Chapter One- The Awakening
2177 Words
Birthdays were meaningless at Saint Catherine’s Medical Center. There were no parties, no presents, no family gathered around a cake. It’s just another day inside white walls. Another day of tests, questions, and pretending she was a patient instead of a prisoner.
Becca Nightshade sat on the edge of her bed staring out the narrow hospital window, rain streaked down the glass. Far below, city lights flickered in the darkness. Freedom. She wondered what it felt like.
Eighteen years old, the thought felt strange. Important, as if something was waiting. Watching. The digital clock beside her bed blinked. 12:00 a.m. Her birthday had officially begun.
“Happy Birthday to me,” her voice sounded hollow. No one answered, no one ever did. Becs sighed and lay back on the bed.
For thirteen years Saint Catheran’s had been her home. The doctors claimed she had a rare medical condition, the nurses smiled too much. The security guards watched her too closely. And no matter how many times she asked questions, nobody ever gave her real answers.
Why did she heal so fast? Why could she hear conversations from the other side of the building? Why did she dream every night about a burning castle and a silver-haired woman calling her little moon?
The dreams had followed her for years, tonight felt different. A strange pressure built inside her chest. Like something was waking up, the feeling grew stronger. And stronger.
Until–
Pain exploded through her body. Becs screamed, she rolled off the bed and crashed onto the floor. Every muscle tightened, every done felt like it was on fire.
“Whats happening?” The pain intensified. Something moved beneath her skin, something alive. Something old? Then a voice echoed inside her head.
Finally
Becs froze. “What?” Silence, then the voice laughed. A female voice, warm, playful and powerful.
About time
Becs stared at the empty room. “Who’s there?”
I’m in your mind.
Her heart nearly stopped.
“No.”
Yes
“No”
Definitely Yes
Becs backed away from absolutely nothing., because apparently she had lost her mind. The voice sighed dramatically.
You are not making a great first impression.
“What are you?”
The answer came instantly, I’m your wolf.
The room spun, “My what?”
Your wolf
Silence.
“My wolf? Like an actual wolf?”
Yes, and Yes
“Living inside my head?”
Yes
Becs buried her face in her hands.
“This has been a weird birthday,” the wolf laughed. The sound was beautiful, wild and free. For some reason, hearing it made tears fill her eyes. Because she wasn’t alone anymore, not completely. Not after all these years.
The wolf’s voice softened.
You were never alone
The simple words hit harder than they should have. For thirteen years she’ lived surrounded by people, yet she’d never felt so isolated. Now there was someone here, someone who belonged to her. Someone who understood, a strange warmth spread through her chest.
“What do I call you?”
Luna.
“Luna”
The wolf purred.
I like when you say it.
A smile touched Becs’s lips, her first genuine smile in weeks. Maybe even in years. Then the pain returned, hard and violent.
She doubled over
“Whats happening now?”
Luna immediately became serious.
The awakening
“The What?”
You’re shifting into your wolf, into me.
Before Becs could ask what that meant, her senses exploded. Every sound became louder, every scent stronger. She could hear heartbeats, footsteps, conversations happening on the floors below.
The buzzing of electricity inside the walls. The rain striking the roof, everything. It was overwhelming, too much. Way too much. She covered her ears, it didn’t help.
A sharp knock sounded at her door, “Becs?”
Nurse Emma
The scent of lavender and coffee reached Becs instantly, her eyes widened. She shouldn’t have been able to smell that, not through a closed door. The nurse entered, then froze.
“Becs?”
Something in Emma’s expression changed. First fear then recognition and understanding. As though she knew exactly what was happening, and had hoped she’d never see it.
“Whats happening to me?”
Emma’s face paled, the nurse slowly backed toward the door. The movement was enough, Becs finally understood. The hospital knew, they all knew, they always knew. Every test, blood sample and scan. They weren’t trying to help her, they were studying her. The realization hit her like a punch.
The lights overhead suddenly shattered, glass exploded across the room. Emma jumped, Becs stared.
“I..I didn’t touch anything,” Luna growled.
Because you are stronger than you realize.
The nurse looked horrified.
“No.”
“What?”
The door burst open. Doctors flooded into the room, security followed. Armed security Inside a hospital? Becs’s stomach dropped as Dr. Marcus stepped forward. For the first time there was no smile, no fake kindness, no pretending. Only calculation and fear.
“Subject B-17”
The words echoed through the room. Becs stared at Dr. Marcus, her heart shattered. Not Becca, or Becs, but subject. She was an experiment, a thing. For thirteen years she trusted him, believed him, she thought he cared. Now she was starting to see the truth.
“What am I?” She whispered.
Dr. Marcus sighed. FOr the first time since she’d known him, his smile disappeared completely.
“You were never supposed to survive.”
Becs felt Luna growl.
Dranger
Enemy.
Dr. Marcus stepped forward.
“Do you know that Saint Catherine’s really is?”
Becs shook her head. The doctor’s eyes hardened.
“We are hunters”
The word meant nothing to her, yet the hatred in his voice made a chill run down her spine.
“We have spent generations protecting humanity from monsters.”
His gaze locked onto her, as he slowly stared to walk towards her.
Step
“From vampires”
Step
“Werewolves”
Step
“Witches”
Step, now he was standing right in front of her. Looking at her with a disgust shed never seen before.
“Every supernatural creature that should never have existed.”
“What are you talking about?” Becs asked as her breathing accelerated.
Dr March laughed bitterly.
“The world belongs to humans, there’s no place for monsters for deplorables like you.”
The room darkened
“We were created to cleanse it.”
Luna snarled
They are the real monsters.
The doctor put his finger in Becs’s face
“You are exactly why.”
Becs froze.
