My heart and mind were torn. Part of me craved to be near Wyatt, and I found myself exiting the tent even as my mind recoiled at the idea of being near him.
Outside, the sun was setting, and the mountains seemed to glow like it wore a halo. Wyatt sat by the fire staring into it like it held all of the answers of the Universe. He was alone, and I went over, sticking my hands out toward the flames to warm them. It was chilly in the low light. The smoke came at me like an old friend, but I wanted to put it out. Even though we were in Wyoming's openness, the fire still contributed to pollution, and I didn’t want to be a part of that, especially since we didn’t have anything to cook. But I didn’t say anything. In fact, I felt stupid for thinking about it.
When had I become such a tree hugger? “Thanks for all you did to help our team today. Without you, none of us would be here.”
Wyatt didn’t look at me, but I saw a wisp of a smile lift his lips. “Anytime,” he said. Then he patted the spot on the log next to him. “Sit by me. There’s something I need to tell you.” His face remained serious.
Nerves fluttered in my belly. What could he possibly need to say? “Sure.” I sat down, careful not to squish Oakus. He was now in my sweatpants pocket, and I hoped no one said anything about the bulge because I had no explanation. “What’s up?”
He looked at me. “Diana,” he said. “Did you know she was the goddess of the moon?”
Even in the fading light, he was glorious. I worked hard not to be awestruck by him, but it was difficult. “Uh, yeah. My mom mentioned it once or twice when I was growing up.” If that was all he wanted to talk about, then I had no reason to worry.
Wyatt cleared his throat. “The other night when you were—”
“Wyatt! Diana! On your feet.”
Whatever Wyatt intended to say was cut off by Logan, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere. I was curious whether it was his job to remain just out of sight but still close enough to keep an eye on us. Made sense.
“What do you want?” Wyatt asked, his voice sounding bored and slightly irritated. He didn’t move to stand.
“Don’t talk to me like that, initiate,” Logan snapped.
Wyatt’s relaxed attitude tightened up, his body flexed, and I saw a wisp of his wolf. There was something between these two, but I didn’t know what.
I stood, putting my hands at my sides, keeping one arm in front of the bulky pocket that contained Oakus.
Wyatt carefully unfolded himself, adjusting his pants and crossing his arms. The feelings rolling off him were palpable, and they were filled with anger. Logan may be a Rasa Warrior, but I had no doubt Wyatt could take him in a fight.
“Good dog,” Logan said.
I heard Wyatt clamp his teeth together.
“Now,” Logan went on. “It’s time to start your third test.”
As he spoke, a starting line appeared to the right of me and the left of Logan. It materialized out of thin air. Startled, I found myself leaning into Wyatt.
Billie, Fallon, and Penelope came out of the tent, confusion and nervousness evident on their faces. Fallon quickly stuffed the last of whatever he was eating into his mouth.
“What’s the test?” Wyatt asked, his eyes lasered on Logan.
Logan smiled, and it was malicious. I didn’t like him. I decided that right then. Whoever he was to Wyatt, Logan wasn’t a good guy. “Your team will be divided in half. The hunters and the hunted.” He looked at me when he said the last part.
The holographic screen appeared above Logan’s head. It was divided into two categories. Team Hunters and Team Hunted. Before he spoke, I saw for myself what was about to happen. A zing of fear shot through me. If Wyatt’s team wanted to win, they could easily do so. And that would put me in last place again. I had no doubt. My wolf demanded I run away, but I needed to stay to hear the rules. Didn’t I?
“The Hunters team will be Wyatt Wright, Fallon Gibson, Penelope Smythe, and Billie Jean Rivera,” Logan said. “And the Hunted will be Vivian Anders, Cohen Timpkins, Holly Spangle, and Moonlight Valene.” When he spoke, his smile got so big, I could see all of his teeth. They seemed to glow in the dark they were so bright.
“Rules,” Wyatt barked. It was apparent he wasn’t happy with the turn of events.
Neither was I.
