I'm running.
The ground keeps moving under me but I don't know where to run to or what I running from. I try to look for an escape route, but there is no way out. The shadow is closing in on me but my feet don't stop moving."Run, Emma. Run. run!" A voice yelled and I woke with a startled gasp. My chest rose and fell rapidly with the effort. It was dark, too dark for me to see anything and the smell of earth was thick in the air. I could only hear the steady patter of water dropping against the roof and floor of wherever I was. I wasn't home anymore. This wasn't my bedroom at all.It was then the memories of last night rushed back to me. And the fear that had woken me up came right back. I scrambled to myfeet to get away from the darkness of the room. The sudden motion jostled something inside of me and I felt nauseous. I leaned over and vomited on the ground.My hand remained on the jagged rocks of the wall for support as I tried to control my heaving stomach. The taste of acid still lingered in my mouth and it took a few minutes to be able to breathe again without feeling like my head would burst open.My eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and when I registered where they had left me, my stomach churned again.I couldn't believe they would do this. Or maybe I could. Those three have always picked on me since the day I was declared defective for not being able to shift fully.I couldn't breathe. I needed to get out. I needed to leave before I suffocated to death.I forced my legs to move, but it felt like I was moving through molasses or sand. Every step seemed to take more energy than the previous one. But I just kept going. As I walked further, flashbacks of my time in this cave flooded back. The pain. The fear. And the blood. The screams and torture and terror. I could feel myself beginning to hyperventilate, my hands trembling, my vision getting fuzzy, and tears streaming down my face."This isn't real." I muttered, "It's all in your head." I shut my eyes tightly, urging my legs to keep going.The moment I stepped outside, my lungs were free of that stifling, fetid air. And I gasped for breath, the sun beat down on me, drying my tears and burning the dirt stains into my skin. I stood there for a moment, trying to get my bearings while my mind worked on sorting out reality from hallucination.I take a deep breath and began walking, my mind directing me. I knew where I had to go. People cast me curious looks, some even stopping to ogle and whisper, but none dared approach me. I catch my reflection through a large window on the side of the building in front of me.My icy blonde hair was matted and tangled around my head. My skin appeared almost grey, and the colour drained from my face. There were also bruises and scrapes on my arms and neck and red and purple spots across the bridge of my nose and cheeks. I looked like a ghost, like something from a nightmare. The sight made me cringe and I turned quickly from the window.The stares and murmurings increased the further I walked but I disregarded them, ignoring everyone and everything I passed, until I reached my destination. My gaze remained fixed on the large house before me, my fingers tingled with the need to destroy. I climb up the stairs leading to the entrance, pausing briefly to wipe the sweat off my brow. When I reached the door, I pushed the heavy wooden gate open.The sound of loud chatter filled the air as soon as I stepped inside, I made a quick estimation of the people inside the house. Six. There were two of them standing in the back and talking in hushed voices. At the centre of the room, sat the other four laughing loudly over something.I make my presence known by hitting the glass vase that is sitting in the center of the table with the palm of my hand and shattering the glass into tiny pieces, causing the laughter to die abruptly and all eyes to turn in my direction.I watch as their expression morphs into one of confusion, then surprise, and then anger. Anger, which is exactly what I want. To see them get mad. To see their faces twisted into hateful and cruel scowls. And I want it. More than anything, I want their hate directed at me because it would only fuel the fire inside me."Look what the dog dragged in!" Shaun was the first to speak, he always was, clapping as he stood from his position. "You look terrific Emma, where the heck did you sleep?"A muscle twitches in my jaw at the question and I grit my teeth to hold back the anger welling inside me."Probably in her dog pit. I heard that's where mutts in the Capital sleep." A girl I recognise as Amanda piped up causing everyone to burst into laughter.A delirious smile rose on my lips and I took a step forward, then another and another until I was standing in front of her. She had a demeaning grin on her lips and my eyes flickered towards Judy who looked to be enjoying every bit of this."What did you just say?" I asked slowly, the tips of my fingers slowly elongating into claws.Amanda's eyes glimmered dangerously and she took a step forward so our chests were touching, "I said you're a worthless dog who's more bark than bite." Her voice was laced with malice and Judy laughed mockingly,"She says that to all dogs with a useless bark." She joined in the jeering and the crowd roared with laughter.I reacted before thinking, my hand slammed into her chest sending her flying backwards and crashing into the nearest