chapter 3

   

NANCY'S      POV

This had to be some sort of sick dream, I thought as I pulled my hair around, staring at it in shock. It was all white. My black shiny hair had faded into pure white.

"What the hell are you doing. Get her," David shrieked, and that was more than enough to have the guards and me break in reality.  

Before they could react, I sprang off the wall, my body moving with a speed I didn’t recognize. I darted past them, my feet barely touching the ground, not looking back.

When I reached the lower level, my heart thundered in my chest. I had never moved like that before. I had never been that fast or that strong.  What was happening to me?

I pushed the thought aside and burst through the nearest door, heading straight for the north side of the pack. It was less guarded, but also the thickest part of the forest.

If I were lucky, they wouldn’t be able to follow my scent, though even that was different now.

However, the sound of boots and angry voices told me luck wasn’t on my side.

One of them caught me near the tree line. I turned ready for a fight, but his blade caught my arm, slicing deep. I cried out, pushing through the pain, and drove a hard kick into his jaw.

Another came. Then another.

I tried my best to fight them off, but they slowly outnumbered me, and by the time I broke free, I was exhausted and bloodied. My body was covered in dirt, it screamed for rest, and with weak legs, I ran as fast as I could, tripping over myself.

The fierce wind hit me, but I didn't stop, not even when I tripped on a fallen tree. I kept moving until the ground underneath my feet grew grassy.

   

My shoulders sagged, and I barely took one more step in before everything went black. When I came to, the cold stone beneath me said it all; I was back. The damn cell again.

“Not again. How did I end up here?” I thought, sitting up. Every muscle in my body screamed in pain.

One of the guards outside froze when he saw me moving. His eyes went wide, then without a word, he turned and sprinted down the hall.

Another guard showed up, and I watched him fumble the keys. Finally, he opened the door, and I let him lead me out, his grip on my hand tight.

The more we walked, the more I realized that I wasn't in my Nightshade pack anymore. Crossing borders was a wolf's worst nightmare, but this was far better than the life I had there.

I walked through the massive hallway, admiring the overly expensive decor.  Thousands of dollars have most likely gone into the designs alone.  

The paintings looked like they probably cost more than my life. Everything just screamed luxury. But the only thing on my mind was: how the hell did I get here?

Before I could figure anything out, one of the guards shoved me hard.  I spun around on instinct and let out a low growl.

He froze, like he hadn’t expected that, and actually took a step back. The other guy didn’t say a word, just motioned me forward.

We stopped at this huge door. Without a word, he pushed it open, and I was met with three men standing on the other side.

They were the most handsome men I had ever laid my eyes on, but that did nothing to cease the paranoia boiling within.

“Oh damn, I heard she looked strange, but this is… strange, strange,” one of them muttered to the other, snickering.

I raised a brow. Strange? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“And sexy too,” the same guy added, giving me another slow look. That was when it hit me, I was still in the torn-up mess of clothes from when David tried to force himself on me.

My face flushed instantly, and I scrambled to cover myself as best I could, arms wrapping around my chest.

Of course, that just made it worse. Their expressions shifted somewhere between amused and something worse.

The same one chuckled and shrugged off his suit jacket. It was navy, different from the two who wore black. He handed it to one of the guards, who tossed it in my direction.

I caught it, barely, and threw it on without a word. It was way too big, probably two sizes up, and smelt of sandalwood and leather, but I couldn't care less. At least I wasn't naked anymore.

“So, mind telling me who the hell you are?” the one with brown hair and blond highlights snapped.

His voice was harsh and sharp. I flinched, staring at him as if he’d just slapped me. Who was this guy?

“Are you going to speak or just stand there?” he barked again.

I let out a tired sigh. Great. You escape one psychopath just to walk into a room with another. What are the odds

“Neven, stop. You’re scaring her,” the one who gave me the jacket said, his tone calmer as he studied, his eyes on every inch of my body.

I wasn't scared if anything, I was just done, but I kept my thoughts to myself. “What? We have to ask her something,” Neven snapped. “Especially when she looks like that.”

I didn’t even bother reacting to him ; instead, my eyes had drifted to the third one. He was the only guy in the room who hadn’t said a word since I walked in.

His hair was pitch black, tied in a loose half-up, half-down style. And his eyes… They caught me off guard. A mix of hazel and maybe gray? I couldn’t tell. But something about the way he looked at me made everything else blur out.

Neven shouted a question again, clearly losing his patience, and I let out a tired sigh.

“Look,” I said, my expression flat. “I didn't mean to step into your territory. Or whatever I'm here for, I didn't do. So if you let me go, I would disappear.”

Silence followed, and just when I thought time stopped, the one whose jacket I was with scoffed “Great. It talks.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course it talks, Jayden,” a new voice chimed in.

It was the grey-eyed one.

The quiet one.

He hadn’t said a single word until now, and the sound of his voice had taken hold of me. It was thick and low, but for some odd reason, it made me uncomfortable.

Almost like you could hear the dangers he came with, and that made me more nervous than Neven did.  

“So, what do we even do with her?” He asked, still looking at me like I’d landed from another planet.

Heat rose to my face, and I lowered my head in a hurry, trying to hide it. His stare made something twist in my gut, and I didn't like it

“Kill her,” Neven muttered, without missing a beat, and my head shot up. What the hell? Okay, I didn't like him. Not one bit.

Jayden rolled his eyes, and something told me this wasn't the first time Neven had given such suggestions. With a sigh, he walked towards me. A voice screamed at me to run away, but my feet remained planted.

He crouched, getting level with me. He was tall and had to be around six feet two inches, and his large build shadowed over me.

“She’s cute,” he said, glancing back at the others. “I say we keep her.”