Wolf Untamed by Alexis Calder

23

“We have to be outdoors for this spell to work,” Star said.

I glanced down at Alec. “Will you be okay?”

“I’m fine. Try not to get attacked or anything while I’m healing,” he said.

“As long as there’s no surprises waiting for me out there, I should be just fine,” I said.

“Ouch.” He looked hurt. “One of these days, you’ll forgive me.”

I hadn’t meant to hurt him, the comment came without thought, but I wasn’t fully over it yet. Alec’s brush with death showed me how important he was and how badly I wanted him in my life. But we weren’t done healing the mistrust between us.

Malcom walked over to where I was standing near Alec. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“You might not want that job,” I said. “Look what it did to Alec.”

“I’ll take my chances,” he said with a grin.

“I’m far more worried about you than I am about me,” I told Alec.

“You want me to stay with him?” Kyle offered.

I was surprised he was willing to stay behind. His offer showed me how much he trusted Alec, despite his past actions. “Thank you, Kyle.”

“Well, this little group is going to make me vomit from all the sweetness,” Star said. “Who knew I’d ever meet such sentimental wolf shifters?”

“She’s got a point.” Malcom punched Alec’s arm gently. “It’s not like he actually died.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Alec said.

“We’re going to lose the sun,” Star said. “Time for the spell.”

I waved to Alec, then followed Star and Malcom back up the long, dark staircase into the upper level of the home. The over-the-top décor wasn’t as shocking this time, but it was in stark contrast to our host.

When we got outside, I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes for a moment. The fresh, sweet air was welcome after all the excitement and tension of the last hour. I looked around, appreciating the warm glow of the late afternoon sun. It reflected off the waterfall, making it look like liquid gold.

“It is so beautiful here,” I said.

“Thanks,” Star said. “I got to give feedback for the landscape, but the house was all Winter’s doing.”

“Winter?” I asked.

“She’s a high fae. Happened to get into a jam in our realm. I wanted a hidden bit of nature where I could pitch a tent. The house was a gift. While I don’t recommend making a deal with a fae, I do recommend accepting their thank you gifts. It would have been rude to decline.”

The home décor made more sense now. It wasn’t indicative of Star’s taste because she didn’t pick it out. “That’s a hell of a gift.”

“I’m a very good witch,” she said. “And on that note, are you ready for this spell?”

I nodded, my stomach twisting into knots. It didn’t feel like I had much of a choice with this. Either I break this claim, or I risk being put to death for the mere crime of being born. Shifter royalty was so fucked up.

“It’s safe, right?” Malcom asked.

“She’ll be fine. But I have to warn you, I don’t have enough blood for two. I was told there was one claim that needed broken.” Star narrowed her eyes at Malcom. “Seems they left out the fact that there were two of you.”

“I’m not here for the magic,” he said.

“You’re older, the first born,” Star said. “If your father ever took the crown, you’d be next in line. Assuming you kept the claim.”

My brow furrowed and I looked over at Malcom. His face contorted into a very confused expression. “What?”

“It could be lucrative for you to keep the claim,” Star said.

“I don’t want anything to do with him,” Malcom spat.

I wasn’t sure I believed that Malcom was protected from our father finding him, but I didn’t think he was trying to maintain the claim on purpose.

“That’s never going to happen, anyway,” I assured him, setting my hand on his upper arm. “We’re going to stay safe. Together.”

“Cute,” Star said. “One big, dysfunctional family.”

“He’s not family,” I said quickly. “Our dad, that is. Malcom, is my family.”

Malcom looked down at me with the most genuine smile I’d ever seen from him. He lifted his chin. “Thanks, sis.”

Warmth spread in my chest. The only family I ever had was my mom and she let me down when I needed her the most. I’d felt that connection with the feral wolves, but Malcom was blood. I didn’t realize how badly I’d wanted that kind of connection.

Star whistled. “Seriously. I don’t know what’s going on with feral shifters, but I’ve never seen this much goo.”

“Goo?” I asked.

“Sentimentality,” she said.

“Yeah, we’re pretty awful,” I agreed. “Maybe we should just do the spell and move on?”

“Please, and thank you,” Star said. “There’s a gazebo through here that will be perfect.”

How about that, there was a white gazebo nestled in a circle of trees. The river that flowed from the waterfall ran around the back of it, making it possibly the most peaceful looking place I’d ever seen. “Do you still have fairies living here? Cause this place is magical.”

Star glanced back at me and actually smiled. “It is nice, isn’t it? My coven thought I’d die on my own. Imagine if they saw me now.”

“I thought it was just wolf shifters who were awful to their young,” I said.

“Oh no, there’s terrible parents of every kind. Humans, shifters, witches, fae…” She walked up the steps to the gazebo, then stopped in the center. “Alpha girl up here, brother, down there.”

“Lola,” I said.

“I know,” she said. “But I’ve never met a female alpha so I’m enjoying it.”

“I’m not alpha yet,” I said. “I just have the mark.”

“Your future isn’t as set as some I’ve seen, but you have a chance,” she said.

