I stand under a cold shower, washing away the dirt. The sand slithers down my skin along with the day’s grime. The salt of Gabe’s kiss is washed away, and so is my tiredness. What stays is Adam’s indifference. The prickling, galling admission of how little I matter.

My fists clench as I shake my head to wipe away that memory. I don’t know why my brain is stuck on him. Maybe it’s the pain of first-time rejection. I should take this too as a part of my training, a preparation for a future that sees me living in this camp forever.

I come out and get grandpa out of my sketchbook.

“I am going to survive this.” I tell him, holding my heart. “And I’ll make sure you are proud of me.”

I come down for lunch to see the family finishing theirs. John is just about to leave out of the front door. Phyllis is not around, neither is anyone else. I run to him to stop at the door.

“John, I have a request, please, if you could spare a minute.”

“Sure, Danny. What is it?” John looks surprised.

“I… I was wondering if I could take up some job.”

“Job?”

“Yes. I... I do not know how things work here. But I do not want to be a burden forever. I’d like to help in whatever way I can.”

“That’s a nice thought. Although you are not a burden here and I would not like it if we made you feel that way,” John raises an eyebrow making me blush, “but I agree it would be good if you mingle around more and get acquainted to the pack life.”

“Oh, thanks! That’s just what I wanted to say. I would really like to help, and as of now I have got nothing.”

“Of course.” John nods. “So, what can you do?”

“Maths.” The answer sprouts automatically. “I have done math school and I sketch as a hobby, but apart from that…” My voice trails away. I realize how amateurish I must sound. I love maths as a subject but have no knowledge of its practical applications. I can teach the kids, like I am teaching it to Tina, but surely, they already must have a teacher down at the school and I would not want to make anyone jobless.

“Hmm,” John says, thinking. “I might have something down in the office. We are always needing help with accounts. Do you know any book-keeping?”

“Erm…I can learn.” I chirp enthusiastically.

“Good,” he smiles. “I’ll talk to Adam then. We work together and he looks after the accounting side of it. I’ll talk to him and see what can be done.”

He leaves through the front door, and I stare at his back. There goes my hope for this job. Mr Stiff-Nose-Stevens would never allow me into the office. Whatever John said, I better not have high hopes.

My shoulders droop as I return to the dining room to finish my lunch. Most of the family is gone, except for a glum-looking Jeff in the far corner. Tina sits in her seat with her books spread around. She chews her lips and glances his way, then gives me a shrug.

“Hey! How’s it going?” I ask, pulling a plate. “Any more issues with the quadratic equations?”

“Nope, I am good there.” She says sighing. “But if you could explain this trigonometry question…”

“Sure. Will do after food.”

“Oh Danny! You are such a sweetheart!” She kisses me on my cheek, then dances out to do whatever she had in mind. I tuck into my food when Jeff clears his throat.

“Thanks for helping Tina. She was waiting for Billy, but it looks like he will be late. And I am no good at maths.”

Sure. I nod. Looks like Myra has made things rather complicated. Now Billy is busy with Olly and Jeff cannot join them because of Myra. What a silly mess!

“That’s not a problem.” I give him a reassuring smile. “Maths is my subject. I’ll help Tina with it, and any other subject she has trouble with.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.”

He gets up to leave. I raise my tentative eyes. “One more thing, Jeff.”

“Yes?”

“Sometimes it’s better to take a step back.”

“Excuse me?”

“I am sorry, but I am only interfering because my sister is involved. If you are looking for a crutch, Olly is not the right candidate. She will be hurt, and Myra would be hurt, and you will end up making an even worse mess. So, I suggest you evaluate your options properly.”

His face freezes like arctic crust. I gulp.

“There are other girls than Olly in this camp.”

“Yes.”

“And I can use any of them if I want.”

True. I feel my palms going clammy.

“So keep you snooty nose out of it, weakling. Just because I thanked you for helping Tina doesn’t mean you can preach to me.”

He storms out, and I hang my head low. I need to watch my mouth. Already there are enough people here annoyed by me. I better not add to the list.

I finish my lunch and spend an hour with Tina. Numbers clear my foggy head. Whatever I do to them, they are never upset with me. I can crunch them, squeeze them, bend them like a squishy, and yet they straighten themselves without any trouble. It’s like a therapy I need to keep myself going.

“See ya later…” Tina gathers her stuff and shoots at the door. I suddenly think of something.

“Ermm… Gabe mentioned you have a library somewhere around. Would it be okay if I take a look?”

“Feel free,” she chirps. “It’s the third room down the corridor from the hall.”

“That’s great, thanks!” I smile and get up when she suddenly turns serious.

