Werewolf Academy

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Oh goddess, it feels so good to run free. The second I shifted, it felt so right. Lily is running right beside me. We both playfully nip at each other, not having to pay attention to our surroundings. This is what I really miss. No worries, no trouble, just me and my best friend running through the hills to our spot.

I bet you I can get there faster than you. Lily says from beside me.

Oh, you are so on. She takes off like a bullet, leaving me to race after her. She's always been incredibly fast. It's possibly the one thing she can best me at. I never found running to be important. I've always had the fight instinct, not flight. 

We aren't far from the edge, and I laugh as she speeds ahead, taking the win. Congrats, you've beat me at something.

Yes, yes I have. The voice that comes into my head isn't Lily, and I realize, when she ran ahead, I lost sight of her.

I stop running. Lily? She has to be around here somewhere.

I don't like this Sophie. Something doesn't feel right. My tigress points out from deep in my mind.

I don't like it either.

There's a low chuckling from somewhere in the trees.

Hunter?

I call out into the night.

"Hunter can't hear you Sophelia." A man steps out of the woods. I growl and get ready for an attack. He raises his hands and laughs. "I'm not here to hurt you, or else I would have already." Never trust a man that laughs in the face of danger. That just means he's a psychopath. "Suit yourself." He lowers his hands and places them behind his back. I growl again and he sighs. Before I can snarl, he turns to show his back. "I don't even have a weapon Sophelia. If I had the intent to hurt you, I'd have one." He turns back to face me. "Satisfied?"

I snarl at him. Where is Lily?

He makes a motion with one of his hands, and she's dragged into the light, fighting against, ropes?

What is this? Why is she wrapped up in ropes? I growl at him as she struggles against the men strapping her down.

"I needed something Sophelia. You weren't giving me much to work with. I tried to get you to choose when you were taken, but you refused. This seemed to be the only viable option. It was either the girl or your mate." He's starting to piss me off.

What do you want from me?

He smiles, brightly, at that. "Why, I want you to give up your tigress, of course." My eyes widen and I take a step back. "You see, with you being so powerful already, I can't see me being able to control anything anymore. If you choose your tigress, I'll stand no chance in keeping my power."

But, I don't even know who you are. How do you have any power? You're human. He nods, waving a hand in the air, and walking towards Lily.

"True, I'm not one of you." He turns to me and smiles a sickly sweet, yet insane smile. "But that's the beauty of it!" He looks at Lily again, walking around her. She stares at me, cowering, filled with fear.

Something still doesn't seem quite right.

"Enough with all of this though. It has no relevance to what you're going to do." Again, he faces me, this time, smiling at me with a closed mouth. "Deny your tigress, or I torture the girl, in front of you." A spark flashes through his eyes, and I can see the truth in them.

No! Don't! Lily's eyes widen and she whines loudly, trying to escape the ropes. It's useless. They're laced with wolfsbane. I can see it even from here.

Stop fighting it. You'll only tire yourself out. I give her a look and she stops struggling.

I shift back and stand, stark naked, in front of the man. I'm not sure why, but I need to be like this. "Don't touch her. Or I'll do the opposite of what you want."

He nods, watching me as I walk over to her. Slowly, I gently remove the ropes from her. "It's alright. I won't let them hurt you." She shakes out of her restraints and comes to stand beside me.

"Well, I'm waiting Sophelia."

I nod. "One question first."

He opens his arms as if accepting a hug. "Ask away."

"Why do I hear your voice in my head?" I take a step closer to him and he smirks.

"That, is no concern of yours." I step closer again and his smirk falls. "What are you doing?"

"I had a thought." I say out loud. "Why would a human be able to speak in my head? They can't, it's impossible. Then I thought, maybe he's a vampire, but then I remembered, they stink like rotting flesh. So I ask again, why do I hear your voice in my head?" By now I'm standing two feet away from him.

He stares at me, blank faced. "If you don't know, then I won't tell you Sophelia."

"Oh, but you will." I step to make our distance a foots length apart. "You dared to threaten my Beta, and my mate." The small patch of woods begins to brighten, as if the sun is coming out, but only right here. "I'm tired of men thinking they can tell me what to do, and threatening my family. I don't know what you did to Hunter, but I will find out. Now tell me, what you are, warlock." I say, making my theory known.

A small, dissatisfied grin forms on his face. "I see you've done your homework. Yes, I am a warlock." He grimaces in the light. "And I also see that you've made your choice. It's sad, really. I so wish you could have lived."

At that second, a sword plunges through my back and I can see the tip poking through my stomach. This is how I die.