Chapter 15

OLIVE

As I push open the pack house’s front doors, I see Dinah waiting for me. She’s standing in front of three black SUVs.

She spins around and flashes me a warm, inviting smile. She’s looking downright cute in her snug blue jeans and white off-the-shoulder top.

The sleeves are sheer with tiny flower details.

As I approach her, she glances back at the line of cars, which I guess are filled with more guards. She shrugs in an exaggerated way, giving me an apologetic look.

“Sorry! This was the only way he’d let you out of his sight!”

I laugh. “I figured as much!”

We hop into the middle SUV. Two male wolves are in the front, one driving and the other riding shotgun.

I catch their scents and realize they’re hybrids too. I glance at Dinah, who is watching me with a curious look.

“You can smell hybrids, can’t you?” she asks.

“Umm, I can tell they’re not ‘purebred wolves,’ but I thought everyone could.” I shrug.

Dinah grins and shakes her head. “No, most hybrids smell almost exactly like ‘regular’ werewolves. You have a sharp nose to be able to smell the difference,” she says, still smiling.

“Oh... I just thought all hybrids smelled different... like me.”

“Not quite. You have the strongest hybrid scent I’ve ever encountered. I guess it’s because of your unknown other half,” Dinah explains.

~I really need to find a moment alone with my mom to talk about this whole hybrid thing.~

For the rest of the drive, I sit in peaceful silence, resting my head against the window and gazing out of it without really seeing anything.

The drive lasts about an hour and a half before I notice we’re pulling into a large open-air parking lot.

I sit up and look out the windows. My eyes land on a massive shopping center. It seems to have about six floors.

There are smaller branches of shops on either side with a few coffee shops.

Dinah squeals and claps her hands, thrilled. “Girl, I can’t wait to revamp your wardrobe!”

I laugh nervously. I thought I was just coming for some girl time with Dinah, considering she’s Ezekiel’s beta.

Inside the shopping center, Dinah is practically yanking me by my hand into almost every store. The guards are close by, jogging to keep up with her.

We have a total of ten guards tailing us. With each store, five guards stay at the entrance and the other five follow us inside.

Dinah grabs a bunch of clothes off the racks and holds them up to me.

She squints her eyes in a thoughtful expression before either returning the clothes or handing them to the guard with the shopping cart.

She’s been shushing me every time I try to speak, probably knowing full well that I’m uncomfortable with this amount of money being spent on me.

When we get to the register, I’m finally allowed to speak. “So…how am I supposed to pay for all of this?” I ask, feeling anxious.

“Don’t worry, the king gave me his credit card. He wanted you spoiled!” she says.

She hands the credit card to the cashier, giving her a “don’t you dare tell her how much it costs” kind of look.

The cashier looks nervously between the two of us before discreetly handing the card reader to Dinah.

I’m pulled through at least fifteen other stores, including some lingerie shops. Dinah’s in her element, tossing all sorts of risqué lingerie into the bag.

Honestly, I’m not sure I would even know how to put some of them on. There are so many straps. Why does one bra need ~so~ many straps!

Not to mention the fact that I have no plans of mating with Ezekiel anytime soon!

~No matter how much we fantasize about it,~ Raven chimes in dreamily.

~Quiet, you!~

It’s around 5:30 p.m. when Dinah finally decides we’re done. Thank the Goddess! My feet are aching!

“Okay, next up.” ~Oh Goddess, please, no more!~ I think to myself.

“Mani-pedis!” she squeals.

~Okay, that I can handle!~

We grab a quick drink to go before heading to get our nails done. I choose a simple matte blush color while Dinah goes for black with white symbols drawn on them.

Dinah catches me staring at her nails.

“The symbols are supposed to bring love, protection, fortune, health, and success,” she explains, pointing to each symbol. As she says them, she sighs, smiling sweetly, looking down at her nails.

By now it’s 6:30 p.m. and starting to get dark when we head to the cars. The guards load up all three SUVs with the shopping bags full of clothes.

I feel incredibly guilty about the amount, but I also know there was no way I was going to convince Dinah to be reasonable.

We’ve been driving for about forty-five minutes when the car in front slows to a stop.

I look to Dinah who also looks confused; we both look out the window.

We’re on a long stretch of road in the middle of the countryside. The road is dimly lit by the occasional streetlight. There are only a few trees on the flat landscape before me.

“Stay in the car,” the guard in the front passenger seat orders before getting out.

