Arcanine Novels & Stories

Kim leaned closer. There—clear as daylight—sat a second set of canines, deep and oversized, crowned like knives. The maxilla and mandible were subtly wrong: denser cortical bone, a jawline built for torque, faint supraorbital ridging that didn’t belong to an eleven-year-old girl. Human, yes—but edged with something else. Kim’s breath snagged. A whisper not meant for the room: “My God, Jane… what are you?” The bed eased back out with a soft hydraulic sigh. Jane blinked awake, surfacing as if from a deep lake.

“What are you doing here, Arcania?” Cree’s voice was a low growl, laced with a dangerous edge, as he took a step forward. The deformed wolves surrounding Arcania all postured for an attack, their red eyes glowing ominously. I grabbed hold of his hand, my fingers intertwining with his, to stop him in his tracks, a silent plea for caution.

Aria mind linked me. “Ok.” I linked back. After a second Aaron took all his close off except his boxers. “SHIFT.” Aria said to Aaron. I heard a sickening snap and watched as Aaron’s bones started to snap and reform until there was a big ass wolf standing in front of me. He was awesome, I thought he would be brown like his hair, but he was red like a sunset. I really wanted to pet him, but I knew better. You don’t pet another dude unless you are dating.

As Daffodil shifted, the beautiful, big golden she-wolf, Arcel, appeared in front of Lexus. Arcel wiggled its tail and growled. Hearing such a growl, Lexus opened his eyes and he was surprised and thereafter has been truly mesmerized to see the golden wolf with almost shining fur in front of him. “Daffodil?” he said, murmuring with eyes shining with happiness. “I am Arcel, Daffodil's wolf.” The golden she-wolf mind linked Lexus and again its tail wiggled, showing its excitement to finally meet Lexus, their mate.

But she couldn’t explain it away, not when she looked at his mouth from which two teeth were protruding now. No, not teeth. Fangs! Pointy, sharp fangs like those of an animal. Like a Sabertooth tiger. She couldn’t think it, no, because to think it made it real. It couldn’t be real. It didn’t exist. He didn’t exist, not like that.

Adrenaline coursed my veins as the fighting picked up, more enemy wolves were sighted approaching our borders. “Come to Papa!” Arch, my beta, pounced excitedly, his eyes feral, jaw opened wide revealing sharp, canine teeth. Within my periphery I could see Arch fighting two wolves, snarling and snapping his canine teeth, his movements fast and calculated. Arch is among our best warriors and trainers, his strength and agility only being surpassed by me, the Alpha of the pack. Within seconds the two wolves fell unceremoniously to the ground, dead and cold. Faster than I can blink, Arch swiftly moved on to the next wolf.

My answers may be in a place I’m unaware of, but I plan to find them. The rest of the drive went smoothly. No Chase. Once I arrived at the border of the Devotion Pack, I couldn’t be happier. I cruised in, taking in the strange environment I’ve never seen before in my life. Overcast skies look over endless forests, leaves dark green and dull. This place isn’t densely populated, run by the previous Alpha’s son. I didn’t stop until I came across another village. Rumours about this Pack suggest there is magic involved. And if Ren is right in telling me Chase originally came from this Pack, I might be able to find out more about his origin, and how to control him.

While we were all required to take French in school, I had never quite picked it up. “Bonjour, Alpha Blake and Beta Lucas. I’m going to assume you have news,” Alpha Antoine greeted us in his French Canadian accent. “Good morning, Alpha Antoine. Alpha Blake speaking. One of my patrol officers has informed me that the scent from an unfamiliar werewolf pack was discovered just outside the borders of our pack. We’re concerned that our pack might be being cased. Do you have any information on your end?”

I repeated, confusion knitting my brow. “In this world, arcanios are those born with special powers,” he explained, his eyes sharp, studying my reaction. A wave of fear and excitement surged through me, clashing within like a storm threatening to consume me. My breath quickened, and my hands clenched involuntarily at my sides as I locked my gaze onto him. I searched his face for any sign of deception, any crack in the facade that might give away a lie. His expression remained composed, but the intensity in his eyes hinted at the weight of something monumental, something I wasn’t sure I was ready to face.

Needed to hold and keep safe. Farren shook her head, letting some of her pin-straight tendrils fall on her face. "I keep hearing the bullets hit things. Seeing Priamos fall to the ground." She grimaced and pulled her arms tightly across her chest. Sinking into a crouch, I placed my hand on her extended foot. Farren recoiled. Brought her legs slightly up and out of my reach. This stirred the fawn. Bambi, they had all started calling him. Those doe eyes settled on me. Brushed me off and curled back into the girl. She had started to aimlessly pet it. Soothing either her nerves or his.