Wolf Unleashed (Hybrid Prophecies Book 1) Read online

  “Okay. I will try to keep her in check. She is just growing impatient. She does not like listening to you anymore.”

  “I know. I would feel the same if my wolf were in the same situation.” He hugged me. His hugs always felt like dad hugs to Zara. Safe and like home. “Come on. I’m sure Sophia is wondering why we aren’t home yet.”

  Chapter Two: Atara

  Atara stared at the two men ahead of her and sensed there were two more behind her. All of them wore black shorts and tight black athletic shirts. She knew she had to think of a way to take them all down without breaking a sweat. The two in front of her were both a head taller than her, but one was smaller than the other. This would be the one to advance on her first. The smaller ones always seemed to have to prove to the bigger ones that they were just as good. The two behind her were roughly the same size as the smaller one in front of her. The bigger guy was going to wait it out. He would be the one to finish the job after the first three tired her out.

  Before she could formulate a plan, the smaller guy in the front advanced, just as she thought. He threw his first punch and Atara ducked, then brought her knee into his stomach. She heard the floor creak behind her, so she swiftly turned and kicked one of the smaller guys right on his temple. He dropped to the ground, out cold. The first guy grabbed her from behind and she threw her head back, head butting him. She heard his nose crunch. The third guy, just as she thought it would be the other small guy, advanced and started throwing punches. Atara ducked and evaded many, but not all of them. He managed to land one on her left jaw and another one in her gut. She dropped to the ground and kicked him behind his knees. When he landed on the ground, she jumped on top of him. Two hits to the face and he was out cold. The larger one finally joined the fight, bear hugging her around the chest, pinning her arms to her sides and lifting her off her feet. She threw all her weight forward and flew free from his grip. She dropped low to the ground, threw her body around balancing on one hand, and landed a kick on his right knee. His leg gave out giving her the opportunity to twist one of his arms and throw him on the ground. He jumped back up, but Atara was ready for him. She kicked him in the chest, and he went flying into the wall. When he landed on the ground he did not move.

  She finally stood straight up and rolled her shoulders. Her black, silver highlighted hair was in a high ponytail, but still managed to stick to her back. She was sweating through her shorts, shirt and could feel it on the back of her neck. Before she could check to see if she had any bruising or get mad, they had made her break a sweat. She heard clapping behind her. She turned to find her father, Cyrus, the King of the werewolves.

  “I see my money hasn't gone to waste on all those private trainers.” He smiled.

  “Yes, sir.” She replied obediently.

  “Come with me, we have much to discuss.” He began walking without waiting for her to follow.

  He knew she would always follow.

  All her memories were of her training with weapons and martial arts teachers since she was a little girl. She had private tutors for subjects like English, multiple other languages, math, science, and history. After mentally exhausting days of study she would then train late into the night learning skills in combat and how to be a warrior. When combat training was done, she would get five hours of sleep and repeat her training all over again the next day. Her father would always tell her it was the highest honor to be the Enforcer. Killing the wolves who broke his laws would keep the werewolves out of danger in a world where no one wanted them. That was partially true, but she always believed Cyrus just liked to make her kill people.

  She always obeyed of course; Cyrus was the Alpha of Alphas after all. His word was law. But Atara did not just do his bidding because he was the King. She obeyed because she admired him. Growing up as the King’s daughter was not easy. No one liked her because they were afraid of what Cyrus would do to them. All the kids around would not speak to her unless it was necessary. She did not mind. She always felt she was more of a lone wolf.

  Cyrus took her out of school the day she turned ten. Then the private tutors and trainers took over. Ten years later, she was fluent in six languages and could kill anyone with her hands, claws, teeth, or any weapon she happened to get her hands on.

  “There's been rogue werewolves emerging. Five. In five different cities. No one can tell me anything about them. I'm shocked Marcus hadn't contacted you to let you know to keep your ears open about them.”

