Page 4 of Omega Haunting

Apple.

Morgi.

Warden.

Fucked up.

Dog and pony show.

An outright lie.

Wolf.

Pack.

Pack of apples?

Old hound.

Chapter Three

Astral

Three weeks after Dern cast the spell

It was just after midnight. My family was still gathered in the main living room watching some scary movie or another and what was I doing? I was upstairs staring at a fucking apple. True to Dern’s word, it hadn’t rotted yet. It hadn’t even paled or lost its ripe sheen. It was still perfect.

“A perfect headache,”my wolf said, and I laughed despite the frustration churning inside me.

Dern had warned me that meeting my alpha would be a headache. Today was a special sort of headache. I’d had the fast-acting heat shot and managed to bust my ass tripping over some of the toys my nieces and nephews left outside in the yard. My ass was not having a good day. I almost wished I had just let my heat play out. At least then I’d have a good excuse to lock myself away and not socialize. This fucking apple and the alpha who may or may not be on the other side of it was all I could think about. Had been all I could think about since I first brought the damn thing home. More and more it started to feel like a lie. Maybe I crossed Dorn or his mate in a past life and this was his way of getting revenge. Maybe he just needed a good laugh at my expense.

The apple in question sat between me and the mirror. If I was going to scry, I might as well get it over with. The room was already dark, and my heart rate was as calm as it was going to get. Dern had remained tight-lipped about who I was talking to. So, it was time to prod the universe myself.

“Ancestors of fur and teeth,” I called out in a whisper as I lit the first candle. My reflection stared back at me. Blue eyes, thick brows, and dark hair. I had a dimple in my chin and my carrier swore we all had roman noses. Whatever the hell that meant. My sire didn’t agree. So maybe it didn’t matter anyway.

“Ancestors of claws and spirit,” I whispered lighting the second candle.

“I invite you to my feast,” I lit the third candle and motioned at the plate of ham and cheese sandwiches setting on the table nearby. “I invite you to partake of the world of the living and assist me this night. I call forth only those willing to leave their rest to assist those of us still bound by the flesh. I ask that you show me what Dern won’t say. I ask that you show me something – anything – about the man on the other side of this apple.”

The candles flickered and a chair near the table scuttled back. A sigh played through the room but I kept my eyes glued to the mirror. As a kid, I tried to see the ancestors thinking they were transparent like spirits in cartoons. They were not. At least not to me. I didn’t have the ‘dead sight,’ but I knew enough to know someone was there with me. Someone who smelled like pack and like family. Someone who really liked ham and cheese sandwiches too.

The candle flames flickered again, and I let out a long breath as my reflection disappeared from the mirror. All reflections faded from the mirror as if someone sucked all the light out of it. It was as dark as the womb. I fought off the urge to reach out and see if it was there at all. A second later a baby blue star filled the mirror. It had ridges along its surface as if someone glued tiny scales to it. I jotted down what I saw as the star spun in circles, twisting this way and that. Three little lights appeared above the star and the first one pulsated leaving the other two stationery.

“Do we know his name?” I whispered.

The chair behind me creaked and I held my breath. Nothing changed for a second and I feared I’d pushed my ancestor too far.

“Martian,” someone whispered in my ear.

“Huh?” I said, turning my head.

“Martian,” the same old man whispered again. “Or Marstian. Something like that anyway.”

“Is Dern full of shit?”

“Dessert?” the whisper inquired.

I didn’t keep a lot of junk food in my room because I knew all too well that I could wolf down a whole cake by myself, but I did have a candy bar in my desk drawer. I grabbed it, unwrapped it, and laid it on the now empty plate that held ham and cheese sandwiches not long before. I held my breath hoping I hadn’t taken too long. Sometimes the spirits were impatient and would scuttle off if you took longer than they liked to get something done. The chair squeaked and I let out a sigh of relief before sitting back down.

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