Terious smiled wildly, his eyes blazing with something i had never seen before. “Take your time. But after the full moon, i want you to declare that you are mine.”
I took another step back when he began to walk towards me, struggling to answer; I nodded. How could I possibly make such a decision in one day?
“you’re dismissed.” He said after a long silence, seeming to finally notice my sceptical mind.
I nodded, forcing a small smile as I turned to leave, my mind racing over a thousand possibilities and questions.
“Tomorrow then.” He called after me, his toothy smile once again sending shivers of confusion down my spine.
I smiled, exiting the tent as I spoke. “Tomorrow.”
I stood in the centre of the village for a long moment, unable to process the people around me as I fought for breath; praying that it was all somehow a dream. That I would wake up and everything would be back to normal. The Alpha of my pack did not ask for my hand and instead allowed me to stay out of putty, not lust.
I shifted my glance towards my parents tent, wondering if they would allow me to have a short conversation with them, so i could tell them what happened. Inform my family that Terious wanted to marry their smart minded daughter. The very same one that they banished from their home because she was too outspoken and headstrong. Would they be happy at the news? Praise my existence once again, just as they did when i was a child.
Deciding that facing my family was better than sitting alone in my small hut, I began to stroll towards where I knew my mother would be; expecting nothing other than a sour welcome. I walked along the hundreds of homes that each family built themselves over hundreds of years and several generations, each one identical to the next. I stopped just outside the one i knew to be my old home, dreading the thought of even entering without an invitation, though still the thought of being alone tonight forced me forward, my heart beginning to race as I stepped through the small opening.
My mother was sat back with my younger brother Terion on her lap, the four year old cub craving her attention. Her blonde hair and green eyes showed nothing if where i got my looks from, neither did her curvy form; one that most women of the tribe would be jealous of. Terion looked just like her with the same shade of emerald eyes, his small frame and black hair reminding me that we were if the same blood.
My father, the head of our bloodline stood at the other end of his large home, watching as his daughters talked and laughed, a warm smile spreading across him rough features. He was over six foot tall with raven black hair and a scar that spread across his right cheek.
I ignored my younger sisters Paterna and Niey and cleared my throat, calling for the attention of all those in the hut. Green, blue and brown eyes all making their way around towards me, the laughter fading from the air.
Paterna scoffed, shaking her head as she rose to her feet, her sunshine blonde hair pinned back at the top of her head. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to speak with our parents, not you.” I growled in return, taking a threatening step towards the thirteen year old cub; knowing that she would back down.
Just as I thought, Paterna took a step back, lowering her head slightly to show that she wasn’t any threat. My smile only growing. I had never gotten along with any of my sister’s, and nor did I intend to, they showed nothing of who I was, or what I wanted to be and would do nothing for the tribe when they grew into womanhood. And yet, I knew that they thought the same of me, as none of them would care should I be thrown from the tribe tomorrow.
“Lycia, why have you come?” My mother asked me with a frown, as always disheartened to see her disappointment of a daughter.My smile dropped along with my a confidence as I spoke. “I'd like a word with you and father ... Privately.”“Very well.” My father nodded, turning towards my sister’s. “Take your brother and wait outside.”The girls nodded, taking Terion by the hand and retreating from the hut, both of them knowing better than to disobey our father. I waited in silence as my mother and father stood from their seats and stepped towards me, their features blank of expression.“Don’t tell me that you have been banished from the tribe. You are my biggest regret Lycia, why can’t you just behave like the other women.” My father blu
I woke just outside my small hut, naked and cold, my entries body burning in agony from the changing. I hated the pain of the morning after, but waking up alone and scared was the worst part of all. I couldn’t handle the feeling of solitude any longer as I pulled myself from the ground, a strange scratch showing allow my lower chest. Had I gotten into a fight?Shaking my head in anger I stumbled into my hut, quickly moving towards the spare pair of clothes in the corner, why must I always wake with no clothes? Surely that was the worst part of the transformation, waking in the nude where the whole pack could see my virtue. The pain I had gotten used to, but I could never grow used to being naked in the middle of the village; that was too much.Truthfully I couldn’t decide what the worst part was, all I knew is that I hated everything about the transformation
