Adonis' Mate

Chapter 13

(EDITED)

I don't know where I am. The woods are dark and chilly, scary. I can hear owls hooting and crickets chirping, I'm all alone.

A wolf, like me, shouldn't feel so out of control, so lost. Especially now that I'm bigger, stronger, smarter.

I howl loudly into the night air, my cold breath visible. My transition was painful but now that it's over I don't know what to do.

A twig snaps to the right of me, alerting me of possible danger. I sniff the air, but can't find a scent. I try to shift back, my bones and muscles trying to contort, but all it does is cause me more pain.

I howl, giving up on shifting back.

"You're stronger than I thought you would be," a low whisper of cold breath tickles my ear, but when I turn my head, nothing is there.

I try not to panic, but in my heart I know that my fate has been sealed. If I have to go down, I'm going down fighting.

"We're family you know," the voice says. "I've watched you grow old."

My snout twitches in disgust and I snort. I paw at the dirt under my feet, a growl ripping through my throat.

Family my pretty, black ass.

A giggle echoes through the quiet forest, and I growl in frustration.

"You're in a family of oracles, a special type of witch. Don't you want to know more about yourself?"

I didn't need to hear any more of this, the guy or girl--whatever gender it is, I can't tell because, the voice is low enough to sound manly, yet high enough to sound girly. Whoever this is, has to be lying.

"No dear, I'm not lying. If I was you would know, you would be able to tell. It's all a part of an oracle's charm," the voice pauses. A person in a dark cape appears out of nowhere, right in front of me. "Follow me if you want to know more about your lineage."

I sniff the air, the person is a woman. There's a difference between the scent of a woman and a man; a man has the scent of the woods, while a woman smells like one of the flower beds under the trees. Each flower and each forest smells different, but you can still make distinct observations about gender with them. Even if a man smells like a boreal forest, a temperate needle leaf forest, a tropical forest, or a rain forest-he still smells like a forest. Even if a woman smells like a daisy, a rose, a sunflower, or a hibiscus she still smells like a flower.

I follow her into a meadow, and she turns around to face me.

"Please shift back so that we can have a civilized conversation?" She asks, and although she doesn't sound hostile I'm still suspicious.

My bones contort and twist, but it isn't as painful as last time. The shift doesn't take very long, only about twenty seconds. Usually, after the first shift, shifting back should be instantaneous.

I'm sitting on the dirt butt naked when she drapes her cloak over my shoulders. I stand up and look at her curiously, she's showing herself now. She looks sorta' like my sister. Although her skin color is different, she has the same face structure. With her sharp, high cheekbones, button nose, and full lips, she's almost identical to Sage.

"Why is this happening to me?" My confusion got the better of me, but looking like my sister got me to open up, against my better judgment.

"It's in your blood," she smiles. "You might call yourself, Sarah Sanders, but what has your father ever done besides lie to you? Your mother's blood is what made you this way."

"You mean, my mom gave this to me?"

I bow my head in frustration. Did all of my family lie to me?

"In your heart and soul, you're a Carmen. Sarah Carmen, you have a gift. Make sure to use it wisely."

"I don't even know what you're talking about. What even is an oracle? What do they do?"

"An oracle has the power to see everything. They can see into a person's mind, feel a person's intentions, and capture someone's aura; you can also tell lies from truths and use the magic of witches," she says, and I stare at her like she's insane.

"Use the magic responsibly."

I begin to pace back and forth, nothing she's saying makes any sense. What does she even want me to do? I don't have any of the abilities she says I do. I'm just a normal girl.

"You don't have to believe me now, but you will eventually."

I look at the woman standing in front of me. She seems so sure of herself. Maybe, she's right.

"How do I access my powers? If what you're saying is true, and I'm not saying it is, how do I access my powers?"

She walks close to me, the smell of dandelions and grapes assaults my nose as she gets close. She grabs my arm firmly and as she gets closer, the firmness in her eyes shocks me.

"All you need to do is embrace it. I know you can feel the power. The fire inside of you is burning. All you need to do is let the fire course through your veins, and eventually, it will flow through your fingers and wrap around your target."

She disappears before I can respond, her essence and her smell just gone. She's right, I've felt the flames before. As I stand in the dark forest, owls barely hooting and crickets chirping. I feel it again. The anger that comes with the fire is what stopped me from touching it. A mate's fury is reasonable, but this... whatever it is, is not. I feel strong, but weary of my strength. I feel like fire, but fire that's worrisome of the disasters that it'll cause.

As I begin to burn from the inside out, I scream. I scream to let go of all my caged-up anger toward the man I love. I scream to let go of my fear of the witches murdering my family, my mate, and my pack; I scream for my confusion.

And when my throat is too sore to scream anymore, I realize I'm glowing.