Wolf Bound

Welcome to book 9 in the Werewolves of Lykos series! Now, there will be tough subjects in this one, but I will give trigger warnings if and when they're needed. Also, the female lead, River, is a transgender character. I know some might not agree with this subject, but I love all people, regardless of who they are and how they choose to live their lives. So, please be kind, and if it's not your thing, then don't read. Thank you! :D River The facility reeks of bleach and blood. The smell would cause anyone to feel nauseous, but I am accustomed to it now. This place was supposed to offer help for my Wolf Bound state. They promised my parents that they could help me. Mom and Dad would never have sent me here if they thought, for one moment, that they would be sending me to a living hell. They have done such terrible things to me here. Things that don’t bear thinking about, let alone talking about. Will I ever get out of here? Will I ever see my family again? ‘I’m sorry, River.’ My wolf sighs. ‘I never wanted this to happen to you.’ ‘It’s not your fault, Saltan. But we need to get out of here. I can’t take one more punishment.’ ‘I know.’ Saltan’s paws pace the cold concrete floor, his breath fogging in the sterile air. Cameras blink red in the corners, always watching. Our tormentors, who parade as doctors and healers, watch our every move, just waiting for any minor infractions that would mean they can hurt us again. I was born male but have felt female my whole life. I have lived as a girl since I was a small child. However, my wolf is male. But I wouldn’t change him for the world. We’re a team, and I love him as he loves me. Saltan has suffered as much as I have in this Goddessawful place. His once vibrant and fluffy fur is now matted, his ribs visible beneath the silver-gray coat that has dulled with time. We haven’t shifted from wolf form to human form in weeks. Perhaps even longer. Time blurs in captivity. They force us to shift in this place. It’s painful, and I can’t always hold on. My wolf takes over sometimes, not by choice—but by necessity. It was the only way to survive the injections, the restraints, the endless probing, the abuse, and the mental torment. Saltan can’t stand to see me hurt, but I wish I could protect him as he does me. They called us Subject 9. They stripped me of my name, my life, my laughter. We stay in wolf form more than human. But beneath the beast, I still exist. I am buried under layers of trauma and fur, but I’m always here—aching, remembering, wanting. Wanting more than just survival. Wanting to live. Wanting to be loved. ‘I wasn’t born for this.’ I sniff, my mind flickering like a dying flame. ‘I was born for moonlight. For forests. For freedom. For him. I want to be with Damian, Saltan. The Moon Goddess promised we would be by now.’ ‘I know, River. And we will be soon, I promise.’ The dreams of my mate have kept me sane. Visions of a man with storm-dark eyes and a voice that wraps around me like warmth. Damian. I have been dreaming about him since I was fifteen. We know everything about each other because we talked about everything. That’s all I used to believe it was, a dream. Until the Moon Goddess appeared in our dream one night and told us that it was all very real. She promised that Damian and I would one day be together. All we had to do was wait until the time was right. When that day came, she would let us know. I don’t know Damian’s surname; we were never allowed to reveal them in our dreams. The Moon Goddess told us that she didn’t want us rushing off to find one another until we were of age. But I have been of age for a while now, and still, I don’t know Damian’s surname. I had to cut off the dreams not long after I arrived here. I couldn’t let Damian know what had been happening to me here. I didn’t want to cause him pain or any trouble. He would have tried to find me, I know he would. But it wouldn’t have done any good. Damian wouldn’t have gotten through the doors, let alone near me. But now, I’m losing faith that I will ever get out of this place. However, tonight, something shifts. A scent on the wind—faint, wild, free. There are no windows in this room, so I shouldn’t be able to smell any such things. But it stirs something ancient inside me. A memory of pine needles underfoot. Of moonlight on fur. Of a dream where Damian whispered my name like a promise. ‘It’s time, River.’ I gasp upon hearing the female voice whispering inside my head. ‘Saltan, did you hear that?’ ‘Yes,’ He laughs. ‘We’re getting out of here!’ Oh, Goddess! Could it be true? Could we really be getting out of this hellhole? Saltan waits until the lights dim for shift change. The moment the door clicks open, he lunges—not with desperation, but precision. His jaws clamp down on the guard’s arm, not to kill, but to disable. We’re gone before the body hits the floor. Alarms scream. Red strobes paint the hallway like blood. ‘Saltan, we’re not going to make it!’ I yell inside his head. There’s nothing I can do but watch through his eyes. ‘We’ll make it, River! Don’t you dare give up so soon.’ ‘But how will we get out? The alarms have been sounded, and the place will be on lockdown.’ ‘Just trust me.’ He hisses. I don’t say anything else. At best, we make it out of here alive. At worst, they’ll kill us for trying to escape. Saltan runs. Steel doors slam shut behind him, but my wolf is faster. His paws thundered down the corridors we memorized in silence. Past the lab where they’d injected us with silver. Past the room where they’d made us watch others die. Past the cage where my humanity had withered. Guards give chase, poisonous darts fly past our head along with bullets. But Saltan won’t give up. The exit is just up ahead. The steel doors are slowly closing, trying to lock down the facility. We’re not going to make it! But with only inches to spare, Saltan leaps through the gap, the doors slamming shut behind him. Oh, Goddess, we’re out! We have a five-minute head start before the alarms stop and the facility releases the lockdown status. Outside, the night greets us like an old friend. The forest looms beyond the perimeter fence, dark and wild. Saltan doesn’t hesitate. He leaps—clearing the barbed wire with a grace born of desperation. Bullets whistle past his ears. Voices shout. But he doesn’t stop. Has it really been five minutes already? Oh, Goddess, I want to live. I want to feel the earth under my feet. I want to laugh again. I want to be held. I want to be more than a weapon. I want to be more than a plaything for a bunch of psychos. My wolf runs until his lungs burn, until the facility is a distant scar on the horizon. Saltan dives into the river to the left of us, essentially hiding our scent. Hopefully, the guards chasing us will think we drowned and turn back to report to their higher-ups. Saltan stays in the water, hidden just under the embankment. It’s dark, so we shouldn’t be seen. We wait for some time until the world around us grows silent, but still, Saltan doesn’t move. He’s smart enough to know that people hide and wait for their prey to come out of hiding. I don’t know how long it is before Saltan finally feels it’s safe enough to leave. But the sun is coming up, so it must have been a couple of hours. As fast as he can, Saltan continues to run north. He runs until the scent changes—until the air grows thick with pine and musk and something else. Pack. We’ve crossed someone’s territory! Saltan’s paws falter. ‘I can’t go on.’ He groans. ‘Not much longer, Saltan. We’ve crossed pack borders. Maybe we can find help here. I know this place. Not from memory, but from dreams. From the visions that come to me in my dreams. A clearing. A howl. A man. My Damian!’ Saltan groans as if he were in pain. ‘I’m sorry, River. I can’t stop the change.’ He stumbles forward, his body trembling. The wolf resists—afraid, wounded, feral. But Saltan pushes. It’s been a while since we were able to do this without being forced, and I don’t know why it’s happening now. But I do know that Saltan needs to rest. So, I claw my way back to myself, bone by bone, scream by scream. The shift is agony! My skin tears, my spine cracks, my breath comes in sobs. And then I’m human. Barefoot. Bleeding. Naked in the moonlight. My body gives out, and I collapse into the clearing. But I need to fight, I must reach my mate! I try to crawl, but I’m just too weak. Tears fall from my eyes. I don’t want this to be the end! With all my might, I drag myself to my feet. I’m not dead yet, and I will not give up! I run from the clearing. I see men by the steps of a vast house, and my eyes widen. He’s here, he’s really here! My Damian! I rush toward him, and he catches me before I hit the ground, arms wrapping around me like a sanctuary. His scent is like cedar and smoke and home. His eyes search mine, wide with recognition and disbelief. “River?” He breathes. I touch his face with trembling fingers, my voice a thread of sound. “Help me,” I whisper. And then the world goes dark. Please let this be real. Let him be real. Let me be more than broken. Let me be loved.