The Beast And The Blessed

Sixty-Seven: Natalie

Natalie's P.O.V.

Training had been lacking the past week. I had been able to move more weight and do body-weight movements easier.

I also got to learn some things in my wolf form, but it was harder than I had thought to get used to moving more swiftly on four legs than it was on two. Walking and running were easy, but the complex movements as I dodged and attacked my opponents were uncomfortable. The majority of the time, I ended up tripping over my own paws like a newborn pup... which I guess I was.

Hours every day were spent training, and I found myself improving but not very quickly. There was still an internal battle going on in my mind that left me with a splitting migraine by the end of each day, and no answers for what I needed to do.

It was widely agreed upon by the healers that the other side of me should have faded by now. I still hadn't told them what my birth mother had said about being a descendant of the Goddess as Joselin hadn't had any time to look into my blood. So, they treated me like any regular hybrid.

Joselin had been busy with her project around the outside of the castle.

No one had been caught in the trap she set in the doorways, and I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Either we could trust those around us, or the spell didn't work.

I smiled when she walked into the training room, but it fell when her look of anger landed on me.

"You are interfering, 'Your Majesty'!" Joselin shouted, and several stacks of weights dropped around the room as she approached me on the large training mat. She didn't seem to care that I was almost as tall as her in my beast form as she was in her skin.

I shook my head. A low, guttural noise left my throat as I stupidly tried to respond as if I didn't currently have a snout.

"You need to get it under control!" She shouted, and I tried to jump away as she grabbed a fistful of fur, pulling on it as we teleported to the library. My oversized body bumped into a bookshelf, sending it tumbling down.

So much for respecting my title in public. I was livid.

Joselin groaned in annoyance as she flicked her hand and righted the wooden structure. "We have the same parts, stop being a prude and shift back!"

asked, wanting to lay into her but holding myself back since she had more power than I

refrained from covering my body. She had seen it before, several times at this point, and while she had openly looked in the past, this time there wasn't a single twitch in the muscles around her eyes to show that she was looking anywhere but into my soul as if she wanted to figure out what

narrowed my eyes at her as I remembered the last time she had been in this library with me. She had grabbed my face

to bite her.

"Well, you sure

small squeak was heard as a maid entered the room

back to stare at Joselin, unamused. "I need to

disrespect. But she carried on as

to flip through the pages of the first book. When she seemed satisfied, she nodded and snapped it shut. "Your training starts now. This is the basics of controlling your magic. Whatever you unlocked at the Sanctum, is powerful. You're letting your magic leak through, and it's getting in the way of

she was holding into my chest just as my guards came

Thomas growled at Joselin as he scanned me over. Tobias sent him a warning glare, slamming his hand roughly down on Thomas's shoulder. Thomas forcefully

at the silent giant and the small witch. They had an odd dynamic, but Joselin looked pleased that Tobias reacted to my

with her whenever you please!" He exclaimed as he gestured toward me but glared daggers

She scolded as if she were talking to a pet, and Thomas's face

brown hardcover was decorated with a gold outline of the tree of life, and a single word was etched

In Latin.

through the pages in panic as Joselin and Thomas continued to bicker, growing louder with every word. Some held pictures,

one sound away from me skinning you and using your hide as toilet paper!" Joselin was fuming, the black lines on her skin vibrating harshly against the pale background, and her hair picked up as if a fan was blowing on

from her, but I was more concerned about the book in my hands. "How the hell do you expect

not my problem. I have a lot of work to do. I really don't have

toward Tobias as I glared

flipping her off behind

right in front of Joselin, and my hand flew over my mouth. She tumbled to the ground, smacking