A Wolf Scorned by Taylor Spratt

Amira

At the crack of dawn, Callum dragged me out of bed for this training session of his. We left the cabin and entered the forest. After a ten-minute trek through the thick trees, we arrived at a clearing.

Two dozen sharp weapons, ranging from golden axes to silver swords and everything in between, sat on a rack by a large oak tree.

“What is all that stuff?” I folded my arms, eyeing the weapons with unease. Callum was the last person I wanted to be alone with, given our history. But to add weapons to the mix? That was a huge no-no for me.

“Did you think I’d bring you out here to have a tickle fight, half-breed?” he growled, before turning to leer at me. “If we are going to awaken your inner power we must strengthen you physically first.”

Callum grabbed a long shiny sword from the rack and threw it in my direction, seemingly expecting me to catch the thing.

“Hey, watch it!” I side stepped the sword and it fell to the ground.

“Gah,” he groaned, slapping his forehead. “This is what I have to work with? Of all the she-wolves in Dominion…. May the Queen never hear of this disgrace.”

“The Queen?” My ears pricked up. “This is the second time I’m hearing about her. Who is she anyway? And why is the world called Dominion now instead of Earth?”

Callum took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “So many questions… Fine, maybe a little history lesson will help take your mind out of that backwater hole you came from and ground you in your current reality.”

“Sixty years ago, President Dominion was the 68th President of the United States and its last. For eons we Magicals had lived amongst humans, all the while shielding them from the knowledge of our powers and existence. But everything changed with President Dominion.” Callum’s expression soured and his lip curled up as if he’d tasted something bitter.

“He was a powerful lion shifter who held on to the silly dream that the world of Magicals and humanity could openly live together.” He threw his long white hair back and sighed before shifting his gaze to a nearby tree. “He stupidly revealed the existence of us Magicals in a televised speech. And those scaredy-cat humans declared a bloody war on us that lasted seven long years.”

“War? For what? Just because we wanted to live free and in the open? I don’t understand why they would do that.”

“Humans are afraid of people who are different than themselves. Most of them would much rather see us dead than walking on their sidewalks.”

His words sent a cold shiver down my spine. The humans couldn't truly be that bad. I had to believe that at least some of them were good.

“And- and just what happened after the war?”

“By the end of the whole shebang, humanity fell and moved away, to live in human colonies, tucked away in various wilderness areas across the globe. And good riddance, I say. If they didn't want us then we don’t want them. Now, we Magicals rule, inhabiting every major city on the planet. We were free to be ourselves just as the Gods intended it.”

By the way he spoke, he almost sounded hurt by the human’s rejection of us. Maybe this thick wall of ice in front of me was more vulnerable than I thought.

“And so the world was renamed after this ‘Dominion’ man?”

“That’s right,” he nodded. “It was done to honor him after he died in the war. Now King Alexandros, the Vampire King and his fae mate, Queen Jessica, rule Dominion together. They keep the peace and balance between all Magical creatures, or at least that’s what they’re supposed to be doing.

“So does this Queen know that there are thousands of shifters being held as slaves in the hole?” I couldn't hide the anger from my trembling voice as my fist tightened at my side.

Callum went silent, his eyes scanning my face. “I do not know what the Queen knows. But even she cannot save us all.”

The sadness in his eyes was almost palpable as he spoke, and I knew it was about his curse. It weighed on him like a ten ton boulder. I had to wonder what he would have been like had life been kinder to him.

“Alright. Enough chit chat. Pick up your sword and show me what you’ve got.” He trailed over to the rack and pulled free a golden sword with a straight black line running down the blade.

I reached for my sword, picking it up off the ground and holding it firmly in front of me. “Rather brave of you to hand me a weapon, Callum. What would you do if I sliced your neck and made a run for it?”

Callum laughed boyishly and a large, bright smile formed on his face. I just stood stunned, like a deer in headlights. I didn’t even know he could smile, let alone so beautifully.

“Tell you what, half-breed. If you can manage to draw even a drop of my blood, I will let you go.” He chuckled, leaning forward to stalk around me sword in hand.

“Oh, I’m going to make you wish you didn’t make that promise, pretty boy.” I lunged forward, swinging my sword at his neck.

“Pretty boy!?” he said incredulously and swerved out of the way of my blade.

He jabbed his blade toward my leg and I fell back, narrowly missing it. Sweat coursed down my face as he came at me, swinging his blade at my arm.

His sparred like a master swordsman, his blade often moving too fast for me to even see. I fell over, my butt landing hard on the grass. I sprung to my feet and held my sword in front of me, awaiting his next move.

He stood there, sizing me up, watching me suck in air as I breathed heavily. He was taking it easy on me. With his speed, he could have taken me down long ago had he wanted to.

“Had enough?” he laughed, craning his head to glance at me from under his lashes.

“Not even close. I’ll land a blow if it's the last thing I do. Then I’m getting out of here.”

