The Sanctuary

Lena's eyes snapped open, but all she saw was darkness. Her body was contorted in a tight space, every inch of her body hurt, she had clearly been in this space for a long while. A sudden lurch of her space and the roar of an engine told her she was in the trunk of a car...Panic exploded through her body, her breaths were coming in short pants, claustrophobia was making the space feel even tighter.

The car lurched forwards suddenly and she was thrown against something hard, her head split open with a searing agony, snapping her out of her panic Amethyst? she called to her wolf in her mind Are you there?

I'm here Lee, but I haven't got long.

What's happening?

I'm not sure, I have just awoken too...We are in a trunk, I'm sure you've already figured that out... I think there's two......

Suddenly. Lena felt the void in her mind swallow her wolf again.

Amethyst?

No reply.

She was alone, and that realisation made it all come back to her. She remembered bits and pieces, the look her father gave her when he knew it was the end, Reid's teeth dripping their blood...And suddenly nausea overcame her.

She grabbed fistfuls of her hair as reality washed over her, He was dead, Her father...Beta James who had always been like an uncle to her...Eric, who taught her how to fight with patience and skill..They were all gone, Forever. She swallowed the bile burning the back of her throat and pressed her forehead into the cold metal of the inside of the trunk, trying to ground herself. But fog clogged her mind, either from the lingering effects of the Moonbane or the fractured memories invading her mind she didn't know...But she also didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore, she bonded with Darius to save her father and her pack. She lost them anyway.

The car slowed, and she heard the distinct sound of gravel under the wheels, Lena's heart stopped, This is it She thought... Its my turn to die... Lena wasn't scared, not of dying, not anymore...Death would be a relief compared to the pain that was setting her soul on fire...She just hoped that the Moon Goddess was kind and would allow her to see her father again.

The car jolted to a stop. For a long, terrifying moment, nothing happened. The silence suffocated her and her ears filled with a high pitched ringing. Then she felt the car rock and heard the sound of heavy footsteps pounding towards the trunk.

The door lifted and light hit her face, Lena flinched and used her barely working hands to shield her eyes, her vision burned with white and her head felt like it would split in two with the pain, after a few seconds, shapes started coming into focus. Reid stood Infront of her cramped body, he looked down at her with distain in his face, his jaw clenched tight and his brown hair messy, just like his wolves fur...The wolf that had killed her father Infront of her eyes.

Her whole body went ice cold and flashes of her father's last moments swirled around her mind until she felt dizzy, she leaned her head out of the trunk and dry heaved until tears filled her eyes...She hadn't eaten for days, there was nothing to throw up but burning acid.

"Out" He commanded in a rough, impatient voice.

Lena shook her head defiantly "N..No" She rasped, her throat raw from the retching, but she Wasn't going to let this monster order her around like she was weak. She was a Luna whether she wanted to be or not, she would not give this...THING the satisfaction.

Reid didn't argue with her, he just reached in and gently slid his arms beneath her, lifting her up as though she weighed nothing at all. Her head lolled against his chest, she hasn't realised just how weak her body was, she wanted to fight, to get away from this evil thing that held her, but her body betrayed her, she couldn't move her legs at all, her arms felt like lead, even the strength of her neck was limited, she couldn't turn her head properly.

She began to panic even more, how long had she been unconscious? had she been given more drugs? would she walk again? did they do something to her while she was asleep?, so many terrifying thoughts filled her mind in this moment, being carried like a broken doll, in a strange place, with a monster and no wolf. There was no hope.

The sound of metal creaking broke into her thoughts and she realised Reid was carrying her through a paid of huge iron gates, a big manor house came into view, way too beautiful for the devestation she carried in her heart. It was like a palace, but to Lena it was a prison in disguise.

He said nothing as he carried her through the vast oak doors and down a corridor lined with painted portraits of menacing looking men riding their wolves. Reid's expression was unreadable and emotionless. He looked straight ahead as he walked, when they reached a set of double doors, he pushed them open with his shoulder and carried her inside.

The room he put her in took her breath away, she had always dreamed of a room like this, the walls were draped in silk, the bed was bigger than she had ever seen, crystal sparkled from all directions, it was luxury beyond anything she had ever imagined, but this room was no longer her dream, it was her nightmare...The price was too high.

Two women appeared from thin air. One was broad shouldered and grey haired, one slim and young. Reid turned his head to Lena "This is Annie" he pointed to the slim one. "And this is Helga" He pointed to the other "They are here to serve you, they are yours"

He turned to the women "Make sure she is presentable for the Alpha" he ordered simply, then he turned and left, closing the door behind him.

The women got to work at once, moving as if they had done this before. They stripped away the torn sheet that she still wore from the night of her bonding and washed her body gently with warm cloths, the scent of rosewater filled the air.

Lena didn't resist, she couldn't. Her body was still completely useless, her arms and legs, heavy and foreign to her. But her mind, that was not broken. I WILL NOT FALL APART, I WILL NOT WAIT FOR DEATH. I WILL WATCH, I WILL LEARN...AND THEN ILL BURN THIS PLACE TO THE F***ING GROUND.

They washed and dried her hair, and combed it until it shone, pinning it into an elegant twist at the back of her neck, wisps of curled strands fell about her face in a lazy elegance, she would've enjoyed this before, but as she sat at the dressing table with the women fussing over her she didn't even recognise the woman staring back at her in the mirror. After they finished her hair and makeup, Annie pressed and silver goblet into her hands, Lena didn't even hesitate before downing the contents, she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten or drank anything. The liquid burned cold at first, then spread through her chest and warmed her entire body, like a large shot of whisky. Strength seemed to be creeping back into her muscles, she managed to sit up straighter, and she could breathe, she hadn't even realised how much she had been struggling for breath until she could fill her lungs properly again.

She looked up at the woman "Thank you" She said genuinely

"You're welcome Luna, I'm afraid it's only a physical antidote, but its better than nothing" She replied, sympathy etched onto her soft features.

She was right, the connection to Amethyst was still weak and fuzzy, but she felt something else, something buzzing at the tips of her fingers.. an electricity coursing through her veins, it wasn't her wolf, or the chosen mate bond, this was something else.... Something rooted deep in her being.

When she could stand, Annie and Helga dressed her in a gown of dark red and covered her in expensive looking jewels, once she was ready, they took her arms and guided her gently from the chamber, they walked through a maze of lavish hallways, their steps seemed to echo as they went.

At last they reached another pair of double doors, they swung open and she was lead into a grand dining room.

Three women, each in a different coloured gown sat at the large table Infront of her, their eyes fixed on her with an unnerving concentration. The doors shoot behind her with a heavy thud, Annie and Helga were gone.

Well... She thought... That solves the mystery of the missing Luna's, This should be interesting.