“I’m getting to them,” Logan said. He was enjoying this way too much. “This is a timed test that ends when all four of the Hunted are captured or if the Hunted capture three flags and return them here.” As he spoke, he looked up at the screen.
The columns showing who was on which team vanished and were replaced by a map. There was a large red dot. It flashed or throbbed like a beating heart.
“This is the Academy. If the Hunted secure the three flags and return them before they are captured by the Hunters, the game is over. It’s majority rules. If three of the Hunted are captured, then the fourth is out by default. If all three flags are found and returned to the Academy before three of the Hunted are captured, then the Hunted team wins, and the test is over. Does that make sense?”
“What about the rest of Diana’s team?” Penelope asked. “It isn’t fair that they don’t know the rules.”
“After I finish here, I’ll tell them. I know where they are,” Logan said, his smirk growing.
“Well, shouldn’t Diana?” Fallon asked.
“You guys seem way too concerned about what’s going on with the opposing team.” His features went cold. “Diana will be given a ten-minute head start. She will also be given a map with the location of the flags. You four will wait here until the timer runs out.” As he spoke, the map on the screen disappeared and was replaced by a large timer with ten minutes on it. “Here’s the map, Diana,” Logan said, handing me a piece of folded paper.
According to the map on the screen, I knew which direction I needed to go for the first flag and tucked the map in my pocket.
“Sorry, Diana,” Penelope said.
“It’s okay. I know it isn’t personal.” I shrugged, catching a look at Wyatt out of the corner of my eye. The man wasn’t happy. He seemed torn between wanting to help me and wanting to win. I could relate.
But I had to do my best. I didn’t want to come in last, not if I could help it.
Wyatt whispered in my ear. “Shift into your wolf, you’ll be faster.”
I looked into his eyes. They were beautiful and so full of… what? I wanted to ask him what he’d been about to tell me, but there wasn’t time. Plus, his idea of shifting was a good one. If only I could.
“Time starts in three, two, one,” Logan said.
The timer began counting down.
“Go, Diana,” Wyatt hollered.
I took off, whipping past the others and Logan and heading toward the Shade Rasa.
Chapter Thirteen
As I ran, I thought about my wolf, begging her to show herself. Transform, I kept thinking, but it wouldn’t happen. Oakus climbed out of my pocket and scurried up to my shoulder. It was probably three minutes before I reached the edge of the forest. My body wanted to slow, but my mind pushed on. The flags represented the colors of the houses. They were royal blue, emerald green, and raspberry red. The one closest to me was the red one.
Once I crossed into the Shade, Oakus, who’d been quiet, suddenly began to chitter loudly. I lifted him off my shoulder. “What’s wrong?” I asked, caressing him carefully. His big eyes studied me like they were desperate for me to understand, but I didn’t.
Except maybe, now that he was back in the forest, he wanted to go back to his mom and dad. The prospect terrified me, but I squatted, setting him on the ground. As soon as I did, he took off, and my heart sank.
But after he ran a few feet, he stopped and turned back.
“Go on, then,” I said, thinking he’d probably been missing his parents.
He shook his head and waved me over. I took a tentative step, knowing I needed to hurry. Before I went further, I removed the map from my pocket. It was pretty much dark, but I could see well
enough with my wolf abilities and worked to unfold it. What I saw filled me with dread. Both sides of the paper were blank. No map!
“Figures,” I said, thinking Logan was trying to sabotage me. There was no way I could win without a map. The Shade was scary enough. But at night and without direction.
Oakus returned and climbed up my body until he rested on my shoulder. Then he touched my face. In a flash, I saw in my mind the green flag.
“You know where it is?” That seemed impossible. The monster had been with me the whole time.
At my words, he climbed down and started forward into the forest again. Then stopped and urged me to follow.
“Alright.” I started after him.
It was better to believe Oakus knew where he was going. That gave me hope, and hope was better than nothing at all.
He scurried quickly along the ground over fallen leaves and under bushes almost until I couldn’t see him anymore before he stopped and waited. If only I could shift. I tried to relax and make my wolf come out, but the harder I tried, the further away my wolf and Oakus seemed to get.
