Rude Awakening
--- Laura ---
I remember that day clearly. The day I met Locaan for the first time. The moon hid behind clouds and the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the bus station eliminated the eerie silence. A car drove by and stopped. It was Locaan. That bastard sure as hell knew how to charm people.
After a short conversation, he offered to drive me home. I don’t remember what in the world made me agree. Maybe it were his honest looking eyes, his sincere feeling smile or the fact the Bus would need another 45 minutes. What I know is, it was mistake number one. But he had planed it - every single bit of it.
He took some sips out of a bottle. After some more chatter, he offered me the drink. I never had taken beverages from strangers before, but giving his friendliness and that he already drank from it, I did. Mistake number two.
When I woke up, I was already in the camp. He already had bitten me. The tent smelled like rot and decay. I was barred between dead bodies and such that soon would become ones. Many didn't survived what ever happened to them. Much to my dismay, I did. I looked around in the tent, searched for clues where I was, to no avail. I should have just left. Ran as fast as my feet could carry me. But I didn’t. Mistake number three.
Soon the pack took notice of me, a freshly turned werewolf. Locaan prided himself in finding a human, able to survive the transformation - until our eyes met - until everything in my body tinkled - until a voice in my head said “mate”.
Locaan had searched for his mate for a long time. Saying he was displeased with me, was an understatement. I was meant to be a breeder or cannon fodder. Not a mate to anyone. While I didn’t even understood what happened to me or why every single look of his brought butterflies to my stomach, he locked me deep down in a dungeon.
He told me that the mate bond forbade him to kill me, but he could betray me and he did - over and over again. It was the worst pain I ever had to endure. My whole body was on fire every single time, like someone had spilled acid on me and I looked accordingally. Bubbles formed on my lower bod, leaving inflamed and sensitive skin after they popped.
Afterwards Locaan came down looking if i finally gave in. I always smelled the same female on him. She had a scent of blackberry bushes and acorns. But that one time was different. There was another scent. Blackberry bushes and... mold?
“No Locaan, my dicission is final”, the unfamiliar voice barked. They were silent the rest of the way to my cell. There was Locaan, a grim face and no smell of acorns. The other man I had only seen very briefly, shortly after my transformation.
He was the Alpha of the pack. He gave Locaan a stern look. The latter took a deep breath. “I, Locaan Dornwood, Delta of the Lightmoon Pack, reject you, Laura Hitch, as my mate.” My stomach turned. Something, I - didn’t know was there - broke. Pain cursed through me. I suddenly felt empty and sad. They stared at me, expecting some sort of answer, but I didn’t even know, what exactly it meant to be a mate. Only that Locaan was mine and that he was unable to actively kill me.
“State your full name, tell him that you accept his rejection and then state his full name and title”, the Alpha hissed at me. My eyes wandered from one to the other. What is happening? What does that mean? Will the pain end?
“I, Laura Hitch, accept your rejection, Locaan Dornwood, Delta of Lightmoon Pa...” The last words couldn't escape my mouth as pain took me. Something on my back began burning. Up to a point I feared, I couldn't take it anymore. Then it faded. I caught my breath and looked up again. Gone were the butterflies and the tingling sensation when I glanced at Locaan. He, in turn, looked relieved, the alpha pleased.
The alpha spoke up again: “I, Remy Louthen, Alpha of the Lightmoon Pack, banish you, Laura Hitch. You shall live as a nomad and die as one.” With that, the two man entered my cell. They put a bag over my head and dragged me on my feet.
I could still feel the collar around my neck and the leash attached to it. Fear filled my body. But it was accompanied by hope. Maybe suffering finally comes to an end? A permanent one...
I felt stone under my bare feet. Every so often i tripped on the uneven ground. I had so many questions, but I didn’t dare to ask even one. They dragged me up a flight of stairs. A door creaked and I heard the sounds I was missing for so long.
The steady rustle of leaves, birds singing, water flowing in the distant. The air was filled, with the scents of the forest, flowers, cars and people, but one slaps me: blackberry bushes and acorns. I can smell it coming closer.
“That is her?” A female voice asks just where the stink is coming from. “Yes”, Locaan answers. The woman laughs. “The Moon Goddess must hate you, when THATS the mate she chose for you”, she giggled. Locaan grumbled. My heart ached.
How did I deserve this? I did not ask for any of this. The stone floor beneath my feet merged into gravel. The sharp pebbles hurt my soft feet. “That is why we are finally getting rid of her”, the Alpha grumbled. I wondered in what way. But it doesn't matter. There is nothing worse than being chained in that dungeon, feeling every touch of Locaan and that woman.
