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Waking up, my eyes adjust to the low light in the room. Cold air hits my skin—a light breeze coming from an open window somewhere.
My arms and legs are tied up to a chair. A pain in my neck reminds me of what happened: shit.
Now that the sting sensation in my eyes is gone, I'm able to see a figure sitting on a chair in front of me; he looks like... "Mayor Fredericks?"
A hint of blood climbs my dry throat, making me spit some on the floor before looking at the 'mayor' again.
This... thing in front of me? It's not the mayor, or at least not the one I knew. Glowing yellow eyes, an unkept beard, and cuts crossing his left eye—no, that's not some simple cuts.
It looks like someone got a book of rituals for teens and decided to cut its own face, mimicking it, but in this case, it seems to have worked.
Tattoos cross his arms, neck, and naked chest; writings, it seems, all in different languages, some that I can't even begin to comprehend as they are in what seems to be an old language that used symbols.
The figure rises from the chair, a knife in its hand that seems to glimmer with moonlight coming from the window. "Stay still." The man commands in a rough voice, and as I open my mouth to talk back, he makes a deep cut in my arm.
"Mother fucke-" My feet curl, my legs try retreating but can't, and a burning pain sets in as I watch my blood paint a bowl on the floor.
Another figure enters the room, strong enough to almost break the hinges of the door. "Dude, what did I say about hurting her?"
It's that woman from the bar, Colette's sister, I believe; her eyes fall upon me with a mix of shame and worry.
The man looks at her; no words are spoken, but an unsettling chill climbs my spine, making me shudder, and looking at the woman, she does too.
She takes a step back and hugs her arms near her chest. "Isn't it enough? You got enough blood to supply us and yourself for weeks."
The man looks at my face, unamused by the woman's words. "This one isn't like the others." He turns his gaze toward the woman. "Her blood will be of use to something else; you and your alpha can have the remains."
"This wasn't the deal!" The woman growls, and soon after the instinctive actions escape her, she regrets them.
The man snaps his fingers, and from behind me, a woman who was hiding in the shadows grabs the bowl. I see she has a familiar military-cut hair and jacket. I frown as I finally recognize her—the hotel girl who was with Cole.
As soon as her hands are on the bowl, she grabs it and walks to my shadows again, but this time disappearing through what I assume is the back door of this place.
"Do you wish to become like your alpha?" The man asks with a dark tone. "Crippled and without purpose?"
The woman quickly shakes her head, and the man looks at me one more time. "We will see each other again soon."
The man's words sink into my brain; they don't feel like a threat, more like a promise. But as soon as I finish my line of thought, the man is gone.
The woman loses her balance and falls to the floor on her knees. It seems that being in the presence of that man was tiring, and not just for me.
"You okay?" I ask, tilting my head to the side slightly.
The woman forces a laugh before letting out a throaty sigh. "I'm not the one bleeding, am I?"
I watch as she gets up with some effort, and her hands grab something from her pockets: gauze.
She kneels to my side and starts to wrap the cut in it, making an effort not to breathe in too deeply.
"Gods. He was not wrong; one wrong sniff from this and I'll be in trouble." She says, rushedly finishing applying the gauze and taking a step back, letting herself fall to the chair the man was in before.
I look at her face; the woman avoids my gaze at all costs. "If you want to scream at me, go ahead. I don't care." The last part of her words comes with a scoff, almost as if to herself.
"No, I just." I shake my head and force a smile. "Thanks for the help with the arm."
The woman stops her eyes on my face, finally meeting my gaze. I guess she wasn't expecting me to act like this, to thank her instead of telling her to 'go to hell'.
"There's no need; I just did it so you would not bleed to death." The woman puts her face on her palm and fills her cheeks with air.
A laugh escapes me without notice, and the woman frowns. "Why are you laughing?"
"Sorry, it's just that you reminded me of Colette for a second," I say, grinning slightly at the woman. "She too doesn't know how to take compliments."
For the first time since the club, I see her smile, but this time genuinely. "How's she, by the way?"
"She's okay, but she wants to see you," I say, trying to soften my voice as best I can.
"I know." The woman sighs. "Bu-"
"No buts, if you don't want to see her because you think she'll be mad or because you think you changed, she will not care. She changed too, you know."
Her gaze falls to the floor, a deep frown on her face. The sound of a car stopping outside grabs her attention, and it makes her get up.
"I can't promise shit, but I'll think about it." She pats my shoulder and cuts the ropes on my wrists and legs before suddenly transforming into a gray wolf.
Looking at her in her wolf form, I notice how sad she really looks. I guess humans hide their emotions a lot better than animals. Eyes glowing and lingering on my face, with an unexpected lick on my hand, she runs away.
The group came running inside the room, Dalia's eyes quickly scanning around before falling on me. She runs and hugs me with so much strength that I fear passing out.
"Thank God you're okay." Dalia's voice soothes me.
