by Shay Laurent
Feet planted in the centre, I breathed in and out as the icy water rippled around me. With each inhale and exhale my thoughts turned to focus on my mother. Her sandy-coloured hair, her amber eyes and how she’d widened them when she first saw me. Then how she’d looked away almost immediately after recognising me. My heart swelled.
She recognised me. Even after all these years, she knew it was me.
I touched my mouth as I felt myself my lips curve up into a smile for the first time since the break in.
My mother is really alive. And she really recognised me.
I turned and sat on the edge of the stream with my feet in, and began running my hands through the water. Replaying the moment over and over in my mind, I recalled things I’d noticed: her eyes; the shape of her face; that we were almost the same height.
But then my mind strayed to reality: the ties around her hands; how worn and skinny she’d looked; how the loose, pale dress hung loosely on her body. I saw the two Crone Sorceresses that clung to her, making sure she couldn’t escape.
Over and over, I saw the Shifters in my Pack hit what looked like an invisible wall and get thrown back. I remembered seeing Axel, hit by the Crone’s magic and Shift back to human form, never moving again. Dead.
I touched my face when the cool air hit it. Tears. Again. All I seemed to do lately was cry.
At least Dad would be proud that I noticed everything in the invasion, that I didn’t lose focus. Well, mostly.
I pondered what would happen with Dom’s dad and wondered if there would be some kind of ceremony for the new Alpha, and if anything would change at the Academy.
Does it matter? I need to leave and rescue Mum.
I considered all the things I would need: maps, internal drawings of Crone Keep, food and weapons. Then I wondered about Dom.
Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t ask Dom to go with me for something like that. He could end up dead. And his dad just became Alpha.
The sky through the trees had darkened. Reluctantly, I pulled my feet from the water and put my shoes back on, hating the wet feeling. Feeling somewhat calm now that I had a basic plan, including the knowledge that I was definitely going to rescue my mum, I walked back to the Academy. Judging by the sky, it would be about dinner time, so I made my way through the tree line then along the building to the Food Den. Ignoring my now-faint nausea at the scent of cooking meat, I lined up behind some kids.
‘Hey, Elita. How are you doing?’ said Harper.
I smiled. ‘Oh hey, I didn’t see you there. I think I’m a bit out of it, with everything going on. You?
‘Yeah, same. It’s crazy. I can’t believe our Alpha is gone, though the ascension ceremony tomorrow will be interesting.’
Her cheeks turned a deep rouge when the Shifters next to us turned and gave her a sharp look.
‘Hey, back off,’ I said to them.
They eyed me, but turned around. I gave her hand a tight squeeze.
Yeah, there’s no way Harper could go with me. At least she’d probably just be interested if she found out about me and my mum, not hate me.
Ignoring the concerned look of the server, I ordered salad and bread then followed Harper outside to eat. She knew that I didn’t like to eat inside. I remembered when she’d asked me about my aversion to wolf-style meat, curious as ever, and her shocked face when I’d told her how sick it made me feel.
‘How are you doing, Harper? I feel like I haven’t seen you much lately.’
She laughed quietly. ‘You’ve only been here for, like, almost a couple of weeks! But thank you for asking. No one ever does. I’m doing okay, keeping to myself like usual, and studying. I was in the library, when, you know...’
‘Ah, yeah. I was there too.’
‘It was so scary. I was lucky that I was right near the exit. Can you imagine if they had busted in on the other side? We’d probably be dead. What about you?’
‘I wasn’t too scared,’ I said quietly. ‘I’m not trying to be brave or anything. I was just distracted, I guess. Taking notice of what was happening with the Crone and her Sorceresses. The magic, all the colours as they cast spells.’
Harper looked shocked. ‘What do you mean colours? I didn’t see any colours.’
My stomach twisted. ‘Oh.’
She shook her head. ‘It was probably just the light reflecting from the stained glass window or something.’
Trust Harper to explain it away. I’ll have to ask Miss Stone about it later.