Something in the distance catches my eye. I rush to the other side of the car to look out the window to see the same thing. Red pairs of eyes are scattered all around us. Something has us surrounded.

Some of the guards begin to shift. Of the three of the guards who haven’t shifted, I notice the glint of fangs descending—vampire hybrids.

The two who have shifted look to be griffin hybrids; one has the physical features of a griffin.

However, his body is covered in wolf’s fur instead of a griffin’s feathers. The other has shifted into wolf form, but his wolf has golden yellow feathery wings.

Two more have shifted into wolf form. These two I don’t believe are hybrids. The remaining two join hands and begin to chant. They must be warlock hybrids.

Dinah and I are still in the car, the driver clutching the steering wheel so tightly I’m surprised it hasn’t broken. I bet he’d rather be in the thick of things than stuck here with us.

I roll down the window, the pungent smell of burnt fur hitting my nose.

The eyes come closer until I can start to make out their features: huge black dogs, as big as a pony, with glowing red eyes.

Their fur is tangled and smoke curls around them, giving them an eerie appearance.

~Are these what I think they are?~ I think, shocked and confused.

~Yep,~ Raven confirms.

~Hellhounds,~ we say together.

I don’t know a lot about hellhounds, but I know they’re like the human world’s version of a cop—if that cop wanted you dead.

They collect souls as debts or do their master’s bidding. But why are they here? Who’s their master? What does their master want with us?

Once a hellhound has a target, they don’t stop unless their master calls them off. They can’t really die.

If you “kill” them in the human world, they just come back to life in whatever world they’re from. Sadly, that’s about all I know about these creatures.

I see Dinah tense up next to me. I glance at the guard in the rear-view mirror. He shakes his head at me, but I’ve already made up my mind.

~Screw this!~ I think, and bolt out of the car. I hear the driver sigh. He and Dinah follow me out.

If you think I’m going to miss out on some real action, you’re mistaken!

Dinah stands beside me. I catch her smiling at me from the corner of my eye. She looks proud.

“Okay, ground rules. I know you want to fight, I won’t stop you. Just stay close to me so I can at least offer you some extra protection, okay?” she says.

“Okay.” I nod, a quick, crooked smile pulling at the corner of my mouth.

~I’m really starting to like this girl.~

The hellhounds break into a full run, growling and snapping their jaws, black, sticky drool dripping from their mouths. Their eyes dart around before locking onto me.

~Ah—so~ I am ~the target.~

I know I haven’t been making any deals with the devil, so to speak, so their master must have sent them for another reason.

The beasts are fast, as fast as wolves, in fact. The wolves that have shifted start to attack defensively, but the hellhounds don’t even blink.

It’s like they can’t feel anything. ~Do~ hellhounds feel pain?

The warlock hybrids start to shoot spells at them, but the hounds dodge with incredible speed and precision, their eyes fixed on mine.

The warlocks try a different tactic by creating a magical barrier in front of the hellhounds. It only slows them down.

The hounds stop in front of the barrier and then vanish into smoke before my eyes—only to reappear on the other side of the barrier.

The warlocks are stunned. They look at each other before nodding and shifting into their wolf forms. They form a wolf shield around me and Dinah, and five of our guards run out to face the hounds.

The clash of teeth and the snapping of jaws are deafening. One of the guards falls to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain.

The familiar itch at my shoulder blades returns. I welcome the sensation like an old friend before leathery wings sprout from my back.

Dinah waves her hands and in seconds a magical force field surrounds us and the remaining guards, trying to keep any dangers out.

I step to the front of the group and then throw myself forward, clapping my hands together.

My wings give a single powerful flap, creating a gust of wind that knocks the hellhounds back a good fifteen feet.

They’re back on their feet in seconds. The remaining guards try to slow them but the hellhounds ignore their attempts.

They reach the shield, pushing with their snouts and scratching to get inside. I see Dinah is already sweating, trying to keep the shield up. It won’t hold much longer.

One of the hellhounds has made a small hole in the shield with its claw. The others immediately run to the hound, sensing the weakness in our defense.

They start to scratch, bite, and push at the surrounding area, trying to make the hole bigger.

My need to protect these men and Dinah, who I now consider a friend, is overwhelming. My green aura flares brightly, surrounding me in flames.

I fly up and out of the protective shield. Dinah and the guards look up at me in awe. The hellhounds change their attack instantly, trying to jump into the sky.