I squealed as something hit my leg. The men pushed me down. I tried to catch my fall with my hands, but they were still cuffed. My shoulder landed on some rough fabric. My legs were pushed towards me. Then I heard the slam, before I felt it and the world turned dark.
My head ached. A radio squawked, a car engine hummed and I heard the steady breathing of a person. Apparently I was in a trunk. Great, first I get kidnapped with knockout drops and now that. How many more standard abduction plots do we want to fulfill?
I didn’t smell a person I knew. Where are they bringing me? I wish it would be home, but I am smart enough to know that this is not the case. The smell of Asian food creeped up my nose. My stomach rumbled and my throat was a dessert. My whole body was exhausted. The pain of every move sent shivers down my spine. I felt tears running down my face.
Why am I here?
The car came to a stop. The trunk opened and I was yanked out by my leash. I stumbled out, again falling onto hard soil. Some rough hands dragged me up. They removed the hood from my head. The daylight filled my eyes and blinded me. I haven’t seen sunshine in a while.
My hands were freed and soon my collar was undone.
My body exploded, my bones cracked. Pain rushed through me. Something screamed and I was hurled to the back of my mind. I was nothing more than an onlooker as my body was dashing through the forest.
“Hello honey”, I hear a proud voice huffing in my head “I am Jasmin, your wolf.”
“I remember your voice”, I answered “You said that bastard Locaan was our mate!” Anger filled me, fighting for control over my body.
Her emotions warped to sadness, compassion and wrath. “No, honey, Selene the moon goddess pairs mates. We wolves just recognize each other”, she explained, “Wolves warship Selene and will always except their mate”, there was a short silence before she continued “well at least that is what I was told.”
Great, I am still confused. “What happened to me? Why am I in your mind all of a sudden? And where were you the last months?”
I blurted out. “Slow down, honey. Please. The ground is so uneven, I have to be careful not to fall. Let me get us to safety before I answer more question.”
I was so focused on her, that I did not notice, we were still running at full speed through the woods, whining and howling behind us. “Who is following us?” I ask. “Shut up!” she hisses. I silenced myself, watching the trees fly by and my head still spinning in confusion.
Relieve washed through my body... Or our body? The howling changed. It stopped chasing us, but Jasmin was panting. We took a couple more steps, before we finally collapsed onto our side. “Are you... OK?” I asked. I felt us nodding. Or rather... She was nodding? It will take me a while to get used to this.
There was a short silence before Jasmine continued where we had left of: “Our former mate, Locaan, has turned you. You are a werewolf now. Not many survive that process, but you did.
We can shift between our human form, you, to our wolf form, me. When we are human, I sit in the back of your mind watching and vice versa”, I could feel her thinking, “what were the other questions?”
“Where were you the last months and who chased us”, I repeated.
“Ah, yes. We were chained with a silver collar. It banishes the wolf temporarily. I had to sit in darkness for what felt an eternity. I didn't feel much. I knew you were in pain and that we were betrayed, but it was very distant and I was powerless“, a short silence followed.
“This alpha, Remy, banished us from the pack. Meaning we are not allowed to enter their territory or they will kill us. However, these assholes released us so far away from their boarder, I am certain they just wanted a good reason to kill us. Good thing, I am fast!”
I felt she was proud of herself. But I also felt sadness and disappointment.
“Are you alright, Jasmin?”
“Yeah.”
She wasn’t. “Do you know where we are, so we can get back to my home?”
I felt another wave of sadness. “No and no”, she answered. More silence followed.
“I do not know these lands and we can not go back to your home. There is a portal connecting this world and the human world. It is so heavily guarded, it will be impossible for us, to get through.” I felt more anger, more frustration and more sadness.
“I can not just give up!” I protested.
“Honey please. We are still weak. We do not know where we are, there is a pack that wants us dead and we barely made it out of their territory. We are not in a position to think about any home let alone a human one!”
I sighed but I understood. The world was getting closer again, I was slowly creeping to the front of our consciousness. “I am tired, can you take over for a while?“, Jasmin yawned. I could hear our bones cracking again. It almost sounded like someone sat on a bag of chips.
“I am naked!” I exclaimed.
“Correct”, she giggled, “Not unsual for a werewolf. I’ll tell you more about our customs and what it means to be one while you walk in that direction there. Agreed?”
“Agreed”
