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ChapterOne
With a fear unlike any I have ever known, I stare at the abomination pulling its way out of the boggy ground.
“Scott?” I call out, desperately hoping that I’m wrong and my trial partner isn’t dead, all while backing away from the inky, squid-human hybrid that’s crawling towards me.
It’s something from my nightmares.
Just over a week ago, my greatest fear was never shifting into my werewolf form. Since that night, however, I’ve learned that I’m only part werewolf and my pack has been keeping things from me ever since I was abandoned on the edge of their land as a baby. They raised me as their own but never told me how werewolf culture works outside of our pack—mainly that there’s a council of werewolves who govern us all.
On the night of my twenty-first birthday and then during the ceremony when I would become fully bonded with my wolf, I learned that I possess magic after I failed to shift and instead created a wolf of starlight who runs at my side. It turns out that the councilhatesmagic users and discovered my secret, so they dragged me from my pack and forced me to take part in the Fang and Claw Trials to prove that I’m truly a werewolf. The trials are every twenty-two years, except, luckily for me, it was brought forward a year.
Which is how I find myself in a woodland arena facing off against a monster that may or may not have just killed my partner for this trial.
I have no weapons other than my fists, and I doubt I’ll get anywhere near it before its tentacles incapacitate me. Star, my wolf of glittering starlight, has positioned herself between me and the creature, snarling loudly. Her fur stands on end as she makes herself as large as possible, her ears back and jaw snapping. I know she’ll protect me as best as she can. Something twists in my gut, the darkness that I bury deep within me lurching at the thought of Scott being hurt, but I lock it down tightly.
Heart pounding in my ears, I have to force myself to slow my breathing so I can try to focus. Getting overwhelmed and eaten by a walking squid creature is not how I want to die, especially not when I get a glimpse of its razor-sharp teeth.
Nope, uh-uh, not happening. Think, Laelia, think, I chant to myself as I continue to back away. There has to be a way to defeat this thing.
My chest tightens as my bond wraps around me, tugging me in the direction of Joel, my mate. That’s not the only tug I feel, however, and I can’t help but glance to my left, looking for whomever the mystery feeling belongs to. No, they are too far away, and neither of them will get here in time. I guess I’m just going to have to save myself.
I’m still contemplating how I’m going to do that when something golden glistens and catches my eye. My gaze is instantly drawn to it. There, wrapped in one of the creature’s inky tentacles, is exactly what we need—the ring.
This trial is a scavenger hunt. All contestants have been paired up, and we have to find an artifact containing the council’s symbol, then get to the beacon in the middle of the arena. However, there aren’t enough for every team, and the last ten teams will be eliminated. For most, that would mean returning to their pack with their tails between their legs, but for me, if I don’t get to the semi-finals, then the council will declare me a witch and have me executed, so I can’t afford to fail, and I need the ring that creature is clinging to.
Although, without Scott, it’s pointless. The council made it pretty clear that both teammates in the pairing had to survive, and if he really is dead… No, I won’t allow myself to jump that far ahead. One step at a time. Scott is a strong werewolf, he can’t be dead. Even if he was, I still have to survive to the end of the trial. Having one of the artifacts might aid me, since I could use it as a bargaining tool, or it will paint me as a target.
Shit.I could really use you right about now, I tell the goddess sarcastically.
A little zip goes through me, much like a static shock, followed by the feeling of otherworldly amusement as the goddess’s presence settles over me. She’s supported and helped me through all of this so far, and I know that zap was more playful than a warning, but there is a quiet sense of urgency about it too.
“What do I do? I have no way to defend myself!” Panic makes my voice tight as I gesture with my empty hands.
The creature uses my distraction to its advantage, lunging forward and reaching out with its tentacles to grab me. Star isn’t about to let that happen, however, and she leaps up, snapping her jaw down on the extended limb. With an inhuman screech, the monster rears back, pulling Star with it.
“No!” My shout is filled with a power I don’t comprehend, however, in this moment, I don’t care—I just need to make sure Star is safe. I don’t know if she can even get hurt, since her body can become incorporeal, but that’s not something I want to learn tonight.
The creature thrashes, pulling Star against its body, the long, needle-like teeth sinking into her shoulder. She yelps in pain, and the constant barrier I keep erected inside me finally snaps.
Power like nothing I’ve ever known floods my veins as my other self takes over. The world seems to dim for a moment, and from the back of my mind, I’m able to watch as my body lifts off the ground. Electricity sparks around me, and as I raise my hands, I see the power jumping between my fingers. The creature within me is in full control, and I’m pushed back as I try to stop myself from whatever is coming next. I take a deep breath, and a strange pulling sensation fills me. It takes me a second to realise that she’s gathering my power, ready to attack. I’m terrified Star will get hurt in the process, but there’s nothing I can do as both my arms are raised and pointed towards the squid-human hybrid. A white, glowing ball gathers between my hands, and as it’s released, shooting towards the creature, everything moves in slow motion.
Something leaps from the water with a roar, and for a moment, I think it’s a second creature, but then I see exactly what—who it is. It’s Scott in his wolf form, and he jumps right into the path of the ball of power. There’s nothing I can do other than watch it all play out as he notices the magic and twists his body in mid-air, missing being hit by a hairsbreadth. His jaw clamps down on the creature, severing the tentacle clutching the ring.
Screeching loud enough to make my ears bleed, the creature releases Star, only to be hit by my magic. Its body is blown back, and it completely disintegrates from my power.
All of a sudden, time returns to its regular speed, and the mysterious being within me sinks back to her prison in my chest, returning my body to me. My knees buckle, and if Star didn’t run over to me in that moment I would have fallen to the ground. Gasping, I take her face in my hands and run my fingers through her fur, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She stares up at me soulfully and licks my arm.
“Oh, Star, I’m so sorry.” Pulling back, I look at her shoulder to check her injury, my heart breaking at the open wound. As I examine it closer, I see that it’s already healing. Silver liquid clots around the wound, and I realise it’s her blood. I don’t know why this surprises me so much, since she’s already miraculous simply by existing, so silver blood is small in comparison. “You were so brave,” I whisper, nuzzling my face against her neck, careful not to knock her injured shoulder.
Movement catches my attention, and I jerk my head up in time to see Scott shift back into human form. Feeling guilty that I ran straight to Star and forgot him for a moment, I mentally scold myself. This guy doesn’t have to help me. He wasn’t going to, but I managed to convince him, and he got hurt trying to do just that, so the least I could do is help him now.
“Scott!” I shout, hurrying over and kneeling at his side. I place my hand on his shoulder, scanning him for injuries. “Are you okay?”
His legs look red and sore, the puckered wounds showing where each sucker from the creature’s tentacle attached to him. The process of shifting to wolf and back again heals most wounds, so the fact that there is still evidence of the wound tells me it was pretty bad. However, he’s strong, so the sores should be gone in a few hours. Other than that, he looks uninjured.
“What the fuck was that?” a very soggy Scott asks, finally raising his head to meet my gaze, and I know he’s not talking about the abomination from the bog. He doesn’t pull away from me, but there’s a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, like he’s not sure what was more dangerous—me or the creature. “What are you?”
That’s exactly what I’d like to know. Part wolf, part… something. It only seems to come up when I’m threatened, but that’s the first time it’s ever completely taken over like that. I have no idea who or what I am anymore.
