Awaken a Wolf (8 page)

Walking back to her bedroom, she looked at the door to what had been Cyrus’s former room.  It had made her incredibly sad learning he’d moved out, but it didn’t sting so much now.  Adam had done something rash, but she suspected he was jealous and had reacted.  She wouldn’t want an unrelated female living with him either.  She frowned, thinking about what Angie had said about she-wolves being thrilled to be mated to Adam.  She wondered how many females he’d been with.  The wolfy part of her snarled in anger, wanting to go to the pack and threaten anyone who had ever touched him.

Shaking her head at the bossy wolf in her mind, she unzipped the dress and dropped it into the hamper, trading her sexy dress for a comfortable sleep shirt.  She didn’t want to shower, because she could still smell Adam, as if his scent were cologne that had been rubbed all over her.  After climbing into bed, she pulled the covers over her, closed her eyes, and sleep quickly overtook her.

She found herself standing in dark woods.  The moon was obscured, but she felt the full moon in spite of the darkness.  Something cracked loudly behind her, and she turned and moved in that direction.  She’d never been in these woods before, she was sure, but she had no trouble navigating around the large trees.  A flickering flame came into view, and she walked toward it.  Another crack sounded, this time followed by a grunt of pain.  Immediately, she recognized Adam’s voice and ran toward the flame.

She skidded to a halt inside a cleared circle.  A bonfire blazed brightly in the center, and a group of men stood watching as a tall man took a thick branch from inside the bonfire and laid the burning end against Adam’s bare stomach.  Adam was chained to a pole near the fire, and as the flames burned his stomach, he grunted and jerked the chains, making the pole crack under his strength.  The men watching howled in encouragement.  She screamed and tried to rush forward, but something held her in place.

The wolves parted, and she watched an older male pulling a woman behind him with a chain.  She gasped in shock to realize that she was watching
herself
be pulled, and the chain was attached to a thick collar around her neck.  She was naked, her body bruised and bleeding from what resembled whip marks.  The male wound the chain around his hand, pulling her closer.  He shoved his hand between her legs, and she whimpered in pain.  He lifted his hand and it glistened in the firelight.  Blood.

Adam roared in rage, but the sound died when a male grabbed Adam’s head between his hands and broke his neck in a swift movement.

The man holding the burning branch turned slightly, and she recognized her father.  He spoke to her as she was shoved to the ground by the male holding her chain.  “This is what happens when you run.  Disobedience will not be tolerated.”

The wolves howled in approval.  Cinder looked at Adam’s body as it hung limply against the pole.  She knew she was going to be raped, and she couldn’t stop it.  She pressed her hands over her ears and screamed.

She sat upright in bed, her voice cracking with the scream.  She scrambled from the bed and looked around wildly, still certain she could smell the smoke of the bonfire and the scent of Adam’s burning flesh.  Her cheeks were wet with tears, and she couldn’t stop shaking as she tried to convince herself it had been a dream.  Except it hadn’t really felt like a dream.  She’d felt as though she’d been watching an event unfold, as if she were an observer.  If it were a dream, she would have been in her own body, not watching herself be raped.

She stood on trembling legs and stumbled to the bathroom, turning on the light and splashing cold water on her face.  She looked in the mirror, checking her body for the wounds she’d seen so clearly.  Whip and claw marks, bruises from a beating.  Her skin was clear and undamaged.  Taking in a few deep breaths, she laid her hands on the countertop and stared at her reflection.  Her eyes were gold.  Gasping in surprise, she peered closer and watched as her natural green color seeped into the gold until only the green remained.  Her heartbeat slowed and she felt herself losing the edge of panic that had ridden her since she’d woken up.

She stripped out of her sweat-soaked sleep shirt and stepped into the shower, turning on a lukewarm spray and letting the massaging pulse soothe her.  After drying off and donning lounge pants and a loose shirt, she walked into the living room and flipped on the light.  A tall bookshelf next to the window held her Wiccan books, and she trailed her fingers over the bindings until she found the one she was looking for.

Pulling the old, leather-bound book about dreams and visions from the shelf, she pulled a fleece blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders as she settled in the recliner.  Opening the book, she turned the pages, looking for something that would tell her whether she’d really had a crazy, frightening dream or if she’d actually witnessed an event that was going to come to pass in the future.

Chapter 8

Cinder was waiting at the Wiccan store at eight a.m. on Saturday morning when Lorene showed up to unlock the front door.

She stared at Cinder for a long, silent moment and said, “What happened?”

