Marked in the Ruins: A Werewolf Apocalypse

IMANISince humanity became hell and the world ended, I’ve had to take a lot of things to survive, but nobody prepared me for the challenge of finding a decent place to sleep. The outpost I’m hiding in reeks of dirty dampness and something that sure smells like dead rat. The mattress I’m lying on? I’m so sure it has definitely belonged to someone before me. I try not to think about who that was, because I really don’t need that image in my head right now. I’ve already had enough for one night. Right now, I’ve got my boots on, my bag under my head, and my knife resting against my thigh where I can feel it with every breath that I take.Sleeping isn’t happening right now. I’m just lying here, running through my usual inventory of the room, counting everything I can use if I need to get out of here real fast. One door, one window that’s covered with a cabinet door, one vent I could squeeze myself through if I really wanted to starve myself for days. I’ve checked them enough times to kno

POV: ImaniThe door didn’t open right away.I heard a voice again, but closer than before, low and clipped, and giving orders to someone else. Then I heard metal groan as the door was pushed open, letting a stream of gray light flood the truck bed. I had to blink profusely to adjust. A guard reached in to grab my arm, but I pulled back and climbed down on my own.The cold air hit me first, followed by the mixed scents of wood smoke and wet stone. Underneath those familiar smells was a sharper smell of oil and gun grease from a checkpoint that had clearly been patched up more times than I could count over the last eight years. I forced myself to look around my environment instead of at the man who had spoken. He’d already turned and walked toward a second gate, just a silhouette in a gray coat with dark hair, I couldn’t see his face. He could’ve been anyone. Honestly, half the people in this territory probably wore that same coat. I’m sure it was not him.The moment I stepped outside t

POV: Imani“Now,” Naomi stated, her tone coming out calm and collected.The guy from earlier who I now know to be Beckett and Zane’s beta, looked like he wanted to argue. His mouth opened slightly before he stopped himself completely, his eyes moving between Naomi and Zane as though he was trying to decide whether the danger inside the walls should take priority over a wedding. Naomi on the other hand was already in motion, giving orders to a couple of men that were near the doors. The atmosphere in the hall tightened around her, and no one looked interested in pushing back against her authority. Zane’s hand still gripped my wrist tightly, and it was just then I realized I hadn’t pulled away since Beckett had barged into that room on us. I could feel every one of his fingers against my skin, and for some reason, I still hadn’t moved. I should have. I knew I should have, but my body wasn’t listening to that logical part of my brain.“An unbound alliance is worse than an unknown threat,

POV: ImaniThe exam room felt painfully cold, but it wasn’t just the temperature. Someone walked in with me, guiding me by my elbow. I didn’t resist because my legs were already feeling weak and unsteady, like they were lagging a few seconds behind my mind, just like that first night on the transport. There was dried blood between my fingers, but it wasn’t mine. I stared at it, noticing the rusty brown lines that were etched into my knuckles, and for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to wash it off. Because doing so felt like it might erase the last twenty minutes, and I wasn’t ready for that. Too much had happened in those twenty minutes, and I still hadn’t figured out where exactly to put any of it in my head.The room had its own story to tell. It had a real exam table; the vinyl was cracked and patched with brittle duct tape. A cabinet with a glass front sat nearby, half-empty, and strewn with various bottles that someone had taken the time to relabel in a neat, careful handwr