“Yes, I will marry you.”He rushed towards me wish a glistening smile spread across his bulky features, ripping from the ground as though I weighed nothing and spun me around in the air. Pulling me towards him I was embraced in my first kiss, the taste of fresh blood on his lips. I sunk into the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck as he cradled me, holding me tightly in his arms. I sighed happily when he finally pulled away, feeling as though I could finally be happy, more so than I had ever been before. He placed me onto the ground and took a step back, watching me so intently that I feared I may have had a zit or a scar on my face.He cleared his throat, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his tangled hair. “Apologies. I fear that I lost control for a moment.”I mimicked his movements, at first unsure what to say. &l
A sharp sound pounded towards my ears as I shot awake, my heart thumping recklessly against my chest as Terious stirred beside me, slowly awaking from his slumber. Had someone come to finish the job they had started a few weeks ago, just after I had fully recovered from the poison? I bit my bottom lip, pulling the blanket up to my chin as I attempted to ignore it, passing it off as nothing other than my terror getting the best of me.I jumped to my feet when the thundering clang sounded once more, the alpha finally waking as I stumbled to get dressed; knowing that we needed to find out where the sound was coming from. I couldn’t ignore it anymore as several more echoing shots rang out, filling my ears with a strange ringing. Was it one of the other tribes coming to settle a feud? The humans? Who was attacking us in the dead of night?“Terious, I’m scared.&rd
So that’s why they were attacking, they knew what we were. But how? Who had informed the humans that we exited here, and how did they find us? Something clicked within my mind. The doctor. The doctor must have told them we were here. No one else knew where we were. Traitor, I growled, knowing that the human doctor was responsible for my people being attacked and shot down.The men jumped back, recoiling as I growled, the man sat in front of me moving back in fear. Funny, I thought, that they are more afraid of me than I am of them. But if so, why had they come?“Calm down. We are not going to harm you.” The man who sat not far from murmured, his eyes wide as he watched me for a response. Believing that I would attack him.“Where is Terious?!” I snarled, finding a strength from deep within me I lunged, scratching the man&r
I groaned, stirring against the harsh florescent light, my eyes burning as they fought to adjust, the sudden change in atmosphere clear to me as i tried to move; my entire frame bound by something I couldn’t see. I opened my eyes again, nervously waiting for them to adjust to the knew light, immediately searching for something that i could use to free myself. After a moment i sighed heavily, the glossy white room was completely bare except for the floating bed i was bound to, strange wires disappearing into my arm through a small incision. I quickly began to panic, my heart thumping in reckless motions, where was I?I screamed, thrashing against the bed as i remembered what had happened, the world had suddenly turned black and I was taken to a strange place. Bound and locked in a strange room with no door. But where was Terious? He had promised to return for me, to come back when he had saved our people. Only their w
The strangers left, once again leaving me alone in the strange room, my heart continuing to pound as I cried for my father, for Terious and for all of my people, praying that they were okay and well. That they were alive somewhere and that one day, i would get back to them.But for now... I didn’t know what was going to become of me.I groaned, unable to sleep as the strange wires tugged on my arms, leaving me in vast amounts of pain. I turned my head to look at them, small amounts of blood trickling from the wound that they had created, the pain becoming unbearable. And yet, I was too afraid to call out for help, nor signal what I know realised to a camera; and I highly doubt that any human would come to help. It had been hours since I had seen anyone and longer since I had a meal, my stomach pleading with me to eat as it groaned in hung
“No, not blind, but I do struggle to see.” She explained, amused by my confusion.The silence stretched out for a long while as Lisa wrote down notes on her clipboard, quickly checking me out as I watched; unsure of what to say. She eventually stopped writing when she looked at the wires in my arm, noticing the blood that trickled from the wound; her eyes widening.“What has happened to the IV?” she asked, tapping her bed against the metal bars on the bed.“IV?” I asked, frowning as I failed to understand her question.“The tubes that are in you arm 627.” Lisa grimaced at the sight of blood oozing from the wires, her skin paling slightly.“I don’t know what happened.” I replied honestly, “they just began to