CHAPTER 2
997 Words
Emily's POV:
My eyes fluttered open, my chest rising and falling in rapid, shallow breaths. My body felt stiff, my limbs aching as if I had been running for miles.
I glanced around and saw that I was in an unfamiliar room. I sat up abruptly, my breath catching as my gaze swept across the large room. The walls were dark oak, with thick black curtains hanging on either side of a massive window.
The bed I was on was far too large, covered in crimson sheets and layers of silk and fur. I turned to the window, gripping the sill as I gazed outside. The sky was bright.
And then—like a flood—memories of last night came rushing back.
My eyes widened, as I realized that Aria was nowhere beside me. I jumped out of the bed, my bare feet hitting the cold floor as I rushed toward the door.
I must get out of here. I need to find them—I need to see if maybe, just maybe, they survived.
The hallway was silent. No voices, no movement. The walls were lined with portraits of men—strong, powerful-looking men with haunting eyes.
A cold shiver ran down my spine, but I ignored it and kept moving. Then I heard approaching footsteps. I turned, intending to run the other way, but my head slammed into something hard.
I stumbled backward, wincing at the sharp pain shooting through my skull. A hand caught my wrist before I could fall.
I looked up—and my breath caught in my throat.
Xander.
His silver eyes bore into mine. My heart clenched painfully.
“Your friend died last night.” He said, coldly. His voice held no sympathy. “And you’re an orphan, so you have nowhere to go.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came. My throat burned.
Xander took a step forward. “But if you want to return to a Pack that has been reduced to nothing, you may leave.”
Then, without another word, he walked past me.
I stood there, frozen. My chest ached, and before I knew it, I was moving—back to the room.
I sank onto the floor, my shoulders shaking as tears streamed down my cheeks.
Zach and Aria were dead.
If Zach didn't come back for me, they would still be alive.
It was my fault.
Aria wasn’t just my best friend—she was my only friend.
We met as children in the orphanage. She was a wild thing back then, barefoot and untamed. Her fiery spirit shining through despite the sadness that lingered in her golden eyes.
I, on the other hand, was quieter, more reserved, watching the world from the edges rather than throwing myself into it the way she did.
She was a werewolf. I was a human.
And because of that, people always said we shouldn't be friends.
"Like oil and water.” The village elders would murmur when they saw us together. "A werewolf and a human? It’s unnatural."
Some of the other children had been crueler. They called me weak and useless. A frail little girl clinging to a creature far stronger than her.
And they mocked her for wasting her time on me, whispering that wolves only thrived with their own kind, that she would be better off with them than with a fragile human who could offer her nothing.
But Aria never listened to them.
Whenever I doubted myself, she would grab my hand and squeeze it tight, as if daring the world to tear us apart.
"Let them talk." She used to say, grinning with that reckless confidence that I always envied. "They don’t know anything."
And maybe they didn’t. Maybe they were wrong.
Because despite everything, despite the whispers and the stares, despite the fact that we were supposed to be too different to ever belong to each other, we stayed together.
I buried my face in my hands, my sobs muffled against my palms. Aria was always there for me, always had my back. And how did I repay her? With death.
I wiped my tears roughly, inhaling shakily as I pushed myself up. My mind was made up.
I can't stay here.
Moving quickly, I slipped out of the room As luck would have it, I spotted a maid walking down the hall. I rushed toward her.
“Excuse me.” I called out. “Where can I find Xander, Gideon, or Damon?”
The maid hesitated before answering. “They are in the study, miss.” She gestured down the hall. “The third door on the left.”
I nodded in thanks and hurried away.
As I reached the study, I noticed the door was slightly ajar.
I raised my hand to push it open, but then—
“That was not a rogue attack.” A deep voice spoke.
I froze.
“The Pack in that village is below bottom level and not worth a rogue attack. That was obviously Sable’s henchmen going after Emily. Any second later, and we would have lost her once again.”
Once again?
A chill crept up my spine.
Have I met them before?
But I don't remember them.
Gideon’s voice chimed in. “She now knows how to control werewolves? This won’t be as we expected it to be.”
Xander’s voice was sharp. “Let’s just put an end to this once and for all. I hate dragging things on.”
Footsteps.
Xander was about to leave.
But then—a punch.
I peeked through the c***k in the door, my breath hitching. Gideon had grabbed Xander’s shoulder, turned him around, and punched him square in the face.
Xander barely flinched, his jaw tightening.
Gideon’s voice was filled with anger. “Why are you acting so cold when it was your fault Emily died in the first place?” He questioned.
I stepped back, my pulse racing.
- Writer
