I melted at his words, losing the pent-up frustration from Sean's teasing. He had run back over to stand near his mate, conversing with a fellow warrior male who had come from our pack. I was surprised Alex wasn't here, being he was a strong warrior wolf, but he had stayed behind with Charlie. I could only guess it was for pack defences, just in case.

"What do you want to do?" Phoenix asked.

I looked around at the group of us, satisfied that they were enjoying themselves. A small group stayed huddled on the ground, and I only assumed they were not quite ready to open up to the change. But they were outside, and they made it here, and that's all that matters.

"The woman the Queen spoke of, where is she?" I asked, not seeing anyone who fit her description.

Phoenix was quiet and I looked at him to see his eyes fogged over as he stared at Sean. Sean had tensed at the mind-link but they must've conversed before Phoenix blinked back at me.

"She's still inside. Refuses to come out." He stated.

"Take me there."

"Nova, I don't think it's wise. She screams and attacks people who try to enter..." He shook his head.

I shook my head, "I have to see her. Something about her makes me want to know her. I never met her whilst I was there, she was locked in a cabin all the time. The thought of her case, of her, doesn't feel right. I need to know."

He studied me, honey eyes scanning my entire face with a frown. He sighed, his face relaxing in defeat at my stubbornness and finally nodded in agreement.

"I will come with you."

I grinned and took his hand, as he began to walk away. He looked down at me in pleasant surprise but I ignored the obvious and kept my hand firmly in his. He led me through the fields and around the back of the castle to another back door. This one lead to a small and narrow staircase that we ascended before coming to a stop at a long, carpeted hall.

He leads me down to the very end door, stopping nearby it. 'Are you sure?'

Yes. I nodded, eagerly.

He nodded in return and knocked on the door. There was muffled shifting, and sniffling sounds before a clatter of something hit the floor.

"Go away!"

"Please, we just want to talk," Phoenix replied.

"I don't want anyone here! Go away!" She shrieked and something banged against the door making me jump.

I frowned as Phoenix sighed and he tried again. "We just want to make sure you are okay."

"I was fine until you came and murdered my mate!"

Phoenix winced, "I apologise, but he was not a good man. None of them was, you are safe now with-"

"Safe? Safe?" She spat, before letting out a high-pitched scream that had both of us wincing.

Cel grumbled from within, becoming impatient. I inhaled deeply, taking in the human scent that lead me to realise she was still also wolf-less. She was fearful, afraid and cornered.

My heart fluttered in empathy, "Please, I would just like to speak to you."

I heard a sniffle and it fell quiet. "Who is that?"

"I'm Nova," I replied.

"The girl who ran?"

I sucked on my tongue for a moment, thinking of how to approach the situation. Would she be angry?

"Yeah, that's me." I tried, "I just want to talk to you, no probing questions, just talk."

It was silent and I looked up to see Phoenix still set in his hard frown.

"Can I come in? Please?"

"You're not one of them, are you?"

"One of them?" I wondered.

"The liars. They lie and then come and do all kinds of things to me."

I exhaled, feeling sorrow creep up on me. "I'm not. I understand though, I've felt like this before. All my life, I was treated badly and people constantly hurt me, but I promise you, I will not."

Silence.

Shuffling.

Sniffles.

I waited, my breathing coming out in a small rhythm as I waited for a response.

The click of a lock.

More shuffling.

"Okay, you can come in."

I sighed in relief, grabbing hold of the handle.

"But just you, not the Alpha. He has to go away."

'Nova...' Phoenix warned.

I chewed my lip and his eyes darkened as he stared down at me. I'll be fine. I trust her. So trust me.

He growled, displeased with my answer. He was fighting with his desirable need to keep me safe and out of harm's way; his instinct was telling him this woman was not safe.

'Fine. Mind link open.' He grunted.

I embraced him, rubbing my cheek into his shirt. Okay.

He pulled away and grabbed my cheeks, squishing them slightly as he bent down to place a pleasant kiss on my lips. My stomach flipped at the passionate kiss, his lips warm and firm against mine. He pulled away all too soon, a silent look of understanding filling the air. His hands dropped from my face and he eventually turned his back to go down the stairs.

Once he was gone, I turned back to the door. I took in a deep breath before twisting the handle and pushing the heavy door open. I looked around the dark room, realising the curtains were shut and the smell of wood filled the air.