In the quiet of the night, I heard the howl of several wolves. I froze and listened, wishing I understood what they were saying. Oakus chittered loudly at my feet, pulling on the edge of my sweatpants. I hurried on until we were deep in the forest. The trees and brush grew so close together. I began to feel claustrophobic. To see my monster friend, I had to push away the branches. What if there were spiders or something worse beneath the canopy of underbrush, and I wouldn’t know until it was too late? It was that question that hung in my mind as I came upon the first flag.
“Victory,” I whispered, and ran over to it. The flag had been hung on a tree branch, its red color sticking out like a ruby shadow against the darkness of the night. I plucked it from its place and tucked it into my waistband. Then bent over so Oakus could step into my hands. “You’re brilliant,” I told him. He made some sounds that I guessed were him talking. Of course, I had no idea what he was saying, but he was so freaking cute, it didn’t matter. I nuzzled my cheek against him. The looked at him. “Think you can take me to the next one?”
Before Oakus could scurry off my hand, the sound of growling and a high pitched whining permeated the dry air. Frightened, I placed Oakus on my shoulder and ran in the direction of the noises.
After several minutes, I came upon the scene. Three wolves were snapping and attacking a… My mind worked to comprehend. It was a monster. Something out of a nightmare. With the face of a snake and the body of a wolf. There are patches of what looked like snakeskin, the areas smooth while the rest of it was covered in fur. On either side of its mouth are enormous fangs, just like Oakus. And I wondered if this was mama monster searching for her baby.
“Does this monster belong to you?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
In response, Oakus dashed down my body and in the direction of the monster.
My first thought was sadness that my friend had taken off and left me. But as the wolves barked, snarled, and snapped at the massive creature, I worried they would hurt him. With a speed I wasn’t prepared for, I hurried after Oakus. The closer I got, the scarier the monster became, but I shoved away my fears and focused on my friend.
Until one of the wolves, a black and white one, leaped at the monster, its mouth open. Then everything slowed down. The giant creature noticed the wolf and focused its attention there. When the wolf was within reach, the monster grabbed the wolf out of thin air, wrapping one of its clawed hands around the wolf’s neck and shaking. It growled and hissed, bringing the wolf in so that I thought the monster intended to eat the wolf.
“No!” The word left my mouth before I realized it.
The creatures all turned my direction, but only briefly. Then the monster dripped something from its fang onto the black and white wolf before tossing it away like a piece of rotten meat. The wolf hit a tree with a crack and a thud before disappearing under the brush.
All of my senses heightened at once. My wolf rushed out of me. Then I was running. So fast, the trees and bushes were flying by in a blur. But I didn’t slow until I passed the wolves, putting myself between them and the terrifying creature in front of me.
When I came to a halt, the thing lowered its head, its forked tongue coming out as if it wanted to taste my fear. But there wasn’t any. My head dropped, as well. If I had to, I would ram it.
It growled, staring me down and dug its claws into the dirt. I wished there was some way to tell the creature I wouldn’t hurt it if it went away and left us alone.
Please stop, I called out with my mind.
The thing physically relaxed and tilted its head to one side. I mean you no harm. The words collided inside my mind.
I shook them away, thinking I must be hearing things. You hurt one of the wolves, I reiterated, glancing off in the direction the wolf had been sent. Part of me didn’t want to believe I was communicating with the monster. It had to be a mistake. Or a coincidence.
Yes, but only when she came after me first. It shook its head. I am Kya, and I am searching for my baby. It was out hunting with my mate several days ago, but neither has returned. These wolves came upon me. I’m guessing I startled them. Our Mother Earth demands we leave all of our blood descendants alone unless provoked.” Her tongue slithered from her mouth. I was provoked and only defending myself. But if I discover one of your kind killed my mate, then there will be war.
One of the wolves howled. It was brown and black and as large, if not larger than Wyatt’s wolf.