Cinder had been up since three a.m., reading everything about visions and dreams.  Her books all said that natural Wiccans could have the ability to see the future in their dreams, but it seemed to be up for debate on whether, once the future was shown, a Wiccan could change that future.  She’d known in her heart that she needed to see Lorene and ask for help.  The thought of Adam dying had filled her with such dread that she’d been unable to go back to sleep, obsessed with finding out whether or not her dream was going to come true.

“I need help,” Cinder said, tears welling in her eyes.  “I think Adam’s going to die.  I can’t let that happen.”

Lorene unlocked the front door and pushed it open.  “I’ll call the corners, and you can tell us everything.”

Stepping into the store, Cinder inhaled the scents of herbs and old magic, and felt a little bit of calm seep into her.  Lorene hustled behind the counter in the center of the store and picked up the phone and dialed, speaking quickly to each corner.  After she placed the last call, she said, “Let’s make calming tea and sit in a blessing room.  The corners will be here shortly, and we’ll get to the bottom of what is causing you such fear.”

Lorene wrapped her arm around Cinder’s shoulders and led her into one of the blessing rooms.  By the time she held a cup of steaming tea, the corners had arrived.   Cinder felt better being in their presence, but she still couldn’t shake the worry.  She wondered, not for the first time, if she should have called Adam.  But what could he do?  He couldn’t divine the future; he could only comfort her.  She was sure he would tell her that nothing would harm him and it had only been a dream.

“Tell us what is troubling you, sweet Cinder,” Bitty, one of the corners, said.

Cinder looked down at her lap, twining her fingers together.  “Adam Beaumont believes I’m his alpha mate.”

“That’s wonderful news, is it not?”  Idurre, the South Corner, asked.

Cinder chuckled mirthlessly.  She told them about meeting him for the first time and how she’d almost died when Cyrus scratched her.

“He kept trying to push me to him, to force an interaction, and I was too angry to really see what was happening between us.  I don’t pretend to understand what being an alpha wolf’s mate is going to be like, but I know in my heart that he’s mine and I’m his.”

Lorene sat down in a chair across from Cinder, joining the other corners at the large round table in the center of the room.  “Why were you allergic to your tiger friend’s claws?  I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Doc Whalen said it was because I’m turning into a wolf.  He said that because I’ve come into contact with Adam, that I’ll shift on the full moon.”

Gwen frowned.  “How on earth can you shift?  You’re well past the age when wolves shift for the first time, and I thought your father told you that you were all Wiccan and no wolf?”

“He did.”  She shuddered as she remembered the way he’d watched as the older male raped her.  She never wanted to see her father again.

“We’re missing something here,” Lorene said.  “Tell us what’s troubling you so badly.”

Pressing her palms to her closed eyes to stem the flood of tears that threatened, she inhaled deeply and willed herself to calm down.  “I dreamed that my father watched Adam be killed after he tortured him.  I felt like I was watching a movie, but then I was also part of it.” She shared the dream, not sparing them any of the details.

Lorene rose from her chair and came around to Cinder, bending over and hugging her.  Cinder clung to her and let the tears fall.

“Now, now, sweet child,” Lorene said as she lifted Cinder’s tear-stained face, “sometimes the goddess gives us visions so we can change what might come to pass.  You’re powerful, and something unique is happening to you, but while that vision was grim, it doesn’t mean that it has to be the path of your life.  Adam is a strong male.  Why didn’t you go to him?”

“How could he understand a vision like that?”

“He might understand more than you give him credit for.  The wolves have been in alliance with the Wiccans for centuries.  He’s seen many supernatural occurrences that could not be explained in any other way than divine intervention.  What if the vision you saw is because you shielded him from it?  If he is your mate, then you need to tell him the truth and embrace what you are.”

“What am I?  There’s a wolf in my head who is pushing me toward Adam, but my Wiccan nature wants me to stay here, to stay close to the coven and to the corners.  I feel like I’m losing my identity.”

Idurre, Gwen, and Bitty rose from their chairs and joined them, putting their hands on Cinder.  She felt the connection of the coven, that sweet old magic, flare with their touch, lifetimes of strong Wiccan power coursing through all of them.  Just as swiftly as the connection flared, it shattered and Cinder cried out at the loss.

“I don’t understand,” Cinder said, feeling the loss of their presence as if they’d left her alone in the room.

Gwen said, “Something has changed in you, Cinder.  Let’s find out what it is.  Maybe in uncovering the truth of this, you will find the answer to your vision.”

The corners ushered her to the large stone fireplace.  Logs sat on the grate, ready to be lit.

“State your power, child,” Idurre said from her right side.

