Unspoken Pain Of The Luna

The concrete floor of the warehouse bites into my back as I thrash against my captors. Late afternoon sun filters through grimy windows, casting long shadows across my torn school uniform. "Get away from me, you bastards!" I scream, kicking frantically at the three men holding me down. "Keep her still!" one of them barks. "Boss wants her conscious for this." My fingernails rake across an arm, drawing blood. "Let me go!" "Feisty little b***h," another growls, tightening his grip on my legs. I reach desperately for my inner wolf, trying to force a shift. Only a week since my eighteenth birthday, and I've barely learned to control it. No full moon, no nightfall – just panic and desperation. 'Rayne?' I call into the void of my mind. 'Rayne, please! I need you!' Only silence answers. "Having trouble with your wolf, sweetheart?" A fourth man steps into view, his expensive suit reeking of cigars and privilege. He swirls a glass of dark liquid. "Don't waste your energy. That little cocktail we gave you earlier? It's specifically designed for your kind." "What did you do to me?" I snarl, still struggling despite the three men pinning me down. He chuckles, kneeling beside me. "Just a little insurance policy. Can't have you shifting and ruining our fun, now can we?" The bitter smell from his glass makes my nose burn. Tears well up in my eyes, and I hate myself for showing weakness. "Go to hell!" "Now, now." He strokes my cheek with his free hand. I try to bite him. "Such spirit! Just like your father said. Speaking of dear old dad..." He grabs my chin roughly. "He's the reason you're here, precious. Man's got quite a gambling problem." "My father would never—" "Never what? Sell his daughter to cover his debts?" His laugh is cruel. "You really don't know him at all, do you? Now drink this. Trust me: you'll like me better after our special potion." I clamp my mouth shut, but he pinches my nose closed. I hold out until my lungs scream, until black spots dance in my vision. The moment I gasp for air, he pours the liquid down my throat. It tastes like rust and chemicals. "Perfect," he purrs as I choke and sputter. "Give it a few minutes. Everything will feel... wonderful." Heat spreads through my body like wildfire. The warehouse starts to spin. "Remember grabbing her?" he asks his men, hands sliding up my legs. "Stupid girl, walking home alone. Perfect opportunity." "The white van worked like a charm," one answers, laughing. "No one even noticed." "Please," I mumble, my tongue growing thick and useless. "Don't..." His hands reach my panties, and I try to scream but only manage a weak whimper. The drug pulses through me in sickening waves. "Shhh," he soothes mockingly. "I'll take good care of you." A thick finger forces its way inside me, and I struggle with my remaining strength. "Nnnn—" "Well, what do we have here?" His eyes widen. "Un-f*****g-believable. She's pure." Memories of Michael, my first boyfriend, flash through my mind. Sweet, innocent kisses behind the school gym. Waiting for our true mates. Now this monster, with his blood-vessel-mapped face and whiskey breath, looms over me. "Your daddy must be prouder than I thought," he sneers, forcing a wet kiss on my lips. "A virgin werewolf? That's worth double." His belly presses against me as he positions himself between my legs. Through the drug's haze, panic gives me one last surge of energy. I have to fight harder. My first time can't be like this. It can't be stolen by a monster who sees me as nothing but collateral for my father's debts. But even as I struggle, I feel consciousness slipping away, and Rayne remains terrifyingly silent in my mind. The revelation hits me like a physical blow. My own father. My protector. He sold me to this monster to cover his gambling debts. Something snaps inside me. Rage floods my system, burning hotter than their drug, and finally – finally – I feel Rayne stir. Her presence floods my consciousness with raw power and fury. 'OURS!' Rayne's voice thundered in my mind. 'This body is OURS!' The shift rips through me, shredding my uniform as my body transforms. Bones c***k and reshape, fur erupts across my skin, and suddenly I'm no longer a helpless girl but a snarling wolf. 'Kill him!' Rayne's bloodlust pulses through our shared consciousness. 'He dares try to take what belongs to our mate! He treats us like some common b***h in heat!' My jaws snap for his throat, but I only catch his shoulder. Blood fills my mouth, hot and metallic. I force myself to release before the taste drives me into a frenzy. I'm not a killer – not yet, not if I can help it. Through my enhanced senses, I can now smell what I couldn't before. The three men holding me down – just humans, their fear now sharp and acrid. But their boss... wolf, definitely wolf, though something's off about his scent. The drug clouds my senses, making it impossible to gauge his strength. "f*****g hell!" he roars, clutching his bleeding shoulder. "Get her!" I bolt for the door, my new form built for speed. Long limbs, timber wolf coloring – I'm not fully grown yet, but I'm fast. God, am I fast. The hallway floor is treacherous under my paws. I skid, slamming into a door hard enough to make the world spin. "She went this way!" Heavy footsteps thunder behind me. 'Run!' Rayne urges. 'Though I'd rather tear their throats out.' I push harder, each leap covering precious ground. My heart pounds against my ribs as I sprint down the endless hallway. A maid emerges from a room, arms full of linens. The door behind her hasn't fully closed. No time to think. I dart through the gap, using my back legs to kick it shut. The moment I'm inside, the drug surges through my system again. My connection to Rayne snaps like a cut string, and I collapse naked on the floor, human once more. "I agreed to maid service," a deep voice draws. "Though this is... unexpected." I look up, vision blurring. A man stands in the doorway to what must be the bathroom, wearing nothing but a low-slung towel. He's massive, even for a werewolf, with broad shoulders and wild dark curls that need a serious trim. But it's his eyes that catch me – piercing blue, and the moment they meet mine, the world stops spinning. "Who are you?" he asks, just as fists begin pounding on his door. "Give us the girl!" A voice bellows from outside. "She belongs to Mr. Romano!" I'm exhausted. The drug burns through my veins like liquid fire. I'm naked on a stranger's floor because my own father sold me like a property. Tears spill down my cheeks as I manage to whisper: "Please. Help me?" I catch a flash of something dangerous in those blue eyes before darkness finally claims me.