  Marcus was Cyrus’s second in command. He treated Marcus as his secretary more than someone who would die to protect him. He was older than dirt as far as werewolves go considering he was roughly four hundred years old. He was very laid back for a dominant werewolf. He was also showing signs of aging. Instead of looking like he was in his thirties, he looked like he was in his sixties. He was a few inches from being six feet, his hair was going white, his green eyes were going from a bright green to a dull green/brown, his muscle tone was disappearing, and he was growing a pot belly. A younger wolf should have challenged him for his position, but all of them were afraid of him. For an old man, he could still fight as ferociously as an enraged bear.

  “I haven't seen nor heard from him since you left. I assumed he was busy with pack business.”

  “Just be sure to keep your ears open. If these rogue wolves kill any humans in public or even leave any bodies for them to find, we are in trouble. I've been keeping our species under the radar for too long to have some idiot wolves ruin it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “One last thing. Have you felt anything like a pack bond open up to you?”

  “No. Should I have, sir?”

  “No. You may now go.”

  Leaving with more questions than she ever had with any of her father/daughter chats, Atara quickly left Cyrus’s office. She opened her senses and woke up her wolf. She felt no extra magic nor any other feeling that a pack bond usually arises if one was activated. Maybe her father was losing his mind from the stress of the new rogues. There has not been any in a few years since Cyrus outlawed the creation of new wolves unless under extreme circumstances or permission from the King himself. She touched the ring on her left ring finger. It was made of obsidian which gave it its black color, but it also reflected like a gem. On the ring sat a reddish-orange, oval imperial topaz that caught the light no matter where she was and shined brightly. The band split into two and met at the gem; and within the split bands were chips of the same gem, taken while the opal was shaped. It was spelled to never leave her finger no matter what was done to it. Cyrus told her it was because he never wanted her to lose it. Atara did her best to always stay calm and ready for anything. Touching the ring was her way of calming herself, to show no emotion in front of anyone. Emotion was weakness and as the King’s daughter, she could not afford to be weak.

  Marcus was waiting for Atara inside the training room. He was sitting in the middle of the floor with his legs crossed and humming. It was not often this man needed to meditate, and it was usually a bad sign to find him doing so. Atara sat down in front of him and waited.

  He opened his eyes, “I assume he has told you that we have rogues.”

  “Yes, he has.”

  “Good. Saves me the trouble of telling you.”

  “Who Changed them?”

  “We do not know yet. We do still have a few lone wolves running around. My guess is they lost control of their wolves.”

  “But only Alphas can complete the Change.”

  “That’s what your father wants you to think.”

  Chapter Three: Zara

  Raven walked a one-hundred-yard circumference around the training area, casting wards in the form of a dome. She was an inch shorter than Zara, but her presence made you think she was taller. Zara watched her cast the wards with graceful movements and heard her softly speak the incantations. Her ink black hair fell to the middle of her back and her sapphire eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Raven always wore long flowy dresses. Today’s was a li
ght green that made her hair and eyes pop. The sleeves were loose and hung low off her wrist, but the rest was tight against her arms. The curves hung close to her waist and showed off her thin waist and curved hips. Zara asked why she wore outfits like that all the time when she was younger. Raven told her it allowed the magic in her veins to flow more naturally.

  Zara had learned to help her activate the protection wards after a few years of practice. Raven also taught her other minor spells such as healing spells and how to push pure magic out as a defense mechanism. Apparently, not many witches could master that technique. When Zara first came into her powers it was wild and uncontrollable. She even exploded a few things during training without meaning to. Once, she teleported herself in midair miles away from the training site and fell into a neighbor’s house. Xander had told Raven that she either found a way to help Zara gain control of her power or use a Coven spell to strip her of her magic. Raven refused to strip Zara of her magic since it was part of her soul. If you stripped magic from a supernatural, it would not only make them human, but they would become a shell of a person. They would turn into depressed and angry creatures that would be unpredictable to the point they may need to be executed because they would harm others. Zara’s magical pendant contains agate for strength and courage, fluorite for focus and protection, and red jasper for grounding and stimulation. It also enhanced dynamic energy, the cage made from shungite absorbed negative energy and aided in psychic protection. Raven completed a ritual for it to be blessed by the Moon Goddess as well as forged with Zara’s magic that the Lunar Coven spelled so Zara would not only have control of her magic but be protected from any tracking spells.

