Lucy wasn’t sure how much time had passed as she forced her eyes open, but the cold hard surface underneath her back and the pungent smell of disinfectant told her that something was wrong.
Her eyes opened to be greeted with the sight of a dank room shrouded in darkness and a vicious pounding began in her head as a wave of nausea washed over her. It felt as though she had spent the night drinking and woken up with a hangover, yet all she remembered was drinking tea with…Cassandra.
Icy fingers of dread worked their way down her spine as she tried desperately to bring her hands up to her head and at least try to massage it. It took her a second to realize that her inability to lift her arms wasn’t because of a lack of coordination on her part, but because something that was burning her skin was holding her in place.
She bent her neck at an awkward angle to try and look around the room that she was in and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she realized with a sense of foreboding that almost took the breath from her lungs, that she was in a very dangerous position.
The walls were encrusted with grime and from what she could make out there was a small window in the wall opposite, clouded over with filth. A faint glow and the muffled sound of voices seemed to approach the room beyond hers and her heart began to beat even faster as she could feel the panic begin to rise in her chest.
“I don’t know about this Cassandra…what if they find out?” a hesitant male voice spoke.
The tinkling sound of Cassandra’s laughter answered him accompanied by a dismissive snort. Lucy could just imagine the dismissive and arrogant wave of her hand that would accompany that sound.
“Don’t be ridiculous Frederik. Who on earth would ever find out?” Cassandra crooned, pausing briefly before she continued, “I’m certain that you’ll never tell anyone about it, would you? Not after our little...arrangement..hmm?”
“Cassy…she’s our Luna…and the pups..” the male voice seemed to almost plead with her.
“And? So what!” Cassandra bit back harshly. “She won’t be your Luna after this, that will be my position and I can assure you those pups are not Noah’s!” Cassandra spat angrily, “If you’re having second thoughts about our little..arrangement then I can always..”
“NO!” Frederick almost shouted, “No…I’ll..I’ll do it. But then we’re even Cassandra. I don’t want you near my family again after this do you understand?”
Cassandra answered him with a laugh that would make your blood run cold.
“Oh, Frederik…do you really think that you’re in any position to be making deals with me?” Cassandra laughed again as the silhouettes moved against the light in the window.
“Just get on with it. Make sure there are no mistakes. I don’t want her ruining everything that I spent the last 6 years working for.” She hissed furiously.
The sound of Cassandra’s footsteps retreating into the distance echoed down the corridor but it didn’t ease the panic in her chest. Lucy could feel the pups inside of her squirming around in reaction to their mother's stress levels and if anything, it broke her heart.
Lucy knew that she would only have one chance to get out of this but it didn’t look good.
The door to the room creaked open on its rusty hinges and the figure of Frederick entered the room hesitantly. He glanced across at where she lay bound to the slab and his shoulders slumped as he exhaled heavily.
“Please..” Lucy whispered hoarsely, her throat painfully dry.
His head whipped up and he glanced in her direction, the shock at her being conscious was written all over his face.
“Luna! I didn’t think…you weren’t supposed to be awake…” He mumbled as he fidgeted with his hands and hurried across to a metal trolley that sat just underneath the window.
The clattering of metal against metal indicated that his hands were clearly shaking with whatever he was trying to do.
“Frederick, please..you don’t have to do this. I can help..if we can just tell Noah what’s really going on…” She trailed off, the tears beginning to fall and trickle backward into her hairline.
He stiffened at the use of his name and snorted ironically.
“So you heard the conversation out there then?” He asked quietly as he turned to face her, holding a scalpel loosely in his hand.
Lucy swallowed before she answered her mind racing with the potential solutions to getting her out of this, but her mind was blank. All she could do was beg and plead for the life of her pups.
“I did. I know Cassandra is behind all of this. I can help you, but you need to help me get out of here. I can leave, go and gather help from people outside of the pack, or I can just run and never return! Please Frederick…I’ll do whatever you decide is best just..don’t kill my pups..please..” She sobbed, her breath catching in her throat and her chest heaving with the pain of her grief.
