Chapter 4

Wren's POV

I woke up butt naked in the same position I had passed out.

“Astra?” I called softly through the mindlink, and only got a whimper in response.

She was still hurting.

I pulled myself up, and dragged my feet to the bathroom to have a shower. I can’t believe I've passed out for over 12hours. The sky outside my window was pitch black, and the quite breathing of the occupants of this house tells me everyone’s fast asleep.

Good. I can’t imagine having to deal with anyone in this state.

My shower took longer than intended as tears wouldn’t stop rolling down my cheeks no matter how hard I tried to stop it. I was hurt. Pissed. And felt completely hollow inside. 

I changed into fresh clothes, as my stomach wouldn’t stop growling–I haven’t eaten all day, and now was the perfect time to sneak in food into my room.

I was reaching for my room door when it opened from the other side, and there was Selene and Allen.

“Look babe our little slut is finally awake,” she cooed, a mysterious glint dancing behind her eyes.

I sighed in exasperation, and turned my back on them.

“Your mother would be proud, you know?” Selene called from behind. “Too bad I won’t sit idly, and make the same as my mother.”

Okay. This was new. I thought she was here to yap about how my mother was a slut, and I’m exactly the same. What’s this about not repeating the same mistake as her mother?

I turned around to look at her in hopes of getting a clue on what new madness she was on about, but instead Selene drove her fist into my ribs, knocking me over momentarily.

Jeez! I’ve forgotten just how strong she was.

Selene didn’t give me time to recover as she fisted her hands into my, pulling hard enough that I’m forced to look at her. “I’ll be damned If I let you have Allen’s child,” she sneered, digging the nails of her other hand into my cheeks and forcing my mouth open. “Now babe!”

Allen materialised in a second, with an open bottle in hand , whose content he emptied into my mouth.

I tried to spit it out, but Selene pinched my force, forcing the cold liquid down my throat.

“Now, no bastard would survive in there!” Selene shoved me to the side.

I parted my lips to say something in my defense, but instead a strangled cry escaped my lips. As the liquid fully settled in my system.

It started out in my stomach, and spread outward through my blood like something on fire.

Wolfsbane, and something else that felt like molten silver has been poured directly into my veins.

“Shut her up babe!” Selene demanded, and Allen stuffed a piece of cloth into my mouth, muffling my screams.

But that didn't stop my thrashing, or the searing pain tearing through every nerve in my body.

“Astra,” I tried reaching out to my wolf, but the wolfsbane felt like a wall going up between us brick by brick.

Panic unlike anything I'd ever known clawed its way through my chest.

The burning pain was replaced with a nerve wracking pain like someone was reaching into my chest and trying to rip Astra away with their bare hands. And the more I tried to connect with her, the farther she felt.

“Time to go babe,” I heard Selene say, and

Allen pinned me to the floor amidst my thrashing, as he tied a rope on my hands and feet with Selene's help, before finally throwing me over his shoulder and walking out my room.

I had no idea how long we walked for, but we finally stopped in front of a van. 

Allen made to put me down, and the moment the sole of my bare feet touched the ground…

“...Wren” Astra called out to me so quietly I had thought I'd imagined it.

“Astra,” I breathed out in relief so hard my knees buckled…

Then white-hot pain ripped through every inch of my body.

Allen frowned. “What the–”

The ropes around my wrists and ankles snapped like rotten vines, as a howl tore through me, and standing in the place I had been was a sky-blue wolf.

Selene stumbled backwards. Allen didn't move either.

But instead of lunging at them or baring her fangs, Astra ran.

“No!” Selene screamed, the farther Astra got away from them, despite the wolfsbane trying to drag her back into the darkness.

But the earth….it kept her tethered. 

Every stride gave her another breath, another strength no matter how little, to push forward.

“After her!” Selene shrieked furiously, and a growl ripped through the night air.

Allen had just shifted.

Too late. Astra was farther ahead, and had no plans of stopping.

I had no idea where we were headed but anything was better than going back.

The burning slowly became unbearable, making Astra stumble a couple of times, but she caught herself and kept going.

But there was a limit to how well a wolf induced with wolfsbane can function, as Astra's steps grew heavy, her breathing ragged, and…

A sharp whistle sliced through the night, slamming into our shoulder.

Astra howled in pain as our body lurched sideways, sending us crashing through the thick bushes, as we rolled twice down a small slope, and slamming hard against the base of a tree. The impact knocked air out of our lungs.

For a few seconds everything spun.

I tried taking control, but Astra wouldn't bulge as we were in unfamiliar territory. She tried getting back on her feet, but her legs wouldn't bulge.

The metallic scent of blood filled the air, as our eyes became heavy.

And the last thing we remembered before going under completely wa

s a pair of polished black boots stopping a few inches from our muzzle.

“That's not a  rogue.”