Eyes fluttering open, Aura struggled to move her sore muscles. The drug haze she inhaled likely had raw wolfsbane, which weakens shifters in its raw form. She looked down at her body, realizing that she was still in her wolf form. Her vision had cleared as the wolfsbane was leaving her system. The metal mesh cage still encapsulated her, causing her to whine quietly. There was a faint light in the room around her, but her wolf eyes could see everything in the room. The floor was bare beneath the cage, and the cold stone walls surrounded her. Aura’s body involuntarily shivers from the chill of the air. The room held a cot, a small black desk, and a shelf cover in books. She wondered why Tabusco had her sent to this room. It was dark and plain. The windows were covered with black drapes, hiding the room from the sun. She could make out an old, rusted bed with a simple thin blanket hanging off the tired mattress. There was a desk with an oil lamp on it, and a stool that seemed to be cobbled together out broken pieces of wood. The creaked open as a hooded figure waltzed into the room, approaching her cage.

"Sleep well, pet?" A low voice asked as Aura sniffed the air, trying to identify the hooded figure. She locked eyes with glowing pink eyes under the hood.

All Aura could smell was charred hair and pine needles. She wondered what this hooded figure wanted from her. A feeling of nausea came over Aura as she laid back down from her sitting position. Nausea only increased with each minute. She began to dry heave, yet Aura could not find a cause for her sickness.

"Poor little pet," The hooded voice chuckled. "Not feeling well?"

Aura’s body began to convulse as she dry heaved. Her skin tingled as her bones began to crack and pop. She was in disbelief as her body shifted on its own. Aura summoned all the magic she could, trying to hold her wolf form, but her body wouldn’t allow her to stay in her silver wolf form. She whimpered loudly from the pain. Her body was on fire from the forced shift. Aura collapsed on the bottom of the cage in her beast folk form. Small groans escaped her mouth, and the hooded figure chuckled at her pain.

“So, this is the wolf’s true form,” the low voice commented. “I expected you to be more furry and mangy like a mutt. Not womanly, and my goodness, pet, you are very womanly.”

Aura curled into a ball waiting for the pain to fade from her body and to hide her body from the hooded person’s lusty eyes. What the hell had this hooded figure done to her? She had never experienced a forced shift before. It was painful like her first shift from human to wolf because of the work her body had to do to complete the shift. What does this hooded figure want from her?

“I bet you are trying to understand what just happened to you, aren’t you?” The low voice chuckled. “Well, pet, the answer is simple. I compelled you to shift. It’s painful, isn’t it?”

Aura refused to answer the hooded figure. She didn’t want to encourage the hooded figure to show her how she was compelled to shift. Once had been more than enough for her. Tabasco’s parting words rang in her mind. Is this what he had meant when he said she would wish that she was never born? It had been painful, but not a life-altering kind of painful. She remained in her balled-up stance to hide herself from the hooded figure.

“Pet, you have no reason to fear me yet. That was only a taste of what I can do. No need to hide in a ball.” The hooded figure lit the oil lamp on the desk. “Let’s get a better look at you, pet.”

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The room brightened as the hooded figure approached Aura’s cage once more. Aura could see the cloak on the hooded figure was black and tattered. The glowing pink eyes met her gold ones once more, and the pain subsided instantly. Aura suddenly sat up. Her body moved on its own. The pink eyes glance up and down at her bare body. Aura wished her entire body was once again covered in her silver fur instead of on display for the horrid hooded figure. She watched blue-skinned hands come out of the black cloak. The hands pulled back the hood of the figure, and Aura was mystified.

Aura stared hard at this man in front of her, or at least she thought the figure was a man. The man was almost indescribable. His skin was blue and well-toned like a frost elf. He was short like a dwarf, but his eyes and hair were bright pink like a siren. There was no one race Aura could identify him as. The man smiled revealing fangs like hers, and she was even more confused. It looked like God had pieced him together with spare parts. Who was this man?

“Confused pet?” The man asked sarcastically. “You aren’t the first to gawk at my appearance.”

All Aura could do was watch the man. Part of her felt guilty for gawking, but she couldn’t move her eyes from his odd appearance. She still didn’t understand what this man wanted with her or why he kept calling her pet. Exiled for only a day, and she ends up in a cage. She wasn’t doing so great on her own.

“Pet, I suppose you have many questions floating around in that little head of yours. All you need to know is none of it matters because in a few days' time you will be dead.” The man gave her a smirk. “I can’t wait to watch. It will be the highlight of my year.”

“It must be a boring year for you then,” Aura snickered.

“Pet has a little bite to her, huh?” The man grinned at Aura. His pink eyes glowed again, enrapturing Aura. “Little Pet, look at you bowing your head to me. Are you trying to please me, pet?” Aura felt her head bow in submission to the man, and she nearly cried from fighting herself to move. “Oh pet, stop fighting. You are compelled to do whatever I want. My ability is unique only to me, so there is no way to fight it. For the next few days, you will be nothing more than a toy for my amusement.”

A knock on the door interrupted the man from playing with Aura. “Guild Master Shadow! I know you are in there!” A familiar-sounding woman called from outside the door.

The man sighed, “To be continued, pet.” His pink eyes began to glow again, meeting Aura’s. “Sleep.”

It was automatic for Aura to lay down and shut her eyes, but she didn’t fall asleep as the man known as Guild Master Shadow had compelled her. Instead, she listened quietly to the woman that she recognized as Princess Crisela.

“I want the job done now! You have enough beast shifters to complete the plan. Just get it done! I am tired of waiting, Shadow. My father has paid you in advance, so do your damn job!” Princess Crisela fussed.

“Princess Crisela, do you know why your father came to me for this job?” Guild Master Shadow asked.

“Because you are greedy, and you do anything for money.” She said bluntly.

“Well, yes, the king knows I am greedy, but there’s more to it than that.” Guild Master Shadow explained. “Do you know how your family came to power, Princess?”

“No, what does that matter?” Princess Crisela sounded annoyed.

“Well, my dear, your family came to power after the last great war for slaying beast shifters. During the war, your ancestors slaughtered most of the beast shifters, saving your people from destruction. It is in your blood to kill these beasts! Your father cannot allow your family’s legacy to fade because one elf queen wants open trade routes. Your father has slaughtered many of these beasts in secret, but he can’t slay the elf queen without going to war. He came to me for that reason. It’s just a bonus that I get paid to slaughter the very beings that I hate. They are the original hybrids that ruined it for all future hybrids.” He chuckled. “Hear that pet? Your kind ruined my life, and now you will pay for it!” Guild Master Shadow sounded like a maniac. He seemed to turn his attention back to the Princess. “If we do this right, Princess, all the beast shifters will be eradicated from Lunaris. It will be an amazing day!” Guild Master Shadow rejoiced.

“Wait, if you hate them so much, why is there one in your room?” Princess Crisela asked.

“I have picked her to be the one to slay the elf queen.” Guild Master Shadow hackled in a low, evil voice. “The longer she spends with me; the harder it will be to resist my compulsion magic.”

“You really are twisted, Shadow. Best of luck, wolfie.” Princess Crisela tells me as she leaves with the door slamming closed behind her. Aura’s future was grim.