Chapter Eight #2
“Yes, but only because my mom suppressed my wolf. Ferrin wanted me to only use my mage side. She hated my wolf.”
“Were you scared when your wolf made her appearance?”
“Nope. I always knew she was here,” Halo said while pointing to her heart.
“And I always had the extra abilities that my wolf gave me. I just can’t shift at will.
I really want to, though. I’ve been trying to connect with my wolf more like I do with my magic.
” Halo was talking a mile a minute, and I could tell she was excited.
I kind of felt bad about how I felt about shifters.
Halo didn’t seem that bad. “I was actually going to spend time with my wolf. Do you want to come with us?”
I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go with Halo.
I did like her, but I didn’t want what she was trying to do to affect me and what I had going on.
Unlike Halo, I had no real interest in getting in touch with my wolf.
Having to deal with the voice in my head was enough for me.
Shifting into a wolf allegedly wasn’t something I wanted to chance.
Even if I didn’t think it was the case for me, I still didn’t want to chance it, but I did want to get out of this cave.
If only I had some clothes to wear. Kenzo tore my clothes to shreds when he tore them from my body.
The last couple of days, I’d been wearing Kenzo’s shirts that swallowed my frame.
I can’t lie and say it hadn’t been nice wearing his clothes because it had been my pleasure.
I was never going to admit that out loud, but it was the truth.
Having Kenzo’s scent on me helped curve some of my cravings for him, but this wasn’t my ideal clothing to wear outside.
Not to mention that I didn’t have any undergarments to cover myself with.
“Umm... I wouldn’t mind, but I don't have anything to put on.” I tugged at the bottom of Kenzo’s oversized shirt.
“I can run and grab you something to wear from my house,” Halo happily offered, and I tried to hide the awkward expression on my face, but Halo caught on.
She looked down at her own clothes before letting out a chuckle.
“My clothes are a little wild, but I don’t always dress like this.
Well, not anymore. I do have more feminine clothes I’m sure you would like better. ”
I let out a small sigh of relief. I didn’t want to offend Halo, but her unique way of dressing wasn’t my cup of tea. I liked to think I was closer to the fashionista side.
“Okay. That will work.”
An Hour Later
The walk to this field was somewhat of a challenge.
It was worth it, though. I didn’t know how Halo found such a beautiful piece of nature undisturbed.
The grass was a vibrant shade of green that contrasted beautifully against the rainbow color of the flowers growing in the field.
The garden was surrounded in a perfect circle by trees of all shapes and colors.
Some trees I had never seen before. It even seemed like the sun was shining brighter on this little area of land.
The sky seemed bluer and clearer than anywhere else.
This truly had to be a small piece of paradise.
As soon as we emerged from the forest, a serene calming feeling ran over our bodies, giving us a sense of safety. I could see why Halo came here.
“How did you find this place?” I asked as we came to a stop on a grassy area in the middle of a flower bed.
“Uhh, my wolf, actually. When we joined the Kismet pack, a lot of things had transpired in our life. As you can imagine, my emotions were all over the place. My wolf and I were at odds. I just needed peace, and our wolf lead us here,” Halo explained with her arms extended outward.
“You aren’t from here?” I asked curiously. I thought all shifters lived in Hollow Valley.
Halo gave me the are you serious look. “You really don’t know anything about shifters?”
“Honestly, no. I’ve never had any interest in the shifter world. Honestly, I’ve hated any and everything that has to do with shifters for the last year.” Betrayal echoed through my body when I thought about Alonzo and how disappointed he probably was with me.
I allowed the beast that killed him to turn me into some mind-controlled freak who was constantly lusting after him.
He’s our mate.
I rolled my eyes at that annoying voice in my head. I hated to admit it, but she was growing on me. I didn’t feel as alone.
Halo poked her lips out and bunched up her brow at me. “But why?” Her hands went to her hips, and her head cocked to the side.
“Because as far as I’m concerned, they're all killers.” I wasn’t trying to offend Halo; however, I was speaking my truths.
“So are humans. Have you seen all the killings that humans do on a daily basis? Why do you think shifters don’t live among humans? The senseless killings.”
Halo had a point. Humans did kill a lot. It was honestly embarrassing to see how violent the human race had become, but the fact of the matter was they didn’t kill my fiancé.
