Smoke rose in the distance adding to the chaos that was surrounding ten-year-old Addie. She sobbed, clinging to her older sister. Sounds of fighting and screaming echoed around the walls of the courtyard causing her to shake. Her mother, Luna Ana, bent down and looked Addie in the face.
“Listen to your sister. She’ll keep you safe.”
Addie nodded. Ana stood up and looked at her oldest daughter. She reached over and caressed her face. “Remember what I told you. Practice. And don’t tell anyone.” Beatrice nodded, starting to cry.
“None of that.” Her mom smiled sadly. “Don’t forget to prepare Addie.” Beatrice nodded again, not hiding her tears.
Her dad came out of the packhouse leading Helena, the cranky omega cook. He handed her a bunch of money and a bag. Using his alpha voice he ordered her “Take care of my girls. Keep them safe.”
Helena turned and offered him her neck, submitting. “Yes, Alpha.”
Alpha James turned to his daughters and kissed them each on the forehead. “Take the tunnels out as far as you can go. Then run. Don’t look back.”
Sounds of fighting had reached the other side of the walls. Warriors joined their Alpha and Luna in the yard, facing the gate. James turned to Helena. “Go!”. His alpha command echoed around the yard. Addie looked back and saw her parents shift, their large wolves foreboding and ferocious. Helena turned and started running back into the packhouse, heading for the basement. Beatrice grabbed Addie’s hand and followed.
Keeping up with Helena was hard but Beatrice knew where they were going. She led Addie to the farthest point of the basement and helped Helena move an old, dusty shelf stacked heavy with dusty jars and vases. One fell to the ground and shattered. The shelf shuttered but slid out from the wall with a groan. Helena led the way into the tunnels, shining a light ahead of her. It was prohibited to be in the tunnels. They were wet and caving in with age. A hundred years ago the Agate Rock Pack was the most influential pack in the area and Alphas from all over would use the tunnels to have clandestine meetings with the leaders of Agate Rock. After today, Agate Rock Pack would be no more than a page in the history books.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Addie was hanging on to Beatrice, following her as best she could while tripping over roots. The sounds of the fighting had gradually lessened the farther away they managed to escape. All of a sudden Beatrice gasped and fell to her knees, holding her head and groaning.
“What’s wrong, Bea!” Addie skidded to a stop beside her sister and tried to raise her to her feet.
Bea gritted her teeth, tears streaming down her face. “Mom’s dead.” She choked back her sobs and continued to hold her head.
Addie shook her head. “How do you know?”
Bea took a deep, shaky breath and climbed to her feet. She glanced over at Helena who had stopped, murderous look on her face but still bound by the Alpha command. “I’ll tell you later.”
The next few weeks were a nightmare for Addie. They had escaped the tunnels and ran across the pack territory into neutral territory. They continued to push north, following Helena. Every few days Helena would sneak into a town and buy enough food to last until the next town. Addie was tired and dirty and she wanted to go home. She tried talking to her sister as much as she could, but Bea didn’t want to talk. She looked as exhausted as Addie felt and Addie felt like she might be on the verge of collapse. That terrified her because eighteen-year-old Bea was the strongest person she knew, besides her parents.
Two weeks after escaping the pack, Helena found a cave up in the mountains. It was close enough to a town that they could get supplies, but far enough off the main road that they wouldn’t be found. It was shelter and it would do for the time being, allowing the girls to rest and recover. Bea had spoken to Helena, asking her to make a run into the town and giving her a list of things to purchase. Helena was as sullen and resentful as ever, but the Alpha command still held her. She left, hopefully to do as Bea asked.
“Come here, little pup.” Bea smiled at Addie and Addie came willingly and happily, cuddling up to Bea. She was slightly annoyed at the nickname but the annoyance was just a prickly feeling in the back of her brain.
“I have to tell you something important and I need you to listen.” Addie nodded, looking up at her big sister’s face.
“You know how everyone loved Mama, and everyone did what she wanted them to do?” Addie nodded again, wiggling and getting as comfortable as she could in her sister’s arms. “Mama had a special gift. It’s called Shawishi. Do you know what that is?”
