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And he makes her feel things no one else ever has…
Elara needs to get her answers, but she can forget just for one night, right?
The girls laugh and talk through one of their favorite movies,10 Things I Hate About You. When it’s over, Elara feels much more like herself, her earlier troubles shoved far to the back of her mind.
She grabs the remote to turn off the TV, but she stops in her tracks. A breaking news alert streaks across the screen.
Elara goes pale as she listens to the details the dark-haired reporter is giving, occasional video shots in the upper corner of flashing police lights and yellow crime scene tape.
"A strange crime spree has struck Mercy City and surrounding areas. Heists of every bank began earlier today and continued with very little leads on who is responsible."
The screen cuts to an earlier recording of an interview with an eyewitness—a man with glasses and a beard who looks as if he’s seen a ghost.
"I don't know what's going on in this city, but I’m almost scared to fall asleep now. I swear it, I saw with my own eyes, a man changing shape!"
Stunned, Elara glances at her friends, feeling this time she’s the one who has seen a ghost. Thinking back to something Denzel told her about shifters, she knows this has to be supernatural.
"Elara, are you okay?" Kira asks, coming over and placing her hand on her shoulder.
The touch pulls her out of her thoughts. "Something’s wrong here. I need to call Denzel. Maybe he knows something."
Both Jordyn and Kira look confused as Elara grabs her phone and leaves the room, hoping Denzel will have some answers or an idea of what to do.
If it's war, now that she's a wolf, she'll have to fight too.
23
Elara
"Are you sure you're going to be alright here?" Jordyn says quietly, leaning in for a hug.
Elara pulls away and nods. "I should be plenty safe inside the house, and I won't leave alone. I just need to figure this out. Something seems off."
Jordyn’s worried eyes strike Elara with guilt, but this is her life now. It's easier for her friends to accept the fun parts of her newfound abilities, but it will likely take longer for them to understand the danger and mystery associated with it all.
Jordyn and Kira leave, and Elara dashes to her bedroom, shutting the door and pulling out her cell phone.
As soon as the other line begins to ring, Elara mutters under her breath, "Pick up, pick up." She won't blame him if he doesn't—Denzel is about as busy of a wolf as it gets, and he does an awful lot for her already. But she lets out a sigh of relief when she hears his voice.
"Elara?"
"Have you seen the news?" She practically jumps down his throat as she paces back and forth next to her bed, not even knowing if she can handle what Denzel might have to say.
"I have." He pauses, and the dramatics are almost too much to bear. Elara's about to say something she'll regret when he continues. "There seem to be shape shifters who have arrived in Mercy City. These heists were orchestrated by them."
Elara wracks her brain for any reason a supernatural creature would have for robbing a bunch of banks. Money, sure, but it seems an extreme risk for just some cash. They probably could have scared the crap out of some unsuspecting victims and gotten money thrown at them rather than hitting banks.
“That doesn't make any sense,” Elara murmurs, her hand running through her hair absentmindedly in her worry. “Why would shifters want to do that?”
“The shifters were looking for something. They stole something from one of the banks. It wasn't money.”
There he goes with the cryptic talk again...
"So, what is it? What does it do?" Elara asks, flopping down onto her bed. It's a lot to process considering she’s just getting used to being a part of a supernatural community. Stealing an object means it has to be something valuable and likely magical. Magical objects seem more like something out of a fantasy novel than real life.
“I think it's some kind of powerful object, but I don't know what. Whatever it is, though, it means nothing good." Denzel’s voice turns dark, and a chill runs up Elara's spine. "Shifters and weres have always been butting heads, but something's happened with the war between the species. It's become heightened in recent days."
Elara pushes herself down into the softness of her bed, trying to feel real and ground herself. It's what she feared when she first saw the news story. She's a new wolf finding herselfwrapped up in a worsening war between species she barely understands, and there's still the mystery of her magical powers. Something she shouldn't have since, according to Denzel, neither of her parents seem to have a gene for it.