“South and fire,” Cinder answered, her voice wavering as uncertainty bloomed in her.

“Call your power and light the logs,” Bitty said.

Cinder opened her mouth to voice her fear that something felt wrong inside her, but Lorene silenced her with a hand on her shoulder.  “Do this first, and then we will see where you stand.”

Cinder shoved away the gnawing worry in her mind and concentrated on her power.  Closing her eyes, she reached for her power, calling it to the surface to light the wood.  She could see the flames in her mind, orange and yellow and red, licking across the dry wood, but she couldn’t make the wood light.

Her power, which had been like an extension of her body and something she could easily draw upon had changed, morphed into something she didn’t recognize and couldn’t use.  She pushed further into herself, calling for her powers to heed her voice and to do her bidding, but nothing happened.  Frustration shifted to rising anger, and she lifted her voice and chanted for the power of the flame to flow through her.

Her ears filled with a rushing sound, like fire licking a path through dry grass, but the sound changed until all she could hear was panting breaths and paws pounding on hard-packed earth.  Her mind filled with the images of wolves – running, hunting, playing – and a wolf with golden fur rose onto its hind legs and shifted into a woman.  Blonde hair spilled down her back like a golden waterfall, moving as she lifted her arms and chanted to the full moon.  The wolves raced toward her, lifting their muzzles and howling to the sky, and one wolf, the largest of them all, shifted as he drew near the woman, and she knew it was Adam.  He grabbed her around the waist, and her power flared bright and hot as the wolves howled their thanks.

The power inside Cinder writhed like a creature, twisting and turning.  Howls filled her ears, louder and louder, until she clapped her hands over her ears and lashed out with her power to protect herself.

The vision in her head split apart like shattered glass, and a deep rumbling underneath her forced itself up from the depths.  Her eyes opened as Lorene shouted, “Earthquake!” and the women threw their power over them for protection.  The moment the corners laid their hands on Cinder, she screamed in pain, and the sound shifted to a howl that tore from her throat.

The room stopped shaking, and the corners breathed a collective sigh of relief.  Clutching her throat as pain soared through her, Cinder looked at the women, and for the first time in her life, she felt completely and utterly helpless.

Chapter 9

Adam hadn’t been able to sleep, which wasn’t anything new since he’d met Cinder.  But last night had felt different.  He couldn’t explain it, but he was uneasy.  As a male who prided himself on always being in control, he didn’t like feeling as though he was walking a razor’s edge with danger around the corner.  At dawn he called Cinder’s cell, but it went straight to voice mail.  He’d called her three times and left three messages asking her to call him, but when she hadn’t returned any of his calls, he decided to go see for himself whether she was okay or not.

Filling a mug with coffee, he looked out the kitchen window at the woods.  The full moon was a short four days away.  A lot could happen in four days.  His wolf snarled.  Cinder belonged in their home, safely under his roof.  He’d been patient, but his patience had just run out.

His skin prickled and heat washed through him.  The coffee mug slipped to the floor and shattered as he turned and faced his family and friends, who had suddenly gathered in the kitchen.  Their eyes were glowing with the amber of their beasts, and fangs emerged from their parted lips.

A sharp pain seared through him, and he clutched his head, dropping to his knees as his vision went dark, feeling the sensation of falling.  As quickly as he felt the air rushing around him, he was on four paws and racing through the woods.  A wolf with golden fur raced next to him, and he instinctively knew it was Cinder in her shifted form.  She was glorious as she ran beside him, the pack flowing around them as they tore through the forest.  The pack howled and yipped happily as he and Cinder led them to the sacred circle in the center of their territory.  She shifted into her human form with ease, and logs placed in the fire pit blazed to life as she turned and lifted her hands to the sky.  The pack howled joyously, and Adam shifted and wrapped his arms around Cinder.  Her skin glowed with power, and he felt the soul-deep connection to her as they embraced.

As quickly as the scene had appeared, it disappeared, and Adam found himself on his knees on the floor of his kitchen, with spilled coffee seeping into his jeans and the shards of the ceramic mug scattered around him.  Six shifted wolves sat before him, their heads bowed in reverence.

“Holy fuck,” he said, shaking his head.  “I can’t believe I didn’t put the two together.”

His father barked sharply, and Adam looked at him.  “I know what she is now.  She’s not just my mate and the alpha female, she’s something much greater.”

Solan snarled in warning.

“I know that too,” Adam said, understanding that his friend and packmate was worried.  A knot of fear lodged in his spine.  He stood and said, “I’m going to get her.  As soon as you’re able to shift, get the pack together.  We have to protect our
lygisa
.”

