Shadowborn

"There is no light without shadow, just as there is no happiness without pain." -Isabelle Allende

Tonight, was the night—my eighteen birthday, my unveiling—the oldest ceremony in existence. The final release of my shifter nature—my Alpha, very old, very sage father had bound my powers just a few minutes after being birth. Noticing I wasn’t just a born alpha, I was more, so much more. A creature expected to be hunted, killed, and sold in the black market for its magical abilities. I needed to be protected in my infant stage and be taught how to survive, where to hide, and whom to trust. I was cherished and protected, but by no means weak.

I’d been born with a shifter spirit—like many, but only a small percentage of myself carried the shifter trades—and honed my skills to be better, to be stronger, to not pray on the weakest. I’d been born to protect, defend, and care. Not just to lay war on the land and take what was needed—like my ancestor, and their ancestors before them. I’d been engraved with the necessity of balance and sacrifice, with the tender need of a mother’s love, and the stronger hands of a father’s care. I wasn’t to become alpha only by birthright but by pure, mental, and physical strength—by the raw need for prosperity, perseverance, and by the needs of my people. You weren’t born to lead. A leader was created, honed, and embedded in the body. A leader was a mother, a father, a friend, or a sister. A leader was my father, my great-grandfather, and my mother. A leader was an Alpha, male or female, dedicated to their people, and hopefully, that was me.

I wanted it to be true.

I’d proven myself again and again. I’d fought the countless males of my community—young and adults, assassins, spies, protectors—and came out victorious. I was just like any other shifter male: deathly and lethal. Not to be underestimated but always being underestimated. Just because the males dominated high society didn’t mean that females were lesser creatures. We were more, so much more. We were mothers, created to give birth without any medication or help. We were werewolves designated to kill, hunt, and protect. We were of submissive nature to look appealing to the male, to attract and mate but in the deeps of our hearts, surrounding the surface, every female was a werewolf alpha. We were goddesses in the skins of ewes, ready to pounce.

For years we had lived in relative peace, deep in the Shadow Lands—the Wastelands of the Shadow Realm—hidden in plain sight. Many thought we were close to extinction, close to death, to starving, or death altogether; they were wrong. The Shadow Lands was a pool of prosperity—our crops were full, our people were fed, our hosting system was good, a completely off-grid system impulse merely by solar and the riverbank, many submissive and dominant werewolves were pregnant, mated, and protected increasing our population by the years. We were surrounded by a thick and cursed forest byproduct of the last war, of the massacre. Nobody from the Shadow Realm dared to put their feet in our lands, these woods were cursed, the threes were alive, and they moved on their own, and attacked everything and anything it didn’t belong; we belong, we were shadow wolves. These forests were our home, we weren’t attacked; we’d learned to protect the forest, to share, to live in perfect symbiosis.

However, the lands were dying, slowly—the current alpha power was dwelling. Every hundred years it was required for a new alpha to step up, take the oath and replenish the Earth. Deep in these forests was a magical weld, connected to the bloodline and heir of the Shadow Lands. And I was the last heir of these lands, along with my little brother—if I were to not pass these tests our lands, our people were to die; without the magic, we would wither. In these lands, you weren’t an alpha by the laws of a challenge—a fight to the death by the two most dominated werewolves in the pack. In the Shadow Realm, the city was segregated by packs, led by an alpha born of continuous challenges and mere strengths, who ultimately will serve the Royals; here wasn’t like that. If I were to be found worthy, I needed to be chosen by the Earth itself, not by a goddess like in the Shadow Realm. Now it was my turn to protect these lands, my people. My father was to step down from his alpha position, and I was to take to final trail to become alpha. If I wasn’t found worthy my father was to take the trials again and hopefully be found worthy again—something that had never happened before, or send his secondborn.

Taking a deep breath, I leap out of these infinite spirals of thought. The history of our ancestors was good, but not needed. I knew what to do: I needed to trust myself, my instincts, my pack, and my destiny. I couldn’t whiter, I wouldn’t. But I was too nervous and a clear sign of it was my overkill thinking—I liked to be prepared, I liked to be in control; I was an alpha after all. Control and dominance run deep and together. Still, I was at home, in my father’s office—the Alpha’s office—taking a last look at the bylaws of the trails, before taking the ceremonial bath with Rhea and leaving Levi in command of the pack.