wall. For a moment, everyone stood still with their eyes wide open in shock. Then, chaos erupted. Someone lunged for me but I quickly dodged the attack, instead grabbing him by the hair and slamming his body hard into the ground knocking the wind out of him.A kick landed square in my side and I stumbled backwards losing my balance."You think you can take us!" I turn in the direction of the voice, narrowly missing the clawed hand aimed at my chest, "You're just a useless half-shifter."An inhume growl rips its way from my chest and I grab him by the neck, raising him off the ground. "I am better than you. Far better than you." My voice didn't sound like my own, it felt like there was liquid fire in my eyes. He struggled helplessly against my grip, his face red from the other effort. He clawed at my hands in a desperate attempt to be free but I only squeezed tighter, my claws digging into his skin and drawing out blood.'You need to stop giving these people power over you.''They won't stop their torture, so please, try to defend yourself.'George's words ring loudly in my ears and my eyes burn even further. Shaun choked and sputtered for air, trying to pull free of my grasp. His eyes were wide as they stared into mine. I knew what he saw in them: insanity, rage, and determination. He knew what I wanted to do to him.Something heavy slammed into me causing me to stumble and lose my balance. The world spun wildly around me as I dropped to my knees. Everything went black for a second and when I came back to myself I saw what I had just done. My shaky fist came up to my face and the sight of blood coating my hands sent shockwaves of horror throughout my body. My eyes widened with realization and I raised my head to see how much destruction I'd caused.Judy was staring back at me with a look of utter shock and disgust plastered on her face. I felt a small amount of satisfaction as she fell to her knees and started screaming. The group of people surrounding us was in complete shock and stared at me with horror filling their eyes and mouths.Amanda had glued herself to the wall, clutching her arm, there was blood trickling down the side of her face. Kevin had his body shielding her protectively. Shaun, on the other hand, was in a worse state, he was lying unconscious on the floor, his face completely pale, almost lifeless.There was blood dripping from my fists onto the floor and the metallic smell stung my nostrils.Everything started to fade in and out. All I could feel was coldness seeping into every part of my body. "What have you done?" Judy's unsteady voice broke through the eerie silence.My eyes met hers and the dread I saw in her gaze made me almost nauseous.What had I done?"Emma!" She called again and this time, I ignored her, instead rising to my feet. When I looked at her, I used my eyes to convey the words my mouth couldn't speak.Then I turned and ran.I pushed the door open, and walked into the house, locking it behind me. My hands were still trembling, and I couldn’t seem to get my breathing under control. I needed to sit down or something, I was so afraid—my whole body ached from it. “It’s going to be okay,” I said quietly to myself. I had no idea who I was trying to convince—me or whatever was in my head. I made my way to my room, my eyes glued to the wooden floorboards beneath my feet. All I wanted to do was sleep and forget what had happened earlier. I knew the repercussions, once the Alpha found out about what I had done, he would likely throw me into the cave again. "Emma?"I stopped dead in my tracks and whipped around. My father stood in the doorway leading to the living room, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes narrowed at my appearance, specifically at the blood staining the length of my arms. "Father, I can explain-"He raised a hand, silencing me, "Follow me." He ordered, walking back into the living room and
'Dahlia is pregnant.''And I'm the father.'Those words ring repeatedly in my ears. I feel numb and hollow like there is a gaping hole in my chest. I couldn't bear to look at any of their faces, my legs trembling underneath me."But- how…I mean how did she-""Isn't it obvious? They fucked." My mother's shrill voice cuts through the room, her blue eyes misty with tears. "They fucked and now she won't get the chance of being the Lycan Queen." If I could vomit right this second, I would've done so. My mother was right, I completely forgot about the selection and how much Dahlia was excited about getting picked. What I didn't understand was why George slept with my sister. Yes, they were friends, everyone in the pack knew that, and I assumed that was the height of their relationship.But I was wrong. I was so so wrong.My eyes flitted to their conjoined hands and something in my heart stirred painfully. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see the Luna looking at me, a contrite ex
I stared blankly at the wall in front of me, my mind still too numb to register what'd happened in the last week. My eyes flickered to my sister, watching how her lips and hands moved animatedly as she moved the clothes from the drawer into the suitcase on the bed. I I couldn't help but notice how happy she looked at the moment, her sapphire eyes had a twinkle in them. "Emma?" She crouched in front of me, both hands on my thighs, "Are you okay?" I continue to stare at her, wondering if she couldn't see it. The sadness that settled within. The fear. The uncertainty. Everybody assumed that I was fine with their plan but I was scared, more afraid than I was that night. I would be going to a strange place, meeting strange people and I had to pretend to be someone I was not. No one noticed, not that they cared enough to. "Do I have to leave now? I heard you can skip the preliminaries until a day before the competition." Dahlia chewed on the bottom lip, musing thoughtfully. "It'll be
