CHAPTER 1
WARNING! THIS BOOK CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT AND ABUSE. DO NOT READ IF EASILY TRIGGERED.
SIERRA POV. Two years ago
The silver collar burned my throat as I pulled against the heavy chains that was keeping me tied to the metal pole. It wasn’t the silver that burned me, it was the wolfsbane the silver collar was laced with. The cold cut through me right to the bone as I tried to curl up more to try and keep myself warm. My white fur coat was thin due to not getting the proper nourishment so it was of no help to keep warm. My wolf, Luna, was also silent. I haven’t heard from her in days and I was fearful that she had abandoned me but I she made me a promise to never leave me and will hold onto that promise because I had nothing else to hold on to. It has been so long since I have been in my human form that I don’t even remember what it feels like to hold something in my hand. We were allowed to shift if we wanted to but with this cold weather, it was safer to stay in wolf form. Besides, I was too weak to change back anyways. This was my punishment. Even when I did everything they asked, they still punished me and this time I feared that it would be my last one. This was by far the worst punishment that I received… fighting other omegas for their enjoyment whilst being changed outside in the elements as they made bets on who would survive the longest.
The snow crunched underneath me as I tried to curl up into a tighter ball, hoping I would warm up. In the distance I could hear cheering and my heart sank. That could only mean one thing. I had to fight again today. My head snapped up as I heard approaching footsteps and I felt my will to live sink lower as my eyes met those of cold green eyes of my mate.
PRESENT TIME
Tap tap tap. I shoot upright as I startle awake in a cold sweat. I suck in air as though I was busy drowning and it takes me a moment to realise where I was, and I felt my heart rate start to slow down until I heard it again. Tap tap tap. I turn around, only to shield my eyes from a blinding light of a flashlight that was shining through my car rear window where I was trying to get some sleep on my back seat. I scooted away from the window as my heart leaped in fear. “Miss? Are you alright?” Came an unknown male voice from behind the light and when the flashlight slightly moved, I could see part of a uniform that the person was wearing, and I sighed in relief. It was only a cop… again. Tap tap tap. The man tapped again against my car window. “Miss?” The voice asked again, and I sighed with irritation now. I scooted back over and rolled down the window of my little banged up car that I called home. “Hi, I’m sorry officer. I must have drifted off.” I said and put on an innocent smile. The officer dropped the flashlight from my face to shine it through the car to see what else was in the car and I saw the light linger on my bags that held my clothes. Now that the light was out of my eyes, I could see that it was a young guy. Short brown hair and matching brown eyes and smelled of cheap cologne. Probably a rookie that they stationed in the park where I tried to get some sleep. “You sleep in your car a lot?” He asked as his light still lingered on my bags before it came back to my face, and I blinked at the brightness. “Oh, uhm, you see, my boyfriend and I had a fight and kicked me out. I just needed a place to get some sleep before I could make other arrangements in the morning.” I lied and put on a sad face and the way his mouth pulled in sympathy, I knew that he was buying my story. “I understand miss, but you can’t sleep here. You’ll have to move.” He said and I gave him a smile before I climbed to the front of my little car. “Yes, off course.” I spoke and glanced at my watch. It was just past five anyway. “I need to be getting ready for work in a bit any way.” I spoke and the rookie nodded. “Thank you.” I said as I started up my car and drove off. Leaving the guy standing in my taillights, staring after me. I breathed a sigh of relieve again. That was the third time this month and so far, I was lucky to not get caught sleeping in the car by the same cops. I exited the park and took the road that led to the small town where I managed to get a job as a waitress at Pop’s diner. It didn’t pay much but I was just grateful to be able to do something normal and I have grown to like it a little bit.
‘You know we won’t be able to stay here for long, right?’ Luna, my wolf spoke up in my head and I sighed. ‘I know Luna, but right now this is all we have. As soon as we have a little more money, we’ll leave for the city.’ I spoke back but she didn’t bother to answer. I knew she was worried, and it was dangerous to linger in a small town like this, but I was tired of constantly moving around and watch my back all the time. I pulled up to one of the motels at the edge of the town and parked in one of the shadowy corners of the parking lot and gazed at my watch again. My shift at Pop’s diner starts at half past seven and I really needed a shower. If I was lucky, I would be able to catch someone checking out early and try to sneak in while there was still time before room service comes to clean up. It’s not easy to live like this but I preferred to live like this for the rest of my life than to go back to my pack. If you could call them a pack. More like a bunch of sadistic savages. I thought to myself, and I closed my eyes to try and stop the memories from surfacing. Pain. That is all I have ever known whilst growing up there. Everyone’s slave and punching bag and it only got worse when I shifted at sixteen and found my mate. I clenched my jaws and shook my head as though I was trying to shake the image of that bastard out of my head.
Just then my attention got drawn to a door opening on the bottom floor. It was a woman and hope flared in my chest when I saw her coming out with overnight bags and she continued to load them in a car that was parked there. I watched her as she loaded her bags and went to lock the room and proceeded to lock the door and put the keys in the box that was attached to the wall next to the door and she got in her car and drove away. “Yes!” I exclaimed as I reached back and grabbed my bag with clothes and quickly got out of my car and hurriedly walked to the room. I looked around and thank fully no one else was up at this hour and I quickly retrieved the keys and let myself inside and locked it behind me. I smiled as I looked around the room. The bed was unmade and messy, but it was simple and practical for an overnight stay, but my nose crinkled at the lingering smell of what I surmised was the woman’s perfume. I headed straight for the adjoining bathroom and closed the door behind me before I opened my bag and started to pull out a fresh change of clothes and my toiletries. Whilst I let the shower run to warm up the water, I brushed my teeth and took a moment to look at myself in the mirror. My blue eyes looked back at me from my pale face and my dark hair that fell around my face to my shoulders made me look paler than normal. ‘Maybe I should choose a lighter colour next time, what do you think Luna?’ I asked my wolf, and I could see my blue eyes change to purple as she came forward. ‘Lighter colour would look better yes, maybe a little more blond?’ She said but I knew what she was hinting at. ‘You know I can’t do that. They are looking for me and they would spot me easily if I were to be blond.’ I said and Luna sighed. ‘I know, I’m just tired of hiding.’ She spoke and the purple glow in my eyes faded as she retreated to the back of my mind. ‘Me too Luna.’ I spoke more to myself than her. The steam fogged up the mirror and I undressed and got under the hot sprays of the water and just stood there. I loved the water. Ever since I could remember, it always comforted me, and it was always my way of getting away from my bullies. I could swim for hours and hold my breath for long periods of time. I discovered that little neat trick when one of the other kids pushed me into the river. You should have seen their faces when I managed to get out of the water several minutes later. Since then, I have always run to the water for sanctuary.
My watch beeped and I realised that I have been standing under the water longer than I thought and I quickly washed my hair and body before turning off the water, drying off and got dressed. I looked at my reflection again in the foggy mirror as I combed my hair and my thoughts wondered again to what my life would have been like if I have been born into a different pack. ‘We can’t change where we come from Sierra, but we can decide where we are going.’ Luna said as my eyes flashed back to my blue ones, and I smiled to her in the mirror before I gathered my things and left the room to go to work.