I turned to see it was pacing back and forth, unsure about what to do. The wolves had me at a disadvantage. Since my wolf was silver, everyone knew who I was while I only knew very few wolves at the Academy.
The other one, whose fur was tan and white, barked and whined before taking off.
The one that remained paused and growled, flashing all of its teeth.
I barked at it, trying to tell it everything was okay.
Its ears perked up, and he shook his enormous head. Diana? He growled again, and before I could acknowledge him, he charged the monster.
Cohen! I shouted his name as he ran past me, but he didn’t stop.
The monster was prepared for his attack and smacked him away like the other one as if he were nothing more than a gnat.
You killed them. Anger burned brightly inside my mind, and I felt part of myself detach and leave my body.
The monster leaned back, her eyes on whatever part of myself hovered above me. I prepared to attack and kill it for what it’d done, but Oakus was suddenly there, his little body standing between us.
She is my mother, he said into my mind. Then he turned to his mother and said, She is my friend. Stop fighting. Please.
Some of my anger subsided.
Kya forgot all about me and leaned down so that Oakus could climb into outstretched and sharply clawed hands. He climbed in, and she nuzzled him. My baby, she cooed.
I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t let the monster get away with killing my teammates. There had to be some sort of rule against that. At the same time, I didn’t want to hurt Oakus’s mother.
After several moments, Kya tucked her child onto her back, where he snuggled and promptly fell asleep. I was happy for him, but sad too. I already loved the little guy. Kya then studied me. You are Moonlight, one of the chosen, she said into my mind.
I nodded.
Let me help you remember your destiny.
Before I could tell her that wasn’t necessary, one of her claws touched the point directly between my eyes. A vision opened up. I was lying on the ground, and a beautiful woman with white-blond hair came forward, her head crowned with daisies and her feet bare. She showed me all of her monsters and spoke words that seemed to travel through my mind and exit before I could take hold of them.
Except for the types of monsters and what they meant. Lupangus. That was what Oakus and Kya were. There were two other kinds as well. Sanguilamia and Equmagiranae. From the Lupangus mo
nsters came the wolf bloods. Sanguilamia were the vampire bloods, and Equmagiranae were the magic bloods.
The information appeared and took root in my head like it had been buried deep in my subconscious and was finally able to come to life. Beyond that was the knowledge that I loved the woman as well as her monsters. They were essential to me and should be important to our world.
But why?
As the vision vanished, the question lingered in my thoughts. I didn’t have the answer. When I finally came around, it was to the sound of rustling in the bushes to my right. Panic filtered along my veins, causing my heart to race, and my eyes flew open.
Oakus was curled on my chest, his little face visible. He looked so peaceful resting there.
The movement from the bushes got closer, and for the briefest moment, I wondered why he wasn’t with his mom. “Oakus,” I said and lifted him as I sat. I was no longer in my wolf form, but back to my human self and buck naked. Not cool. I didn’t want bugs getting into my crevices. Standing, I held Oakus to me, turning in the direction of the sound, hoping whatever was moving, it didn’t intend to eat me.
The sound stopped, and there was only silence. Not even the trembling of leaves in the wind. Nothing.
Chapter Fourteen
What was out there? Probably another monster. “Crap,” I whispered, unsure which direction to go or what to do.
Oakus yawned, stretching.
“Where’s your mother?” I asked, keeping my eyes trained on our surroundings.
He chittered. Since I wasn’t in my wolf form, I had no idea what he said.
“It’s okay,” I said as a holographic screen appeared directly in front of me. On it appeared the two teams with an X beside Vivian’s name and the word CAPTURED in bold letters. “Great,” I said, but also turned toward where I’d seen the wolves go down. I prayed they weren’t dead as I carefully made my way over.
After searching for several minutes, I decided Kya must’ve told the truth. She hadn’t killed them. Relieved, I looked at Oakus. “Can you show me where the red flag is?” I hoped when I shifted, it hadn’t been ripped to shreds, but it had been tucked into my waistband, so anything was possible.
Initiation (Wolf Blood Academy Book 1) Page 11