Addie crinkled her nose, thinking. “Maybe. Is it one of the five gifts?” She vaguely remembered being taught about the sacred gifts but she thought that they had died out.
Bea nodded. “Yes. There are five gifts from the Moon Goddess. There’s Harakati, the gift to move things with your mind; Wakati, the gift to slow time down; Somaji, the gift to read minds; Mahubiri, the gift to see the future and Shawishi, the gift of persuasion.”
Addie looked at Bea. “But no one has those gifts anymore, right? But mama did?” She was confused.
Bea shrugged. “I don’t know about the rest of the gifts, but I think that there might be wolves out there with the other gifts, too. The gifts are fickle. They follow a bloodline. The gift is given to the oldest direct descent of that bloodline. Mama had the gift. When she died, it went to me. If I have kids, the gift will skip you and go to my oldest child when I die. If I die without kids, it goes to you.”
Addie pushed back. “You? You have Shawishi? Is that why I don’t mind it when you call me little pup?”
Bea chuckled. “Yes. I’ve been practicing on you and Helena. Mom couldn’t teach me how to use it because only one wolf alive can have the gift. She tried telling me about it but, really, it’s not as easy as she made it seem. Sometimes I can get it right. Sometimes I can’t. And it hurts to use it.”
Addie realized Bea didn’t just look tired, she looked sick. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles under them. She reached up and stroked her neck. “I’m sorry, Bea.”
She shrugged. “Mom warned me. She said it gets better and easier.” She shifted, looking directly at Addie. “You have to keep it a secret. I will be hunted if anyone knows I have it. That’s what mom thinks happened to the other gifts. The keeper of the gift was hunted until their bloodline ran out and it had no one to pass along to.”
Addie nodded solemnly. “I promise not to tell anyone.”
SIX MONTHS LATERWinter had come and gone and Addie, Bea and Helena had spent the season in the cave. Helena had turned even more disagreeable, if that was possible, but she was still bound by the Alpha command. Alpha James was so powerful that his command followed his pack members even when they left the land.Bea had taken private time to instruct her little sister in the things she was learning about the gift. Both girls tried to continue the warrior training, finding a little spot in the back of the cave that was covered in sand that they could spar with each other. Addie didn’t have a wolf yet, she had just turned eleven in December. Bea shifted a few times, practicing and trying to keep strong. Helena mostly sat by the fire sulking, doing the bare minimum to take care of the girls. She would occasionally bundle up and go into town to purchase more supplies. The money was dwindling low but Bea had a plan to go into town and start working when the snow melted.One deliciou
When the waitress came around again, Addie flagged her down. “Are you guys hiring, by chance?” She refrained from using her gift. Addie had discovered in the past that it became too complicated when she created lasting opportunities for herself, like jobs or housing, using her gift. She had to continue to keep using her gift and that was physically draining. The girl genuinely smiled back at Addie, looking her over. Addie knew what she saw. She was taller than average, very thin and had long, blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun. The jeans and hoodie she wore were clean, courtesy of the creek a few miles from here, but old and faded. “As a matter of fact, yes. Finish your pancakes and you can start immediately. I’m cook, waitress and manager. I need some help.” Addie laughed. “Thank you! I’m not sure what kind of cook I am but I am willing to learn. I also have waitressing experience.” She gave the girl a wide grin. “I’m Addie.” “Noel.” She smiled and moved off to
ALPHA COLE POVWe had left the big city a little later than I had intended and my Beta, Danny, started whining about his stomach. He had skipped breakfast to run a bit of security for the meeting between me and three other Alphas I was checking out and he was making sure I was well aware of his sacrifice. We stopped at the little diner right outside of Joshton and popped in to grab a quick lunch before driving into our territory. The pack house was still a ninety-minute drive, even though Joshton was only thirty minutes from the border. My territory is huge and the terrain is treacherous so driving is slow. It’s faster to shift and run to the packhouse than it is to drive there.We popped in and took a seat in the corner booth. It’s a habit. Always pick a good vantage point with your back against a wall and exits accessible. This booth was good for that.Danny looked over the menu and decided to get the Cuban sandwich. It was nothing like what you could get in Miami but it wa
