WolfHeart
A novel by
Konstantina P.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author´s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people -alive or dead- events or locations is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2017 Konstantina Papadopoulou
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without express written permission from the author.
Cover design by Konstantina Papadopoulou
Cover photographs: Stock photography (www.pexels.com, https://unsplash.com) – Creative Commons Zero (CC0) License. Free for personal and commercial use.
THE AUTHOR
Konstantina was born in 1988 in Korinthos, Greece and soon after her family moved to Lefkada where she grew up until 2006, when she relocated to Athens for her studies. She has a BSc in Physics, a MSc in Materials Science and currently she is studying for her PhD. In 2013 she got her Diploma in Scriptwriting for TV, Film, Stage, Radio. Her previous work consists of four short plays performed in festivals in Greece. Most recently, her short story "I wish you had stayed" was published in Centum Press' anthology “100 Voices Vol. 2”.
More details on her work can be found on her blog:
http://konstantinasays.wordpress.com/
Follow her on twitter to keep up to date with her work:
https://twitter.com/Konstantina88P
PREFACE
1. IN THE BEGINNING
2. A WORLD TORN ASUNDER
3. A STRANGE GIRL
4. HOMECOMING
5. FIRST CHANCE
6. BROTHER, FRIEND, SON
7. REAPING THE REWARDS
8. SECOND CHANCE
9. MISTAKES
10. WHAT´S THE RIGHT PATH?
11. THIRD CHANCE
12. THE BITTER TASTE OF BETRAYAL
13. THE MEMORIES
14. THE PRICE TO PAY FOR A LAST CHANCE
15. A LONG-OVERDUE CONVERSATION
16. CLOSE ENOUGH TO HURT
17. MAKE A CHOICE
18. YOU ARE YOUR OWN MAN
19. A LIFE FOR A LIFE
20. TESTING THE BOUNDARIES
21. ARE YOU HAPPY?
22. A MESS AND A PLAN
23. FINDING THE SPARK
24. CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES
25. AN ALPHA´S LOYALTY AND A SON´S LOVE
26. WHERE IS HOME?
27. BLOOD TIES
28. TO BELONG
PREFACE
The borders had opened two days ago. The inflow of escapees was accompanied by the order not to approach any of them until the council deemed it safe; a hard thing to do considering the sleepless eyes and desperate glances following Steven´s every move. He was in a tight spot. Not only his mission had failed, he was also running late. He needed to find a shortcut, soon, or face the Alpha´s wrath. This part of town wasn´t familiar but he estimated his path would take him directly to the lair, provided he followed a straight line.
It was dark under the bridge, the moonlight not reaching that far to chase away the night´s shadows. As a Prince and the kingdom´s strongest Beta, Steven would never be scared away by the murk. He adjusted his vision and pushed through hoping to pass the gloomy tunnel as quickly as possible. His boots squelched under him and he let out a disgusted whine, the smell of sewage and dead rats hitting his nostrils. He picked up his pace aiming for the clean air and the sliver of silver light visible a few feet away, only to stop short when a whimper caught his attention. If he was a lesser man he would have ignored it, but there were Humans among them that had been promised protection. Better to investigate now than let some poor bastard pay for it later.
A boy was lying at the edge of the tunnel, face down in the mud, his breathing jagged and his mouth flooded with filthy water. Steven strained his ears but only the other´s faint heartbeat reached him; almost-frozen throbs dissolving into thin air. He turned him over; he couldn´t have been more than sixteen. Human, for now... A bite on his shoulder... There were people he should call for; protocols he should follow. Picking up another noise though made his princely duties fade into the background as his predatory instincts kicked in. Another heartbeat was approaching. Fast... Turning around, he let his nose hunt for any stray smells, scanning his surroundings for a threat. The unmistakable scent of power had him tensing and he assumed a defensive position over the unconscious boy, his first impulse always to protect.
