The first thing that hit me was the dust that filled my nostrils. However, the smell of blood hit me right after. My head throbbed from the moment my eyes flew wide open. What caused me to lose consciousness still had a hold of me, leaving me to struggle to rise from where I was.

My vision was blurry, leaving my surroundings unknown to me.

Wait… What?

“Rem?” I mumbled, unable to feel her near me.

Instead of the little Luma I had gotten used to, I found myself in a cage with weird people I had never seen before. All my senses were a mess, too. At this point, I might’ve been hallucinating. Slowly sitting up, I noticed I wasn’t imagining things.

Though more worrisome were the weird cuffs around my wrist. I had seen nothing like them before. They were made of metal and had oval-shaped gemstones on each cuff.

“Hey, bud, are you awake? Who’s Rem? You’ve been yelling for them in your sleep.” A too-friendly elf asked from the corner of the cage.

I growled upon being addressed.

How long has it been? I can’t…

He also had cuffs with different stones from mine, each containing what appeared to be a moonstone.

“What?” I breathed, struggling to catch up.

Everything was so unfamiliar that I couldn’t understand most of what was happening.

One moment, I’m with that stupid Luma, and now she’s gone without a trace. Wait… Did we crash?

Throbs rushed through my body as my vision cleared enough to see that I was on a weird metal craft that was moving fast.

Wait… Didn’t we see one of those in that village? What did you call it? Ah… yes, a hovercraft.

Though it seemed familiar to the one we spotted in the village, we had stopped about six days ago. Everything was a blur as we passed by the scenery. I tried to get out of the cuffs, but they wouldn’t budge; instead, their gems would shimmer brightly every time I tried to use my strength, which left me feeling drained.

“Ah... the meds will soon lose their effect. When that happens, it’ll give you some more clarity.” The elf informed.

I continually tried to break out of the steel cuffs again, only to be futile. A curse left my lips soon after. Nothing I tried worked—something so easy to break out of in my time was impossible now. Astea, our world, seemed more dangerous with each year that passed.

Its inhabitants love inventing ways to suppress others, and whoever did this… is… Despicable.

“You won’t get out of those.” Another Lycan huffed.

Ah… there are three of us here.

Though there were many others chained in the cages in front and behind us, his words left me staring at the cuff, unable to link together how a piece of metal could keep me bound.

How can’t I break this hunk of metal? It’s not even made of elven fire, etanil.

That was the strongest metal in our world and rare in my time, but even then, when I awakened to my power, not even that could keep me bound.

Fuck, is it the bond or something else keeping me back? No, Rem told me I would still have my Lycan abilities.

The wolf in this cage didn’t have a bond.

Or at least I think that’s something unique to Rem. Where’s that annoying brat, anyway?

No matter where my eyes fell, I couldn’t see the little luma accompanying me for the past week.

“What the fuck are they, and where are we?” I asked warily, watching my surroundings, hoping to find her.

There were other women in another cage behind us, but not the luma I was looking for.

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Why are you stuck in my mind? Why am I worried about you? Is it the bond? It has to be. There isn’t any other reason for you to be in my mind like this.

She was an annoying fly that was constantly around and couldn’t be swatted. I should’ve been grateful for the silence, but I felt odd. I didn’t know what it was.

That stupid luma better be alright, for both our sakes.

I hadn’t noticed that her presence had left an impact on me.

The world’s colder without you around. Your warmth and stupidity are… addictive.

“They’re absurd contractions inspired by the witch fucking our alpha. She and the spawn she brought into this world are a blight.” The male Lycan scoffed.

Wait, are you speaking about Lilith? A witch fucking an alpha... it has to be.

A sting crossed my chest, causing me to shake my head.

Did you create these cuffs? Hah, that’s something I can’t put past you. In your determination to protect those you love, you’d damn everyone else.

“It drains the moon’s power within us to where it weakens you. We’re no more than an average human with them on.” He added, rolling his eyes.

The moon elf nodded, raising his cuffs, which had another type of stone. It appeared purple and functioned the same way mine did, though, to him, it was to suppress his magic.

Lilith, you’ve become a clever witch. Not that I didn’t expect any less from you.

