Phoenix jabs Fabian in his side with her elbow, pulling out her tongue at him while Noelle has her back turned to us. I have to keep myself from laughing out loud when Phoenix sits down next to me making herself comfortable.
Fabian glares at me throughout the dinner, whilst Noelle and Phoenix chat and talk about normal human things. You certainly wouldn’t say I was a wolf sitting at a table full of witches. To be honest, it feels good to be normal without worrying about things like packs, territories and mates.
Phoenix offers to clean the dishes with the help of Fabian, much to his dismay. While Noelle leads me to the living room, pulling out a huge photo album which she hands it to me.
Flipping through the album, I am surprised to see that each and every photo is of my mother and her, there’s even some of Noelle and James. My hand freezes when I come across the ones of James. He looks so young as he stares lovingly into the camera lens.
“Who took this photo?” I look up to find Noelle looking down at the photo with a smile on her face.
“I did,” she says, in a soft whisper.
“You cared about him?” I ask.
“I loved him,” she says proudly, then laughs and wipes away a single tear. “My mother helped heal him when he was bit by the rogue. After he survived the shift… things changed. He changed, your mother changed, everything was different.”
I look down at the picture and run my finger over his face. “I miss him.”
Noelle wraps an arm over my shoulders and whispers, “I do too.”
Once Fabian and Phoenix join us in the living room, Noelle asks me to explain what’s been happening to me recently, so I do. I tell her about my healing powers and the after effects, and what it feels like when the magic is taking over my body. Phoenix asks about the first time I shifted into my wolf-form; she seems rather interested in that particular part. I can tell Fabian doesn’t like it one bit. He so doesn’t want to sit here and listen, so I tell them every little thing that comes to mind making sure to drag out every last detail.
“So you’re telling me that you don’t heal like a normal wolf does?” Fabian asks, now sounding captivated.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. If I were a full-blooded wolf, you wouldn’t have stood a chance against me. Full-blood wolves are bigger and stronger, but I am quick at least. My strength is growing with each passing week. I’m becoming more wolf and less human, but I’m still not healing like a full-blood would,” I tell him, turning my head to Noelle.
“We witches believe in the Law of Infinite Data, meaning there is more in the universe than we can sense or know; learning never stops. You know about wolves, witches and you probably realise there is a lot more out there that isn’t part of the natural world. Nature can be altered, but it will always keep part of its natural form. You were born human and wolf, and that’s why you turned without having to be bitten, but your human side is still very much a part of you. When a human is turned by another wolf through a bite, the wolf gene takes over the human side. The human gene cannot withstand the wolf one and this is why so many die. You have both genes and I guess this is the side effect of that. You may be special seeing as you’re the only one I know born from a wolf and a turned human, but you have to work harder than any wolf to make sure no one finds out about that. Maybe your healing will progress at a later stage, but for now you need to keep that to yourself and those you trust.”
“What about the magic? Can you explain how that came to light?” I ask her.
“Have you ever asked your mother about her parents?” she asks, cautiously.
“She told me that they were killed by rogues the night she met my father?” I don’t know if I like where this is going. I can tell Noelle is about to drop a bombshell.
“Your grandmother was a witch, Angel. A very powerful one. Your mother and uncle were part of our Coven, we all grew up together. When the wolves killed your grandparents and bit James, your father took your mother and him away from us.” Her voice turns darker and the little lamps in the cottage flicker. Fabian reaches over and takes his mother’s hand in his.
She takes a deep breath then continues, “Your father turned your mother before she had a chance to learn her magic and fully appreciate it. The fact that your mother was to be a witch and your father is a wolf could also be a reason why you survived your birth. The power that your grandmother passed down to you only came to light when you were on the brink of death. You consumed the power out of me as I tried to heal you, that alone says how powerful you are.” I sit there frozen and at a loss for words.