Frederick approached her slowly and looked down at her sadly, hesitating before he spoke.
“I wish it was that simple Luna, you see..she has my children too…how can I possibly make the right decision..I’m damned whatever I choose.” He whispered, his voice cracking.
Lucy’s eyes closed in despair and she allowed herself one last sob before taking a deep breath in and staring directly into Frederick's eyes.
She didn’t stand a chance against a male wolf desperate to protect his pups…there was no hope.
A single ear trickled down her face as she desperately tried to communicate with her unborn pups that she loved them and she was sorry she hadn’t protected them better.
“I’m so sorry my Luna..” Frederick whispered as he lifted his arm up and sliced across her throat, making sure the scalpel sliced through both arteries on each side of her neck.
He held her face tenderly as he sobbed over her, the grief and misery of what he had been forced to do piercing his heart as he watched the last signs of life disappear from Lucy’s eyes.
Frederick knew that in the eyes of the Goddess, he was damned. He had committed the most grievous sin, the murder of defenseless pups and their life giver, his Luna.
There was no way that he could possibly redeem himself, but what choice did he have? His own children would always take priority and he would do whatever it took to bring them home safely.
As soon as the pain had receded, Lucy felt a strange warmth envelop her as she seemed to float above her body and look down on the scene below her. The sight of her blood-soaked body, the cascade crimson liquid that had splattered against the walls after the first incision now pumped out in slow spurts and pooled on the floor beneath her, didn’t fill her with any sort of emotion. The only sadness she felt was when she gazed at the still-swollen belly and thought of the life that her pups would never get to live. Frederick was bent over her lifeless body, sobs wracking his body as he wailed loudly, clearly not hearing the sound of approaching footsteps. “Ugh. Did you have to do it so messily? Goddess…no wonder this place is so disgusting…” Cassandra sneered. Frederick looked up at her with hatred burning in his eyes as she tiptoed through the blood on the floor and smiled happily down at Lucy’s lifeless body. “Perfect. Now I won’t have to worry about any nasty little surprises f
As she fell through the darkness the warmth that had previously enveloped her disintegrated as a creeping chill washed over her. Lucy felt nothing but a resigned calm, knowing that she couldn’t fail. She had one chance at this, for her life and her baby's lives. A strange pressure mounted on her chest as a hazy light seemed to appear above her and suddenly she was tumbling in the currents of water that surrounded her. A mild panic seized her as her limbs began to encounter resistance as she moved them and she realized with a start that she was now very much underwater and desperate for air. Lucy looked frantically around her as she tried to find something, anything, that would pinpoint the location of the surface to her. The light that bloomed slightly above her and to the right gave her a good idea of where she needed to be heading and she shook the disorientation that she was feeling away as she dragged her arms and legs into motion, kicking desperately towards the surface. She
“Lucy are you even listening to me?” Cassandra’s irritated voice sounded from her position next to her. Lucy tore her eyes from where Noah and the boys were playing beach volleyball and turned to face her former best friend with an unreadable expression. “No, I wasn’t. Sorry.” Lucy answered as nonchalantly as she could, fighting the anger that burned within her. Cassandra sighed dramatically and threw herself back on the lounger with an exasperated expression on her face. “Goddess Lucy, what’s with you today? You’ve been a little off with me since we first met up this morning. Is everything okay?” She asked, squinting her eyes up at her and wrinkling her nose. “Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that she ordered our cold-blooded murder and that of our unborn pups in a few years…funny how that changes your treatment of someone..” Maia growled. “She doesn’t know that though Maia, and it’s not like we can tell her either. How do you even accuse someone of something they