“What?”
His eyes gleamed.
“You are not simply a werewolf.”
Fear twisted in Becs’s stomach.
“You’re also a vampire.”
The world stopped.
“No, No I cant be”
“Yes, you’re both”
Silence. Every doctor and hunter watched, the words felt impossible.
“That’s not possible. It shouldn't be possible.”
“And yet here you are.”
The doctor spread his arms
“The first hybrid, ever”
Becs’s heart pounded. Hybrid, the word she saw written in her file. Hybrid genetic analysis. The experiments, the tests, everything suddenly made sense.
“You’ve spent years studying me”
“Of course.” Dr. Marcus smiled.
Rage exploded through her.
“YOU USED ME!”
“We studied you.” His voice remained cold. “You are potentially the most powerful supernatural creature in existence.”
The room shook, lights burst and glass shattered. Right as Luna surged forward.
“We studied you.” His voice remained cold. “You are potentially the most powerful supernatural creature in existence.”
The room shook, lights burst and glass shattered. Right as Luna surged forward.
Enough.
Pain exploded through Becs’s body, her bones cracked and her muscles twisted. Around the room the hunters raised their weapons. Just as Dr. Marcus was going to shout orders, golden light erupted around Becs.
Luna had taken control, the transformation completed. A massive silver-gray wolf stood where Becs had been. Golden eye glowed, sharp fangs bared. The room froze, even Dr. Marcus looked stunned.
Luna howled, then attacked. The hospital erupted into chaos. Hunters fired silver darts, doctors fled, walls cracked and windows exploded. Luna burst through the shattered remains of room 312. Running, free. For the first time in her life, she really was free.
Luna ran through the hospital, alarms screamed. Hunters were coming from all directions, shooting silver darts. Luna dodged the darts, smashed through doors and leaped down stairwells. Nothing mattered except escape and freedom.
Outside
We need to get outside.
Finally, she burst through the front doors. She stopped for a second and looked around at the city that greeted her. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard cars screech and screams from people. She could hear people shouting, one yelling “holy crap, it's a wolf.” Luna ignored all of it, she just kept chanting three words.
Run
Forest
Freedom
The city blurred around her. Behind her came sirens, vehicles. The hunters. The chase had begun. She crossed roads, jumped fences and dodged traffic. Everything was beginning to hurt, it burned. But Luna kept running, then the forest appeared ahead.
Home
She didn't know why, it just felt like that but it just felt right.
BANG
Pain exploded in her side, Luna screamed. They got her with a silver bullet. She stumbled but kept running, even through the pain and b. urning. She picked up speed again before…
BANG
Another bullet, this time it got her in the leg. She collapsed to the ground as agony shot through her body, silver. The poison burned. As she stood up, she stumbled then fell. She tried to rise again,
Run, she kept saying
Run, must run.
Finally she made it to the tree line and the forest swallowed her. Dark trees surrounded her, branches whipped past. The scent of blood grew stronger. Her blood, so much blood. The poison was spreading and her vision was starting to blur.
Can’t Stop
Must survive.
yet every step became harder. Eventually her body gave out, Luna could no longer keep control and shift back. Bones cracked, her fur vanished. Becs collapsed onto the forest floor, naked, bleeding and alone.
She crawled forward, one painful movement at a time. Then she heard voices, she stopped to look around her and realized she was surrounded. By wolves, werewolves. Many werewolves. As she laid there, one wolf shifted to his human form. He stepped forward, golden eyes, dark hair and a powerful build. Lucas Kane, the Beta to the Blackwoods pack.
“Help me,” Becs gasped.
“Please.”
Lucas stepped forward and knelt down beside Becs, just as more worries were surrounding them to protect Becs.
“Lucas, my name is Lucas,” he whispered to Becs.
Becs tried to respond, tried to tell him her name but when she opened her mouth blood came. Fear crossed his face, Lucas took in her injuries and the amount of blood she was quickly losing. He turned towards the closest warrior.
“Mindlink the Alpha, tell him the intruder is an injured she-wolf,”
The warrior nodded and got a far away look.
“He’s on his way,” The warrior reported.
Becs’s vision darkened, the silver poison was spreading. She death was close, too close. Then the forest fell silent. Every wolf straightened. Showing respect, someone had arrived. Someone with power and authority.
Becs looked, and saw him. Tall, dark hair and silver eyes. Killian Blackthorne, the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack and King of the northern werewolf territories. The most beautiful man she’d ever seen, the moment his gaze met hers, everything stopped. His eyes widened, shock and wonder. One word escaped his lips.
“Mate.”
Everyone froze at the sound of that one word. Becs blinked, mate? But before she could ask what they meant, Becs’s vision disappeared. Becs finally passed out. Before he could think, Killian scooped Becs into his arms and pulled her to his chest.
Shadow, his wolf roared at the sight of their mate.
Mine
Killian looked down at the unconscious girl. At the wounds, the blood. Rage exploded through him. All of a sudden hunters burst from the trees, weapons raised. Lucas stepped forward to shield Becas and Killan, the warriors did the same. Their duty was to support the Alpha and protect their Luna.
Killian held Becs tighter. As he got to his feet he mindlinked Ava, the pack healer.
Ava. Prepare the infirmary, make sure you have the silver antidote.
The healer answered instantly.
How bad?
Killian took a look at Becs again, the wounds and how the blood was not slowing down. His heart clenched.
Bad
Then he ran towards the Blackwood fortress. Towards safety. Behind him, Lucas and the warriors charged into battle. The hunters didn’t stand a chance, and by dawn two hunters would be alive. Captured and ready for interrogation. Ready to reveal exactly what Saint Catherine’s had done to the lost princess.
- Writer
