The next morning I awoke to something sharp against my throat. My eyes snapped open as Talieus frowned down at me.
"Dead."
I groaned.
"Is this how I can expect to wake up every morning?"
He stood up flipping the throwing knife he presented it to me handle first.
"Expect everything prepare for everything. If that had been someone else you would be dead. You are up against wolves that will use anything and everything against you. They have no honour they will use whatever they can to bring you down you must predict their every move, predict every play. It is a game to them you must play it better."
I took the knife off him tucking it inside my clothes where it was easily pulled out.
"Keep it on you at all times."
He started out.
"Now come on day two awaits."
Once again we made our way up to the summit on the mountain. Turning to face me he instructed.
"Before we start today I want you to not just dodge my attacks but counter act them. It's not enough to just survive you must show that the consequences are too great to even try."
I frowned.
"But I don't want to lead with fear."
Talieus shook his head.
"That's not what I'm saying at all. Your pack is different what you need if for your enemies to fear you. Your enemies will always see you as weak unless. show them your not. They must believe that it's not worth challenging you for fear of what you will do to them if they fail. They must believe that it is far better to work with you then against you."
"But how do I do that?"
He smiled.
"By winning this battle."
I stared at him wide eyed was he talking about the battle from the vision?
"But I had thought to find a way to stop the battle altogether."
His face turned sad.
"There is no stopping the future Raven the sooner you realise that the better. I have lived though the time of a vision before. Did you really think we didn't see Tharon's attack coming?"
I hadn't thought about that the forest lakes pack had the gift of foresight of corse they knew it was coming.
"We like you tried to do what we could to avoid it that is why your mother agreed to mate Tharon. She thought that if she did it would change the future. Well we both know how that turned out."
"I had no idea."
"No one does it was Loki that told me many years ago."
"If that's true then how are we to win when we already know we don't?"
"By being smarter we already know what will happen and where so we are already at an advantage."
As his words sank in I realised what this meant. No matter what I do Ki will turn on me there is no escaping it.
'He is right Raven there is no escaping our fate.'
I shook my head I can't believe it How can our fate be so cruel to loose our mate to our enemies. Why would the moon goddess pair us together if we were to be forced to fight on opposite sides?
'I don't know.'
I sighed as I looked up at Talieus.
"There's something you don't know about the vision."
Talieus's eyes narrowed as I continued.
"In the vision Ki is allied with the enemy."
At my words Talieus bows his head.
"I figured as much. I believe that is how they find us."
My hand snaps to my neck as I feel Ki's mark beneath my fingers.
"My mark!"
Talieus nods.
"So it is my fault."
He sighs.
"The actions of others is never your fault Raven even if Ki had not marked you it is only a matter of time before they found us. We could not remain hidden forever."
He waved his hands in that dismissive way of his.
"Enough of this, lets get back to your training."
Once again he threw a volley of knives and once again I was forced to use my wind to try and fight them back I tried to do as he said and counter attack. A few times a managed to force a knife back at him but it missed its target by a long shot.
This only made him throw them more frequently and with more force behind them. I barely had time to escape them let alone throw them back.
"Don't just defend Raven you must stop the attacks at their source. Stop me from throwing more that is your ultimate goal when being attacked."
Once again my frustration was growing no matter what I did I just couldn't do what he asked. There was no time between attacks to counter act them.
"Don't think feel. Your wind and body know what to do without you having to think about it first!"
Growling as I back flipped away from one dagger the next one aimed for my head without thinking my wind grabbed the knife spun it round and flung it back at him. It almost hit its mark as he caught it in mid air before it hit his face.
"Good very good. Your improving."
His wind stopped.
"That's enough for today."
I sighed with relief. Thank god I was even more tired then yesterday.
Once again I dropped to the ground panting as he laughed.
"It will get easier I assure you soon enough it will be second nature."
I watched him as he again sat before me.
"Do you have more questions today?"
I nod.
"Then ask away."
I thought over where I would start I thought about everything he had spoken about these last two days. Every word he spoke gave the impression that he was training me not only for the trials but also to be an alpha. Staring into his eyes I asked.
"What if I don't pass the trials? All this training will have been for nothing."
He sighed as he took my hand in his.
"I won't lie to you there is a possibility that you will fail and Zeld will pass. There's even a possibility that neither of you will pass, however I believe that you were meant to be alpha. No matter what the case you are meant for greater things Raven. Your spirit shines everywhere you go. You are a child of the moon goddess and as one you will play a big part in what is to come."
"You said there was a difference between being a descendant and a child of the moon. What did you mean by that."
His greying hair swayed in the breeze.
"What I meant by that is your ancestors were born of the moon goddess line. Most in your family are genetically made to be alphas, but every once in a while especially arounrd times of great need a child of the moon goddess line will be born with the powers of the moon goddess herself. I believe that you are one such child. The fact that you have the power to heal is but one sign since we have not had that power in our pack for many generations."
