AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Elle?” Evander gives my hand a shake.
Sloan risks the two of them growling at her to get into my space. She touches my cheek and works her way up to rest her palm on my forehead. Her eyes search mine, and it feels as if she’s trying to get a better look inside my head. But I don’t think she can, not while we are both humans. I’m not as receptive to her.
“When was the last time you’ve eaten?” she asks, glancing at Adam. “What about water? Have you been drinking anything?”
I finally pull myself together and shrug. “I don’t know. Before we went to Starrise. But it’s not that. It’s...I don’t know. We need to move. Something doesn’t feel right here. My instincts are screaming to go.”
It’s not exactly that I want to run, but I also don’t want to stay here. Something about the voice gets to me. Who the fuck is this guy? He’s not from the council, despite the fact that he was there. I think he is magical. Maybe a mage like Selena.
I expect for him to comment on my assessment of him, but only silence greets me. If he’s nearby, he doesn’t reveal himself.
“Okay, let’s move. We can go to one of the neutral territories and wait for the alphas to return to the island. It should be soon. They were finishing their fights when I left. Ravi and Slater had it handled, so I know they’ll be fine. The council gave me a head start so that I didn’t have to humiliate myself in front of the douches of my old pack.” Sloan drops her hand from my face and cocks her head, silently directing us to where we are going to go.
Adam scoops me off my feet and cradles me in his arms as if something happened to my legs. I wiggle and pat his chest, wanting him to put me down, but he ignores me. I don’t think his wolf will allow him to quit it. He just wants to protect me. He wants to care for me. Sloan probably has him worried now.
I give up and get Adam to adjust me in his arms so that I hug him with my legs around his hips. He strokes his hand along my spine, and I breathe against his throat, hoping he regrets picking me up. I’ll fuck with him in a way he likes and can’t act on right now. Am I a bit of a brat? Absolutely. I just need him to remember that I can handle myself. I’ve murdered many. I’ve done things I never thought I was capable of.
I am not a fragile omega.
“You’re right about that, my pet. The granddaughter of Eleanor of Crystalrock could never be fragile. You were born from a strong line. I remember your grandmother as if it were yesterday. She was a spitfire, and Shadow Moon should thank me for getting her out of here. She was probably capable of taking the whole island to the bottom of the sea.” The man’s voice returns to my mind, his revelation shocking me to my core.
“You knew my grandmother.” I frown and squeeze my eyes shut, my words echoing through the forest. I didn’t intend to say them out loud, but the man got to me. I ease away from Adam’s neck, seeing if I really used to my voice.
His expression speaks volumes.
Sloan comes up behind him and narrows her eyes at me. “Who are you talking to? Is there another pack nearby?”
My first instinct is to lie, except my good senses finally kick on, and I realize that whoever is in my head is not a lykoswulf. I don’t know who the fuck he is and why he’s here and tormenting me like this.
“I think it’s a mage from Starrise. I’ve heard his voice before, right before the meeting. He’s followed me here and he knows about my grandmother.” The words rush from my mouth, and my muscles tense, the realization sinking in even more. If the man is here stalking me, it’s because he wants something. And it can’t be good.
“Shit. Everyone transform.” Sloan doesn’t bother removing her clothes before her wolf burst free, tearing the fabric with her changing forms.
My heart thrashes, and I get Adam to put me on my feet. Neither he nor Evander obey Sloan’s command, but they follow my lead, undressing and preparing to transform. I trust Sloan enough to know that she knows what’s happening. We’ve already formed an alliance. I doubt she’d want to jeopardize it already by setting us up or something.
“Mages aren’t supposed to come here. No creatures are. If he’s here, then he is breaking our treaty we have with the mainland.” Sloan sniffs the air, circling around, trying to pick up a scent or something.
“Fuck. There’s so much we don’t know.” Evander sighs with his words. “It’s probably their way of keeping us human-born under control. Knowledge equals power and all that bullshit.”
He might be right. The more we know about everything, the better we can plan. I’m sure there are plenty of impure lykoswulves that don’t like the way things are. It’s not like we ever had a choice. We weren’t born into this. We were kidnapped and forced. And all for what? That’s the real question.
“Kick the right person’s ass, and you learn a lot. I won’t tell you exactly what I’ve had to do for answers, but I’ll save you the trouble. The lykoswulves were separated from Starrise and the other creatures of their world because of the power supposedly blessed into us. We are the only species that can breed and bite to create more. We can also remain human except for one night a month. And with that comes a special magic that the mages can siphon to help their lands. The mers walk on land because of us. Vampires can withstand sunlight. Fae can control the seasons and unite their people. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. I’ve only ever gone to the Starrise once before today. Some say there is a mainland just past it, but I’m not sure how true that is. These are just stories passed down over time. I won’t believe in everything until I can see it for myself, but I hope I never have to. I just want to return home.” Sloan trots forward, keeping her attention focused in front of us as she shares her thoughts with me.
I’m in such awe that I can barely process anything. I knew there was something more out there, but I had no idea. Everything on Shadow Moon is so simple. There’s not even television. It has been like going back in time, the only modern things being bathrooms, water, and power. These things come from something else though. I guess, magic.
“Consider it a trade. The council gives the packs what they want, and the packs give the council what they want.” The masculine voice stabs through me, sending my muscles rippling. “They decide who gets what from there. It’s rather annoying. Which is why I’m here. I had an agreement with Eleanor, making it possible for me to break treaties and manipulate the magic. You can say we have a bond of sorts, and because you are her granddaughter, it transfers to you. I hadn’t realized that the packs had brought her heir back. I was pleasantly surprised when you stepped onto Starrise, my pet.”
I swing around, spinning to peer at the forest behind us. I expect to see a looming shadow of a man within the trees, but nothing is there. He’s either only in my mind or really well hidden.
“Eliana?” Adam asks, brushing his hulking wolf body against mine.
I release a deep growl. “Show yourself, mage. Stop being a stalking creep and come out. If you want to talk to me, do so like a normal person.”
“You must meet me with your alpha. Where is he?” A strange heat trickles down my spine with his words.
“I don’t have one. Now, show yourself.” I project the words with my mind, my whole body vibrating with my snarl.
“You have to make things so hard, don’t you, my pet? Your grandmother was easier to handle. More docile. What happened to you in the human world that made you this way?” The mage ignores me, trying to redirect his thoughts from commands to sympathy. But I don’t buy it. He doesn’t actually care. And the fact that he calls me his pet...it doesn’t sit well with me.