The wolves nodded, and Adam strode quickly up the stairs to his bedroom and changed into clean clothes.  Then he grabbed his keys and headed outside as swiftly as he could.  As the engine roared to life, he closed his eyes and willed his wolf to calm down and think clearly.  He didn’t believe Cinder was home.  Although he wished she’d come to him, he could guess that she had gone to the coven this morning, and they’d done something magical, which had triggered his own vision.

He headed to the coven’s store.  As he drew closer to the store, he could feel his mate and her fear like it was something tangible.  His wolf howled at him to comfort her, and more importantly to protect her.

He parked next to her car in front of the store and stormed into the building, not bothering to hide his annoyance that no one had called him.

“Cinder!” he bellowed her name and then heard her soft sob, causing him to quicken his pace.  He found her standing in the corner of a library, trembling from head to toe.

It took him only a heartbeat to close the distance to her and wrap his arms around her.  She melted against him, her tears wetting his shirt as she cried.  She made a pained sound, and he cupped her face and lifted her chin until she met his gaze.  Her eyes were golden, and slight fangs peeked from her parted lips.

Her voice was raw and soft as if she’d injured her throat.  “I’m not me anymore.”

He brushed his thumb along her bottom lip as tears leaked from her glistening eyes.  “You are, sweetheart, I promise.”

He lifted his head and looked at the Wiccans standing in front of a bookshelf stuffed with old books.  Each of the four women held a book in her hands and stared at him with surprised expressions.

“Do you have any idea what happened?” he asked.

“Cinder’s power changed.  We don’t know what happened, but we felt her connection to the coven disappear, and it was almost like something was trying to attack us.  To protect her from us,” Lorene said.

“She howled too,” Gwen said, “and I think it hurt her throat.”

Adam forced himself not to hold Cinder too tightly.  He was enraged that the coven had interfered and hurt his mate.  “You should have consulted me before you encouraged my mate to experiment with her powers.”

Lorene frowned.  “She is a member of my coven, Alpha.  I couldn’t possibly foresee what would happen.  I still don’t know.”

Adam looked down at his mate, and she lifted her head and met his gaze.  Fear sparked in the golden depths, but she wasn’t trembling any longer.  He felt her worry slowly fade as they remained connected.  “She’s no longer a Wiccan.  She’s a
lygisa
.”

Cinder frowned as the other witches gasped.

Idurre said, “There hasn’t been a known
lygisa
in centuries.”

“My pack and I shared a vision earlier, of a wolf with golden fur.  Cinder is that wolf.  The power of the vision caused the wolves nearest me to shift.”

Lorene laid her hand on her chest and closed her eyes.  Adam felt Cinder stiffen, and she growled, but the sound cut off with a squeak of pain.  He didn’t know what Lorene was doing, but he quickly twisted his body and shielded Cinder.  He felt something warm against his back, almost like a press of hot air, which he assumed was Lorene’s power.  Cinder relaxed slightly with a sob and buried her face in his chest.  “Adam,” she whispered.

“I’m right here, sweetheart.”

He felt the warm press against his back recede, and he looked at Lorene as he turned to face her.  “Don’t do that again.  It hurts my mate.”  He didn’t want to harm the woman, but he would stop her by any means necessary to protect Cinder.

“I’m sorry, Cinder.  I didn’t know.”  Lorene moved gracefully to another bookshelf and ghosted her fingers over the bindings of the books.

Adam didn’t know what the books contained, but the whole room smelled old and musty.  Lorene pulled a brown leather book from one shelf and brought it over.  Adam, keeping one arm around Cinder to keep her firmly at his side, took the book.  It felt cool against his hand and as thick as a phone book.

Lorene clasped her hands in front of her as she spoke, “This contains details of the last known
lygisa.
  I don’t have to tell you how dangerous it is for her.  Until she’s fully bonded and has claimed the mantel of her shift, she is vulnerable and in great danger.”

“Danger?  From who?” Cinder whispered.

Adam growled darkly.  “From any wolf pack that would seek to use your power for themselves.”

Lorene said, “Do you need anything for the ceremony?  I can get you any supplies you need.”

“I’ve got everything.  I hope you understand why Cinder won’t be coming back to work.”

Lorene nodded sadly.  “I understand.”

“What?” Cinder asked, pushing away from Adam.

He didn’t let her get far, keeping his hand wrapped around her upper arm.

“Your power isn’t of the coven any longer,” Bitty said.  “You’re not really a Wiccan anymore.  You’re something unique and amazing.”

