The Rise of Carolyne Magna

Chapter Nine

Carolyne Magna

At one point, it had been mentioned to her by Lance that- though mates do have a sort of telepathic connection- mates can set up sort of "barriers", to block the others out. And that was exactly what Carolyne needed right now. She didn't want Lance to feel her anxiety or her fear, or hear her intentions to drug him so he couldn't watch her fight. And, she didn't want to hear his thoughts. They were a distraction, and she needed all of her focus to be on the fight. Julius was a tricky wolf, and he always fought dirty, according to the others, who had bore witness to his gruesome manners in the past. Carolyne took her time in the shower that morning, going through the motions robotically. Showers always helped her clear her mind and focus.

Today, at sunset, she would fight her uncle, to the death. Today, she would murder the man who had terrorized her throughout her entire childhood. She had no choice; it was kill or be killed. She was learning that that's how this world is- you kill for your family, for your property, for your life. The laws of the wolves are nothing like the laws of the humans; here, death is just another part of life- justice, not just a punishment. And instead of a skirmish with guns, it was a battle of teeth and claws.

At first, she'd thought that she was afraid of killing. But it wasn't the killing that scared her... it was how she desired to kill. How much she actually wanted to. And it wasn't just because of her need for revenge, or because it was directed at Julius- no, it was because she had a thirst burning inside of her that had laid dormant for years, and now it was clawing to be free. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to calm herself down as she feels the anger bubbling up in her chest at the thought of Julius, of her bloodlust, and of herself. She takes a breath, and then turns the water off, grabbing the towel from off the rack, wrapping it around her body.

She dressed herself in a simple gray t-shirt and a pair of worn shorts, walking down to the main floor where the others were gathered for breakfast. Although, when she walked into the dining hall, nobody was there. The wall of French doors that lined the rear end of the room were all open, a steady warm wind blowing through the long white curtains around. Shayla appears through one of the doors, the rising sun illuminating her figure, making her brown hair glow with copper undertones.

"Today, we're eating our breakfast outside, honey." Shayla smiles, walking up to Carolyne, hovering her hand over Carolyne's shoulders, knowing better than to touch the girl.

"Okay," Carolyne says slowly, following Shayla outside, where several tables were unfolded, covered by white tablecloths and brimming with food, the other pack members wandered around the tables, chatting.

"Good morning." Lance smiles at her as she walks up to where he was sitting, at the head of the table. He stood up when she approached, pulling out her chair.

"Good morning." She returns the smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. She was more tense than usual, looking around, keeping an eye on the wolves surrounding her, squirming around in her seat. She was waiting for Julius to jump from the bushes and attack. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. Where did you go last night?" Lance engages in small talk, filling his plate with food, and glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"To go see Juli," Carolyne replies curtly, filling her own plate with a hearty array of different foods, trying to conserve as much energy as she could for the fight tonight. She felt shaky like she was crashing down from a sugar high. "We needed a moment alone."

"I understand." Lance backs down, not wanting to upset her. He could tell that she was hiding from him, and he tried to reach into her thoughts. "Carolyne... why are you blocking me out?"