"Hello?" I wondered, searching for her.

My eyes adjusted and I found her sitting on the corner of the double bed, her back against the wall. She was eyeing me from over her knees that were pulled to her chest, a long-sleeved dress covering what little I could see of her body.

I stepped further into the room, highly aware of her dark eyes on my every move. "Hi, I'm Nova."

"Calida." Her voice wavered.

I swallowed and looked around. "Where may I sit?"

Her eyes darted to the side and I looked to see an armchair on the opposite side of the room to her. I slowly made my way towards and sat down, the creaking of the wood the only sound in the room.

"Are you okay? Why are you in the dark, Calida?" I wondered, looking around at the basic objects.

I could see many smashed and broken things on the floor. Some looked like lamps, picture frames, and ornaments, even the sheets from the bed were ripped and on the ground. I wondered if those were the things she had thrown at the so-called intruders.

"You're not going to make me go out there are you?" She ignored my question.

"I'm not going to make you do anything, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. It's awfully lonely in here, are you sure you don't need-"

"No!" She snapped. "I deserve to be alone, I am made to be alone in my own space. This is not my space."

I frowned, looking back to the disturbing objects on the ground. "Is that why everything is broken?"

"The people that come in here, they want to drag me and test me. They say I am unstable, but you cannot trust them; they are the ones who are unstable. The men who lose their temper in a heartbeat, the women who sneer at you and force you to bow to their wishes. Liars." She growled.

I hesitated from answering, unsure of how to tackle someone. "What do you want to talk about then?"

Her head lifted slightly, and I could see the healing scars and bruises that lined her face. She studied me again, her eyes glancing over my dress and how awkwardly I sat in the chair.

"You're unusual."

"I am?"

She nodded and slowly started to move to the end of the bed. I watched her long arms pull herself along until she was sitting with her feet on the ground. I took in her slim appearance; she was nothing like the picture on her case file. The Queen had mentioned her eyes were different, and even in this darkness, I could tell it was the same girl. She was just sadder, more hurt and seeing too much in the world at an age where we should all be exploring happiness. I felt empathy for her because that girl was also me.

"You ask permission to enter, and do not force me to do things. The lousy Queen and her conniving husband forced their way in here earlier, so I threw a lamp at her pretty little head." She sneered.

I couldn't help but chuckle and it caused her to flinch in surprise. "I don't blame you; I do not trust them myself."

"You don't?"

I shook my head, leaning into the chair. "Something is wrong with them, I can't explain it but even the way they look has my wolf on edge. Why did we have to bring all of you here?"

She hummed and stared at me, surprised by my open honestly. I held eye contact, and strangely I could not feel anything from her wolf. I thought most people were beginning to have their wolves.

"Your wolf..." I began, drifting off in thought.

She scrunched up her nose with a grimace. "I have been poisoned for way too long. Eventually, they took me off of it, saying that my wolf had died."

Cel stirred, coming to attention at the unusual female's words. 'Let me see something, something is deeper within her. Get closer.'

I don't think she will let me. I warned.

'Do it!' She barked.

Okay! Miss bossy. I muttered.

"May I try something? I will not touch or hurt you, you have my word if I do anything you do not like, you can throw a lamp at my head too." I spoke softly. "My wolf... she is...interested and would like to just get a little closer."

Calida eyed me warily and after a good solid minute of me waiting in anticipation, she nodded. It was so gentle I would've missed it if I hadn't been already watching her every move. Cel bristled and I allowed her forwards as we carefully stepped closer to her. I wasn't sure what she was thinking, but I trusted her instincts.

We stood mere inches away from Calida, and I squatted down to not appear intimidating. Her eyes widened in the dark, my green eyes no doubt glowed with narrowed pupils as Cel studied her. Tuning into her senses, I inhaled deeply and allowed Cel to process the information. She grumbled within me and tried to demand the attention of Calida who merely shifted and couldn't hold her gaze.

When Cel had finished whatever it was she was doing, I stood and moved a few paces backwards. Calida cleared her throat and eyed me warily, waiting for me to speak. Cel was slow to tell me what she had discovered, and when I realised, I looked to Calida with new interest. This poor woman.

"You're human," I stated.

