Chapter 7

Katie's Pov

I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm. This time around it sounded louder than normal and it irked me. Still half asleep, I slapped my hand to the right to turn it off but my hand landed on the bed, and not on my alarm.

"Where am I?" I mumbled, as I slowly rubbed my eyes open. Everything looked entirely different, the bed, the room– then my memories began to pour back in, and I recalled that I had moved in with my so-called father and his family, so I was in the room allocated to me. Well, at least for one, the bed was soft, and more spacious than my previous bed.

I stretched my arm further and reached out for the alarm, and silenced it by tapping the knob on the top, as I tried to figure out what must have happened.

Lifting the upper half of my body, I could feel a dull ache by the side of my cranium but it was so faint I needed to pay extra attention to it to have felt it. Figuring I was in my room didn't end the confusion that still clouded my judgment.

"Who brought me back home?" I mumbled to myself, as I massaged my temples lightly.

The last thing I remembered was me leaving the girls' restroom, and then getting a text from the coroner's office, which was followed by the excruciating pain about two minutes later–

I slapped my hand on my face, and quickly ran my hands through my body, as I secured for fur or any change in my bones, but there was nothing, everything seemed like they were before. I was sure I shifted yesterday, I could still hear the cracks of my bones snapping and taking a new form in my ears, and also getting a glimpse of fur sprouting out of my body, and then… and then 'Hey, are you okay?' I heard someone ask, the voice was a bit deep so it probably belonged to a male, and the last thing before everything went blank was seeing the bottom half of his green trench coat.

"Hello Katie," a soft whisper echoed my name, causing me to jump on my bed with strength I had no idea that I possessed, as I scanned the room for the person. I decided to ponder on that later and focus on the stranger lurking in my room trying to scare me so early in the morning.

"No need to be scared," the soft voice spoke again, this time a little louder than before.

"No need to be scared?" I scoffed in disbelief. "You sure are one to talk," I shot back irritatedly. "Whoever you're just come out, this isn't funny, one bit."

The voice chuckled softly, and then I realized the voice wasn't coming from somewhere in the room but my…

"I'm in your head, Katie," the voice confirmed my suspicion. "I'm your wolf."

"What?!" I slapped my hands across my lips to prevent myself from shouting louder and drawing attention to myself so early in the morning. Different thoughts ran through my mind all at once, how could this happen? Something was definitely wrong somewhere, I was just seventeen years old, and as werewolves our animal side doesn't show up till we're eighteen, most late bloomers have their at 20, so how can this be?

"No need for you to be scared, Katie?" The voice… no my supposed wolf said.

“You aren't supposed to be here…at least not until I'm 18,” I said out loud, educating her like she didn't already know better than I did.

My wolf chuckled softly.

"I'm sorry, where's my manners," I said embarrassingly, as I calmed down and sat on the edge of my bed.

I poured water into a cup and gulped it down.

"So, ermm… what's your name?" I started off with the most basic question.

"I'm Lucy," my wolf replied.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy," I said, feeling much more comfortable.

"So, what color are you?" I asked because a wolf's color determines their abilities and strengths.

I wouldn't say it to anyone but I always prayed to the moon goddess that my wolf wouldn't be weak so that I could be strong enough to defend myself, now that I know all the people I used to rely on for protection were either dead or lost in lust.

"I'm a red wolf, Katie," Lucy said. "I have a deeply engraved crescent mark on my forehead. I know you have a lot of questions, but we do not have–"

"Wait a minute, did you just say You're a red wolf, as in, your wolf is red?" I asked in disbelief, trying to confirm I wasn't misinterpreting things.

"Yes," Lucy replied softly. "I'm a Lusina Wolf."

"Holy shit!' I screeched in the form of a whisper.

This doesn't sound possible…. NO, IT ISN'T POSSIBLE. From what I've read and also I've been told by my mum, a Lusina wolf only appears once in a millennium. And the last Lusina wolf was my mum, 'goddess bless her soul', and she was dead.

It isn't even up to a decade, and another has surfaced? The thought of this made me excited and worried at the same time.