The old and dusty book settled on my lap. I treated it with the utmost care, it had been written by our ancestors—the Alphas before me—to guide the youngling through the trails. It was a guide, but also our most sacred laws. It couldn’t be changed, nor challenged. It needed to be followed or I wouldn’t be accepted as Alpha.

So far many of its bylaws were rule related. But this need chapter was all about the trials, my next chapter in life. Feeling appreciative I stroke it covers before continuing with my reading...

» ...the contestant couldn’t take any food into the woods, to survive he needed to provide for themselves from the lands.

»The trials were to be completed before the seventh night, of the seventh day.

»Only the contestant was to be present on the lands, any other presence was considered a threat, a sign of disturbance and to be eliminated.

»The magic weld of the land wasn’t to be shared with nobody; any other non-born alpha contestant couldn’t wield the magic and would be shredded to pieces, inside out.

»Any contestant is entitled to a counselor, either the last alpha or an elder.

»Any contestant is permitted by law to take an heir—

I was about to read the next page when a light knock on the door pulls my attention. I blink going out of my reading haze, information overload.

I was seated on a gray loveseat in front of the fireplace. By his site, there was a big couch and in-between a coffee table. Behind was the floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall library I deeply was in love with, and between the couch and the library was the old oak desk that had always been in this office, where so many times as a child saw my father making treaties, forming alliances, and being an Alpha. I was fond of this office and its memories.

“Who’s there?” I ask, my voice sounding hoarse, strangled; too many hours had passed since my last drink. I needed water. Also, I wasn’t allowed to eat as a part of the ceremonial preparation. My body was to be pure of any earthly bounds, food include. I could only drink water to begin purifying.

“I, alpha,” Levi’s voice came through. Levi, the third most dominant shifter in the pack after my father and I. He became my second-in-command about two months ago when I began to show more signs of dominance. The close to your birthday, the closer to releasing your power. The magical binding was starting to wear off; more and more my shifter traits were featuring: red eyes when deep on temper—the sign of alpha, the less dominant werewolf had yellow eyes, scraps of fur, and nail transformation. Slowly, my wolve was rising. I hadn’t experienced a full shift yet, but tonight could happen; it was my birthday. But I could also never fully shift, I wasn’t a full flesh shifter.

“Come in,” I said going for the jar of water mother had left behind for me. The mahogany door opens, and Levi’s massively built complexion took most of the space. He’s a big wolf, relying more on strength than speed, with cream-light-colored fur, and yellow eyes. In the last couple of years, he’d become an intelligent, diligent, and well-reliable companion. We’d train, grow together a deep friendship, and learn to rely on each other. Still, many didn’t appreciate a so close friendship between males and females. Usually, they’d expected to be a bonded pair, to be mated. But I couldn’t see Levi’s with those kinds of eyes. He was a friend. And you didn’t choose your mate, fate or destiny choose it for you, knitted together our souls, complementing each other natural fouls.

“Thank you, Alpha,” I nodded, it was no use. I’d ask him to call me by my name: Nyx but he didn’t. I was to be alpha, I needed to be shown respect, treated with respect and remember that respect, always. Still, that didn’t mean I didn’t hate it. For me the pack wasn’t to be ruled by categories or division, we needed to be equals among each other even when dominance drifted us apart. “Priestess Rhea, it’s ready for you.”

I nodded closing the book.

Rhea Lightblade, my childhood friend. Rhea, a soon-to-be eighteen-year girl like me. She’d been born shortly after me, a sign of the new alphas’ arrival. With every alpha, there always was a new priestess dedicated to helping keep the balance of the sacred lands, to being a messenger of the goddess, and to be in the ruling chain of command. After the alpha, was the second in command; if these two couldn’t rule, it was the priestess who would take control of the pack and look for the most suitable member and family to take the role of to be alpha. Still, this member needed to take the trails and prove themselves to the lands and only then, he or she could be crowned alpha. It hadn’t happened in a long time, but it had happened. Before the Shadowblade—my family’s last name—there was another ruling family. But they had got extinct, with no heir and no alpha, the pack almost didn’t make it. Once without an alpha, it doesn’t take long for our shifter traits to wither. So many great-grandfathers before my grandfather our family had been chosen for the task. It was a great honor; one we’d be entitled to.

