I smell meat. Burning. Something is burning.
The smoke is wafting up my nose and instantaneously, my mouth waters and my stomach grumbles. I can taste it in my mouth. Smoking meat. I open my eyes. I'm in a dark place, but not too dark. This isn't the cabin. It's someplace new. I try to curl my fingers and clench my hand. I can do it. I move my left arm, then my right. I sit up. I can move again. I'm so relieved I could cry.
There's a thin blanket underneath me. And I'm dressed now. Not in my dress, in a baggy T-shirt that isn't mine, but smells familiar. I look around and it's like the walls are closing in on me.
Everything feels so close to me. I reach out to touch the wall, but there's nothing there. I shut my eyes and open them again. Finally, the wall is where it should be. There's another thin blanket covering me. My legs are bare, and I don't have any underwear on. It's just the shirt.
I stretch and something cracks in my spine. I wait for a pain that never comes. I try standing. My legs are wobbly. I sit back down. Where am I? What is this place? I feel different. It's me, but it isn't me. Like there's two of me now. I remember everything. The accident and the naked man and that cabin. The paralysis. I shiver at that memory. When he transformed into a beast right in front of me. Everything. I touch my neck. I'm looking for the puncture wounds, but they're gone. The only thing I don't know is how long I've been unconscious. It could be days. Everything feels strange and new. The air I'm breathing is different. I'm seeing the world through new eyes somehow.
I concentrate a little harder and I can hear people walking outside. Chattering. Voices. Strange voices. I've never heard them before.
"Mia."
That voice. That familiar voice. I look to my left and there he is. He's not naked, and he's smiling at me. I glare at him. He brought me here. He brought me to this place. He did this to me.
I try standing, and I manage to do it. Both my knees pop, but again, there's no pain. I feel tingling in both my legs. The wood beneath my feet is cold. He's holding a wooden bowl in his hand. It's steaming. How long has he been standing there, watching me?
He holds it out. "Take it. It's for you."
I know instinctively that it's food and my stomach grumbles again. I take one unsteady step, then another, and I snatch the bowl from him. It's the meat I've been smelling. The smoked meat. I take a bite and it's divine. I know it's deer, and that's strange because I've never had a refined palate. It's delicious. I turn my back to him and devour the whole meal. I lick my fingers.
"Do you want more? I could get more, if you want."
I turn to look at him. I can smell him from here. It's the same scent on the shirt. Like trees and something smoky that has nothing to do with the meat. Like nature. I hand him the empty bowl without a word.
"Water?"
I nod. He opens the door and leaves. I get a glimpse of the outside. There are naked people outside, a whole lot of them. He shuts the door behind him and I'm left alone. This is another cabin. It's just empty space. There's also no furniture, no kitchenette, no bathroom. Just the blankets on the floor. I have no clue where I am. My best guess is that he took me deeper into the forest when I was unconscious.
He returns and closes the door behind him. I get a whiff of burnt firewood from outside. He hands me a large bottle filled with water. I down it all instantly. I didn't realize I was this thirsty. It's like I haven't had water in days. Maybe I haven't. I don't know how long I've been out.
He's looking at me like he's never seen me before. More specifically, like he's seeing me for the first time. I step away from him and try to rearrange my thoughts. I need answers. I'm clearly not dead, and I need to get out of here at some point.
"Mia—"
"Don't say my name!" I snap. My voice is a little raspy, so I clear my throat. "You don't get to say my name, not after what you did to me. My boyfriend's probably out of his mind looking for me!"
He narrows his eyes at me. "I wouldn't be too sure about that, Mia."
I scoff. Unbelievable. "What do you know about him? What do you know about us? You're just a crazy guy—" No. He's not a crazy guy. He's a goddamn werewolf. I know what I saw. I shouldn't be provoking him. I don't know what he's capable of. This guy turns into a monster for crying out loud. I clear my throat and look away. I need to figure out a way to ask him the right questions. How do I get out of this situation alive?
"You don't have to worry about me, Mia. I won't hurt you. I never could, even if I wanted to."
I turn slowly. "What do you mean?"
He strides towards me and I back up against the wall. He cups my face in his giant hand. I let him, because I know I don't stand a chance against him. His other hand is squeezing my shoulder, then caressing my arm. He presses his face into the curve of my neck and says my name. I'm leaning into him. It's his scent, it's inviting. He smells of earth and wood and nature and I want to dive into his scent. It's so overpowering I don't even realize we're sniffing each other until I feel his tongue on my neck. I push him away and compose myself. I pull the shirt down and I wipe my mouth. When I turn around, he's smirking.
My face contorts with disgust. I can't believe I lost control like that. I don't know what happened to me. "Don't do that again." What's wrong with me? "How long do you intend to keep me here? What is it that you want from me after all?"
He pushes himself off the wall. "You might want to sit down for this."
I cross my arms against my chest. "I'm fine."
He shrugs. "Alright. You're never going to leave this place. You're never going to return to your normal life. You'll never return to...Garrett." He says his name with disgust.
"You're stuck with me, with this pack, forever."
"Pack?"
"We're nameless at the moment, but that's only until we claim FireMoon back. Then we'll join forces and become an even bigger pack, as big as BlackPaw even." He's rambling on about things I don't understand. Forever? He plans on keeping me here for life? He's insane.