  “Have you been practicing?”

  “Oh yeah, like Xander would allow me to cast magic at home.” Zara said, rolling her eyes.

  Raven chuckled. “I meant your meditation. It may help your brooding at least” I stuck my tongue at her.

  Raven glided to the middle of the training space. Zara followed, while imitating Raven’s gait with her chest and chin out. “Do not think I cannot tell that you are doing that behind my back” Zara stopped in her tracks. It always surprised her that Raven knew exactly what she was doing even when her back was turned. “How do you do that? Is it a spell? When are you going to teach me that?” She faced Zara and smiled, “when you grow up.” Zara stuck her tongue out again, “ha, ha.” Raven waited patiently as Zara stopped playing around and got into position. Zara removed her shoes and stood straight with her palms raised toward the sky. “Are you ready?” Zara nodded. Raven mirrored the stance.

  Goddess above, demons below

  Protect what’s secret from man and foe

  Air make our words silent

  Fire strengthen our magic

  Water keep our magic pure

  Earth keep our magic grounded

  Encase us safely with your power!

  Zara watched her pearl colored magic mix with Raven’s navy-blue magic. The magic came from their hands. Then spread down their arms, bodies, and legs to the ground and then outward. Once it made a one-hundred-foot diameter, the magic shot upward until it created a dome.

  The very first witches created this prayer. It was a way to worship the magic and cast protection over them as they trained so they would not be harmed when strengthening unpredictable magic of new members. Raven always started their training this way in hope that if Zara lost control of her magic, they would be protected. Raven suspected that one day they would not be able to contain her magic. It has been increasing in power over the years, but the full extent of it has not emerged yet. Luckily, Zara had the pendant, so when the time came and her magic reached its full power, she would be able to control it.

  They spent a few hours on meditation, some magical exercises to get Zara warmed up, and then Raven had her practice incantations. Raven decided that it was time for Zara to cast magic along with the incantations. One spell made the air around you mirror its surroundings, making the user invisible. Zara’s magic was strong enough to cast this level of magic, but once again there was nothing but a puff of smoke. Zara groaned. “I do not think my magic will ever cooperate!” Raven sighed at her. “We do not know that. It’s just taking it’s time.” Zara grew angry at the comment. “I do not have time Raven! My twenty-fifth year is approaching! The prophecy is almost here, and I cannot access my magic safely without these stones around my neck! I will die if I am presented with the opportunity to dethrone Cyrus. There is no way I will be able to defeat him with just my wolf. She is strong, but not that strong! We all know that there is something off about how he became Alpha anyway.” Raven waited until she was finished. She took Zara’s hands within hers. “Zara, that prophecy was told with a possible future. It is not definite. We are training you so that when the time comes, you will succeed. We do not even know if it will present itself. That was just one possible future. Not the only one.”

  Zara hoped it was her future. It was not that being a part of Xander’s pack was not great. She just wanted something more. Zara never left her hometown, never went past the ward. She remained in her bubble because if she stepped out of the ward, Cyrus would find her. No one knew when she would step out if Cyrus would face her alone or with an army. She could die either way, and Zara did not want to risk it.

  She dreamt of seeing the world, wiggling her toes in the sand, and seeing the ocean, maybe even seeing a rainforest or other realms. But she could not. She had to remain within the wards. Zara was not even sure if she would ever be able to leave. It depressed her sometimes, but she never spoke to anyone about it. She just kept her head down and trained every day. Thank God she had a few friends which made life a little more bearable.

  Zara noticed that Raven seemed depressed from time to time as well. It helped that her best friend, Lucus, was an Empath and he picked up on her emotions when he came to observe a few of her training sessions. An Empath could read and manipulate the emotions of others. It came in handy around werewolves. He normally could tell if one was about to lose their temper and shift. Xander was grateful when Lucus came to the pack. It helped him out with some of the wolves that needed the help.

