I am Sam

My head is pounding when I wake up early; I guess even shifters get hangovers.

Taking a deep and steady breath, I rub the sleep from my eyes when I turn over, and I’m half expecting to find Atlas there, but he isn’t, was last night only a dream?

Blinking twice, I suddenly notice a white piece of paper on the pillow beside me; stretching my hand out towards it, I take it between my fingers, unfolding it to read what’s written inside.

Walk down the hall, all the way to the end. Take a right before getting to the stairs, and wait inside the library.

Atlas

A small smile creeps up at the corners of my mouth, the note confirming that last night definitely wasn’t a dream. The moment my hand slowly runs across the pendant necklace hanging around my neck, my brows suddenly furrow when my heart feels an all too familiar ache inside, Wolf, the real reason I’m here, and I’m suddenly torn between what I should be doing and what I want to do. Both being cut from the same cloth, I know I need to find a way to break this curse, but I’m suddenly feeling this unmistakable pull towards something here, with Atlas, something I can’t explain but know that I’ve missed out on since I was born, it’s all so complicated and confusing. And yet, my heart and soul are being called back to be with Wolf, my own wolf now ignoring me since what transpired last night.

What am I going to do? How do I help Wolf when the essence of being here with Atlas is sucking me in deeper?

~

I follow Atlas’s instructions and walk down the hall, taking a quick right before getting to the stairs; the moment I get to a door, I slowly open it, the metal hinges creaking slightly as I do.

Peering inside, I’m suddenly surprised the moment my eyes land on a vast open area, the walls covered by rows upon rows of books all the way to the ceiling. This must be a library; it’s incredible, so breathtakingly beautiful.

Walking into the ginormous space, my eyes suddenly land on a table nearby.

Upon closer inspection, I notice a very big-looking old book, and I can’t help but look down at the open pages before me; suddenly, my eyes are drifting over the words when my brows furrow. The word drakon catches my eye, and I’m about to read further when I suddenly jump at the sound of the door slamming shut, gasping; my eyes instantly fly up to suddenly find Caleb standing there eyeing me suspiciously.

His dark hair hanging down across half his face. Gulping, I suddenly move away from the table, diverting my eyes away from him; shit, why is he in here?

“Find something you like?” His deep dark voice suddenly has me looking back up at him,

“Um, I was just...”

“Snooping,” He grumbles as he cocks his head, and my brows instantly draw together as I shake my head in protest,

“No, I wasn’t, I mean,” Looking back down, I’m suddenly feeling really nervous. Caleb is the last person I want to be stuck in a room with; he scares the shit out of me. “I was waiting for Atlas; he told me to wait in here.” There’s a moment of silence when Caleb scoffs, suddenly clenching his jaw in irritation,

“Well, he’s busy with Eris, so he might be a while.” And I don’t know why that suddenly has a pang of jealousy crawling up from the pit of my stomach; of course, he would be with her; he’s supposedly getting married to her, right? I just thought after last night... Quickly trying to shrug off the uncomfortable feeling suddenly gnawing at me inside, I move towards the door, doing my best to avoid Caleb, my voice coming out small when I speak, “I’ll just go back to my room.” But he suddenly steps in front of me, blocking my way, Caleb smirks as he stares me down, my entire body tensing when I slowly look up at him.

“What’s the rush?” He’s suddenly far too close to my personal space; the dark and sinister vibe he’s got going instantly has knots forming in my stomach. Shaking my head, I take a step back,

“Nothing, I just didn’t want to get in your way...” My voice again goes small when he smirks,

“You’re already in my way, so you might as well stay.” Stepping around me, he starts heading towards the table, “Come, I want to show you something,” He mumbles, and I’m suddenly turning around as my brows furrow in response; wait, did Caleb really just ask me to come and look at something he wants to show me?

~

Standing in front of Caleb, I’m suddenly feeling incredibly nervous; I can’t get a read on him; last night was the first time since meeting him that I got to see him act semi-normal; I won’t lie, he scares the crap out of me.

“Pick up the sword, Sasha.” He indicates a sword lying on the table beside me, my brows furrow in response as I eye out this metal-looking sword that’s more than half my size in length.

“Excuse me?” I’m suddenly blinking back the surprise on my face. Raising a brow, he’s holding the sword up to his own face to inspect the blade,

“The sword, pick it up. Or do you need me to draw you pictures?” The sarcasm in his voice instantly irks me. Sighing, he shrugs, “Look, do you want to learn how to defend yourself in the darkened realm or not?” Swallowing down the surprise, my jaw suddenly slips; tilting his chin, he narrows his eyes, and I suddenly get a glimpse of a scar running across his gaze to his cheek. I’m staring at him for too long when he suddenly snaps, “The fucking sword, Sasha, pick it up!” Jumping at his harsh tone, I’m suddenly looking down at the blade of the sword against the table.

