3 - Who am I now?
1376 Words
Grace
The cold bit into my skin before the pain did. When Steele shot that arrow through my shoulder, everything went cold.
I passed out not long after. But I stirred, my body sprawled across frost-hardened stone, limbs heavy, breath shallow. The wind howled through the iron gate above me, carrying the scent of ash, blood, and something older — something feral. My turquoise gown, once radiant with divine embroidery, was torn and soaked in moonlight.
Steele and Kyan stood above me, talking as if I wasn’t there. Kyan said he’d taken Whitney back to his pack, which meant I had been out for a while. They were talking about moving me somewhere no one would think to look for me.
I tried to move. My fingers twitched. But nothing answered.
My power was gone.
No Siren song stirred in my throat. No Lycan fire burned in my veins. I was hollow. Mortal. Weak.
What the hell had they done to me?
Okay, I got it. I was unpredictable. I’d been slowly getting worse as the months moved on. But I had never intentionally hurt anyone. I didn’t hurt Whitney. Yes, I locked her up and kept her from her mate and family. But I was hurt. Kyan broke my heart with his lack of respect and his lies.
I may have gone too far. Perhaps I should have stayed calm and let Kyan explain himself. But I was hurting, and I lashed out.
But do I really deserve to be stripped of my identity?
Steele and Kyan dragged me through the forest, never letting me rest, even though I could barely stand. I don’t know how long it took to reach this place, but it felt like days!
Magic suddenly dropped, revealing a large mansion. I couldn’t lift my eyes enough to take in the place entirely. But I saw a shadow move beyond the gate.
Boots crunched against gravel. A figure emerged, tall and cloaked in black, his face hidden behind a mask of twisted beauty. The moon caught the edge of it — sharp, cruel, beautiful in its own way. He stopped just short of me, looking down with unreadable eyes.
The Rogue King. I had heard about him a couple of times in the past, but I never thought about him because it didn’t concern me.
But now, I was at his mercy thanks to the man I had once loved and his brother. They left me here without a care in the world, like I had never meant anything to them.
Powerless and alone, I was dragged into the kingdom of Rogue Lycans.
The world tilted.
My vision blurred as I was dragged across the threshold, my body limp, my skin burning with cold. The iron gate groaned shut behind me, sealing my fate with a finality that echoed through my bones. I tried to lift my head, but my neck refused. My limbs felt like sandbags, my breath shallow and ragged.
I was inside his kingdom now.
The air was different here — thick with magic and rot. It clung to my skin like smoke, whispering things I couldn’t understand. My senses, once sharp enough to hear the heartbeat of a man across a battlefield, were dulled to a whisper. No Siren song stirred in my throat. No Lycan rage clawed at my chest.
I am nothing.
The Rogue King walked ahead, his cloak trailing behind him like a shadow with teeth. His boots struck the stone path with deliberate rhythm, each step a drumbeat of dominance. I watched him through half-lidded eyes, my body cradled in the arms of the Beta who smelled of blood and silver.
I wanted to scream. To shift. To summon the tide and drown this cursed place.
But the potion had hollowed me out.
The Rogue King ordered his Beta to take me to the hospital. He didn’t follow, and I was glad. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, to rip him to shreds! But I couldn’t do anything.
The doctor was pleasant enough to me. He didn’t treat me like filth as I imagined he would. He checked my wound and then cleaned it before rewrapping it and telling me not to get it wet.
‘Make sure to have someone change the dressing every day.’ The doctor told the Beta.
‘Is there anything else wrong?’ The Beta asked.
The doctor shook his head. ‘She’s human and needs to be treated with care. She needs warming up, Todd. She’s shaking with cold. I’ll give her some painkillers for now, and I’ll check on her later.’
With that, the Beta led me to the east wing of the mansion. He pushed me inside and smirked. Then, the Rogue King walked into the room.
His mask caught the firelight, revealing the edge of the scar beneath — a ruin of flesh, twisted and raw.
I wondered why he wore that mask, and now, I knew. He’d been hurt in ways that even his Lycan couldn’t fix.
His eyes, dark and bottomless, locked onto mine.
He reached his hand to my face, and I snarled while pushing him away. I did not want him to touch me!
‘You feel it, don’t you?’ He said softly. “The emptiness. The silence where your power used to be.’
I tried to speak, but my voice was a rasp. I felt empty, but I knew it wouldn’t last.
He stepped closer, crouching beside me as I fell to my knees on the floor. His gloved hand brushed my cheek again — this time slower, more deliberate.
‘You were a storm once,’ He murmured. ‘Now you’re the wreckage.’
My eyes burned. Not with power. Not with fury. But with something deeper — something primal. A whisper of who I was. A flicker of memory. The sea. The moon. The howl.
I met his gaze. This fool had no idea who I was or what I was capable of. But he would soon find out. I didn’t need powers to fuc.k his life up in ways he couldn’t even imagine.
‘I will rise again,’ I croaked.
The Rogue King smiled — not with joy, but with cruelty.
‘Then I’ll enjoy breaking you twice.’
He stood, turning his back to me as the Beta lifted me to my feet.
‘This is your room now,’ The Beta told me. ‘The bathroom is over there.’ He pointed behind me. ‘You can use whatever you want, just remember not to get your wound wet. There is plastic wrap under the sink. Use it on your shoulder, and you should be fine. If you need anything at all, press the button on the dresser and someone will be with you as soon as possible. There are clothes in the closet. Pick whatever you want. They might be a little big, but needs must. Someone will bring underwear shortly.’
With that, he left me here.
I looked inside the closet and pulled a face at the clothes hanging there. I have never worn such things! Jeans – I have worn them on land, but they were two sizes too big. The tops were all too large, and the dresses were vile. I don’t know who they once belonged to, but I was not about to put them on.
A young girl came into the room with new underwear. She told me her name was Miriam, and she would be around for anything I might need. I asked her for something to change into. She smiled sweetly and said she would be back as soon as possible.
Miriam was back in less than ten minutes with leggings, t-shirts, and pajamas. I thanked her for her kindness, and she left with a smile.
Now, I’m sitting on the edge of the bed after showering away the filth from my body, wearing fluffy pajamas, and wondering where the hell I go from here. The Rogue King may think he’s got the better of me, but he hasn’t a clue what’s coming his way.
I won’t be this way forever. There will come a day when my powers return. And when they do, the world will burn!
- Writer