Colette stays at the door; it's the first time I see her with such an expression: anxious.
I shake my thoughts away as I notice that Dalia doesn't let go of me. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere," forcing a laugh, the tremble in my voice surprises even myself. "But if you continue, I think you'll break my ribs."
"Oh!" Dalia quickly lets go of me but stays as close as possible, the warmth of her body against mine having an instant effect on my mind. "I'm sorry, but I-"
"No, **we** were worried." Dalia corrects herself and looks at Colette, who nods her head and opens her mouth to talk, before closing it back again and looking away.
A small smile takes over my lips. "Thanks for coming for me." Trying to take a step forward only reveals my weak state to them, prompting Dalia to cling to me again.
"Don't try to walk; I'll help you walk." Dalia says, and Colette finally fully enters the room.
To my surprise, she kneels in front of me, her eyes different from her usual. "Can I carry you?"
Looking at Dalia, she notices my expression and smiles. "Yeah," I say as Dalia lets go of my body. "I would like that."
Colette's face stays the same as she grabs my legs and pulls me into her arms. I was expecting a lot of ways she could do it, but Princess Carry wasn't one of them.
Her face, she looks like a knight in shiny armor: serious, dedicated, and ready to strike the world. My hands stop on her broad shoulders as I find balance.
No one says anything more, maybe because they know I'm tired or maybe because of this strange feeling in the air.
As the long journey back in the car went by, I watched the city through the clean windows of the rental car. No clouds mess up the perfect night sky; the sound of people on the streets is long gone because of the time.
Apparently, the car wasn't rented; they actually 'borrowed' it from the club staff, so when we got near the cabin, Dalia went back to return the car as Colette carried me to my room.
Soft, callused hands lay me down on the cold bed—the same hands that strangely stay on my arms—a lingering touch.
My hands travel to Colette's cheek as I notice her eyes focusing on mine. "Something happened?"
Even as I think of talking with her about her sister, it's best to wait a little before bringing it up. Maybe tomorrow is best.
Colette stays quiet, her eyes traveling my face. It looks like she wants to say something but, in the end, chooses not to.
"No." She lets go of my arm and rises from the edge of the bed.
"Rest." She orders and starts walking to the door, but before leaving, her voice rings one last time. "Just know one thing: the words you said yesterday."
Colette looks at me with a serious expression. "I'll hold you to them."
With that, she leaves. My words? I spend a little time until my mind finally remembers them. Why did I say those words?
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
I'm having something with Dalia; that's a fact, even if we didn't firm anything. And yet, my head guides me to seek Colette, and the reason is that I don't want to lose this.
This family is all that I have and all that I want. But this can never work; what I'm doing with Dalia is wrong.
I should come clean to her; maybe she will understand and help me.
My eyes are becoming blurry; I need to rest. Without wanting to think anymore, I toss and turn before finally falling asleep, my worries going away.
Colette's POV
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Sitting on the sofa, I see, from the edges of my vision, Dalia returning with Yui.
"How was the search?" I ask, rubbing my hands together, already knowing the answer.
Dalia shakes her head and stays silent. Yui looks at both of us and sighs. "Well, it's a shame the detective didn't got to see you two dressed up."
As Yui's words are met with our silence, they groan and walk to the sofa, pulling on my arms and frowning. "Out, I want to sleep."
I do as told, watching as Yui plops on the comforting furniture and closes their eyes.
Dalia signals for me to follow her, and we leave them in the living room.
"Yui scouted almost half the city, and nothing came up." Dalia comments and rests her back against the door of her and the detective's room. "Did you talk with her?"
I shake my head, and Dalia looks at the ceiling. "Then let's wait a little more; we will have our answer in a little anyway."
"I need to rest," Closing my fists, I beeline to my room, entering and closing the door behind me.
I didn't dare to talk; maybe it is best this way. I'm getting too soft to think this could happen.
It doesn't matter; I'll deal with things in due time.
Back to the Detective's POV
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It feels like a pull. Like someone wrapped me in strings and forced me to wake up, leaving my head with the sensation that something was happening.
Looking around, Dalia is fast asleep, as is Flamma, who lies atop my shoulder. Without wanting to wake up either of them, I move Flamma gently and step out of bed in silence, not even wearing my boots to not make noise as I walk.
Moonlight. Is all that gives light to the dark and empty corridor of the house. The sharp, cold air makes me hug my clothes tight against my body.
Walking down the corridor, I see that Colette's room door is open. Sounds of growling and scratching send a primal jolt down my spine. The message is simple: run.
But as well, the unsettling worry in the back of my mind forces me to ignore my instinct and enter the room.
The creaking of the old hinges holding the door is the one thing that makes what's inside go completely silent.
I gulp, the saliva running down my dry throat not being enough to make my voice not fail. "C..Colette?"
My voice rings inside the room, but no answer is provided. Grabbing the phone from my pocket, I turn on the flashlight, but at the same moment I do and move the light to see the creature, big paws the size of my whole body slap my phone away from me, making it slide and stop at the other end of the room.
