Chapter 23

Anila POV

“I can’t wait to start classes tomorrow,” Sally cooed. “These look so exciting.”

I hadn’t even had a chance to look at my schedule. We made ourselves comfortable on a couple of benches near the campus water fountain as we went over our schedules.

I took a deep breath and glanced at the paper.

9 pm – 9:45 pm: History of Shifters with Professor Santina

10 pm – 10:45 pm: Introduction to Magic with Professor Ivy

11 pm – 11:45 pm: Werebear History 101 with Professor Tilly

12 am – 12:45 am – Lunch

1 am – 1:45 am – Mythical Geography 101 with Professor Kai

2 am – 2:45 am – Free Period

3 am – 3:45 am Tuesdays and Thursdays Only– Introduction to Combat with Professor Atlas.

“We have the same History class and Combat class,” Penny beamed, looking at my schedule. “I guess because your identity is not certain yet, you were assigned to classes designed for werewolf, bear shifters, and witches.”

“Does everyone at this school have to take magic classes?” I asked, looking at the introduction to magic and potion class.

“Only if you have magic,” Penny said, shrugging. “Not everyone does. Those born from witches and wizards have magic and some have gifts given by the moon goddess. The top students all have magic.”

I nodded, already knowing that Xaden, Harley, Zach, and Damien all have magic.

I drowned out the bantering of the girls as I continued to study my schedule. I had a nervous knot in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t help but worry that I was somehow going to screw up. I got so lost in thought, that I hadn’t even realized the talking had stopped.

I soon realized why they had gotten quiet, and I looked up to see Xaden walking toward me with a fond smile on his lips. My heart pounded quickly against my chest to a point where I thought it was going to escape through my flesh.

I stood up from the bench I was perched on and folded my schedule, putting it in the pocket of my skirt.

“Ready for training?” He asked.

I hadn’t realized it was past 1 am already. The night went by very quickly. I nodded, eager to get started.

“Great,” he said, nothing for me to follow him. “I don’t have any more classes tonight so I’m all yours.”

I smiled at the thought of having him to myself for the rest of the night.

I said goodbye to the girls; they wished me luck and I followed Xaden toward the arena. He paused before opening the door though and then turned to face me.

“Actually, we aren’t going to train in here,” he said, walking around the building and toward the wooden area in the distance of the school.

I frowned, but I followed him.

“We are going to the woods?” I asked, furrowing my brows together. I knew, from orientation, that these woods went on for miles and were for students to feel grounded in their natural elements and to run free in their animal forms.

“It’ll be easier if we are surrounded by nature,” he explained. “I’m going to teach you some magic and magic works best when we are around natural elements.”

Sensing my confusion, he offered me a lopsided grin that made my knees weak.

“Trust me, you’ll want to know some magic to get through your first shift. It’ll make your body stronger,” he explained.

I wasn’t going to argue with him.

We walked until we were surrounded by the wooded area and the scent of pine, freshly cut grass, and flowers invaded my senses. I closed my eyes, feeling the cool breeze wash over me and I heard the rustling of the leaves surrounding me.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that Xaden had his head tilted upward. His dark hair hung loosely around his features and blew in the wind, making him look majestic and even more good-looking if that was possible. The moon cascaded its bright rays across his features, and he looked as if he was glowing right before my eyes.

I stared at him awestruck by the amazing sight before me.

He opened his eyes and stared at me. I fought the shiver that coursed through my body, and I began to twirl my fingers nervously.

“First, I want to explain to you the basic concepts of shifting. When your first shift happens, on the full moon, it’ll feel like another being has woken up inside you. Like you’re sharing your body with another if that makes sense.”

It didn’t, but I nodded anyway.

“When that happens, you’ll feel the need to give it control; you mustn’t do that. Not at first. You must ease into the shift, if you let the wolf take you right away not only will you lose its respect and power, but it can be catastrophic for your body as well as those around you.” He explained.

“How do I ease into it?” I questioned.

“By telling the wolf who it belongs to. Your first shift will be spent mostly in your head, while your body goes on a rampage in a battle-state.”

“How do I make it listen?” I asked.

A devilish smirk spread on his face as he said, “You beat it into submission.”

My eyes widened, my mouth falling agape as I gawked at him like he was insane.

He laughed at my expression.

“You’ll learn how to do that more as we grow closer to the date. For now, I wanted to teach you some magic. Specifically, how to levitate.”

He gestured for me to come closer, and I did with slow tentative steps.

“You’ll need your magic medium to help you learn to control your body while using magic. Once you get your wolf to submit to you, you won’t need the medium anymore. However, it’ll still help you with your strength and your ability to stay in control. Got your necklace?”

My hand slipped into my skirt pocket, and I pulled out the warm metal, revealing it to him. I slipped it into my pocket before leaving my dorm earlier and I was glad I did so.