‘Yeah, probably. So what time is the ceremony tomorrow? I missed it because Dom and I had to take Natasha to... Miss Stone.’
Harper became solemn. ‘To her father?’
‘Yeah.’ I shifted on the log and crossed my legs, then picked at more of my food.
‘The ceremony will be out on the lawns behind the Academy at midnight tonight and there won’t be any classes tomorrow so we can rest. In the afternoon, the funeral will be on.
‘Right, that makes sense.’
We sat in silence for the rest of our meal, caught up in our own thoughts. When Harper finished, she took both of our plates and disposed of them.
‘Ready to go?’
‘Yeah, sure. You haven’t seen Dom about have you?’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘You guys have something going on there?’
I felt my cheeks heat. ‘No! Of course not! We’re just friends!’
She smiled and started walking. ‘No, I haven’t seen him, sorry. He might be with his dad or back in the dorms.’
‘I’m serious, there’s nothing going on!’
‘Yeah, yeah. Come on. I want to have a wash.’
I grumbled as I caught up with Harper.
Like Dom? Sheesh. Can’t we just be friends? Do all girls and guys have to be together?
I WALKED INTO THE COMMON Room behind Harper and waved as she left to go upstairs. My eyes combed the space in search of Dom. Nothing. I decided to check up at his dorm room before I settled on the couch by the fire. Taking the stairs two at a time, I reached the second floor in less than a minute. I found his door, number five, and knocked.
I heard someone moving around inside, steps coming closer, and then the door opened. Dom looked sad and serious.
‘Hey. You doing okay? I couldn’t find you at dinner,’ I said.
‘Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just didn’t feel up to it after this morning. Then I had to go and spend time with my dad. We had a chat.’
My brow furrowed. ‘Oh. Did you want to talk about it?’
‘Nah, not really. Do you want to head downstairs and just chill out? Maybe play a game with the guys or something?’
I hesitated, then shrugged. ‘Yeah, sure.’
‘Unless... is there something that you wanted to talk about? I know you’ve had a crazy day, too.’
Even though I did want to talk to him about my plan to rescue my mum, I knew now wasn’t the time.
‘Maybe later. Let’s go hang out with the guys.’
It turned out that the guys wanted to play a kicking game, so we went out to the field behind the dorm rooms.
‘Hey, how are you?’ I asked them all.
Why is it that I’m more comfortable with boys than girls?
I got a chorus of hellos in return before most of them rushed to the field. Oliver stayed behind to walk with me. I looked up at him by my side and noticed a whitish glow on his inky black hair from the moonlight. His deep blue eyes met mine. ‘Hey, I heard you were up in the library today, when the explosion and stuff happened. You ’kay?’
I smiled lightly. ‘Yeah, sure. I’m all good. Were you in the hall when Dom’s dad made the speech?’
‘Yeah, I was there. It was pretty miserable. Some kids were taken outside and then he told us that the Sorceresses had invaded. He let us know who was injured and who... didn’t make it.’ His face was marred by a concerned frown.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. ‘Yeah, Dom and I took Natasha upstairs to Miss Stone. It was pretty horrible. I didn
’t realise they’d waited and taken the others out too. That’s something.’
He looked into my eyes. ‘It’ll be okay. I’m sure those scum Sorceresses won’t be back. They might have killed the Alpha but we won’t be blindsided again.’
What had started as a tingly feeling at his protectiveness immediately turned into a scowl and me shrugging him off.
That’s my mother you’re talking about.
Kicking the ball around suddenly felt like a good idea. I ignored the shocked look on Oliver’s face and ran off to join the game.
I might have been a little less strong than the guys, but I was certainly as quick, if not quicker, than most of them. It was a breeze compared to training with Dad. I raced along the field, kicking the ball in between them. I had to jump to miss a few slide tackles. I grinned and laughed when they groaned about it.
By the end of the game my team had won seven to three. Once we were back inside I was ready to have some time to myself. I gave Dom a quick hug goodnight and headed upstairs to wash off the stress of the day.
