Juliana POVThe prison was a dank dungeon devoid of illumination except for the swinging light bulb from the torture closet. Before this experience, I had learned to treasure luminosity. Without it, I felt like a plant starved from my source of food. And just like that plant, I was wilting under the deplorable conditions I was forced into. Being locked in the basement as a child, then again with the rogues, and now here, these warriors were triggering me into an elevated state of panic. My adrenaline surged and somehow kept me alive, yet I wasn't sure how much longer I could take this.The lack of a clock jumbled my circadian rhythm, too. I thought that perhaps I'd find a digital clock with neon red numbers, but there was nothing. The ticking from the second hand on a battery-operated clock was absent, too. This prison was purposely created this way. Add to those disorienting features the fact that I was in and out of consciousness because of the ang
Juliana POVWhile I was in a coma, I didn't lose my senses entirely. Snippets of feelings like stinging pinpricks from inserted needles and muffled voices haunted me like ghosts. Though I should have been afraid, I wasn't. Even though I didn't have my wolf yet, my body was healing at an accelerated rate compared to humans. Somewhere in my subconscious, I knew I'd wake up soon. But in the meantime my brain was alight with activity. During my coma, I only dreamt of one person. Chasel. At times, my visions were filled with him rescuing me in Alston's dimly lit basement, covered in wounds and weakened from herbs. Though those visualizations were slightly negative, he was still my savior. My only other dream depicted him as a leader wearing an intricately designed golden crown encrusted with symmetric precious jewels. The lights above him glimmered against the rubies, causing pink reflections on the wall. His clothing was of the utmost quality as
Chester POVOutside of my doorstep was Juliana, helpless and in need of care. She was barely conscious by the time she made it to me. Rushing toward her, I caught her just in time before she fell to the ground. Picking her up, I carried her inside across the threshold like a sleeping child after a long car trip. What was she doing here? She should have stayed in the hospital. Now that she had exerted herself, she could not answer that question. I'd have to wait until later to ask. I had no choice. It felt like I was locked in a cage, and until she awoke, I wouldn’t be released. Her words were the only things that could set me free. For now, I’d make her comfortable. Once we were in my palace, I ascended the carpeted stairs and entered my room. Without thought, I brought her to one of the beds. While I laid her down gently, I gazed upon her. With her long lashes and frail appearance, she resembled a baby doe.Again, just like during our midnigh
I couldn't believe it. My letter from Moonlight College, one of the most famous colleges in the wolf world, arrived in the mail, and they had accepted me!I read it repeatedly. Was it really true? 'Dear Juliana Anderson,We are happy to say that your application to Moonlight College has been accepted! Congratulations. Here is a list of your next steps to prepare for orientation, enroll in your courses, and get to know where you'll be living.As if it wasn't already amazing to be one of the newly accepted, my happiness was two-fold. I'd finally get a chance to leave my family and live with my lifelong chosen mate, Carl. We could behave as boyfriend and girlfriend without the watchful eye of our parents. It would be great to make our own decisions, not to mention, have some private time. It wasn't as if I didn't like my family; in fact, we were very close, but things were tense between us ever since my stepsister Arlene became a member. Everyone, including my boyfriend Carl
Squeezing the phone in my sweating hand, I swallowed hard. "A-Are you sure?" I asked, feeling tongue-tied."Yes, definitely. It was the dean who made the notes. We can’t make changes in the system without having our names attached. It’s all about accountability."My stomach was in knots, and my mouth went dry. All I could muster was, "Thank you, that's all." As I hung up, I held my hand to my chest. My heart was thundering as my footsteps dropped heavily on the carpet back to my father's office. I didn't want to stomp like a child, but I was outraged. I deserved an explanation. He wasn't in his office, however. When I rushed in, ready to argue, all I could see on his desk was a sticky note. Picking it up, I read, 'Orientation for Arlene' with a schedule written down. I gritted my teeth. I needed to find him and see what he had to say. After searching the study and the dining hall, I finally located him in his bedroom on the computer. I knocked loudly on the half-open doo
Dropping my mouth open in surprise, I tried to comprehend the scene before me. I kept telling myself that I was having some drunk nightmare, still at the bar, dead asleep, but I couldn’t fool myself. It was real. "No," I mumbled, but not for lack of passion. I was too shocked to say anything else. I couldn't believe my stepsister and boyfriend could do this to me. I wanted to yell and maybe even attack them, but I suppressed my impulses. My only other option was to leave, but I was too stunned to move.I was frozen with horror when I heard Carl's soft yawn as he slowly woke up. At first, he seemed relaxed and calm, but once he saw me, he widened his eyes in horror and hopped out of bed, frantically pulling his clothes on. I gasped. Maybe I didn’t hear voices, after all. Perhaps it was just instinct. Although it hurt, I was glad I trusted myself to check. This was horrible!"Wait, Juliana, it isn't what you think!" he exclaimed pleadingly, pulling his clothes on. He banged his k
My heart jumped into my throat, and I felt so devastated. In all of my eighteen years, this was the first time my father had ever put his hands on me. What compounded the pain and shock was that he did this in front of Arlene. His physical, visceral reaction had been to punish me in front of his stepdaughter, and of course, that sealed their relationship. He was my only blood parent left, and he had just turned against me. I covered my cheek, dropping my mouth open in shock, feeling tears collect in the corners of my eyes. "D-Dad?" I asked, as if he was a stranger. In a way, he was. This was not the father I had known most of my life. Instead of responding in any way, he ignored me, walking over to comfort Arlene."Are you alright, honey?" my father asked her. My chin was wobbling as I forced back sobs while watching him console her. The feeling of betrayal was so cutting, like a deep trench in my soul. The longer he pretended I wasn’t there, the more butchered I felt. Of cou
It wasn't the first time I'd experienced bloodshed, but it had been quite a while. A decade, in fact. When I thought back to that experience, a shudder ran through my body, and my heart ached from the memory of my mother's untimely death.I despised fighting and killing ever since then and avoided it at all costs, making this encounter not only terrifying in and of itself, but re-traumatizing.Flashbacks of my mother's corpse popped up like photographs in my mind. Having no control over my exposure to this violence was increasing the tightness in my chest as anxiety flooded me.Adding to the perfect ironic ill-fated icing on the cake, my mother had been killed not by another pack but by rogues, and this group seemed to share the same traits. From what I’d heard, rogues were so vicious they’d eat anything, even their own kind.As each slash from their sharp fangs cut through the flesh of my companion travelers, I cowered further. Blood painted the once lush chartreuse grass with cri