I hadn’t slept. Not for a second.
The bed in the room Damien had given me was luxurious, far more comfortable than anything I’d ever laid on, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t shut my eyes, not when I was surrounded by vampires—by him. The entire night, I stayed curled up beneath the thick blankets, listening to the sounds beyond my door. The muffled voices, the occasional footfalls in the hallway. I wasn’t safe here. I knew that. No matter the deal I had made, I was still a werewolf trapped in a den of vampires. So, I kept my back against the headboard, staring at the door, my muscles tense and ready—just in case. By the time morning came, I felt like a ghost of myself. My limbs ached, my head was heavy, and exhaustion clung to me like a second skin. But I pushed it aside as I forced myself out of bed and dressed in the same clothes I had arrived in. I had just finished pulling my hair back when a sharp knock sounded at my door. Before I could answer, it swung open. Damien leaned against the frame, arms crossed, his sharp crimson eyes immediately taking me in. “You look terrible,” he said, voice laced with amusement. I glared at him. “Thanks.” His gaze drifted lower, assessing the stiffness in my stance, the slight tremble of my fingers. “Didn’t sleep?” I folded my arms. “Would you, if you were in my position?” His smirk was lazy, infuriating. “You should have rested. You’ll need your strength.” A sharp pang of unease twisted in my gut. “For what?” He pushed off the doorframe and took a slow step into the room, his presence making the space feel smaller. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he said, his voice smooth as silk. I clenched my jaw. I hated how he did that—how he always left things unsaid, as if he enjoyed watching me squirm. Damien tilted his head slightly, as if considering something. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver pendant, the chain dangling between his fingers. “Wear this,” he said, tossing it to me. I caught it, barely, and frowned down at the pendant. It was simple, engraved with symbols I didn’t recognize. “What is this?” “A precaution,” he said. “As long as you’re here, you wear it.” I narrowed my eyes. “And if I don’t?” His expression darkened, all traces of amusement vanishing. “Then you won’t like the consequences.” A heavy silence stretched between us before I exhaled sharply and clasped the necklace around my throat. The metal was cold against my skin, sending a strange pulse through me. Damien’s lips twitched again, satisfied. “Good girl.” I gritted my teeth. He turned toward the door but paused. “Get dressed properly. I’ll be expecting you downstairs in ten minutes.” “For what?” I asked again. His gaze slid to mine, unreadable. “Consider it your first lesson.” And just like that, he was gone, leaving me standing there with nothing but exhaustion, unease, and the sinking feeling that I had just stepped into something far bigger than I could have imagined. I took a moment to gather myself after Damien left, but it didn’t do much to settle the unease coiling in my stomach. My fingers lingered over the pendant resting against my skin, the cold weight of it sending a shiver through me. I didn’t know what kind of magic was laced into it, but I had no doubt it was there for a reason. I changed into the clothes that had been left in the wardrobe—black pants, a fitted long-sleeve shirt, and boots that laced up to my calves. The fabric was softer than I expected, but durable. Functional. I wondered if this was Damien’s way of preparing me for whatever was coming next. After a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and left my room, making my way downstairs. The moment I stepped into the large hall, I felt the weight of their stares. Several vampires—men and women alike—were gathered near the main chamber, speaking in low murmurs that immediately fell silent when they noticed me. Their gazes were sharp, assessing, and some held an unmistakable glint of disdain. I swallowed down the instinct to bare my teeth. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what I was to them. An intruder. A werewolf who didn’t belong. I kept walking, ignoring the whispers that followed me like a shadow. But then, one of them spoke. “She shouldn’t be here,” a woman’s voice cut through the tension, filled with open hostility. I stopped. Turning my head, I found the source— she was tall, with long, dark auburn hair, piercing blue eyes, and an expression carved from ice. She didn’t look at me like I was an enemy. She looked at me like I was filth. Damien, who had been waiting near the grand staircase, barely spared her a glance. “And?” he said, his tone calm but laced with warning. She crossed her arms, her sharp gaze never leaving mine. “You should have killed her the second she stepped onto our land. She’s a werewolf. She’s not one of us, and she never will be.” I clenched my fists, but I said nothing. I wasn’t about to pick a fight with a vampire in the middle of their own territory—especially not when I was already one breath away from being torn apart by the rest of them. Damien exhaled a slow, almost bored sigh and finally turned his full attention to her. “I don’t recall asking for your opinion Ava,” he said, his voice smooth but edged with something dangerous. “Or have you forgotten who’s in charge?” Ava’s jaw tightened. “Of course not, my Lord,” she said, her words laced with something sharp, something bitter. “But—” “But nothing,” Damien interrupted, stepping closer, his presence suffocating. “I do whatever I want. I keep whoever I want. And you—” his voice dropped, a slow smirk playing at his lips “—will mind your business.” Ava’s fingers twitched, her nostrils flaring slightly. But after a long, tense silence, she finally dipped her head. “Yes, my Lord.” Satisfied, Damien turned back to me, his crimson gaze flicking over my expression like he was searching for a reaction. I didn’t give him one. “Follow me,” he said simply, then walked past me, expecting me to obey. I hesitated for only a second before forcing