011 ~ Initiation

Thirsty and very weak, Sydney sat up. Her body ached all over as she tried to stretch. She wanted to get out of the bed but Zane's voice stopped her.

"Here," He was standing right beside her with a glass of water. Thanking him, she gulped down its content and asked for more.

"How do you feel?" He asked, not exactly frantic about her. More like a detective interrogating a suspect.

"Hungry. Very hungry." He narrowed his eyes. That wasn't the answer he was looking for but he couldn't just debunk her answer. Shortly, the maids brought in a variety of dishes in their quantity and Sydney devoured them all. To Zane's surprise, she requested for more food. When she was full, she excused herself to clean up and came back refreshed with no clothes of her own. She had to settle for something belonging to Ryder and that was a baggy pants that almost swallowed her and a big shirt.

"When do I get clothes of mine? I feel too small in these." She complained. "After we visit the pack witch."

The drive to the coven of the witch was quite long because she resided at the end of the end of the town.

"How much longer?" She whined. "This place is so boring. There is nothing to do rather watch you guys do your stuff." She regressed in her seat, venting her anger.

"Don't try to do anything without me or the alpha knowing. As you know, there are people coming after you. The order of the Blue Moon as they will stop at nothing to grasp you. One thing you should always have at the back of your mind is that you are an important tool to the alpha."

"Tool? That sounds familiar." She scoffed and looked outside, no longer in the mood to admire anything beautiful. She had always been a 'tool' her whole life. Her father used her to satisfy his greed, her former did the same. Back at her school, the administration used her for every single competition they went to and rewarded her with peanuts after they bagged the win. It was later she found out that she had been greatly cheated.

Zane's mood changed after he got a call from Asher. He angrily stopped the car, causing Sydney to hit her head.

"Hey!" She yelled at him. "Are you trying to kill me?"

He turned the car, heading back to the pack house to drop her off.

"The pack witch is not available for now. We have to go back tomorrow."

"You mean, we have to embark on this same boring journey tomorrow? Well, why didn't you make inquiries before we left?" She waved her hands in the air as she spoke. This made Zane laugh a little, sending Sydney into a state of bewilderment.

"Did you just laugh?" She tilted her head, easing a small snicker.

"No, I didn't." He denied it instantly.

"I could swear you did. You're not made of stone after all." She shook her head in disbelief.

"I don't think anyone is made of stone. You just reminded me of how my sister talks whenever she's upset."

"Can I meet her?" Her eyes lit up with excitement. She thought she could finally meet someone who she could relate to. Even though she was an adult surrounded by adults, she still felt like a child.

"She passed on two months ago. Rogue attack." He replied, showing no emotion.

The news shocked Sydney but she too could relate to it.

"I'm so sorry..." Her voice trailed off, remembering the death of her mother. Death wasn't a pleasant thing. It leaves the people behind with a sense of guilt and pain.

"It's fine."

When they got to the pack house, he exited the car and so did she.

"The alpha wants to see you in his office tonight." He announced. Since it was quite windy, Sydney drew some of her hair back.

"Might I know why?"

"Why?" Zane asked in disbelief. "He's your husband." He shook his head and left her to her thoughts.

Her palms began to sweat, already knowing why the alpha had summoned her.

*****

It was night and she was lying on the bed. The cold wind brushed her skin, influencing a sharp rush of cold through her body. Shivering, she stood up and went to close the window. It was then she noticed that she could see the forest from the window. The atmosphere surrounding it was lit up with beautiful a cyan smoky cloud that lingered just above the forest trees. She was so lost in its beauty that she didn't know Ryder was standing behind her.

"What are you looking at?" He asked. She panicked, wanting to move but Ryder was pressing onto her. She managed to look at his face which held a mused smirk. He was looking for something extraordinary but he didn't find anything. He looked at her but she quickly looked away and frowned.

"I was looking at the light over there." She pointed to the forest but when he looked, he didn't see anything.

"Interesting..." He smiled and moved away. Seeing he wasn't walking away, she closed the window and faced him, her face blushing hard for what she was about to say.

"I'm ready."

He tilted his head, not knowing what she was going on about.

"Uh... Ready for what?" He inquired.

"Zane said you wanted to see me tonight." She almost stammered and at the same time, wondered why he didn't remember his own words.

"Oh yeah, that. Let's get on to it right away. Follow me." He led her to his office and asked her to stand in front of the table. He took a knife and sliced his wrist. Squeezing his palm, a few drops of blood dipped into the goblet he had set beforehand.

Sydney was confused. All the more, she was bothered about his cut wrist. He could bleed forever if he cut too deep.

"Drink up. It will help form a pact between the both of us." He explained. Reluctantly, Sydney brought the cup to her face, staring disgusted at the blood. Shutting her eyes tight, she pushed the entire content down her throat once.

She dropped it, hoping that was the last process to finally becoming his pack member. What she didn't sign up for was the splitting headache that followed. But it would last for only ten seconds.

Those ten seconds felt like ten minutes. Tears spilled from her eyes and when the pain finally stopped, she rested her head on the table, panting heavily.

"What was that?" She sobbed, wiping her face. She felt his hands around her waist but she didn't bother. She was getting used to him touching her any time.

"You're now mine forever, little blue." She heard his voice in her head.