Chapter 5

Nova’s POV

I woke up to the strangest sensation. I felt like I wasn’t alone. But not like there was someone in the room with me but that there was someone in my mind with me. I couldn't open my eyes yet, my eye lids felt too heavy but I could feel the sensation of lying on a thin mattress on a metal bedframe.

“Stay still” someone said to me, a strong female voice. “Now I am here, I can help you heal but I need you to rest to make this work” she said, I was so confused.

Whose talking I asked?

I am Atari. I am your wolf. Said the voice.

I was just even more confused. Unless I had been asleep 6 weeks I could not have a wolf yet.

The moon goddess has gifted me to you early. She told me To help you survive what’s coming. You have a lot of great things to achieve Nova Lawrence but first you have to face more trials. I am here to help Atari says to me.

I don’t like the ominous sound of that. Atari laughs softly in my head. Sorry little human she says to me, I don’t like it either, but we have a duty and a destiny. Now go back to sleep.

The next time I am awake I am able to open my eyes, but I find myself kind of wishing I didn’t. I am lying on a metal bad covered by a thin mattress. Someone has undressed me and put me in a grey jogging bottoms and hoodie. I am strapped to the bed. Why the hell am I strapped to the bed?

I realise I am starting to panic. Atari speaks to me, Deep breaths Nova, in and out she coaxes me. After a few minutes I have control again. I’ve never been prone to panic attacks or hyperventilating but this is starting to look like a thing I am doing now. Joy.

The room is bare. The only thing in here is the bed, the walls are all white and there are no windows. The only thing missing is the padding on the walls to give it the real, authentic horror asylum feeling. There is nothing about this room that’s not making my skin crawl right now.

Relax said Atari. I know this sounds ridiculous but literally what’s going to happen when you are lying here right now? No one is in here to hurt us and it’s not like you can fall out of bed. Wait, I think, did I get the only wolf that makes jokes? They are known for not having a sense of humour, but I am positive Atari is taking the piss right now.

I laugh to myself. Okay if that’s my wolf maybe I can survive this after all.

That’s my girl Atari responds.

Yeah I like her.

I realise that she managed to take my mind off the gravity of that we are facing here.  My own mother and sister had set me up to be locked up in an asylum where I was strapped to a bed. My only friend and his father sent me here, and I now have an early wolf talking to me about destiny and surviving. Which is pretty fucking ominous, by anyone’s standards.

As I lie here trying to take deep and even breaths a sound catches my hearing. Someone is unlocking and opening the door. All the blood in my veins feels like it has turned cold. A very well put together man In a dark blue suit with a dark buzzcut starts to approach the bed. I don’t like the smile on his face. It doesn’t reach his eyes.

He also has his hands behind his back and I don’t know why.

“Well look whose up” the man says. His voice is rough and grates on my already frazzled nerves. “Welcome to Thornback Nova. We don’t have a lot of rules here. Basically submit and obey and you wont get punished. Not complicated at all”. It is the most patronising tone I have ever heard.

I roll my eyes. “Now, now Nova. Good little girls don’t roll their eyes” he said the fake smile gone completely now and a menacing gleam replacing it. “Here, let me teach you a lesson. He pulled his hands from behind his back and shows me a syringe filled with a blue liquid.

Atari and I both know what this is. Wolfsbane. The panic from earlier comes back as he moves towards me, deliberately taking his time. Enjoying my fear. He injects it into my arm and the burning sensation begins immediately. It starts flowing through my veins and soon I feel like my whole body is on fire. “And now you know why you are strapped down” he said, amused with himself like he’s told a great joke he walks off locking the door behind him while I lay on the bed  thrashing and screaming in pain.

For a few minutes I can’t hear Atari. I know she is trying to say something but my own screams and the roaring of my blood in my ears is too loud but she is trying to tell me something. I try and calm myself to listen

That’s it, she says, calm down, listen to my voice. I will help take the pain. It’s why I am here. Just close your eyes and we will do this together. I do as she says and close my eyes and the pain slowly lessen and lessens. After a while is really starting to subside and as I begin to enjoy no longer feeling in pain I start to cry.

Why are you crying. Atari asks me

I am honest with her. Because you are here. I have been so alone for so long and I just wish it wasn’t like this.

The tears get more intense. But it’s okay because Atari is here and she lulls me to sleep telling me stories about how I will shift for the first time on my birthday and how we will run together. Atari tells me she know we have a mate just not who. When our mate finds out we are here, he will come rescues us. She says and as I drift off into a pain filled sleep I am comforted by this thought. A mate to save me.