Half-Blooded | The Dark Child Prophecy Series [✔️]

PROLOGUE: You're A Wolf

I ran, feeling my body catch in the branches of thick thorn bushes and underbrush. My boots slapped against the earth so hard I could feel the shock of each footfall in my shins. I tried to scream, but it was soundless. I could never scream here...

Ahead, the full moon shimmered yellow as it rose through the trees to reach the nighttime sky. Behind me, loud crashing noises sounded of a huge, lumbering creature on four legs as it gave chase. It was gaining ground and I was afraid it would finally catch me this time.

I ran faster.

I cut off to the right and dove through the brush to get off the beaten trail. I hurriedly ducked some low-hanging tree branches and was careful not to rub my scent off on them. When I felt like I was far enough away and couldn't hear the creature, I lunged behind a large sequoia tree trunk. Pulling my sleeve to my mouth to stifle my heavy breathing, I turned to look for it.

Just as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw it. My heart leapt into my throat, threatening to choke me. The hulking, white beast came to a halt, rising up on its hind legs in a pool of moonlight. It had pointed ears that rotated as its long face scrunched up in the process of sniffing the cold night air. Its eyes glowed white in the silver light of the moon. Its face was recognizably wolfish and canine in features, standing to a height well over six feet and covered in long, white-blonde fur. Drool dripped from its fangs.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and my entire body locked up in sheer panic. The options of fight or flight didn't seem to register with my muscles. I bit down harder on the sleeve of my sweater, waiting.

Please go away, please go away, please go away, the little girl in my mind began to pray. The words repeated over and over in a continual chant. Please go away...

I took one step to the right, ducking lower to the ground when the creature's head rotated towards my direction. It lowered itself back down onto all fours, still sniffing the air loudly in wet, snuffling sounds. There was a half-second of silence and I braced for the noise that came next. A loud, roaring howl sounded, a baying at the moon that spoke of triumph.

Not waiting, I ran.

I took off through the brush again just as the large beast rushed to my hiding place. I dodged another low branch, feeling it snag on my blonde hair. I pushed through a small grouping of pine tree saplings, hoping their natural scent would coat my body as I did. I broke free on the other side and looked over my shoulder again.

The beast raced through the woods like a charging grizzly bear, but with the grace of a canine. Nothing seemed to slow it down as if it were simply passing through solid objects like a ghost.

And it only ever existed here, the place I dreaded finding myself most.

It tore through the undergrowth and I made myself turn around and run as fast as my legs would carry me. I began to zigzag, putting larger trees and downed logs in between it and me before circling to the left of an outcropping of rocks. I could see the moonlight getting brighter ahead and I pushed myself in that direction. The only noise I could make was the soft, sobbing sound of the air that was pumping in and out of my lungs, my tongue cold as oxygen and carbon dioxide passed over it.

I took a flying leap over a knocked-down redwood, hearing the huffing of the creature growing closer. It was catching up. Even with my heightened senses, I knew no lead I had now would last much longer. My landing was uneven and I dropped forward into a tucked roll, scrambling back to my feet as I ran the next fifteen strides into the waiting moonlight on the edge of the tree line.

The clearing was vast and wide, marked by an old fence on the other side of the thicket that had decayed into rotting wood caused by the elements. A few crumbling gravestones marked the south corner. I knew where I was.

I ran several more feet before looking up at the moon. Just as I wanted to sigh in relief that I was closer to home, its cold light filled me, pouring into my body like water. And suddenly I felt like I was drowning on dry land.

Again, I attempted to scream.

My bones cracked and my muscles seized in the worst imaginable convulsions I had ever experienced. I tried to cry out as pain filled me, turning my body from cold to hot in seconds. I was no longer drowning; I was on fire from the inside out. I looked up at the full moon again.

Please no, not here.

I turned my head to look for the beast as I struggled to stay on my feet. Just as I was forced down onto one knee, I saw its glowing eyes at the edge of the forest's darkness. In a short moment of clarity, I could hear its deep growl over the sounds of my bones shifting as my body began to contort itself. My shoulder snapped, and then my elbow, and finally I was able to scream...

I woke up, startled as I tossed and turned in my bed. I pulled against the phantom branches and thorns ensnaring me to find they were just my sheets and comforter. I shoved the covers to the foot of the bed, backing all the way up to rest against my headboard. I continued gasping, trying to calm down as the fear of the chase still pumped adrenaline through my veins. I put one hand on my chest, feeling my heartbeat below. I gripped the Egyptian rune on its chain around my neck and held it close to my lips, saying a little prayer.

You're okay, you're okay. It's over, it's over, that same, small voice said in my head. It's not real. You're okay, you're okay.

When I felt my pulse slow and my mind clear from the fog of panic, I got out of bed. I sensed the sun sinking beneath the horizon and I breathed a sigh of relief. The moment I knew it was gone and officially night, I pushed one corner of my thick curtains away from the window. I looked out at the twilight, seeing the faint, yellow glow of the moon behind the trees in the distance.

My eyes drifted over the horse pasture before looking at my desk to the small calendar I kept. The date was circled in red ink and I felt the smallest remnants of my nightmare's panic and fear swell in my throat.

Just like clockwork, my body and mind found ways to remind me of what was coming...

I pushed my curtain shut and turned to my wardrobe. I pulled out old jeans, a ratty sweatshirt, and thick socks from their places and then stepped into my bathroom. If I couldn't find them later, at least they weren't my favorite clothes. I discarded my silk sleeping shorts and matching tank top, leaving them on the bathroom floor. I got dressed and pulled my long blonde locks up into a ponytail. I stared at myself in the mirror, not liking what my face would become soon enough. I carefully threaded the white-gold necklace around to the clasp and I unsnapped it. I placed it with its vintage Egyptian symbol pendant on my counter before discarding my two white-gold rings to join it. Some things I just wasn't willing to lose. I touched the pendant again and took a deep breath.

I'm sorry, Papa.

I flipped off the light and walked back into my bedroom. I listened for the sounds of the household, but all was still quiet with the only sounds coming from the downstairs portions of the manor. I laced on my old hiking boots and then walked back over to my window. I moved my curtains aside and quietly unlatched the hook. I pushed up the thick windowpane slowly, trying not to make too much noise. Once it was halfway open, I leaned down and lifted a leg over the side, straddling the windowsill. I glanced over my shoulder, back towards the door. I squinted, listening harder; but there were no signs that my family was awake yet.

Nodding to myself, I looked down to the ground three stories below and then to the surrounding courtyard and gardens. All clear. I slowly ducked my head out from beneath the windowpane just as I brought my other leg out to dangle. I gripped the windowsill harder and took a deep breath. Just as I exhaled, I let go and pushed away from the wall as I dropped.

I landed with a soft thunk, my knees bending on impact. I stood up and then headed for the woods just as the full moon began to make its ascent towards the waiting stars...