Lorene reached out and took Cinder’s hand.  “This change should be celebrated, not mourned.  We’re still your friends, but you can’t join us for ceremonies.  Your power is too different.”

Adam could see that his mate was trying not to cry again, and he pulled her against him firmly and was glad when she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly.  “Let’s go home, sweetheart.”

Adam told the coven that he would send someone for Cinder’s car and belongings, and he said goodbye as he led his mate out of the store and to his SUV.  His mind spun with a million thoughts at once as he climbed behind the wheel, laid the book in her lap, and turned on the engine.  He pulled out of the parking lot and drove toward the pack’s territory.

Cinder was immobile next to him, and he twined his fingers with hers and squeezed.  Her hand was ice cold, and he looked at her to make sure she hadn’t passed out from shock.  He couldn’t imagine how distressing it must have been to her to feel as though everything she’d known about herself had changed.  The loss of the coven’s closeness alone would have been difficult enough to handle without the curiosity that must be burning in her to know about the shift.

“I know your throat hurts because I heard the pained sound you made when you growled at Lorene.  When I was fifteen, I had a really short temper and used to growl at everyone when they made me angry.  Every time I growled, it was like a hundred knives twisting in my throat.  My dad would call me an idiot and give me something to help with the pain.  So I’ve been there, and I can help you feel better when we get home.”

“Home?”

Her scratchy voice made his heart hurt.  His poor mate.  “To the alpha’s home.  My home. 
Our
home.”

She leaned against him, and he untangled their fingers and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.  She sniffled but said nothing, and he wasn’t sure what to say to her anyway.  The alpha in him wanted to berate her for not coming to him in the first place, but the male in him – the one who coveted her as his mate – didn’t want to come down hard on her when she was in a fragile state.  He wanted her to know she could trust him no matter what.

He parked in front of the house and got out of the SUV.  He strode to Cinder’s side and opened the door, lifting her into his arms.  She hugged the book to her chest and put her free arm around his neck without protest.  He was glad she felt safe with him.

His mom opened the door and bowed her head as Adam walked by with his mate.  He carried her into the house, which was teeming with pack members.  They parted quickly for him as he carried Cinder to the couch and set her down.  Adam glanced at the wolves closest to the couch, his highest-ranked members.  Although they appeared stoic, he saw the anxiety in their eyes and felt it through the pack’s connection.

Adam knelt in front of his mate.  Cinder still held the book with a white-knuckled grip to her chest.  Her eyes were still golden, but the fangs had receded.

“Alpha,” Angie’s voice was soft and low as she came to stand next to him.

Adam glanced at her and found her holding a steaming mug.  He took it and turned the handle to Cinder.

“Sweetheart, it will help your throat.”

She grasped the handle with her free hand and the mug shook, so he steadied it and helped her bring it to her mouth.  She winced as she swallowed.  Her gaze roamed the room.  He didn’t think she could feel the pack’s connection yet since they weren’t truly mated, but he hoped she felt some measure of comfort from their closeness.

He watched her take a few more sips, the pain etched on her features easing with each one.  When she seemed to be able to drink without wincing and the trembling in her hand ceased, he straightened and looked at the pack.

“Brick, set up a perimeter.  I want patrols around the clock until after the full moon.”

Brick nodded and called several names.  Males followed him as he jogged out of the room.  Adam looked for his mom and found her hovering nearby, wringing her hands in worry.

“Mom, Cinder’s car is at the Wiccan store.  Take dad and a few of the females and go there and pack up her belongings.  Lorene will help you get everything.  Then go to her apartment and pack a bag.”

His mom smiled briefly and disappeared with Angie, his dad, and several females.

In only a few moments, most of the wolves were dispatched to various tasks and he and Cinder were left alone.

He sat down heavily next to her.  “How’s your throat?”

She took one more drink and handed him the empty cup.  “Better.”

He set it on the end table and turned to face her.  “You must have a lot of questions.”

“I do.  I don’t understand the vision or what happened to my power.  What’s happening to me?”

He took the book from her and ran his hand over the leather cover.  It was stamped with writing in a language he didn’t know.  “
Lygisa
are – I guess the best description would be Wiccan-wolves.  It’s a hybrid of sorts, a Wiccan who can shift, but the Wiccan power isn’t associated with the corners.  It comes from the wolf side, so the power will feel more feral and raw to you than the Wiccan power you have always known. 
Lygisa
are coveted.  A pack with a
lygisa
would be invincible, unstoppable.  Their territory would be protected with magic that could conquer anything.”

Her brow arched in mild disbelief.  “If it’s so amazing, why did you say it was dangerous?”