12
1237 Words
ISLA
As I walked around the pack, I felt the stares. They followed me everywhere I went. I could feel eyes on my back, on my face, on my hands like I didn’t belong in my own skin. Voices whispered when I passed.
“A human among us.”
“She can’t be Luna of this great pack. It would ruin us.”
“What was he thinking bringing her here? A mere human.”
Each word felt like a stone was being thrown at my chest.
I clenched my fists and kept walking, pretending not to hear their gossip.
I didn’t want to be here either. Not even a little. I hadn’t asked for this life, this stupid bond, this sudden attention. I had been dragged, practically forced into this world against my will, forced to leave my life behind, to leave everything I knew.
The guard walking beside me noticed my stiff posture and moved closer. He lowered his voice so only I could hear him.
“Don’t worry about them,” he said gently. “They’ll come around soon enough.”
I gave him a small nod but I didn’t try to look at him. “I never asked yo be here.”
“I know,” he said calmly. “But if you open your heart to the possibilities, you might grow to love this place. It can be terrifying at first, but you’ll get used to it with time.”
I laughed bitterly. “You heard what they said about me. Staying here will only put me and this pack at risk. Why doesn’t he see that?”
“The Alpha knows what’s best, he’s not going to let anything happen to you or this pack,” the guard said simply.
That answer didn’t give me any sense of comfort.
After a while, I asked the guard for some space. I needed space to breathe, to feel like myself without having a wolf hovering around me. He hesitated at first but finally agreed, staying a short distance away where he could still see me.
I walked further away from the trees and found a quiet space. Snow covered the ground in soft white layers, the trees were tall and silent, their branches were heavy from the frost. The clouds moved slowly, looking thick and grey.
It was a beautiful sight, and lonely too.
I sat down under the tree, pulling my knees to my chest. tears began to roll down my cheeks before I could stop them.
Deep down, I knew the truth. I had no choice.
Not after what happened the last time. Not after being kidnapped, hurt and hunted. Staying with Kade was the only way I could survive, even if it scared the s**t out of me. Even if I hated how trapped I felt here.
As I wiped my face with my sleeve, a shadow fell over me.
I looked up. A hand was stretched toward me, holding a piece of cloth.
I blinked in surprise.
Standing in front of me was a young girl, maybe my age, maybe a little younger. She had beautiful eyes and a small gentle smile.
“For your tears,” she said softly.
I took the cloth from her slowly, unsure of what to do. “Thank you.”
She sat beside me without asking for permission, she was close but not too close. “You’ll be fine,” she said. “I know what it’s like to leave your world behind.”
I turned to look at the girl, my heart aching. For the first time since I arrived, I didn’t feel alone.
I looked at her with my eyes filled with tears. “You’ve never been in my shoes,” I said. “You’ll never know what it’s like.”
The girl chuckled softly, she didn’t seem offended at my words. “Trust me,” she said. “I’ve been there.”
I frowned. “What do you mean? Are you human too?”
“I once was,” she replied. “But not for long.”
My breath caught. “What?”
“I turned when I became eighteen,” the girl continued in a calm tone. “I never knew I was a werewolf. I lived my whole life as a human until that day. I went to school like every normal human girl, I had friends, and dreamed of a perfect, normal future. Then everything changed.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “How…how did you survive all that?”
“I didn’t at first,” she admitted with a small smile. “I was scared, lost, and angry. But Alpha Kade found me and took me in. He protected me when I didn’t understand who I was.”
A sense of warmth settled in my chest. For the first time, I felt at ease, I felt seen.
We sat together for a long while, talking quietly. The girl told me about her first transformation, the fear, the pain, the confusion. I shared pieces of my own life, my time in college, my cheating ex and the night everything went wrong.
Time passed without us noticing. Then footsteps approached us.
“I was wondering where you went.”
Kade stood a few steps away, his eyes soft when they landed on mine. The girl rose immediately and bowed her head slightly.
“It’s getting late,” Kade said gently. “You should be inside.”
I shook my head. “Just a little longer,” I pleaded. “Please.”
He hesitated, then sighed. “I need to go to the human town tonight.”
My heart skipped. “Why?”
“There are things I need to check,” he said. “And people watching.”
“I’ll come with you,” I said quickly.
“No,” he countered at once. “It’s safer if you stay here.”
“I don’t want to stay here alone,” I said, my voice trembling. “Please.”
He looked at me. I bet he could sense the fear in my eyes. Finally, he nodded. “Fine. But you stay close to me.”
I heaved a sigh of relief.
I turned to the girl and hugged her without thinking. “Thank you,” I whispered.
The girl smiled. “You’re stronger than you think.”
I followed Kade as we left the pack grounds. We walked in silence for a while, the night was cold around us. Then suddenly, he stopped and turned to me.
“Hold your breath,” he said. “And close your eyes.”
“What…”
“Trust me.”
I did as he said. The world shifted all of a sudden.
The wind roared past my ears, my stomach flipped and then, everything stopped.
I opened my eyes. We were in town.
My town.
I was back on the familiar road, streetlights and buildings.
My mouth fell open. “How did you do that?”
He smiled. “I’ll show you some other time.”
I laughed softly, half shocked. “I need to get a few things from my dorm.”
He nodded.
We walked toward the entrance together. Just as I was about to reach for the door handle, a voice stopped me.
“Isla.”
My heart dropped.
I turned slowly.
It was him.
My ex.
- Writer