“Well, humans didn’t kill my fiancé, and they weren’t trying to kill me for no reason,” I defended my words.
“Just like there are bad seeds in mankind, so too are there in shifters. However, my dear, you are not just anybody. You are chosen by Fate. Many will come against you,” Minnie replied after appearing in front of us and scaring me half to death.
“Even after I’ve known you all this time, I don’t think I will ever get used to you popping up from nowhere,” Halo said with her hand pressed against her chest.
“You never will,” Minnie replied with a smirk and amusement in her eyes.
“You know her?” I asked with wide eyes while looking at Halo, shocked because she knew this lady too.
“Of course. She’s one of Fate’s guardians. Fate sends her and her sister out to help her chosen ones fulfill The Great Prophecy,” Halo replied with confidence.
“The Great Prophecy? What is that?” I asked with confusion etched on my face.
“You haven’t told her anything, have you?” Halo asked while looking at Minnie.
“I’m here to guide you all toward the right paths. There is only so much I can tell without the proof,” Minnie replied.
“So, so, so, I’m supposed to be a part of some shifter prophecy?” I stuttered, struggling to make my words make sense. Over the last couple days, my life had been a complete mess.
Minnie turned toward me with the same amused look as before. “Why do you speak as if you are not some shifter too? How can you deny what you can feel? What you can hear?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I quickly replied with wide eyes.
“Liar,” that voice echoed from deep within me.
“She speaks to you because she wants to be heard, to be seen. She wants to be freed from the prison you locked her in.”
With wide eyes, I replied, “I haven’t locked anyone up. I would never do something like that.” I didn’t know why I feared Halo viewing me in a negative light.
“A weak connection is like a prison. Isn’t that right, Halo?”
“Hey! I’m working on strengthening my connection with my wolf.”
“A connection you let anger and fear break, but with you two being reunited, what is broken shall be repaired,” Minnie replied with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Reunited? I don’t know her.”
“Yeah, I’m sure I would remember Bellamy,” Halo spoke up right after I finished speaking.
“Just like you remember how to shift? You silly she-wolves don’t know anything. As much as I would love to jog your memories, we have much bigger issues to deal with.” Minne nodded her head past Halo and me.
We both turned around simultaneously to come face to face with the man I recognized from the market, only now, he was transformed into a snake man.
His facial features were the same, but his head was surrounded by a scaly blue and orange hood.
His arms were folded across his chest, and his long, slender body mirrored that of a snake.
The bright blue and orange scales covered his entire form. I was completely in shock.
What the fuck?!
I never knew there were snake shifters. A part of me wanted to touch him just to see if I was dreaming, but the look on his face told me I should keep my distance.
Hearing the rattling, I turned to see another snake man shaking his tail.
This was some next level stuff. I noticed there were about five snake men in total.
All of them looked vastly different from each other. None of them looked friendly.
“Bellamy, come with usss willingly or by forc-sss-e,” the snake man from the market said as he slithered forward. His tongue flickered out with every word he spoke.
“Am I supposed to go with them?” I asked while looking between Halo and Minnie, confused.
“No,” they both replied at the same time like I asked the dumbest question in the world, but I didn’t know what else to expect.
It wasn’t like the three of us could take on the five of them.
Minnie was damn near a midget, Halo didn’t look like she would hurt a fly, and me, I could hold my own but not against any shifter for sure.
“Then what the hell are we going to do?” I asked, my tone harsher than I meant it to be, but I was scared out of my mind.
“Call your mate,” Minnie answered with a knowing grin, but I was confused. I assumed she was talking about Kenzo, but I didn’t have a phone to call him, and even if I did, I had no idea what his number was.
When I went to open my mouth to say something smart, that voice stopped me.
“Kenzo!” she called out in a voice that was different than normal. It was like an echo that reached past my mind and echoed out to the distance. It made me wonder if anyone heard her calling out to Kenzo. My heart almost leaped from my chest.
“I'm already on the way. You’re going to be okay. I promise I won’t let anything hurt you.”
Hearing Kenzo’s voice in my head scared the hell out of me. His voice was as clear as if he was standing in front of me, but it was inside of my head.
I couldn’t explain what the hell was going on with me, but hearing Kenzo telling me I was going to be okay made me feel safe, even if I thought I was losing my damn mind.