Chapter One Elle

Elle heard the warning creak of the stairs that meant the man was descending. She flopped backward onto the dirty futon mattress, careful not to clatter the chains attached to her wrists and ankles. Squeezing her eyes shut in the hopes that the man would think she's asleep was futile. Though it had sometimes worked with past captors, this man was more evil than most. Elle referred to him in her head as Skeletor, due to his skin and bone appearance, not to mention his obsession with breaking her bones. The lock clicked and the door grated open.

"Wake up." Skeletor demanded loudly.

She lay still, breathing shallow. Her scalp burned when he violently yanked her upward. Cold black eyes stared into hers while the smell of chemicals from the shifter drugs he manufactured assaulted her nostrils. His thin lips twisted into a sardonic smile, but faltered when the eyes of her spirited wolf met his. As he fumbled for the syringe in his pocket, filled with a drug to keep her from shifting, her wolf urged her to attack. She could fight, could rip this evil humans throat out before he even took his next breath. Even so, she didn't, there would be no point.

Elle was fourteen when she begged her father, her packs alpha, to allow her and her best friend to go into the city alone. They'd wanted to watch the reruns of their favorite movie, twilight, and felt they were old enough to go without a bodyguard. When her father refused they hid in the trunk of Maya's older brother's car. Knowing he was going to the city to meet up with friends. How naïve they were that day as they ran throughout Myrtle Beach, laughing without a care in the world toward the theatre. Unbeknownst to them they were spotted by members of a rival pack who recognized her and called their alpha. Elle's pack, the Silver Dawn Pack, was blessed with rare power which they called "blessings". Her mother could speak with animals and they came to her aid. Her father could smell lies and pull the truth right out of a person. Many others in the pack had different blessings, but Elle had yet to see sign of hers. Enemies sought to possess and control her packs power but thus far had no such luck. As Elle and Maya neared the theatre unseen hands yanked them into a dark alley they were passing, covering their mouths. Elle shifted immediately, her silver wolf lunging at the male shifter holding her best friend. As he fell to the ground she turned, giving a sharp bark of command to her submissive friend, who shifted and bolted out of the alley. The male shifter made a grab for Elle but she twisted away, pouncing on the female shifter before she could retrieve Maya. As Elle bit into the females side she felt a hot sting on the back of her neck, the world blurred and went dark. Awaking some time later Elle found herself in the presence of an unknown alpha. For many days the alpha subjected her to various forms of torture, trying to persuade Elle to tell him her blessing, so that he could weaponize her. Again and again she told him that she had not been blessed. Eventually, when all the horrors he'd subjected her to failed to change her answer, the alpha conceded. Elle thought that at last her suffering would end and the bastard would finally kill her. Unfortunately, the greedy alpha felt that she owed him for wasting his time, so he sold her. She was sold from one vile individual to the next for what she guessed was many years, she had no way of knowing the date or time. Bought like livestock by men, women, shifters, humans, all rotten on the inside. In the beginning she fought passionately to escape. She'd killed and maimed quite a few of her captors, but only the most competent could afford her. In consequence of her ethereal beauty paired with her shifter nature, she went for a sky-high price. If they could afford her they could certainly afford doors even her shifter strength couldn't smash through, and security systems she couldn't see. Even if she slaughtered the monster who was about to abuse her she wouldn't make it out of his fortress. Then she would either starve to death or be discover by another monster, leaving her in the same position. Elle didn't think that she could take much more. Her dreams had changed from escaping to only a eternal darkness where she felt nothing. With these dreams in mind and the familiar sting of the syringe she closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry, mate." Apologizing to her unknown other half, because she was close to giving up. Elle didn't see that her apology had come out on silver smoke, whisked out of her prison, and off into the night.