-Tilly-
Out of all the coolest things in this world, I now had the Strength of a god! That was... That was so...!
Overwhelming.
"I think I'll..." I muttered out loud, but no one seemed to notice me speaking. Everyone was busy talking with the gods, trying to pry more information out of them.
That suited me well. I inched my way out of the living room, but before I could vanish behind the wall, Jaden made eye contact with me. I froze, but he gestured for me to keep moving, and turned to look away. The Alpha's eyes were always watching.
With a relieved sigh, I left the group and sneaked into my bedroom. I closed the door and leaned against it, keeping my eyes closed and head empty. It was so cool to have all these gifts, and the bow was amazing and the fact that I couldn't be harmed was even more amazing, but...
Holy shit was it much to handle... Part of me wished Mom would force us to stay somewhere hidden and never let us take any part in this war. But I was a Beta now. A seventeen-year-old Beta, but a Beta. A protector of this pack. No... of this land.
"Come on... You're stronger than this..." I whispered to myself.
I opened my eyes and looked out the window. I stared at the forest for a moment, trying to find my balance.
No matter how cool things were, I really wished we could be just regular teenagers. It felt like a lifetime ago when Jaden, Arch, and I were still fooling around, annoying as many people as we possibly could. I wanted that back. I wanted to go back to that time when our biggest fear was getting caught by Ryder. Not by possessed Ryder. Just Ryder.
Slowly, I walked to the window and quietly pushed it open. The cool air helped a bit.
I just wanted to be a girl with a crush on the hot guy in her chemistry class. But no. I was part of Cerberus, a girl with super strength and a bow called Spirit. A weapon in a war caused by someone no one knew.
I let out the deepest sigh and leaned against the wall. As I stared into nothingness, a swirl of black dust appeared a few feet away in the middle of the melting snow. I straightened my posture just before Ben stepped out of it, giving me a friendly smile. He was no longer wearing his armor, just a brown hoodie and rugged jeans.
"Miss Ackley," he nodded and stopped.
"Bob," I nodded back, and he laughed.
At least I could have that one fleeting moment to pretend everything was back to normal. Ignoring the fact that the guy just stepped out of thin air.
"You seem troubled," he said, watching me closely, his smile turning soft.
"And you seem to be stalking me," I retorted.
"My apologies," he said and bowed. "That is what we often do."
"At least you have the balls to admit it," I said.
"We have no reason to lie," he said. "And we'd rather not to."
"Pure as a peacekeeper," I muttered.
He chuckled and walked to the window, leaning against the wall on the other side. "I wish we could solve this conflict peacefully. I wish there were enough of us to deal with the enemy without getting mortals involved."
"There's been a lot of wishing going on," I said, crossing my arms.
"And not enough action," he nodded. "This is troubling. How can the enemy be so well hidden? Even we can't find them. The gods can't find them."
"I really don't want to think about it right now," I told him.
"Of course – I'm sorry."
I sighed and turned to look at the forest again. "So, Billy, seen any good movies lately?"
He laughed lightly at my words, and I turned to stare at him. He sure was hot...
"I can't remember the last movie I saw..."
I shifted my weight to see him better. He, too, was young...
"But you do watch movies?"
"Yeah. Though I have three siblings, and I'm the oldest, so the movies we watch are usually cartoons," he told me.
"You have a family?" I asked in surprise.
"Uh-huh. We all do. I found out I was a peacekeeper a year ago," he explained. "It's just a job."
"Just a job," I repeated.
He smirked. "We're like supernatural cops. Well, they are. I'm still just an intern."
"Can you quit if you want to?"
"Sure. But I don't want to. At least now. Especially now."
"We're going to war," I reminded him.
He let out a deep sigh. "There are three hundred and fourteen of us. That's not enough. Supernatural beings are constantly attacking humans all around the world, and we can't save even a fraction of them. And now this..."
"Right... I'm your enemy," I muttered.
"Well, not you specifically. Just the ones who do bad things to humans," he corrected. "I know you're one of the good ones."
I had to smile at him. "So how long have you been watching me?"
"Uhm..." he uttered and laughed nervously.
"Peacekeepers can't lie," I reminded him.
"We can lie, we'd just rather not."
"I can take my question back if it makes you uncomfortable," I offered.
He stared at me for a moment, then took a deep breath. "I may have noticed you long before I knew supernaturals existed. Me and everyone else. I mean... you're very pretty."
"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked.
"Girl, you're scary," he chuckled.
"Good," I said, laughing as well, but my amusement faded away soon. "I wish this was our life... Just... Being teenagers..."
"I know," he said in a sympathetic voice and looked down at his hand. I looked at it too, and a second later, a small cloud of black dust appeared on it. And another second later, he was holding a big chocolate bar and handed it to me. "This doesn't change the world for the better, but I know you like chocolate."
