SPENCER
“We need to discuss the situation you got yourself into.” Alister sank into the armchair as we gathered in the living room after breakfast.
My eyes darted from one to another. “What situation?”
“You did tell her, didn’t you?” Alister gazed at Finn.
“No. There’s nothing to tell. It’s not what you think.”
“Isn’t it? Or you just hope so?”
“Alister, that wolf met Spencer several days ago,” said Liam. “He just liked a girl, that’s all.”
“Are you all really that stupid?” Alister shook his head, looking at all three of them.
Are they talking about that Eric guy?
“We’re the only ones who can sense each other before we turn, remember? Because we still got a witch gene,” said Finn. “Thanks to her magic, which intercepts her shifter qualities, no wolf could have sensed her.”
“That’s right. No other wolf could. Except one. Her mate. And you know that.”
“My what?” My widening eyes moved from Alister to Finn.
“Oh God,” Mom gasped.
Clenching his teeth, Finn gazed at Alister. “We can’t be a hundred percent sure.”
“Oh, we will be when he comes back with all his pack to claim what’s his.”
“She is NOT his,” Finn growled.
“Great. How about you tell him that when he shows up? Maybe he’ll just turn around and leave.”
“This isn’t the time for sarcasm,” Liam threw an angry look at Alister. “You’re right. If Spencer is his mate, he won't stop until he gets her. But she can reject him any time.” Liam squinted at him. “And why do you care that much? You’ve never been interested in our lives. Why are you really here, Alister?”
“First of all, this young woman was dying, and I had to help—”
“Cut the crap. What’s in it for you?”
“Are you seriously asking me that? Don’t you understand what this means for us? Not just for me. For all of us. Or, I don’t know,” Alister shrugged arrogantly, “maybe you like being a nobody.”
“So that’s it, and you don’t have anything else on your mind? Because I thought you found your way of living and you didn’t care anymore.”
“My way of living?” Alister frowned at Liam. “You mean my way of being careful for more than a hundred years? I’d been ambushed and attacked dozens of times before I learned how to stay off their radar. I was lucky they underestimated my strength, or I would’ve been killed long ago. Do you want to live your entire life being careful, hiding, afraid to get ambushed, or killed? She can change it all, give you your freedom, don’t you get it?”
Now I was getting really angry.
“Would you stop talking about me like I’m not here?” I snapped.
“Sorry,” said Finn. “I just wanted you to have one normal day after everything you’ve been through before telling you about the mate thing and . . .” he pointed his hand at Alister, “. . .
that.”
“She can’t afford that luxury,” Alister said coldly. “She could’ve had peace of mind for a day or two if you did what you had to do. But you just let him go.”
James’s eyebrows jumped up. “You mean we should’ve killed him?”
“How is that any better?” scoffed Liam. “It wouldn’t take long for the whole pack to track down their wolf. And after they found him dead, they would kill us all.”
“No. They would be busy looking for him, and it would take a while. She could’ve used that time to learn things. We could’ve used it to come up with a plan. However, now, that mate of hers can bring dozens of wolves here at any moment. She doesn’t have much time; don’t you get it? And you know what’s going to happen if she doesn’t finish this. Not just for us, but first of all for her. She needs to fulfill her mission.”
“Okay, that’s it.” I couldn’t understand anything, and I waved my hands, stopping this cryptic conversation. “I have no idea what you’re all arguing about, and I would like Mr. McDonnell—”
“Please, call me Alister.”
“Alister,” I heaved a breath, “explain to me what’s going on. I thought all I had to do was survive the curse and I’m done.”
“Oh, my dear girl.” That sly smile of his touched his eyes again. “Turning into the wolf was only the first step.”
“The first step of what?” I glanced back at Mom who stood behind me like she was hiding. “Did you know this?”
“I never knew all the details. But, yes, I knew this wasn’t over.”
I turned my eyes to Finn.
“Yes,” he nodded. “Remember when you asked me what happened to the girl who survived the curse? I said that I’ll tell you later. And I was going to. But he knows much more about it than I do.”
“I need to know everything,” I addressed Alister. He seemed to be the one who wouldn’t hide the truth from me to spare my feelings. “How about you start from the beginning? Who’s the Great Alpha?”
I dropped onto the couch across from him, and the others sat down too.
“The Great Alpha was the first woman hybrid who became an alpha and the High Priestess.” Alister took a deep breath. “So how did she do it? How did she become the Great One? Her story goes centuries back. Five, to be precise. She was a vicious woman and an aggressive wolf.
“But most importantly, she was a very powerful witch. No witch or warlock could stand against her. They obeyed her out of fear, and she became their High Priestess. But, of course, she also had true followers who admired her powers and her deep knowledge of the dark arts. She used her magic to make herself invincible to any kind of injury. The only way for her to die was from old age. That was the only thing she couldn’t, or maybe didn’t want to, change. Though, the legend says she did slow her aging down, and that’s why she lived longer than possible for a wolf. She died at age two hundred and thirty-seven. And that’s when the era of the tyrant was finally over. And to prevent the rise of another hybrid, as you already know, the wolves and witches came together and created the curse.
