Chapter 3: Is That A Werewolf?

Fire. Ice. Lightning. Every pain I'd ever felt paled in comparison to the venom spreading from Jay's bite. My body arched off the ground, muscles spasming as the change took hold.

I tried to scream, but the sound caught in my throat, transforming into something wild and inhuman.

"Hold her down!" Someone shouted again, Lyra maybe. "The convulsions could kill her before the change takes place!"

Hands pressed me into the moss; Jay's on my shoulders, others I couldn't identify through the haze of agony. The sunlight seemed to become tangible, a golden liquid pouring into my veins alongside the venom. Every cell in my body felt like it was being torn apart and rebuilt.

"Her heart rate is too fast," Mara's voice came from somewhere near my head. "Jay, she's fighting it too hard."

"Olivia," Jay's voice cut through the pain, anchoring me. "Stop resisting. Let it flow through you. Let it change you."

Easy for him to say.

My body's every instinct screamed against the invasion, the foreign essence trying to rewrite my very existence.

But beneath the pain, beneath the terror, something else stirred.

Something ancient and wild that recognized the venom not as an enemy, but as a key unlocking a door I hadn't known existed.

"Something's wrong," Tobias growled from his position on the fallen wood log. "The reaction shouldn't be this violent."

He was right.

Even through my agony, I could sense their confusion. This wasn't normal, the way the sunlight seemed to gather around me, the way the air crackled with energy. My skin felt like it was trying to contain a storm.

"Jay," I gasped, managing to open my eyes. The world looked different; sharper, brighter, filled with colors I'd never seen before. "Something's happening…"

My words cut off as another wave of transformation hit, this one different from the others. The venom had reached my heart, but instead of stopping it, something... merged. Power surged through my body like a dam breaking. I heard gasps from the watching pack, saw their forms step back instinctively.

"Her eyes," Lyra whispered. "Look at her eyes."

I couldn't see them myself, but I could feel the change. Heat built behind my vision, not the familiar gold of werewolf eyes, but something else entirely. The sunlight pulsed in response, wrapping around me like a cocoon of golden fire.

"Impossible," Mara breathed. "Her aura... I've never seen anything like it."

The pain was fading now, replaced by something else, a rush of sensations so intense it bordered on overwhelming.

I could hear heartbeats in the forest, smell emotions in the wind, feel the pulse of the earth beneath me. Every sense was heightened beyond what should have been possible, even for a werewolf.

When I pushed myself to a sitting position, the pack collectively stepped back. Even Jay looked stunned, his golden eyes wide with a mixture of awe and concern.

"Olivia?" he reached for me cautiously. "How do you feel?"

"I feel..." Words failed me. How could I describe this? The way my body hummed with energy, the way the sunlight seemed to sing in my veins, the way power coursed through me like lightning searching for ground.

Then I raised my hand, and everything went chaos.

Golden light erupted from my palm, a burst of pure energy that sent leaves swirling in an impossible breeze.

The nearby trees creaked and swayed, their branches reaching toward me as if drawn by some ancient force.

For a moment, just a heartbeat, I felt connected to everything; the forest, the sun, the wild magic that ran through the world like hidden rivers.

"By the Moon Mother," Tobias swore, backing away. "What is she?"

The pack's reactions ranged from fascination to fear.

Lyra's hand covered her mouth in shock.

Mara's eyes narrowed in calculation.

And Kael... Kael's expression had turned dangerous, his features sharpening with barely contained rage.

"This isn't right," he snarled, stepping forward. "This isn't just a normal wolf transformation. This is something else."

The power inside me pulsed in response to his anger, and I felt my new eyes… whatever color they were, begin to glow brighter. The sunlight around us intensified, casting strange shadows that seemed to move of their own accord.

"Jay," Kael's voice dropped to a growl as his gaze locked with mine. "What have you done?"

But Jay looked as shocked as everyone else, his hand frozen halfway between us as if unsure whether to touch me or defend against me.