It both saddened and infuriated Lucy that the mere sound of his voice could provoke such a strong reaction from her and Maia whined in agreement. She felt his body sit heavily next to her and his arm drape around her as he pulled Lucy closer to his side as he kissed the top of her head fondly. Every millimeter of her skin that touched his was infused with a comforting warmth and as it rippled through her body she felt her anger subside and a calmness wash over her.How was she supposed to figure everything out if she could still feel the pull so strongly? Damn mate bond. One thing was for sure, this time around Lucy didn’t miss the look of thinly veiled hatred and envy that Cassandra directed toward her as she was wrapped in Noah's arms. Cassandra stood up from the lounger abruptly, gathering her things hastily and with clear anger in her movements. “Everything’s fine. I just remembered I need to go and make sure everything’s ready for tonight. I’ll see you both later.” She sai
Lucy made her way along the familiar pathways that led back to the University’s campus. The lake wasn’t too far from the center and she passed many groups of the younger students heading down there on her way back up. She smiled serenely to herself at the laughter of the people passing her, and inhaled deeply as the scent of honeysuckle wafted along in the warm air of the early summer. Even in her past life, whenever she had gotten even the barest hint of this scent, her mind had been flooded with so much nostalgia for her time here, and it was no different now. It sort of made sense, because she had technically already lived this life, and she had all of her memories from her time here before, even though she had gone back to this time period and had yet to make those memories in actuality, the paradox didn’t seem to affect her memories too much. All sorts of memories ran through her mind, the good times as well as the bad, and she chuckled softly to herself as she walked, reminis
The familiar smell of her dorm room assaulted her senses as she shut her bedroom door behind her and she smiled softly at the familiarity of this comfortable space that had been solely hers from the day she started. Lucy was luckier than most when it came to dorm rooms. Although the building itself was shared by many students, she had been one of the select few able to get her own personal room, as the daughter of two high ranking pack members. It was sad how their world continually seemed to revolve around rewarding the fittest and punishing the weak, but it wasn’t something that Lucy had been able to change in her past life much to her disappointment. Noah shared his fathers opinion, that defined structure within the packs ensured that everyone knew their place and minimized disruption. Lucy just felt that it was unfair that a wolf couldn’t improve their situation if they were born to the lower ranks unless they mated higher into the pack hierarchy. It was ridiculous and she h
“He has a perfectly good reason for rejecting her and casting her out..” Cassandra announced imperiously as she moved out from behind Noah. Noah’s father narrowed his eyes dangerously as an almost feral growl of fury erupted from his chest. “I wasn’t talking to you, you conniving little wench. Don’t EVER speak in my presence again unless I demand it, do you understand me?!” He roared as Cassandra’s face drained of color and she shrank back behind Noah. Noah’s face darkened instantly as he growled warningly back at his father and met his aggression head-on. “You have no right to speak to her like that. If it wasn’t for Cassy..” “So it’s Cassy now?!” His dad interrupted furiously, stepping forward and taking hold of Noah’s shirt by his collar. ‘Yes! You tell him! Traitorous bastard!” Maia growled enthusiastically inside of Lucy’s head. “If it hadn’t have been for Cassandra, then I never would have found out that Lucy was fucking other guys behind my back!” Noah roared as he force
When she woke up, Lucy lay there staring at the ceiling for a long time as she chewed her cheek thoughtfully.It was obvious that Cassandra had been working on this for a long time, and if Selene had sent her back to this time in her life, then this must be when it all started.Taking into account what she had just witnessed, and Cassandra’s reactions earlier today, then it made perfect sense to her that she was going to have to intervene at every possible juncture to put a stop to her plans. She wouldn’t let anything slide and would make sure that she was present for every single interaction that both Noah and Cassandra had moving forward.Lucy sighed.‘Do you think it’s a little obsessive though?’ She asked Maia tentatively, ‘He’s going to think I’ve lost my mind, or at the very least that I’ve gotten obsessed with him like some sort of crazy stalker.’Maia snorted.‘Pur-lease! Have you been entirely oblivious to the generally possessive males snarling at anyone that so much looks a