“So what made her different from the other wolves and witches? There were two versions of the tale about the source of her power. The werewolves’ version said that after she made herself unkillable, she created an elixir to increase her strength. The wolves thought that was what helped her win every fight against every alpha she challenged and take over pack after pack.
“However, the witches said that she was born in hell itself, and that’s where her name Hella came from. They were sure that no normal she-wolf or witch could sustain that much power to be able to control both wolves and witches at the same time.”
“But I’m nothing like her.” My shocked look moved from one to another. “I’m not a vicious control freak. And I don’t have that kind of power.”
“Not yet you don’t.”
“What do you mean, yet?”
“Whatever the source of her power was, before her death, Hella locked its essence in a crypt she built for herself, or as she called it, the Great Alpha’s Temple. And it’s still there, waiting for you to claim it.”
This was too much. And there were so many things I still didn’t understand, and I had so many questions. But first, I asked the one I hoped would dismiss all the others.
“What if I don’t want to?”
Finn bit his lip. Mom fidgeted in her seat. James’s look darted to the wall to avoid mine. And Liam sat staring at the floor and tapping his fingers against the armrest of his chair.
Alister got up, walked to the window, and looked out at the sunny backyard. After a moment of silence, he turned around, and standing with his feet shoulder-width apart, folded his hands behind his back.
“I’m afraid you have no choice.”
“What? Why? And why can’t any other wolf or witch just go and take it? I’m sure there are plenty who would kill to get all that power.”
“And they would have if they could. But Hella didn’t want anyone to have them but a hybrid like herself. She put a permanent spell on the Temple and the words she engraved above the entrance explain its meaning: Only A Wolf Can Enter. Only A Witch Can Claim.”
“Okay. Then, if no one can claim it, why can’t we just leave it there? No one knows the heir exists. And if we leave it alone—”
“Spencer, they will know,” said Finn. “And the only way to keep you alive is to claim those powers.”
“That girl, the one who survived the shift, what happened to her? Did she die because she refused to claim the powers?”
Everybody looked at Alister.
“She didn’t refuse, no. Someone close to her betrayed her and she was caught by witches before she could find the Great Alpha’s Temple.”
This was becoming more and more complicated, and the questions were sprouting like seeds on a sped-up video of their growth.
“She couldn’t find the Great Alpha’s Temple?”
“No one knows where the Temple is. The Alpha's Council has the only description of the Temple's location. But they don’t know anything either. The witches sealed the scroll with a spell, and they’re not allowed to open it. The last wolves and witches who have seen the Temple were the ones who created the scroll, and they never shared their knowledge with anyone.”
“Listen, no one here is going to betray me. So how about we just leave it be?”
“You still don’t get it, do you? They’re going to find you and when they do, they’ll kill you. This is not a threat, Spencer. It wouldn’t be because one of us will betray you. Why would we? But it doesn’t matter. The scroll isn’t the only thing the wolves and witches created together back then. The wolves couldn’t claim the powers, but they still could enter the Temple. They created a compass and enchanted it using the Great Alpha’s remains. If you don’t claim your powers now, on the next full moon, the powers will sense you, the hybrid, and they’ll start calling for you. They’ll activate the compass and that’s when the council will know of your existence.”
“You mean the compass will lead them to Spencer?” asked James.
“Exactly.”
I shook my head. “This is so screwed up.”
“Spencer, why don’t you want the powers?” Liam asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I stared at him. “I can’t be a Great Alpha. First of all, that’s a lot of responsibility. And second, I don’t want to be like Hella. Look what those powers did to her. She became a horrible woman, and everybody hated her.”
“You wouldn’t be like her,” said Finn. “You can use those powers to do good.”
I rolled my eyes. “Have you ever heard of someone who did good things using black magic?”
“You’re not like others,” Mom said confidently. “You’ll be able to control it; I know you will.”
“And about doing good,” Alister pushed his hands into his pockets, “here’s one thing I’m sure you could start with. You could give us our freedom. Your Finn wouldn’t be an outcast anymore; we wouldn’t need to hide anymore. You could change everything for our kind out there and,” he glanced at Mom, “also for their parents.”
I could save Mom? Oh my God. I didn’t think about it.
Was I being selfish?I sure was, and that’s why I didn’t see the positive side of this offering from hell. But what if it was true? What if that freak Hella was really born in hell?Does that mean that I'll be making a deal with the devil if I claim the powers?
Seriously? Hell and devil?Don’t be an idiot, Spencer. It’s just magic.
“I need time to think this through,” I sighed. “And it’s not that I can just run and grab those powers. We still don’t know where the Temple is located or how to get our hands on that bloody scroll.”
I don’t know how much more of this I can take.
I imagined other people, like my friend Alex, who were just tanning on the beach and making college plans, preparing to move to a dorm. And here I was, fighting for my life and risking becoming the devil’s dance partner.
Plus to all of the above, I was someone’s mate and he could be knocking on the door at any moment to get what’s his.
What’s his? What am I, take-out? A pair of shoes?
My wolf released a quiet growl. Oh, God, I forgot all about her.
I wasn’t handling this situation too well. I needed some alone time with Finn so he could help me dig through this mess.