She rolled her eyes, crossing her eyes. "Yeah, they drugged my wolf so much that she fell asleep forever so I never shifted-"

"No," I shook my head, swallowing nervously. "You are human. You are not a werewolf."

She blinked up at me before her face lit in fury. "How dare you!"

I growled back in return, Cel's pride not letting the human hold her back. "I am a Lycan wolf, I know what I am sensing. Do you know what a Lycan is?

Calida was huffing, her attitude flowing from her freely as she glared up at me. "Do not tell me what I am."

"Listen," I sighed. "You do not have werewolf blood, maybe half, but you do not have a wolf. Whatever, whoever took you... Your case file is unusual. There are no details on your disappearance, nothing about what happened or what you looked like. Something isn't right, you have lived a terrible life, and I'm sorry, but my wolf is one hundred percent certain you are human."

Her breathing began to settle as she stared at me, her back losing its tight posture. I could see the moment she listened and her head began to think of multiple possibilities. She didn't bite back, so I assumed she had accepted most of what I had said.

"Wha..." She shook her head, clenching her jaw. "A Lycan? I heard Maxwell speaking of them often."

"Maxwell?" I wondered.

"The man I was mated to, the leader."

Greasy spitball.

"Oh, yeah...him." I frowned. "What did he say about Lycan's?"

"Over the years, quite a lot. I remember when he said that Lycan had shifted, that was about 3 years ago and they all went on a hunt. They said they needed blood, and then they came back with a witch."

I nodded. "My blood can heal any wounds. When I was a child, the rogues murdered my whole family and pack for it. I was lucky I escaped."

"What else can your kind do?" She wondered, eyeing my neck.

"Not heal, that's for sure." I laughed which caused her eyes to twitch in amusement. "I only shifted this year; it's a whole thing, but I was cursed by a witch to protect my blood. But from what I have learnt already, our bite can turn a human into a werewolf; we are the reason for the werewolf kind. Our humans are...the calmer I suppose. We tend to stay away from violence and crowded places, we find pleasure in the gentle, smaller things. I personally love plants and art... But our wolves are stronger, faster, prideful and bloodthirsty. The thoughts my wolf has sometimes really shocked me, but she is herself and she balances me out well. I fear my wolf could kill an entire pack if I let her."

She smirked at me, going as far as scoffing. "You do look like a small child. But I can tell you are stronger than you look, for your age."

"Hey, you aren't much older than me."

"Ah," She shrugged. "I feel like I've aged more in the last nine years."

We fell into silence and I looked around the room again, uncertain of my next words.

"I'm sorry we killed your mate, but he was a bad man."

She shook her head. "I never felt anything for him...when he forced his mark upon me, I felt the bond. I felt persuaded by him, but he was harsh and crude with his words. He wasn't a good man, the bond just made me overlook it all. But I do see it now the bond is fading, how awful he was. He took me from my family."

"He was."

"Did he die quickly?" She wondered.

I nodded. "I believe he got lost in the fights, I can ask who killed him if it appeases you, but if you'd rather let sleeping dogs lay..."

She shook her head, "It's okay. I just feel strange, feel empty. The bond feels like it's crushing me, but I guess if what you are saying is true, being a human helps me from the soul-crushing depression I was told about."

I smiled at her attempt to lighten the mood. "You do realise how amazing you are to get through all of this whilst being human, right?"

She raised her face to mine, eyes feeling like they were staring into my soul. I could see her emotions, she hid them well but they were breaking, a young girl wanting to be set free from the torments she has encountered.

"You are amazing, don't let anyone tell you otherwise," I whispered.

Her eyes began to water and she dropped her head in response to them, sniffing to conceal them. I smiled to myself, empathetic for her. She was just a teenager, a child really, who had been taken and made to think she was a werewolf; her whole life a lie just like mine. I hope she got the justice she deserved as I did. To find out why she was human, and to find a new peaceful life somewhere else.

"Now, how about we open the curtains?"

+++++

SURPRISE

Happy Weekend!

Short and sweet note today, i just hope you are all doing okay and getting through what ever is struggling for you right now. You got this !

Are you watching anything interesting right now?

I feel like I need to get into a new series...I just started clarksons farm on prime; I hardly ever have tv time so im outdated hahaha

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