“As to where we are, I think we’ll all find out soon.” The elf added as the craft came to a stop soon after.

In an instant, the cages opened as someone came in and chained us all together before yanking us out into the dirt outside. Even though they were hybrids, I stopped acting too brainlessly, given the information I had.

However, I couldn’t help but look everywhere when they sat us down, hoping to find the only hybrid that mattered to me. Sadly, Rem was still nowhere to be seen.

You were with me when we fell out of the cart. When you were clinging to me so desperately… Argh, what have they done to you?

Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but wince.

No, this isn’t like me. Why am I worried about your stupid ass? I’ve only known you for a short time... All while you were an insufferable pain. Yet I... can’t understand it.

That annoying little luma plagued my thoughts, especially whenever she held my hand at night.

It must be the bond. Focus, Alijah, you need to get out of this first.

Shifting my priorities, I gazed around to identify our attackers. They were raiders, perhaps bandits, who hid their intentions for us. The desert dust the crafts had lifted was also making breathing hard.

My mind quickly wandered again.

Rem... where the fuck are you?

Something caught my eye while I tried to look around for her. The stupid little bag she always carried was being unloaded from the craft by a man I didn’t know, and it made my blood boil.

Why does he have that while you aren’t here?

I hadn’t felt this triggered by something since my first day returning to this world.

“You! Where’s the luma who had that?!” I growled, catching their attention.

Why is it irritating me so much?

The thought of anything happening to her made me want to kill everyone present. Upon hearing my question, the man holding the bag smirked at me. He was also a hybrid, a dhampir.

Half-vampire and human.

However, what was more concerning was that the bag he was holding had blood specks on it, but before I could say anything else, someone from behind me spoke instead of him.

“Oh, you mean your wife. She’s out in the desert with a cracked skull, bleeding to death right now, but I don’t care. Nor should you, hon.” The hybrid from the tavern declared.

The same fucking peredhil who wanted me to join her in a room. Her words caused me to glare at her as the rage swelled through me was unstoppable.

If I didn’t have the bond that Luma forced me into, I’d rip into you!

Rem dying or dead was something intolerable for me.

My strength will die with you! Ah… is this why I feel so anxious to be away from you? It has to be.

“You little—” I muttered, only to be interrupted when she grabbed me by my chin hard enough for me not to be able to break away.

If... only I could...

Her touch was worse than Rem’s ever was.

No… to compare her to you, that’d be…

The little Luma was warm and caring, yet this girl was cold, just like all the women that the elders sent my way when they drugged me. It turned my stomach upside down as I suppressed the urge to gag.

Why don’t I feel this way with you, Rem?

Ever since that day on the lake, something had changed within me.

Why didn’t I kill you the moment I saw you? Why did I hesitate? Fuck, this isn’t like me at all.

Thanks to that moment of weakness, I was in a predicament with no apparent way out.

Why did I feel like lightning struck me when I saw you? Fuck! That luma’s making me weak!

I had promised Lilith’s corpse never to let another woman touch my heart, yet I...

Why is this luma warming mine? This is a mistake. One I’m paying for now. Fuck, you better not be dead!

“Don’t worry, pretty boy. I’ll give you a better time than that luma ever did.” The disgusting peredhil tried to entice me.

Instead, I glowered at her before snickering. Even though I had never held Rem, this woman’s words rallied me against her.

“You’re nothing compared to her.” I snarled, spitting on her face.

For a moment, she appeared stunned by what I did, but she soon recovered, digging her fingers into my eyes. The pain was a wake-up reminder of how powerless I was again.

“Once I’m done with you. You’ll be an obedient wolf. How about you show me your actual eyes? I know you’re wearing contacts.” She scowled, scratching my eyes, taking off the lenses Rem gave me that was hiding away the crimson of my eyes.

I groaned in pain, feeling blood drip down my cheeks as she took little pity on me before the same to my other eye soon after. For a moment, I was blind, unable to see a single thing. My temperature rose as I felt nothing more than the desire to sink my teeth into the hybrid before me.

Something snapped within me as I couldn’t control my laughter. They trapped me, and that enraged me. My past…

I’m nothing more than a fucking prisoner again!