Statera - The Balanced One

Chapter Ten

The gravel country road was about two miles long and ended at the paved county road. As my rage defused, the stupidity of venturing off alone began to sink in. I realized I'd reacted rashly, seeing how it was near the middle of the night. Definitely not the smartest thing I'd ever done. My skin was feverish and stung with a prickly sensation. If getting that irate caused physical pain, maybe I shouldn't have let my temper run away with me.

Thinking about my situation rationally got my nerves up enough to pursue a safer way home. So once again, I willed myself to take to the sky in what was turning out to be my favorite form, the white-tailed kite, but when I concentrated on changing, I was alarmed to find I couldn't.

Surveying my surroundings, I stopped walking for the first time since I'd left the house. It was a quiet, dark road, and nothing seemed amiss. I tried morphing again, but my ability to do so felt weak and disconnected. All the crying and anger had been draining, leaving me too overwhelmed to change. It made sense. Di said my abilities were connected to my emotions, so I assumed traits were as well.

Feeling defeated, I headed back to ask Keitan for a ride home. I didn't get two steps before the feeling of being watched crept in and dominated my senses. My awareness of it was undeniable and stronger than it had ever been before. The bushes ahead rustled as three figures emerged onto the road. At first glance, I knew they were Lycans, but not the O'Connells.

I remembered what Keitan said about fear and summoned the strength to suppress the thorny sensation of it from spreading. These three were in Hybrid Form and looked more unnatural than Keitan had that night in the field. The two flanking the Lycan in the middle were clearly wolf variety, while the other was some type of feline. But what caught my attention the most were their eyes. They weren't the yellow I'd grown accustomed to but rather an ethereal, fiery green. Realization hit me as my gaze touched each mangy beast—these were not Natural Lycans. They were Afflicted.

Menacing growls escaped disfigured snouts as they closed me into their predatory circle with deliberate intent. The she-cat seemed to be the ring leader here. Owen told me that an Afflicted took its physical attributes from the Lycan or Afflicted, who'd turned them. This one's sire was a rare occurrence, just like Owen. As the she-cat drew closer, I noticed distinct tufts of hair sprouting from her elongated ears. A bobcat—I was sure her pure form was likely a bobcat.

"Run, and you will die a slow, painful death," the she-cat said.

She had the same gravelly, subhuman voice I had when I'd morphed into Keitan's hybrid form in the pasture. My stupidity of venturing off alone came back to slap me in the form of regret. I was trapped, and morphing was pointless because I still couldn't. The prickly sensation I'd experienced so many times before had a name. It was likely the wrought ability Owen and my dad had told me about.

"Your core is stronger than I imagined. It has taken us months to track you here. Every time I've had you in my sights, you've had that mutt—or that woman around you! The woman is not affected by wrought; it just bounces off her. At first, I didn't know why, but it didn't take long to figure it out. She has the rare ability to control animals, making wrought useless. I would have taken you when your core activated, but she's always around you. So where is your protector—now that I can smell your fear?" the she-cat snarled, moving closer.

She was right, my fear was rising to the surface, and I was furious at my lack of control. In my frustration, a single tear fell. It was all the invitation she required. She pounced, the force knocking us back eight feet before slamming to the ground.

I gasped for air as she pushed her weight into my chest, and I winced in pain when clawed fingers drew blood from where they'd pierced my shoulder. My body quaked with unchecked terror as drool pooled at the corners of my attacker's mouth. Frigid breath that reeked of rotten flesh suffocated my breathing space and made my stomach twist.