Chapter 9: Unexpected Guests

Hailey’s POV

Angus' words have stayed inside me, slowly circling around, like a feather being moved back and forth by the wind, and in the same way they resonate, like a second voice in the middle of my thoughts.

Actually, I was never one to think that throwing in the towel was valid, but regarding Owen... Well, I don't know what else to do with my feelings for him. I've always thought I had to put it all on the line to earn a place in his heart, and now I'm thinking maybe I should banish him from the place he has in mine.

In the midst of those thoughts, the afternoon has been falling, and luckily, I haven't had to run into him. Most of the day was spent in the company of my father, who missed me incredibly, just as I missed him.

The two of us were always very close, because I never got to know my mother, as she died giving birth to me, so he was always my whole world.

But now, in the midst of the solitude, my thoughts return to him, to Owen, and for that matter, to Angus' words. Is it really possible that there is a kind of magic that disengages you from the most unwanted feelings? I have no way of knowing if this is so, as I have never been close to a witch. Our species live on the fringes of everything, hidden, in the midst of the light.

But although we are similar, our differences separate us from them. Witches are mysterious and enchanting creatures who act under their own will and who can bend the laws of the world to their whim, bending even the thoughts of others to their liking. That is why they are so difficult to predict and dangerous.

It is possible to believe that one of them would possess the secret to rid me of my love for Owen, but really, am I willing to pay the price for it? I have no idea. Truth be told, it's not like I know any witches I could ask either.

Sighing, I stand lost, admiring how the sunset has been tinting the sky orange, and then, gradually, purple. Night has fallen and the beach remains lonely, but this for me is a plus, as I didn't feel much inclined to talk to anyone.

I've been sitting here for at least a couple of hours, watching the night come, but probably, if it weren't for the cold, I could stay here all night, until I see the sun rise again. Perhaps with it would come a solution to the whole mess that is unraveling in the midst of my thoughts.

The passing hours, however, have left me terribly tired and hungry, so I decide to return home. I trust Owen will respect my request to stay away, so I doubt he will look for me today, so I will stay with my father.

I need to tidy up some things in my old room and hopefully sleep on my pillow, in a place that feels completely familiar and safe. Maybe that will bring some sense and rationality to my thoughts.

As I walk along the beach, however, I notice something that suddenly catches my attention. The night is not far in, but it is certainly well advanced by the time I decide to return home.

I am surprised, however, that part of the gardens remains dark, as they are usually well lit, because there is always someone walking through them, or going back and forth on a last minute task.

The gardens of Owen's mansion are as big as a soccer field, but they always remain well kept. That's why I wonder why there’s a darkened section, as if a wolf had opened its jaws and swallowed every beam of light.

Curious, I head to that area and notice that something strange is going on. It's not as if just a light bulb had blown, but around a lattice of the wall that protects the property, just where a dense rose garden passes, everything has gone dark, as if the entire electrical circuit had failed.

I'm about to go home and ask someone from security about the fault when I hear a noise behind me, and before I'm conscious, I hear a growl. I turn around, feeling my skin crawl and that's when I notice the huge, gaping-jawed wolf in front of me. It's as big as a pickup truck and its fur is bristling gray and white; its paws stand firmly on the ground and a trickle of drool slithers from its mouth.

“I don't know you,” I affirm.

Ironically, it's all I can think about at the moment, but I know this wolf is not part of the pack. My instincts tell me so, and the way he growls only reassures me. One by one, other wolves begin to emerge from the darkness, and I can count five of them before my nerves get the better of me. I don't know why they are here, but their postures certainly don't bode well.

Only then do I understand that I'm in the middle of a race against time, and without thinking about it I break into a run. I may not be as fast as a wolf, but I've always been good at racing, so I manage to put some distance between me and them before they start to race to catch up with me.

“Help, intruders!” I scream at the top of my lungs, feeling short of breath. I wish I had my wolf so I could face them, but it won't manifest itself until my twenty-first birthday, so I can only pray that someone hears me. “Help, intruders!” I shout again.

That's when one of the wolves gets me. Its paw lands on my back, making me fall and at the same time we both roll. Luckily, the soft, damp earth of the garden stops my fall, but I still feel the air escaping my lungs at the impact.

Only then the wolf barks, and throws its head back as it lunges to take a good bite out of me. I have only a second or two before I scream and dart to the side, grabbing instead a handful of dirt that I throw at its eyes. The wolf rears back and writhes, his vision blinded, and I crawl underneath him, looking to get to my feet and run away.

But, to my bad luck, there are four more of them coming straight for me.

“Hailey!”

That's when I hear his voice, and he appears in time to leap from the second floor, rushing across the distance to get to me. His body changes in mid-stride, clothes tearing at his new form, and a black wolf, larger than all the others and with a white spot on his chest crosses the distance, as he bares his teeth and comes to my rescue.

Behind him, other wolves appear, and I recognize Sebastian, Patrick and others, who follow their leader to confront the intruders.

Noticing that they are being followed, they start to run, but Owen catches up with one of them. I roll to the side and get out of the way, while standing up and putting distance between me and the brutal battle to only notice that the two wolves are fighting fiercely.

Owen has lunged at the wolf that tried to bite me and in return, he sinks his teeth hard into the wolf's neck. The wolf whimpers and writhes, and before Owen can finish it off, three other wolves come to its rescue, briefly distracting Owen.

Before the rest of the allies arrive, the group of enemy wolves make a run for it. I watch them flee across the garden, as my friends follow, and as Owen lets out a howl into the sky, alerting them to what is happening.

“By the Goddess, Hailey, are you all right?”

Sabrina then runs to me and holds me, while watching the scene with me. We both marvel at the figure of the wolves, running through the garden and disappearing into the distance.

“Yes... I think so,” I whisper without looking away from where Owen has disappeared.

“Hailey, you're bleeding. Let's go back to the mansion. The boys will know how to take care of this.”

She leads me, without waiting for me to say anything, back to the house, and I follow her hesitating, not really knowing what to say or what to think, and with the only image of those fangs in the middle of the gray fur, threatening my life.

And at the same time, of those incredible blue eyes, and of Owen's voice, shouting my name, just before he came out to meet me, to save my life.

I don't know what's going on here, but I sense that something more serious than a mere omen of war is looming over us all.