Wolf Bound

Chapter 34: Black Magic

"It appears as though the Erebus wolves are the target. I think they are being used as hosts—which tells me the shadows cannot act on their own either. And by that I mean, I believe they are unable to enter and live in our world unless released into it."

"Our world?" Vincent commented.

"Yes. In other words, they're being controlled. Something only black magic is capable of. The Erebus wolves are the perfect hosts because the shadows seem to feed off negative energy until they've fully possessed their vessels. Whoever is behind this, planned this well.

"I fear that we are dealing with someone who is well-versed in black magic. It takes a lot of practice, power, and corruption to accomplish spells like this. And if they're capable of raising hell like this, I can't help but wonder what else they're capable of."

His words were chilling.

Negative energy? I thought back to Vincent and I's conversation in the woods before we were interrupted by one of those damn shadow things. Negative energy could amount to any kind of negative emotion, even if it was just sadness. There were a lot of negative emotions flowing between us that day, I wouldn't doubt it for a second. Right before it attacked.

That better put things into perspective and made this whole ordeal a lot more scarier. Especially if it was true that Erebus wolves were the target. Erebus wolves were enough of a problem on their own. I could only imagine the damage that'd be done if they were all used as gateways for something that was ten times more dangerous.

No wonder Amaury had been insistent that not only wolfkind was at stake, but humankind too. It sucked that humans got caught in the crossfire. But that didn't matter anymore. These shadows were going to take all of us out one by one soon.

"So, you're saying . . . a person is behind this?" someone further back asked.

"In theory, yes. It is the only logical explanation I could think of to apply to this situation."

"Does that mean there's a traitor among our kind?" Another voice.

"It is very likely," Alpha Merrick grunted.

Shit, I had a bad feeling about all of this. Amaury's missing spell book was starting to look a lot more suspicious. After all, if there were protection spells in that book, what other kinds of spells were in there? Where there was light, there was darkness. Clearly, someone else knew that too. Maybe this was a little more personal than any of us realized.

It would seem I wasn't alone in my feelings because when I looked at Vincent, he was pale in the face. He had recoiled back as if someone slapped him. Next, I looked at Bennett, Claudia, Mariah, Dylan, and Dimitri. They all seemed to be deep in their own thoughts; a concentrated look on each of their faces. As my eyes found Vincent's again, I realized he was staring at me.

More specifically, my eyes.

"Genesis, you must tell them about the area you've seen." Amaury's voice bled into my thoughts. "The one the shadow has shown you in your dreams."

"What!?" Shit, that was a little too loud. Mariah was the first to turn her head. I bowed my head as lowly as I could, shielding my eyes from any onlookers. My eyes were the only ones in the room glowing gold for absolutely no reason. That raised enough suspicion on its own.

"Do not be afraid. You should tell them about me too. Not about me talking to you but about my wolf belonging to you in order to explain how the shadow invaded your mind," Amaury insisted. "Trust me, Alpha Merrick is an old friend of my father's. He'll know what to do."

Public speaking was never something I enjoyed. I envied anyone who was able to stand in front of a crowd and express themselves without stuttering or pausing or whatever else. This was a bad idea. I just knew it. Okay, that was definitely my nerves talking.

I cleared my throat, burying my words in what sounded like a cough, "But I can't." The words rushed out of my mouth in a jumble. By now, I could feel Vincent's eyes burning a hole into the side of my head. Mariah was right behind him—her suspicion meter probably going haywire.

"You can," Amaury said, his voice gentler now, "I'm right here beside you. Vincent is right here beside you. . . We're here to protect you." I grunted, nonetheless I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. After opening my eyes back, I ignored the ongoing stares, and stood to my feet.

"Um, if I may . . . I have something to share." I raised my hand, using the other to pull the sketch from my pocket. "May I join you at the front?"

"Please." Alpha Merrick gestured beside him.

Vincent tugged at my finger, whispering, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, no. It's . . . okay. I'm okay. I'll be fine," I whispered back. Then, I slowly made my way through the chairs until I was standing beside Alpha Merrick. The stares only worsened. As I looked over the crowd, I felt suffocated. Too many important people in one room. All waiting for me to provide them with important information. Now was not the time to fuck up.

"Okay so"—I straightened the creases in the sketch, avoiding eye contact with everyone including Vincent and the rest of our group—"as you all may know . . . I am the young woman who was involved in the recent death of an alpha. Alpha Amaury of Calamitous.

"And well, that night Amaury's wolf became mine. Or I should say Amaury gave me his wolf so that I'd survive. Um, through magic. If not for Amaury, I wouldn't be alive today. Uh, but that's not all. Amaury was a victim of one of these . . . shadow things.

"When he gave me his wolf, I think he also gave me a fragment of the shadow. As in, there's a piece of it stuck in my brain. I keep seeing things. Hearing things. Like jumbled thoughts, I think? Anyways, I only see and hear these things in my dreams when I'm asleep.

"It feels like I'm in the shadow's head. Exploring their thoughts. Maybe their desires. And I think whatever piece of the shadow that's still alive and lingering up there . . . I think it's showing me where they're coming from. Um, I drew this. . ."

Alpha Merrick took a glimpse at the sketch. Slowly, he removed it from my hands. He and Miranda then walked over to the projector to fix the sketch underneath. It took everything in me not to meet Vincent's eyes. I didn't have the courage. Sure, I told him most of the story. This, however, wasn't something I'd confided in him about. This was certainly news to him.

If I was being honest, it may have escaped my mind a few times.

"Genesis, if I may ask, how are you still alive?" Beta Odin was the first to break the silence.

"Well, that's the thing . . . I'm not quite sure. I think whatever Amaury did forbid the shadow from reaching its full potential. So, it hasn't been able to take control. But it's still there."

"And this area. . ." Alpha Merrick drifted off.

"It's an area I've seen in my dreams quite a few times now. If we find this location, we might be able to track the shadows down as well as whoever's behind this." Finally, I found the courage to sneak a glimpse at Vincent and the others. To say they were shocked was an understatement.

Vincent's eyes were narrowed into thin slits—the kind of look that warned me we'd have a lot to discuss back at the pack house. Mariah's jaw lay slack, her arms folded. She was tense. Then, there was Bennett and Claudia who's mouths were slightly ajar, while Dylan and Dimitri studied me from afar. A little too closely, if I might add. Dammit, I hated this attention. I couldn't deny I felt a little relieved to know I had no more secrets though. So, that was a plus.