“Elves?” I feel stunned. “I thought –”“You thought we didn’t exist?” Balin asks, quietly.I feel uneasy, “I don’t – To be honest, I don’t know much about other species. I was far too young when I was kicked out of my pack with my family. As a result, I never learnt the history of the Others.”“Your parents never educated you?”I open my mouth and then snap it shut, before finally, “My parents were killed. I only had Ben, my brother.”The wave of grief is fresh when I mention him.“Is he–”“He was killed along with my mate.”“I see.”There is no sympathy or pity in Balin’s voice just a calm acceptance.He then looks at his two companions, “Idril, is it done?”Idril nods and both he and Aldon step back. I turn to face the fire and can feel my heart being torn into shreds. “It’s gone,” I mumble to myself.“And so should we be,” Balin says, sharply. “Come.”I flinch, “What?”“You have to come with us.”“Why?”Balin looks at me, his gaze sharp, “Because the hellhounds wer
My voice gets stuck in my throat as I see the large serpent raise its head prepared to strike. Its fangs are the size of my arm, and a choked scream leaves my mouth as I stand there, frozen in fear. And then it strikes.I jump out of the water, my body moving on instinct, my wolf at the forefront of my mind. However, moving in water is different than moving on land. And I’m also extremely malnourished. Thus, my movements are slow, and I feel part of the fang graze my arm. I cry out in pain as the poison enters my blood scream.It’s like my insides are burning and twisting and I fall onto the ground.The serpent rears back, its body moving and twisting on the ground as it readies itself again. Terror at its massive size has me sick to the stomach. But a part of my brain size that its large size might slow down its movements.I might get a chance to escape.But first, I have to get out of the water. Despite the burning pain I am in, I manage to avoid a second strike, runni
I stare at him for a few seconds and then let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. “You should have just let me die.”Balin frowns, “Why?”“I’ve–” My breath catches. “I’ve got nothing left in this world, Balin. I’ve got no one left. Everyone I loved is dead. My brother, my mate, my child. What’s the point of living?”He studies me and then responds, “I am aware that wolf shifters live in packs, that your kind heavily depends on your bonds with each other. But we all come into this world with some purpose. You mentioned that your mate and your brother died protecting you. That was their purpose in this world. To die so you could live. You think it did not occur to them that you would grieve for them or that your continuing life wouldn’t be easy?”I go still at his words.“It was a selfish decision.”“No,” Balin’s voice is hard. “Your decision to stop living, your refusal to honor their sacrifice is a selfish decision.”His words make my blood boil and I burst out, “Th
My brows knit together as I say slowly, “Not much. Like I told you, my brother never really taught me any kind of history. We were too busy trying to survive as rogues.”Balin exchanges a look with his companions before murmuring, “It might be easier to show you.”“Show me?” I blink and then he’s reaching out and his finger enters the flames, and they rise higher than before, making me scramble back in shock and fear.“Watch,” he advises in a grim voice. And I do.I see figures in the fire. “A time ago, a long time ago, there were three worlds. One for humans, one for the Others, and one for the demons. Demonkind was never satisfied with what they had. The Others were prideful individuals. And humans? Humans were still discovering themselves. They were little more than animals at that point.”I see three floors in the fire with beats with horns on the top level and strange shaped creatures in the middle and then ape like things on the bottom.And then suddenly, out of nowhere
The next few days are more hectic than our previous routine.The elves are more alert and more protective, surrounding me when we travel.They don’t let me leave to take a bath by myself. It is always Balin who accompanies me when I wash myself in the nearby stream or river. The more time I spend with the three of them is beginning to give me an insight into their personalities. Idril is more abrupt and short tempered. Aldon is calmer but more wary. Balin is the more levelheaded of the three and has a calm temperament which makes him the most dangerous of the three. He’s also the oldest of them all, by his own admission. Despite me knowing that once they discover that I am not the Righ, they will most probably kill me, I can’t help but get along with Balin.I find myself drawn to him.It’s been days of travelling with them, but Balin always manages to catch my eye. There is a sense of security about him, a security that I lack in my life right now. That’s the excuse I use to
I wake up with a scream on my lips only to find myself restrained by Aldon and Idril, their eyes wide with anger and shock.“Balin?” They look towards their leader who is staring at me, an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes. “Step back,” he says calmly.And it’s when they release me that I feel the searing burn in my arm, the same place where the serpent had broken my skin.Balin’s hand goes to my arm and my back arches in pain at the white-hot heat I feel flow through my arm into my whole body. He restrains me and Aldon holds out a piece of cloth to my mouth, advising, “Bite on this.”I do and I’m glad I do so because the scream that leaves my mouth is piercing.Balin is pale as he sends more and more healing energy into it, and I can’t even think past the pain. At some point, I pass out, unable to handle anymore.*When I come to, I am laying on the ground, my body heavy and aching. My eyes barely open and I groan.“She’s awake,” Idril’s voice comes and then he is h
Balin looks shocked at my actions, but my chest is hurting at his cruel words.“That was low,” I stare at him, my voice harsh. “That was below the belt for someone who I was beginning to admire as a person.”I see sharp regret in his eyes, and he steps forward, “Isa-”“I’m glad,” I murmur, my eyes hollow. “I’m glad you showed me this part of you, now. You are the most despicable person I’ve ever met. Knowing - Having gone through losing your own loved ones, you would throw my loss in my face? You think it’s easy for me to find myself attracted to someone? Even if it’s just my body’s reaction? Wolves are physical by nature. I have been holding myself back, repressing myself. If anybody is to judge me for my thoughts, it is only ever going to be me. Not you. Never you.”Balin’s face is pale, and I turn around, “I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll be fine since there are so many people here. You should rest.”It’s difficult to control myself as I walk away, to keep my tears at bay, to p
“Who was that?!” Balin demands as Aldon and Idril take off after Damion.“I – No one!” I feel alarmed. “He was just talking to me.”Balin grabs my upper arm in an excruciatingly tight hold, giving me a violent shake, “Tell me the truth!”“I am!” I wrench my arm back, feeling both angry and just a little terrified of him. “Why would I lie about something like that?!”The look in his eyes makes my blood go cold and my voice is steadier now, “I just met him. I gave him my food because he looked hungry. That is it.”Perhaps it’s my cool tone which makes him relax.He lets go of me and I let out a breath of relief. I don’t know what’s his problem, but I take a step back from him.His eyes narrow, “What was his name?”I open my mouth to tell him, but something stops me. Maybe it’s irritation at how he’s treated me this whole day. “I don’t know,” I lie. He looks suspicious but finally says, “You’re not to leave the room without one of us.”The way he phrases that, as if it’s a co