Decisions (Inner Desires Series) - Chapter 6

Olivia, Demon and Jacob decided to start practising shifting in their basement as going out was more dangerous now, especially with a Death Demon running around. The three of them were becoming extremely frustrated because they just couldn’t figure it out.

“Each of us is different for changing,” Alex sighed. Alex was sitting on an old armchair that was in the corner of the basement.

“What was yours?” Olivia asked.

“I changed back to my animal part when I was twelve. Pain and agony caused my shift,” Alex said softly.

“Pain and agony?” Demon said confused.

“Alex was forced to watch her family killed in front of her by a rogue shifter. She had two younger siblings and her parents,” Raska answered, coming down the stairs.

“That’s horrible. What happened to the shifter?” Olivia asked.

“Tessmere tracked the shifter down and killed it, but not before it had attacked two other families, one being human,” he replied, sitting down at a desk that was up against the basement wall.

“So, shifting can be forced by an emotion or an action?” Jacob asked, rubbing Alex shoulder, trying to comfort her.

“Yes,” Raska said simply, “And it’s different for everyone.”

Olivia pursed her lips and thought for a moment. What did she need to do or feel to change from human to wolf? That was a million-dollar question. She thought about past things to see if maybe any of it would be of use, and then her memory fell on what had occurred a few days ago and her heart ached. She loved Dane so much, she never dreamed he would ever do anything to her. She reached around to her back and ran her fingers down the wound that was still healing on her back. Her eyes were starting to well up with tears at the memory of her brother stabbing her. Her heart was broken and she wished she could reverse everything and change what had occurred. Olivia opened her eyes and was confused with the puzzled look her brothers were giving her, she was also confused at why she was looking up at them, had she fallen? She went to stand up, only to realize she was already standing. She walked over to the mirror that was next to the desk, and jumped back from it with shock. What was staring back at her was not a human girl, but a silver furred wolf. She looked at Raska.

“Well, well, nice job,” he simply said.

“How did I do this?” Olivia asked, her gaze going back to the mirror.

“What were you thinking about before this moment?” he asked.

“My brother betraying me. The pain of being betrayed. How much I loved and cared about him.”

“Love. The emotion of love is what allowed you to shift,” Raska answered.

“Love?”

“You loved Dane a lot, and still do, even after what he did to you, to Demon. It is hard to hate someone you’ve known your whole life, trust me. I wish I could hate my brother, but I can’t, it’s just not possible,” Raska sighed.

“Why do you want to hate your brother?” Jacob asked.

“Because Blaze has tried to kill me time and again, I just don’t have the heart to hate him. We were so close when we were kids. We didn’t grow up with Marissa and Chance. Blaze’s father was abusive and our mother was in so much despair, that Blaze and I raised each other. My father was never around,” Raska said softly, “His father ditched us when Blaze was five and I was three.”

“Is that what allowed you to shift?” Demon asked.

“No, mine was protection. Blaze and I were attacked by a rogue shifter when I was fourteen. Neither of us could shift yet. The shifter charged after Blaze and I protected him.”

“Am I able to switch back?” Olivia asked.

“Yes, though I would recommend going upstairs if you don’t want any of us seeing you naked,” Raska chuckled.

“That’s alright, I want to try something,” Olivia said, before shifting back to her human form.

Olivia closed her eyes and breathed. She felt materials on her body and she opened her eyes to see everyone staring at her, dumb founded.

“What? I’m supposed to be a sorceress, so I figured I’d give it a shot,” she said, trying to hold back her laughter, “Anyway, I am going to go get some fresh air in the back yard. Hopefully when I return, my brothers can also shift,” she finished, heading up the stairs.

Once Olivia was outside, she broke down, tears streaming. She couldn’t control her emotions. She didn’t want anyone to see her break down, it was bad enough she did in the hospital. She knew Raska was right about her loving her brother. Olivia used her sleeve to wipe her face. She moved her arm and realized she was face to face with a wolf. A little frightened, Olivia tried to slowly move back, only to remember the house was right behind her. She wasn’t sure if this wolf was friendly or not, but she couldn’t scream loud enough for the others to hear in the basement. Dixie and Darren were not home, so there was no one upstairs to alert anyone that she was in danger. So, Olivia was in the back yard, vulnerable and alone with a wolf that seemed much bigger than a normal wolf, but it also seemed bigger than a shifter.