“Um, how will a sword help me in the darkened realm?”

“Do you want me to train you, or do you want to stand around debating the issue?” He suddenly sounds bored. And I can’t hide the surprise on my face when I gently run my fingertips across the handle of the sword; finally picking it up, I’m surprised by how heavy it is. I know I’m a shifter, but this is a cumbersome object, I'm used to fighting by using my wolf. The blade’s tip is down to the floor when I look at him questioningly.

“What do you want...” I start to say, but Caleb cuts me off,

“Hold up the sword like this.” He says, holding up his own sword and pointing it towards me to show me, nodding he raises a brow. I mimic him as I hold up the sword in my hands; why would anyone make things this heavy for battle anyways? This is insane. My thoughts are instantly interrupted when the metal from his sword clanks with mine, gasping my eyes widen in response. I lose a handle of the blade as it clangs to the floor.

“Again, ” I’m suddenly frowning at him, going to pick up the sword. This happens another four more times before I eventually get so irritated with him that I leave the blade on the floor then,

“I don’t see how this will help me when we’re meant to go up against Lisbon and her dark magic.” Caleb suddenly scowls at me, lifting his head; I suddenly get an even better glimpse of his scar as his hair moves away from his face, deep and red, running right across from his forehead down to just below where his left eye is. He looks me in the eyes, and I’m completely taken away by how close to black his eye colour truly is,

“You don’t see because all you’ve been doing is complaining; if you want to survive in this realm, you have to start from the bottom up. No one will give you a free pass in this place; least of all me, now pick up the sword.”

I do as he says and quickly stand ready in a position like every time, but this time I can’t get the image of his scar out of my mind; what happened? Why does he have it? It looks a lot like the scar caused by a wild animal. Caleb’s sword suddenly comes straight at me; I’m instantly pulled from my reverie when I jump back.

“Focus, Sasha!” He suddenly shouts when he comes at me again; this time, a green beam of electricity sparks from his eyes and explodes through his hands into the sword he’s gripping; it instantly lights up the blade. I immediately bring the edge of my sword up to block him just in time as the green glow of his blade explodes into my own sword; my eyes widen with shock the moment the force of it throws me back so hard that I collide with the wall behind me with a loud thud.

Dropping to the floor, my eyes fly up to stare at him; he’s standing there staring hard at me as the green light slowly leaves his eyes and the dark brown returns in its place,

“When a sword is the only thing standing between you and an Unseelie, you’ll be great full you have one, trust me.” He grumbles.

Slowly getting onto my feet, I rub my backside, the instant bruise making me wince, “You made your point, but did it have to be so hard?” Scoffing, Caleb cocks a brow in my direction,

“I’m not going to go soft on you, and besides, you’re a wolf, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” I retort irritably.

“Well, then you can handle it.” He says with a smug grin.

Rubbing my backside one last time, I nod with a frown; as I lift the sword off the ground.

I suddenly look up to my right and notice Atlas leaning against the door with his arms folded across his chest, watching me with hunger in his eyes before quickly diverting them towards Caleb.

“So, what’s the verdict, Cal? How is she fairing so far?” Cocking his head in my direction Caleb suddenly scoffs as he brings the blade of his sword to rest against his bottom lip.

“Besides not knowing how to handle a sword, you mean?” And I’m suddenly scowling at him, arrogant asshole.

“Well, if you removed these cuffs, I’d show you exactly what I can do.” Retorting, I’m narrowing my eyes at him.

“That’s the problem with you wolves, always using your shifter abilities to do your dirty work. Tell me, Sasha, what would that make you if you didn’t have a wolf?” And I’m suddenly glaring at him; it’s obvious he doesn’t like me, so why is he doing all this? Is it only to show me up in front of Atlas? As if wanting to add insult to injury, he continues, “In this realm, your wolf isn’t going to help you for shit against other witches or against the Unseelie; you have to toughen up, little girl.”

Furrowing my brows, I look down; it’s then that I notice Atlas come up beside me; he’s so close that the hairs on my arm instantly react by standing upright, like magnetic energy pulling me to him. Turning his head to look at Caleb, he sighs,

“Cal, I want to try something with her; you get into position.” Nodding, Caleb gets into his fighting stance, and I can’t help the questioning look on my face as I turn to look at Atlas; holding his sword up to me, Caleb gives me a dark hooded grin, which instantly has me feeling uncomfortable.