And in that moment, staring at their faces through eyes that burned with different yet familiar power, I realized that whatever I was becoming, it wasn't just a werewolf.

It was something else entirely.

The clearing had gone deadly quiet, but the power inside me was anything but calm. It surged and pulsed like a living storm, threatening to break free at any moment. The sunlight around me flickers irregularly, responding to my unstable state.

"I can explain," Jay started, but Kael cut him off with a snarl.

"Explain what? That you've brought something unknown into our territory? That you've potentially endangered the entire pack?"

I tried to speak, to defend Jay, but instead, a burst of silver energy exploded from me, sending nearby branches cracking and several pack members stumbling backward. Horror filled me as I realized I couldn't control it.

"Look at her aura," Mara whispered, her eyes wide with fear rather than wonder. "It's... unstable. Like its fighting itself."

She was right.

I could feel it, the wolf essence from Jay's bite wrestling violently with something else, something ancient and powerful that had awakened inside me. The two forces weren't merging peacefully; they were battling for dominance.

"Both sides," I managed through gritted teeth, my voice echoing unnaturally. "The wolf and... something else. Something I can't…" Another surge of power escaped, making the ground beneath us tremble.

The sunlight around me pulsed dangerously, and silver markings began appearing on my skin, but they weren't settling. They shifted and writhed like living things, each pattern transforming before it could fully form.

"Those marks," Lyra breathed, taking a cautious step forward despite the obvious danger. "They're from the old texts, about the First Ones, but they're... wrong somehow."

"Corrupted," Kael growled, his expression darkening. "Or cursed."

The word triggered something in my mind – flashes of memories that weren't my own. Moonlit rituals, ancient spells, a heritage I'd never known I carried. But instead of bringing clarity, each vision only made the power surge more violently.

"She's losing control," Tobias warned, pushing Lyra behind him protectively. "We need to end this now, before…"

Another burst of energy cut him off, this one strong enough to knock over a small tree. I heard yelps of pain as some of the pack members were caught in the magical backlash.

"Olivia," Jay's voice was desperate as he tried to approach me, despite the dangerous energy swirling around us. "Fight it. Control it!"

But I couldn't. Every attempt to contain the power only made it fight harder to break free. The forest itself seemed to be responding to my chaos, branches swaying wildly, shadows moving unnaturally.

"This isn't just First One blood," Mara realized, her eyes widening. "There's something else. Something more dangerous."

Through the haze of power and panic, I caught glimpses of the pack's reactions. Kael's face hardening into resolved fury.

Tobias's hand moving toward the silver blade at his belt.

Several wolves backing away, their eyes filled with fear and hostility.

"Jay," I gasped, feeling another surge building. "I can't stop it. I can't…"

The power exploded outward again, stronger than before. Trees groaned, the earth trembled, and silver light filled the clearing like lightning. When it faded, I saw several pack members nursing wounds, their expressions turning from caution to outright hostility.

"Enough," Kael's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. His eyes met mine, no longer curious but deadly serious. "Whatever you are, you're a threat to this pack. And threats must be eliminated."

"No!" Jay moved to stand between us, his form beginning to shift. "I won't let you hurt her!"

But I could see it in their faces, the decision had been made. I was no longer a potential pack member. I was a danger that needed to be put down.

As another wave of uncontrollable power built inside me, I did the only thing I could think of… I ran. The forest seemed to part before me, shadows deepening to hide my escape.

Behind me, I heard Kael's roar of fury, Jay's desperate call of my name as he ran after me.

And somewhere, in the deepest recesses of my mind, an ancient voice whispered: "Child of two worlds. Remember, and survive."

Except for Jay, I haven't been with the werewolves for too long but I believe they won't just let me escape, not after what happened. after knowing I am a Witch-werewolf hybrid and after all the injuries and chaos have caused them (unknowingly).

Knowing keal, Tobias and Sariah especially.

The hunt for me had begun.