Olivia thought of something strange, she decided to try and see if this wolf was a friend. She slowly moved her hand towards its mouth, praying it wouldn’t bite her. It growled at her hand being extended to it. Olivia forced herself not to flinch at the growl, she continued to move her hand towards it until she was able to pet its fur. The wolf was still growling, but didn’t stop Olivia. Instead, it decided to sit down and stare at her hand, as she petted his neck. Olivia slowly rose to her feet, which allowed her to be eye to eye with the wolf. She had never seen anything like it, its head was the height of her standing. She moved her hand away from his neck and shivered, for her hand was covered in blood.

The wolf shook its head in a ‘no’ direction.

“Then who’s blood is it?” she asked.

“A shifter who I left alive,” he answered, “Though, I can’t say why I did that? He seemed to be a problem.”

“A shifter?”

“Had crystal blue eyes like yourself, little wolf,” he answered.

“Dane,” she breathed.

“Who’s Dane?”

“He’s my brother, and he’s in a whirlwind of trouble,” Olivia sighed.

“I see. So, you don’t know what he’s doing little wolf?”

“No and my name is Olivia, not little wolf.”

“My apologies.”

“You’re not a shifter. Are you the alpha werewolf?” she asked, sitting back down on the step, feeling a little dizzy.

“My name is Shane Carmichael. To answer your question, yes, I am a werewolf. I only was drawn to your home because I smelt my pack mate.”

“Surriey,” Olivia answered, rubbing her forehead.

“Are you alright?” he asked, before quickly shifting to human form and catching a now fainted Olivia.

Shane found this woman quite beautiful and he felt a little attracted to her. He lifted her up in his arms and quietly entered the house. He made his way through the kitchen and living room and up the stairs. He then used his sense of smell to find the room that belonged to the woman he was carrying. Once he found the room, he opened the door and place her gently on her bed. He didn’t have magic powers, so he couldn’t conjure clothing at will. He went back to the bedroom door and quietly closed it.

Olivia’s room was quite tidy; didn’t have anything that was out of place. She had frames along the walls. Some just had her in them, while others had her and three boys or her, five boys and another woman. Shane figured they were family members. Shane looked at one of the photos that was of her and three boys. He narrowed his gaze on each of the men in the photo, then his gaze landed on the one that felt the most familiar to him. Shane assumed that maybe this male, was the same shifter he encountered at the dike.

Shane barely spent time with humans or supernaturals since his brother’s passing. He preferred to be left alone, but seeing as he was drawn to the male shifter because of a demon smell, he needed to scout his pack mate out to see if she knew anything about the demon. He could sense her in the house, but he didn’t dare leave Olivia’s bedroom. Shane barely knew how to be civilized, and a confrontation with Olivia’s friends and family, would spell disaster for them more than him. When he first came upon her house, he saw her in the backyard crying. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt like he needed to comfort her somehow. He found her very brave for not running from him, but instead trying to befriend him; he admired that about her. He wanted to know more about Olivia and who she was, but wasn’t sure if she would be interested in him. Shane would love to have someone like Olivia as his mate. Shane noticed that Olivia was starting to stir, so he quickly looked for something to cover his private parts with. He opened a drawer and pulled out a shirt.

“Where am I?” she asked at first, then realized she was in her room.

She looked over at the man who was standing in her room, covering himself with her shirt. She was about to scream when he quickly bolted to her side and covered her mouth.

“It’s me, Shane. You fainted outside,” he whispered, “See, I have golden eyes and brown hair,” he finished, allowing her to look at him. He removed his hand then.

“Where are your clothes?” she asked.

“I haven’t owned clothes in years. I haven’t been in human form since…” he trailed off.

“Your brother passed, Surriey told us,” Olivia said softly.

Olivia attempted to use her new found powers and conjured male clothing that she was sure would fit Shane. She didn’t need him walking around the house butt naked.

“Here,” she said, handing the clothing to him.