Atlas gingerly walks over to me and comes to stand right behind me, and a small gasp leaves my lips the moment he slips one hand around my waist before sliding the other down my arm. Coming to rest his hand firmly over my own, which is holding onto the sword, my grip instantly tightens as his folds over my hand, and I’m suddenly swallowing down hard as the sparks of energy start to explode up my arm.

Suddenly lifting the sword with him, I’m instantly aware of his body pushing up close to mine, and how every cell in my body is reacting to him, his breath is right up close to my ear when he suddenly whispers, “We’re going to move together, feel it with me okay?” Nodding, the sparks of energy instantly have my heart beat escalating by the second. I’m suddenly wondering if Caleb can sense the energy shift between us; looking up at him; however, he seems completely unphased by us.

“Okay, Cal, baby steps. I’m going to help guide Sasha’s hand with the sword just so she can get a feel for it; once she gets the hang of it, we’ll move on.” Nodding, Caleb gets ready, and the moment he comes at me with the sword, it’s not forceful and brutal like before; it’s actually quite gentle, which is surprising for Mr dark and severe; I didn’t even know he knew how to be gentle.

Atlas instantly guides my hand up to block against Caleb’s blow; it’s so soft, our swords barely touching. Caleb then comes at me from the other side; again, Atlas follows through with his hand guiding mine to block Caleb’s sword from the opposite direction.

After about fifteen minutes of slow movements, I’m going with the flow; the rhythm of how I need to move is becoming like second nature already. I’m far from being able to say that I know what I’m doing, but for someone who’s never wielded a sword before, I’m actually doing alright, I think, it’s almost like a dance in some way, or maybe that’s just Atlas. His movements are fluid, having me ultimately spellbound in awe, and I’m delighted to be in his arms for the first time. The way Atlas is holding me around my waist, the way his hand is guiding mine, the way I remember the moves, I can’t help but smile the moment Atlas stops, turns his face to me and says,

“So, how was that?” A spark of blue swirling around the irises of his eyes instantly has heat pooling in between my legs, and I have to physically stop myself from my sudden thoughts. Nodding, I bite down against my bottom lip,

“Yeah, it was good; I mean, I understand the flow of the movement now.” Nodding, Atlas smiles at me, giving a slight squeeze around my waist before nudging his nose against my cheek and whispering, “Good girl,” Before letting go of me, the sudden loss of contact already having me crave to be close to him again. Looking back over at Caleb, Atlas nods as he gives him a knowing look.

“Well, I’ll leave her in your capable hands then.” Furrowing my brows, I’m suddenly looking at Caleb with a concerned look; when I look over at Atlas, he’s already heading out the door. Is he honestly going to leave me with Caleb?

Clearing his throat, I’m instantly looking back up at him, and the moment he walks over to me and takes the sword from me, I’m suddenly feeling confused.

“Let’s take this outside.”

“Outside?” I ask with my brows furrowed with surprise in response,

“Yes, the woods. Unless you think you will be fighting the darkness stuck in a library?” The sarcasm is evident as he cocks a brow in my direction, and I can’t help but roll my eyes at his smart-ass attitude.

~

Following behind Caleb towards the forest, I’m listening to the sounds of the birds tweeting up high in the trees; I can hear frogs croaking in the distance as our steady footsteps keep moving over the grassy terrain. I can still hear the sound of the water flowing down the river, which ultimately crashes over the great waterfall of the castle, and momentarily I forget about my worries and concerns over being all alone with Caleb.

It’s still sunny the deeper in we go. I know it’s late afternoon by the way the shadows are casting against the trees. My stomach suddenly rumbles, which instantly gets my attention; looking up at Caleb’s back as he keeps moving forward in front of me, I suddenly clear my throat,

“Um, Caleb. Do we still have far to go? I’m feeling kind of hungry and...” But he merely keeps on walking, like he doesn’t even hear me, or like he’s completely ignoring me. My brows furrow as I keep walking, the sound of the crickets in the long grass clearly indicating that it’s time to start heading back. Stopping, I turn around to look back when my jaw clenches in confusion; it’s just thick trees and bushes behind us; wait a minute, didn’t we just come walking through there?

“Caleb, where’s the path...” Turning my head back to look at him, I suddenly gasp in surprise when I find he's gone; what, he wasn’t walking that fast, was he?

