ve been having dreams of crows and the same thing for over a year, and the dreams just get more and more real. Not that any of it makes sense, and I’m not about to explain the dreams to my parents; it would just freak them out.

  “I can’t believe the day is finally here,” my mum says, looking excited as I sit up in bed. My mum doesn’t look her age, but it likely has something to do with how beautiful she is. Everyone says we look similar as I have her chocolate brown hair and matching brown eyes, but I don’t see it otherwise. I’m average looking compared to my mum, I think, though my boyfriend disagrees. My mum is the beauty queen who loves make-up and dresses, and I’m the tomboy who prefers messy buns and my favourite Dorito-stained hoodie. My dad has wavy blond hair and a constant playful expression, even this early in the morning. It’s clear they both just got out of bed, as they are still in their dressing gowns, and I wonder for a second how anyone can be so bouncy so damn early.

  “What day is it?” I say, yawning as I try to come around to reality and the fact I’m not sleeping when I should be.

  “Your birthday, of course! We need you to open this, alone, and then come find us. We will answer everything then,” my mum cryptically states, and I just gape at her. My parents have never woken me up with presents in my room…this is weird. They usually give me chocolate cake with candles on it in bed and presents later. Yet, there is no cake.

  “We should have brought her a cup of coffee. She looks like a zombie from The Walking Dead,” my dad chuckles, wrapping an arm around my mum’s waist.

  “What are you guys going on about? It’s too damn early for riddles, dad,” I reply with a groan, and dad just grins before turning around and heading out the door for a second. I flash my mum a confused look as she bounces on the spot in excitement, and I look back as dad returns with a big b
ox. It’s a present box wrapped in light blue paper.

  “Just open the present and then come downstairs,” he tells me and walks out the door, with my mum shutting it behind them. I’m seventeen, and there’s no cake for breakfast like last year? That sucks. I look at the box and decide to have a shower before opening whatever is in there. I am hoping for a car, but that doesn’t seem likely somehow with a box this size. I grab some clothes before showering and spending ages drying my long hair. I need another haircut. I look in the mirror and shrug at my pale complexion and freckle-covered face. Seventeen, and I still look like a kid. I glance at my phone when I come back into my bedroom, seeing dozens of Facebook messages from friends at school wishing me a happy birthday, when it suddenly rings. I smile at the handsome face on the screen before answering the call.

  “Hey, Madi. Happy birthday!” Quinton, my boyfriend, says down the line in a cheery voice. He is one of those morning people too.

  “Morning, Quin, and thank you,” I reply, hearing his laugh.

  “Are you eating chocolate cake yet?” he asks. Quinton has been my friend since we were little, and then we started dating a year ago when our friendship just turned into something more. I knew I loved him as more than a friend when he climbed through my window, like he did every weekend, but seeing him soaking wet from the rain he must have walked an hour in to get to my house, and the look I remember him giving me, changed things. That night changed everything between us, and neither of us would change a thing about it now. I love him.

  “Nope, no cake today. I’m not happy,” I say, making him chuckle.

  “Aw, I will bring you cake later and your present,” he replies.

  “You didn’t have to get me anything,” I gently say.

  “You’re my girlfriend, so yeah I did,” he tells me. To be honest, I would be happy with the cake as he really didn’t need to get me anything. Quinton works part-time to afford food for himself, his sister, and his mum, as she can’t work. Not by choice, but her love of alcohol gets her fired from every job she has ever had, and the moment Quinton could work to help them, she didn’t stop him.

  “Meet you at school in an hour, yeah?” he asks. I look at the box on my bed, knowing I might as well open it and then escape to school to see Quin.

  “Sure,” I reply to him, yawning loudly. Maybe I could take a nap today as well.

  “Oh, and Sleepy?” he says, using that damn nickname that he and only four other people made up once and it stuck.

  “Yes, Quin?” I reply, trying not to yawn to prove the nickname’s point as I’m still tired.