The door behind me closing shut at the motion, as if the wind were against me as well... Just great.
Eyes gaze at me, making me shiver in response. Big yellow pupils glowing and revealing the shape of the creature's face. A wolf, a very fucking big wolf, standing taller than me.
This form of Colette almost made me question if it was truly her because in the forest she was a lot smaller in her wolf form. But there's no mistake; behind those big pupils, I see something that can only belong to her.
A hint of humanity. And the fact that I'm not dead right now helps a lot. Recalling the book I read before, in the House, I remember a quote about how transformation can happen in three aspects. The moon, strong emotions of anger, and a strong wave of anxiety activate involuntary the instinct to fight or fight.
Colette opens her big mouth and bites my shirt's sleeve, and with her unmatching strength, she easily throws me on the bed. My back hits the soft material of the mattress, and curiosity crawls through my mind.
She walks and reaches my side, swiftly climbing on top of the bed and staring me down. With a low growl, she exposes her teeth to me.
Without wanting to just let this happen, I move my hands and hold her head gently, one hand on the side and the other below the chin.
"What's going on, Collie?" I lower my voice to barely a whisper and decide to go with the approach of using the nickname her sister used earlier at the club. "What's affecting you so much?"
The same glowing yellow eyes from before start softening, and growls turn into low whimpers. Her snout starts to press against my shoulder, and without warning, her heavy form presses against me as she decides to lie down.
Even with difficulty breathing, I keep my focus on her. Like a dog, she starts growling again, but this time much gentler and almost as if trying to talk.
It's hard to comprehend, but it sounds almost like a name, being repeated over and over again. 'Camie', so that is her sister's name, or at least a nickname of sorts.
My arms wrap around her fluffy neck; it smells of grass after a rain. Using my finger, I gently caress the back of her neck. The effect is instant.
The growling completely dies down; her big head nuzzles against my face as I continue keeping her close.
Slowly but surely, her body starts to change size, returning to the form I know. In other situations, this would be somewhat awkward, as she is naked and lying on top of me.
But my focus isn't that; I want to provide comfort to her, so I grab the cover that fell to the side of the bed when she threw me here and cover both of us.
Even if I wanted to leave, I wouldn't be able to do so. It's not like she's heavy; it's just that she's really, **really** strong.
Her hands hold me for dear life, prompting me to hug her back. "It's okay; I'm not going anywhere."
My voice seems to calm her grip down a little, but still, not enough that I could slip away.
With a sigh, I adjust myself. Her head pressed against my neck, and my chin resting atop her head. Sleep doesn't take long to claim me, as the adrenaline is long gone.
Morning
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Yeah, now I get why yesterday was awkward.
Everyone at the table eats in silence, focusing on the pancakes and scrambled eggs. And there's a little detail that makes this situation a little strange, and yet...
Colette and Dalia's chairs seem a little too close to mine. Dalia is quietly smiling and enjoying her breakfast with one hand on my knee. While Colette's face seems to have gotten more serious than ever, something I thought impossible.
It's like looking at a Dobermann; her eyes stay focused on her food, but her sudden closeness is out of the ordinary but still appreciated.
"I'll ask because I'm curious, but..." Yui drops her spoon and rests their chin in the palm of their hand, a smug plastered on their face. "Did ya'll fuck?"
The pancake that I just swallowed suddenly gets stuck in my throat at the words. I start coughing, and Dalia gently slaps my back, while Colette frowns at Yui and shakes her head.
"No." She was straight to the point, not even a single hint of stuttering in her voice.
Even with the answer to their question there, Yui still looks at me and keeps that same expression.
"I'll be right back," I say, standing up from the chair and quickly walking to the bathroom.
As I walk, Flamma flies to Yui and sighs. "You really aren't capable of learning, huh?"
Shutting the door of the bathroom, I wash my face, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. And after a few seconds, I'm back to normal.
I gaze upon myself in the mirror; it's a strange sensation. Many times I avoided doing it, but the reason seems to have gone since I got to this point.
The black circles below my eyes are still there, but not as much as usual. And my brown irises now don't seem so without color.
Grabbing my phone, I check the time, seeing my wallpaper. Me and Tina when we got over the police course. It was a hell of a week.
The smiles on our faces—even after we got thrown around and screamed at for hours at a time—we still held together and made it... Dammit, I miss her a lot.
Maybe I should message JB to ask about Tina's situation, and as I do go to the home screen, I see an unread message from an hour ago.
'Hey, I stole your number yesterday and hope you're not mad.
I had some time to think about what you said, so yeah. Bring Collie with you this afternoon to the Saint Health Hospital, and please grab some Ibuprofen on your way here.
See you then.'
The number is registered as 'Your Sexy Kidnapper'...
I send a message to JB and put my phone back in my pocket, washing my face once more before leaving the bathroom.
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