“But I would be careful if I were you.”

I frown. Why?

“It’s kind of dark, aloof place. None of us likes there. When I was little, I used to think it was haunted. I still think there is something weird there.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

I stare in shock. Well, after werewolves, I am ready to believe in any kind of paranormal. Ghosts? Banshees? Goblins? I am willing to believe in anything.

Tina holds her serious expression for about five seconds, before bursting out laughing.

“Tricked you! I was just joking! Go ahead and use it. There’s nothing in there.”

*****

Tina skips out of the room to disappear upstairs. I sigh and follow her out. The house is quiet. No one’s home except for I and Tina. The servers in the kitchen too are out on their afternoon break.

I pass the living room and come to the third door on the left. It’s a dark oak, plain, sturdy, and ancient. I feel the heavy reluctance when I push it open. It is not used to being pushed. Tina might be right when she said no one used this room.

I step inside as a grey gloom envelopes me. Outside it is a stark hot afternoon, but in here it feels the sun has never shone. A single small window adorns the far wall, forlorn in its loneliness. Curtains of heavy brocade hang on it, shutting any light out. Whoever designed this room must have had a funny idea of cosiness.

I extend my hand, feeling the wall for a light switch. It flickers on, illuminating a vast stillness. Rows of tall shelves criss-cross along the walls while the middle area is left for seating. There are high-backed velvet chairs, loungers, and cushy sofas. In one corner is an ancient granite fireplace coated with soot. It seems like a millennium old, which it actually could be.

The air is chill, rank with an age-old musty smell. A shiver runs down my spine as I walk to the shelves and start my search.

The books are old, covered in dust. Some have fingerprints, some have oil stains. Some even sport the kind of brown stains that come from dried blood. I quiver as I pick one out and walk to a sofa to settle myself.

“An Experiment with Truth and Beyond – The History of Rogue Wars and the Role of First Wolves” By Maverick- the Barbaric.

Fantastic! Just what I need! I smile eagerly and tuck in.

*****

Minutes pass, then hours. The sun has probably sunk. I have lost all sense of time and place. I am with Maverick the Barbaric as he takes me somewhere near Minnesota, where the third clan of Ironteeth rogues discusses terms of their surrender with the Council of First Wolves.

“In the late 1340s, the Ironteeth had dwindled to the last few and had no option but to give in to demands of the high wolves. However, the conditions put forth by Chief Scemetor of the Moonslingers made them see red. A treaty spanning one hundred and twenty pages full of terms and conditions of surrender was presented to Baldork, the chief rogue who decided it was too humiliating and demeaning…”

“Still stuck in the rogue wars?”

“I just started. This is so fascinating. I never knew all this happened right under the nose of humans. I mean, look at the timeline. 1340s is when the duke of …”

I stop abruptly and look up. It takes me a moment to register. In front of me is the most beautiful man I have ever seen. His Elven features are sharp, yet delicate. Skin is smooth, white as snow. His long golden hair is tied back in a ponytail. He is tall, almost as tall as Adam, but quite thin. That makes him seem elongated, like someone pulled his head to make him taller.

I scramble to my feet, the book forgotten.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn't see. Wh… who are you? Why am I…”

I look into his hazel eyes, and that is my mistake. There is something about them, a casual irreverence, a ferocious intensity. A crippling magnetism. It's like an ancient spell that creates a whirlpool to suck me in. My brain freezes to a standstill.

I can’t move. I can’t think. I can’t blink. A delicious haze spread my body, lulling it into submission. All I can do now is to focus on this man. Listen to his words and obey his command.

Surrender to me. Submit to me. Obey me… A voice sounds in my head.

I agree, as my mind goes blank.

Yes, I will obey. Without any question. I am at your service.

“Well, well, well! Look what we have got here.” He comes closer as I stand languidly. His left hand goes round my waist as his right hand raises to touch my cheek. A soft tingle leaves his fingers to ripple down my spine.

He gives a knowing smile as his fingers caress my cheek. His face looks dazed as his hazel eyes light up looking at me.

“Exquisite," he mumbles. "Soft like feather…sweet like honey. Skin a warm summer. And a virgin to boot. Why have I not met you before?”

“I came recently.” I answer without hesitation. His words register into my brain but make no impact. All my senses are focussed on his voice. It drips with a sensuousness that makes me weak in the knees.

“Name?”

“Diane. Diane Winters.”

“Winters?” he frowns. “You should be called Summers. Frosty winters are not for you, honey. You need warmth. Light. Love that will make you bloom.”

Make me bloom. Make me bloom…The honey of his voice drips on my senses, clouding them in a fuzzy cloud. I smile as if drunk.