Remembering my dreams, I wonder if I can do the same thing. I channel the fire around me, shaping it into spears of fire, and then rain the spears down on the hounds.

They yelp and snap at the touch of my fiery weapons but keep trying to reach me.

I notice just in time that a hound has climbed onto an SUV and launched itself at me. It snaps its jaws, narrowly missing my wing, before falling back to the ground.

I raise my hands above my head, my eyes burning so brightly they light up the field.

I focus all my energy into creating a mass of fiery energy. By the time I’m ready to release it, I’ve created a boulder-sized ball of fire.

“ENOUGH!!” I scream, as I release the fiery inferno on the hellhounds. They try to dodge the blast, but when it hits, the ball explodes into a wildfire, scorching each and every hound.

They screech in terror and back away, looking at me, whimpering almost apologetically.

“GO BACK TO YOUR MASTER!” I order.

The hellhounds turn tail, whimpering, and run back into the darkness.

I glide back to the ground and focus on pulling my wings back into my body.

“What the hell was that, girl?” Dinah asks, not meanly, but impressed.

I smile shyly and shrug before the guards bring the injured guard to us.

“He was bitten. The hellhound venom is already in his system. We won’t make it back before… The guard can’t finish his sentence. We all know what he means.

“Let me take a look,” I say, taking charge.

They draw him near, placing him at my feet. A wound mars his shoulder, his veins pulsating with a green glow that mirrors the color of my own eyes.

Call it instinct, call it foolishness, call it sheer madness—I knew what I had to do.

I meet the gaze of the guard. His eyes are a bright, piercing yellow; he must be the griffin with the wings. “What’s your name?” I ask, my voice steady.

“E-Eddie,” he manages to stutter out, his teeth clenched as the venom wreaks havoc within him.

“Alright, Eddie, I need you to stay very still for me, okay? I’m going to draw the venom out of your shoulder.”

His eyes widen in alarm. “N-no, it’ll kill you even if you don’t swallow it!” he protests.

“Just trust me, okay? Can you do that?”

He hesitates, studying me before finally nodding his agreement.

I bend down, pressing my lips to his wound and sucking with all my might. I watch as the green in his veins retreats toward the wound, leaving behind only healthy veins.

I don’t stop until I’m certain it’s all gone. I consider spitting the venom out, but an overwhelming urge to swallow it takes hold.

I give in to my instinct, and my eyes flare green. I can feel the venom sparking something deep within me, amplifying my power.

My glowing green eyes gradually dim, returning to their usual chestnut brown.

I close my eyes, releasing a satisfied sigh before reopening them to find all the guards observing me with a blend of curiosity and awe.

I insist that Eddie ride with Dinah and me so I can keep a close watch on him.

The ride is quiet, providing me with the perfect opportunity to ask some questions about the king.

“Eddie, can I ask you something?” I venture, feeling a bit awkward.

“Of course, my queen! After what you’ve just done for me, you can have a kidney if you want it!” he exclaims.

I let out a soft chuckle. “No, no, that won’t be necessary…yet,” I reply playfully before my expression turns serious.

“When you j— Were you forc—” I huff, struggling to find the right words.

“When the king found you, were you forced to join his army?” I finally ask, my tone grave.

“Forced? No! The king found me during a routine visit to my pack. I was often the target of bullying. He offered me training and a place in his army.

“It was entirely my choice. I jumped at the opportunity!” Eddie responds, his voice filled with cheer.

“Oh, I see… What about those who have been violent hybrids?” I probe further.

“Well, if they’ve been violent, the king still offers them a place in his army…”

~Ah, got him. So he can build upon his violent hybrid army,~ I think to myself.

“…Of course, they do need to complete other measures before they join the army.”

“Measures? What other measures?” I ask, puzzled.

“Er, basic stuff, anger management, counseling, therapy, you name it! He offers everything to help us control our abilities.”

“And what if a violent hybrid refuses to join him?” I press on.

“Well, that would depend on their crime. Minor offenses he will overlook and allow their pack alpha to decide a suitable punishment.

“If the hybrid is feral and killing innocents with no hope of redemption, then yes…unfortunately they are put down,” he admits, his voice heavy with sadness.

~Wow…maybe I did jump to conclusions.~

“Thank you,” I say sincerely.

We sit in silence for a while as I reflect on the evening’s events: the powers that erupted from me, the hellhounds, the venom.

I glance at Dinah.

“We need to stop at my mom’s before going to the pack house. I think she has a lot of explaining to do.”