Claire’s POV.I opened my eyes, staring straight at the ceiling of my bedroom.I didn’t move. I just wanted to savor those few moments that I had to myself. My bedroom was the only sanctuary I had in my life, and I knew that before long, the leave I felt this early morning would soon be broken by theThe alarm clock beside me began to ring, and I turned on my side to press the stop button. It was an old-fashioned clock that I had rescued from the scrapyard nearby.With a groan, I sat up. My body still hurt from the laborious work I had to do the previous day. I bit my lips, inhaling deeply as I stood up, my feet padding on the floor.I was used to it by now, the pain. I was used to working day and night until my arms and head felt like they would fall off.But it never got any better.I didn’t take my time with showering; it was more of a hop-in and hop-out situation. I wasn’t allowed hot water. My shower was hooked to the emergency supply of water, which was slow-running, stale, and
Claire’s POV:I continued my normal life. Although it wasn’t a good one.By the time I had gotten to eat dinner, my family was already off to rest, having eaten hours ago. I took a peek at the clock. It was 11 pm already, and it was only now I had gotten to eat dinner.My stomach growled with anticipation of the meager bread and chicken soup with leftover salads I had managed to scrounge up from my stepmother and stepsisters’ dinner. My father was back but hadn’t joined them for dinner; I still kept a plate for him in the kitchen lest I be woken up in the middle of the night to prepare his dinner. The kitchen was dark with the lights flickering and I turned and looked at the corner where I was used to eating most of my meals on. My heart clenched as I looked at that dark corner, with tears pricking my eyes but not falling. I don’t remember the last time I cried in this house, or at least not so openly. Only in my bedroom, my sanctuary, could I even hope to let my emotions show.There
Claire’s POV:After watching the wolf walk away from me, I sniffled, bringing my hand up to my face.My fingers touched wetness and I felt stunned.Why was I crying?I didn’t know. Maybe it was the fact that I had nothing else to do, or no one else - be it a human or a wolf or an inanimate object - to talk to. I sniffled again, feeling bereft. Even if it was merely for a day, I found a kindred spirit in that injured wolf.I looked at the edge of the forest, half-hoping to hear a few sounds. Maybe a sound that would show that the wolf hadn’t left yet?But there was nothing.With a shake of my head - Claire, you’re being too sentimental for a reason, I tried to chide myself. I turned and began my slow walk back to the house. As soon as I entered the backyard, my hackles rose and I froze as my ears picked up a voice.It was my father.He was up. I crouched low, hearing him talking. “Is it enough time to still get some? I can hunt some game tomorrow…” my father’s voice trailed off and my
Claire’s POV:It only took me an hour to conduct my plan.I had no choice but to make do. I didn’t even bother to pack anything. I simply didn’t want to let anyone know that I was on the move.I bit my lips, beginning to put my legs over the windowsill. I needed to make a swift drop, and though the height was slightly dizzying, I knew that I had no choice. I needed to leave before anyone would come.With a quick push from where I was seated on the window, I dropped down on the floor with a huff. I kept my knees bent, waiting until I felt stable enough to straighten up. I looked back at the window from which I had jumped.I was successful.Joy filled my heart and I sniped. The sun had risen fully and I was free. I turned towards the direction of the forelegs, on my way towards my new life when I heard a titter.“So you want to escape?” It was the voice of my dreadful stepmother. I froze, horror filling my being.No. No, no please not this.Before I could even stop her from doing anythi
ALEXAKIS POV When I was younger, I'd wondered how it'd feel like if one day, I'd finally be able to morph into a human, claiming my werewolf gene and finally belonging with my true family. I'd always thought it'd be a smooth transition, almost like a sensual dance - with ease and a flow, forgetting that my body was made of bones and muscles, blood. Reality slammed into me just as I was shifting. I let out a loud howl as my bones broke - or felt like they were breaking, but then I felt them stretching, readjusting themselves to take the form of a human. My torso stretched as well, my ribs shifted and that pain was so excruciating that I growled loudly, my head bowed. It was my face that hurt the most though, because my snout retracted, my eyes reformed and my mouth and jaw feels changed. Completely altered. I blinked furiously, my vision getting smaller till all I could see was the man directly in front of me. I stared up at him, hunched over, even though I knew that I should proba
ALEXAKIS POV As I watched the girl lying on the floor, I was forced to do the next best thing I could think of...I transformed back into my wolf form.The first person I came across, I tore him to pieces with my sharp fangs. The howling of pain that the man let out gave me little satisfaction from all the anger blazing within me. I released him and grabbed the next person I could lay my hands on, I clawed him and heard him gasp for breath. By the time I looked at the wound I gave him, I saw it was a cut to his stomach. The wound was so wide, I doubted the man would survive it, but I didn't care.A bullet wheezed past my ears and I trained my eyes on the person that I knew who shot it. The moment my eyes settled on the man, he took a step back and another and another. I stalked toward him and refused to back down. I got to him and jumped on him. My fang sank into his face and I bit off a chunk of flesh from it. Another heart-shattering scream rented the air.By the time I jumped down
9Alexakis POV Where was she? Where could she have gone with that much of an injury that she suffered from?My mind whirled over so many questions at the same time but I suppressed them. I knew that my first and foremost action should be to look for the girl and make sure she was alright. That brought my mind back to her parents. Could they have followed our trails and kidnapped the girl back when they realized that I was fast asleep? If by the moon goddess that was them, I would make sure that they didn't live to see the next sunrise. How could they have kidnapped the girl they wanted dead?The question brought me the answer I needed. Those hunters couldn't have done it. The fact that I was alive was proof of that. If they were the ones who really stole the girl from me, then I would either be dead or in a cage by now, given how serious they were about making me lose my life.If it wasn't them though, who else could have done such a thing?I knew that the more time I wasted broodi
10.Alexakis povAs I carried the girl in my arms, I was reminded of the fact that I had no real home to take the girl over to. I never had any home, to begin with. Except with the wolves I live with. And when I say wolves, I meant the real ones. I never knew what my identity was. I didn't know if I belonged together with the wolves or with the humans. All I knew was that I grew up with the wolves. They were the only family I had. It wasn't until recently that I found out that I was even a human myself.The change had happened even very rapidly, and that too in the camp of hunters. One of them spotted me and that was how I sustained all the injuries that I did. It was while I was escaping from the humans that I ventured into the territory of the human girl and she helped treat my sustained wounds.Now that I have to take the girl somewhere to recuperate, I didn't know if I should do it with the wolves or take her to an actual hospital. Do I even know how these places work? Decidin