“Uh…thanks,” he said, awkwardly.

“You don’t want my family getting the wrong idea,” she said quietly.

Shane turned away from Olivia so that his privates weren’t facing her, but unfortunately, she had to blush. As far as she was concerned, his butt was actually cute. Kind of a school girl way of thinking about a grown man, but she didn’t care, she liked what she was seeing. She turned her head when Shane glanced towards her, but when he turned away and she moved her gaze back, watching curiously as Shane pulled the jeans on, she has conjured for him. Damn, now she thought his butt was even cuter with the jeans. He turned to face her and gave her a puzzled look.

“What?” she asked.

“Why is your face red?” he responded.

“No reason,” she said, bashfully.

“Really?” he cooed, “Like the view?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she answered, looking away from him.

“You were staring at my naked ass and then again with the jeans. I’m a werewolf, I can feel when someone is watching me,” he grinned, causing Olivia’s face to go even redder than it already was.

Olivia and Shane stared at each other for a few moments before Olivia heard a voice downstairs. It sounded like her family was looking for her. She then heard quick footsteps up the stairs, followed by a pounding on Olivia’s door. Shane started to bare his teeth, but Olivia corrected him.

“Yes?” Olivia said.

“Are you alright Liv?” she heard concern in Jacob’s voice.

“I’m okay, I guess.”

“Surriey said she smelt an intruder,” he responded.

“Not an intruder, a friend,” Olivia said, giggling.

“Friend?” Jacob asked.

“Just come in.”

The bedroom door handle started to turn and Shane backed up, bumping into the dresser, Olivia could tell he was nervous. She grabbed his arm and gave him an ‘it’s okay’ look. When the door fully opened, Jacob looked for the light switch and flicked it on, causing Shane to bolt onto the bed and curl into a ball, or tried to anyway, given that he was human and not wolf. He used his arms to cover his head. It wasn’t really fear, more, he wasn’t used to the bright light.

“Who the hell is that?” Jacob asked, half chuckling.

“His name is Shane,” Olivia started, “When I was in the backyard, apparently I fainted. Before I fainted, I was talking to Shane, but he was in wolf form. Shane carried me into the house and up here and now here we are.”

“You’ve never tapped your magic before, it’s why you fainted, your body isn’t used to it,” Shane said, his answer muffled by the blankets.

“Oh,” Olivia said, a little embarrassed.

“We got worried because you were gone for over an hour,” Jacob said, leaning against the bedroom doorway.

“I hadn’t realized how much time passed.”

“So, Shane’s the alpha werewolf?” Jacob inquired.

“Yes,” Shane said, still hiding his head in the blankets.

“You don’t seem frightening,” Jacob chuckled.

“I’m not used to being in human form, nor am I used to the brightness of lights. I’ve spent the last few years living in the forests around Mission,” he answered.

“Do you want me to turn the light back off?” Jacob asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

“That would be appreciated.”

Jacob did as Shane requested and turned the light off. Once he did that, Shane uncurled from his ball and stood up, brushing himself off as though there was dust or dirt on his clothes. He had yet to put on a shirt as he was teasing Olivia about staring at his ass.

“Thank you,” Shane said, straightening up and walking up to Jacob, extending his hand “My name is Shane Carmichael, a pleasure to meet you.”

“Jacob,” he answered, accepting Shane’s hand.

“I had told Olivia I came here originally because I smelt my pack mate here. I’m to assume she hasn’t left?” Shane asked.

“No. She’s bonded to my brother Demon,” Jacob said.

“Bonded huh? Good for her,” Shane seemed genuinely happy to hear that his pack mate found someone.

“Yeah. She’s downstairs in the living room along with our uncle, my girlfriend and our brother,” Jacob said, leaving the doorway and heading back downstairs.

Olivia got up from her bed and headed past Shane to the hallway. She looked back to see that Shane didn’t move, he was staring at the floor. Olivia walked back to him and grabbed his hand in hers, guiding him in the direction she was going.

Once they got to the bottom of the stairs, Shane had to hide his eyes because they weren’t adjusting well to the lights. Olivia switched off all the lights except for a standing lamp in the living room. Once she did this, Shane was able to focus his vision.

