CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE WOLF SPIRIT wasn't physically there, it seemed to be a projection of a sort, a machine on the other end. Oakland could see right through the spiritual black wolf and into the forest beyond it. The Lockhart took a deep breath, readying himself to speak, but before he could be heard an unfamiliar voice spoke first.
"You must be my physical body," The voice was deep and rumbled through the meadow. It sounded glitchy-like, almost distorted and definitely male.
It took a moment, but when Oakland finally comprehended where the voice had resonated from, he felt his blood chill. He hadn't expected it to speak, it seemed absurd. Animals couldn't speak, so how was his wolf spirit able to? Was it due to it being a spirit? That was the only explanation Oakland could come up with.
"Yes, I am," Oakland replied.
"What brings you to the astral plane, Oakland Lockhart?"
Oakland wanted to ask how the wolf knew his name but remembered that this was his wolf's spirit after all. He inhaled once again then let the words free, "I'm here to claim control over my wolf."
"Claim control?" The black wolf laughed evilly.
Oakland's eyebrows lift up. He was confused but figured the spirit had never experienced its physical body enter the spiritual realm to fight for dominance. The wolf grinned then licked its lips. Froth began to pour out of its mouth and even it looked projected as well. Was his wolf spirit salivating at the thought of fighting him or something else?
"If you want to fight me, you need to know exactly what is in store," the wolf began, "I'm a vengeful spirit which means you must fight me with the pure of heart. But I'm afraid that you, Oakland Lockhart, do not possess benevolence."
Oakland knew he wasn't the purest of lycanthropes, but he wasn't the worst of his kind, either. Sure he had a temper, but now he began to realize why it was so much worse than others. He had a vengeful wolf spirit who bent him to its will with the hold it held over him. And Oakland wouldn't let that stand anymore, he couldn't take another second of it.
"I want control and I will get it,"
The wolf laughed again, but this was more of a cackle than anything else. "Very well. I wish you luck."
Before Oakland could register what was happening, he's hit with a blast of powerful energy that feels like a massive wind gust and knocked onto his backside in the grass. Oakland cursed himself for not realizing that an evil spirit would have malevolent power. The wolf laughed again, but Oakland refused to let this spiritual evil win. He yearned for complete control. So with that, Oakland picked himself back up and stood his ground, ready to face whatever this spirit had to offer.
The glowing blue hue stretched closer to the dock and he watched it with his gaze never wavering. Why the astral plane brought him to a lake, he didn't know, but he did know that the glowing hue belonged to his wolf spirit. Judging by the color, he could conclude that he had a benevolent spirit which was both good and bad. He'd have to fight with malevolence which he was incapable of. Octavian had no evil in his veins, how could he expect to fight for control if he didn't possess any malevolent tendencies? And what if he somehow was able to fight back with evil, how could he be sure he wouldn't end up that way the rest of his life?
If you have to be vengeful, don't let it consume you. His mother's words resurfaced in his mind.
The wolf spirit had an all-white coat, similar to his mother's, with clear blue eyes. Why did his spirit resemble his mother's wolf form instead of his own? The wolf stopped at the start of the wooden dock and cocked its head at Octavian's presence.
"Octavian Lockhart?" A voice spoke. There was no one around to speak to him so the only smart thought was that the animal spirit had spoken.
"You can speak?" He questioned.
"Of course, I am a spirit after all," Now that it had said more than his name, he was able to hear its voice and how different it sounded. It was a disembodied voice like it was somewhere far away which in a way it was seeing as it was from the spiritual world. The voice was also not just male or female, it was a mixture of both.
"Can you all speak?"
"Yes, but each one of us have different voices. Evil spirits have a distorted or glitchy deep male voice and spirits like myself have disembodied male and female voices."
"This is crazy," Octavian ran a hand through his head of black hair.
"You are Octavian Lockhart, then I assume?"
Octavian nodded, "I am."
"I have been expecting you. You wish to have complete control, I suppose?" It questioned and he nodded again. "Not many of your kind come to the astral plane, most of them are too afraid of what awaits them here. With my being a benevolent spirit, you are expected to fight back with malevolence, but I am willing to give you control without confrontation."
Octavian was remotely surprised at his wolf spirit's words. He didn't have to fight with evil, something he didn't possess in his heart. He had a feeling that there was some sort of catch, though. No way would a lycan spirit give him control freely. "Is there a catch?"
