章 2: Chapter 2: The Alpha
Selene had dreamed of what she would do if she ever were to come face to face with a shifter. They killed her parents, and she had spent hours daydreaming about getting her revenge. Flashing back on all the scenarios, none of them involved saving said shifter.
“This is crazy,” she whispers to herself while moving into a better position.
Her Gram’s words swim around in her head. “Always listen to your gut, little witch, it’s the only thing that will never lie to you.”
“This is one of the dumbest things…” Selene locks eyes with the black wolf again. She wishes she could reassure the creature of her intentions. The last thing she wants is to get attacked for trying to help. The fluttering in her stomach gets stronger as she closes the distance between her and the wolf.
“Okay, enough standing around. Let’s get this done and bring our prize back to the village,” one of the men yells.
Selene can make out the magic binding the beast to the ground, but there isn’t enough time for her to lift it. She holds both of her hands out in front of her and wills a blue flame to shoot out of the ground all around the trapped creature. This ring of fire will not be enough to stop three coven members, so she needs to think quickly.
An illusion will work, but not the normal bunnies and horses she is accustom to making. She notices a golden snake embroidered on the members cloaks.
“That will have to do,” she huffs.
She holds the ring of fire in place with one hand while she grows the illusion of a giant snake coming out of the underbrush with the other.
“Goddess, please let this work,” Selene begs. She can feel her powers being drained in spite of her warming up her magic that very morning.
“Who’s there?” screams one of the men.
“Never mind that,” another screams. “Look at that! I’m getting outta here!”
“What about the Alpha?” the first man yells.
It’s too late; the other two members are already out of sight. He gives one more glance back at the giant reptile and follows the other two back toward the village.
Selene drops her spells and sits down on the ground and closes her eyes. It’s taken a lot out of her to work two spells at once. She grounds herself by placing her hands in the dirt and drawing energy up from the earth. When she opens her eyes, she finds the wolf staring at her.
“Okay,” she says. “I’m going to help you, but then you’re on your own.”
Selene staggers up to her feet and steadies herself on the tree next to her. She swears the wolf quietly whines as she takes a deep breath. Reaching her hands out, she tries to lift the binding spell without having to move any closer. It’s no use, she’s used too much energy.
“I have to move closer to lift the spell,” she explains. “And don’t even think about attacking me. I can do things to you that will have you wishing you never met me.”
The wolf simply stairs at Selene while she inches closer. She thought she no longer needed the assistance of the tree to stand, but she was wrong. After a few uneasy steps, she collapses down to her knees next to the wolf. This time she’s certain the creature whines at her discomfort.
She had never considered shifters may have feelings. She thought they were nothing but irrational animals in their wolf form. Gram never spoke openly about these creatures.
“They are extraordinary humans that can shift into wolves,” she would tell Selene. “That is all you need to know.”
Looking at this creature now, Selene can see more human emotion behind his eyes than she ever thought possible.
“Give me a second,” she says while reaching out a shaky hand to place on the shifters side.
They both wince upon contact as a sudden shock rolls through them. Selene shrugs it off as something to do with the binding spell, but the wolf appears to be slightly shook.
“It’s okay. Sometimes witches alter spells to suite their casting style. The one that bound you probably incorporates electricity into his spells.” She uses a soft yet stern voice while addressing the creature. Selene lets her guard down as the wolf relaxes under her touch.
Although she’s weak, Selene manages to draw back the binding spell and free the creature before her. As a sign of good measure, she also frees his leg from her hand-made trap. She knows the wolf could have freed himself, but she needed an excuse to rest a little longer. Truth be told, she feels compelled to stay by his side.
She strokes his hind leg where her trap had snared. The wolf's fur is like velvet against her skin. What had started as her checking to make sure it wasn’t injured turned into gentle petting. The wolf takes in a deep breath and appears to sigh as she smooths down his coat.
Her emotions are all over the place, and Selene feels the sudden urge to run away.
“You need to leave,” she says coldly while staggering to her feet. “The coven members will probably return with reinforcements. They didn’t see me, but they appear to know exactly who you are.”
She doesn’t like the idea of turning her back on a shifter, but she fears her legs may give out if she doesn’t move. Selene makes it about ten paces, but she should have given herself more time to recover. Standing up so quickly has caused her head to spin. She is overcome with fear as her vision fades in and out. She feels herself falling, but then something surprising happens.
“Selene,” a male voice shouts.
She tries to stop herself from hitting the ground, somehow finding strength to turn around. In her weekend state, Selene swears there is a man standing where the wolf had been only moments before.
“Had he called my name?” she wonders, suddenly very aware of a strong pair of arms bracing her. Someone scoops her up and cradles her. She feels safe. The smell of rain calms her mind and Selene gives into the darkness.
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