Back to work the next day, Addie was surprised to see the old creepy dude and his friend walking through the door. They were in time for the breakfast rush so Addie quickly served them their eggs and tried to ignore the men watching her closely. Rushing around and filling coffee mugs, running food and taking a minute or two to talk to the regulars filled up Addie’s morning and she was surprised when she later realized that they had left, leaving enough money on the table to cover their bill with a sizeable tip. 3:00 pm finally came and the diner was officially closed. Noel came out and glared at the last three customers who were lingering over their coffee causing them to gulp the last dregs. They paid quickly and left. The two girls quickly finished the remaining dishes and mopped the floors, chatting about Noel’s upcoming visit from her boyfriend before turning out the lights and locking the doors. Noel gave a cheery wave and drove off in her ancient VW Bug. Addie headed towa
The pounding on her door awakened Addie at 4am. It was ridiculously early, too early for anyone to be pounding on her door. Bleery eyed, she stumbled to the door and jerked it open, realizing too late that she had no idea who was on the other side. Fortunately for her it was just Eve. “The diner is on fire!” Eve blurted out, eyes and hair frantic. “What?!” Addie stepped back in shock. “What happened? Why?” “The volunteer fire department is there right now. Maybe wiring. Maybe the grease trap. They don’t know yet.” No wonder Eve seemed frantic. Her son was on the volunteer fire department team. It was a dangerous job, especially in rural areas where the equipment was older and not as adequate. Addie threw on jeans and a hoodie and started walking into town. She could see the red glow from the fire reaching into the sky. A small crowd had gathered and she looked around for Noel, not seeing her. She did see Beta Danny, watching the fire. She stood on the edge of the
Addie woke up in a hospital bed, chained by her wrists to the rail. She could tell she still had the silver collar around her neck by the steady burning sensation she could feel. Avoiding turning her head to keep the silver from moving, she roved her eyes around the room trying to figure out where she was and how she got there. She could feel her wolf, very weak, pushed back in the furthest recesses of her brain. The silver was weakening her, too. The door opened and Alpha Cole walked in, followed by two other men in lab coats. One held a tray of syringes and empty vials. Without speaking to her, he came over by the side of the bed and wrapped a rubber tourniquet around her arm, patting for a vein. “Stop.” Addie tried to use her gift but the silver prevented it. She grew angry. “Listen, asshat. Don’t f^cking touch me.” The tech ignored her and stuck her vein, procuring three large vials of her blood. Alpha Cole and the doctor watched him, saying nothing. When he was
Cole POV I took the collar off from her and she stretched. I was on edge. Moment of truth. If she wasn’t a Shawishi I was going to have to kill her. If she was, I was going to use her. I was pretty impressed with her shift. There was minimal noise and it didn’t look like there was much effort with the shift. Even I sound terrifying when I shift. I’m used to my bones rebreaking but it was almost like she shimmered into her shift. I’ve seen a few shifts like that, usually hybrids. Pretty cool. When she shifted, my emotions were all over the place. I had heard the term Precious Metal Wolf before but had never seen one. They were not supposed to exist. None of these gifts were supposed to exist. Addie’s wolf was beautiful. She was large, quite possibly larger than my wolf. She was gold. Not golden, but gold. Her hair shimmered and shone in the sunlight and actually hurt my eyes to look at. I reached out a tentative hand to touch her fur. She looked at me haughtily and
“Put your feet up.” She didn’t move until he made a motion to get the remote. Then she quickly drew her knees up and put her feet on the bed. Cole settled in the chair at the bottom of the bed and looked at her.“You need to stay like that for ten minutes. I’m going to make sure so you’ve got me for another nine and a half minutes.” He smirked. “I’ll play a game with you. You can ask me a question and then I get to ask you a question. We’ll do it for nine minutes. You go first.”Addie groaned. She hurt all over. She was scared, but mostly pissed. She asked the question first and foremost in her mind. “Why?”Cole settled back. “Why what? Why am I trying to get you pregnant? Or why are you here?” Addie looked at him with defiance. “Yeah. All of the above.”Cole chuckled. “A two-fer. I’ll allow it.”“You gift follows your bloodline and it bestowed on the oldest living person in that bloodline. I know who you are and I know your entire family was wiped out. I know t