1 Chapter 1

Marie

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The wind, the smells, the sounds.. I love it all. I've been living this life for 3 years. And I still can't get enough of the way it feels to run and have the wind in my fur. I dash through the trees, jumping over logs and rocks, ducking under low branches. We love this life, most of the time. I stop at a waterfall to get water and rest for a bit. I lay down spreading my paws out to stretch, I close my eyes listening to the water hitting the lake.

I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes it was already dark. I stand up and stretch on my limbs before trotting back into the forest. I've been on the run from a group of vampires for a year and a half, very persistent they are.. Not once have they given up on me, and normally I'd just kill them all, but vampire bites are lethal to wolves. I could die in a matter of minutes without help, and I refuse to let Shiver use our only other line of defense.. not again..

You have to get over that.

I snort at shiver, Yea easy for you to say, we both got kicked out of our pack remember.

I am aware.

I rolls my eyes and break into a run, I hear a snap from behind me and the breath is knocked out of me. I hit the tree hard and tumbled down, I shake my head trying to refocus my vision to see what just hit me. I barely recognize a wolf before it's charging at me again. I launch myself over it and land twisting my body to face it, It turns round confused before snarling and running at me again.

I sniff the air.

ALPHA!

Shiver screams in my head, I back away from him and dodge as he goes in for a bite. I forget sometimes that I am a rogue now, I snap out of my head when He turns and bites down on my tail. I yelp and turn quick lodging my teeth into his shoulder, I hear him growl louder, more aggressive and he turns his head smacking me with his muzzle. My vision goes blurry and stumble back, he takes that opportunity to jump at me, pinning me to the ground. I open my eyes the moment before he goes to tear out my throat when he stops. I stare wide eyed at the alpha, slightly terrified.

He closes his mouth, his eyes even wider than mine.

Why'd he stop?

I have no idea, but I'm bout to find out.

I take this hesitation as an opportunity to push up with my back legs, kicking high and hard. I watch him fly back and hit a tree. I turn and bolt in the direction of the fields, If I enter another territory, he can't follow without permission.

"Marie."

I slam my back legs into the ground and stop.

Did he just-

What the hell?

I turn around and see a man in the place of the wolf, I look straight into his eyes and growl.

Aaron

~FLASHBACK~

"Mom! Please stop this!" I hear my brother scream, but I'm in too much pain to look at him.

I lay there with blood pooling around me. My vision blurry and fading quickly. I see Aaron standing a few feet away from me laughing.. My mom standing beside me with an evil glint in your eyes. I whimper when I see the light reflecting off the silver knife, she holds it up and plunges deep in my stomach. I cry out again as my brother tries to get past my father. Aaron, my best friend, how could you betray me..

My mother laughs at me as she walks away, she drops the knife behind her, covered in my blood. I glance at Aaron, he smiles at me and follows my mother. He was supposed to be my best friend.. but instead he hurt me..

I will never forgive you...

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"Easy there pup." He gets up slowly holding his side. I watch him grab a pair of shorts behind a tree and throw them on.

I growl again, the hair on my back sticking up. He smirks at me and begins walking towards me, I growl louder snapping at the air with my jaws. He frowns and pauses, "Aren't you happy to see your best friend? It's been so long my flower."

I stop in shock, this bastard lost his privileges to call me flower when he stabbed me in the back. I growl again and back up slowly, He sighs.

"I see you're not going to shift back, How about I make it easy for you." Just then I feel a pinch at the back of my spine and I whip around to snap my jaws around a human arm.

The man screams and punches my nose, I whimper letting go and holding my paw over my nose. I glare at the man, but before I can try to bite him again Shiver yelps inside my head.

Shiver what's-

A strangled cry leaves my mouth as heat erupts throughout my whole body, Pain in every single muscle and bone increasing by the second. I see my bones breaking and reshaping before I realize what was happening.

They injected us! They are trying to force us to shift back!!