“Then do it already,” he goaded and I targeted his abdomen with the tip of my blade.

“You’ll leave yourself wide open if you fight like that.” He easily dodged my blade and his sword came swerving toward my neck. He missed intentionally, bringing his blade over the top of my head.

His hair blew effortlessly in the wind with his every deliberate swing. We fought and the world around us went so silent, all that could be heard was the sound of our swords cutting the wind and clashing together.

His sweat made his white shirt see-through and every inch of his rippling muscles were peeking out. They flexed and contracted with his every move, and I couldn’t take my eyes of them.

Callum and I had clashed in every way possible from the minute we met, but I couldn’t deny just how breathtakingly stunning he was. Just looking at him made my heart speed up and my cheeks grow warm.

He flung his blade too far back on the last swing and his back was now turned to me.

Finally, I saw my opening.

I drove the tip of my blade toward his side in a horizontal stabbing maneuver. The sword pierced the air, cruising towards its target.

Half a second from tasting the fury of my blade, Callum jumped to the left at a super sonic speed, missing my blade so perfectly it was like he had eyes in the back of his head.

Having put every ounce of my strength into this attack, I flew forward, crashing into a small patch of dandelions. My sword went flying over the flowers and crash landed on a tree trunk.

Ugh. I spat a dandelion out of my mouth and turned to glare up at Callum, who eyed me with a smug look on his face.

“Just face it. You won’t be drawing any of my blood today or any day.” He shook his head, seeming quite pleased with himself.

There was one way I could draw his blood. Reading my mind, Wolfy growled the word, “Shift!”

I thought about it for a moment. Imagining taking a bite at his leg in wolf form but I quickly banished the thought.

“It won’t work, Wolfy. Just look at what happened last time. We’ll need more practice shifting before we’ll be strong enough to even attempt something so daring.”

“Thinking about running away again, are you?” His mouth curled up into a half grin, seeming almost amused by the idea. He then swung his sword in a 360 degree circle.

“No,” I said plainly, before flipping over and reclaiming my sword.

“The only one who is going to run away today is you.” With a new determination I came at him, slashing away like a mad woman, hoping against hope I might finally get him, even by accident.

“You must learn to be more flexible. Bend your knees and always lean slightly forward.” He side-stepped my blade with ease, moving as if the laws of aerodynamics worked differently for him than for me. He was so big and tall too, how the hell did he move so fast?

“Never take your eyes off the blade. Jump from side to side so your opponent won’t see your attack coming,” he continued while shifting in every direction, making it hard to even see him.

His sword came at me, too fast for me to react, and it grazed my arm.

“You're distracted. You can never afford to lose focus while in battle,” he reprimanded and I dropped the sword, fell to my knees, and took a series of breaths so rapidly I thought I'd pass out.

It's not easy to stay focused when my teacher looks like a sex god, I thought but didn't say.

“Come, I know what will help. Let me show you a new technique to focus your shifter energy. With any luck, it will help unleash your witchly ability. Come on, stand up and hold your blade.” He waved his hands upward, gesturing for me to stand.

I stood, holding my blade up high.

“This is called Spirit channeling. Close your eyes, feel your energy deep within, and channel it directly into your blade."

Callum closed his eyes, and after a few seconds his golden blade began to shine with a blinding white light. It was like the sun radiated from inside the metal.

Incredible.

He opened his eyes and his blade still shone brilliantly.

“Now I want you to try it. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and follow my instructions.”

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and just like he instructed I felt for my shifter energy from deep within myself.

Okay come on, Amira, let it flow. Let it flow. Let it flow and let my sword start to glow.

My eyes popped open, and with a rush of excitement I glanced at my blade. I expected to see it shining just like Callum’s had, but my heart sank in my chest as I saw the metal was just as dull as it had been a moment ago.

“Come here, let me help you.” He waved for me to come to him but I didn't move a step.

His brows furrowed and he marched over to me. “I don't bite, you know.”

Was he sure about that?

He rested his sword on the ground and maneuvered himself behind me. To my surprise, he came right up close to me, until I could feel his wide, hard chest at my back. He gently grasped both my wrists in his.

The scent of his fragrant cologne wafted into my nose and made my toes curl.

An electric current coursed through my body from his touch, and I swallowed hard, unable to process this new sensation.

“Now, just focus on your energy and let it course into the blade. I'll help you channel it.” His hands were warm on my skin. I channeled my energy into the blade and this time a tickling sensation surged from my chest to my hands.

My blade went from silver to a shining white.

“I did it! I can't believe I actually did it!” I turned my head to look up at Callum. My excitement had to be written all over my face like a billboard. Captain Sourpuss seemed to share in my joy, smiling brightly back at me.

His smile quickly disappeared, returning to its stony factory default as he remembered himself and refused to let me see him soften even a little bit.

Callum balled his fist, holding it to his mouth, and cleared his throat. “Let's get back to training.”

He picked his sword up off the grass, ignited his blade, and came at me again.