The man that came into view was taller than Steven, bulkier, but, in their world, physical attributes meant nothing. Without a second´s pause to assess the enemy and perceiving him as a threat for his newly-bitten, soon-to-be Beta, the newcomer charged at the Prince, not caring that he had just committed a crime punishable by life-long imprisonment. By the looks of it, he was way beyond reason. Another victim then... An Alpha without pack...
The Prince soon discovered he wasn´t a match for the feral man, receiving more blows than he was blocking and almost being torn to pieces. He was quick on his feet though, something the other Werewolf didn´t have the luxury of. Steven needed to keep the stranger away from the boy and there was only one sure-fire method to lull a wild wolf so, diving left, he kicked his feet up and pushed with all his might. The Alpha lost his balance mid-swing and stepped into the moonlight where he froze, staring at the night sky with amazement that stemmed from too many nights in the dark. He tilted his face towards the pale beacon letting it bathe him in its cold light and the Prince thought this was his chance. But the man wasn´t distracted for long as the boy behind them let out a groan, the first sign he was waking up. Remembering himself, the Alpha looked at the Prince, daring him to challenge his claim. Steven had the choice to flee then but even if there weren´t laws to uphold, he would still not let an innocent teenager in the hands of an unstable Werewolf.
Taking a determined step forward, the Prince transformed, letting out a howl that would have his entire family running to them. Too late; the man had made his choice. If he couldn´t have the Human, no one would. With inhuman speed, he pushed Steven out of the way and reached the boy, but before his claws could reach the exposed, defenceless throat, his own heart was tore out of his chest. A questioning look was left on his face for a moment before his world turned to nothingness.
The Prince fell to his knees, gasping. His pack should be approaching but he couldn´t feel them anymore, the missing links more painful than any wound he had sustained. His mind remained blank for a few more moments before the gentle hum of someone else´s subconscious joined his, binding them together with an unwanted contract. Power surged through him. Power and fear...
1. IN THE BEGINNING
The pack slipped quietly through the thick forest. The blanket of dew still lying across the tall grass was disturbed by their light steps; Steven´s at the front, his four Betas´ close behind. A deep-rooted restlessness covered their faces as they watched the angry frown marring the Alpha´s features making his dark green eyes squeeze almost shut. Where the others were simply nervous picking up a general discomfort from their leader, Jason, Steven´s second, was quick to decipher his mood.
“In and out. Quick and clean,” the dark-haired man said only to receive an affirmative grunt.
Steven was not supposed to be an Alpha. The Anders pack passed the power from mother to daughter and his older sister, Jen, was in line to both the throne and the pack´s leadership. Eight years ago though, he stumbled onto a scene that left him with little choice unless he wanted to spend the rest of his life thinking himself as coward. Killing a rabid Alpha driven to insanity after the loss of his entire pack, granted Steven a new status and the young Prince had to quickly adjust into absorbing a gift he
never wanted and was never trained for. It surely had its perks; with heightened senses he was simply stronger, better. On the downside, two Alpha siblings in the same ruling family, let alone the same pack, were unheard of. The Anders kept their Prince close, but now he needed a pack of his own. He had already kind of inherited Jason, the boy recognizing in him the string of power from which his transformation had come. But there was strength in numbers and sanity in pack bonds.
Danny came first, a quiet kid with the tendency to flinch every time someone so much as breathed in his general direction. He wanted a purpose and Steven, seeing through his incessant agitation, gave it to him alongside a newfound confidence. Erin and Ian were next. Ian had fallen sick in a world where there weren´t any hospitals left to save him. The Anders Prince offered the dark-skinned boy a chance of survival, seeing in him a quiet strength of character and a level-headedness that he himself had yet to master. But Ian wouldn´t do it without Erin; a couple in mortality, why not a couple through the supernatural shitstorm that followed? In the end, despite her crudeness and often erratic behaviour, Erin turned out to be as valuable as the rest of the Betas, keeping the balance inside the pack and forcing the rest of them to open up. Along the way, Steven picked up two Humans who stubbornly refused the bite but were an asset nonetheless. Lynn was fearless, never belonging to anyone. She had chosen this particular pack long before Steven had set his eyes on her. Mark on the other hand was too loyal, always seeking his Alpha´s guidance despite the fact that he made the courageous choice to abandon his previous pack on his own. They were both healers and smart as foxes, always staying out of the way on an away mission like the one their friends were currently on.