Setting the book on the coffee table I follow Levi down the hallway. The alphas’ house had always been one of the biggest in Shadow City. With four floors, housing many submissive wolves, we were proud of having the honor to provide for and protect the weakest. The last floor was for the alpha family—my mother, father, little brother, and I lived there; also, Rhea had a room that mostly was empty, she loved her life at her church, and when I came back from the trials Levi was to move in as my second-in-command. The third and second floors were full of rooms, and the first floor was full of living areas, dining halls, the alpha office, a library, and the kitchen. We counted on a big garden, a greenhouse for winter, and an amazing view of the riverbank.

Going into the garden you could hear the Rising take place just down the street. I smiled, my people were happy, celebrating, dancing, and screaming our thanks to the goddess. For us, the goddess was the Earth which provided every year. Not like the Shadow Realm where they adored the Shadow Goddess, a living entity entitled to the Moon, the Shadows, and the many mysteries of the lands. During the Rising, the alpha trials took place, for seven days and nights my people were to celebrate and plead for our goddess goodwill and ask for good health and even wealth. Even so, the Rising took place every year, beginning on the same day and finishing on the last night with the Equinox.

It was the goddess who choose how and where to answer. But the answer always came—a pregnant female, a deep spar on the bonfire, a strike of lighting, a flower...—it could be anything, but she did answer. And sometimes, she even reveals herself, just for a brief second before disappearing. And she was always happy—mostly. Except right before the winter season, she was grumpy and didn’t answer many pleas, usually, she would go deep into the mountains to sleep.

Right along the riverbank Rhea and her apprentices awaited. A large bathtub sat barely on firm sole. The boiling water scent filter through my nose along with the lavender to cleanse, mint to purify, capsicum to spike the senses, and laurel to keep me healthy.

“Priestess,” I tilt my head in respect. Rhea could be my friend, but the priestess was the only direct connection to the goddess, and they were very scared. Rhea and her mother were the last of the bloodline. Soon, Rhea was to be married off if she couldn’t find her mate shortly after her shifter side was freed.

“Let’s begin,” I quickly undress not even bothered by Levi’s presence. Among shifters, clothes were merely a formality, constantly being torn by the shift. Holding a whine—I wasn’t a fan of hot water, for me, the coolest was the better—I step into the tub, then tilt my head back, close my eyes, hold my breath, and let the water cover my body. I needed to hold my breath for a whole minute to lose my earthly bounds and be cleansed of any attachment to comfort. As an alpha, my comfort zone was my people, my city, and my territory. Going into the deep of the Shadow Lands, into the Shadow Forest was different, new. Still, it was part of my territory but unexplored territory. I didn’t know it; I wasn’t familiar with it.

Realizing my breath breaks the water’s surface and I smile at Rhea. Thankfully any of the water got into my eyes. One of Rhea’s apprentices cleans my face, then I’m able to open my eyes. Reaching out I squeeze my red hair and go out. A light cotton sky-blue gown is thrown in my direction and the young face of my little brother appears behind Levi’s—Ethan.

Ethan and I were more similar than many believed: red hair, blue eyes, tanned olive skin, and a constant dominant presence. Still, I was five years older, and I loved my little brother. He was sweet, so innocent and so full of love for our people, and the nature of our lands. We were the alpha’s kin—we were so alike sometimes it was easiest to say we were twins. Even when our mother wasn’t the same, we loved each other. More so, when he discovered I wasn’t a hundred percent shifter, we only grew together. My mother had died years ago, and my father decided to take a second wife, and I loved her. She was my mother, not by blood but by choice, and she loved me like the daughter she couldn’t have because of her age. We were a knit-together family, one for all and all for one.

“Mom sends you those, and father is waiting for you by the bonfire,” I send him a sweet smile before sliding into the feather-like gown. It felt more like a beach dress, so comfortable.

“Thank you,” I press a kiss on his forehead. It was our thing, our symbol of protection. Only those who truly trust each other shared and pressed their forehead together. Among my family, it was very common. The one who do it the most was mom.

Barefoot I follow my little brother through the riverbank. Rhea and Levi follow too. Many of our people were taking a bath on the not-so-shallow part of the river. It was part of the rituals, I’d been clean first, but now the whole pack needed to take the last bath of the last seven days, then follow us through the city for the unveiling ceremony. The unveiling in essence didn’t have a veil to play the part of the veil was around my power, holding them together, now it was time to set them free. During the unveiling I will be at my weakest point, my soul would be exposed to my people, to my father and then, my shifter would be forced to come out.