“Why the darkness Liv?” Alex asked.

“Alpha’s not used to the light,” Surriey said quietly. She was on the full-length couch, her head in Demon’s lap.

“Alpha?” Raska asked.

“Yes, alpha. Geez, why am I repeating myself,” Surriey growled, “I told you there was someone here.”

“What do you know about the demon?” Shane asked, addressing Surriey.

“He’s a Death Demon named Alcatraz. Big and bad, but terrified of werewolves,” Surriey giggled.

“Terrified of werewolves?” Alex asked.

“Humans believed that werewolves were hellhounds and that’s how werewolves came to be. Humans are right, werewolves were created in the Underworld and released into the human world. Hellhounds was the original name for them, but changed to werewolf because in the human realm, they shift once a month, whereas if they lived in the Underworld, it was whenever they wanted to; hence why an alpha is the only one that can in the human realm. Hellhounds kept the demons in the Underworld and Tartarus under control. There are still hellhounds in the underworld, but a thousand years ago, one escaped and Hades never bother to capture it. So, that is why they are under the laws of the supernaturals now. So, naturally, Alcatraz would fear a werewolf. He would be more terrified of the alpha than me,” Surriey explained.

“My name is Shane.”

“So, what were you doing with my sis, Shane?” Demon teased.

“Actually, nothing. She’s new to her magic and therefore was a shock to her body. She fainted. I just brought her to her room and waited,” Shane said.

“Really? I thought she would have jumped all over you,” Demon said, bursting out laughing.

“Hey! I’m not a guy, I can handle my hormones,” Olivia snapped, blushing.

“You? Control hormones? That’s funny. You lived with three brothers who have very dirty minds and we all know your mind too,” Jacob said, not being able to control his own laughter.

“A female with a strong sex drive? Most men would die for that,” Raska said, smiling.

“This is not funny. Now get off the hormones. We have more important things at hand, like Dane, remember?” Olivia growled.

“Right, right,” Jacob sobered, “Dane. Shapeshifter and a magic user who summoned a demon,”

“And a werewolf,” Shane sheepishly said, cutting Jacob off.

“Excuse me?” Surriey growled, sitting up, “What did you say?”

“I…uh…may have run into him yesterday,” Shane said, feeling the fury in Surriey’s eyes.

Surriey got up and walked up to Shane. The two of them stared at each other for a few moments before Surriey shocked everyone in the room and brought her hand hard across Shane’s face, making him stumble. Shane regained himself and rubbed the cheek that Surriey had just slapped.

“I guess I deserve that,” he sighed.

“You deserve to be buried six feet under! What the hell were you thinking?!” Surriey hissed.

“I think we all need an explanation,” Raska said, still shocked.

“Dane’s a descendant of a goddess, right?” Surriey asked.

“Yes,” Raska replied.

“Therefore, he is classified as rogue. If he were not a rogue, Shane would be able to stop him right now, but he can’t. Hellhounds cannot control descendants of gods, especially those from another pantheon,” Surriey growled, “Shane infected Dane. So, he is a shapeshifter, werewolf and sorcerer. Here’s the fun tip, like Shane, because Dane is a shifter, he can shift at will, but he will be much bigger and stronger now. Shane just made a big problem worse.”

“I wonder if that kid was stupid enough to say something to Alcatraz,” Shane pondered.

“Why do you say that?” Olivia asked.

“Because if he did, he’ll have much bigger issues than the council or us trying to stop him,” Shane answered.

“Why?” Alex inquired.

“Because Alcatraz is terrified of hellhounds and if Dane doesn’t know the extent of the hellhound, Alcatraz would have the upper hand. Alcatraz will do everything possible to destroy Dane before Dane finds out about what power he yields now. If he kills Dane, he’s free, but then he has myself and Shane to deal with. In the end, we will probably win this fight,” Surriey answered.

“Wishful thinking,” Olivia sighed.

“What do you mean?” Shane asked, looking towards Olivia.

“In the end, we lose either way,” she responded, tearing up “We may stop the demon, but we lose our brother.”

“A traitor,” Surriey grumbled.