The objective was clear. Get the Magic Princess in Anders land to allow Jen to use her as leverage in the ongoing, tentative peace treaty. That was the role of his pack inside the Anders´ hierarchy; soldiers following orders and, although an autonomous unit, Steven liked to keep his pack under his sister´s general rule.
The Alpha snapped to attention when Princess Cora´s refuge came into view. A strange sense of calmness permeated his senses pacifying his jittery nerves as he started towards the seemingly deserted building.
Jason´s hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his trance. “There are two guards on the north side. One reeks of magic, the other Human. What do you want to do?”
Steven looked around taking everything in. The building´s walls were heavy concrete, no windows whatsoever. The warehouse looked fairly small, not something you would expect for a high-class magic user let alone one who was supposed to be powerful.
“I´ll take the witch,” the Alpha murmured but everyone´s superhuman hearing was able to pick it up anyway. “Take out the Human and circle back here. There may be more inside so keep your guard up.”
Jason gave a curt nod and the others dispersed silently. Erin and Ian, always together, took the left while Jason and Danny circled the building from the opposite direction. Steven let out his claws and leapt on the roof with an effortless jump, his strong muscles accentuated on his forearms. He found his target at the north entrance like he was promised and he looked down at him like a spider ready to catch its afternoon snack.
“I know you are there,” the stranger sneered and a ball of fire erupted in his palms ready to be thrown at the slightest sign of movement. “I could feel you creeping in from miles away.”
“Then you should have called for backup.” Steven came down on his prey lightning fast, slicing through the witch´s torso with his claws. The fireball barely had the time to fly out of the man´s hands and missed its target completely, leaving only a scorch mark on the wall behind the Alpha. Steven rolled his eyes, bored and condescending. Climbing back up the roof, he dropped in front of his waiting Betas at their meeting point.
“Show-off,” Erin muttered.
“Any problems?” Steven seemed to have the patience to address only Jason these days, trusting his second to smooth over whatever edges his abruptness was causing within the pack.
“He never saw us coming,” Danny interjected with a smirk.
“Then let´s go.”
The pack quickly fell into formation, Jason on his Alpha´s right flank, Danny on his left, Erin and Ian bringing up the rear, suddenly serious and collected. That´s what Steven liked most about them; the ability to switch between fooling around and business in a heartbeat. These people were the family he had chosen for himself and he was grudgingly proud of each and every one of them. Where he had the brutal strength, Jason´s hearing and Danny´s sense of smell were unparalleled so, in cases like this, he trusted their instincts. As both confirmed they could only hear a single heartbeat from inside and couldn´t smell any more magic users, he slid the heavy metallic door open carelessly.
The place was too dark and, although he himself could confirm there was only one other person in the next room, something felt disturbingly wrong. The magic was palpable in the air but Danny was right; it wasn´t coming from a person. It was like a thin membrane of it surrounding them and making the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention. There was also an odd scent that cluttered the Alpha´s other senses. Something sweet, tickling the back of his throat with a hint of caramel and old smoke.
“Jason, with me.” He cleared his throat in an attempt to shake out the sudden rasp. “The rest of you fan out. See if you can find anything useful.”
The wooden door creaked under his fingertips and a shiver run through him when the stale air hit him on the face. A single candle was lit inside the room but the Werewolves were able to quickly adjust their eyesight. Piles of books were scattered all over the floor and in the far right corner a single mattress was thrown over some wooden pallets. Jason heard a snuffle behind him and pivoted abruptly, grabbing the source of it by the shoulders and throwing them in the middle of the room. He hissed at the sudden burn when his hands made contact with the iron bracelets around the skinny wrists of his captive.