"You have to keep your shift a secret, Katie," Lucy's voice, snapped me out of my train of thoughts. "No one for whatever reason should know about me, or the kind of wolf I am," she warned. "You can't trust–"

“Why??” I asked impatiently, as I needed answers.

There was a knock on the door, and I could feel Lucy immediately retreating to the back of my mind. I pushed myself back against the headboard of my bed, like I was about to be caught red handed in a crime, or something, till it dawned on me that all I was supposed to do was answer.

“Come in.” I blurted out.

An omega poked her head into my room without any formal greetings. “Your father demands your presence," she informed.

"I'll–" the omega shut the door before I could even say anything in response.

I sighed deeply as an ominous feeling stirred up inside of me. I got out of bed, walked over to my closet, and picked the first shirt I laid my hands on, and wore it, over the bralette I had slept in. It was a black band T-shirt that Ryan had given me. The memory of him kissing Jessica popped into my head instantly as I sniffed the shirt. It made my chest heavy again, this time I brushed it off.

There were more pressing issues at hand.

Getting out of my room, I tiptoed for some reason I couldn't put my fingers on—but I did, carefully walking down the stairs towards the direction of his voice.

I could hear Donald's voice, and from the sound of it, he was pissed off.

I have never been in the same house or known him well enough to hear him get this mad, so today was a first for me, it sent chills down my spine, but all the more made me confused.

Prior to getting to the white double win door that led to his study, I racked my brain, for anything I could have done wrong to make him mad, but nothing came to mind. So, I push the left wing door cautiously and let myself in.

The sight that greeted me, was Joanna walking by Donald's side as he placed around fuming with rage. Joanna seemed to be trying to calm him down. Her shiny robe and shiny platinum blonde hair flowed in accordance behind her as she moved.

"You sent for me," I went straight to the point, skipping the pleasantries, because even a numb person could feel the tension in the air.

“You!” his hand pointed directly in my direction in the most accusatory way, so I took a step back.

“Why didn't you tell me that you were dating my rival?!!” He fumed, yelling at me from where he stood, with his veins throbbing.

I stood there transfixed as I stared at him completely lost as to what he was talking about.

"Are you seriously going to play dumb?!' He barked.

"I–"

"So you couldn't think of any better way to embarrass me than to come back stark naked, only covered in a flimsy trench coat in the arms of my rival?!" He yelled. "How do you think that's gonna make me look to the fucking press?! That I have a whore for a daughter sleeping with men five years her age!!”

“What?!!” The more he spoke, the more confused I got.

“I wasn't feeling too well yesterday and I went to the bathroom, I don't know how but I shi—”.

I remembered Lucy's warning, it was the last thing she said before leaving me. I was back to being mute. This only seemed to infuriate Donald more, and he stormed towards me, raising his hand up to hit me.

I shut my eyes anticipating the harsh stinging moment but it never came. After some seconds, I opened my eyes to see what was happening.

Joanna was holding onto his right arm.

“Sweetheart…” her tone was filled with caution, throwing me a side eye before she whispered something into the ears of the monster who was a second away from smacking my life essence out of my body. Donald is a huge man and the slap would have most definitely left a scar.

I didn't hear a word she said, whatever it was it definitely put the beast(Donald) out cold. Donald seemed to agree with whatever Joanna said and calmed his breath by breathing in deeply and releasing the air. The smell of cigar hits my face while I struggle to keep a straight face.

"Go prepare for school," He turned away from me and I did the same, walking out of his study and not stopping till I was locked safe behind the door of my bedroom, my heart racing through my ribcage as I held the door firmly behind me, wondering what just happened.

I rushed through my morning rituals, wearing my hair in my gray beanie and pulling on a hoodie and big blue jeans. I didn't feel the need to be seen today. I gave breakfast a brief thought but the look on Joanna's face won't leave my mind.

It definitely wasn't over yet—whatever had started in the study room today definitely had more to it.

I made up my mind to skip breakfast and headed for school, walking out of the front door like a free prisoner.

I felt a cold eerie feeling on my back, and when I turned, Joanna was standing by the door, I had no idea where she suddenly came from

"Goodbye, Katie!" She waved at me with a smile spread across her lips, but there was a certain iciness in her eyes. "Have fun in school today."