Welcome to the S**tshow
896 Words
The morning air was crisp, but I felt like I was vibrating, suddenly.(What the hell? Just stay calm. Just a weird thing from not sleeping well. Deep breaths girl.) My skin felt three sizes too small, itchy and electric. When I saw Silas, the Elder Alpha, standing near the edge of the pit, I gave him a brief, respectful wave.
"Morning, Elder," I called out, my voice light. (See, I can be respectful, mostly.)
Silas started to return the wave, his hand halfway up, but then he froze. His nostrils flared. The air around me didn't smell like a wolf; it smelled like ozone and crushed lilies—the scent of something that didn't belong in the natural order. His eyes bled from brown to a frantic, territorial yellow. To Silas, he wasn't attacking a pack member; he was neutralizing a monster before it could reach Aiden.
"Hex, you ready to—" Aiden started, but his words were cut off by a sound like a freight train.
Silas didn't shift with his usual grace. He exploded into his massive gray wolf form mid-air, a blur of fur and fury. Before I could even draw a breath to scream, he slammed me into the dirt. His jaws clamped shut on my shoulder, his teeth sinking deep through muscle to the bone. (What the f**k did i do, asshole? f**k! That hurts! He wasn't just biting; he was trying to break me.) He pinned my small frame into the mud, a low, vibrating growl tearing through his chest as he looked down at me, waiting for the "Runt" to die or reveal its true face as his venom worked through my system. I wasn't still. I was pissed and punched him in the throat. His wolf yelped and then snarled in my face.
Suddenly, my world went white with rage and vengeance. The pain in my shoulder was a distant spark compared to the wildfire now roaring under my skin.
I looked up at Silas, and for the first time, my eyes didn't reflect the pack’s light. They flashed a brilliant, blinding gold and the thirst for his blood. I felt the moment when his wolf went 'Oh s**t. Bad idea.' It was too late, though.
CRACK.
The sound of shattering glass erupted across the training grounds, a high-pitched ring that made the other wolves drop to their knees, clutching their ears. A feral, melodic growl—deeper and more ancient than any wolf's—vibrated from my throat.
A bolt of violet-white lightning arched from the clear sky, striking the ground beside us. The force of it sent Silas’s massive body flying twenty feet across the dirt like a ragdoll.
I didn't shift. I tore through my skin like a snake shedding it's skin rapidly. (Why the hell did I have a glamour on? Isn't that a Fea thing? Great. I'll deal with that thought later because... f**k! This felt so gods damned good.)
The glamour didn't fade; it shed like dry parchment. My "human" skin seemed to peel away in shimmering flakes of light as I grew, my spine lengthening, my fur coming in not as hair, but as strands of spun silver and moonlight. In seconds, the "Runt" was gone. Standing in her place was a creature of myth: a silver-white wolf with Fae markings etched into my fur, radiating a power that made the very grass beneath my paws turn to frost and it felt right. This was me and I was ready for blood. I was ready to take my pound of flesh in return. (How dare he put his filthy mouth on me? How dare he taste my blood and fill me with his f*****g venom.) I snarled and snapped as I salivate at the thought of sinking my teeth into him and yes, I definitely felt the Fae magic thrumming through my veins and it was mine.
Thirty Miles Away: The Royal Lycan Territory.
Riker Strife was in the middle of a strategy meeting when it happened.
He didn't just feel a pull; he felt a dislocation of his entire soul. One moment he was looking at a map, and the next, his Lycan was at the surface, his claws gouging deep furrows into the mahogany table.
His heart didn't beat; it thundered. A singular, agonizingly beautiful scent flooded his senses—honey, rain, and a wild, ancient magic.
MATE.
The word didn't come from his mind; it came from the primal depths of his blood. His wolf wasn't just interested—it was frantic. It sensed her pain, her blood, and the sudden, violent explosion of her power.
"Riker?" his Beta asked, reaching for him.
Riker didn't answer. He didn't have words. His eyes were a burning, molten gold. He turned and smashed through the glass doors of the council room, shifting into his massive Lycan form before his feet even hit the pavement.
He didn't care about the treaty. He didn't care about the Trinity Pack's borders. His mate was screaming through the bond for the first time in twenty years, and he would tear the world apart to reach her, and she was screaming for blood and he was going to give it to her.
- Writer