“I agree.”

“But…it’s not just the outer sweetness…” he frowns as he comes closer to sniff at me. My eyes still on his luscious lips, full, wet, blood-red. I want them on me, on my lips, on my…

“I sense something else here…something superficial…and something deep.”

I frown. Deep and superficial. What could it be?

He touches me again; this time his fingers caress my bare neck. Up and down they trail, tracing my skin from my ear to the dip of my throat. It’s my sensitive spot. I can’t bear anything to touch it. And when he touches there, my body goes in a frenzy.

“So sweet…” he murmurs as his fingers trail downwards towards my chest. I stand ecstatic, as if nothing is amiss.

“But...something is amiss.” He frowns as his fingers touch my left chest. “I smell a wolf …wait.. not just one, but two wolves.”

“Two?”

“Yes, two. One on your lips, the other on your heart. This is so unfair. Which one do you prefer?” His honeyed eyes asks as his hazel eyes drown me.

I stay quiet, pondering the answer. I do not quite understand. His cryptic words confuse me as I struggle to decipher his meaning. I do not want to deny him the answer. I just cannot find it.

But it seems he does not need my answer. He has moved ahead, pressing his long fingers on my left breast. A sharp pain rips my heart, making me wince and he smiles.

“Hurt, did it?”

“Yes.”

“How much?”

“A lot…,” I swallow a dry lump. “…a little.”

"A little or a lot?"

"…both."

“Interesting. Very interesting." He gives a mysterious laugh. "Now turn around and let me see your neck.”

He flips me around with a speed that if I was in my senses would have freaked me out. With gentle fingers he moves my hair out of the way to expose my neck. He stands behind me caressing it, his warm breath fanning my skin.

I moan in pleasure. It’s the sweetest feeling I have had in my life. A hazy delirium sweeps through me as my brain weaves a beautiful dream.

He bends over my neck, licking it with his wet tongue. Something sharp graze my delicate skin, but I am unaware, away in my ecstasy. I want him to continue. I do not want him to stop.

“Good girl…” he whispers into my ear. “You are a very good girl, Diane Winters. Now let me take you to the moon. You will love it.”

“I will love it.” I repeat automatically.

“Yes, darling. You will.” He pulls me into his embrace, flush against his chest. "But before that... tell me what's in your heart."

"In my heart?"

"Yes. Under the wolf's paw, into the deep. What lies there, Diane Winters?"

What lies there...?

"Yes, what is it that you are hiding?"

"I am not..."

"Yes you are. Do not lie, Diane Winters. Tell me, what is it that you are hiding?"

“DAMIEN!!” A loud call breaks the spell as someone storms through the door. I am wrenched from the caress to be thrown on to the ground while the man gets pinned to the nearby wall in a hostile stance. A tall, agile, muscular form breathes down him thunderously.

“How dare you! I told you to behave…”

“Peace, Beta.” The man’s eyes twinkle as he holds up his hands in surrender. “I am only making myself acquainted with this lovely young lady. I must say you have a taste in women. First Ellaine and now Diane. My, my! Even the names are delicious.”

“Shut up Damien! Just shut up and…”

I watch from the ground as my brain refocuses. What just happened here? Who is this man and what was he doing to me? And what is Adam doing here?

“Adam…” the name leaves my lips before I could think. He whirls to me.

In a flash of a second, he is next to me, crouching beside me. I am lying at a weird angle, too stunned to even move. His eyes narrow as he scans me, then shoves my hair away to check my neck.

He frowns, as if looking for something. His callused fingers graze my neck in the place where just moments ago Damien was breathing down.

It’s a surreal feeling. Adam’s rough touch actually soothes me as a pleasant coolness spreads across the spot.

“Danny, are you okay? Did he do anything? How do you feel?”

His eyes flick to my left breast, and I start colouring. My brain is slowly waking, and I shuffle to sit up.

“I… I am fine. I just came here to read. I didn’t know someone would be here. I am sorry.” I blabber is haste as my face flames. What exactly have I gotten myself into this time?

“No need to apologise. Just tell me if you are okay. I have linked Arome, and he’d be here soon, but until then, if you are…”

“I am fine, really, Adam. I just need a breath.” I shake my head to get my bearings. I do not understand half the things he is saying, nor do I care at this point.

He looks at me carefully, then touches my forehead to check it’s hot. When he’s satisfied, he holds my hand to help me up.

“Go to your room and rest.” He says, walking me to the library door. “I’ll see you later.”

“But I…”

“Go Danny. Jenna will bring you soup. Have it and sleep. Until then, I’ll deal with this scoundrel.”

***** *****