Fated Destiny:The Wolf, The Witch, The Demon

1. Good Morning, Goodbye

GOOD MORNING, GOODBYE

Zara

I lay in my bed staring at my ceiling and anxiously biting my nails. I’ve been awake now for at least 3 hours and haven't even gone to the bathroom. I don't want to move. I don’t want to leave my room or my house for that matter. I’d rather stay right in bed all day, undisturbed, but I know it won’t happen. At any moment my Aunt Wren will come in with lots of cheer and chatter. My two least favorite things. As if on cue, my bedroom door flies open and my aunt glides in with a huge smile on her face.

“Good MORNING niece!!!! Happy 17th Birthday my love! I can’t believe you are still in bed. We have so much to do in preparation for your party this evening. I am SO thrilled!”

Aunt Wren sits down on the bed and bounces excitedly. I pull the sheets over my head and release a heavy sigh of frustration. I adore her, my aunt Wren, but sometimes her exuberance for life in general really exhausts me.

“Xena and I aren’t ready to get up and we’re both actually okay with skipping the whole party. You can tell everyone we aren’t feeling well or something.”

I peek out from under my covers to see my aunt’s reaction. Her eyes are becoming watery which is a clear sign that she is about to cry. She is truly one of the most sensitive people I know. It doesn’t take much to make my dear aunt emotional and I often have to apologize for saying something hurtful. It is always unintentional. It’s just that I am emotionally detached most of the time and brutally honest.

“Aw, auntie, please don’t cry. I’m sorry. I know you’ve put a lot into planning this party. Xena and I are feeling fine and will be at the party with bells on. Isn’t that the saying? With bells on?”

I sit up and wrap my arms around my dear aunt and squeeze her tightly. Slowly, a smile spreads across her face and all's right with the world again. Sometimes I think she uses this ‘puppy dog on the verge of crying’ face just to get her way with me. Admittedly, it’s effective. I hate seeing my aunt cry therefore do anything she asks to avoid hurting her sensitive feelings. My wolf, Xena, on the other hand, is not so easily swayed by my aunt’s antics. I can hear her growling in discontent in my mind and I can’t help but to smirk.

“Okay! We’ve got to get moving. First, shower and then come downstairs to eat breakfast. There’s no time to waste!” Aunt Wren says in a sing-songy voice and stands to exit my room. With her back turned to me I roll my eyes and stick my tongue out while making a funny face.

“I saw that!” My aunt says over her shoulder.

I can see a smirk form on her sweet face as she closes my bedroom door. My aunt Wren is a witch. As is my mother, her sister. Just as their mother was before them. Just as I am. We come from a long line of witches and warlocks, very special and powerful ones. Aunt Wren has always had the natural gift of sight. You know how adults tell children they know everything they’re doing because they have eyes in the back of their head? Well my aunt actually does know everything I’m doing. She may not literally have eyes in the back of her head but her gift of sight is ten times better. She can see the past, present and future. I used to despise it when I was younger. It didn’t allow me much room to get away with mischief but it also never deterred me from getting into plenty of trouble. I’m a rebel. Give me a rule and watch me try my best to push the boundaries of it. My mother says I get that part of my personality from my father. My father says I get it from her. I figure I’m a great mix of both of them. A witch and a werewolf. A hybrid.

“Looks like we won’t be escaping the party this evening, Xe.” I speak to my wolf in my mind.

Xena huffs and plops down while placing a paw over her eyes. I can feel her disappointment. Xena is a bit of a grumpy wolf. Way more of a grump than me. She prefers being solitary which is unusual for a wolf since we’re pack animals. I chalk it up to the witch part of me having an effect on her.

“Maybe we can show up but disappear after about 30 minutes. That should be enough time to make your aunt happy,” Xena suggests.

“We’ll see,” I say.

I don’t want to give Xena false hope and I always want to be honest with her. She is my partner in life and I need to maintain trust between the two of us. I slide out of bed and head to my bathroom to get my morning started. I turn the shower on to the hottest temperature and begin to undress as I consider Xena’s suggestion. It seems like attending the party and showing my face for a while before quietly exiting stage left is a fair exchange. I step into the shower and gradually step under the flow of water coming from the showerhead. It takes a few seconds for my body to adjust to the heat from the water but it is so worth it. My tolerance for pain is pretty high and I actually get a bit of pleasure from the almost scorching heat hitting my soft skin. Xena sighs softly and stretches happily at the sensations going through my body. Seeing her be so content puts a smile on my face. Now that Xena is calm and quiet I start thinking about the upcoming events as I wash my body and hair. So much is going to change once my ceremony takes place. I will be receiving a large portion of my powers tonight. Today is my seventeenth birthday and my journey to fulfill my destiny continues in a major way. Most seventeen year olds in my village are preparing to graduate high school, discover their fated mates and begin their adult lives and families. I, on the other hand, am preparing to become something so much more. I won’t find a mate and I won’t start a family of my own. It’s impossible for me. I’ll never experience the mate bond and I can never choose a mate either. That’s another reason Xena is probably such a loner. We are the exception to what is natural for everyone else. It’s the price to be paid for the great power and responsibility we receive. I’ve come to accept it without any bitterness or regret. I shrug to myself as I rinse the suds off of my body. I figure I can’t miss things I’ve never had or experienced.