The slow motion of the drums signals the beginning of the first night. At midnight, I was to step onto the Shadow Forest, our sacred lands, alone. These drums were to be sounding during these seven days and nights, even if I were to come back on the first day.

Smiling I salute the many members of our pack—elders, children, warriors, females... Every single one of them owns a special place in my soul, attached to my heart. Many of the females with newborn children step close to the line of the drum and I can’t resist the impulse to go close. It’s my dominant nature. A beautiful baby girl gurgles as her mother cooing her, deep down I feel the need from my shifter side, at some moment in my life I want to have a baby, and if it’s a girl much better. She’d to be strong-willed, just like me. Bewitched with the baby her mother allows me to carry her, and I felt my eyes change, my shifter eyes examining this beautiful baby. Her aura’s so pure, so white, and so bright, she will have a great future.

“Alpha,” the female mother bows her head feeling my shifter side close to the surface. Among shifters, it is forbidden to look for too long to your alpha to their eyes, unless you wanted to emit a challenge.

“She’s beautiful and will have a bright future. She’ll be mated before you realize, take good care of her,” I said before stepping away. I just couldn’t avoid it. One of my non-shifter traits came with wisdom and future-telling—Seer characteristics of the Ancients. Many in the pack knew of my gift and they felt blessed when words or messages came out of my mouth without me being conscious. At her side, her husband goes drop down to his knees, uncomfortable I squeeze his shoulder. Blessed, sometimes I didn’t feel that way.

Along the way, I stop it a few more times but nothing else caught the attention of my shifter traits. At the end of the street, the biggest bonfire one could imagine was lit. Our current alpha, my father, was waiting with my mother at his side. They both smile down at me. I didn’t look much like my father; I was my biological mother’s pure image. Still, my father was handsome, and we did share some characteristics—blue eyes, chocolate-like skin, tall, muscle build, dark hair, and a strong-willed personality. My father’s wife, Ethan’s mother, was olive-tanned skin, amber eyes, brown hair, and a kind smile, she was petite compared to my father, Ethan, or me.

“Alpha,” I greet him, and then like the little girl I still am, hug him strongly. I loved this man, with all his fouls, and was grateful for having such a loving father, alpha, and friend. Feeling emotional hug my mother, then my little brother it could be days before I saw them. “I’ll miss you all.”

“We know,” Ethan says with arrogance, wanting to disturb him I fuss his hair before he took off running. Shaking my head, I observe how he gets lost in the multitude before finding his place along with my second-in-command, Levi. Smiling I took my place on the right of my father, the position of the heir. The left side, it’s for my mother and her wife.

“Goodnight, my people. It’s time to begin,” his baritone voice full the street, and everyone goes silent. The slow drumming continues. Currently, the moon is high, almost full, and our shifter traits are more present; our hearing is good, and our human-like vision improve. “Tonight, a new era begins, my daughter, the only female alpha in existence is about to receive her unveiling, then during the next seven days she will combat for her life and the right to lead us in the Shadow Forest. During this time, we must be strong. I will no longer be your alpha from tonight on, my power had completely dwelled, and we could be attacked at any moment. The Shadow Realm hadn’t set foot in our forest for years, still, we need to be prepared. Not only this, but we also owe our goddess this time of celebration, the Equinox for harvests, and the blessing for our children. So, from you, I will ask you, our warriors to volunteer, during this time of peril. I know many of you hoped to celebrate the Rising with us, as did I. But we all are going to take turns as volunteers, myself includes. And in our absence, it will be the duty of those who stay behind to continue this celebration.” He took a deep breath, “and when my daughter returns as our alpha, we, together, as the family, will celebrate during the remaining days.”

A moment of deep silence pass, then many warriors step through, and I smile. We were a family, and when one needed many provided. With pride, I nodded before rising my hand to the stars, to the sky night, to our fellow goddess, many did the same and closed my eyes. To my side, Rhea began to chant a small prayer. In front of us, the multitude knee to honor our goddess in these moments of uncertainty, to plead from the bottom of our hearts.

“Goddess, hear our prayers. We ask for protection for this loving city. We ask for protection for our rising alpha during her trials. We ask for our warriors, for our land. Goddess, please bless us, your children, for we don’t seek ambition, nor war, only prosperity. Please, goddess, bless thy.”