Chapter 9
Just before midnight, we were all called to go to the field. I pulled on some of my nicer clothes, not knowing what to expect. When I walked into the hall and Harper saw me, she gave a little chuckle. Apparently I’d overdressed.
‘Should I change?’
‘No need. We won’t be Shifting or moving around like the others anyway.’ Her brow furrowed. ‘Unless you can Shift already?’
I shook my head, feeling excited at nervous about my birthday almost being here, then followed her down the stairs and outside. All of the kids merged together as they made their way around the side of the Academy. Everyone was creating a giant circle; it looked like a replica of the full moon above us.
I wonder if this was prophesied?
I walked with Harper, and sat between some of the other First Years and looked around, noticing for the first time some adults I hadn’t seen before. Once we were all seated, a woman I hadn’t seen before moved into the centre of the circle and began to talk.
‘We are here, under the light of the full moon, to share in the Ascension of our new Imperial Pack Alpha: Corbin Silva. I stand before you as a descendant of the first Pack Medicine Woman. It is my sacred duty to reside over this ceremony.
‘Corbin Silva, please step forward and place your hand on the Book of Wolves.’
Dom’s dad stepped forward, face grim under the light of the moon. He placed his hand on the tome and looked at the Medicine Woman.
‘Repeat after me: I, Corbin Silva, swear my loyalty to the Pack. I will put the interests, wellbeing and safety of my Pack above all else. I swear to support all women, men and children to the best of my ability. To seek and provide care as it is needed. I will protect my Pack, if needed, with my life. In the names of Salvatore, Mikhail and Demetrius, The Great Wolf Lords, I do so swear.’
Dom’s dad repeated each line, looking around at the Pack members as he did. Once he’d finished, the Medicine Woman spoke again.
‘All rise, and hail Corbin Silva. Imperial Pack Alpha.’
I was not prepared for what happened next. Everyone stood up and Shifted, including Dom’s dad. For a few moments, it was like an explosion of shimmering earthy tones, weaving between one Shifter and the next. The circle remained but was now full of wolves standing on all fours in shades of black, brown, grey and the occasional white. Their faces tilted up to the sky as they bayed in unison at the moon. The sound of so many wolves howling was deafening.
How did they all know to do this?
I looked around and took in the sight of the Shifters. Because everyone had sat in year order around the circle, I was able to pick out Dom, his dark brown coat a perfect match for our new Alpha’s. Corbin was huge, but Dom was already almost as large as him. I watched him howl along with the rest but while everyone else howled to the moon, Dom and his dad looked to each other.
Once the howling stopped, our new Alpha took off to the east, leading the Pack through the open field and into the forest. The howls and yips could be heard even after they’d breached the tree line.
I watched them for a moment and then turned to Harper. ‘So... what do we do while they’re gone?’
She shrugged. ‘Just wait, I guess. They won’t be gone for long. From what I’ve read in the Pack history books the kids don’t normally participate in this, but because it’s a bit of an emergency situation, I suppose it had to happen this way. The Pack run is an important part of the ceremony to show our unity and togetherness. Our new Alpha must also show that he can lead us.’
‘Who normally participates then?’
‘All the adult members of the Pack. It’s actually meant to be quite a big and prestigious ceremony, with a hunt at the end. The books state it must be on a full moon, so I suppose they would normally wait for the next one to prepare, but given the attack I assume they wanted someone in the position immediately. It’s been a long time since we’ve had an Alpha killed, especially here. At least some Pack members from the town outside the Academy are here.’
‘Oh, well that makes sense. Do you think they’ll do another ceremony for him?’
‘No, I don’t think so. Though I’m willing to bet we’ll have more Shifters arrive soon to greet him and offer their support and allegiance. Plus, plans will need to be made for the Pack and what not. Dom’s dad has been involved since he was decided on as the Beta though, so he would know pretty much everything.’
Harper was quiet for a few moments as she surveyed the other First Years left behind. ‘Natasha isn’t here. I mean, it makes sense with her dad and everything.’