  “Actually, it doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you later. Bye, Sleepy,” he says, his tone a little off. I frown as the line cuts off before I can reply to him. I wonder why he is being weird? I shake my head, sliding my phone into my back pocket as I walk back over to the box. I pick it up and sit on the bed before undoing the ribbon. I lift the lid off the box, and inside is an old gold book. That is certainly not a car. The book has a symbol on the front that is a half-moon in a circle with flowers and swirls inside the moon. There’s a cat drawn sitting on the moon, its head looking up at the top of the moon. Why the hell would they give me an old book with a cat on it, when I’m allergic to cats? Actually, I’m more than just allergic. Cats have a habit of going crazy when I’m near them and trying to bite or chase me. Cats are my enemies…and my parents know this.

  I reach my hands in and pick the book up, surprised by how heavy it is as I place it on my lap after pushing the box onto the bed. I open the cover slowly; the pages are made of thick, soft material that I don’t really recognize. The moment I look down at the first page, it starts to glow a soft gold colour, and my hands suddenly feel locked onto the book as the gold glow starts travelling over my hands. I scream in a panic, trying to let the damn book go, but it doesn’t work; my hands feel tied to the book no matter what I do. I stand up, trying to shake the book away, but that doesn’t work. I hear a strange, sweet noise as I run to the door then look down at the open book as I realise the book is making the sound. The book starts to get blurry only seconds before I feel myself falling back while hearing a deep voice shouting words so fast I can just barely catch them:

  Two hundred years since the last descendant rose, and a beauty that only sleeps is found. For sleep makes beauty possible, and sleep is needed to break the curse. Only her heart can save us from the curse. Only a Sleeping Beauty descendant can stop what is to come.

  I snap my eyes open and drop the book, moving back until I fall onto my bed and stare down at the book on the floor. What the hell is wrong with it?

  When I move my arm to wrap it around myself, I realise it hurts slightly. Looking down, I see the half-moon in a circle tattooed in the middle of my wrist, the one off the cover of that book—and the damn cat on it. I have a cat tattoo when cats hate me…flipping brilliant. Quin is going to laugh his head off or think I’m crazy when I explain how I got it. I’ve always wanted a tattoo, but not this way…or of a bloody cat of all things. I get off the bed, keeping my eyes on the creepy book until I get to the door, and I only look away to open it. When I glance back at the book, it disappears into gold dust. I try not to scream as I run out the door like the book itself is chasing me. I jog down the stairs as fast as I can and into the kitchen where my mum is cutting a big chocolate cake on the counter.

  “Oh my god, she is a descendant!” my mum exclaims as her eyes lock on me, and she runs over, pulling me into her arms. I look over at dad sat on the stool, reading his newspaper like he does every morning. Like nothing just happened. What the flipping hell is a descendant?

  “What is going on, mum? What is that possessed book that gave me a tattoo and disappeared into dust?” I ask, pulling away from her. “Wait, that makes me sound crazy…but that book is not right!” My mum lets me go a little, squeezing my shoulders, and she looks over to my dad, clearly giving him a look that suggests he answer.

  “It’s our family book, and it is not possessed. The book is just full of ancient magic from the first of our kind. It appears on the birthday of every descendant in our line and disappears when they have opened it,” he says and then turns the page in his newspaper like he is explaining an everyday event.

  “That makes a lot of sense,” I say drily, and he laughs loudly, finally putting the paper down.

  “So, what is the damn cat and moon tattoo on my wrist? Is someone going to explain the tattoo with another crazy story?” I ask, holding out my wrist, and my parents look at each other with a small smile.

  “Yes, we will,” my mum states, sounding proud and glancing at my wrist. “Your grandmother is going to be so happy, she thought that you might get the powers one day,” mum says with a massive smile.

  “No, we will never hear the end of how your mother was right again, you mean,” Dad groans.

  “What powers? Can someone just explain what the hell is going on?” I snap, placing my hands on my hips, and mum puts an arm around my shoulders in comfort. Even with how freaked out I am, my parents just instantly calm me somehow.

  “Let’s go and sit down. It’s a long story and one I have waited so long to tell you, Madi,” she says gently. I have a feeling whatever this story is might change everything.