Chapter 2

My brain felt fuzzy as I heard muffled voices. 

I didn't know where I was because my eyes were still closed but I could tell wherever I was was very cold, probably zero degrees because I was literally freezing.

The sound of happy chatter and laughter got even louder and I tightened my eyes closed because I could already feel the headache forming in the bridge of my nose.

Was the afterlife this noisy?

I slowly opened my eyes and I wish I didn't because the acrid smell of the place hit me square in the face.

"Fuck," I groaned as I scrunched up my nose.

I slowly got up from the fetal position I was on the floor and sat up, taking in my surroundings. 

I was in a small, cramped bathroom and there were white pills all over the ground and an empty bottle on the side.

"What's going on?" I muttered as I tried to remember anything from the last 24 hours and it all came back rushing to me. 

Coming back from the camp, driving to meet my boyfriend, having an accident, brutally beaten and having my heart pulled out of my chest. 

I was supposed to be dead. 

What was this place?

"Tabitha!" Someone yelled and banged loudly on the door, increasing the headache I was already feeling.

"Fuck off," I said inwardly to whoever it was on the other side.

Wait…Ta..what?

The name registered in my mind and I quickly looked around but there was no other person in the bathroom except me.

I shrugged it off and willed myself to breathe properly despite the splitting headache I was feeling.

"Breathe. Breathe. Breathe," I repeated the mantra in my head till I was able to breathe properly.

The room tilted as I got up and I closed my eyes momentarily to calm the raging headache as my hands landed on the door knob to keep from falling.

I closed my eyes and took deep breaths again and when the headache subsided, I turned the knob and the voices got even louder.

This room was brighter than the one I was previously in, even though it was lit by a small chandelier that looked like it would fall from the weak ceiling anytime soon.

There were a lot of people walking around while some sat down leisurely and chatted animatedly. 

Everyone there looked very happy.

From their scents, I could tell they were mostly omegas and the ones that weren't, were low-ranking wolves.

"Hey, Tabitha, get me a glass of water," a voice called out.

"Oh, she's out. I thought she wanted to remain there forever. Might as well have because that would spare us the trauma of looking at her pathetic face everyday," another woman said and the whole room burst out laughing. 

While I wondered who they were talking about, I stood there, not knowing whether to move to the left or to the right.

There was a staircase by the right that would hopefully lead me out of this circus and I chose that route.

I had barely taken a step when I felt a stinging pain on my scalp from someone pulling my hair.

Anger coursed through me and I tried to do a quick spin and land a blow on the person but I overestimated my strength because in the next second, I fell down flat on the ground and the whole room burst out laughing.

What's going on?

The move I wanted to pull was the most amateur move and I had known it since I was 5. 

Why couldn't I do it now?

"Look at that. I haven't even touched her and she's already on the floor. So weak and pathetic," the woman that stood over me said loud enough for everyone to hear and again, they all erupted in laughter. "Get the fuck up, bitch," she growled and before I could register her words, she was already pulling me up to my feet from my hair.

Pain seared through my scalp but I kept a straight face. 

I was never one to cower in the face of danger or show fear.

I stared at the woman's icy blue eyes and malicious smile.

My eyes flickered towards the staircase and I weighed the possibility of running away. 

That wouldn't have been a problem for me but my feet felt like jelly.

"Uh uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," she shook her head like she was talking to a four year old.

"What do you want?" I managed to ask.

Her eyes widened a bit at my question but a hard look soon replaced the surprise that only lasted a millisecond on her face.

"How dare you ignore me when I asked you to get me a glass of water?" She asked and punctuated her question with a hard slap on my face.

What was she talking about? When did she ask me to get her a glass of water?

"Nefret," I tried to mind-link my wolf but I was met with utter silence.

"When I ask a question, you answer me," she said and slapped me hard across my face again.

I felt my knees going weak and the only thing keeping me up was her hand that was wrapped securely around the back of my neck, which I was certain would leave a bruise.

I tried to pry her hands off me but my body was suddenly too weak.

"Get. Your. Filthy. Hands. Off. Me. Bitch," I said through gritted teeth.

The whole room fell so deathly silent that the sound of a pin drop would have echoed very loudly.

The woman's hard expression faltered and surprise clouded her features as small gasps filled the room but she was quick to compose herself.

"What did you just say?" She asked.

I could already feel her tightening her hold on my neck.

But I didn't care.

"You heard me the first time," I said in a monotone. 

I was never one to repeat myself. 

I still couldn't wrap my head around what was going on or how I got there. All I wanted to do was get the hell out.

"You now backtalk? Oh, how much fun I'm going to have with you," she said but before she finished her sentence, her fangs elongated and I could already feel blood seeping down from my neck.