I raised my eyes brows with skepticism.
"You think I have the powers of the moon goddess?"
Despite my self I couldn't help but laugh.
"That's ridiculous I can't even shift."
"Ah but you have been cursed you forget I was there when you were born. I saw you even as a child talk to the animals of the forest as if they were your subjects. Even the trees listened to you I have never seen anything like it. You are special Raven this curse is only temporary. Even a curse will not be able to hold back your powers for too long."
I sighed.
"But the only reason i have the powers I have now is because of Ki. His bond freed my wind and allowed me to hear Caryi again."
"Did it? Are you sure it was the bond?"
I thought about it when I first felt my wind I was sparing with Cal well it was just after Ki and I had just slept together for the first time it wasn't til Cal shifted that my power awoke. Then I remembered when I heard Caryi for the first time it was after she had shown me the vision from the future.
'I guess we were both wrong.'
"See I think you'll find it wasn't your mate bond with Ki at all. I believe that the curse that was put on you is lifting because you are starting to except your role in life. You are starting to except that you are a true alpha."
I frowned as I thought of my mark I felt for it at my neck.
"I guess this is what you meant by naive."
His frown matched my own.
"Im sorry Raven truly I am but you need to forget about him being your mate."
I stood up ripping my hands from his.
"What?!"
He stood up as well.
"You have no choice Raven you have seen the future there is no way to stop him from fighting against you. If you do not set aside your feelings it could mean the death of the pack."
"But we could win Every wolf that Shiya has her bounty hunter turn could be turned back if we win."
"You can't cling to that hope Raven."
"He's my mate!"
"How do you know he's your mate?"
I gritted my teeth.
"Because I love him."
"Yet you left him?"
"I had to!"
My anger was rising as my fists were clenching.
"Tell me why Raven? If you love him so much if you believe him to be your mate why did you not bring him with you?"
I could feel my eyes glowing my canines extending.
"Because of the vision I knew there was a chance Shiya would turn him to her side!"
"But if you brought him here would that not have saved him from that fate?"
I growled again.
"He has his own pack to take care of I couldn't!"
"Couldn't or didn't want too?!"
He started to circle me as my fury grew with each word he spoke.
"Perhaps the reason you didn't bring him was that deep down you know that you couldn't trust him. You didn't bring him because if your honest with yourself you know that he is not your mate he was never meant to be your mate!"
"YOUR WRONG!"
As the words left my mouth so did the air from his. My growl was deafening as I stared at him my blood boiling as I sucked the air from his lungs. His eyes widened as he grasped for his throat gasping for the air I was denying him.
It wasn't til his knees buckled that I realised what I was doing. My hand went to my mouth as I released the air I was denying him. He coughed the sounds horrifying as I backed away from him. What did I do?
Turning I ran I couldn't face him after what I'd almost done. I'd almost killed him in my anger. I heard him screaming my name behind me but it only urged me to run faster.
I ran till I couldn't run any more already exhausted from training. I was bent over panting as I used the cave wall to steady myself.
Once I'd finally caught my breath I looked around wondering where I was. Great so not only had I almost killed my grandfather now I was lost inside a mountain. Today was chalking up to be a great fucking day.
I remained silent as I listened for anything that would help me get out. In the distance I heard the slightest hint of voices. Deciding to head towards them I figured I could at the very least ask who ever it was which way was out.
As I got closer the voices grew louder til I realised who they belonged to. Discreetly I peeked around the corner. Zeld In human form was surrounded by at least ten wolves.
Zeld's eyes were glowing as he eyed off each wolf. Suddenly they all moved forward to attack.
I started to yell Zeld's name while stepping forward to save him when someone grabbed me from behind covering my mouth.
A voice whispered in my ear.
"Be quiet and don't interfere!"
Talieus pulled me back behind the wall before I could be seen. I froze as Keyon's voice resounded over the growling of the wolves.
"Good Zeld use your anger, use it to punish the one that really deserves it. Raven will never love you back. make her pay become the alpha she can never hope to be. She can not save this pack but you can and once everyone else sees it they will all want her dead even you."
Zeld's growl echoed through the cave as Talieus loosened his grip on me.
"You see you cant trust anyone not even him now come on."
Stunned I started to follow Talieus turning one last time the image That would haunt my sleep tonight. Zeld now In wolf form stood surrounded by downed wolves. They weren't dead but they certainly weren't getting up any time soon. That however wasn't what effected me the most. His eyes as the blood dropped from his mouth reflected so much fury and pain there was none of the Zeld I knew in those eyes.
What had Keyon done to him? It had only been two days there's no way he had changed Zeld so much in so little time.
'Talieus is right we can't trust anyone.'
'Not completely right now we can only trust ourselves Raven. We can trust that we will do what's right for the pack.'
'Your right the pack is what's important not my friend or my mate. Right now I must pass those trails the rest can wait.'
With Talieus in front I followed as we returned to the rest of the pack.