He took it from me, unclasped the chain, and turned me around. His fingers brushed against the skin of my neck, and I shivered at the contact. Each one of his touches was like a jolt of electricity, no matter how small or brief they were.

Once on, the necklace hung in the center of my chest, the metal seemingly vibrated against my skin. I touched the large silver gem, in awe at its beauty.

“Now, pour all of your energy into making your body weightless,” He whispered behind me, his lips brushed against my ear.

My brows scrunched in obvious confusion.

“How the hell do I do that?”

Xaden chuckled; his arms wrapped around my waist.

“It's like thinking and imagining what it’s like to be a balloon, floating up into the stratosphere,” he explained.

I scoffed, “Yeah okay, that helps.”

I shook my head before rolling my shoulders back. Xaden stepped away from me, taking position dead ahead as his arms crossed over his chest.

“You got to stay relaxed. Keep your mind focused on one thing, what it would feel like to be weightless,” he instructed.

It’s easier said than done.

I stood there for several minutes, imagining and projecting what it would be like to be a balloon floating away. Or how it would be to live without the restrictions of gravity.

Nothing seemed to work.

“You’ve been weightless before, remember?” He reminded me.

Oh, yeah. He was right.

When I first got to this school Professor Owl made me weightless just before he used that tortuous spell to get the truth out of me. I felt so helpless in that situation.

Sarah also used a similar spell to make me weightless and lifted me off the ground. I shuddered at the memory, but I still remembered how it felt so vividly.

I focused my attention on that feeling and my skin started to tingle and vibrate. As I remembered the sensation was the trigger, I found the weight in my body started to leave.

It was… weird. Beyond weird, actually.

Like having absolutely nothing tethering me to the ground. When I opened my eyes, I found Xaden was surprised.

It was distracting, and my feet touched the ground again.

“That’s hard,” I huffed, finding myself so immensely tired for just standing in one spot.

“That’s already way quicker than I expected. Usually, this step takes people a day or two,” Xaden smiled at me, but I could tell there was also a deep concern behind his eyes.

I don’t see why learning too fast can be a bad thing.

However, before I thought deeper into his concern, Xaden’s face changed back to that ‘totally proud of me’ look.

Could I have seen it wrong the first time?

I continued to practice, and I found it easier and easier each time. I was able to hold myself in the air longer and a bit higher within the hour.

“Not bad, Anila. I’m impressed with your natural talent,” Xaden said proudly.

I beamed at him, feeling overwhelmingly confident as I hopped on my feet, excited.

“If I become a wolf, will I have cool wolf powers?” I asked, peering up at him. “What kind of things would I be able to do?”

Xaden’s smile widened as he spoke about something he truly enjoyed.

“Being a wolf is the most incredible feeling. A freedom unrivaled by anything else. You can run incredibly fast, without ever getting tired. All your senses will be heightened, and you’ll be stronger than ever.”

My grin grew wider, and that sounded incredible. But then a sense of dread washed over me and I felt a nervousness in the pit of my stomach.

“If I didn’t become a wolf… what would happen to us?”

He studied me for a moment, his face hard to read. The nervousness only grew denser. Then he stepped closer to me, cupping my face in his warm and inviting hands, drawing my eyes to meet his serene gaze.

“You are still my mate, Anila. Whatever happens, we will figure it out together. You don’t need to worry right now. The most important thing is that you are prepared for your first shift because regardless of what you turn into… it’s going to hurt…”

His voice was firm but soft at the same time. I could tell he truly meant what he said, and tears pricked the corner of my eyes.

He leaned down and he kissed me, sending my entire heart into turmoil. Xaden was such a mystery to me. He’s fierce and firm but kind and tender.

All the nervousness I once felt was gone and now I felt truly at peace.

When he ended the kiss, it was too soon and left me craving more. My body automatically went to him, a feeling that seemed so foreign to me, but I didn’t feel shame about it.

Xaden’s eyes shined, a bit of humor lacing them, and he held out a finger.

“Hang on a second,” he said before running further into the woods.

I was curious about what he was up to; I waited patiently as I watched the tree line where he disappeared. It’s only then that I noticed how eerily… still everything was. I trained my ears to the sounds around me, but there was nothing. Not even a bird singing in the distance.

Goosebumps pebbled my skin as an uneasy feeling settled in my gut. I felt as though I was being watched by something other.

I spun around, only seeing nothing but more trees, green grass, and flowers swaying in the breeze.

I chalked it up to being Xaden as I turned forward and waited for him to arrive. Still, I couldn’t shake the penetrating fear that squeezed at my chest.

Could there be something else out here?

I bit my lip nervously.

Just as I was about to call out for Xaden, to demand he stop playing games, a branch snapped before me, and my eyes met a set of bright yellow ones.

A massive black wolf with fur that looked like silk stalked towards me, not a sound coming from it as each step drew closer.