Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 168701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 844(@200wpm)___ 675(@250wpm)___ 562(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 168701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 844(@200wpm)___ 675(@250wpm)___ 562(@300wpm)
I wondered if their arrival was part of the lesson or if it was by chance. My head turned in her direction, and I was surprised to see her. She was jotting something down in a notebook and not paying much mind to the four men.
“I can see you,” I whispered.
She nodded and shushed me by putting her index finger to her lips while continuing to jot things down. I could see my hands, the magnolias in my skirt and this startled me.
I figured she had to do a second spell, that this one was different, and it made me wonder how many invisibility spells there were. I then wondered how long the spell would last and if she’d need to spray more of whatever her potion was that let us sit here like this undetected. Did she have enough of it? What was in it? Would I get that recipe as part of my training? I was giddy at that notion but not giddy about waiting five long years.
What if I needed to use the bathroom? At that thought, the power of suggestion took over and my bladder nudged me a teensy bit.
And then something crazy happened. Riley and the tattooed guy went from standing together laughing to dropping their shorts. But before I could fully take that magnificence in, their arms and legs stretched into fur-covered limbs as their faces morphed from men to animals. Wolves. Big ones. Very big ones.
I gasped out of reflex and immediately covered my mouth.
Riley was a massive chocolate brown wolf, though at least twice the size of any wolf I’d ever seen. His fur looked as soft as a mink’s. The tatted guy was a light brown colored wolf, equally as large. They were running. The other two men were quickly in the same form, one pure white and one black and white. The four of them were sprinting away from us, leaving their clothes, the bag, and the empty beer cans behind.
I couldn’t help the audible gasp that escaped my lips.
“Quickly, let’s go. I can’t do it again without leaving myself short,” Aunt Lyrica said, grabbing my hand.
I was in awe as we quickly moved back the way we’d come in.
We were a short drive away from town; we’d parked in a thick part of the woods and walked in.
I didn’t see the bus until I was just about to ask where it was. It suddenly came into view as if reverse-dissolving.
“Cloaked it. Good timing,” Aunt Lyrica muttered and then got into the driver’s side.
I slid into the passenger seat and the minute the door was closed, I couldn’t hold my excitement any longer. I was bursting at the seams.
“Holy horses! Oh my word! Those were werewolves! Beautiful, strong, men who… oh my God, Aunt Lyrica, did you see that?”
“Wolf shifters,” she corrected. “They shift at will, no full moon requirement. Nobody turned them into that with a bite like you’ve seen in the movies; that’s what they are, what they were born to be. They change from men to wolves at will.”
“Wow. Wow wow whoa.” I clasped my hair on either side of my head and gave myself a shake.
“Indeed. There are a number of things you’ll learn about and learn from going forward, baby witch. We look after the pack they’re in as well. It’s a unique pack, contains a lot of magic. And they’re important to this area, to our family, our coven for many reasons. We do it from a distance nowadays.”
“Do they know of our existence like we know of theirs? And what was the thing that whooshed us? Was that something else you sprayed? How many invisibility potions are there and when can I use one? Please don’t tell me I have to wait five years, because oh my word!”
“They know of witches. I have a working relationship with one of their council alphas. They have six. Their next generation will have seven. Those men you saw will be on the next council. First, I used a potion. Then, when we were at risk, I used some banked energy to move us and put us behind a cloak. That second move was advanced. Not something many witches can do.”
“Seven alphas? Wow. Not just one alpha like in the movies?”
“Generally, wolf shifter packs have just one. This one has seven alphas each generation. This area once became a haven for displaced wolf shifters escaping tyranny of lone alpha packs, and things transpired. They decided to do things differently. We helped them form bonds to keep things harmonious with a combination of a government-like structure coupled with leadership from the best candidates of each generation.”
“That one called Riley? He was absolutely dreamy.”
She snickered. “Third-born alpha of his council, which hasn’t been appointed yet. But they’re all exquisite, aren’t they, baby witch?”