“Amen to that!” Xena agrees.

I roll my eyes at her exclamation and step out of the shower. I wrap a towel around my body and a smaller one around my hair.

“Hey Google! What time is it?” I say out loud as I enter my bedroom.

“It’s 8:15 A.M.” My Google Nest responds.

Sh*t! I stayed in the shower longer than I should have. If I’m late getting downstairs to breakfast I will definitely receive yet another lecture from my very punctual and time conscious father. I rush to my dresser and grab a pair of black leggings and an olive green hoodie with my high school’s letters on it. I quickly rub moisturizer on my face and pull my unruly, curly hair up into a messy bun at the top of my head. I know that my parents have already arranged for hair and makeup to get me set for tonight’s party so there is no point in putting too much effort into my appearance right now. I just need to get downstairs before my father..

“ZARA VALICIA AHMAD!!!!”

Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! The soul shaking sound of my father growling my name causes me and Xena to cringe. I take in a deep breath and walk quickly down the stairs. As I walk into the kitchen my eyes lock with the disapproving ones belonging to my father. I bow my head to feign shame but in reality I do not see what the big deal is. Just because he likes to work on a tight, inflexible time schedule should not mean the rest of us must as well. He’s so extreme.

“Good morning, Father! It’s always a pleasure to hear you yelling my name first thing in the morning. Really warms my heart.” I smile brightly and kiss his cheek before sitting properly in my chair at the kitchen table. My mother and aunt are already seated and are quietly looking between my father and I. They know this is going to be quite the exchange.

“I would think that by your 17th birthday I would not still have to use such a tone in order to get you to put some pep in your step and come down for breakfast on time. The same time that has been in place since the day you were born…17 years ago,” my father retorts. His eyes bore into me and oh my! If looks could kill!

“I understand your frustration, Father. I completely empathize seeing how you continue to expect something of me that I have yet to master within the 17 years of my life thus far. It’s almost as if neither of us really knows each other…and yet, we do.” I basically spit the words out.

Out of the corner of my eye I see my aunt drop her head into the palms of her hands as her elbows rest on the table. My mother reaches a hand out to touch my father’s arm soothingly.

“Rahl. Please. It’s just breakfast and it’s her birthday.” my mother says to him in her calming voice.

She’s the only one who knows how to bring my father back down when he’s in his Super Alpha mode. Oh yeah, he’s the Alpha of our pack. That’s an important fact to know. My mother is the High Priestess of our coven. So when I say I come from a powerful lineage...I mean it literally.

“No, Celest! This behavior has only gotten worse and this child needs to mind her tone with me! She’s no more prepared for the responsibilities that lie ahead than she was years ago! She’s not ready to take any of this on! I never question Goddess but I am really wondering if some sort of mistake was made choosing Zara to be The One.” 

My father pounds his fist on the table causing everyone but me to jump a little in their chairs. I now feel Xena getting upset and that is never a good thing because besides my mother, she is usually my voice of reason when it comes to my father. Xena is not angry though. She is hurt and that hurts me. I stand suddenly and push my chair back causing it to fall backwards onto the floor. I mimic my father and slam a fist on the table as well which elicits a gasp from my aunt. She’s going to cry. I just know it and inwardly I roll my eyes. I do not need to deal with her getting emotional right now. There is enough emotion going around between me and my father. I hope she can keep her tears contained until I finish making this final point.

“A mistake? A mistake?! You have waited this long to speak these words to me on this day. My birthday. Well, I too have wondered if Goddess made a mistake. The mistake of allowing you to be my father! I have never been able to please you and you have always made it perfectly clear that I am a disappointment to you. No need to worry any further, Father. I do not desire to be either your daughter or The One any longer.”

My aunt suddenly stands and screams at me, “Zara NO!! Don’t say it Zara! You are only upset! Please no!”

I look at my mother as the realization of what is happening truly hits her and I see tears brimming in her eyes. I hate to see it. I hate hurting my mother. I really do but I am consumed by pain, hurt, frustration and desperation. My father has pushed me too far with his words.

“I am so sorry ma-ma. I love you. I hope you’ll forgive me one day. Goodbye.” I mind-link her and then turn my attention back to my father.

“I, Zara Valicia Ahmad relinquish my birthright as future leader of the The Waning Crescent Pack and Coven as well as my connection to them. I relinquish my birthright as The One. I hereby acknowledge that from this moment forward I am a part of nothing and attached to no one. I am dissolving all ties. In the name of our Goddess. Let it be.”

The words sting coming out of my mouth but I immediately feel both a weight lifted and a hollowness inside myself. I lift my head and go upstairs to my room to collect what clothes, toiletries and cash I can reasonably fit into my book bag. I return downstairs where my parents and aunt now all sit solemnly staring into space in total disbelief. I walk past them to head towards the front door and take one final look back over my shoulder. I am sure my eyes are deceiving me because it looks as if my father actually has tears rolling down his cheeks. I shake my head and continue out the door. There’s no way. My father would never cry over me. Never.