“Traitor he may be, but Liv is right, he is still our brother, he’s still family,” Demon cut in, “Traitor or not, we still love him.”

“His fate is sealed. The council will not allow him to live and you all know that,” Raska sighed, “Unfortunately, being a council member myself, I will vote for his execution.”

“We know and we’re not trying to change your mind. We’re just pointing out that we lose no matter what,” Jacob finished.

Just then, there was a knock on the door and everyone went quiet. Everyone was nervous, more because of current events. Jacob nervously walked to the front door, glance out the side window and opened the door.

“Evening Tessmere,” he said in relief.

“Demon, how are you?” he asked.

“I’m okay, aside from pain anyway,” Demon answered.

“And you, Olivia?” Tessmere asked, giving Olivia a hug.

“As best as I can be,” Olivia sighed.

Tessmere released Olivia and then gave a once over to Shane. He looked at Shane curiously and then Tessmeres expression changed from curious to more like a ‘holy shit’ look.

“Shane Carmichael?” Tessmere asked.

“Have we met?” Shane responded, confused.

“Alpha of the mortal and Underworld?” Tessmere continued, ignoring Shane.

“Mortal and Underworld?” Jacob asked.

“Shane Carmichael is the alpha of the werewolves in the mortal world and the hellhounds in the Underworld. He’s the only one the council is not allowed to de-fang,” Tessmere answered.

“What?!” everyone said shocked.

“How?” Surriey asked.

“It was originally his uncle that was the alpha, and his uncle had no successor after him. His uncles’ brother, had lived in the human realm and had Shane and his brother. When his uncle died, Hades shifted it to Shane,” Tessmere explained.

“But didn’t ask you to return?” Demon said, addressing Shane.

“I have a beta down there and I was born and raised here. Hades has some compassion, but not a lot. As long as my beta can handle everything there, I am fine up here,” Shane responded.

“So, Shane is another big, bad boy of the Underworld huh?” Olivia giggled.

“Funny,” Shane growled, “Anyway, we need to figure out a plan for taking Alcatraz and Dane down. There is a little bit of an issue with Alcatraz.”

“What issue?” Jacob asked.

“Dane needs to kill Alcatraz, if he doesn’t, Alcatraz will remain here and destroy everything. Dane is the one that summoned him and he is the only one that can send him back to the Underworld,” Shane sighed.

“Can he get a prison punishment instead of a death sentence?” Olivia asked.

“If he cooperates, it can be arranged,” Raska answered.

“No, you’ll piss off Hades,” Shane sighed, “He’ll be your worst enemy. It was his demon and therefore he’ll want to give his punishment to Dane as well.”

“Seriously?” Jacob asked.

“I’m dead serious,” Shane growled.

“Can’t we negotiate with him?” Olivia asked.

“Why are you protecting someone who condemned himself. He’s a traitor!” Surriey hissed, getting on her feet, “I don’t care if he’s family to you all, he’s made a public threat against everything supernatural!” she finished, storming out of the front door.

“I hate to admit it, but Surriey is right,” Shane said, following Surriey out the door.

Olivia knew that Surriey was right, but she also had a hard time facing that truth because she loved her brother. Olivia wished so badly that none of this happened, she wished that humans already knew about them and that there were no heavy rules for supernaturals. If supernaturals and humans were treated equally, Dane would have never gone down the road he was currently down. He would be graduating from the police academy and getting a job in the field. He would be side by side with the humans, fighting and protecting them. She desperately wanted her brother back, but she knew she couldn’t him back.

At the end of the day, Olivia’s brother brought his fate upon himself and therefore will have to deal with the consequences of his actions. She wondered what Hades had in store for him once he was sent into the Underworld. Eternal torture? Beatings? ****? She quivered at the thought of any of those happening to her brother, but she couldn’t change his fate. They could try to keep Dane from being sent to the Underworld, but then Hades would reveal his wrath to on them for keeping his potential prisoner. Olivia just wanted to find a rock, dig a small hole underneath it and hide, because at least then, she wouldn’t have to face all of what she is about to face now, all the decisions she now had to make, and most of all, the loss she was going to take by losing her brother.