“Caleb!?” I’m suddenly calling out to him, but I get no response and a sudden lump forms in my throat as I spin around to only more trees and bushes all around me; I’m swallowing down, but the lump is only growing. The sound of the frogs in the distance gets louder as they echo off the trees.

“Caleb, where are you!?” I call out again. Shit, how did I lose him? He was here just a moment ago, I looked back for a second, but now everything seems so different. A slight breeze picks up, brushing past the leaves, and the branches above head begin to sway and creek. I’m suddenly startled by the noise of an owl hooting in the tree top above me, and I start moving forward, trying to pick up his scent, only to be met with smells confusing me. I can’t pinpoint his scent, it’s like it’s all around me, and a sudden panic starts to creep into my chest. Jumping to the sound of a crow, I’m suddenly disorientated as I stumble through the forest, calling out to Caleb.

It’s suddenly eerie in the woods; the feeling around me becomes heavy as I aimlessly stumble forward; even the birds have gone entirely silent; the only thing I can hear now is the sound of my heartbeat thrumming in my ears.

“Caleb! This isn’t funny; at least it won’t be when I tell Atlas that you’re being a total dick.” My voice suddenly goes small with the last word as my eyes scan the trees in front of me; I’ve tried to link Atlas, but there’s nothing, just silence, and I can’t help but suddenly feel a combination of being afraid and pissed off. I should never have followed Caleb out here; what was I thinking?

“You think I’m afraid of Atlas?” A sudden low whisper tickling my ear instantly has me swinging around with a gasp, but there’s no one there. And now I know he’s messing with me, “Okay, you know what, you’ve proved you’re point. Can we just go back already?” I’m turning around, aimlessly looking into the thicket; his scent is ominous as it surrounds me from every corner of this place, shit.

The moment I turn back again, he’s suddenly right in front of me, his dark hooded eyes boring into mine. A loud gasp explodes from my throat when he slams me into a tree behind me that suddenly popped up out of nowhere, and as the darkness of his eyes keeps me pinned, I’m suddenly seeing more of the scar running across his eye and cheek. Narrowing my eyes at him, I’m suddenly pissed off,

“You’re an asshole,”

“I would rather be an asshole than be what you are.” He grumbles back, and I know I shouldn’t engage, but he’s got me infuriated when I launch back,

“What, normal?” Smirking, he tilts his head slightly as his eyes keep mine captive,

“You’re a baby, a whiny little brat who’s always had someone there to look out for you.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is,” He scoffs with a sinister deep voice, “You’re father, your brother, always keeping you safely guarded and protected from the outside world.” Swallowing hard, I want to look away, but he won’t let me, “Even you’re mother placed an enchantment around your pack to keep you safe before she died,” Clenching my jaw, I’m suddenly staring him dead in the eyes. “You’re wolf mate, and Atlas,” I’m suddenly swallowing hard, “And now you’ll even have Circen, Noah, and Liam bound to protect you too,” My brows furrow as my eyes stay on his. And a dark grin suddenly turns up at the corners of his mouth as he slowly tilts his head the other way, “Everyone so bound to protecting you has made you weaker, not stronger,”

“You don’t know how strong I can be, or did you forget what I did to those rogues back in the woods at that mine shaft,” I’m glaring at him, which suddenly has a low dark chuckle erupting from his throat.

“You were under the influence of Lisbon’s dark power; I would hardly go around telling people you killed all those rogues on your own.” He rumbles, rolling his eyes at me.

I’m suddenly shoving against his hold on me, to which he merely smirks as he pushes me right back even harder,

“I don’t give a fuck about your feelings Sasha; without your wolf, you’re nothing, your abilities are sporadic, and I can literally smell the fear rolling off of you.”

Bringing his face close to mine, he suddenly has his lips right beside my ear when he whispers, “If this moment here and now frightens you, then the darkened part of the realm will fucking petrify you.” Swallowing a heavy lump, my body tenses even more with a shiver as he continues whispering, “In there, you’re worst nightmares come to life. The darkness of the Unseelie slowly twisting at your insides from the shadows until your very soul is begging for death.”

Pulling away slowly, Caleb suddenly narrows his eyes at me, the leaves rustling above our heads as darkness begins to descend,

“You can’t beat your enemy unless you know your enemy, and right now, you are your own worst enemy, so conquer yourself before trying to take on the rest of the darkness,” Swallowing hard, my breath suddenly feels shaky as he continues,

“If you want me to go in there to fight with you, then fucking grow up and stop expecting to be saved; it’s time you learn how to fight and save yourself.” My eyes are still on him when I slowly nod, my jaw slack; smirking, he returns a stern nod at me, “Good, now follow me.”