my feet to move, ignoring the burning glares at my back. I had the sinking feeling that surviving here was going to be much harder than I thought.The days had passed in a blur. I snuck into the hallway, checked to make sure nobody was watching, then slipped inside the room with Connor. He was chained, bruised, starved—but still alive. Still human beneath all the supernatural rage Damien tried to beat out of him. I’d started asking questions—small ones at first, then more. His life before Damien. His family. How he got turned. “I was twenty-two,” he told me one night, voice scratchy but steadier now that he’d had some blood in him the last few days. “Met the wrong woman at a party. She lured me into the woods and drained me halfway before she turned me. Left me to figure the rest out.” My expression twisted. “That’s awful.” He gave a humorless chuckle. “It was. But the worst part wasn’t the turning. It was ending up here.” I leaned against the wall, knees drawn up. “Why did you try to leave?” Connor looked at me, eyes dark. “Because I’m tired of being someone’s pet.” We sat in silence for a moment before I pulled up my s
The house felt different now. Not safer exactly… just less hostile. Damien’s warning to his followers had kept them from lunging at me, but the stares didn’t stop. Wherever I walked, I could feel the weight of eyes on me—curious, cold, disapproving. I kept my head up and moved like I belonged, even though I didn’t feel it yet. I wandered further than usual that day. The halls stretched on endlessly, a maze of old doors and creaking floorboards. The silence was thick—until it wasn’t. I stopped mid-step, head turning toward a door down the corridor. Faint, muffled sounds—like a grunt. A shift. The scrape of metal or something solid. I glanced around quickly. No one in sight. Without thinking, I moved toward the door, pressing my ear to it. More movement inside. I eased the door open. The light inside was dim, a single bulb flickering from the ceiling. The room was small and bare, except for one thing—someone tied to a chair in the middle, blood trailing down his arms and drippin
The days dragged by in silence. No missions. No orders. No chaos. Just… stillness. I stayed in my room for most of it, staring out the window when I wasn’t pacing or lying on the bed. I’d only left to wash up once or twice, escorted like a prisoner. Food came by tray—always silently delivered by someone who barely looked at me. Sometimes Riri would drop it off and say a few kind words, but even she kept it short. I didn’t understand the waiting. The quiet. Damien hadn’t come around—until that afternoon. The door creaked open and I looked up from the bed to find him standing there, leaned against the frame. “Afternoon,” he said casually, eyes flicking around the room before landing on me. I sat up. “Why am I not allowed to leave my room?” He raised a brow. “I’m not gonna run,” I added. “If that’s what you’re worried about.” He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. “I know you’re not.” “Then?” He sighed and walked toward the window, pulling the curtain back to let mo
The sun was starting to dip low, my hands tucked into the sleeves of Jason’s old hoodie. The one I used to steal back when things were normal. Safe. Dad stood beside me, his arms crossed tightly over his chest like he was trying to hold himself together. “I have to go,” I said quietly. “I know,” Dad replied, just as quiet. Jason opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He looked so much older than he used to—like the weight of everything had aged him overnight. I swallowed hard. “Tell Calla I love her, okay? That I’m sorry I didn’t get to see her. I just… I didn’t want her to see me like this.” Jason nodded, brushing a tear off his cheek. “She misses you. But I’ll tell her.” “And you—both of you—I love you. So much.” Dad stepped forward and pulled me into a tight hug, one hand cradling the back of my head like he used to when I was little. “We love you too, sweetheart. We’re proud of you. No matter what.” Jason wrapped his arms around both of us. Finally, I pulled
The forest was quiet, the only sound the soft rustle of leaves as we walked side by side. Damien finally broke the silence. “Since you helped me out back there, you can go see your family. Like I said.” I glanced at him, surprise flickering in my chest. The weight of the past hours still pressed heavy, but the promise of seeing them—of feeling normal, even for a little while—made my heart lift. “But don’t get any ideas,” he added, voice low and steady. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll come back.” I met his eyes, fierce and unyielding. “Don’t worry. I’m not dumb.” He nodded once, then turned his head toward the trees. “I’ve got some things to handle.” Before I could say more, he vanished. A blur of movement, faster than anything human, until he was gone. I stood there a moment, the forest stretching out in every direction. Then, without hesitation, I let the change take me. Bones cracked. Fur sprouted. Muscles shifted. My senses exploded—smells, sounds, the p
The scent pulled me deeper into the woods—stronger now, more alive. It wrapped around my senses, a trail of sweat, blood, fear. Whoever Damien was hunting had been here recently. Very recently. Branches snapped under my boots as I ran through the woods. Then I saw it. An old, weather-worn house sat half-collapsed, the roof caved in on one side, vines climbing up broken windows. It looked like it had been abandoned for decades—but the scent was unmistakable. He was inside. I slowed as I reached the edge of the trees. “He’s in there,” I said over my shoulder, my voice low. Damien came to stand beside me, his eyes scanning the house like a predator sizing up a cage. “I know,” he said. “Wait here.” Before I could respond, he was already moving. One step forward—and then he vanished. A heartbeat later, the front door of the house exploded inward, shattering off its hinges. I heard the crash echo into the woods, followed by a choked gasp. Then silence. I crept closer, just enough