I took it and stared at it with a small smile on my lips. "It's better than cookies for sure."
"Cookies?"
"Nothing," I smirked and looked at him again. "Thanks."
He bowed again.
Maybe it was just a chocolate bar, but my mood sure did get up. I looked at the chocolate again and realized I couldn't read a word on the wrapper.
"What language is this?"
"Oh! I went to get it from Switzerland. You know, the world's best chocolate," he said.
"You... went to Switzerland to get chocolate?" I asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah. I can teleport all around the world," he said with a shrug.
"You... can?" I asked, even though it shouldn't have been a surprise to me.
"Yeah. Anywhere I want in a blink of an eye."
"So..." I began slowly, twirling my new golden lock around my finger. "Can you teleport someone else with you?"
"Yup," he said without even blinking.
"Like... Paris?" I asked, taking half a step closer to him.
"Uh-huh."
"Boy, you're mine now," I told him.
"Yes, ma'am," he said with a smirk on his lips.
I laughed and turned to look at the chocolate again – his stare suddenly felt quite intense.
"I hope you like it," he said.
"I have never encountered chocolate I didn't like," I chuckled.
"Good. I uh... I have information your friend may want to hear," he said.
"Oh, sure – they're in the living room," I said and retreated from the window so he could get in.
"Would it be more polite for me to use the front door?" he asked.
"Oh, so now you want to use the door?" I asked with a chuckle. "You teleporters..."
He smirked and easily climbed through my window. I gestured for him to follow me, but the second I turned my back on him, I lost a little bit of confidence. I peered at him over my shoulder.
"I was joking, by the way... With the whole you're... uh... mine... thing..."
"I wasn't," he said quietly with that hot smile of his.
"You think you're so smooth..." I muttered and laughed nervously.
I led the way back into the living room, where the discussion about weapons and enemies still went on. We stopped at the entrance and waited until we got noticed. It was Jaden again who spotted me first.
"We have visitors," Oliver spoke, and everyone turned to look at me and Ben.
"I have news," Ben said, stepping forward. "The binding box is ready, but we are against a strong shadow, so we have to be well prepared for the confrontation."
"I think Rayleigh should be here to hear this," Mom spoke, but Ben shook his head.
"Aadhil is already telling him the news," he said.
"And the plan is to use Cedric as bait?" Oliver asked, sounding hesitant.
Ben sighed. "They will be able to summon him as soon as they have what they need. You can feel the turmoil it causes in the Shadow Realm, so we know exactly when he'll be free. But he still has the artifact. The second he gets out, he can hide himself from us."
"So all we can do is use Cedric as bait..." Oliver muttered.
"Our wards can't stop him, so he can easily return," Mom said. "No one can spot him, so he can just possess someone again. What if he attacks us this time?"
"It is a possibility, yes, so we need to be prepared," Ben nodded, and turned to Helios and Fenrir. "We need someone who can fight him."
"A spirit?" Helios asked.
"A spirit of a champion," Fenrir corrected him.
"They're back on Earth already," Helios frowned.
"All of them?" Oliver asked in surprise.
"Maybe not all of them," Fenrir spoke slowly. "We must go find out if there's still someone left in the Spirit Realm."
"Can they spot Cameron?" Mom asked.
"No, but they can attack him as soon as Cameron reveals himself," Fenrir said.
"That leaves us still in danger," Mom said, crossing her arms. "Is there any way we can stop him from possessing someone?"
Jaden cleared his throat.
"Jaden can sense him," I spoke when the realization hit me. "And Arch got his gift back!"
Jaden rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed that we all forgot about his ability.
"Jaden can feel his master's gifts, yes, but only if he's close," Fenrir said. "And I have the feeling Cameron knows to stay away from you."
"And we don't know if my Vision will work against The Helm of Hades," Helios spoke, measuring Arch from head to toe. "We are better off assuming it will not, even though my gifts are strong. I'm just... You must understand why I'm hesitant. My gifts were not supposed to break, so..."
"I get it," Arch nodded. "We'll find out soon."
"They tried to steal the gift right before they freed Cameron last time," I reminded them. "That sounds like it does work."
"I'd love to think so, but like I said, we are better off assuming the worst," Helios said quietly.
"Of course," I said.
"Agreed," Ben nodded. "The wisest in Arlona are searching for artifacts we can use against Cameron, but I'm afraid they will run out of time. There are talismans that can protect their wearers from getting possessed, but they aren't strong enough against Cameron."
"Natalie showed us how to make them," Oliver said. "I have one."
"Good – everyone should have one," Ben said. "Arlona can provide the ingredients, but time is of the essence."
"What if he possesses me? Or Arch or Jaden?" I asked quietly.
