Queen of Midnight

Chapter Five.

It seemed like hours later when I was just about to put it down and get some sleep, when I stumbled across a heading that caught my attention instantly.

"Magic," I murmured, my eyes widening as I realized what this meant. It wasn't unnatural, whatever happened in the forest when I was attacked. Magic was real.

I peeled my eyes and read the first paragraph. "Magic in wolves is rare, but not unheard of. It can include control over elements, mind connections, time manipulation and flight. There are many more to be discovered, as magic does not appear in each lifetime." I frowned deeper. So why me? What was so special about me that meant I was the first wolf in probably centuries that had control over magic?

I scanned through the next paragraph, my eyes narrowing as I caught onto the word 'royal'.

"Magic can only be present in those wolves who descend from the true royal bloodline, like that of the Midnight pack, that has been the reigning royal pack for multiple centuries. The last known magic wielder was Ines Nightingale, in the year of 709c. There has been speculation that magic indeed does not exist, with the last wielder dying off dozens of centuries ago. But there has not been another magic wielder in the Royal family since, and so no one was able to disprove the myth."

I felt my voice trail off toward the end of the sentence, my heart beating so loudly in my chest I was sure it could be heard from every corner of the castle. I slammed the book closed quickly, feeling my chest rise and fall with alarming speed. This couldn't be true. How could this be true?

I was a Midnight wolf?

I heard someone knock on the door so suddenly I flinched and almost fell off the bed in response. The knocking became more urgent.

"Rhea? Are you alright?"

It was James. He could sense my alarm.

Wait. Was my name even Rhea? Who the hell was I?

I didn't have time to react to the door any more than I did to the terrifying events that followed. I didn't even hear it; I saw it first. The roof caved in so suddenly I had to leap out the way and stumble backwards to avoid getting crushed by a large piece of stone. A shriek escaped my lips, and I clamped a hand over it quickly. I realized that I couldn't hear anything; my ears were numb, and nothing was registering. Everything looked blurry.

Everything looked like it was falling apart. I pressed myself tightly against the wall behind me, holding my arm in front of my eyes to stop rocks from flying into my eyes as the building shook violently. I gripped a dressing table behind me with white knuckles to stop from falling over, and then, just as quickly as it happened, everything stopped rumbling. I grimaced, peeking out from behind my arm to see the damage. The door was completely blocked and caved in, the bed crushed and the furniture destroyed. Large chunks of the building's stone were scattered around the room, but I was trapped in a small corner in the back of the room.

I hesitated, then went to take a small step into the room.

Something dark fell from the roof and I screamed, jumping backward and stabbing my back into the corner of the dresser. I ignored the pain as I stared in horror at the black object that seemed to be straightening up to reveal a figure. A person.

No, I corrected myself quickly. A werewolf.

He was tall, dressed darkly, with shallow, darkened eyes that held a scary, dead look in them, matching his sunken cheeks and pale skin. The thing that made my breath suck completely from my lungs, however, was this man's smashing resemblance to my mate. To James.