CHAPTER 6 Stepping up

JOSIE’S POV

“Hey Sarah, how are you girl?” I ask my best friend and desk mate as casual as I can.

“Oh-oh…what’s wrong?” her speaker-voice sounds worried. Damn, she knows me to well.

“Well...how? what…? I…urgh…never mind. I swear you have some fortuneteller genes in you.”

“I can read you like a book. Even over the phone. Ha-ha, perk of being around you so many hours per day, per week etc. So, tell me, what’s up?”

“You should come over. Can you call Steph and his brother?”

“You sure you want Zane to come over…?” she asks not sure of my decision.

Zane is Stephen’s older brother, and my ex… we ended up nicely; still things changed in time and our interaction was never the same as before. But whenever we are all gathered, the group energy was as beneficial, and positive as always. Half nerds, half the youth power that everybody in this pack will rely on in the future.

“Yeah, I’m sure, I need smart brains, with useful hands and eyes.”

“Hmm… should I contact Tanja and Marco as well then?”

“You’re so right, they are hybrids actually, maybe they have some useful information.”

“Oookay, not asking you now anymore what is this all about, cause I’m sure I’m going to find out soon enough”

“Exactly. Thanks, hun, see you in 2hours. Study room?”

“You betcha’! Bye!”

And with this, I end up the call. I need to focus.

A shower is a good start. Being emotional right now won’t help, so I better be in scientific mode. Pushing my emotions downhill in record timing, I savor the warmness of the water flowing above my head, trying to wash my worries away.

Nope, not working.

‘That’s a good visual, though. You should try it more often. Maybe the law of attraction will attract us some luck in solving this crap’ Flame says half chuckling of what she said, half tensed because of the weight of the situation.

‘Right now, I’m open to everything, believe me’ Sharing what I feel with my wolf feels like second nature now… I cannot say the same thing about my standing-on-2-feet companions, either being my friends or my family. That is something I’ve learned early on, when people we’re watching me and my progress in everything, almost like, waiting for me to fail and prove that I am not worthy of ruling this pack. I often wondered if they we’re right, that was until Flame woke up. I owe her a lot of the confidence I have now.

‘I’ll always have your back, feisty!’ she tells me with a grin on her cute furry face.

‘Eavesdropping on my thoughts, are you not?’

‘Just because I love you!’ she winks in my head, raising a huge grey paw trying to wave in wolf body language.

I had such a surprise when I first shifted because Flame is a real beauty. She is larger than an average male wolf, with a sparkling silver-gray fur on her head, chest and upper paws, while the rest of her body was covered with black fur with hues of green intwined in it. Many looked at her in awe during our monthly pack runs, while others thought it was an omen, a sign that again…something was not right with me. My first shift took longer than normal, and I was scared that they we’re right. But now that I’m remembering this episode, when Flame woke up, she indeed said with an exhausted huff “Finally!!”. I wonder if it had a deeper meaning or it was just because it took me so long.

‘I’m waiting…’ I linked her while toweling my long wavy dark chocolate-brown and now wet hair.

‘Oh yeah, that. Well, do you remember the sound of broken chains when we completed the shifting?’

‘What sound? No…I remember the extreme pain that I’ve felt, and the dreadful thought that I was going to die. Other than that, no…I don’t remember that sound. What was it??’

‘I realized when you we’re 14 that I was bound not to come to you, and I tried every birthday you had afterwards but I couldn’t get through. It was then when you we’re 19 that I felt a surge of strength and I felt myself powerful enough to get through the binding. I don’t know where it came from, or what happened exactly but it was such a relief that I succeeded in defeating it… I don’t know how long it would have lasted if it hadn’t been for that extra strength that I felt back then. It is still something I don’t have an answer for...it was just a very powerful light that engulfed me and I felt the sheer power traveling through my body. And I was extremely tired afterwards...’

‘We’re you aware of the binding before trying to come to me…?’

‘I don’t know exactly…I sense that I know something about it, and in the meantime, I wasn’t aware of its presence, only then at that moment I felt that I was…restricted somehow to come forward. I try to remember the time before, but...it’s like a haze. I’m sorry, I should have told you about it. Somehow, I didn’t even think of it anymore…’

And just then a thought came to me. ‘Maybe your memories we’re tempered with…and with it, my whole evolution and knowledge of things…that means, that there is also a solution to all of this, and the binding was a safety measure…’ I share with her , a shallow ray of hope slithering in my mind.

So, I would have received my wolf at 14 actually…wow. I wasn’t expecting that. It’s true that most of the Alphas receive their wolf early, but in those cases, they also receive enhanced senses and strengths that will only emphasize their important role as a leader. Or I…never received anything… Something is amiss. A lot of things are actually…

Standing in front of my closet, I chose a black long-sleeved top, with high waist skinny jeans, paired with flat black ankle boots, fitted for the chilly autumn weather outside. I accessorized myself with my favorite black rose studs I received from my godmother when I turned 18. Just a small touch of mascara and lip balm and I’m ready to fight crime… I am strong. I am beautiful. I am loved. I love my family and my pack. I will find a solution. I will find my mate. Self-empowerment makes wonders.

I hope.

Looking at myself in the mirror, satisfied with my reflection, I’ve noticed a flash of bright green in my eyes, just for a fraction of a second.

‘How did you do that?’ I ask my wolf.

‘Do what?’

‘Just for a moment my eyes flashed green, a bright green’ I reply very self-aware now…

‘I didn’t notice, but I’ll be more observant. I just felt your self-confidence rising after your little inner-speech’ she said.

Right then I knew that whatever was going on with this so-called curse, it runs deeper than I thought.