Page 10 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

Looking around at the others, Alex says, “Let’s keep moving. We’ve lingered here long enough. At our next stop, Lily, you’re going to have to begin your lessons. We’re going to reach the border in another day or so.”

The idea of asking Lily to teach me magic had started as a flicker in the back of my mind. My first desire had been only to let her come with us—for our own safety as well as hers. She reminds me of myself. I want her to escape the coven of dark witches that is after her.

I can understand the desperation to escape, the feeling of not belonging.

***

Having a witch with us is quite convenient because Lily has the ability to create barriers that can protect us from prying eyes. This allows us to rest for longer periods of time. And it’s the first thing she teaches me: how to create a barrier. Or at least, she tries to.

We’re sitting on the ground, facing each other, our legs folded.

“You have to feel it inside you. Magic should be as natural as breathing. All that energy and power is present within you. You just have to learn to manipulate it.”

I let out a deep breath. “Alright. What do I do?”

“Reach out to the power inside you. And try to bring it out.”

It sounds easier said than done, but I decide to give it my best shot. I close my eyes and empty my mind, trying to search for something that is not tangible. My wolf is sitting patiently, and as I begin to probe inside my head, I hear Alex shout my name.

My eyes fly open, and I realize that my body is transforming.

I can’t stop it mid-shift, so I let the transformation go through.

Lily stares at me before snickering. “Wrong magical source, idiot.”

I growl at her, and then I feel Alex running his hands over me. I can see the awe in the young witch’s eyes as she studies me.

“You really are the Silver Wolf,” she murmurs. “Your fur is so beautiful.”

“You have to shift back, Sophia,” Alex says. “Think about your human self, about walking upright again, about being able to talk.”

It’s easier to shift back. It takes me a minute, and then I stagger, suddenly back on two feet.

Alex grips my arms to steady me before lowering me back on the ground. “You’ll get used to it.”

I give him a grateful smile before turning my attention back to Lily. “Sorry about that.”

She shrugs. “I guess it can be called an honest mistake. You do have two powers inside you, the wolf and the magic. You have to forget about your wolf when you are looking for your magical core. Every witch has one. I’m just assuming you do, too.”

“But I don’t know how to look for it.”

She looks a little confused for a minute, clearly not knowing how to explain it to me, either. Then she says, “I’ll start by teaching you how to draw power from nature. When you close your eyes, focus on the thing closest to you. The grass, for instance. Imagine it in your head, and then ask it for power.”

Nothing she says is making sense to me. How am I supposed to ask grass for power? She keeps saying the word “power,” but what does that even mean?

Lily has a snarky tongue, though, and I don’t want to be at the receiving end of it. So, closing my eyes, I think of the grass surrounding me. I try to imagine it, and then I try to imagine drawing its vitality from it. To my surprise, I can feel my fingerstingling. My eyes fly open, and I see tiny, golden orbs rising from the grass around me.

Lily’s eyes are as wide as saucers. “What did you do?”

Panicking, I look around. “I don’t know. I did what you said. I tried to look for whatever it is you said to look for! What are those balls of light?”

“I don’t know!” Lily shouts hysterically. “Whatever it is you’re doing, stop!”

“How? I don’t even know what’s happening!”

As the chaotic scene unfolds between us, I start trying to suppress this tingling sensation. As I push it down, the golden orbs begin to fade away till they’re finally gone.

“What the hell was that?” Patrick asks, stunned.

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