Our swords clashed and we both parted and shifted about, waiting for the other to give an opening.

With this new technique my sword not only shone, but it felt light as air and easier to run with.

I stumbled over a tree trunk, and taking advantage of the opportunity, his sword clacked into mine. Overpowering me, Callum pinned me to a nearby oak tree.

My back pressed against the hard wood and my arms strained to keep him at bay with my sword. He drew himself closer, pressing his blade harder against mine.

“Give up yet?” he smirked, coming in so close that his towering body completely eclipsed mine. My arms trembled from the force, but I refused to give in. At least, until my body did for me.

Like the snap of a twig, my arms gave out and my sword went flying. I fell over, but just before I could hit the hard tree trunk, a pair of large arms gripped me tight.

Callum’s sword made a loud clang as it hit the ground.

The next thing I knew, my face was planted in the expanse of his chest and his aromatic scent hit me like a train.

“Are you all right?” he asked as I lifted my face off his chest to look up at him. His arms were wrapped around my waist, and his powerful body holding me firm against the tree.

“I think so.” His face was so close to mine, there were only a few inches between us. Stranger still, Callum showed no visible signs of having a problem with our closeness.

His expression went slack, and his eyes went hazy as he silently gazed into mine. He harbored a strange sort of peaceful serenity I’d never seen in him. For this one moment it was as if he held no hatred towards me at all.

All I could do was stand there, mesmerized by the hypnotic depth of his eyes.

“So, you think I’m pretty, do you?” he breathed, breaking the silence.

“Um, what?” I mumbled, my brain taking longer to process than normal at the moment.

“You said so earlier. You called me ‘pretty boy’.” His voice was so deep, so seductively smooth, I could barely focus on what he was saying as butterflies flew rampantly in my belly.

“So, is that really what you think of me?” Callum’s eyes flashed down to my lips and lingered there for several seconds.

“Well, I mean, you must have heard it from other girls in the past.”

“I am not interested in what other girls have said. What do you think?” Callum’s head drifted down to my neck, and he pressed his nose to my delicate flesh as he inhaled deeply.

The air vacated my chest and an intense, sweet spasms tingled the valley between my legs.

I moaned as his lips gently traced the curve of my neck, all the way up to my chin.

My pussy clenched uncontrollably as my system struggled to process these new and incredible sensations.

He brought his lips in close to mine and exhaled. I greedily sucked in his breath, savoring the taste.

He smirked, visibly pleased by my reaction. He shifted one arm from around my waist to grip the back of my neck, pulling my head back.

Callum devoured my eyes with his, dominating me with his laser focused attention. Lust came alive within me as my body awakened to pleasures it didn’t even know it was missing.

“Not going to answer me?” He teasingly rubbed his lips over mine. I puckered my lips, wanting more but he merely swiped his lips over mine a second time, driving me insane with need.

This is what he wanted. He wanted me to want more. It was his wicked game he was playing and I was losing.

He spread my legs apart with his knee, bringing it right up to the apex of my crotch.

I whimpered as the strength of his leg ground against my eager pussy. I didn't know it was possible, but I felt his voracious rubbing right in my clit.

I swallowed a moan, and gazed up at him with a pleading look in my eyes.

“I-um I,” I stammered, having lost my ability to form words as the blood rushed downward.

“You- you what?” he whispered in my ear in that sensually deep voice of his, and devilishly continued rubbing his knee back and forth over my crotch. He was no sex god, he was a sex demon and he’d caught me in his snare.

Oh my God, it felt so good. I never wanted him to stop.

“I think you're Mhhh.” My words were cut off and a desperate moan fled my lips as his vigorous knee grinding picked up pace.

“You think I’m what?” He studied my expression and gauged my pleasure.

“I think you're pretty.” The words burst from my lips like nectar from a flower.

He smiled so wide it wrinkled his eyes, and finally he swooped his head down. His lips closed in on mine and were about to land when a rustling sound in the brushes stole his attention.

A squirrel jumped from a nearby bush and ran across our path.

As Callum watched it go, he lowered his leg from between my legs and released my neck and waist.

His eyes searched the ground as if he were just as surprised with his actions as I was.

He stepped away from me, not taking another look at me as he picked up his sword off the ground and returned it to the rack.

“Keep practicing for another hour, then go back to the house and rest,” he said plainly, before marching off through the trees and back in the direction of the house.

Hmmm, it seemed Callum didn’t hate us half-breeds as much as he said. But I couldn't help shake the thought that it was more than that. There was such conflict in the tremble of his eyes. Did he harbor more thoughts about me than he let on?

The wind blew through the trees, shaking the leaves and producing an almost melodic sound.

Alone in nature at last. I peered about the open forest, its vast array of foliage and not another person in sight.

Reality struck me like a bolt of lightning. Callum had left me all alone. That silly wolf forgot to leave someone to watch me and that was his fatal mistake.

Goodbye, Blood Moon shifters. Amira Bennet out...