"You have the bow," Ben said. "You must stay together. If one of you three gets possessed, get rid of him. We can't let him control any of you – you are way too strong."
"You do know I have the Strength of Helios? Can I be shot with the bow?" I asked.
"Yes and yes, you can be shot with it. The artifacts usually are strong enough to work against other artifacts, and the arrows aren't physical. They fly right through you."
"And what if he possesses someone else?" Mom asked.
Ben was silent for a brief moment. "We need to capture him. We have the binding box ready, so as soon as he shows himself, we can try to trap him. If we find the spirit of a champion to help us, they can keep him busy and stop him from attacking anyone else. If we fail to capture him, we use the bow to send him back to the Shadow Realm and try again."
"A champion should be able to occupy the same body he's in," Fenrir spoke slowly. "If we find one, we can ask them to keep checking people – especially if they're acting suspicious."
"Will they be able to spot him while he uses the artifact?"
"No, but they should be able to communicate with the possessed spirit."
"Should?"
"That is the best I can offer," Fenrir said apologetically.
"If the spirit can't communicate, isn't that a sign, too?" Oliver asked.
"Good point," Fenrir said with a smile.
"We must assume the enemy has thought of everything we've spoken today," Ben said, kicking the rising mood out the window again. "But for now, we can call this a plan. You should rest. We will protect you."
"We'll go find us a champion spirit," Fenrir said, and turned to Jack. "You. Rest. You will feel better in a few days."
Jack snorted at him.
"That's the spirit," Fenrir said with a smile, and vanished.
"And you," Helios spoke to me. "Try not to use anything that breaks easily. We'll be back."
And with that, he left as well.
"I'll just go finish making breakfast," Mom said with a heavy sigh and left us alone. Poor Mom...
Poor us.
"I suppose you need to leave as well?" I asked Ben.
"I'm afraid so," he said quietly. "I hope you enjoy the chocolate," he added with a gentle smile.
"I'm sure I will," I said, returning his smile.
"So..." Oliver spoke, gaining our attention, but he was looking at Jaden. "Everyone else gets cookies and chocolates, but not me?"
I hid my smirk when I saw Jaden's confused expression. Then he figured out what Oliver meant by that – surprisingly fast, too. He leaned away from his mate and stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh... True," Oliver said with a smirk and hugged him.
"What did he say?" I asked.
"Something along the lines of, bitch I got you a whole-ass desk," Oliver told us with a happy smile. "It's a very pretty desk too."
Jaden hugged him back with an amused snort, but when Oliver couldn't see his face, Jaden's expression turned cold. Not because of Oliver. I didn't have to be connected with my Alpha to know he was angry about the world we lived in.
I knew that he, too, wanted to be just a regular teenager and enjoy his newly found bond with the human kid.
I peered at Ben, who was still watching me.
"I should get going," he said when our eyes met. "Take it easy today, okay?"
"Sure thing, Bob," I said with a smile.
He laughed. "You're a funny girl, Hilda. Scary, but funny."
"There's nothing scary about me," I said as I took a step away from him.
"A werewolf with the strength of a god? Yeah, nothing scary about that," he said. In a very flirty manner.
"I don't feel any different," I said with a shrug. I really didn't.
"Maybe you should go find out?" he suggested, the cloud of black dust surrounding him. "I'll be watching."
After he disappeared, I turned to look outside at the forest. Now I was really curious.
"Should I go try my gift?" I asked my friends, who weren't even trying to hide their knowing smirks.
"I'd like to see it," Arch said, and turned to look at Jack. "You'll be fine for a moment?"
"What? I want to see this too," Jack told him and stood up.
"But you should r–"
"Finish that sentence. I dare you."
Arch snapped his mouth shut. He was going to have his hands full once Jack was feeling better.
"Where do you think you're going?" Mom asked the second we stepped out of the living room.
"I want to go test my new powers," I told her. "Please?"
She squinted her eyes at me. "I'll never get the breakfast ready."
"You can stay here. We'll be just outside."
"Oh hell no," she said sternly and put her knife away.
So we all headed outside. I didn't bother putting on a jacket, since I knew Mom would make us go back inside as soon as I'd figured out my strength.
I felt a little silly as I marched to the edge of the forest and stopped in front of a big, old tree while the rest of them stayed back. I really didn't feel any different, so my instincts told me not to hit the trunk or I'd be in a world of pain. Kicking was a better option.
So... I kicked it. It snapped like a twig. Not just that, it snapped like a twig and slammed right into a couple of other trees about five feet away, and they snapped too. I just stared at all three of them falling, the rumbling sounds echoing in the otherwise silent air.
I... didn't even kick that hard.
When it got quiet again, I heard a whispered wow behind me. I let out a deep breath, relaxing my shoulders. Then I looked up at the sky.
"Bring it, bitch," I whispered.
I was not a teenage girl anymore.