Then silence descends upon Rhea. Her hands firmly clap together in a prayer position, and as the time tick by inquietude rose among my people. Still, faithful I keep my hands up, towards the sky, she’d never abandon her children, I knew it. Then the fire on the bonfire picks up as I have never seen it before. The arrays of colors illuminated the streets—red, blue, yellow, orange—so many tones, so many blessings were breathtaking. Our goddess was present, and my heart couldn’t stop beating so fast, and so painfully in my chest. Tears rose to my eyes, we were loved, and blessed.

Then a cracking sound, like a stick being snapped in two, coursed thru my veins.

And my back snapped in two.

My father eyes widened in utter shock before helping me down. A piercing scream rose to and from my throat. My red eyes glowed, my shifter more present than ever. Fur grew from my limps painfully slowly, and some other bones snapped too. Then a tightening pressure build up in my chest and slowly my wolf rose from my skin, limping to the side of my human-like form. Gasp and screaming could be heard throughout the bonfire. Some thanking our goddess, others doomfully astonish. I smiled; I knew this could be a possibility. I was a rarity, a slip shifter—a shifter with a duality soul, a creature of legend, an emissary of power and justice, how fitting. Nor human, nor shifter but the two at the same time. A trait of the Royal blood that coursed thru my veins.

My eyes locked on my wolf and her locked on me. We could see through each other eyes at the same time, knowing what the other was doing and thinking. We were one and the same, and at the same time, we weren’t. She was me; I was her, but it was so confusing.

I loved how she look, a perfect resemblance to the parchments of fur that had sprouted during the last month on my hands and limbs. The perfect combination of a soft gray and white, without a single parch or color other than those two—we looked like shimmering silver, like a riverbank without ending or beginning. She was tall, more so, that any other shifter—a trait of our Alpha dominance. With deep red eyes, long nails, and prominent wolves’ fangs. I could feel his soft and dominant presence in my mind at all moments, the same she could feel me on her. And I could see a small treading binding us together. We were one, forever. Even after death.

Slowly I rise, my back no longer troubling, already mended after my wolve first shift. My father had sat down at my site and helped me up; his expression was confused—awed, pride, fear. It was funny, and worrying, my father was the most non-expressionist persona. He was the most chapter, well-shielded.

Rhea appeared by the borders of my eyes; she wore an awed expression. She knew what this meant, what I was, still, I shook my head slightly. Those were secrets for another time.

“You’re beautiful, Alpha,” her trembling hand slid down my fur. A soft purr-treated rose wanted to escape my throat, that felt so good, so comfortable. Rhea smiled when my wolves didn’t show any sign of aggression, we trust her.

’She’s pack’, a soft voice sounded in the back of my mind. It was my voice, but then it wasn’t. it was softer, purer than my own. I nodded; she was right; Rhea is family.

“Thank you,” slowly I rose. This unveiling, this Rising was to be remembered, forever. My father hadn’t removed my binding, it had been a foreign entity, our goddess, I’d been blessed by the highest order and didn’t know how to feel. I remember my grandmother’s words, ’the higher the blessing the harder the trials.′ I swallow suddenly nervous. More secrets, more responsibilities. Could I be prepared? I hoped so.

The shimmered red hair of my brother appears to my side. Quickly his arms surround my figure. He’s trembling. I was trembling. Grasping deep into my emotions I hold of myself.

“I was so scared,” so was I, but I couldn’t tell my little brother. I was the alpha, I needed to be strong. And I was going to be, for him, for me, for our people.

“I wasn’t, you know why?” My voice is soft, full of the sweetest of a mother’s tender love. “Because our goddess is here,” I point to his heart with my right finger, “and here.” My arms expand to our surroundings—to nature, the rivers, the trees, the flowers, the soil. “She’s always present like you’re in my life. She guides us to our destiny, to where we belong. And I belong,” I smile, “with you, with them,” my head pointed to the people surrounding us, observing in awe my shifter. Feeling my gaze, she prowls close to me, following my instinct I rest my hand on her fur. It’s a nice sensation—is freedom, is peace, is home.

“Your sister’s right,” my father come to me with a trembling smile. Still, he’s a little shocked. But he was the alpha, not by title anymore, but by instincts—it was in him to comfort and protect and my little brother needed comfort. At his side, mom smiles before kissing my forehead.

“Are you ready?” She asked when the multiple sounds of broken bones and howling fueled the bonfire.

“As ready as I will ever be,” then my shifter led out a meaningful howl. The howl of an alpha, a call to the pack. It was time for our first run.