My dreams were strange. It felt like every time I closed my eyes, a piece of my conscience stayed behind to trample among the leaves. It was like I could still feel the chilly night air. Like I could still see that lone silhouette laid bare beside the willow tree. It felt as if I had been standing right there, watching that person weep. But I hadn't been able to make out their face. It was so strange. I had been able to see my own white paws clearly, inching closer. But I would awaken every time their face went to lift upwards. Why are you crying? I had wanted to ask, but I was back in my room before I knew it. The blankets had formed a rumple around my waist as I reached out to nothing. My fingers splayed out to the air. There wasn't another soul in sight. It really was...so strange. I sat in bed, my fingers closed in a fist over my chest. I took a deep breath, shaking off my weird state of mind. There wasn't any time. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, f
"Are you sure he would do something--" I never got the chance to finish my sentence. Timmy came bounding out of the small shop at just that moment, his energetic steps loud against the gravel. "Missy Robin!! It's all set up!!" I glanced over at Timmy and saw the way his eyes widened, looking back and forth between me and Brandon. For a second I couldn't fathom why he looked so confused, but then Brandon's fingers moved slightly on my face. I paused, my heart rate jumping to my throat. I had forgotten he was holding me in my sudden panic. Brandon let go at the same instance that I stepped away, my ribs rattled with complex spurts of jitters as I tried to find my composure. Despite everything, I couldn't focus on much besides Morax's betrayal. Wait, betrayal? It felt like ink was being poured into my eyes, blinding me. Why did it feel like the very blood inside me was wriggling, bent in anxiety? Nothing made any sense. Morax had said so many times that he was a man of hi
Morax POV: Across Town... "We found what you asked for!" "Good, bring it here." Their approach was diligent and on time just like I had trained them to be. They swept through the chambers, and the two recon specialists from my pack slid into view. One was Escha, her beauty a sight to anyone privileged enough to see it. The other was a tall boy, thin but deceptively strong, Miqella. Both were exceptional units to my cause. Escha was pure strategy and her calls on the battlefield were unmatched. While Miqella may as well have been born a blade. He had a power rarely matched; its value was unprecedented when he appeared on our doorstep. My shoulders drew back, my chest rising with pride at their safe return. I had no doubt they'd succeed. "The fragments of the broken relic, just as you requested. Here you are, our future Lycan." Escha bowed her head, her formalities never ceased to amaze. Her words ring true though, a reminder of what we all strove for. It seemed
It went against all of my better judgment, but I couldn't bring myself to harm the pure wolf. Its eyes were staring up at me with a soft intelligence, and something about the innocent gloss I saw struck a chord in me. The large wolf was still so close, the hot pants of its breath making it hard to even wince. So, I stayed deathly still. Back in the Copse pack, I had always had a problem with animals. Call me a rabbit dressed as a wolf, but I struggled to learn how to hunt them. It was odd as my very nature was a predator, but something about hunting those who did nothing wrong unsettled me. My father had no such issue. Back when I was young, he'd snap a bunny's neck right in front of me if I didn't shoot it. My hunting abilities had been learned, drilled into me from my desire to end the pointless suffering. That's why when given the choice, I didn't like to kill. As I stared into those charcoal black eyes, my very nature fought to find another way out of the situatio
Even though I was telling the truth, it didn't look like Morax believed me at all. Stone-faced and unimpressed, his stare was borderline glacial. He always looked at me like he thought I was fatuous but it couldn't be further from the truth. My knuckles grew white and my back straightened against his hold. If our noses were brushing before, they may have well have been spooning now. But I'd be damned before I let the Alpha intimidate me. His eyes seemed to search mine, and then he let go abruptly. I barely managed to catch myself with my hands before I teetered backward to the ground. His chin was high and so many emotions crossed his face. He was much more expressive than the Alpha of my clan, in the oddest ways. Like a subtle string of a harp, you could feel everything but at the same time--have no clue what you were experiencing. Only the player knew. So, I didn't know what to think. The other boy was much easier to read. Miqella--I think his name was-- he looked like he'd
"You can't be serious." "Oh but I am, deadly serious at that." I shrieked when Morax dragged me towards the cabin taller than the rest, farthest away from the pack on an overseeing hill. My heels were digging into the dirt now, but it didn't affect the male in front of me. I was squirming like a snake, wriggling to get out of his grip, when he suddenly gave an aggravated groan. Husky and deep, when he yanked my body forward. "Would you rather go back to the cage?" He hissed. I was perfectly aligned with his bobbing adam's apple, and the proximity brought a defiant twitch to my brow. I could feel it under my skin, the intrusive thought I had to suddenly bite it. Something about the Alpha annoyed me fundamentally, like a stir that erupted with bubbles whenever he was too close. I wasn't going to accept his punishment or precaution. Whatever he was calling it. I would go insane. "Yes! That would be MUCH better, thank you." I emphasized my plight with a harsh tug of my wr
Before I knew it, we were there. The loud bang of the door filled the air with palpable anxiety. Heavy and thick with tension as his echoing footsteps seemed to grow to a peal of thunder against the wooden floors of the cabin. I barely had the chance to swallow my nerves when suddenly; his hands were hoisting me up by my waist. My fingers dug into his shoulders and without thinking, I straightened my back. I thought it'd be easier for me to get down and make some distance, but I was wrong. Instead, with his hands still holding me up into the air, I was face to face with Morax. He seemed startled for a second, or maybe it was just my imagination. But I was so close, I heard the way his breath sucked in, and I could see the way his pupils dilated. My blonde hair was cascading all over his shoulders, blending in with his dark locks. In the time it took me to shudder a breath, he placed me solidly on the ground. My feet welcomed the stable footing. "We're here." He stated curtly.
I was warm. Surrounded by the thickest of wool. Or at least that's what it felt like. But that comfort was forgotten as I waded through the empty blackness that encompassed me. Instead, the chill found my bones. There was nothing warm about the area I stepped out in. It was nothing but darkness, even the ground didn't seem to exist. The empty domain was like an abyss. Rippling at the base of my feet like water. I could swear in the hollow air around me, I heard the faintest sound of birds chirping. I peered into the darkness, but I didn't see any other signs of life. "Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out. But a minute or two passed, and no one answered. The faint heartbeats I heard all my life were gone. I couldn't feel Sarah from the bakery or Raqean and his snappy humor from the soldier camp. Hell, even the chill from my father was gone. The solid fear that lived for free inside my nerves, was gone. No matter how hard I searched, I couldn't feel the souls of anyone fr