Chapter 7

  

  If I were pretty, if I had nice, unscarred skin instead of a body ruined by the Bloodmoon Pack

  Alpha Victor would have wanted me. He would have treated nicely and loved me just the other male wolves loves their mates. And this terrifying stranger whose name I didn’t even know, would have wanted me too. If I were beautiful, he would have nuzzled Lillian back. He wouldn’t have barked at us as if we were some cursed abomination.

  

  Toby ran up to my side, still in his  wolf form shivering as we watched the majestic black Lycan stride back toward his warriors. As he approached, the elite guards instantly dropped their heads, bowing in deep reverence.

  

  All except one.

  

  A striking brown female Lycan pranced forward, her movements dripping with pride and unearned authority. A sickening wave of jealousy and raw hurt washed over Lillian and me as she touched paws with him. He didn't push her away. Instead, he nuzzled her neck, and a smug, victorious grin spread across her lupine face before she stepped back.

  

  The Lycan King stood tall, his posture rigid as he seemed to mind-link his warriors. After a long, agonizing silence, the guards nodded and began to advance toward us. The huge black Lycan didn't follow them. He simply turned, casting one final, unreadable look at me with his gleaming midnight eyes, before letting out a low howl and sprinting into the opposite side of the forest, disappearing into the pitch-black night.

  

  "You're coming with us, bitch!" the brown female Lycan growled, her voice cutting through the damp air.

  

  Lillian stepped back instinctively, but it did nothing to stop them. They continued to close the distance, snapping their jaws.

  

  "Step back one more time and I will end you and that miserable looking boy beside!" she snarled.

  

  Toby let out a frightened whine, hiding behind me. I froze, not daring to take another step forward or backward. Barking out harsh, biting commands, they forced us to move. Stripped of our dignity and freedom, we could do nothing but obey, following them blindly into the deep unknown.

  

  We walked for hours, and the night only grew darker, suffocatingly cold. They never allowed us to stop and rest. Surprisingly, these royal warriors looked as though they hadn't even exerted themselves, while Lillian’s paws were growing weaker by the second. Her pads were bleeding, torn apart by sharp rocks and hidden thorns as she desperately struggled to keep up with their brutal pace. Suddenly, she stepped squarely onto a jagged briar and howled in agonizing pain.

  

  "Move, bitch!" the female Lycan barked, glaring back at us with a vicious snarl. "Move!"

  

  Beside us, Toby whimpered at her sheer cruelty, his small legs trembling as he pushed his breaking body to the absolute limit.

  

  "Silence that him, or I’ll give him something to really whine about!" she barked, causing Toby to keep quiet.

  

  We pressed on through the blinding pain until the dense forest finally cleared, opening up to a massive field of neatly mowed grass. The scent of a densely populated territory hit my nose, signaling that we were nearing the pack grounds. As we crossed the expanse, a colossal, castle-like fortress rose from the shadows. It was breathtakingly massive, surrounded by smaller, scattered estates that looked like mere pebbles compared to the central stronghold.

  

  "Stop!" the female Lycan ordered, turning to face us. The other warriors nodded at her, and she returned the gesture. Casting one last, incredibly mean glance in my direction, she sprinted off toward the main gates.

  

  Several of the Lycan warriors dispersed into the shadows, leaving us in the custody of two stern female Lycans. They forced us down a secluded stone path that wound behind the massive castle. The moment they pushed us down a narrow, damp subterranean passage, my heart sank. I knew instantly that we were being led to the dungeons.

  

  “What do you think they're going to do to us?”I asked Lillian, my mental voice shaking as we walked. “Do you think he's going to officially reject us now that we are in his castle?”

  

  “I don't know what they'll do,” Lillian whined, her spirit completely crushed. “But I know I can't take any more torture, Fiona. We were barely free from Alpha Victor's clutches for a few hours, only to land in something deeper and darker. But... when I rubbed against him, I sensed an explosion of acceptance before the resentment took over. I don't know if he'll truly reject us too like alpha Victor did.”

  

  A heavy sob echoed in my mind from my wolf. “Fiona, I am so pained and broken. When I first sensed him, I thought we were finally free. I thought we were going to be happy. But he hates us too. He might be even worse than Victor.”

  

  I listened intently to Lillian, letting her pour out her agony in one breath. I had no words to comfort her; the exact same suffocating despair was tearing my own soul apart. We were shoved into a stone room where the two guard Lycans shifted back, pulling on their uniforms before turning to us. 

  

  "Shift, stupid Wolves. Now." Also take the boy to the male dungeon.” One of the guards instructed.

  

  “No-no, please, let him stay with me. He’s seriously injured, and his wolf is weak, i pleaded with the guards. I know it will be difficult for Toby to stay alone.

  

  The guard glared at me before muttering whatever under her breath.

  

  “Shift!” She ordered again.

  

  We complied, the painful transformation leaving me shivering on the cold stone floor. They carelessly flung our sacks of old clothes at us. Swallowing my pride, handed Toby his ragged bag. 

  While i quickly changed. I hurriedly pulled on my own tattered clothes, desperate to hide the horrific scars of my past from their judgmental eyes.