‘Yeah. I can’t imagine she feels like celebrating right now. Will her mum come to see her?’
Harper looked away and shuffled her feet. ‘She doesn’t have a mum. I heard she passed away during childbirth.’
I was floored. My insides turned cold with dread.
Poor Natasha.
It wasn’t a thought I’d ever anticipated having, considering she’d been so nasty since I’d arrived. Maybe this explained why. I didn’t want to really think about it.
I should check on her... Who am I kidding? She hates me! I’m probably the last person she wants to see. But still...
‘Harper, do I need to stay here? For when they come back.’
She looked shocked. ‘Well, no. I guess not. But, where are you going?’
‘I’m just... tired. I’m gonna go and lay down.’
Her eyes bored into mine. ‘You’re going to see her, aren’t you?’
I dug the toe of my shoe into the ground. ‘Yeah. I feel like someone should. This has to be so hard for her. She has no one.’
‘But you?’
‘Yeah, I know. She hates me, but I feel like I need to do it.’
‘Do you want me to come?’
I thought about it. Having company going to see Natasha could be a plus but, considering how things were between them, I decided that would be too cruel.
‘That’s okay. You stay. I’m sure they’ll be back in no time at all and then everyone will head in for bed anyway. I’ll see you in the morning?’
‘Okay. See you then.’ She sounded a little disappointed.
I gave her a quick hug and was happy to see her face lighten up before I turned and headed back to the dorms to find Natasha.
I glanced quickly around the Common Room, expecting it to be empty, and was surprised to see Natasha sitting on the couch by the fire. Her back was to me, but I knew she’d have heard me come in. We were the only ones here. I walked over and sat down opposite her. Her face was dry, but her eyes were rimmed with red and looked bleary from crying.
‘Hey,’ I said quietly. ‘How are you doing? I mean, I know bad. But...?’
She sneered. ‘What do you care? Why aren’t you out there celebrating like everyone else?’
‘I care because you just lost your dad. Look, I know we aren’t friends, and that you hate me or whatever, but I still wanted to check and as
k if there’s anything I can do.’
She stared at me for what seemed like an eternity, looking as though she was trying to decide what to say. Eventually, she pulled her legs up tighter against her chest and leaned her head on the thick arm of the lounge.
‘Miss Stone said he fought really hard but died protecting some of the kids who were there.’ She sucked in a broken, angry breath. ‘But I wish he’d just let them die so I could still have him.’
The tears had started streaming down her face again.
‘You don’t mean that. He was strong and brave and the best protector the Pack had. You wouldn’t have wanted him to let others die.’
She didn’t answer, the tears making her face shine in the light of the fire.
‘Do you want to tell me about him?’
After another few minutes of silence, I was getting ready to leave, but then she spoke again. ‘He was the best dad. Even though he was Alpha, he still always made time for me. We did lots together. He took me hunting in the forests, and fishing in the streams and rivers. He even took me to visit the other Packs, once he’d become Alpha and before I started here. He was kind and fair to everyone and never turned a Shifter away. Whenever I’d get into trouble at school, which was a bit too often for his liking, he’d just hug me and ask me to come up with what I could have done better. He was always trying to get me to be my best self.’ She stopped and looked me dead in the eyes. ‘And you’re right. He’d be disappointed that I said that. He wouldn’t have wanted it.’
I gave her a genuine smile. ‘He sounds like an amazing dad. It’s great that he spent so much time with you, even after becoming Alpha. It would have been hard to share him with everyone else.’
She nodded. ‘That’s why he took me on the trips, I think. Always tried to include me in everything. He certainly didn’t pull back any stops in training me.’
We both laughed. ‘My dad never has either. Training is serious business.’
‘It is,’ she said quietly. ‘I’m... going to try and sleep. Thank you, though. For talking with me.’
My lips curved up, glad that I was able to help her a little. When she’d almost made it to the door, she turned back and gave me a half-hearted sneer.