The car ride took four hours, driving straight east, across the country, past rolling hills and thick forests that stretched on into the distance. We drove through the night, stopping periodically in small towns, sometimes for gas, sometimes because we needed to eat. By the time we arrived in the city, I'd already lost track of which road we were traveling along.I marveled at the scenery as we rode past rows of houses, shops and tall buildings lining the roads. The city bustle was strange in contrast to the mundane simplicity of Silver Spring."Where are we ?" I asked for the umpteenth time, watching as George pulled into a parking lot next to several others and turned the car off."This is Coral Dew, a pack in the eastern region. It's the second largest following the Capital. All the nearest packs around will assemble here for the preliminary tests before heading to the capital city."As we exited the vehicle, I felt the wind rush past my body, refreshing me slightly from the heat
My fingers twirl the device in my hand as I stare at it. The loud chatter of the people around me is almost deafening, I look upward at the crowd in front of me, sighing as I slowly trudged forward.After George had left last night, I was left to myself. In the large hall, we were assigned various rooms and I had to share one with four other girls. The experience was less than splendid, to say the least, one of the girls snored so loudly, I swore the walls shook. I had to sleep on the balcony, on the cold hard floor with only the buzzing of the mosquitoes to accompany me.I barely had any sleep, I was hungry, sleepy and tired."Come on! Move into your vans!" A paunchy man dressed in uniform bellowed loudly causing me to jump in shock. I eyed him in distaste before turning to face the queue in front of me. I moved as they moved, and stopped when they did as well. The phone in my hold buzzed loudly, startling me yet again. I looked down at the screen, seeing Dahlia's name. My brow furr
"Really?"My brows shot up to my hairline in disbelief, watching as Paige nodded in affirmation, her fingers twirling the ends of her sun-coloured hair,"Yeah, he's tried to force me into marrying his best friend's son, but when that didn't work out he used my mother's cousin!" "Wow." I blew out a breath, "That's..."Paige shook her head with a sigh, "I know, crazy how one can get selfish even when it's their own daughter involved."I bit the bottom of my lip, my eyes crinkling slightly. I didn't want to reveal that I understood how she felt, my family had been thoroughly selfish for years now after all. They still were, I wasn't stupid. I knew the only reason they were suddenly acting nice was because of Dahlia's situation."So he forced you to do this, as well?" I asked, cocking my head to the side."Yup, I had to pretend I was sick but it didn't work out."The van jumped slightly, causing us to bounce on our seats, and screams of shock echoed through the small space."Forgive me,
We assemble in the enormous space on the ground floor, the entire area is covered in gold and white marble and decorated with portraits and tapestries. There's an exquisite chandelier hanging off the roof in the center of the room, although it is spacious, I feel cramped. This was my first time in a crowd, my first time standing amongst strangers, and the feeling is less than pleasant.Paige is standing at my side, listening attentively to whatever the woman at the front of the room is saying. Her eyes were wide in excitement and she kept pulling at my fingers whenever the woman mentioned the King. I, on the other hand, felt dizzy and nauseous. Different scents from the many people in the room overwhelmed me and made me feel queasy. My body was hot and uncomfortable under all the heavy layers of clothing I had on. I tried to concentrate on the discussion and ignore the heat burning through my clothes, but it seemed an impossible task.I try to breathe through my mouth to dispel some
The West Court was actually an entire building separate from the main castle,the only demarcation between them was the maze gardens and the courtyard itself. The edifice itself was just as magnificent as the castle's with its massive, white marble columns, and imposing façade, which gave it an aura of grandeur and majesty, but also added to its other features, a sense of mystery. We filed into the building, one by one, filing in through the doors, all in pairs or small groups. My eyes widened as they swept over the vast expanse of the ground floor, whoever had constructed this space spared no expenses on every piece of architecture. Every detail looked so well cared for and polished that I could see my reflection in every piece of furniture. "I feel like I've died and gone to heaven," Paige whispered beside me, tugging my arm. "Look at this place." She grinned. "It's like a fancy castle."I chuckled, shaking my head fondly, "That's because it is a castle, Paige.""Oh?"I stifled m