The Rejected Link

Chapter 18: What have I done?

Exol’s POV

I remember the exact day everything went wrong. The memory is as clear as day in my head.

I was fifteen, long before I had gotten my wolf. I got up early to catch up with the other wolves at the training ground. Mother and Father bid me farewell as usual, and I was on my way.

I greeted everyone on my path with a jolly smile on my face. Training was always the most exciting part of my day. I approached the moonstone, stopping shortly to pray to the moon goddess. As I stood before the moonstone, I felt a weird sensation in my body, a mild screeching sound reverberating in my eyes.

I shook my head, paying no mind to it. It was probably because I was up all night. I continued on my way to the training grounds where I saw the other kids,

Malcolm, one of the beta’s sons, stretched in a corner, preparing to spar. He was my age, and we were pretty close. Clarisse, as always, was present, but the alpha in charge of training always put her last after training the boys; she was always the only female around.

“Exol!” She screamed as she saw me, she got down from the stomp she sat on and ran to attempt my murder in the name of a hug.

“You're late!” She exclaimed as she released me.

“No, you're always too early” I retorted.

“She pretty much sleeps here,” Malcolm says, smirking from where he stood.

The two of them then went at each other’s throats, bickering and arguing with themselves. I smiled, watching my two friends try to be enemies as always.

I moved towards the trainer who immediately paired me with another alpha for a sparing session. We went head-on, both exercising our strength, but I won. As always.

I continued to spar for another three hours, passing through alphas and betas and deltas continuing to emerge victorious every turn.

I didn't feel it at first. Not truly.

The mild thrum in the back of my head. I brushed it off as just adrenaline from the training I had did today.

I remember leaving to go home early cause Father had linked me, he wanted me to have lunch with them.

I had laughed and played with my parents after lunch; it was just the three of us, and I remember being very happy with just them; I didn't need anybody else.

But that night, everything changed.

It started as a dull ache, like the throb of an old wound. I was in the middle of a jog in the woods, the scent of the damp earth heavy in the air, when a sharp pain shot through me. It wasn't physical, it was in my mind, coming in waves that threatened to blind my vision.

I lost my balance, the world tilting ever so slightly as the trees that surrounded me began to blend. My heart was pounding, but it wasn't from the strain of the jog that made it feel like it might escape my chest. It was something else, something unusual. A dark, unfamiliar energy rose from the depths of my being.

I clutched my head as the ache turned into a sharp scathing pain.

The moist earth beneath me felt unsteady, the scent of the forest fading as something darker filled my senses. It was pungent and burning, the intensity of the smell drowning me.

My knees hit the ground, and I'm gasping for air. I tried to link my Father, but I couldn't find my inner voice; it felt distant, almost muted, like I was retreating into the farthest corners of my mind.

“What’s happening?” I rasped, but there was no one nearby to respond. I felt so scared.

My vision blurred, the edges darkening as the forest around me began to fade.

And then it hit me.

A surge of power, unlike anything I have ever felt before. It tore through me like lightning heating my body in the process; I thought I was on fire. My claws extended, and my teeth sharpened.

This wasn't like the wolf transformation I'd learned about. And I wasn't supposed to get my wolf until I was eighteen, I heard most wolves were gotten earlier, but this was too early

This was something else, something worse. Something dark.

I couldn't bear the pain; it was like my body was being torn into pieces and glued back together again. I screamed, but the sound wasn't mine or that of a wolf; it was throaty, hoarse, and guttural.

My body burned, the heat increasing as dark veins flowed to my hands, legs, and my face pulsing with an unnatural light. I felt my bones crushing to make way, my muscles twisting in different directions as my body reshaped to form something monstrous.

My senses were heightened, and my vision bloodied, the world around me staining red. I could hear every rustle around me and smell every scent for miles. I could hear my heartbeat pounding thunderously against my chest. I tried to move, but I was no longer in control.

And then the hunger.

It was too much, too overwhelming, it felt like a spacious vacuum that begged to be filled. It wasn’t the hunger of a wolf; this was far deeper, far more demanding, like an insatiable void.

I staggered to my feet, my body driven into motion. My body was black and bumpy, I felt larger, my claws–no talons were exceedingly sharp, and my legs felt longer, heavier, and more powerful. I felt foreign in my own body.

I passed by a small puddle and caught a glimpse of my reflection and the face I saw made my stomach twist with disgust.

The face that stared back at me wasn't mine.

It was a creature I had only read in books; my face was black as well with two curved horns protruding from the top of my head. My eyes glistened red in the night's light. A shadowy veil encased my entire frame.

I felt like crying, I had no idea what was going on and what I had turned to.

“Stop,” I whispered, “Please,” though the voice that came out was more of a growl than recognizable speech.

Whatever this was, it didn't stop nor respond.

I felt the surge again, forcing my body forward. My legs moved without my control, my talons tearing through the trees as I ran through them with mighty speed.

“Destroy. Consume.” The creature spoke finally, I felt the darkness in it increase with every step I took.

“No,” I growled, trying to resist. I needed to take back control, to stop my body before it did something dangerous. But it was too strong.

It wanted blood.

The world around me became a blur of motion and figures as I wafted through the woods. The first living thing I came across didn't stand a chance, I smelt it before I saw it.

A deer, its eyes wide with terror as it stood in my path. I could hear its heartbeat pick up from fear. My body moved on instinct, lunging at it with speed and strength that was not mine.

No, no, no, no.

I used all the strength left in my control to force my legs to a halt, but it was too late. The kill was swift but horrific, my talons ripping through its flesh as the creature cried, the sound echoing in the woods.

And then it was quiet.

Too quiet.

I looked down, my body returning to human form, my hands were stained with blood. The animal’s carcass lay frail in front of me. My breathing came out ragged. The hunger I felt vanished, replaced by a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

What have I done?