  One day, Raven cancelled their training without notice, but Zara went to see her anyway. It took a while for Zara to find her scent and follow it to a lake that was so clear you could see the bottom of it even at its center. She was sitting on a large rock with her feet in the water. Zara laid next to her in her wolf form and put her muzzle in her paws after she noticed that Raven was crying. They sat there for a few hours, every few moments Raven would pet Zara’s head and start crying again. Then she gained enough control of herself and told her the story of her husband, Bryce. He helped Michael and Danni escape. Bryce created wards, the very same that was keeping Zara safe but stronger due to the whole Coven’s power within it, so they could disappear. However, one night someone found the ward and broke through. That was the night that Zara shifted and ended up on Xander’s doorstep a few days later.

  Zara shifted back that day and cried with Raven. She apologized repeatedly because it was her fault that Raven was without her mate. Raven dried her tears and told her that she knew that if Bryce were given the opportunity to come back and do it all over again, he would choose the same fate. Bryce believed in the prophecy and knew that one day it would all be worth his sacrifice.

  While standing in front of Raven, Zara remembered that day when Raven’s aura shifted, and she could feel the sadness coming off her. “You may think that I should not say this, but I am still sorry that I am the reason you are living without your mate.” Raven tried to smile, but it did not quite make it there. “Shush. This isn’t about me.” Zara narrowed her eyes at her mentor. “How isn’t this about you? How isn’t this whole thing about everyone who has been helping me over the years? I am the reason why all of this is happening. If this stupid prophecy were never made, you would have your mate! I would have been raised by my parents!” Raven took in a deep breath. “Do not try to talk me out of t
his thinking! I do not want to hear it. I want to be normal.”

  Raven shook her head. It was clear that she was not happy with Zara. Before Raven spoke again, Zara’s anger sent a flash of magic outward. Raven was thrown backwards onto her butt. She quickly got to her feet and flicked her wrist. Zara’s hands flew to her sides and she was stuck in place. “Are you quite finished?” She took a deep breath and calmed herself and her wolf. This is not the fight to pick, little one. Zara’s wolf told her. Then she nodded to let Raven know that she was finished.

  Raven took a deep breath to calm herself as well. “Listen to me, Zara. One day your magic will reach its full power. I feel it within you. It continues to grow every day. Your pendant will not be able to contain it much longer. When that day comes, I want to know that you can wield it safely.” Zara sat on the ground with her legs crossed and thought about the upcoming day with uncertainty. How was she supposed to control this magic? It was untamed. She felt the warmth of her power under her skin. “How do I know when I have complete control of this? It constantly feels wild and untamed.” Raven did not hesitate, “when you can use your magic without speaking your incantation. You can simply say it in your mind and can cast a spell.” Great, I will never get to that point. Zara thought to herself. Raven closed the gap between them and placed a hand on Zara’s shoulder. “You have come a long way since our first lesson. You can cast spells without blowing anything up. For a few months I grew to worry that your magic was so powerful that you would just disintegrate anything you touched.” Zara laughed. “Those were some dark days. Thank God Xander was not attached to that car.” Raven laughed at the memory. “Let us try the invisibility spell again. This time I want you to imagine your intended purpose while saying the incantation.”

  Zara stood with her feet shoulder width apart with her arms up and closed her eyes. While reciting the incantation she moved her hands in a similar fashion as a mime would while creating a box. Zara pictured the air shimmering as she thought of the air particles bending light to act as a mirror of her surroundings. She felt her magic grow within her, warmth spread from over her heart out and down her arms until it went outward, out of her palms. flectere caeli, auertisse lucem, custodi me de aspectu! She opened her eyes in time to see her pearl colored magic billow out of her palms and the air around her shimmer just like she had pictured. There were small flashes of light as the air began to reflect her surroundings. She faced Raven to see her with a big, bright smile across her face. The look of pride made Zara smile in return. “I DID IT!” Zara screamed with excitement and started dancing like a fool. After a few moments, Zara looked back at Raven and asked, “did the spell drop?” Raven shook her head. “No. You weren’t focusing on the spell while dancing and yet the spell is still just as strong. I tried to walk closer to you but the spell felt like a force field around you.” Zara snapped her fingers as she said the reverse word to drop the spell. “I created a barrier spell while casting the invisibility spell?” Raven nodded while looking just as perplexed as Zara felt.