Ella's Heart (Sequel to The Curse Of Violet Wraith)

Chapter Five

Ella

“Don’t forget to always keep an eye on your adversary. Attack with logic, not anger.” Father expressed as I stood straight, my legs apart and my sword above my head, waiting for the go-to attack. “Take deep breaths, focus, study the movements of your enemy.”

I closed my eyes and breathed, listening to the sounds of the woods, the owls hooting, the wolves howling and the rodents scurrying away to their night sleep. 

“Your senses need to heighten. You not only need your eyes but every single one of them. Your hearing is the most important, as you never know when your enemy will blindly attack you.”

Nodding my head, I inserted in my brain what my father was teaching me. As I opened my eyes again, Duncan was lifting his sword, ready to attack, when I waved mine in an attempt to evade him.

The swords clanked, making a loud sound that echoed through the sudden silence that managed to sneak in through the pack lands. He looked down at me, smiled, and pushed himself back, giving me space to breathe and to be ready for the next attack. 

“Remember, Ella. Logic, not anger.” Father said, noticing I was growling as Duncan’s eyes glowed, a challenging stance on his body. 

My mother stood at the end of the training field, paying her most attention to our fight as she nodded, giving me her encouragement. 

Duncan bowed, and as he lifted himself back up, his sword was already in the air, about to take another aim.

“Focus.” Father’s voice came through my ears in a whisper. “Defend the pack.”

With a growling scream coming from inside me, I lifted my sword, and once again they clanked, both of them breaking off from the handle and falling to the ground. I stared at the metal of the blade and laughed, tossing it to the side before I charged towards my best friend, shooting black sparks off my hands just as he moved to dodge it. 

“Ella! No cheating!” My father shouted, but what stopped me was the cloud that surrounded me, knowing it had come from my mother, shaking her head in disapproval.

I nodded, ashamed, and backed away from Duncan, who smiled in reassurance, forgiving me with his eyes. Father approached me and stood right in front of me, his eyes glowing as he showed me how upset it had made him. 

“I apologize, Father. It won’t happen again unless needed,” I whispered, bowing my head. I surprised myself as tears were threatening to shed when he lifted my chin with his big, calloused hands and chuckled. 

“No need. But you need to be aware that you can only take it one step at a time. You need to think about your next move, and acting erratically can cost your life and that of the warriors.”

“Yes. I am aware,” I replied as I felt his soft lips on my forehead, backing away from the field before he gave us the order to resume the fight. With punches and kicks, Duncan and I were engrossed in a fiery training, but Azandra had the urge to take over and fight with her claws.

“She’s more than ready.” Duncan chuckled, staring at my father before he surrendered, walking away to join the rest of the pack members who had joined to see my training. 

“What does he mean?” I asked as he stood in front of me and sighed, the soft growl coming from him made me think Connal wanted another shot at his pup. And Azandra would happily oblige.

With a loud howl, Connal took over my father’s body and towered over me, his teeth drooling and his snout sniffing in a challenge, ready to take his own aim. 

“Very well,” I smirked. “Ready to face Daddy dear?” I asked Azandra.

‘Oh, more than ready. Let’s do this,’ she replied, taking over in her own way, the less painful one for me as I was still a teenage girl, not strong enough to handle the shift easily. But as soon as she was out, there was nothing that could stop her. 

Nothing.

Both of our Lycans gave one last howl; the pack members cheering in approval as they charged towards each other, fighting tooth and nail to get us ready for the real thing. 

Azandra bit him in the legs, while he grabbed her by the neck and tossed her against the tree. Standing up, she growled, running fast before she tackled Connal, taking her claws out and scratching his chest, superficial enough to not hurt him.

Pushing my Lycan once again, he swiftly made his way around her, wrapping his arm around her neck before he slammed her against the ground. 

He growled loudly on her face, and as he tried to lift her again, she let her tendrils out, wrapping them around his neck before tightening the hold on him. 

That might have done the trick as she slammed him down, putting a stop to the training. 

We both shifted to our human forms, the maidens rushing to our side to cover our naked bodies as we tried to catch our breaths, smiling at each other. I had come out of it victorious, and I was proud of myself. 

I knew my father was proud as well, judging by the way he looked at me. 

“You’re ready, my daughter.”

I smiled. “Ready to defend the pack? To stop the Witch?”

“Yes, and close to being ready to take over. The next four years are crucial to that decision. As you can see, we’re not getting any younger.”

I wrapped the sheet around me and rushed towards him, letting him embrace me as he kissed my head, whispering in my ear how strong and brilliant I was.

Tears had rolled down my cheeks as I held on to him for dear life. He was my hero, and I would always be ready to follow in his footsteps.

A siren was heard in the distance, announcing the arrival of enemies, and we knew she was in pack lands. The warriors got in position, waiting for the Alpha’s orders, each eager to stop that evil woman. 

“I want to help, Father,” I pleaded, which to my surprise, he nodded. 

“Just be careful, princess.” He replied as his servants brought clothes and he tossed them on, quickly putting himself in position with the warriors. 

The maidens did the same with me, and I didn’t hesitate, getting ready to fight alongside my pack.

~~~~~~

There was chaos everywhere as the cackles of the Witch were heard in the sky, the glowing eyes under the dark cloak were as frightening as they could be, and her strikes were as strong as many wolves together. 

“Give up already, Atwood!” She yelled at my father. “You will not win this battle! You took someone away from me and I will make you pay. I will do the same to you!”

The warriors were standing still, aiming fire arrows at her while others shifted, waiting for the perfect opportunity to get their paws and teeth on her. 

“You will not stop me!” She cackled once again, when a sudden gust of wind and a giant creature swiftly grabbed her and made her disappear, the winged beast flying fast in the distance. That didn’t last long, I thought to myself. 

“You will pay!” Her shouts faded the further they flew away, and the pack cheered in victory. I just stood there, confused. Who were they?

“To answer that question you might have.” My father said, approaching me with a soft smile. “They’re our old, good friends, Ella. You will meet them one day. And they have saved us once again.”