“Well, that’s reassuring,” I deadpanned.

“It’s a good thing when your future isn’t set in stone. It means you have the freedom to make choices and those choices matter. If your ending is already written, it doesn’t matter. You could go left or right, it won’t change. There’s power in an open ending,” she said.

“How about me?” Malcom asked.

“You should never ask about your future,” Star said. “If the information isn’t freely given, you don’t want to know.”

“Well, that’s fucking foreboding,” he said. “It sounds an awful lot like you’re telling me my future is going to suck.”

“I’m saying you shouldn’t ask. I didn’t tell you why,” she said.

I had to agree with Malcom, it didn’t sound good. But I wasn’t going to press the issue after her warning. A subject change seemed best. “So, what’s next?”

Star lifted her arms dramatically and black ribbons shot from her fingertips. They widened and grew until they were like long swaths of fabric.

My jaw dropped open as I watched this happen too quickly to realize what was going on. By the time I processed that she was enclosing us in, it was too late.

Everything was dark.

I heard muffled screams outside the gazebo and I knew Malcom was calling for me. My pulse raced and my senses went into overdrive. The air felt still and the fresh scent of the forest was lacking. Instead, I swore I could smell something spicy, like cinnamon. Without the breeze, it felt too warm. I resisted the urge to panic, forcing myself to take slow, steady breaths.

I couldn’t see anything in the pitch black of the gazebo. My eyes widened as if I could see better that way. Realizing what I was doing, I blinked a few times, then tried to let my vision adjust. It was still nothing.

“Star? What’s going on?” I asked.

“For the spell to work, we need to control the senses,” she said.

“You said we needed to be outside,” I reminded her.

“I needed you away from distractions. This spell is just as much your energy as it is mine.”

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“Blood magic is dark and dangerous. Too many ways it can go wrong. It’s forbidden for a reason,” she said.

“You are not making me feel better about this,” I said.

“Do you want to break this claim or not?” she asked.

I turned, trying to figure out which direction her voice was coming from. It felt like it was all around me. “I don’t think I have a choice.”

“You have to want this, or it won’t work,” she said.

I thought back to what Alec told me about alphas connecting with the king. If I was serious about taking Wolf Creek, I had to go through with this. “I want this.”

“Sit.” It was a command.

It was more unnerving than I thought it would be to lower myself to the ground without seeing the floor. Star didn’t use the typical vision to see things. She used her magic. “Can you see in here?”

“I see enough,” she said.

I wanted to ask her more questions to learn more about her and her magic, but now didn’t seem like the time. “I’m ready.”

“Hands on your knees, mind clear,” Star instructed.

I took a breath in and did as she asked. Thoughts of Alec and Tyler flooded my mind. Then, visions of Ace tumbled in. My mom showed up, taking a drag on her cigarette. I cursed under my breath, and tried harder to clear my mind. There was so much I couldn’t get out of my head.

“You’re not concentrating,” Star said. “Push those thoughts away.”

“I’m trying,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Breathe in, hold it for five seconds, then breathe out,” she suggested.

I felt ridiculous, but I tried the breathing pattern. After a few rounds, I actually did find it easier to concentrate.

“Don’t panic when you feel me touch your hand. Keep your mind clear,” she said.

I continued counting between breaths and when Star’s cold hand touched mine, I only flinched rather than freaking out. It felt like she was drawing something on my hand with her fingertip. I tried to ignore it and went back to the breathing.

Star began to chant under her breath. It wasn’t any language I was familiar with and it was very hard to keep my mind empty while she was speaking. My count was off, and I struggled to focus.

Suddenly, a flash of light exploded from the center of the gazebo, illuminating the entire structure. In that moment, a massive shadow lunged toward Star. I could see its teeth and claws coming for her.

Screaming, I leaped from my spot on the floor and I shoved Star aside. The creature made an ear-splitting high-pitched sound. I fell to the ground, wincing in pain. The cry from the creature felt like it was inside my head. I covered my ears and I think I might have screamed but it was too loud to know for sure.

Almost as quickly as it appeared, the creature was gone. The black fabric fell away from the gazebo and Star and I were sitting on the ground. She looked at me with her eyes wide.

“I take it that wasn’t supposed to happen,” I said.

She shook her head.

“What happened?” Malcom rushed to us and knelt next to me. “Are you alright?” He turned to Star. “What did you do to her?”

“I did the spell but that was not shifter blood. What the fuck kind of game is Alec trying to play? He could have gotten us both killed!” Star stood and faced us, her hands on her hips. She was pissed.

“What are you talking about?” Malcom said. “Alec gave you his blood. You didn’t do the spell right.”

“No. That was vampire blood. I nearly pulled a vampire soul from its undead body. I don’t want that lurking around my home. You have to go.” She glared at us. It was an unsettling sight. “You’re a threat to my home. Do you have any idea what that could have done to me?”

“There has to be an explanation.” I couldn’t believe I was defending Alec, but it didn’t make any sense.

“There better be,” she said.