“Order up, Table 13.” Table 13. It was the difficult table. It was the cursed table. The 24 year old Italian woman stepped forward to take the plate of ravioli and turned toward the table. Her thick auburn hair was tied up behind her head in a messy bun. Her flawless skin radiated red with being rushed off her feet all night. Her big brown eyes were bright despite her rushed state and she was happy. She was safe. Her parents' restaurant was always busy, mainly because they boasted dinner with live opera performances and she was one of the main singers. Delilah Di Grandi was a bit of a sought after starlet in this city and she had countless suitors. She was interested in none of them. Her eyes sought out the occupants of table thirteen and she made her way toward it. Her sister, Arabella came toward her…

It wasn’t until Lily really paid attention to the older version of herself that things got dark. There was blood splattered across Ari’s uniform. Her hands were drenched in the blood that dripped along her arms, down the chains around her wrists. Lily cried out in horror. The food clattered to the ground. Lily reached for her sister. 

“Ari! What happened?” The room darkened. The music faded. Lily glanced around.

“Lily, help..” Her sister’s voice was strained. Suddenly the chains grew taunt and Ari screeched as she was pulled back into the darkness… 

The pure white dire wolf woke with a start. The screech blended into reality and her golden eyes darted around her. What had happened?! Her heart was racing, and more so now that she found herself in a cage. There were men all around that cage pushing her toward the back of a truck. The wolf scrambled to her feet and launched for the closest individual, snapping her jowls dangerously through the bars. All the workers backed away from the cage in a startled reaction to the angry wolf. 

“Shhh shhhh, Lily. Calm down, girl. You’re safe now. We’re getting you out of here.” A man stepped forward. His hand wrapped around the bars of the cage and his startling light blue eyes seemed to draw her in. 

His dark brown hair fell across one of his brows where it had been swept to one side. It seemed like he made a habit of doing that. His face was warm and friendly and for a moment she was hypnotized by him, his essence, energy, just everything about him. The wolf stepped forward with a gentle grace. Her heart was racing. His smile was captivating. 

“My girl.” He cooed softly and it sent shivers down her spine. What was she doing?! Letting a man into her head! She started, shook her head then let her anger sweep across her again. She launched at him and he pulled back just in time to avoid his face being bitten off. The bars would only allow her snout out but she made a show of snapping her jowls nonetheless. A cool hang suddenly clamped onto her muzzle. 

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The world went dark. Her sense of hearing vanished. Her sight and even her sense of smell was no more. Panic shot through her. What had he done? She collapsed instantly feeling only the movement of the vehicle they were traveling in and the cold steel of the cage floor under her weight. 

“Don’t be afraid, Delilah. You are safe now. I’m taking you home.” His voice echoed through the nothingness surrounding her. “This is just a mild illusion.” She could hear footsteps coming her way. She was in the darkness now. Complete darkness and there was someone coming toward her. She was human. Auburn curls running in thick rivets across her shoulders, big brown eyes and a set of rosey lips.

 A beautiful nose and high cheekbones with full cheeks. She looked down at the beautiful white dress she had on. It was from the 18th century, puff sleeves, full skirt of lace and silk. It was spectacular. As she ran her hand across the fabric she hardly noticed the hand waiting to take hers, held out in front of her. The moment she looked up she recognized him. Her new owner. His eyes widened when hers met his and his mouth fell agape. 

“You are beautiful.” He whispered. 

Her hand came up and instantly smacked his away. His lips snapped shut and he looked a little taken aback. 

“I am not your toy. I am not your doll. I am not your protector or your sex partner.”

“Unless you want to be.” Her eyes narrowed at his response to her angry words and he shifted uneasily for a moment. “That’s not why I purchased you. I… I was searching for my son. I saw you and I couldn’t just… walk away.” His explanation made her pause. Her breath caught for a moment. Was he telling the truth? He certainly looked sincere. Yet she still didn’t believe him at all. She pushed her chin out a little to show him just how stubborn his new purchase was. Maybe he’d realize he’d made a terrible mistake and return her so she could have a chance at escaping. 

“What makes me different from the rest of the girls at the auction house?” She challenged, narrowing her eyes somewhat at him. 

His face softened into a smile. She knew what he was about to say before he said it. She knew why he picked her. The look on his face told her ‘What a silly question.’ Lily closed her eyes for a moment then stared at the black beneath her feet. 

“You have no right to just go through people’s thoughts and memories like that.” She scolded but softly enough for it to not seem too threatening. She finally lifted her eyes to his own gentle blue ones and he nodded, his face filled with understanding. 

“I know but I needed to find my son. If I had simply asked and they had him, they would have sold him to me for an extortionate price. So… I looked myself. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy. I will help you find your daughter. I promise and I will keep you both safe because I am a parent and I know what it feels like to have your child taken from you.” 

He reached up again. This time she let him caress her cheek.