My growl becomes a scream as I'm left naked and cold on the ground. I wrap my arms around myself and whimper, every fiber of my body aches from that painful transition. I look up, feeling weak and vulnerable.

"That's better." He bends down and smirks.

I growl, I want to rip that smug look off his face

I'm all for it, Shiver says growling with me.

"Grab her." He orders as he stands up and starts walking away.

I'm grabbed by my arms on both sides and half dragged, half walked to their pack house. I flinch as a girl drapes a blanket over me. She gives me a soft smile and catches up to Aaron, walking side by side with him.

She smells of him. Shiver points out.

I sniff the air, You're right.. Do you think she's his mate?

As if he could keep a mate, what female would love that. She says with disgust.

I mentally agree with her as I'm dragged into a large building, I see multiple eyes turn to me when I enter a large room. My anxiety gives way and I start to panic, the tightness in my chest increasing the farther into the room I go. I can feel all my muscles tighten as I yearn to curl up into a little ball, to become as little as possible.

I feel weak as a human, my insecurities coming forward. I was always able to control my anxiety and PTSD as a wolf.. but in this vulnerable state.. I'm nothing..

I'm thrown into a cell and my body hits the hard, cold concrete with a thud. Every bone and muscle in my body moans from the pain of my transformation.

"I'm sure you'll love it here Flower, since you're so used to it."

I turn and see him smirking, he gives me a wink and a quick snort before turning and walking away. I grab the blanket around my shoulders and pull it closer to me, tears threaten to poor out of my eyes.

I'm right back in that hell I left..

Marie we will find a way out of here, we just have to wait till the drug wares off.

I don't respond to her and rest my head on the stone wall, exhaustion taking over.

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My eyes snap open at the sound of the door to my cell clanging. I see the girl that gave me the blanket coming into my cell with a pile of clothes and some other things I can't quit make out from where I'm sitting.

"Hello, I'm Karly. I brought you some clothes and some other things." She bends down and places the clothes on top of the small bed in the corner of the cell.

She looks at me again and frowns, "Did you sleep on the floor?"

I don't answer, staring at her with confusion. She sighs and picks up the clothes again and comes over to me, she begins to help me up. I just stare at her even more confused.

"Who are you?" I ask aloud.

She stops, "I told you my name is Karly."

"I know your name, I want to know who you are and why your helping me."

She gives me a small smile, "I'm Aaron's mate.. and true Luna to the Dawn Pack."

My eyes widen, So she is his mate? How in the world is she so nice then..?

I don't know.. but she doesn't look like she has an alternative reason for helping..

"What do you mean by true Luna?"

She looks at me sadly, "My alpha would much rather someone else's company then mine. And refuses to acknowledge that I am his mate."

She attempts to help me up again and this time I let her, I continue to talk to her while she helps me dress.

"Who does he think is his mate?" She stops suddenly, thinks for a moment then continues helping me dress.

"You."

I stop moving and push her away. She looks startled, but regains her composure looking me in the eyes. She gasps as she recognizes the truly terrified look on my face. She instantly engulfs me in her embrace as tears start pouring down my face, I sob hysterically into her shoulder. She rubs my back with one hand while the other holds my head to her shoulder, stroking my hair.

"It's okay hun, I know this is against your will and you have no part in any of this. I can tell now that you really did know him when you were pups."

I sniff and lean away from her, "Why won't he just leave me alone.. I ran away.. I ran to get away from him.. from my whole life."

"I know Marie, I'm truly sorry for everything he has done to you. Let me help you get dressed in something warm and comfortable and we can talk more then."

I nod and begin putting on the comfortable sweat pants and sweater she handed me. She sits me down on the bed and starts brushing my incredibly long dark hair. She braids it to the side and ties it off, turning me to face her. She smiles and wipes my tears with her thumb.

"See there you go, so pretty."

I laugh and smile, "Thank you for doing this.. You're not going to get in trouble for this are you?" I say referring to Aaron.

She shakes her head, "You let me worry about that okay?"

I nod, playing with my new braid.

"Now, let's talk about how we are getting you out of here."