She kneels beside it. The wolf moans and brushes against Soraya. “She didn’t know,” she says to the animal lovingly, checking his left and then right side for injuries. “You’re okay.” Soraya pats him and seconds later, he’s on all fours, running past us.
I’m wondering how to tell who’s who. As if she’s reading my thoughts, Soraya says, “You’ll get to know who’s the enemy soon enough. Unfortunately, it looks as if today is that day.”
“Let’s go, ladies. We don’t have time for small talk.” Rose comes up behind us fast. Soraya rises and grabs my arm, but I pull away. I’ve had enough of being dragged along.
“I can move on my own. As for the shifter-wolf, will he be okay?” I’m struggling to keep up as we navigate through the space. What once seemed like a house, now looks more like an underground tunnel.
“Yes. And just so you know, he’s an actual wolf, not a shifter.”
I’m confused. How the hell do they keep track of all this?
“Remember, white wolves are our friends. They’re from my bloodline and look as I do in wolf form.”
That seems simple enough. But somehow, I gather there are more rules to come. We’re running at full speed when we reach a door. Rose pushes it open and the outside light nearly blinds me. Before long, we’re in a wooded area, and I definitely don’t feel safe.
“Where are we going?”
Moving at full speed, I’m thankful for maintaining my morning running routine and the sneakers I’m wearing. Even with them, I’m struggling to keep up with Soraya and Rose, who seem used to fleeing for their lives.
“To a place I had Roman clear out just yesterday—a nearby underground cellar. I wasn’t expecting this so soon, but I planned for it. Roman was there making it secure, when you and Soraya were attacked last night. We can come up with a plan there,” Rose explains.
I’m constantly peeking over my shoulder. “But what about Roman, Caleb, and the others?”
“They’ll be fine,” Soraya says before stopping. I slow down and half-turn to see her kicking off her shoes. “Keep running,” she yells and takes off in the other direction.
Rose is calling for me to come on but I can’t move, not in the way she wants me to go, when I see my friend shifting into wolf form midair. A beast-like animal is headed straight toward us. It must be the werebeast she warned us about. This creature has a grim appearance—large head, glowing, yellow eyes, and is on all fours. Its sopping wet tongue is hanging out is if it’s ready to devour someone. She jumps down on it, and I scream.
Rose pulls my shoulder. “Winter, I need you to focus; we have to get to shelter. They’ll be fine.”
I hear what she’s saying but her pleas come second to what I’m seeing. More of the beasts are headed toward us, and Soraya’s fighting off two of them at once.
All of this power surging through me, and I don’t know what to do. I feel helpless and for a minute, it seems all hope is lost. I have to do something.
A second animal is coming at us. Rose raises her hands and twists her wrists opposite each other. The werebeast body slams against a fallen tree trunk—lying deathly still. She hasn’t only knocked it out, she’s killed it. That’s when I realize, the snapping of the canine’s neck happened right when she initiated the wrist movement. Then I remember the way I would maneuver things as a child. I know what I need to do.
More are coming when I turn to Rose. “I can do it. Let me. I don’t want them to fight alone.” Hopefully she stands with me because I’m not leaving without the others.
She’s doubtful, but still, she agrees.
I start with one of two werebeasts attacking Soraya. I mimic the same movement as Rose, which is what I did earlier when I attacked the innocent wolf, but this time, I mutter, “Break neck.” Saying it seems to help. It’s working for a while until more of our enemies emerge.
Just as I start to worry, I see Roman and Caleb, or what I think is them, running toward us with several white wolves trailing behind. I can’t be certain since I’ve only seen them in shifter form, once.
There’s a problem. Rose and I are right in the middle. Caleb and Roman are coming from one direction and the beastly creatures from another.
Looking at Roman, I assess the distance from where we are. The werebeast will get to us before Roman and the others. Rose and I are on our own.
I look around for anything I can use as leverage while Rose uses magic to take down as many of our enemies as possible. The trees catch my attention.
“Rose, I can bring them down.” I nod toward the trees.
“No, Winter. It’s too much, too soon.”
“I can do it.” I don’t give her a chance to respond and when she does, I’m in my own thoughts and unable to focus on what she’s saying.
Stretching my arms, I circle around, calling for the trees to uplift from the ground. As they do, I send them flying toward the beasts which gives me time to carry out the other part of my plan; I need to create a barrier. It’s not long before I’m done. This gives Soraya, Roman, Caleb, and the others a fighting chance. Rose is taking down the ones who manage to get around the barrier. She tosses a disbelieving glance my way. Once the trunks are stacked high enough, I can take out the majority of them all at once, but we’ll still need to fight off the ones who manage to get by.
I hadn’t realized the amount of strength needed to use magic. Suddenly, every muscle in my body is hurting as if I’ve been using them to physically move the trees. Pushing past the pain, I turn toward the fallen and now stacked trunks. With one forceful movement, I send them flying onto our enemies.
Many are down, and we have the upper hand. Turning to the fallen, I snap the necks of each, one by one. I keep going, despite feeling weak and dizzy. I don’t notice the drizzle from my nose until it falls to my lip, and I taste the blood.
“Oh no, Winter!” I hear Rose’s voice right when I begin to slide to the ground.
***
I recall the burning sensation from the assault on my nostrils. The ammonia from the smelling salts shocked me into consciousness. I’m lying on a makeshift bed, coherent but still a little muddled. My hands tighten around the material under me. I move my head toward the shuffling in the room. Even with my eyes closed, I know who’s here because of the voices echoing.
“She’s coming around,” Soraya says.
I open my eyes, expecting to see Roman leaning over me, and he is. “Are you all right?”
I lick the dryness from my lips, and his hand touches my shoulder. I turn slightly and kiss it before pushing myself to an upright position.
I clear my throat. “Stop fussing, I’m fine.”
He cocks his head to the side and regards me. “Are you sure?” His voice is a bit shaky and strained.
Realizing the roles have reversed, and he’s now the one needing confirmation, I place a gentle hand on his. “I’m sure. I know my purpose, and I’m ready to accept it. I won’t be caught off guard again. Not after today.”
The dullness in his eyes is replaced with a shimmer of hope.
Swinging my legs around, I stand to my feet and walk over to the stack of books on the floor. I fold my arms as I redirect my attention. My glance shuffles from one to the other, stopping at Rose.
“I had them brought here.”
“And where’s here?” I ask, viewing the barred area behind her. She peers over her shoulder and then back at me.
“The cellar I mentioned earlier. It was used to train young wolves to transform at will. This place was designed to keep them, and those on the outside, safe, while the young wolves mastered control. An ally who helped out here, told me about this place. It hasn’t been used in over a decade, and will be one of the last places anyone will think to look for us.”
This time around, I’m more willing to accept what I’m being told. Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen it all was real.