"No, well, not too large of one anyway." It answered. "I have been your spirit for a long while now and I know how you chose to live, but all I ask is for you to stay as close as you can to your family. And please stop "mating" with those who are not of the same species. You have one true mate and you will meet her sooner than you think."
He knew he had a mate out there somewhere, all lycans did, but now he knew he'd see her before he knew it. When mated lycans were in the same room or area, though, both of them felt that pull, that magnetic attraction drawing them closer. Octavian would listen to his wolf's spirit, he'd stick near his family from now on and never leave them alone again. Sure, Oakland, Oleia, and Mallory could protect themselves, but Octavian didn't know how he'd feel if something happened and he wasn't there with them.
"I've made bad choices in my life, I know that and I'll do better, I promise. I'll start living in the mansion again and I'll search for my mate instead of taking others to bed. I'll do whatever I can to be better."
The wolf nodded its head in approval, "I believe you, Octavian Lockhart."
A sudden ball of blue light appeared in front of the wolf and gravitated towards him. Once it reached him, it hit him in the chest and dispersed, knocking him on his backside and onto the wooden boards of the dock. What the hell was that? He thought.
"You now have full control. Use it how you wish, but remember what I have asked of you."
"I will," Octavian stood up and brushed off his shirt and jeans. "How do I leave the astral plane?"
"Jump into the lake and you will be brought back to where you were before you entered,"
He nodded, "Thank you for everything."
"I see something in you Octavian, I did not want you to be tainted by evil." It replied. "Before you leave, I have added another "catch" as you called it. I wish for you to get along with the other families of your kind, especially the Westworth bloodline. There's something special waiting for you with their friendship."
Octavian didn't quite understand what the last part meant, but he nodded anyway. With a final thank you, he turned and jumped into the dark water behind him.
Her lycan spirit was benevolent.
It both relieved and frightened her. She had some anger in her heart; her father's death by the hands of a hunter, the one thing that made her blood boil like molten lava from an erupting volcano. But would it be enough to fight a lycan psyche?
Her mind had brought her to a sandy land with no civilization in sight. A desert. She didn't know what it meant. The moon was behind a large arenaceous dune, its light casting on her and the wolf in front of her, its beautiful golden coat glinting in the soft glow.
"Oleia Lockhart, first-born of Mallory and the late Pietro Lockhart, I have been awaiting your arrival." The voice sounded far away and included the tone of both a man and a woman. Oleia knew right away that the voice belonged to the spirit, it had to be, there was no one around. "Normally a benevolent spirit is desired to be fought against with malevolence, but I myself and most spirits like me don't usually like to fight for dominance. I can sense the hate in your heart, but I can also sense the sorrow. You miss your father."
"I miss him every day,"
"Of course you do, there's no shame in it. Loss of any kind is a wounding event."
A tear she didn't know had formed slipped down her cheek.
"I ask something of you, though,"
"What is it?"
"I ask for you to get along with the different bloodlines. Now that hunters have surfaced, it is crucial for all lycanthropes to be close, as close as family. We are all lycans, after all."
"I will make amends with them as best as I can," She responded.
A glowing orb the color of glacier blue surfaced in front of the wolf and floated towards her. She watched it as it disappeared inside her chest. A jolt of electricity rattled her bones and she felt a surge of power she'd never possessed before course through her body. She knew what happened. She had full control over her wolf and nothing was holding her back anymore.
"Be careful, Oleia Lockhart. Too much power can sometimes be a bad thing." It revealed. "I also know of something you may be interested in if you wish for me to tell you."
"I want to know,"
"Your mate is closer than you know, your feelings for each other are blocked by hatred,"
Her mate? Feelings blocked by hatred? Was her mate from one of the other families? She knew it wasn't Samuel, he had Akela. It wasn't Dean or Alrick, they were far too old. That left Drake, Roland, and Feyria. She doubted it was her though, Oleia wasn't interested in females. Which meant it was either Drake or Roland.
"Thank you for letting me know," She said. "How do I leave here?"
"There should be a bright white light somewhere back the way you came. Find it and step through."
She nodded, thanked the spirit again then turned, headed back the way she arrived in search of the blinding light.
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A/N: Sorry for the long wait again. Writer's block just keeps kicking my butt. This chapter may be crappy, but I wanted to get it written so you guys got another chapter. Hope you enjoyed :) I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can!