"What are you talking about?" I yell. "What's a FireMoon? Tell me what makes you think that I'll stay here and entertain you. What makes you think I'll stay with a...a werewolf. God, that sounds ludicrous. A werewolf." I cover my eyes with my hands. It's like this is sinking in for the first time. A werewolf. A mythical creature. Something out of fairytales and scary stories. I can't believe this. How much can a person take before their mind splits?
"FireMoon is my pack, the one my brother took from my uncle. We're going to claim it. You're part of our pack now, Mia. You can't go back. The human world has no room for you any longer. You cannot expose what you are to the humans. It is forbidden and punishable by death."
He's going too fast. "I'm human. I don't belong in your world. This fairytale, this madness about werewolves and what? Are vampires real, too?"
He smiles. "You tell me."
I glare at him. "You're infuriating. You don't answer my questions, ever. You're making no sense right now. I have to go back. I can't stay here forever. People will start looking for me eventually, I bet they already are. Get real. You can't keep me here forever." I repeat.
He's looking at me in that weird way again. "Mia," he begins. "I turned you when I bit you. You're a werewolf now. Like me. Like my—our—entire pack. You carry my blood in your veins. Mine. There's no turning back. You can't return to your old life."
I could laugh. I really could. "I'm not a werewolf."
"You are now. You'll only shift during the next full moon. For the time being, you'll remain in your human form." He says this with such conviction, it's hard not to believe. I feel different, but not in an I-have-a-wolf-inside-me way. I'm not a werewolf. I can't be.
"So this is your explanation?" I ask him. "You turned me into a werewolf. And that's why I have to stay here and not go back to my old life? Seriously? I don't feel like a werewolf. I don't feel any different."
A crease forms between his brows. "This isn't a game. You don't feel any different because I stopped you from feeling the pain of the transformation. I cracked your spine so you wouldn't feel it. The venom from my bite revived you when I poured my blood in you. It cures all maladies, sets all bones and makes you whole again. It tears you apart when you're human, but puts you back together when you're a wolf. You'll know when you shift for the first time."
I'm getting flashbacks. It all makes sense. It explains the paralysis, that feeling of dying and how I'm suddenly...cured. My gut tells me he's telling the truth. It's undeniable. I shake my head. "No." No, this can't be happening. No, I'm a mythical creature. Garrett. I'll never see him again.
"You're lying."
"You know I'm not." He simply says. "I have to go. My uncle needs me."
"Wait." I say, and he stops in his tracks. He has his hand on the doorknob. He turns to look at me. "Why did you turn me? Out of all the women in the world, why me?"
The corners of his lips twitch. "I already told you, the Moon chose you, Mia Adams."
"And how do you know my—" Ah, yes. My name was written on the moon. I remember. This is insane. I don't even know his name. He crashes into my life, literally, turns it completely upside down, and I don't know his name. What the actual—
"Cyran." He says.
I look at him. "What?"
"My name is Cyran. If you wanted to know it so badly, all you had to do was ask." He leaves and I hear him lock the door. I'm locked in here. There's no way I can escape. He really must be a werewolf. What kind of name is that?
My mind is racing. I don't care what he says. Even if I am a...wolf, I don't have to stay here as his prisoner. He can't keep me here against my will. And he can't keep me locked in this cabin forever. He'll have to let me out sometime and I'll get out of here and get back to Garrett. We'll deal with this...whatever this is. I don't know a thing about werewolves. I know about the full moon and the shape-shifting. And whatever is in the movies. I've never cared much about mythology. It doesn't matter. Garrett will never abandon me. Not ever. He loves me and I love him. I'll do whatever it takes to get out of here, even if I have to die trying.
I hear the door unlock and when I peer outside, it's nighttime. How many hours have I been sitting here? Cyran walks in. He doesn't close the door behind him. "The Alpha wants to meet you."
I shake my head. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"The Alpha is our leader. He rules the pack. He's my uncle, Serge." He says all of this with a neutral expression. This is probably all ancient history for him.
"So does that make you some kind of prince?"
"We don't use that kind of terminology. I'm just a pack mate, nothing more. I'm not his Beta. He wants to see you." He extends his arm. "Come, Mia."
I uncross my legs and stand. I tug at the hem of the shirt. "I don't have any clothes on."
He smirks and shakes his head. "You'll soon realize that we're not as modest as humans. We have a different way of living here."
I follow him outside and he closes the door. There's no one around. There are numerous cabins around, crudely built. We're definitely in the middle of the forest. I follow him to a cabin right in the center of the encampment. It's bigger than all the others. He doesn't know, just let's himself in. Inside, there's a fire burning, and it's the only source of light in here. This cabin is sparsely furnished. There's a table and a few chairs and a bed. There's someone sitting on the ground and staring at the flames.
"Uncle Serge?"
The man cocks his head to the side. "You brought her?"
"She's right here."
He stands up and his height is astounding. He's much taller than Cyran, and lankier. They look nothing alike. Cyran has black hair and green eyes. This man is blonde, and his eyes are blue, almost violet. And he's naked. I'm cowering behind Cyran and he peers at me.
"Step into the light." He commands.
I rush forward and he fixes his gaze on me. I don't like the way he's looking at me. I'm standing between two werewolves, wearing nothing but a flimsy shirt. I'm in trouble.
I'm in real, real trouble.