The Last Spirit Wolf (Elena Norwood)

-Vera-

I close my eyes forcefully, not wanting to be witness to such cruelty anymore. When I open them back up. I'm out of those horrid dungeons; my grandmother and aunt looming over me in concern. One of them places her hand on my head, consoling me. *I'm sorry, darling, but we had to show you what our species had come to. Your father understood well that we could no longer exist under these pretenses. The Witch* *Mother is pure evil.* *Is?* I ask.

My aunt turns to me grimly.

*Yes, we have every reason to believe she is still alive. There are witches still living in your world, most of them still serve her.*

*This is why you can't let your guard down. Vera. If she ever found out a Spirit Wolf is still alive, she could try to use your magic to gain hers back. You cannot let this* *happen under any circumstance, do you understand?*

I nod. The implication is very clear. I'd rather die than give that bitch her powers.

*If she were ever to gain her powers back, with the rest of us gone, there would be no stopping her. No lycan or werewolf would ever be a match for her.*

*And what happened to my father?*

They both look at each other.

*We have reason to believe he is also alive in your world, although we are not sure in what state. We haven't felt him since we felt your birth.*

*And what about my mother? You said she was a werewolf?*

*Ah yes, her name was Lilith. Your father met her once and felt the mate pull, even though witches don't have predestined mates. She was a very lovely girl.* My heart sinks at her words.

*Was?* I ask.

My grandmother turns sad,

*Unfortunately, she didn't survive long after you were born. You see, it takes a very special wolf to be able to breed with a warlock, and none ever made it out alive. It was**the curse of giving birth to a Spirit Wolf.*

Unwanted tears start streaming down my face. I didn't even know these people, but I just know they had to love me very much to give up so much for me to live.

All of a sudden, I feel very tired. The entire experience has worn me out.

My aunt puts her hand on my forehead,

*You should go now. A lot of magic is required to keep in the state you're in, it's drained you. You'll need a couple of hours to recuperate. Sweet dreams, my dear.*

That's the last thing I remember her saying before everything goes dark.

I don't know how long I sleep for, but when I wake up and peek through the window. everything is dark. Is this the same night? I turn to the other side of the bed, noticing Noah is gone.

I get up from the bed feeling groggy, like I didn't rest at all. Maybe what my aunt said is true, being in their realm drains my magic and energy. Regardless, I get up from the bed and get dressed, heading downstairs to look for Noah. I find him looking out the kitchen window when I approach him. He turns around, sensing me, and puts his arms around me.

"Morning, sleepy head."

I grunt.

"How long was I asleep for?"

"About 18 hours."

I turn my head up to look at him,

"What?!"

"I mean I can't blame you, we were at it all night; I must've drained you."

"Noah..." I narrow my eyes at him and he laughs.

"Is that tea I smell?" I say, turning to the fireplace.

"Oh, yes, Elden said it might help you? He was here a few hours ago."

I grab the kettle and pour myself some tea. It smells amazing, and this time it has honey. I sigh, feeling better just by the scent alone. As I take a sip, it tastes like some type of flowery tea.

I sit by the couch and Noah joins me.

"What did you guys talk about?" I ask him.

"Not much, I think he was only interested in talking to you. He's a very odd old man."

I smile at this. Yes, yes he is.

"You were having a nightmare," he says.

I turn to look at the tea cup in my hands, enjoying the warmth of it against my skin.

"I was with my aunt and grandmother again. They showed me how spirit wolves were made."

He looks at me, waiting patiently for me to continue. My skin crawls just recalling the experience. I take a deep breath and tell him everything I saw and everything my aunt and grandmother told me. He stays quiet for a long time, looking into the fire. "I knew witches were evil, but I underestimated them."

"They also said the Witch Mother is still alive, Noah. What if she's the one that created the Chimera? It had to be a powerful witch."

"More importantly, why would she create it in the first place?"

"She was after lycans and then werewolves, both of which are needed to create spirit wolves, could she be trying to make more again?" I shiver at the thought of this being true, but it's a possibility we have to consider.

We both sit in silence after this, each considering the implications.

"If that's the case, it is even more important to get Alistair dealt with, soon. Lycans have to be strong enough if that witch is coming back."

I nod at this. With everything I have recently learned. I had almost forgotten about Alistair. The quicker we deal with him, the quicker I can visit Sofia to warn her and catch her up.

There's a knock on the door and Noah sits up to get it.

"It's probably Eli," he says, heading to the door.

Eli walks in, a grave expression on his face.

"What happened?" I question, noticing his demeanor.

"Change of plans, kids."

He says as he sits on the dining table and Noah and I join him.

"So, King Alistair is back. We finally know what he was doing while he was away," he pauses, something sour in his expression, "he was gathering an army for hire."

Noah and I turn to look at each other, shocked.

"How many?" Noah asks.

"Thousands, they haven't arrived yet."

We both gape at him.

"How does he even have the money to hire such an army?" I question.

"He doesn't, but they don't know that yet."

We sit there, processing what this means for our plan.

"So, what now?" I'm hesitant to ask, but we need a new plan; we dont have nearly enough. people to fight an army of thousands.

"Oh, I have a plan. It's riskier, but we have to move quickly, before his army gets here. The good thing is, we have an advantage." "And what's that?" I ask.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"You."