“What the hell was that?”
The Princess was pale, clad in a white long-sleeved dress with its asymmetrical edges torn, dirty from being dragged around the floor. The attire only served to make her look sick. Her brown curls fell in disarray all over her shoulders and black circles under her eyes made her drawn features stand out even more. And yet, she was beautiful; full of a fragility that stirred undesirable feelings of protection inside Steven as she collected herself and kneeled in front of him. Their gazes locked and she offered a small, watery smile.
“Hello,” she tried in a hoarse yet strangely soothing voice. The Alpha swallowed hard. Was this her power? And if so, why his friend across from him seemed unaffected?
Erin burst in the room in her usual exuberant manner and managed to tear Steven´s eyes away from the young enchantress. “All clear boss.”
“Tie her up. We should get moving,” he ordered and ran out of the room and into the hallway where Ian was standing guard. Jason was left behind, hesitant to touch Cora.
2. A WORLD TORN ASUNDER
The first reports had come twenty years ago. Steven, seven years old at the time, could still remember when he used to go to school with Human kids. His parents had taught him how to control his powers; how to kick a ball so that it would make it only halfway through the field and not land at the other side of town. Things had been peaceful. Werewolves, Magics and Humans had been living together for centuries, with the Humans of course none the wiser about the existence of the supernatural world.
The day everything changed the world had been on fire, followed by a stillness that threw the once technologically advanced societies into an impasse. Kingdoms took the place of countries, resembling pieces out of medieval history where in order to eat you had to cultivate the land and in order to drink you had to fetch a bucket of water from outside. No factories had been left to manufacture goods; no electricity was generated anywhere. For the Werewolves and the Humans it had been easy to go back to their ancestors´ way of life, the instincts to stay connected t
o the earth itself stronger. Magics on the other hand had already been used to have their basic needs fulfilled with a snap of their fingers. They wanted light? They created it themselves. They needed food? It was no hassle to grow something instantly, or kill, or steal. So why help the rest of the world with its struggles?
Every sound Werewolf was still ashamed of all the blood loss their kind had caused just because a group of them had decided the shifters were the most superior species and shouldn´t have to keep hiding their lifestyle. The avalanche that came after was on them. Magics had demanded a part of that liberated world but, between two species with supernatural abilities, who would sit on the driver´s seat? The war dragged on for years until a family of Werewolves decided to step in.
The Anders pack was centuries old, its power stemming not only from a string of very capable female Alphas but the land itself. There was a connection there that you couldn´t find in any other place all around the wasteland the planet had become. Magic had woven its fingers around everything the pack had ever touched and had formed a bond so unbreakable that it was impossible for an Anders pack member to live anywhere else but on the grounds they had claimed as their own. That relation between Werewolves and magic was kind of a taboo topic during the tentative years after the war, though easily avoided in lack of understanding and available solutions. The only thing everyone was aware of was that the Anders was the most powerful pack left and, once they decided to lead, all they had to do was follow. And it worked.
The first years had been rough. The war had been intense and most of the larger packs hadn´t made it. Magics had been a formidable opponent and fought dirty, using tricks that left the Werewolves´ senses stunned long enough to be taken out. There had been no hope until Moira Anders, Steven´s mother, figured it out; some gifted Humans, although they might not have the raw power the Magics possessed, were able to perform small spells out of a book and create potions. Thus, an alliance was formed; Humans and Werewolves living peacefully in Anders territory and presenting a united front that even the worst of Magics hadn´t been able to penetrate. The shifters provided shelter for anyone who wanted it and the Humans who had made the choice to enlist fought alongside them. However, magic in its raw form was strictly forbidden at the Werewolf Kingdom -divided as it was into pack lands- under penalty of death.
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